The Abyss (The Island Book 3) Page 13

  Finally, with rain still crashing down all around us, I let go of his head and rolls his corpse over. It takes a few seconds before I'm able to slip the rifle free, but then I get to my feet just as I hear the other soldier shouting something.

  In pitch darkness, I have to fumble with the rifle and try to remember how to activate the firing unit. Fortunately these things haven't changed much over the years, so I quickly manage to get the gun ready, and then I hear the other soldier calling out again, this time from much closer.

  Good job these goons are so complacent.

  Turning, I aim the rifle toward the sound of the other soldier's voice.

  A moment later, a flash of lightning illuminates the scene, and I see that the other soldier is just a few feet away. In the brief flash of light, I see him turn toward me, so I adjust my aim slightly and then I pull the trigger.

  Two laser blasts crackle through the air, and I hear an agonized scream as they hit something.

  Ducking down, I wait in case he returns fire. I need another burst of lightning, just to be sure, but it takes a few more minutes before there's another flash.

  Sure enough, the second soldier is dead in the mud.

  Scurrying over, I take his rifle and then I start unbuckling his helmet. These things have visors I can use in the bad weather, so I slip the helmet away and put it on. Immediately, I see a remarkably clear night-vision view of the scene, and when I look down at the soldier's dead face I find that it's actually a woman. There's a trickle of blood at one corner of her mouth, and I quickly see that I shot her straight in the chest.

  I guess they didn't even use the proper armor that protects against blast shots. The money-pinching assholes in charge of this mission probably figured they wouldn't be facing anything tougher than a few savages with knives.

  Getting to my feet, I take a moment to adjust the visor and then I set off through the forest. I can't hear any communication chatter over the earpieces, but I guess maybe I damaged a connection when I removed the helmet.

  Trudging through the forest, I finally stop as I see two more soldiers in the distance. They're moving slowly and carefully, and a moment later I see why.

  They're at the perimeter of Steadfall.

  They're getting in place to surround the town while everybody sleeps.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Iris

  “Who was that woman?”

  I gesture for Nissa to come and help me with the fire, but after a moment I realize that she's still just watching me from the cave's entrance.

  “Who was she, Iris?” she asks again. “She seemed weird, but she also seemed like she knew what she was doing. And she knew your name, so you have to know hers.”

  I wave a hand at her, which is my way of telling her that it doesn't matter. Still, as I continue to put some more wood on the fire, I can tell that Nissa is watching me. I'm worried that she has suspicions about Asher, that she might even have figured out who we encountered in the forest, and I really don't want to have to explain why her mother has been creeping about in the forest for the past ten years.

  “I'm scared,” she says suddenly, and I find that she's come closer.

  Turning to her, I see the fear in her eyes.

  “People at Steadfall always talked about how bad it'd be if the island got taken over,” she continues. “Iris, is Steadfall going to get destroyed? If it is, what'll happen to all the people there? What'll happen to Olivia and Ripley and Martin and -”

  I put a finger against my lips, to tell her to be quiet.

  “But what'll happen to them” she asks, and now she seems to be on the verge of tears. “Shouldn't we go and help? Wouldn't my mother want us to help? She'd be mad if she knew we were just sitting around, doing nothing.”

  I pause, before reaching out and putting a hand on her shoulder.

  “I'm really scared,” she adds, before stepping closer and putting her arms around me. “Please, Iris. Tell me everything's going to be okay.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Asher

  Soldiers have taken up positions at several points around the southern perimeter, but there are plenty of gaps they haven't managed to close yet. Sneaking close to the fence, I stop for a moment to check that nobody is around, and then I clamber through into the area behind some of the huts.

  I'm back.

  I'm finally in Steadfall again.

  Sure, I've been close over the past few years, but I always took care to not actually cross the perimeter fence. Now I'm here, and my heart is pounding. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no idea what to do next, because I know that even the couple of hundred people here would be no match for a squadron of well-armed soldiers. They'd be cut down before they could even get to their weapons.

  I look around for a moment, using the helmet's night-vision to check that I haven't been spotted yet.

  Staying low, I make my way behind the line of huts. I know there'll be some guards awake during the night, but they're probably dozing at their posts, unaccustomed to the idea that there might actually be a major threat coming closer to the town. By the time I get to the end of the line of huts, I'm starting to think that my best bet might be to wake somebody like Olivia or Ripley, and tell them to evacuate Steadfall before the place is surrounded. In fact, I -

  Suddenly my feet bump against something.

  Looking down, I'm surprised to see a slumped figure in the mud. I crouch down and check for a pulse, and I'm relieved to find that at least the person is alive. He must have been knocked out by someone, however, so as I get to my feet I can't help worrying that maybe the soldiers have already begun their incursion.

  And then I feel somebody tap me on the shoulder.

  I spin around, but I'm quickly slammed against the back of the nearest hut. Before I can fight back, a spear is placed length-ways against my throat, pushing hard.

  It's her.

  It's Doctor Nicole Phillips, a face I've only seen in my nightmares since I came to the island. Her features are badly burned, but I'd recognize her anywhere.

  “How nice of you to drop by, Asher,” she says firmly, raising her voice so she can be heard over the pouring rain. “It is you under that helmet, isn't it?”

  I clench my fists, getting ready to beat this bitch to a pulp.

  “They're here for me,” she continues, before suddenly pulling the spear away and letting it fall to the ground. “I assume you're not too happy about the soldiers. They're here for me, and I don't mean they're here to carry out my orders. They're here to get me and take me back to the mainland.”

  Still staring through the helmet's visor, I see her face picked out in the green glow of the night-vision system.

  “They came sooner than I expected,” she explains. “I thought I'd have a few more days, but obviously I'm going to have to hurry things up a little. Still, you came sooner than I expected too, so that's a bonus. Come on, Asher, we should get out of here before they seal the whole town off. Trust me, your precious Steadfall will be a much safer place if they can prove to the soldiers that they don't have me here.”

  She turns to walk away, but I grab her shoulder and pull her back, quickly slamming her against the back of the hut.

  “I was on my way out anyway,” she continues breathlessly. “Believe it or not, I didn't come here to get this pathetic town destroyed. I'm only -”

  “Why did you come here?” I sneer.

  “Every second we stand here talking,” she replies, “is another second that those soldiers get closer. How long's it going to take them to completely surround Steadfall, Asher? Another five minutes? Ten? I guarantee you that their plan is to get the place contained, and then to come storming in to fetch me. Don't you think it'd be wise for us to be gone by that point?”

  “Or we could just hand you over,” I point out. “Why do they want you, anyway?”

  “People might die,” she continues. “If we're here, there could be a fight. If we're not here, the soldiers will see that and
they'll leave. I swear, Asher, they're not here to ransack the place and burn it down. Not this time. They just want me, and if I'm not here, they will walk away and leave Steadfall exactly as they found it. Now, there'll be time for you to tell me how much you hate me later, but right now I strongly suggest that we get the hell out of here.”

  I hesitate for a moment, before raising the rifle so she can see the tip.

  “Move!” I say firmly.

  “Any particular direction?”

  “Get to the fence! Now!”

  She smiles for a moment, before turning and starting to wade through the mud. She isn't able to move very fast, but finally we get closer to the fence. Instead of climbing over, however, she stops and stares out into the darkness.

  I grab her arm.

  “You don't need to drag me like a dog,” she mutters. “I'm choosing to come with you. I just want to make sure we're not walking straight into a nest of soldiers.”

  “You could always give them the order to back off,” I point out.

  “They're not my friends, Asher. Far from it.”

  “So what are they doing here?”

  “I promise they'll leave your precious little town alone once they realize I'm not there!” she calls back to me. “Believe it or not, they didn't come to slaughter anyone. They have bigger problems at the moment.”

  “So why did they come?” I ask. “Why did you come?”

  “I came to find something that I put here for safe-keeping,” she explains. “And they came, I assume, because they don't like the idea of people sabotaging their system from the inside and damn near bringing the government to its knees.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Don't you get it yet?”

  Stopping ahead of me, she turns and raises her hands.

  “You might find this difficult to believe, Asher,” she continues, “but I've been a bad girl. Unfortunately, they found out just a little sooner than I would have wanted, but that's okay. I can adapt my plan a little.”

  “You're just trying to trick me again,” I reply.

  “No, that's over now,” she says calmly. “Asher, a long time ago I promised that I'd come and get you. I agreed to let you come to the island because I knew it'd be a safe place to keep you out of harm's way. And to train you up a little more, toughen your soul. But that's over now, and your fun on the island has to come to and end.”

  She pushes the rifle aside and steps closer to me, as rain continues to pour down all around us.

  “We need you,” she explains. “You're the perfect soldier, Asher. And it's time for you to come fight in the perfect war.”

  “I don't want your war,” I reply. “I never -”

  Before I can finish, I spot movement behind her. Pushing her aside, I step over to the fence, just in time for the night-vision visor to show me several soldiers taking up position in the forest. I look a little further along, and sure enough there are more soldiers.

  “Oh dear,” Doctor Phillips says behind me. “I take it from your sudden silence that we might be surrounded. Tell me, Asher... Have you ever been caught up in a siege before?”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Iris

  I can see lights in the distance, over on the far shore. Now that the storm is dying down a little, I can make out what looks to be some kind of temporary base being set up on the beach.

  Whatever these people want, they're prepared for the long-haul.

  Chapter Forty

  Asher

  “There are soldiers in the forest!” a voice calls out, as the first rays of morning light cast long shadows across the makeshift town. “There are soldiers everywhere!”

  “Uh-oh,” Doctor Phillips whispers, as we watch from the cover of one of the huts. “I think the locals have noticed the problem.”

  “Keep your mouth shut!” I hiss, staying low so that we hopefully won't be spotted.

  “The prisoner's gone!” another voice shouts. Ripley, I think. “Carmichael was knocked out in the night. She must have run off.”

  “They've got guns,” a woman adds. “What do they want?”

  Pulling a little further back into the hut, I try to figure out what we're going to do next. The soldiers could easily have stormed the town by now, and they'd have had an extra advantage if they'd come during the night. The fact that they've simply taken up position, and that they're allowing themselves to be seen now that daylight has arrived, makes me think that a simple attack isn't on the cards. Not yet, at least.

  “So tell me,” Doctor Phillips whispers, “why do you want the people of this fine little town to think you're dead?”

  “It's better that way,” I mutter.

  “Even your own daughter thinks you died during childbirth.”

  I turn to her.

  “Oh, I saw the little brat,” she continues. “What was her name again? Nasher?”

  “Nissa.”

  “That's right. She looks so much like you, although I think there was a hint of dear Harold Mars in the mix too. I always thought you and Harold had a bit of a -”

  “Shut your goddamn face!” I hiss, shoving her back against the wall of the hut. “You don't know anything!”

  “I saw Harold after he came back from the island ten years ago,” she replies, with a faint smile on her lips. “I don't think his trip had gone entirely successfully. The poor man was rather badly beaten up, and he wanted to come straight back with an assault force. Fortunately, he was overruled. Still, from what he told me, I get the impression that his visit had some benefits.”

  “If you say one more word,” I sneer, “I'll throw you over the fence myself and let those soldiers do whatever they want with you.”

  “That wouldn't be very nice of you,” she replies. “After all, they want to drag me back to the city and put me on trial. I'll probably end up being executed for treason. Would you really let that happen?”

  “You're part of the government,” I point out. “You're a career bureaucrat, you're high up in the system.”

  “I was, dear, but unfortunately my cover was blown. I was only ever part of the system because I wanted to bring it down from the inside. You'd be surprised how many of us there are, and we certainly got a lot more done than those fools like Darius Locke who thought only of bombs and demonstrations. Unfortunately – and I'm aware this is becoming something of a theme lately – our little network was uncovered before we could finish setting things up perfectly. Now we're all having to improvise, which is why I came here. Meanwhile Harold Mars is -”

  “Harold Mars is part of the government too!”

  “He's an infiltrator, like me,” she replies. “A rebel. A freedom fighter. Call us what you like, but we're the smart ones because we got high up into the government. It took us years, but we got seats at the big table. And that, my dear, is how to really bring the whole corrupt system crashing down. We were so close, we were just months away from our goal, but then somebody betrayed us. So that's why plan B is in operation, which is where you come in.”

  “I'm not part of any plan!” I tell her.

  “You were such a good soldier in the war,” she continues. “You were just fighting on the wrong side, but that couldn't be helped.”

  “I'm not -”

  Stopping suddenly, I see that the smile on her lips is getting a little stronger.

  “You poor grunts are never told who you're fighting,” she whispers, leaning closer to me. “Just a faceless enemy in the night. I've heard the theories that do the rounds. Some of you think the enemy is just another city from a different part of the planet. Some of you even think the enemy is just smoke and mirrors, designed to keep a fearful population cowering at the feet of their masters.” She pauses, and now I can feel her breath against the side of my face. “You're going to come with me, Asher,” she adds finally, “and I'm going to get you to where you need to be. And then you'll see who we really are.”

  I turn to her.

  “What the hell?” a vo
ice shouts suddenly, and I turn to see Ripley standing in the doorway. “Asher?”

  I step toward him, hoping to shut him up, but then I see that there are already several other people watching us from nearby. In fact, more are arriving with each passing moment.

  “Is it really you?” Ripley asks, clearly shocked by the sight of me. “We all thought you were dead!”

  “I can explain,” I reply, even though I have no idea where to begin. “I just -”

  “There are soldiers out in the forest,” he continues, stepping closer. “We don't know how many, but they've got the entire town surrounded. We have no idea what they want, but they're not letting anyone leave. We didn't get to the water-catchers yet this morning, we barely have any water at all and they won't even let us go get some more.”

  “Did you bring them here?” a woman asks.

  I turn to her. “No, of course not.”

  “Did they follow you here?” another woman suggests.

  “No,” I reply, “I have nothing to do with them. I only came back because I saw a carrier land nearby during the night.”

  “A carrier?” the first woman stammers. “Why would they send a carrier? I thought they were going to leave us alone!”

  “You're supposed to be dead,” Ripley says firmly, stepping toward me. “You're supposed to be buried a little way out of town. Where the hell have you been for the past ten years?”

  “It's complicated,” I reply, although I know that's a hopelessly useless explanation. “I mean -”

  “Thank God you're back!” a woman says, rushing toward me and hugging me tight. “What do these soldiers want from us? Why aren't they letting us go and get water?”

  “How cute,” Doctor Phillips says behind me. “Look at their happy, hopeful faces. Their savior has returned!”

  Chapter Forty-One

  Iris

  Nissa's shivering in my arms, but she hasn't spoken for a couple of hours. We're sitting in the entrance of the cave, in a spot where morning light is barely able to reach us. At least the storm has passed, but so far I've seen and heard nothing to indicate what might be happening at Steadfall.