Following Peter’s directions, Pip edged along the side of the wall of the great warehouse-like rooms, stealthily, silently. His guard’s uniform had enabled him to pass easily through the building and up the stairs to the sixth floor; he knew that from his vantage point above the Security Centre, Jude would be watching his progress silently as he flicked from camera to camera.
There were voices, suddenly, and Pip hung back in the shadows as two men passed, talking in low voices.
‘It doesn’t matter anyway. From tomorrow, this will all be official.’
‘You trust that Authorities woman?’
‘It’s not a matter of trust. She can’t afford not to approve us. The revenue generation will be huge. Jobs, energy, everyone’s wellbeing – it’s a no-brainer. Stop worrying.’
‘I’m not worrying.’
They didn’t see Pip; they walked straight past him, out of the door and down the stairs. Carefully, Pip inched forwards towards the door from which they’d emerged, trusting, hoping that Jude was in place, that he was watching, that he was ready. Then, tentatively, he opened it just a fraction, immediately blinking against the bright lights. There were two nurses in the room, sitting in the corner at a table, chatting. Otherwise the room was in silence. Next to the door was an intercom phone and two light switches; silently, Pip looked up at the camera, nodded. His trust in Jude was rewarded seconds later when the lights suddenly went out, and Pip slipped through the door.
Immediately he heard the sound of footsteps rushing over.
‘The blackout’s spreading,’ a nurse said anxiously.
‘Hello? Hello? Oh, for God’s sake, the intercom’s gone dead.’
‘What do we do?’
‘We’d better let them know downstairs.’
Pip moved quickly in the dark and grabbed the nurse nearest the door. She screamed. ‘Up against the wall,’ he barked.
‘What? Who’s there? Who said that?’
‘I’ve got a gun. I want you up against the wall, all of you.’
He heard yelps and scrambling, then took out a torch, shining it around the room, assuring himself that no one was hiding from him. ‘Turn around,’ he ordered. ‘Arms above your heads.’
‘But the guards . . . The guards will be here in minutes. Are you mad? You can’t just walk in here and . . .’
‘I can do what I like,’ he said, through gritted teeth.
Pip picked up a towel and ordered a nurse to gag the doctor who was speaking, then to tie up the others; finally, he tied her up. Then, quickly, he ran to the beds. ‘Sheila?’ he asked, looking from girl to girl, his heart aching at what he saw.
A girl looked up sleepily. ‘Was I Valuable?’ she asked dozily. ‘Can I go back to Grange Hall now?’
‘Not to Grange Hall,’ Pip said, his voice tightening as he rushed over to her. ‘But let’s see if we can’t get you somewhere safe, OK? Let’s see if we can’t get all of you out of here.’
He took out his phone and made a
call to the men waiting in the basement of the building. ‘I’m in,’
he said simply. ‘I’m going to need four men up here now.’
‘Samuels?’
Derek Samuels moved his receiver to his ear immediately. ‘Yes? Mr Pincent?’
‘The press conference will be starting at six o’clock sharp. I need you to collect Peter.’
‘Of course. I’ll be there right away.’
‘Good.’
Derek Samuels wiped a trickle of
sweat off his forehead as he looked down at Guard 431, who was
slumped against the wall beside the cell door, the girl gone.
Another guard had been found dead in the waiting room off
reception. Two more in a room off the second-floor landing. Taking
his gun out and holding it close to his chest, he called a guard to
move the body.
‘Where’ve you been?’ Dr Edwards whispered anxiously. ‘The guards will be on to us any second now.’
They were in the basement as arranged; Pip, whose face had just appeared around the corner, grimaced. ‘You got Anna?’ he asked.
‘Yes. She’s here with me.’
Pip saw her thin frame standing behind Dr Edwards, and he nodded, then disappeared. Seconds later, he emerged again, a girl draped over his arms. Behind him four men were also carrying young girls. Underground men, Dr Edwards realised. Underground soldiers. ‘Good, because we need your help to get these girls out, now.’
Dr Edwards’ eyes widened. ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘They’re from Unit X?’
Pip nodded. ‘Where’s Peter?’
‘Back in his cell.’
‘Good. The boat’s waiting. Take Sheila.’
He handed the girl in his arms to Dr Edwards, who took her gingerly.
‘Sheila? Is that really you?’ It was Anna talking; Sheila didn’t answer, but Anna took her hand nevertheless, squeezed it, planted herself beside her like a guard. She was so fragile, Dr Edwards thought to himself as he looked down at Sheila’s small frame and red hair, but her lightness only compounded the weight that he had felt bearing down on him since Peter and Pip had come into his laboratory that afternoon, since he’d discovered the truth about what was happening within these walls. He was complicit, he’d realised; he hadn’t done enough to stop it, had allowed Richard Pincent to bully him, to silence him. And these girls had paid the price. Slowly, heavily, he turned around and started walking back down the stairs, Anna beside him. Pip went ahead to secure their path; a few feet behind him, the four Underground soldiers followed. Stealthily, they made their way out of the basement to the loading bay where the rest of the Underground men were waiting in the winter darkness. Silently, he followed Pip, turning right out of the exit and following the wall of the building until they reached the marshland leading to the river. Their feet squelching in the boggy grass, they began to walk more quickly until finally they reached the boat, a sizeable armoured speedboat nestling against the river’s edge.
‘The tide’s low so you’ll have to jump,’ Pip said to Anna. ‘We’ll pass Ben down to you.’
Nodding bravely, Anna took a deep breath and jumped over the edge of the river bank, landing safely on the boat, then she reached up her hands for her brother.
The girls, groggy and sleepy, were passed down next; they half fell on to the boat where Anna quickly sat them up, pulling their gowns down where they had risen up, exposing the girls, leeching yet more dignity from them. Finally, the Underground soldiers themselves followed, hauling themselves down the bank and on to the boat below.
‘You should go with them,’ Pip said to Dr Edwards.
Dr Edwards looked at the boat, then shook his head. ‘No,’ he said. ‘You wanted me at the press conference.’
‘That was before you killed a guard and helped a prisoner and the Surpluses to escape. You won’t make it to the press conference. Go now. We’ll keep you hidden.’
Dr Edwards looked at the girls, at Anna, then back at Pip. ‘You know, this place has been my life,’ he said, his voice quiet. ‘Science has been my life for as long as I can remember. I thought I was seeking truth. I thought science was beautiful.’
‘Science can be beautiful,’ Pip said. ‘But good science, not bad.’
‘One can turn into the other so easily. I saw Longevity as the saviour of mankind. How can something so healing be so destructive?’
‘All beauty has a dark side. Heaven can’t exist without hell.’
Dr Edwards grimaced. ‘To discover, though, that you are on the side of the devils . . .’ he whispered. He looked back at Pincent Pharma with disgust.
‘It’s not your fault,’ Pip said, carefully, then he forced a smile. ‘Anyway, there’s always an Authorities ReTraining programme. What do they say? “Long Lives, New Challenges”?’
Dr Edwards caught his eye. ‘ReTraining,’ he said quietly. ‘Yes, of course. The truth is . . .’
‘Stop right there.’ Dr Edwards heard a voice shouting from behind them and turned around to be greeted by a flashlight and a uniformed figure approaching through the darkness. He immediately saw the glint of a gun in the guard’s hand.
‘Guard,’ he called out. ‘I can explain.’
‘No explanation required,’ the guard said. ‘Move an inch and you’re dead, both of you.’ He took out his walkie-talkie. ‘Back-up requested, back entrance, river frontage.’
‘Of course,’ Dr Edwards said, his mind working frantically. In moments, more guards would appear, he, Pip and the girls would be captured.
‘Guard, there’s no need for this,’ he said, then, affecting what he hoped was a confident, reassuring tone. ‘I thought I heard something, that’s all. Came out to investigate.’ Then he turned to Pip. ‘Go,’ he hissed, as the guard’s location was confirmed by a tinny-sounding voice. ‘Get out of here.’
‘I’m not leaving you here,’ Pip said, under his breath. ‘There’s no need. We can take this guard.’
‘There’ll be more in minutes,’ Dr Edwards whispered back. ‘It’s not worth the risk.’
‘But he’ll kill you,’ Pip said. ‘You know he will.’
The guard, who had halted some metres away, was staring at them impassively, pointing his gun at one of them, then the other, then back again. Not far away, Dr Edwards could hear the thud of boots on hard ground, the sound of running.
‘You know, death isn’t as scary as I thought it would be,’ he said, his voice soft, but loud enough for Pip to hear. ‘Perhaps Peter was right about it being nature’s version of Renewal after all.’ He turned back, briefly, and smiled. ‘Tell him he was right. Tell him forever isn’t important – it’s now that counts. Doing the right thing. Finally . . .’
Giving Pip one last look, he started to walk towards the guard, his hands up in the air. ‘Really, Guard, there’s no reason to be like this. If you’d just let me explain . . .’
‘Explain? I don’t want an explanation. Stay where you are or I’ll shoot.’ The guard was squinting at him; Dr Edwards had positioned himself in the glare of his flashlight.
‘But we’re on the same side,’ Dr Edwards continued, watching as Pip shot him one last look before ducking down over the river bank out of sight.
‘Stop moving immediately or I’ll shoot,’ the guard said, angry now. ‘Come one more step . . .’
‘One more? You’d shoot me just for one more step?’ Dr Edwards asked, continuing to walk. But his words were drowned out by the sound of a pistol firing; as he landed on the mud, he felt the blissful sensation of pain shooting around his body, cleansing his sins, freeing him from anguish. He heard the guard erupt in anger as he realised that Pip had disappeared, heard him barking at the other guards arriving on the scene to search along the river’s edge. But as his life ebbed away, Dr Edwards heard the unmistakable sound of a boat’s engine starting up, and as he closed his eyes, he knew the guards were already too late.