Andrea was conscious. That was about all she knew as she struggled awake, apart from the fact that she ached.
Her head was stiff. Her body was stiff. Her eyes were stiff.
With great effort she forced them open, seeing the dimness of the room around her for the first time. Her surroundings were bare, no furniture in the room besides the chair she sat on. When she went to shift on it she quickly found that her hands were secured by her sides in some way.
Assessing her situation, she noted that she seemed to have lost her jacket somewhere along the way, sitting in only her t-shirt and jeans. Her exposed left arm revealed that her power regulator wasn’t attached where it normally circled her bicep either. As Andrea’s eyes drifted down to the rest of her body she noticed her socks and shoes were also missing, with some sort of chunky metal device attached snugly to her right ankle. What disturbed her even further was the fact that she hadn’t even felt the cold concrete floor beneath her bare feet until now.
In the back of her mind a little voice was telling her there was something familiar about this whole scenario. Where was it she was reminded of? Her thoughts swam dizzyingly and she closed her eyes for a moment. That was it - the army base, on her first day there. She felt as dazed and confused now as she had done then, and as constrained.
Summoning her strength she pulled at the restraints around her wrists. They didn’t budge, and Andrea stared balefully down at them. Either they were made of really strong metal or there was something seriously wrong with her. She tried again, the metal digging sharply into her flesh as she wrenched against it. However, no matter how hard she pulled she couldn’t break them. Andrea collapsed against the seat back, a few beads of sweat tumbling down her face.
“Oh dear, not able to break free?”
Andrea’s eyes shot open, seeing Chadwick standing before her, obviously gloating. “What have you done to me, you bastard?”
“Just a small dose of inhibitor, followed by a more constant dose,” he added, indicating the anklet she wore, “I’m afraid it’s no powers for you for the time being.”
“What do you want, Chadwick?” asked Andrea, trying to inject as much disdain into his name as she could.
He stalked closer, leaning over her imposingly so she had to crane her head up to look at him. Suddenly his hand was on her throat, the skin of his fingers rough where they brushed over hers. Then he was squeezing, choking. Andrea reflexively gagged a couple of times as she tried desperately to breathe.
Chadwick pressed his face close, his breath coming out hot and fast over her cheeks. “Maybe I want to see the fear in your eyes again?”
Andrea couldn’t reply, even if she’d wanted to, the fingers were too tight, crushing her windpipe with a relentless force. A few sparkles were already dancing across her eyes as she started to fade out of consciousness when suddenly Chadwick let go, stepping back from her. Andrea immediately took a few heaving gasps of air, coughing at the sudden rush of oxygen to her starved body.
Chadwick was still hovering, no doubt surveying his handiwork but Andrea resolved not to give him the satisfaction of seeing any fear from her, even if it was trickling insidiously through her. She’d already gotten a glimpse of the sort of thing he had in mind for her from their last encounter at the base. Only this time there was going to be no Kate to save her - she was alone.
She tried not to let that thought fuel her terror further while at the same time having to mentally shove images of Kate from her mind. It was no good to her to start getting maudlin; she was in enough trouble as it was. It was too late for regrets now - Kate had tried to apologise and Andrea had stupidly thrown it back in her face. Kate wasn’t going to be coming back in search of her any time soon. No, she told herself, the only person she could turn to now was herself. Not that she was in much of a position to be doing anything while tied up.
“You’re a real big man, aren’t you, beating up someone bound to a chair,” she commented. Andrea knew Chadwick wasn’t exactly the brightest spark, and was hoping to goad him into something rash.
Chadwick laughed nastily, the sound bouncing off the walls of the empty room. Without saying a word he reached round to unlock the bindings on Andrea’s wrists.
That was certainly easier than expected, considered Andrea warily.
Eyeing him suspiciously the whole time, she rubbed her wrists, trying not to flinch when she caught the skin she had broken in her earlier efforts to get free. Only when she went to stand, did Andrea discover exactly why Chadwick was so confident in releasing her. Her legs wobbled, pitching her forwards to take a couple of faltering steps.
“Having a bit of trouble?” asked Chadwick nonchalantly, viewing her efforts with amusement.
Andrea tried to swing for him, hoping to catch him off guard, but it was like she was moving through treacle. Her arm was achingly slow on its course towards him and he had more than enough time to avoid the clumsy lunge. Chadwick had no such problems with his limbs, smashing his fist resoundingly into her stomach. Andrea doubled over in pain and shock, her already unsteady legs giving way and depositing her heavily on the floor.
Chadwick’s laughter rattled around the room again, while all Andrea could do was cough and gasp as she clutched at her gut, a few tears forming in her eyes at the pain. She swiftly blinked them away. This was not good, not good at all, Andrea thought grimly to herself, staying down on her knees to try and get a moment to regroup. Not only did she have no powers, but Chadwick had drugged her again, like the time in his quarters. She had been in fights before, but never when she was at such a disadvantage. Chadwick could well make mincemeat out of her.
When she saw Chadwick starting to creep forward again, Andrea steeled herself for another blow. The sound of a door opening offered some respite.
“Now, now, Callum, don’t go damaging her,” came another man’s voice, “At least not yet.”
Andrea turned her eyes up to the new arrival, deducing it must be the shadowy figure from the car park. Slowly he stepped forward into the light. The moment really called for an amazing spark of recognition on Andrea’s part, but she had never seen the man before. She guessed he was somewhere in his mid-thirties, tall and slender with dark hair and equally dark eyes. Those eyes remained trained on her prone form as he crossed to stand next to Chadwick.
“Who are you?” asked Andrea, “Why have you brought me here?”
“Come, come, Andrea, I would have thought it was obvious who I was?”
Andrea stared up at him, her mind too foggy to try and process what he was saying in any sensible way. She’d never met him before…had she? Yet he seemed to know who she was.
“I’m sure you’ve heard all about me from a mutual acquaintance of ours,” he continued, “Though I suspect Kate didn’t have particularly good things to say about me.”
Even Andrea’s clouded thoughts were starting to coalesce into some form of recognition. “Dixon? You’re Adam Dixon?”
He merely smiled in response. A nasty, evil smile that didn’t touch his dark eyes. Andrea felt sick. Here at last was the man she’d been searching for all these months, the man who had killed her friends, and she was crawling about on the floor at his feet. She balled her fists, allowing the rage to build within her.
“I have to say I was expecting more,” he noted, circling around Andrea, “After what Callum had to say.”
Andrea listened, concentrating on letting the white hot fury cascade through her, embracing it, knowing it could be her one shot at getting out. Her arms were shaking as she braced herself on the ground.
“But you really are quite pathetic aren’t you?”
“Fuck you!” seethed Andrea.
The nasty smile was back again. “Kate certainly did.”
Suddenly Andrea sprang from the floor, putting all the effort she could muster into her punch. The punch was a good one, only it didn’t hit its target. Before it got anywhere near Dixon’s face, Andrea’s fist bounced off some invisible barrier.
Dixon laughed as Andrea looked incredulously on. “Though now I hear she’s fucking you. That one was a turn up for the books – Kate being a secret rug muncher.”
Andrea launched herself at him again, but again the barrier was there. She tumbled off it, crashing down onto the unrelenting concrete, her elbows scraping painfully across the hard surface as the skin was shredded from them.
“I see she didn’t tell you everything about me then,” noted Dixon. He reached down to haul Andrea to her feet by the front of her t-shirt before slamming her into the nearest wall, driving the air from her lungs. “Like what my powers were?”
Andrea gripped his arm where it still held her shirt, more to hold herself up than anything else. She was sick to her stomach, her body crying out at the punishment it was receiving.
“As you can see I’m able to deflect your attacks with what Dr Todd liked to call my ‘personal forcefield’. It’s really quite ingenious, especially when I extend it outwards like this.”
Andrea grunted as an invisible weight started pressing in on her chest from Dixon’s hand that he held hovering before her. The crushing sensation was relentless, her breath coming in short gasping bursts as she struggled for air.
Dixon looked like he was enjoying her discomfort far too much. “Not putting up much of a fight are you?”
Andrea merely grimaced back at him and he finally released his hold before she passed out. Andrea immediately sunk to her knees at his feet. She wanted to get up, wanted to defy him, but it was all she could do not to collapse completely.
“But don’t worry, you’re not completely useless,” continued Dixon as he loomed over her, “We have big plans for you tomorrow.”
Dixon delivered one last parting kick, sending her sprawling over onto her side. The hard concrete was cold where her cheek lay upon it but she didn’t have the strength to lift her head. All she could do was watch them leave before the door slammed shut behind them. It didn’t take long for her to succumb to her fatigue in the lonely darkness.
………………..
The first thing Andrea became aware of was the pressing sensation on her right cheek. It was forcing her head hard against the floor.
“Come on, wake up!”
The rough sole of Chadwick’s boot rubbed across her skin, Andrea opening her eyes and seeing his foot against her head out of the corner of her eyes.
“Ah, there we go!” he said seeing that she was awake. He removed his foot and jabbed it into her ribs instead. “Time for a bit of research.”
Chadwick reached down and yanked her to her feet. Andrea wobbled for a moment but noted that her head seemed to have stopped spinning quite so badly as it had the day before. She still felt incredibly weak, but the pervading sickness in her stomach had gone. Maybe her body was getting used to all the drugs being pumped through it, she considered. Andrea made a lunge for Chadwick but he merely laughed and swatted her aside, sending her crashing to the floor again.
Still no powers then, she noted grimly to herself as Chadwick hauled her up once more.
“There’s no point in keeping trying to do that,” he informed her, “As long as you have that anklet on, your powers aren’t going to be making an appearance.”
Chadwick escorted her from the room, keeping one hand on her right arm as they made their way along the corridor outside. His fingers were dangerously close to the makeshift bandage she had put over the self-inflicted wound where she had ripped the tracker from her arm. It seemed he was unable to resist the temptation to see how sore it still was, sliding his hand up the remaining distance and squeezing hard. Andrea let out a reflex yelp at the sudden pain before gritting her teeth. She wasn’t quick enough to prevent the satisfied smile creeping across Chadwick’s face though.
Andrea tried to ignore him and take in her surroundings in order to deduce where they were, but there weren’t many clues. The corridor was dimly lit, like the building they were in didn’t have full power, and the overall grubbiness of both the walls and floor made her think the building might have been disused for at least a period of time in its history. There were no windows in this particular corridor, only the doors to other rooms, none of which had an any indication as to what lay beyond on their plain surfaces. A few of them had name slides attached, but they were long since empty, whatever purpose the rooms in question fulfilled no longer required.
They hadn’t gone far down the bland hallway when Chadwick turned off into another one, opening the first set of double doors he came to. The room beyond was more brightly lit than the corridor though the upper reaches of the large room were still shrouded in shadows. It looked to Andrea like it had been part of a factory or a building used in some sort of manufacturing industry. There were a lot of conduits, pipes, wires and vents snaking along the walls and ceiling, plus a few large pieces of equipment still attached to the walls displaying various dials and levers.
In the centre of the room was some much newer looking equipment, obviously not belonging to the old building. There were various computer terminals, shiny drawers, a hospital trolley with some medical equipment by it and right in the middle a large device the dominated proceedings. It was about ten feet tall, consisting of one large metallic block which curved round at the edges into four tips. Andrea had no idea what it was, but was sure she was about to find out.
“Glad you could join us,” greeted Dixon, turning from where he was studying the readouts on one of the screens.
There were a couple of other burly-looking men in the room, skulking over by the doors like bouncers, but apart from them it was just Andrea, Dixon and Chadwick.
“I didn’t really have much choice, did I?” noted Andrea as Chadwick dragged her across towards Dixon.
Dixon tipped his head in acknowledgement. Now they were in a brighter light Andrea could see his features more clearly. She supposed he was handsome in a swarthy way, though how Kate could ever have been fooled by him she couldn’t imagine. He was the sort of person Andrea would have known was a “bad ‘un” as soon as she had met them in her former job – he just exuded something sinister. Though she had to allow that she could also picture him being quite the charmer if he wanted to be.
“Right, time for
you to help us out with our research,” he stated, taking her other arm and
leading her towards the large device.
“Research?”
“Yes, though not
the kind you’re probably used to back on Duransay. We’re examining the energy thresholds of your power, plus the
general effect of energy on mutants…well, I don’t want to bore you with the
details. Suffice to say, I’m afraid to
say there might be some pain involved in these particular experiments.”
Dixon and
Chadwick gripped her tightly as they forced her towards the machine, Andrea
trying to struggle but finding it pointless.
The purpose of the four tips became clear as each of her limbs were bound
to them, restraints snapping round her wrists and ankles. She was now suspended off the floor, like
she was in a perpetual star-jump that she wasn’t coming down from.
Dixon leant in
closer, his head actually slightly lower than hers so that he had to look up
into her eyes. “What I said before,” he
said in a low voice, “About there possibly being some pain? I was lying - there will be pain
involved, lots of it. But what’s a
little bit of pain when it can further mutant kind?”
“Maybe you should
experiment on yourself then,” retorted Andrea, “If it’s for the greater good?”
“Why would I want
to do that when I have such a…willing test subject. You did walk right into our hands after all, for which I’m very
grateful. And I am only collecting back
on my investment since it was me who gave you your powers after all.”
Andrea looked at
him in shock - was he telling the truth or just lying to get a rise out of her.
“The gas, in the
warehouse,” he continued, “Did you really think that was some random accident?”
The conversation
she had overheard in Kate’s quarters was starting to make some sense in
Andrea’s mind. “No…that was you…,” she
said, dredging up her memories of the accident and her subsequent nightmares,
“…there, on the gantry in the warehouse.”
“You do remember
it then,” noted Dixon, “I wasn’t sure if you did since you appeared to be in
rather a lot of pain at the time. Of
course I’d expected to kill all those annoying police officers, so imagine my
surprise to find one resolutely hanging on. It was an unexpected, but interesting by product that the gas
activated your dormant genes.”
“A by product?”
repeated Andrea incredulously, “You killed all those people and I’m just some
‘interesting by product’?”
Dixon shrugged
unapologetically. “Yes, that’s all you
were. That was meant to be a test of
the gas we were developing that would be deadly to normal humans but would
leave superhumans untouched. It seems
your body reacted in a last ditch attempt to save you – activating the
necessary gene to give you protection from it.”
Andrea felt the
sickness welling up inside of her again as Dixon’s words hit home - all those
people killed as some sort of perverse test and Dixon didn’t seem even the
slightest bit perturbed that he had done it.
And as for Andrea herself – it appeared her survival had been more luck
than anything else, the activation of her dormant genes a simple accident of
nature’s tendency to try and survive at all costs.
“So all in all it
was quite a productive test,” continued Dixon, stepping away from her at last
and heading back to the controls, “And we have a much larger one planned
too. But more about that later, now
it’s time to see what your made of.”
Chadwick was
still next to her, reaching down now at Dixon’s signal to remove the power
negating anklet. Andrea immediately
felt a faint surge within her muscles as her body automatically started to
absorb energy from the ambient light, though she knew it would take a while
before she absorbed enough to give her strength to break free.
“Don’t think
we’re going to give you a chance to use your powers,” Dixon remarked as if
reading her mind, “At least not against us.
However, we do need them active for this to work properly.”
Chadwick also
produced a needle jabbing it roughly into Andrea’s bare arm and injecting her
with something. When he was finished,
Dixon flicked a switch and the device behind Andrea hummed into life. She could feel the vibrations from its power
through her hands and feet. Dixon
slowly turned a dial on his control panel, Andrea able to feel a corresponding
increase in the level of the energy shooting through her from where the device
was attached.
“This device
stimulates your natural energy absorbing abilities,” Dixon remarked, his eyes
on his output screen, “Then we siphon it off.
I suppose you could compare it to using you as a sort of power supply,
which is ironic given our location.”
Dixon turned the
dial up further, the discomfort in Andrea’s limbs starting to increase into
something more painful.
“How is that?”
asked Dixon, eyes flicking towards her.
“Uncomfortable?”
“No,” lied Andrea
defiantly.
“Hmm, the
settings must be too low.”
Dixon cranked up
the power levels, Andrea instantly feeling the painful surge of energy within
her, making a small grunt as her body jerked but determinedly trying not to
display any other outward sign of unease.
The pulsating was relentless, Andrea’s limbs now starting to tingle as
they started working overtime to absorb and convert the light energy around
her.
Seemingly
satisfied he had it at the right level, Dixon came back to stand before
her. “Does it hurt?” he asked, sounding
far too interested.
Andrea merely
grimaced at him, uanble to declamp her teeth that were jammed firmly
together. Behind Dixon she could see
Chadwick standing with his arms crossed, a smug look on his face.
“At least it
won’t kill you,” Dixon added, “Though you might eventually wish it would.”
“Fuck you!”
Andrea shot back, her spittle catching Dixon in the face.
Dixon merely
laughed though, wiping it off. “You
know that’s what your friend also said, just before I killed her.”
“W-What?”
stammered Andrea, finding it hard to concentrate and decipher what he was
talking about with the aching in her arms and legs.
“What was her
name again, I did ask before I killed her…ah yes, Maria Fernandes.”
Andrea gagged,
only just holding back the bile that had welled up in her throat. “No, you’re lying, she managed feebly.”
“Would that make
you feel better? Knowing it wasn’t you
who sent her to her death?”
“You bastard!”
screamed Andrea, pulling at her restraints in a futile attempt to free herself
and strike him down.
Dixon laughed
again, a hollow, nasty sound that only served to enhance Andrea’s overwhelming
dread. “Now where were we?”
He moved back to
the controls and ratcheted the device up another notch. Andrea gritted her teeth as another painful
jolt shot through her. The device was
humming loudly now, vibrating the whole of the room.
“Oh, and just in case you’re hoping your little seizure problem might save you, we’ve found a way to keep you awake through those, if you have one – we don’t want anything prematurely curtailing our experiments after all.”
Andrea’s breathing was coming hard and fast as she tried to blot out the pain that was raging through her.
“Time to go for broke,” noted Dixon.
Andrea’s whole body jerked as he whacked the dial right up to the top, the seizure as her muscles overloaded on energy instantaneous. The pain kept coming in wave after agonising wave, a fire that consumed all the muscles of her body. It was like all the seizures she’d had before rolled into one unending torture. Normally she would have passed out long ago, but whatever it was Dixon had given her kept her conscious through the agony. In the end Andrea could bear it no longer, opening her mouth and screaming until her throat was raw.
Think of something, anything but the pain…
She tried to focus, but it hurt so much, it was so hard. The white hot daggers of pain were all through her, piercing every fibre, unrelenting, unending in their torment. She was dimly aware of the tears tumbling from her eyes as she grimly gritted her teeth, but she had no will to hold them back.
Think…think of something…someone…
Then there was an image in her mind, Andrea gratefully clutching for it like a drowning person reaching for a lifebelt.
Kate…Kate…Kate
Andrea repeated the name in her mind like a mantra, over and over as the pain throbbed through her.
Then all of a sudden it stopped, Andrea gasping at the momentary relief from her suffering.
“What did you say?”
It was Dixon asking her the question, Andrea staring dumbly back not thinking she had spoken at all.
Dixon broke out into laughter at her stupefied look, Chadwick joining in nastily. “Do you really think she’s going to come and save you, like she cares what happens to you?”
Suddenly Andrea realised that her silent benediction hadn’t only been in her head. In her distress she must have been calling Kate’s name out loud. It hadn’t even registered through the haze of pain.
Dixon shook his head. “There’s going to be no miraculous rescue for you I’m afraid.”
Andrea got no chance to reply as Dixon turned the equipment back on, Andrea’s body jerking violently at the sudden rush of energy back through it. Again the waves of agony came and Andrea screwed her eyes shut, trying to summon forth the image of Kate again to block it all out.
Andrea had no idea how long it went on. Surely her body couldn’t put up with this level of misery indefinitely? Finally Dixon flicked a switch on his panel and the apparatus powered down, Andrea’s head flopping groggily forward, the residual pain still shooting sharply through her body. Her tears plopped slowly onto the plain white floor, splashing across the paint to be joined by a small trail of drool dribbling from her lolling mouth. When she heard Chadwick talking agitatedly to Dixon she realised they must have assumed that she’d lost consciousness despite the drugs. She kept her head down, listening to them.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Chadwick asked.
“I don’t know what you mean,” replied Dixon nonchalantly.
“Yes you do,” insisted Chadwick, “Bringing Hallstrom here. I think the boss might have something to say about it.”
Even in her semi-delirious state, his comments sparked Andrea’s interest. She had assumed Dixon was running things, but it sounded as if there was someone else above even him in whatever covert organisation they were part of.
“The boss doesn’t need to know everything,” replied Dixon glibly, seemingly less afraid of this person than Chadwick was, “Consider this a bit of initiative on our part.”
“Initiative?” repeated Chadwick incredulously, “You’re bloody crazy, you know. I told you we should have looked for someone else besides Hallstrom, but oh no, you had to have your way.”
“But she was so convenient.”
“She could also get us our balls handed to us on a plate if the boss finds out.” Chadwick sounded as cowardly and weasly as he had on Duransay.
“Having Hallstrom does give us another advantage,” suggested Dixon, much calmer than his compatriot, unnaturally so given what he had just been doing.
“Oh really, and what might that be?”
“She might give us Kate too.”
A sharp dagger of fear shot through Andrea at the mention of Kate’s name and it was all she could do to hold back the gasp that had threatened to escape her mouth.
“What? But you just said to Hallstrom that she wouldn’t come,” said a confused Chadwick.
“I know I said that you moron, but I was just taunting her.”
“Christ, as if kidnapping Hallstrom’s not bad enough, now you want to tempt Jarvis here too?
“She’ll be an asset to our research.”
“Bollocks!” cried Chadwick, “You just want revenge…or something else.”
“Maybe it would be good for other reasons,” conceded Dixon, “But it seems a shame to pass up the opportunity. We need more superhumans, and I’m sure she’ll be beating a path to our door once she finds out we have her little ‘friend’ here.”
Andrea was starting to feel a horrible sickness deep in her stomach now, realising that they were going to use her to try and capture Kate. It was bad enough she had foolishly stumbled into Dixon and Chadwick’s trap, but she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if she was responsible for something happening to Kate.
“You really think she’ll come?” questioned Chadwick, “From what I’ve heard they’ve not exactly been on the best of terms recently.”
Andrea had to wonder how exactly Chadwick knew that, though that wasn’t the foremost of her concerns.
“If she doesn’t then we’ve not lost anything have we,” remarked Dixon reasonably.
Andrea found herself desperately hoping that Kate didn’t come. Though she’d had visions of Kate somehow finding out what had happened and swooping in to rescue her, she would rather remain captive if it meant protecting her from Dixon and Chadwick. In fact she’d rather they killed her than use her as some bait in a trap, despairingly contemplating if that was likely.
…….…
Kate staggered to
the door on her boat, tripping over the mess on the floor as she went. She hadn’t really felt like cleaning up, the
detritus of over two weeks living there piled up where it had fallen. If she had been in any sort of sane state of
mind, she would have recoiled at the state of her yacht. Yet her grip on reality was tentative to say
the least. Why would she want to hold
onto it when it was so grim and hopeless?
Whatever futile
hopes she might have harboured of a reconciliation with Andrea had been dashed
when she’d turned up at Meg’s flat two weeks ago now. Since then she’d sunken further and further into her squallid pit
of despair, her only company the multitude of whiskey bottles that littered the
boat.
Her head pounded
from her regular hangover as she reached the door, pulling it open and blinking
into the harsh sunlight that shone in from outside. It took her a couple of seconds to identify her visitor.
“Tom,” she noted,
the disappointment colouring her tone.
She didn’t know why she continued to delude herself with the forlorn and
utterly ridiculous notion that one day it might be Andrea at her door. They hadn’t spoken for two weeks, maybe they
would never speak again. “Come in,” she
added gesturing him inside, “Sorry about the mess.”
Kate made a
futile attempt at clearing a space for him to sit, giving up and merely
throwing the discarded clothes and bottles on the floor in a heap. Tom lowered himself gingerly down onto the
seat.
“How are you
doing?” he asked once Kate had joined him.
“Fine, great,”
she replied sarcastically.
“You look like shit.”
“That good, eh?”
she commented in return, “You been saving that one up for when I couldn’t pull
rank on you?”
“No, it’s just an
observation,” he replied, his eyes sweeping over her again, “A pretty accurate
one I’d say.”
“Yeah, well, it’s
not like I need to look my best for duty is it?”
“You could still
get your job back, they haven’t sacked you yet have they?”
“The term is
court-martialed,” Kate corrected, “But no it’s not happened yet. I have a hearing next week, though I’m sure
it’s only a formality.”
“Don’t say
that! We want you back, all of us. Have you heard who we’ve got in charge in
your place for the time being?”
Kate hadn’t heard
much of anything from the base for the past two weeks. The only communication she’d had was from
the Colonel informing her of the hearing.
She could tell he had been profoundly disappointed and the conversation
had been brief.
“Anna Kaminski,”
Tom answered in the wake of Kate’s silence.
That caused the
faintest stirrings of shock in Kate, before the depression kicked in again
almost immediately. “I’m sure she’s
doing a fine job,” she said absently.
“You have to be
kidding! The woman’s a nutter! Why are you taking this lying down, where’s
the fighting Major spirit, or did that fly off with Andrea too?”
Again there was
the slight stirring of emotion within in her, sadness at the mention of
Andrea’s name mixed with anger that Tom would bring her up.
“What happened
between you two to lead to…this,” he said with exasperation, casting his hand
around the filthy room.
Kate didn’t
really feel like explaining things to Tom at that moment. Her head hurt as it always did first thing
in the morning and she was tired of going over it in her mind, let alone
voicing it out loud. “It’s
complicated,” she offered, “Suffice to say there was something I should have
told her and I didn’t.”
“You lied to
her,” he deduced.
“Yes I did.”
He nodded,
thinking for a moment before continuing.
“This doesn’t have anything to do with Dixon as well does it?”
That finally did
penetrate Kate’s wall of apathy. “What
do you know about that?” she demanded.
“I’ve heard
things around the base. It seems
Kaminski has something to do with it.”
Kate nodded,
“She’s investigating him as far as I know.”
“Investigating
him? But I thought he was off in prison
after…well…you know.” He finished
falterinly not wanting to draw attention to Kate’s previous indiscretion but
only succeeding in highlighting it more.
“He escaped.”
“And this has
what to do with Andrea?”
Kate sighed. “He was the one who caused the accident in
the warehouse, the one that gave Andrea her powers and killed her
colleagues. I discovered this and I
didn’t tell her,” she outlined in a rush, wanting to get it out quickly so she didn’t
have to linger on the painful recollection too long.
“Ah,” was all Tom
could say in response.
“Exactly.”
“Ok, that’s bad,
but have you tried speaking to her?”
“Oh yes, I
tried,” noted Kate ruefully, “She didn’t want to know. And when I got there…” she trailed off,
recalling the painful sight of Andrea and Meg, “…Well, let’s just sat she was
staying with her ex-girlfriend, who’s maybe not quite so ex.”
“What?” cried Tom
loudly, “That’s bullshit!”
“You weren’t
there, you didn’t see them.”
Tom still looked
doubtful. “And did either of them
actually say they were together?”
“Well…no…”
“And you’ve never
tried to deliberately make someone jealous?”
“You think it was
all an act?” asked Kate, the faint feelings of hope rising within her. Now she thought about it with a more
analytical eye Meg had looked slightly uncomfortable with Andrea’s
actions.
“I can’t say for
sure, but my guess is that it was. I’m
not sure you realise quite how in love with you she is,” pointed out Tom, “She
confided in me before she ever admitted it to you, you know. When she thought she had ruined any chance
with you before she was utterly despondent.
I really thought she was going to leave then, but she hung around, just
so she could be near you, even if it was painful for her.”
“Maybe, but as I
said I tried talking to her,” Kate reminded him. Even if the thing with Meg wasn’t real, that didn’t detract from
the recepetion she had received from Andrea.
“That was two weeks ago. If she
was really missing me that much she could have made contact by now.”
“And you’re going
to leave it at that?” said Tom, his brow creasing as he shook his head in
disbelief, “You may have hit rock bottom, but I never took you for a coward.”
His words were
like a slap in the face, but Kate knew immediately that he was right. She wasn’t a coward, and she certainly
wasn’t going to let the best thing that had ever happened to her slip through
her fingers without a fight.
So Andrea had
rejected her previous attempt at peace-making?
Then she would just have to try again.
And she would keep trying until she had nothing left to give.
Suddenly
galvanised she shot to her feet, heading towards the bedroom.
“Whoa, where are
you going?” said Tom, surprised by her sudden burst of activity.
“To London.”
………….
Kate had quickly
showered and changed after that, trying to make herself at least vaguely
presentable before she set off for London.
She didn’t have many clean clothes left, despite the fact that she had
been living in pretty much the same ones for two weeks, managing to finally dig
out a half-decent pair of jeans, shirt and light jacket. She’d decided on taking the plane to London,
rather than flying there herself – the last thing she needed was a group of
soldiers turning up and arresting her for unauthorised use of her powers while
she was trying to talk to Andrea.
Once she’d got
there she had headed straight round to Meg’s flat, not bothering to call first
and have Andrea or Meg find some excuse why it wasn’t convenient. Only as she drew closer to the door her
feelings of uncertainty and dread had started to mutiply exponentially.
Finally in front
of it, she could barely bring herself to knock, her fist hovering by it for
long moments before she finally gathered her courage and banged on it. It took a couple of minutes, but eventually
the door swung open. Kate took a large
gulp of air, quickly exhaling again when she saw who had opened it.
“Hello,
Meg,” she said, her voice dripping with
disdain.
“Kate?” said the
other woman, plainly surprised.
Kate just bet she
was – no doubt she had been hoping that she would have Andrea all to herself
from now on.
“Can I speak to
Andrea?”
“She’s not here.”
“Then can I come
in and wait?” pressed Kate, not letting her off the hook that easily.
“You could,”
allowed Meg, “But there wouldn’t be much point, she’s not staying here anymore - she left two weeks ago.”
Kate blinked,
unsure she had heard correctly. “Two
weeks ago?” she repeated as the words sunk in.
“Where did she go?”
Meg eyed her
suspiciously for a couple of seconds.
“You’ve not seen her?” she finally asked.
“No,” said Kate
tersely, “If I’d seen her would I be here looking for her?”
“Only she was
meant to be going back up to Scotland,” explained Meg, starting to sound
worried now, “I managed to persuade her that she ought to give you another
chance.”
Kate was stunned
again, not only by the fact that Andrea had supposedly been going to Scotland,
but also that it was Meg who had been the one to put Kate’s case. Maybe she had been a little harsh in her
assessment of the other woman after all, she considered.
“She was coming
to see me?” Kate asked, just to make sure she understood correctly.
Meg merely
nodded.
“But I’ve not
seen her since I was last here.”
Kate’s feelings
of fear and anxiety were bubbling up unpleasantly now. What had happened to Andrea? Where was she? Had she merely changed her mind or had something more sinister
happened.
“Do you know
anywhere else she might have gone instead?” she asked Meg, trying to engage her
mind into some form of rational thought despite her frantic emotions.
Meg thought on
that for a moment. “Well, she was going
to meet someone first, something to do with her investigation. Actually she left all her papers here, which
I suppose I should have realised was a bit odd.”
“Can I have a
look?”
Meg gestured her
inside the flat and got out Andrea’s investigation notes. Kate quick leafed through them on the coffee
table, seeing that Andrea had managed to discover a surprising amount in a
short space of time. From her notes it
looked like Dixon was once again collecting the chemicals that had been
assembled in the warehouse, only this time in much larger quantities. Kate didn’t think that could be good – if
the gas produced in the warehouse had killed a handful of people what havoc
would a much larger dose wreak?
“Nothing
happened, by the way.”
Kate turned to
Meg who had come to sit by her on the sofa.
“Sorry?” she asked, unsure what Meg was talking about as her mind raced
over implications of what she’d read.
“Between Andrea
and me?” clarified Meg, “That was just her trying to make you jealous that day
you were round here, by flirting outrageously with me right in front of
you. But that’s all it was, a show.”
The degree of
relief the swept through Kate was measurable.
“Thank you for letting me know,” she said genuinely.
“You’re
welcome. You may find it hard to
believe, but I only want Andrea to be happy and if that’s with you then so be
it.”
Kate felt
slightly uncomfortable with Meg talking about her and Andrea, since she hardly
knew the woman, and turned her eyes back to the notes. However, she still listened to Meg’s words,
secretly warmed and heartened by the sentiments she expressed.
“I could tell
from how she spoke that she loved you, still does love you. Almost straight after you’d been here last
time she realised that she couldn’t deny her true feelings, no matter how angry
she might be.”
A beeping from
Kate’s pocket broke into Meg’s words and Kate reached in to retrieve her mobile
phone.
“Major?” came Tom’s hushed voice, “Where the
hell are you?”
“Why?” asked
Kate.
“Because
something’s going on with Dixon here,” he explained.
“I shouldn’t be calling you, but I thought you’d want to know.”
“What is it,
what’s happened with Dixon?”
“Kaminski’s
got a lead, apparently they got a tip-off as to where he is.”
Kate was
interested, but she had much more pressing concerns right now. “That’s great, Tom,” she replied, “But I’m
kind of busy. I’m sure Kaminski will
follow it up.”
“Ok, but there
was one other thing - I could have sworn she said something about Andrea being
connected too.”
The pain in her
stomach was like a body blow, Kate instantly knowing that Dixon had Andrea.
“Where is he?”
she demanded.
“Wait, you
should have backup…”
“Just tell me
where he is, dammit!” shouted Kate. God
only knew how long they’d had Andrea there already, most likely since she’d
left the flat two weeks ago.
“All right, all
right. They think he’s got something
going on at the disused Creekmouth power station. It’s on the Thames, just out past London City Airport.”
Kate was just
going to ask for more details when there was the sound of another voice in the
background at the other end. Kate
couldn’t make out what they were saying, but she could deduce that Tom and the person
were arguing.
Finally a voice
came back on the line. “Jarvis? Are you still there?”
“I’m here, Miss
Kaminski,” replied Kate icily as she identified the new speaker.
“I’m ordering
you to wait for us to come and pick you up from your position.”
“If you’ve been
listening in on our conversation, you know I can’t do that. Not only does Adam Dixon have Andrea, but
I’m convinced he’s planning another ‘test’ of his deadly gas.”
“I don’t care
what you think you know. Stay there and
wait for pickup, that’s a direct order.”
“And this is a
direct you can go fuck yourself.”
“You’re
finished! Do you hear me….”
Kate cut the
signal, not caring what Kaminski thought in the slightest. All she cared about now was getting to
Andrea as quickly as possible.
Kate borrowed Meg’s A-Z to make a quick check of where she was going before dashing from the flat. In her desperation Kate forgot her normal caution about using her powers in public, flying directly to the disused power station. She didn’t care if the use registered in big flashing red lights back on Duransay either; they could come and arrest her afterwards.
She made a quick survey of the outside of the building, finding an inviting looking duct to crawl in via. Kate hauled herself through the filthy tunnel, trying to keep her nose closed from the dank smell. She supposed she could just have gone in blasting, but that would have been rather reckless since she had no idea where Andrea was or how many of Dixon’s people were inside. Her intelligence was so scant that they might even kill Andrea before she got anywhere near her, providing Andrea was actually still alive.
Kate felt suddenly sick, not wanting to allow herself to think what she had, but unable to banish the insidious thought now it had popped into her mind. Andrea had to be alive, she told herself, because the alternative was incomprehensible.
As she crawled on she became aware of a sound getting louder over the rushing of the air through the tunnel, unable to pinpoint what it was to begin with. It was sporadic, coming in random bursts. Then there was another blast of the sound and it became terrifyingly obvious what it was. It was screaming.
The anguished wails floated through the tunnel, echoing off the sides, causing Kate to cringe at the obvious pain the person making them was in. A sudden louder cry shot straight through to her very core, chilling her to the bone.
It wasn’t just any screaming, she despairingly realised, it was Andrea screaming.
She almost vomited on the spot, before starting to desperately speed on down the tunnel, bashing her elbows and knees on the metal sides as Andrea’s haunting cries continued to buffet her ears.
How long was this sodding tunnel?
She wanted to cry out herself in response, and unable to bear the torment any longer she came to a halt. She was about to blast a hole clean through the wall when the screams suddenly stopped. Kate waited, listening anxiously for anything more, but it was eerily quiet again. With renewed urgency she started off down the tunnel once more.
………….
Andrea could just about feel her bare feet being scraped along the floor as she was dragged along the corridor, supposing she should be grateful for the pain since it meant she was still alive. Her head hung low, Andrea not having the strength to lift it and see where they were going, knowing with an inevitable despondency what the destination was anyway. Every day was the same after all – hauled from her cell to the lab, experimented on by Dixon and his cronies and then dumped back in her cell again to wait for the torture to start afresh the next day. She wasn’t sure how long it had been going on - two weeks, three? Time had ceased to have any meaning when it was just one round of abuse after another, Andrea only able to focus on the here and now and staying alive.
Her assumptions were confirmed when the two men holding her came to a halt and she heard the sound of a lock being released. The routine was complete when they bodily threw her inside, their laughs echoing off down the corridor once the door slammed shut.
Lying on the cold, unforgiving floor, Andrea knew her future looked bleak. With each day that passed she got weaker and weaker, Dixon’s never-ending experiments slowly wearing away her resistance and strength.
Was this it? Was she going to die in this miserable place?
How foolish and inconsequential everything else seemed now. All that fighting and arguing with Kate, when she should have been telling her how much she loved her. If only she could have seen her one last time, told her how sorry she was. But that wasn’t going to happen. No one knew where she was. Most likely no one cared where she was. Her eyes felt heavy with tears and fatigue and she allowed them to close, slipping into the welcome arms of unconsciousness.
…….
Kate waited until the guards had safely disappeared round the corner, before slipping down from her hiding place. She’d caught a brief glimpse of someone being hauled inside the cell but hadn’t got enough of a look to confirm whether it was Andrea or not. For now she could only assume it was and hurried along the corridor to the door, trying her best to remain quiet despite the gnawing urgency she felt. After a quick furtive glance either way, she brought her finger up to the lock, directing a fine yet powerful concussion wave at it. There was a resounding clank as it broke and Kate looked anxiously around her as the sound seemed to echo loudly along the empty corridor. There was no immediate alarm, though, and she heaved a thankful sigh as she gingerly pushed the door open.
It was dark inside and it took a couple of moments for her eyes to adjust to the gloom. Then she saw her. A figure curled up in the corner. Her hair was dirty and matted, her face was scratched and bruised and her body frighteningly thin but it was unmistakably Andrea.
Kate’s heart plummeted to her feet and then back up into her mouth in an instant as she saw the state Andrea was in. She dashed over, kneeling down at Andrea’s side, almost scared to touch her in case she broke the frail body before her.
“Andrea?” her voice trembled over the name, betraying her inner anxiety.
There was no response, and a fresh flash of fear shot through Kate as she suddenly wondered if she was even alive.
“Andrea!” she repeated with as much conviction as she could muster, though her heart was now beating so erratically it was a wonder she hadn’t passed out.
………
Andrea was sure she heard something.
Yes, there it was, someone was calling her name.
Somewhere far off through the haze, it was definitely her name. She didn’t want to go back there though - it hurt there. It was safe and warm where she was.
So she ignored it.
Only now there was a shaking too - persistent, repeated.
Reluctantly Andrea opened her eyes, blinking against the meagre brightness of the cell. There was a figure looming over her, their face slowly swimming into focus…red hair…pale blue-grey eyes…
“Kate?” Andrea’s voice was hoarse, hardly daring to believe the words she spoke.
She hauled herself up, her fingers reaching out tentatively for the face in front of her, worried it was going to disappear any moment, like the last remnants of a dream, gone in the harsh light of day.
Yet her fingers found solid flesh. Solid, warm, wonderfully real flesh. As her hand shook over the skin, she started to feel something else too, a wet, trickling beneath her fingers. The tears slipping down Kate’s face were the final confirmation that this was no fantasy. Andrea flung herself forward, practically falling into Kate’s arms, feeling the powerful surge of emotion within her, replacing what before had been a numb void.
With that emotion came her own tears, tumbling freely down her face as she shook uncontrollably in the familiar embrace. She had spent so long trying to be tough, hanging on even when it seemed all hope was lost, that her release now was unconditional and absolute. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed in that warm cocoon, trembling and sobbing with abandon, but Kate didn’t say anything to break the moment. She held on fast to Andrea, the young woman able to detect Kate’s own shuddering breaths.
Finally Andrea pulled back, looking up into the face she never thought she would see again. “I’m so sorry,” she began, but Kate immediately raised a finger to her lips.
“Shh, it doesn’t matter now,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.
“But all those awful things I said to you…I didn’t mean them.”
“I know you didn’t,” Kate insisted, brushing her fingertips lovingly over Andrea’s cheek, “I’m sorry too, for not telling you about Dixon sooner.”
The mention of his name suddenly jogged something in Andrea’s memory. “Oh god! She exclaimed clutching at the sleeves of Kate’s jacket, Dixon, he was expecting that you’d come – he wanted you to come. It’s a trap…”
“Indeed it is.”
Both their eyes swung to the doorway where Dixon’s form was silhouetted. The fear on seeing her tormentor sent a wave of irrational panic through Andrea. She started trembling, knowing it was pathetic but unable to stop herself. Kate only held her tighter though, until the shivering stopped.
“Aw, isn’t that sweet,” said Dixon with nasty sarcasm.
Kate ignored him, giving Andrea a quick look to reassure her before suddenly she was up and charging at Dixon, blasting him with a fierce concussion wave.
He merely raised his hand to deflect it using his shielding power. “Good to see you too, Kate,” he said smarmily, “I heard you had powers. Funny you never mentioned that before.”
Andrea felt a perverse satisfaction at discovering that whatever Kate might have shared with the man, she had never trusted him with that particular secret.
“I don’t need any powers to kick your arse!” stated Kate, giving up on trying to use them and instead going for the more direct approach of launching herself at him physically. Dixon seemed rather stunned at her ferocious attack, Kate managing to claw her fingers right across his face before he reacted.
So Dixon’s defences could be beaten, Andrea noted, possibly if his concentration slipped.
Dixon gingerly felt the gashes as Kate made to blast him again seeking to press home her advantage. Only this time he was ready, deflecting her concussion wave again. “As much fun as this is,” said Dixon, repeatedly blocking her attacks which ricocheted off the walls of the small room causing Andrea to duck, It really would be much easier without all these nasty waves flying about
Andrea caught a brief glimpse of the needle, flashing in the light seeping in from the corridor, before it jabbed sharply into Kate’s arm.
“No!” screamed Andrea as Kate staggered back, looking down to the wound in shock.
“As you can see I used my time on Duransay wisely,” noted Dixon as Kate continued to stumble away, leaning onto the wall to hold herself up. “Especially when it came to procuring inhibitor drugs.”
Kate slid slowly down the wall, breathing heavily as she ended up crouching on the floor. The dismay sweeping through Andrea was overpowering – this couldn’t be happening, it just couldn’t! She attempted to crawl across the floor to Kate’s side, her movements agonisingly laboured. Andrea’s anguish was only multiplied further by Dixon’s next suggestion.
“Now we’re all subdued, how about we head off to the lab?”