To Snatch a Thief

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE



They stood in the General’s office. Heavily built, with a large weathered face and a shiny bald strip sandwiched by slicked-back grey hair, he brooded behind his desk like a battleship at anchor. Coarse grey stubble sprouting from his jowls showed he’d come straight from bed. Hooded, piercing blue eyes swept over them. He cleared his throat. ‘This room is now locked-down. Code Red applies to anything that is discussed. From now on, anything pertaining to this subject is on a strictly need to know basis.’ His eyes zeroed in on Skye. ‘Lieutenant, this girl is essentially a civilian. Is there a reason for her to be present?’

‘I’ll explain later, sir. But I’ll personally see to it Forrester doesn’t compromise this operation.’

What he meant by that, she could only guess.

‘Very well.’ The General ran a finger over a touchpad on his workstation. ‘Unlock file SOL4199902/89, Display on screen one.’ The word ‘Solution’ appeared on the glass with an emblem Skye recognised. She fingered the ring still in her pocket. ‘Lieutenant perhaps you would explain why we’re here.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Hunter stepped to the screen. ‘We all know our history regarding the revolution. The masses revolted against the compulsory birth control policy instigated by the governments of the time. But there have always been those who still believe in Solution’s doctrines, and a gut feeling tells me they’ve been resurrected with a new strategy. Something one of my privates said during a briefing got me thinking. I believe these recent deaths were a test run, a dress rehearsal if you like before the grand opening. What if they mean to cull the population for the good of the whole?’

You could have heard a pin drop. Shaken, Skye thought of the books in Hunter’s home; of Jonathan Powter. If he’d got himself involved with something like that, she reflected, then wanted out… no wonder he was freaked.

Leaning forward, General Redwood narrowed his eyes. ‘You’re talking mass murder on an unprecedented scale.’

‘Yes. Yes, I am. And what better time than when half the country’s pouring into the south. I believe a group calling themselves Solution are about to start the process.’

‘The people will fight. We won’t be able to control…’

‘The people won’t know it’s happened until it’s done - poisoned shipments to every outlet in the south of England?’

‘Captain Yao.’ General Redwood asked. ‘In your professional opinion, does Lieutenant Hunter’s theory stand up?’

‘Much as I hate to admit it, yes. And everything he’s uncovered points to someone with high profile involvement. An operation on this scale has to have huge financial backing. Toxicology says the substance used is a brand new pathogen, sophisticated, virtually undetectable once exposed to air. It takes big money to research and produce something like that. More to pay staff for their silence.’

General Redwood blew out a breath. The room had gone so quiet Skye could hear her own heart beat. ‘What’s been done to find the source of this toxin?’

‘So far we can’t find any local laboratories that seem to be dodgy,’ Hunter continued. ‘Stockland’s and Royalty’s checked out, but we’re still digging. Wherever it is, it’s well hidden. Could be out of the country of course, or off-planet.’

There was something in the way Hunter paused. ‘As you know, I was involved with security on Stella Frontier. In the seventies our laboratories were working on several kinds of bio weapons.’ His jaw was tight and a muscle in his cheek worked, but they were the only outward signs of what he was feeling.

‘The project you’re referring to was abandoned. Synthetic cloning of Europa’s flora was deemed too expensive.’

Hunter face was carefully blank. ‘Yes, sir. But we have to consider the possibility it’s been re-started. And then there’s distribution. The organisation involved has to have access to supply centres throughout the city. Royalty Trading fits that bill and they have, shall we say, a loose control of their operation. It would have been easy to slip the odd packet or carton into a delivery to test the water.’

Now was the time, she told herself, even though they’ll probably think you insane. If you’re going to tell them what you suspect about Hunter, now is the time to do it. But the moment passed and she stood, biting her lip, watching him bait the trap.

‘I’ve had surveillance on the river, monitoring Royalty Trading for the last eight hours,’ he continued. ‘It would appear they’re gearing up for a large distribution drop in the very near future.’

General Redwood blew out a breath. ‘We don’t have enough hard evidence to warrant a shut-down of Royalty, but we need to stop those deliveries until we’re sure what’s in them.’ He drummed his fingers on his desk as though playing a tune. ‘Okay. Get Traffic to pull in some of the trams: spot checks, breathalysers, faulty lights, any damn excuses. Have your guys take samples from the cargo. I’ll contact Jenkins in Public Health; get his hygiene operators to do the same in as many shopping outlets as they can without raising too much suspicion.’ Running his fingers over his console, he turned to the wall screen where a complicated diagram appeared. ‘After you called, Captain, I did some digging of my own; one of the perks of a chauffeur driven car and photovoltaic dashboard.’ He pointed to the chart. ‘A blue print of Buckingham Palace; I woke up a friend at MI5 who was helpful.’ Everyone peered at the lines and squiggles which meant nothing to Skye. ‘There was always speculation that a nuclear bunker existed under the building when England had kings and queens; a twin to the one under the old Houses of Parliament,’ the General continued. ‘What better place for a perfectly sealed laboratory.’

‘Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?’ Captain Yao leaned forward so his hands rested on the General’s desk. ‘Royalty Trading has government backing.’

‘I’m not suggesting anything, Captain. But we’ve got to be damn sure of our facts before I take this to the President.’

A look passed between them before General Redwood nodded. ‘A covert operation, Captain. I don’t want us going in all guns blazing. And I want total lock down on media. If this leaks to the press; if they get the slightest whiff of a scandal of this magnitude, the whole freaking nightmare’s going to blow up in our faces.’

‘It won’t. Ah…’

‘Problem, Lieutenant?’

‘I just wondered how this should be handled,’ Hunter remarked. ‘If it actually points to the top.’

‘Jesus!’ The General’s scraped back violently. ‘Are you insinuating the President’s behind this? That’s way out of line, Lieutenant. Way off. I know him. I know the man personally.’

‘Yes, General.’ Hunter’s voice was icy cold. ‘But his sister, Narelle Keating, is on the board of Royalty Trading. Nine years ago she headed the laboratory on Stella Frontier. My thoughts on what happened there are well documented.’

‘And fully investigated. Foul play could not be established in Anya Leberdev’s death. Neither could it be proved that Narelle Keating supported Solution.’

Skye thought of his reaction to Narelle’s visit. She thought of what she’d found in Hunter’s office. Her conscience squirmed again.

‘Are you sure you aren’t letting your prejudice in that direction, influence your investigation, Lieutenant?’

‘Positive. If we uncover a high-ranking official responsible, how will it be handled?’

There was a long pause. ‘The spooks will take over,’ the General eventually stated. ‘Clean up the mess and it will all be swept under the carpet. No public outrage, no religious or political backlash. If you’re looking to advance your career on this one, Lieutenant, you can forget it.’

‘I can assure you, General.’ Hunter’s hands fisted. ‘That’s the last thing on my mind.’

Whatever you plan to do, Skye promised him silently, I intend sticking like glue.

‘Captain. Lieutenant. Can I have a word?’ Outside the general’s office, an older sergeant rushed up. ‘Surveillance have patched something through, I think you should see.’ He raised a palm-sized screen and angled it so they both got a view.

Skye couldn’t see what was on the monitor, but she watched their faces stiffen. ‘That’s not just security; that’s a goddamn army,’ Captain Yao hissed through his teeth.

Hunter’s eyes were empty, but his hands curled at his sides. ‘Narelle Keating’s private army: mercenaries riding shotgun on those deliveries. They’re not there for fun. It’s tonight - tonight’s the drop night. If we don’t stop them, by tomorrow afternoon hundreds of thousands of innocent people will be dead.’

Newman and Smith were already in the briefing room when they got there, talking with a dozen or so men and women uniforms she didn’t know. Johannsen and two yawning Electronics guys arrived soon after, followed close on their heels by a five man team from Forensics and Dawson looking fresh and toned as ever. Body armour and a collection of weapons and other equipment Skye couldn’t put a name to, was spread out on a table.

‘Listen up, everybody.’ Captain Yao called them to attention. ‘You’re all no doubt wondering why you’ve been called in, when you’d rather be catching up on your beauty sleep.’

A few baldy jokes went round the room, before Captain Yao stopped them.

‘Target: Royalty Trading. Objectives: one; halt and impound all trams leaving dock area. Two; establish whereabouts of illegal laboratory and, if found, shut it down.’ He pointed to the man they’d seen outside. ‘Sergeant, group one’s with me on those deliveries. The rest, plus you.’ He nodded to the forensic team. ‘With Lieutenant Hunter. Indications are there’ll be resistance once we get inside. Remember there are civilians in the building. Royalty run a nightshift, plus cleaning and maintenance are done at night, so keep it tight. We don’t want any casualties. Okay, suit up; all weapons on silent mode - stun only unless absolutely necessary; any questions, ask them on the way.’

There was a general scramble for equipment.

‘One of yours?’ Skye queried as Hunter shrugged into a flak jacket.

He fastened the front straps, raised a brow. ‘As a matter of fact… How did you…? Frowning, he waved a hand. ‘Never mind, I haven’t time.’ Skilfully, he checked his weapon; re-holstered it.

‘Where’s mine?’

He strode to the table, selected a GIG-95, squinted down the sights, then strapped it to a second holster on his lower leg. ‘Smith, contact surveillance. Tell them to expect us ETA fifteen minutes.’

‘On it, sir.’

Shadowing him as he swung away, she ignored his irritated growl. ‘Where’s what?’

‘My body armour.’

‘You don’t need one. You’re not going in.’

Captain Yao, ready in full combat gear stood, legs braced, his hands on his hips, reminding Skye of a pint-sized Samurai warrior addressing his troops. He lifted a finger to a communications bead in his right ear. ‘Aerial’s reported in, Lieutenant,’ he stated. ‘Trams beginning to move out; nothing happening at the back of the building: entrance area’s deserted. All doors closed. Time to go.’

With a rustle of movement, the room started to empty. ‘I am,’ Skye persisted. If he thought she was being left behind he had another think coming.

‘Look, I’m not going to argue with you. The closest you’re getting is the coordinate vehicle. That’s an order.’