Chapter Twenty-Six
Jimmy
He smiles; all this time and they’d never known. They had no idea who their enemy was, they just knew they had one. It had taken them long enough to come to that conclusion.
He could never have dreamed that it would work so well. Sure he was careful, he’d picked his moments, but they’d never even thought of him. As always he’d been invisible. It was strange to think that the very reason he hated them so much had proved to be their undoing, and consequently his salvation.
Andak…
How he despise the name. For him it conjured up all their oppression and power, their arrogance. Paul Andak had built an entire compound around them, to glorify them. Yet what was so special about them anyway? They were no more than the sons of an egotistical swine, an extortionist, who had preyed on the fears of others.
Yet once they had been ensconced in this place after the breakdown happened, what had everyone done but blindly follow him? They had willingly been seduced by a dream that was not their own.
He trapped them all in his power, and then played the king, lording it over them, and they’d enjoyed it! They’d strengthened him, and had brought up their daughters to want an Andak and nothing else.
He thinks of Nova, of her icy beauty that is so far beyond his reach. The indifference with which she treats him in stark contrast to the affection she lavishes on them. She gave away her smiles, threw herself at them, only to be laughed at. For what; the hope that one of them would throw her a bone of approval? Her head is so filled with the desire to be called Andak that there is no room for anything else.
He feels sickened, disgusted by her and yet longing for her still. Well, she would see; they all would. He would drag their precious Andak brothers through the mud!
He thinks of Tom and Ryder, even now on their way to this place with no knowledge of what was in store for them. It had been easy, so easy. Dax’s son had been forever shouting for his ‘Uncle Tom’. Jimmy had listened and waited and watched, and he had been rewarded.
Ryder’s interviews with Keya had been edifying in the extreme. He’d learnt with joy that her tribe held Tom prisoner, even now he couldn’t help thinking that it was a pity that they hadn’t dispatched him.
Then those girls had turned up and had given him a great deal more information. They knew Tomasz, that had been clear, even if they were behaving as though they had only just met him. They knew him well from the accuracy of their information, and they also knew Dec. It seemed that they had lived in the same tribe as him and Tom.
The recordings had proved so interesting that he’d copied them from the computer. It had proven to be a wise precaution, as Ryder had erased them from the data banks a few hours later. Now they were his trump card.
On Tom’s arrival home he had gathered the council, with the exception of Tom and Ryder. His carefully worded explanation to the brothers had been nothing short of genius. He could hardly contain the smile that threatened to destroy his image of hesitant worry. The council had listened and, more importantly, they had believed his every word.
He had told them that he had stumbled over the recordings when updating the servers. It had taken him half the night to doctor the recordings into something suitably incriminating. However, it had been their deletion from the system, and Ryder’s pass code of authorisation, that had been the killing blow.
Jimmy revels in the irony that in deleting the files, presumably to keep them all safe, Ryder had destroyed the one piece of evidence that could have saved them.
And so here they were, in just a few moments Ryder and Tom would arrive. It was almost too sublime. Their trial has already been carried out, the second the recording had finished Jimmy had seen their sentence in the council’s eyes.
The door opens, and the guard brings Tom and Ryder into the hall. Jimmy smiles inwardly. They are nonchalant, not seeming to notice the cool atmosphere in the room. It’s clear that they have no idea of the catastrophe that hangs over them.
“Jimmy has found a breach in our security, if you’ll all take your seats we can begin.”
It’s Orin that speaks, his voice echoing around the hall. He gestures to where Jimmy stands, respectfully quiet against one of the arches. Tom looks surprised, and Jimmy reflects he probably hadn’t even noticed him when he came in.
For the first time in his life the idea that he had been invisible makes Jimmy laugh.
-------
Tom
Tom moves to take his place at the table, feeling strangely unsettled. He had felt something was wrong when the guard arrived at Wisteria House. Now, looking at the grim faces around the table, he knows that something has happened. He can feel the suspicion directed at Ryder and him thick in the air.
The lights begin to dim, and Tom knows that whatever it is that he’s about to see, the majority of the room has seen it already.
An image filled the screen at one end of the table.
“Though many should stumble, though all should fall, with you at my side, I will always stand tall. Where’s Tommy?” asks Ryder.
“We last saw him three days ago,” replies Jan.
“You know?” he continues.
“About the accidents? Yes.”
“What have you done with Dec?” asks Deeta.
“Dec is fine, for now. You can see him later, after we have discussed some of the more important issues. I can be sure of your help?”
“With the accidents?” asks Jan. “That’s why Tom sent us.”
“Then we had better begin; follow me.”
The lights flicker on, revealing the guards standing behind Tom and Ryder’s chairs, obviously the plan from the beginning. What hadn’t been in the program is the gun that Tom holds steadily against Adin’s head.
“Drop it, Tom.” Orin’s voice is uncertain, his outstretched hand trembling slightly.
“Or what, you’ll shoot me?” queries Tom. “You’re going to do that anyway.”
“We can talk about this,” continues Orin.
Tom laughs, and looks over his shoulder at the guard.
“Yeah; I can see that you had talking on your mind. Up you get, Adin.
Adin stands, Tom’s hand on his shoulder, the gun still pressed firmly against his skull.
“Now the way I see it you have two options here: one, you shoot me dead. The down side of that plan is that Adin gets it as well. Two: you tell the guards to put down their weapons, and Rye and I, and the girls and Dec, leave the compound unharmed with Adin. We’ll send him back to you when we’re safe.”
“You’ll just kill him,” states Orin flatly.
“It’s a distinct possibility,” shrugs Tom. “But the other way it’s a certainty. I wouldn’t make the wrong choice; what would you tell his wife? Think about it Orin, how would you explain all this to Nina?”
Jimmy’s expression turns dismayed, and he steps forward, slamming both hands on the table.
“Don’t be fooled; he won’t kill him.”
“Now what would make you say that, Jimmy?” Tom’s voice is sarcastic. A flush of rage to spreads patchily over Jimmy’s face.
“Shoot him, he’s bluffing!” he splutters.
“Don’t be a fool, Jimmy, he’s killed enough of us hasn’t he? Why doubt him now?”
“You’re going to let him get away?” Jimmy’s incredulous voice rises in anger. Tom sees the full knowledge that he has given himself away for no reason, light Jimmy’s eyes with feverish horror.
“There’s no other way,” Blake interjects.
“You see, Jimmy, there’s no other way.” Tom’s voice is mocking. “Not when you’re dealing with murderous scum.”
“Drop your weapons.” The guards turn toward Orin at Ryder’s demand, obviously unsure what they should do.
“Do as he says.” It’s Cayden that reassures them, and they lower their guns to the floor.
“I’ll take that.” Ryder’s voice interrupts a guard mid motion, and with great
reluctance the soldier releases the fire arm to him.
“Come on, Adin, time for us to go for a little walk.” Tom drags Adin with him towards the door, nodding to Ryder that he should lock the door behind them.
“The lock won’t hold them for long, Jayden will be able to hack it. We have to get to Wisteria House, Dec and the girls…”
“They’re waiting for us at the pavilion.”
“You knew?” Ryder’s voice is incredulous. “How —?”
“There’s no time for explanations. Find Adin’s key card, they’ll be able to trace it.”
They exit the hall and halt while Ryder frisks Adin, taking his card and throwing it into a nearby hedge.
“Are you going to kill me?” Adin’s voice is studiously calm.
“Don’t be such an idiot, Adin,” answers Tom, pushing him at a run down the path that leads to the park.
As they near the pavilion they see the girls, their sober grey and black camouflage stands out against the showy beauty of the pavilion starkly. Dec is walking on his hands on the grass in front of them.
“What’s happened?” asks Jan, eyeing the gun in Tom’s hand, and its proximity to Adin’s head, with misgiving.
“We know who it is.”
“What? Who?” I look again to the gun levelled at Adin’s head. “Or is that a silly question?”
“There isn’t any time to explain; we’ve got to get out of here,” states Ryder, his attention is suddenly caught by Tom’s movements. “What are you doing?”
Tom looks up from the hand cuffs he’s securing around Adin’s wrists and the rail.
“We have to leave him here, he’ll be safer.”
“Are you out of your mind? He’s our only chance of getting out of here alive!”
“This is the perfect situation for one of those ‘accidents’, Rye.” Tom take’s Dec’s hand and begins to run. “You want that on your conscience, because I don’t.”
We run eastward toward the tower blocks at one end of the compound.
“Shouldn’t we be heading for the Great Hall?” asks Jan breathlessly.
“We won’t get through the guard,” answers Ryder. “We’ll have to use the escape route.”
We run until we are on the outskirts of the town, and then Tom’s pace slows to a walk. We pass apartment blocks and several crowded restaurants before turning down an alley.
“We’re here,” Tom’s voice hold’s a note of relief.
The building is about three stories high and highly decorative, its façade giving no clue to its use. We enter stealthily, Tom in the lead and Ryder bringing up the rear, and move along the short corridor towards the door at the far end. Tom opens it, stepping out on to the metal grating of the walk way.
“What is this place, Tom?” I whisper.
“Water works,” he replies. “When my father built this place, he incorporated an escape route in case the complex was captured by another tribe.”
As he is speaking, he leads us through the aerial walkways until we are on the floor of the building, surrounded by pipes and plant.
“He installed a pipe that runs in a straight line to the river.” He stops before one of the large round pipes and climbs up on top of it. “This pipe is filled with escape pods; it connects to another pipe which, when activated, is pressurised. When the pods are closed they’re pushed through a chamber that connects to the pressurised pipe, which then ejects them into the river.”
As he is speaking he turns the wheel and opens the hatch.
“At a squeeze it should take four.” He turns to help us as we climb up on to the top of the pipe. “Provided one of the four is Dec.”
“Then the girls and Dec should go first,” suggests Ryder.
Tom shakes his head.
“What about at the other end?” he asks. “You take Keya, Dec, and Jan. Deeta and I will take the next one.”
Ryder looks as though he will argue, but Tom pushes him firmly into the pod. Jan and Keya jump in after him, and Tom hands Dec down, closing the lid over them and waiting for the hiss as it seals.
“Push the red button, Deeta, it activates the pressurised pipe.”
Tom closes the hatch and waits expectantly for a few seconds until the pod disappears from sight before opening the hatch again. The roar of water assails my ears, and my eyes clash fearfully with Tom’s. He winks at me.
“It’s alright, Deeta.” His smile is reassuring. “The next pod will take a few seconds to come through, all you have to do is…” He looks up as though hearing something. I watch as his face takes on a wary cast and then he pulls me into his arms, turning me so that his body shields mine. I feel him lurch against me, and then hear his voice close to my ear.
“Don’t panic, Deeta, take a deep breath.” His voice is tense and stiff, and as he speaks I feel him falling backwards, pulling me with him. We fall through the hatch and in to the icy water, I can’t help a moan of surprise at the shock. We slide along, the water pushing us into the pressurised pipe, submerging us completely in an airless space.
The pressure is terrifying. Water swirls around us and for a moment I struggle against Tom’s hold in fear, and then cling to him tightly. The horrifying thought that this is it, my last moment, fills my mind.
Will this be how it all ends?
I don’t know how long we remain submerged, or when we exit the pipe. To me it seems an eternity, and I feel myself losing consciousness. It’s Tom that pulls me to the surface of the river. He tows me to the bank, dragging me out of the water and on to the grass. I lay on my front, choking up water, conscious of Tom rhythmically rubbing my back.
“You okay, Deeta?”
“I think I swallowed half of the river, are we on the right bank?”
Tom nods his head. Of course we are; Tom would have made sure he headed for the right side of the river. He remains silent, kneeling beside me, his figure dark against the sky.
“We have to move, Deeta, we can’t stay here.”
“Where are the others?”
Tom takes my hand and pulls me upright.
“The pod would have carried them further down river.”
“How much further?”
“Let’s put it this way: by the time we reach where the pod landed, they would be long gone.”
“Then what do we do?”
“We go back to Marshall territory. Ryder and Keya don’t know a friendly tribe, and Jan only knows one. It’s the only place they can go.”
We walk north through the City, shivering as the winds fingers probe our sodden clothing. My teeth are chattering uncontrollably and I stumble. Tom’s arm shoots out to steady me, and he winces.
“What’s wrong? Are you alright?”
He doesn’t answer me, but keeps on walking. I pause remembering Tom pulling me into his arms and tensing against me before we fell through the hatch. My eyes search him and find the hole in his jacket were the bullet entered.
“It’s nothing.” Tom shakes his head, pulling away a little as I slide my hand inside his jacket. His shoulder is wet and sticky, and when I withdraw my hand, my fingers are red with his blood. I feel myself blanch.
I’ve been told that life is full of moments of revelation. At the ripe old age of twenty, I guess I’m not experienced enough to know if that’s true. However, this I do know: as I stand here beside Tom, realising that he took a bullet for me, I know something that I didn’t know just a few short moments before. Jan is completely, unequivocally, and undeniably right: I am in love with Tom.
What could be more natural than for me to love someone as brave, courageous, and kind as the man he is? I also know that to some degree the feeling is reciprocated. It’s in his face as he looks down at me. He’s almost apologetic, and a regretful light gleams in his eyes. He takes my hand, pulling me after him. For some time I just follow him, dazed by my epiphany. It’s the feel of his blood sliding down my hand where it’s clasped in his that brings me back to the moment, and the grave reality of our situati
on.
“We should look at your arm, Tom.”
His grip on my hand tightens and he shakes his head.
“We have to get further away from the river.”
“But, Tom, there’s so much blood!” My voice, coming out high pitched, cracks feebly on the last word.
“There isn’t as much as you think, it’s just that I’m soaking as well.”
Perhaps he feels the resistance in my lagging steps, because he pulls me on.
“Come on, Deeta. Don’t fight me along with everyone else!”
His hand is holding mine so tightly that mine has become numb. His breathing is slow and regular, apart from the way he’s holding his arm he doesn’t look hurt. I decide that Tom knows best and speed up.
“How long will it take to get into Marshall territory, Tom?”
“A few hours.” Tom looks up at the sky. “We should be there before dark.”