Andrea felt the bang on the back of her head and swivelled round to grab whoever was responsible, her hands clutching at thin air as she spun on her heels. She cursed to herself – this was like trying to catch the wind! Glancing round the room she tried to spot her opponent, bouncing on her toes in readiness for their next attack. It did her no good though, as a swift punch to the stomach caused her to reflexively double over, though it hadn’t in fact hurt.
She stayed in her hunched position, deciding it was time to try a different tack. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the room, trying to feel the air as it shifted to indicate the movement of the other person. There! Her arm shot out and made purchase on something solid.
Andrea straightened up, holding her attacker up off the floor by the scruff of his neck, his legs flailing frantically as he tried to squirm free. It still amazed her that she was capable of such a thing with no effort at all.
“Hey, no fair! You were faking!” cried Tom, holding onto her arm and futilely trying to release her unshakeable grip.
“I didn’t realise there were rules,” she replied nonchalantly, “I certainly didn’t see you playing by any.”
Another voice interrupted them, “Ok, ok, you can put him down now.”
Andrea turned to see the Major crossing the floor of the cavernous room towards them. They were on the lowest underground level of the base, which housed the largest rooms in which the superhumans were trained how to use their powers. Andrea released her grip on Tom, who stumbled slightly as he found his feet again.
“Thanks,” he noted ruefully, rearranging his shirt.
“Very clever,” the Major remarked as she reached them, “You deduced where his next attack was coming from the displacement of the air?”
“That’s right,” confirmed Andrea, “With Tom being so fast it’s no good trusting your eyes, you need to go with a certain amount of instinct.”
“I’ll have to remember that one for next time,” said Tom sceptically, “Instinct indeed. I just think you got lucky!”
Andrea laughed. “But I did get you!”
“So how’s the inhibitor working out,” asked the Major, interrupting their banter.
Andrea brought her left arm around to check on it. “Fine, I’ve not had any problems with seizures since I started wearing it.”
“Good,” commented the Major, “Well, if you’re up for it, how about giving it a go with Tardelli?”
“Should be interesting,” Andrea noted with a wry smile.
Ever since she’d arrived at the base, Tardelli had been giving her a frosty reception. Which was kind of apt, she supposed, since the other woman’s powers revolved around the cold. Andrea still hadn’t worked out exactly what Tardelli’s problem was, particularly since she seemed reluctant to even speak in her presence.
“Ok, let Tom and I go back to the observation room and we’ll send her in,” suggested the Major.
As they left, Andrea took a moment to re-affix her hair that had become dislodged from its ponytail during the session with Tom. This was the second day she’d actually been engaged in utilising her powers properly, after Doc had produced the armband that allowed her to do that safely. Despite her initial reservations about the whole super power thing, she had to admit there was a certain thrill about being able to do something no one else could.
Waiting for Tardelli, she paced across the floor in her army issue boots. She was kitted out in other army training gear too, though she had dispatched with the jacket, wearing only a vest on her top half. She’d be happy when her own clothes finally turned up and she didn’t have to spend every waking hour in military clothing. At least she’d managed to speak to Maria a couple of days ago and get her to sort out some stuff to be sent to the base. They’d even managed to have a whole conversation without being cut off, though Andrea had to be careful to steer Maria away from any potential danger areas. Anyway, if things went well, she would have the opportunity to have a more candid discussion with her soon.
The sound of the door swinging open on the far side of the room broke her out of her thoughts. Tardelli skulked into the room, her usual surly look on her face, her dark eyes sizing Andrea up. Andrea offered her a sarcastic smile in return. Both of them circled round the room maintaining their distance until the beeps sounded, indicating the training session had been activated.
Suddenly the room sparked into life, with obstacles popping in and out of the floor and walls and projectiles flying round the room to try and distract them. The object of the exercise was to catch your opponent and get them to submit. Though any excessive violence was frowned upon, as Andrea had found out when she’d managed to lay out Harry the day before. She hadn’t meant to punch him quite so hard but she was still getting used to her enhanced strength. An icy blast past her face brought her back to the present and her current opponent. From the look in the other woman’s eye, Andrea wasn’t convinced that Tardelli was going to adhere to the restrictions on excess force.
Rolling across the floor, Andrea snatched up one of the discarded projectiles and lobbed it in Tardelli’s direction. With Andrea’s superhuman strength spurring it on, it whizzed across the room and smacked hard into Tardelli’s head, the dark-haired woman crashing to the floor. With Tardelli down and dazed, Andrea sprinted across to her, determined to push home her advantage. She leapt over a couple of obstacles that sprung out and managed to grab hold of Tardelli before she could orient herself again. Picking her up she flung her easily across the room, where she impacted against the wall.
Andrea was beginning to enjoy herself, toying with the other woman. Suddenly Tardelli surprised her though, by composing herself quickly and firing off another ice blast before Andrea could get to her. Andrea found her feet encased in thick blocks of ice, securing her to the floor. Tardelli grinned evilly as she staggered up off the floor.
Andrea was reluctant to take her eyes off the woman as she approached menacingly, but she realised she needed to free herself quickly. Bending down, she made a fist and drove it into the ice, satisfied when it split into tiny pieces with just one powerful punch.
However, just as she raised her eyes, she realised she hadn’t been quick enough – Tardelli was upon her. A thick wedge of ice flew up and struck Andrea on the chin, sending her flying. Andrea tried to scramble to her feet, only to find that she couldn’t get any purchase on the floor – she was lying on a thin sheet of ice. Then Tardelli was on top of her, her arms gripping Andrea biceps. For a moment Andrea thought Tardelli had made a mistake getting so close where Andrea had the strength advantage, until she suddenly felt a chill sweeping through her entire body from within.
Pain lanced sharply through her, and Andrea gasped as she struggled to move her arms. Her limbs were so numb she could barely feel them. She realised with horror that Tardelli was freezing her from the inside out. She stared incredulously up at the other woman wondering if she was actually going to stop. Andrea couldn’t even open her mouth to speak as Tardelli merely sneered down at her, her breath an icy whisper from her mouth. Andrea felt her eyes drooping as the effort to keep them open became too much. As the darkness swept in to claim her, she thought she could hear a faint voice.
“I said stop!” came the voice more forcefully from right beside them now.
Suddenly Tardelli’s icy hands were whipped off her arms, and Andrea could sense the feeling slowly coming back into her body. Opening her eyes, she saw that it was the Major who had intervened, her hand still gripping Tardelli’s arm where she’d had to haul her off Andrea.
“What the hell did you think you were doing?” demanded the Major, finally letting go and shoving her hands on her hips as she regarded Tardelli with a steely gaze.
Tardelli shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t realise how far it was going,” she replied nonchalantly.
“Bollocks!” cried Andrea, clambering unsteadily up off the floor, “You knew exactly what you were doing - you were trying to bloody kill me!”
“Vaffunculo!” spat back Tardelli, Andrea presuming the Italian word wasn’t a pleasant one, “Like you weren’t trying to do the same to me! I was just defending myself.”
“By freezing my blood solid? What the fuck is your problem?”
“I guess it must be you!” said Tardelli aggressively.
“Fulla helvete!” Andrea snapped, deciding to play Tardelli at her own game by using the Swedish swear words.
“Puttana!”
“Skitstövel!”
“That’s enough! Both of you!” ordered the Major, stepping between them with her hands up to keep them apart, before the name calling degenerated to something worse.
Andrea and Tardelli stared at each other from either side of the Major, a baleful glance in evidence at both ends of the officer’s arms.
“Perhaps now is a good time for a break,” suggested the Major, glancing between them. “Isn’t it?” she added strongly when neither woman seemed to notice her first comment.
“I suppose so,” agreed Andrea reluctantly, shooting Tardelli one last disparaging look before turning and heading for the door.
……
Andrea stepped out of the door to her quarters and
started walking in the direction of the lift.
Accompanied only by the sound of her boots brushing across the carpet,
she thought the corridors were unusually quiet. Normally she bumped into someone on the way - a soldier, one of
the other superhumans - but today there was no one. Reaching the lift she pressed the button to summon it, pacing
nervously back and forth as she waited for it to travel up to the second
floor. She wasn’t entirely sure why she
was nervous, only that she had this anxious feeling in the pit of her
stomach. The ping to indicate the lift
had arrived resounded loudly in the oppressive silence. She stopped her pacing and positioned
herself in front of the doors as they slid open.
She was surprised to see that there was already a single
occupant of the lift, standing with their back to her, their head hunched over
as they leaned against the back wall.
Even odder was that they didn’t exit the lift, or even turn to
acknowledge her in any way, remaining resolutely where they were. She found herself reluctant to join them in
the enclosed space, but told herself she was being stupid and forced herself
forwards. Turning away from the silent
person, she pressed the button for the second underground level, taking a
nervous gulp of air as the doors slid shut once again.
As the lift shuddered into life, she could sense the
presence of the person behind her, but refused to look round. If they wanted to play silly buggers then
that was fine by her.
Suddenly a hand clapped onto her shoulder, causing her to
practically jump out of her skin.
“Helvete!” she exclaimed, lapsing into Swedish in her
surprise, “What the fuck are you…”
Her words died on her lips as she spun round to regard
the other occupant of the lift.
“I-Inpsector MacKenzie,” she stammered in shock, “What
are you doing here? I thought you were
dead.”
“I am dead, Andrea,” he replied, his eyes cold as he
stared at her, “You killed me.”
“No, no, it was an accident…” stuttered Andrea, backing
up until she was pressed against the doors, “…the gas…”
Mackenzie lurched slowly forwards. “You could have helped us. You could have saved us.”
“There was nothing I could do,” stated Andrea as
determinedly as she could, though she was anything but inside. “I was paralysed!” Which was a bit like how
she felt now, stuck in the lift with the menacing Inspector.
“You failed us, you let us down,” continued MacKenzie,
seemingly ignoring her words as he loomed towards her.
“No, I couldn’t help you,” repeated Andrea, leaning as
far back as she could in a futile attempt to get away from him.
Mackenzie grabbed hold of Andrea’s forearms, pinning her
against the doors. “How did you survive when we didn’t?”
“I don’t know!” she cried, a chill sweeping through her
body from where his bony fingers gripped her.
“I always knew you’d abandon us when the time came,” he
noted with a sneer on his face, “I knew I couldn’t rely on you.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice small.
“Sorry isn’t good enough.” Mackenzie’s face was right up
in front of her now. As his eyes bored
into her, it dawned on Andrea that she should be able to feel his breath on her
face, only she couldn’t. He wasn’t
breathing at all.
Suddenly the doors of the lift flew open and Andrea fell
backwards out onto the hard concrete floor.
Glancing up she saw that MacKenzie had disappeared; there was no sign of
him in the lift.
Suddenly another voice broke the silence. “He’s right you
know, you are a failure.”
“Dad?” cried Andrea in amazement, swinging her head
round.
“You never could stick at anything could you, no wonder
you left them all to die.”
“You mean stick at what you wanted me to,” said Andrea
angrily, clambering to her feet to face him.
This was more familiar territory to her – an argument with her father
about how she had failed his expectations.
“All that time and money we spent on your education and
for what, so you could waste your life?”
“My life is not a waste!”
“What a disappointment you are.”
“Leave me alone,” Andrea snarled, brushing past him to
carry on down the corridor.
Only when she got to the end MacKenzie stepped out in
front of her again “Running away again are you?”
“No!” she exclaimed, turning away from him.
“Face it, you failed us all!”
“No!”
Andrea shot up in bed, her t-shirt clinging to her body where the sweat had been pouring down her back.
It took her a moment to get her bearings and realise where she was. It had just been another nightmare, though certainly a doozy of one. She took a few deep breaths and brushed her disarrayed hair back from her face, before flicking on the bedside light. Stumbling in the direction of the kitchen area, she grabbed a glass and filled it with ice-cold water. Steadying herself by resting a hand on the worktop, Andrea gratefully gulped down the water.
Attempting to go back across the darkened room, she banged her shin on the coffee table, letting out a curse as she did. Flopping down on the sofa, she put her head in her hands. When were the nightmares going to stop? And now, not only were her colleagues after her, but her father had decided to join in too. Who was going to be next? Her mother? Her brother? Her university lecturers? Her primary school teacher?
The repeated nightmares made her more determined than ever to get some answers to what had happened at the warehouse. Someone was responsible and it wasn’t her.
…….
The following evening Andrea was in her quarters once again. She delved into the large cardboard box, rummaging at the bottom until she found what she was looking for. Withdrawing the book, she smiled to herself – good old Maria. A knock at the door stopped her from further investigation.
“Come in,” she called, quickly placing the book under a pile of others on the coffee table.
She was surprised when the door opened to reveal the form of Major Jarvis. Of all the people she might have expected to pay her a visit in her quarters at night, the Major was one of the more unlikely.
“Good evening,” said the Major, having stepped into the living area, “I just wanted to check you got all your things ok.”
“Yes, thank you. As you can see I’m just doing a bit of unpacking,” Andrea explained, indicating the open boxes scattered around the room, with their contents spilt haphazardly onto the floor or table.
The Major’s eyebrows rose noticeably as she regarded the mess. “I see you’ve already found your clothes.” she remarked, her eyes coming back to Andrea who was dressed casually in jeans and a form-fitting t-shirt.
Andrea wondered at the remark for a moment, but then disregarded attributing any significance to it – she supposed it was only natural that the Major would notice her change of attire after so many days spent in army fatigues. “Yes, they were one of the first things I unpacked,” answered Andrea, “No offence, but it’s nice to get out of that military stuff.”
The Major made a small laugh. “I know what you mean,” she said, “Believe it or not I do occasionally get out of my uniform too, though it may not seem like it.”
Andrea had to pull her mind up sharply when she found it wandering alarmingly to thoughts of what exactly the Major had on under her uniform. In her distraction she failed to notice that the Major was now glancing over the books on the table. As she picked up the top one, Andrea’s heart leapt into her mouth. She prayed the other woman didn’t look down further in the pile.
“Not exactly light reading,” remarked the Major, looking at the front cover that read ‘From Chance To Choice: Genetics and Justice’ [5]. She flipped over to the back to read what it was about. “Quite a coincidence considering your current situation,” she added with a wry smile.
“I like to keep abreast of a wide variety of topics,” said Andrea, moving over quickly to take the book off her as nonchalantly as possible. “Would you like a drink?” she found herself saying as a diversionary tactic.
The Major looked almost as surprised as Andrea by the offer. “Thanks,” she replied after a moment, “I’ll have a coffee.”
Andrea moved over to the kitchen, still perplexed by how the suggestion had snuck its way out of her mouth. She had half-expected the other woman to politely refuse anyway, but it seemed the Major was on a mission to confound her expectations at the moment. First they’d had a civil chat in her office a couple of days ago, and now here she was seemingly round for a friendly visit. Or maybe there was some ulterior motive that the Major hadn’t got to yet.
Fishing out some mugs, Andrea glanced over her shoulder. “How do you take it?”
“Black, please, no sugar.”
Andrea was pleased to note that the Major had followed her towards the kitchen and away from the books. She was now sitting on one of the high stools at the counter. Fortunately the Major didn’t notice or comment on the fact that one stool seemed to be missing.
Andrea fixed the requested drink, making herself a tea at the same time. Crossing to where the Major sat, she set the drinks down and took up a position on the stool opposite the other woman.
“Thank you,” said the Major, picking up the mug and actually sniffing the contents for a moment. Andrea raised her eyebrows at the rather candid gesture. The Major glanced up, suddenly realising what she had been doing. “Sorry, force of habit,” she laughed.
“You obviously like your coffee.”
“A little bit too much,” agreed the Major, “I keep telling myself I won’t have any past 6 o’clock at night, but it always seems to tempt me. And then I wonder why I can’t sleep.”
Andrea picked up her own drink and took a sip. It was rather hot, but she needed something to stop her conspiratorial mind drifting again, as it had as soon as the Major had mentioned her sleeping habits. “Was there any other reason for your visit?” asked Andrea, not really sure what she was expecting or wanting the Major to answer.
The Major took a sip of her coffee before answering. “No, just making sure everything is all right. I like to make sure all our operatives are happy.”
It took a moment for Andrea to realise the Major was waiting for a response. She had barely registered the words that had issued from the other woman’s lips, so focussed was she on the way they played across the rim of the mug instead. The light from the lamps just highlighted the moisture dappled on them, generated by the warmth of the mug. “Right,” noted Andrea, guessing that was a safe enough bet for something to say.
The Major peered up from her mug, showing no sign she had noticed Andrea’s distraction. “So, how are you getting on with the others?”
Andrea’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You mean how am I getting on with Tardelli?” she deduced.
A small smile curved the Major’s lips. “Well, I don’t think anyone could have failed to notice the slight ‘antagonism’ between you two,” she said diplomatically.
“If you call ‘slight antagonism’, wanting to kill me,” agreed Andrea. “I guess I just rub some people up the wrong way,” she noted, cocking her head to one side as a not-so-subtle indication of who those other ‘people’ were.
“Yes,” remarked the Major, picking up on the reference, “Though I hope that we’re getting on better now?”
“I suppose so,” replied Andrea noncommittally. She wasn’t going to concede anything to the other woman just yet. Especially not with the tricks her body was presently trying to play on her. She wondered if it was just the relaxed atmosphere or late hour that was causing it to rebel so badly. The small smiles the Major kept offering up certainly didn’t help, nor did the way her voice had gotten even huskier as she drunk the coffee. Andrea didn’t think the Major even realised what she was doing.
“At least we seem to be able to have a conversation without any doors being in danger of destruction,” joked the Major.
“For the time being,” Andrea agreed, deciding it was probably safer just to keep her answers short.
“So, there’s nothing you know of that’s upset Tardelli?” asked the Major, returning to the main topic of discussion.
Andrea shook her head. “No, she’s barely said two words to me since I got here. Well, apart from some choice Italian swear words.”
The Major laughed again. “You seem to know a few choice words too, Swedish I’m guessing?”
“That’s right. I was born in England but then lived in Sweden until I was six, before coming back to this country,” explained Andrea, surprising herself again by offering up such personal details. Something about the Major was making her feel like she could confide in her, though. It did cross Andrea’s mind that it could all be a well-practised routine to elicit information – Andrea was no stranger to those herself. “Perhaps you should try speaking to Tardelli herself,” suggested Andrea, trying to steer the conversation away from her background before she revealed too much. “Maybe she can tell you what’s got up her nose, because I sure as hell don’t know.”
“Yes,” nodded the Major, “Though something tells me I won’t get far - Bel is almost as stubborn as you are.”
Andrea raised a single eyebrow. “I just like to keep you on your toes.”
“My toes are well and truly worn out from all the time I’ve spent on them recently,” admitted the Major. “Apart from Tardelli, is there anything else bothering you at all? Any other problems?”
Andrea regarded her for a moment, pondering whether she should mention the nightmares. This was the second time the Major had asked her this, and she was beginning to wonder if it was just genuine concern or something else. Andrea decided against bringing up the dreams – she still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of admitting any weakness to the Major or anyone else at the base.
“I don’t think so,” said Andrea in answer.
“Ok,” said the Major, though something in her face suggested to Andrea that she didn’t quite believe her. “Well, I suppose I should leave you to your packing,” added the Major, finishing the last of her drink and slipping off the stool. “Thanks for the coffee.”
Andrea walked over to the door with her. “You’re welcome.”
“Good night,” said the Major, flashing Andrea a quick smile as she departed.
Andrea closed the door and let out a long sigh. She tried to tell herself that the tension she had been feeling was just from the prospect of the Major uncovering the book and nothing else. Thinking of that, she headed back over to the table and fished it out from the bottom of the pile. Opening it at the back, she peeled away the last sheet where it was attached to the cover. A single small piece of paper fell out into her hand. As Andrea read the brief text she smiled to herself – at last she might get some answers about the accident.
…….
Andrea clambered up the ladder and onto the quayside. She quickly glanced around to check she hadn’t been spotted, but the stone jetty was deserted. Her only company were a few seagulls perched on the tethering posts that lined the walkway, most of them dozing in the moonlight that reflected off the damp flagstones. She reflexively pulled her collar up to ward off the chill wind that whipped in off the sea, and turned towards the town.
As soon as she had received the note from Maria the day before, Andrea had known it was time to put her plan into action. Tom had already informed her about the supply boats that came to the island and exactly what times they docked. With her newly enhanced strength it had been no problem hanging onto the side of the ship until they had departed from the island where the base was located, avoiding the final checks made by the soldiers. Once they were on the way back Ayr, which was the closest town on the mainland being a few miles distant, Andrea had clambered on board and hidden herself until they reached the harbour.
Tom had also been able to tell her about the various pubs around Ayr, one of which she was heading to now. It made Andrea wonder exactly how many times he had been off the island, or whether he was all talk. He could easily have come by the information from some other source, other than personal experience – some of the soldiers; the men from the supply boat. It occurred to her that perhaps he wanted to see how she got on before trying anything himself. Or more precisely, he wanted to see what happened to her when the Major found out.
Andrea knew the Major would not be happy, to put it mildly. Most likely the army officer would tear into her with venom when she caught up with her. And Andrea had little doubt that they would track her down eventually. She had made sure she left behind the communicator, which probably had a tracking device in it, but these were resourceful people, and Andrea suspected she wouldn’t have long at large. That didn’t matter, though, as long as she had time enough to get what she wanted. Andrea had deliberated about leaving behind the armband she had concealed under her shirt too, but had decided against it – the last thing she needed was to have a seizure in the middle of town. Instead she had carried out a thorough inspection of the device, but hadn’t uncovered anything obviously suspicious.
Thinking of the reaction her impromptu trip off base might generate, Andrea’s mind drifted back to the Major. It was a shame she was going to anger the other woman, just when they had been starting to get along. She tried to picture the exact reaction she might get - most probably a mixture of anger and disappointment. It was something she was used to generating in others, but for some reason she felt particularly disturbed that she was about to evoke it in the Major.
From the way Tom and Harry’s had spoken in the messhall, she could well imagine that the Major could be very imposing when she was angry. Andrea had caught a few brief flashes of the Major’s ire herself, but had to admit that the older woman had done well to maintain her composure in the face of Andrea’s belligerence. However, Andrea thought that this latest escapade would be one thing too far in her challenging of the Major’s authority.
But in the end what could the Major do to her anyway by means of punishment? Andrea was practically incarcerated on the island, as it was. Perhaps she would lose some privileges or something, but it would be worth it if Maria could give her the answers she was looking for. That was the main focus of her trip, and the Major and the army base couldn’t be her concern her right now. It had been over two weeks since the accident, yet the images of her dead colleagues still haunted Andrea’s dreams every night. She owed it to herself and them to find out what had happened that day. They deserved justice and she deserved some peace.
Walking down the street, which ran from the harbour along the bank of the River Ayr, she thrust her hands into her pockets and kept her head lowered. There were quite a few other people out for a drink that Wednesday night. The stiff breeze whipped a few odd strands of her blond hair into her face and she had to reach up to brush them away. She was surprised quite how busy it was, what with it being mid-week, though it was probably a good thing – she was less likely to arouse suspicion in a crowd. The sound of laughter filtered out onto the street from an inviting looking pub, but Andrea passed it by – she had a specific destination that night. There certainly wasn’t a shortage of pubs along the street she noted; all seemingly having names centred round things nautical. There was The Smugglers, The Boathouse and the one she was heading for - The Anchor.
Pushing open the door, Andrea was pleased to see it too was crowded. She barely caused a flicker from the throng as she crossed to the bar. Though the frontage of the pub made it look like a traditional Scottish hostelry, inside it was actually smartly decorated – obviously having fallen foul of the trend for pub modernisation and homogenisation. If it wasn’t for the predominance of Scots accents floating around the room, Andrea could just have easily been in a pub back in London.
Waiting for the barman, she cast a quick glance over the drinks on offer, including some rather suspicious looking local beers that she was going to steer well clear of. She also took the opportunity to study the other occupants of the pub. They were quite a wide variety of people all mingling together – office workers out for a post work drink; a few salty looking sailor types; groups of young townies. Andrea’s police side had suspicions that a good number of the last group were underage. Once she got served, she decided to stick with a reliable bottle of Budweiser. She took a grateful swig of as she checked her watch again.
Luckily she didn’t have to wait long before her friend arrived. Andrea spotted her as soon as the short, dark-haired woman stepped in the door. As Maria’s eyes met hers, Andrea couldn’t help breaking out into a huge grin – it was so good to see a familiar face.
Maria smiled in response and quickly joined her at the bar. “Andi, it’s good to see you!” she said, wrapping her arms around Andrea and pulling her into a warm embrace.
Andrea held on to Maria for a touch longer than she would normally have done. “And you too.”
“How are you?” asked Maria, pulling back, her face displaying obvious concern, “And what the hell is going on?”
“I’m fine, and it’s a long story!” replied Andrea, “How about I get you a drink, and we can talk about it?”
Getting another Budweiser, they headed off to a table to the side of the bar. Andrea couldn’t quite believe Maria was there; it made everything seem almost normal again. However, then Andrea had to launch into her explanation of everything that had happened the past two weeks, and the illusion was shattered. She could see Maria’s draw dropping in incredulity as Andrea’s tale progressed, and she realised how utterly ridiculous much of it sounded. She had to impress on Maria that she was telling the truth and hadn’t just lost her mind. It said something about their friendship that Maria was willing to accept what Andrea was telling her without any proof.
“My god,” was all a stunned Maria could manage, once Andrea had finished.
“I know, pretty unbelievable, huh?” Andrea knew she must have shocked Maria since the normally effusive woman was stuck for words. “It all started with that raid at the warehouse. There’s something really suss about that whole thing, not just because they didn’t want us speaking about it.”
“Yeah, well even odder is the fact that we aren’t even investigating it any more,” revealed Maria.
“What?” cried Andrea a bit too loudly. A couple of other drinkers swivelled round in their seats for a moment, staring at her, before turning back to their own conversations. Andrea continued on in a quieter voice, leaning forward to whisper her comments. “But how can that be, twelve people died in that warehouse!”
“I know,” agreed Maria, “And don’t think there haven’t been questions asked, but the case has been sealed, and all our documents shipped out.”
Andrea shook her head. “Something is seriously wrong here. Who ordered the closure of the case?”
“It came right from the top apparently, the Chief Constable himself. Even I haven’t been able to dig up anything on it, and I’ve certainly been trying.”
Andrea slowly sucked in a breath. This wasn’t what she had been hoping to hear. “And what about Cowley, is he still under investigation at least, since it was his warehouse?”
“No, everything about him has been shipped out too. Not that you had that much on him anyway, the mystery man that he is. No one even knows what he looks like, or even what his first name is.”
“Which is why he should still be under investigation!” Andrea declared with frustration. “This is unbelievable we spent months tracking his network of deals and now it’s all been shut down?”
“All I can do is keep plugging at it, trying to find things out where I can” noted Maria ruefully, “But it’s pretty much like banging your head on a brick wall to tell you the truth.”
“Well be careful,” said Andrea, “Someone obviously doesn’t want this investigated, someone with influence.”
“You do seem to have a habit of finding trouble,” Maria remarked, “Though I think even you’ve outdone yourself this time.”
Suddenly Andrea let out a sigh. “Oh, great,” she muttered to herself.
“What is it?” asked Maria, confused by the outburst.
Andrea indicated the far side of the bar with her eyes. “Looks like my keeper is here to fetch me.”
Maria turned her head to follow Andrea’s gaze. Standing on the far side of the room, scanning the crowded bar, was Major Jarvis. She was alone and looked rather out of place standing in the bar in her full uniform. However, none of the bar’s other occupants seemed to be too bothered by her presence. Andrea supposed that the soldiers stationed on the base were allowed shore leave, and that perhaps this was one of their regular haunts, being close to the harbour. Andrea deduced she must have caught them off-guard enough for the Major to follow her without first changing into something less conspicuous.
“I don’t think I would be running away from that,” noted Maria, still looking over her shoulder at the Major.
“I beg your pardon?” asked Andrea, not sure what she was getting at.
Maria swivelled back round to face Andrea. “Oh, come on, you can’t tell me you haven’t noticed how gorgeous she is?”
“I suppose so,” admitted Andrea grudgingly, not willing to confess that indeed she had, but had found the concept too disturbing to ponder for long.
“Now I really know something is wrong! Ok, where’s my friend Andi, and what have you done with her?”
“Ha, ha,” replied Andrea, rolling her eyes as Maria poked her to check she was real.
“I know you never could resist a woman in uniform.”
“I resisted you didn’t I?” replied Andrea, trying to get off the current topic.
They didn’t have the chance to discuss it further as the Major had finally spotted her target, and was heading their way. Andrea considered that she could make a break for it, but no doubt there were other soldiers outside. Instead she remained seated as the Major approached, her eyes dark beneath her furrowed brow.
“Andrea, if you could please come with me,” requested the Major when she reached the table. The words were polite, but her voice so low and deadly that Andrea could barely hear it over the general hubbub of the room.
Andrea simply stared mutely up at her for a moment, just to let her know that she was reluctant about agreeing, before rising from her seat. Andrea glanced back at her seated friend. “Sorry, Maria, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sure, Andi,” replied Maria, obviously having caught the major’s stern demeanour and not wanting to intervene.
“My apologies, Miss Fernandes,” said the Major evenly, “But, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to have a chat with one of my officers, if you wouldn’t mind, to apprise you of the delicacy of this situation. You can wait here, and he’ll be in momentarily.”
Maria flicked her eyes to Andrea to verify that it was all right to comply. “Er, of course, no problem,” she replied, having got a consenting nod.
Andrea followed the Major silently outside and into the back of a waiting black car. Neither of them spoke as the driver started it up and pulled off into the evening traffic. They sat next to each other in the back, but the Major’s eyes were resolutely trained forward, her face a mask of cold disapproval. Andrea wondered exactly where they were going, but didn’t ask – she wasn’t going to be the one to break the deathly silence. If the Major wanted to give her the silent treatment that was fine, she could give as good as she got. Andrea didn’t really feel like talking in her current mood anyway. She had been hoping the talk with Maria would clarify things, but it had just left her with more questions. Why had the case been closed? Who had taken away the case papers? It was all so bloody frustrating!
Glancing out the window and away from the thinly veiled annoyance that radiated off the other woman, Andrea watched the people of the town going about their normal business, enjoying their nights out. Before she realised what she was doing, she found she had mangled the door’s armrest in her powerful grip. Looking down at the twisted metal and plastic, she wondered if her life would ever be normal again.
After several more minutes with just the sound of the engine purring away to fill the silence, Andrea could stand it no longer.
“Well, aren’t you going to tell me off, tell me how irresponsible I’ve been?”
“So you do realise that you have been then?” The Major’s voice was bitingly cold as she stared out the front of the car. When the streetlights periodically lit up the interior, Andrea could see that the Major hands were clenched tightly into fists as they rested on her thighs. The barely suppressed rage, waiting to erupt in Andrea’s direction, was palpable.
“That’s not what I said,” retorted Andrea defiantly, “But I’m sure it’s what you want to say.”
“But will it do me any good?” remarked the Major pointedly.
“Sorry?”
“It seems no matter what I tell you, you just ignore it anyway,” clarified the Major, “There hardly seems to be much point does there?”
“I suppose not,” Andrea agreed insolently, “So we’ll just sit in silence all the way to wherever we’re going shall we? Or maybe we could play a bit of I-spy, or sing a song to pass the time?”
The Major thumped her fist on the seat between them. “This isn’t some game, Andrea!” she exclaimed, whipping her eyes round to pin Andrea in place. The fiery look in them practically roasted the young woman where she sat.
“Do you still think we’re doing all this out of some private vendetta against you? Do you really think we have the time to bother?” the Major demanded furiously, each question emphasised with a pointed hand gesture. “I know you find this concept hard to grasp, but we are trying to do something good out at the base. All we’re interested in his helping you, yet you seem determined to throw it back in our face.”
“Right! Of course!” replied Andrea with disdain, “And there’s nothing in it for you lot, poking and prodding the weirdos to see what we’re all about.”
The Major threw up her hands in exasperation. “Oh, we’re back to that are we? Yes, it helps us to gain knowledge about you and your powers, but you can’t say that we’ve used you. We’ve kept you informed as to all we’ve been doing, explained everything you’ve wanted to know about. We treat you fairly don’t we?”
Andrea stubbornly refused to reply, rather than concede the point. She resolutely crossed her arms across her chest instead.
“Don’t we?” repeated the Major sharply, her eyes boring into Andrea, demanding an answer.
“I suppose,” mumbled Andrea in reply, looking down at her lap and wondering at how fast the Major had managed to make her feel about the size of a flea and as welcome as one too.
“And yet you still keep acting like a spoilt child,” continued the Major scornfully, “Running off and wasting mine and everyone else’s time chasing after you!”
Andrea’s eyes flicked up as something struck her. “And just how did you find me so bloody fast?”
The Major glanced away, momentarily stymied.
“There’s a tracking device somewhere on me isn’t there?” deduced Andrea from the Major’s reaction. “Where is it? In the armband? I knew I should have left that damn thing behind.”
The Major still failed to meet her gaze. “It’s not in the armband.”
Her sudden change in mood was making Andrea nervous. “Where is it then? Somewhere in my clothes? You bastards went through them before you delivered them to my room didn’t you?”
“No,” replied the Major, taking an audible breath and turning her eyes back to meet Andrea’s, “It’s implanted in your right arm.”
Andrea’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Implanted…in…my…arm,” she repeated dumbly. “Implanted in my arm?” she said once again with more force as the full implication hit her. “You claim to treat me fairly, respect my rights, but then you go and sneak a tracking device on me? Under my skin, in my body?”
“Well, it looked like we needed one didn’t we?” replied the Major caustically.
“That’s hardly the fucking point is it? You violated me!”
“And I am sorry we did,” insisted the Major, “It was in the first days when you were with us, when you kept having those seizures…”
“So you thought you’d take advantage and carry out a little surgery while I was unconscious?”
“We didn’t know what you might do. If you had left the island at that point you could have had a fatal seizure and we wouldn’t have been able to help you.”
“And I’m sure my health was foremost in your mind!” Andrea said with derision, “Nothing to do with you wanting to stop me running off and letting everyone know what’s really going on at your top secret base.”
“I would be lying if I said that wasn’t part of the reason, but we do want to help you…”
Andrea cut her off with a disdainful snort. “I can see you’ll always have some excuse to justify your actions. It’s funny how people in power can always explain away their decisions with dubious logic.”
“So you want me to just cut you loose do you?” the Major fumed back, obviously not liking Andrea’s disparaging assessment of her character, “So you can tell the whole world about the base?”
“Yeah, that would be a start,” agreed Andrea aggressively, “Anyway, why didn’t you pick me up as soon as I left the island, if you’ve got this damn tracker beaming my every move back to you?”
The Major didn’t reply, resolutely holding Andrea’s gaze instead. The space in the back of the car seemed even more oppressively enclosed than it really was with all the high emotions swirling around it.
“You wanted to see who I was meeting, right?” surmised Andrea after a moment, “Just another little bit of spying, eh? You just can’t help yourselves, can you? You want to control every little thing on that island and off it. Forget about the fact that we are human beings with rights or the capacity for independent thought. No, we all have to be good little drones, following the rules, toeing the line. God forbid we might actually have an opinion or want to leave!”
“This is not all about you!” the Major interjected, her voice harsh and unforgiving, “We have to maintain tight security, there’s more at stake here then you realise.”
“Oh really? Then why don’t you enlighten me? Oh, I forgot, you can’t – national security and all that bollocks!”
The Major looked like she was about to shoot back another angry salvo, but she caught herself. Her lips became a tight, thin line as she took a few deep breaths through her nose. “And has it ever occurred to you, in your selfish desire to do what you want, what that might mean in the grand scheme of things?” she finally asked.
Andrea held her gaze, a quizzical look crossing her face. What was the Major talking about now? Andrea considered it could be some sort of disarming tactic to try and distract her from the previous discussion, since the Major was on a loser with that one.
“You may find that there are people out there who do not have quite such noble intentions towards superhumans as us,” purported the Major.
Andrea was confused. “What do you mean? I thought our existence was a secret?”
The Major didn’t answer immediately, and in the dim light Andrea could just make out the thoughtful expression on her face. Andrea decided to wait and see what the Major was going to offer up, since her anger seemed to have subsided for a moment.
The Major eventually reached whatever internal decision she had been considering, her voice softer as she continued on. “Ok, I’m going to tell you something in the hope that you will understand one of the reasons we need to be so careful, even though I shouldn’t really be doing it.”
Her comments peeked Andrea’s interest – it appeared the Major was about to violate some sort of protocol regarding what she was allowed to tell her subordinates. Andrea wasn’t sure why she was doing it, but she wasn’t about to stop the other woman. She dipped her head slightly to acknowledge she understood.
“Though the existence of superhumans isn’t publicly known,” outlined the Major, “We know of at least a couple of ‘groups’, shall we call them, that are more than interested in getting their hands on superhumans, or any data pertaining to them, such as we collect. We’ve had a few close calls at the base, but so far we’ve managed to keep security pretty tight.”
Another streetlight flashed it’s glare through the back of the car just in time for Andrea to catch the tightening around the Major’s eyes when she said the words ‘close calls’. Andrea wondered what exactly they had been? Had someone tried to sell information? Had one of the other operatives escaped? Whatever it was, it had certainly annoyed the Major.
Andrea decided to defer those questions for now. She didn’t think the Major would be too receptive to discussing them anyway, if her expression had been anything to go by. “And why would these ‘groups’ want a superhuman or this information?”
“Just think of the power that would give someone,” ventured the Major, “Having a superhuman on your side, or maybe even the ability to create your own superhumans.”
“What?” exclaimed Andrea, her confusion increasing.
The Major nodded seriously. “Yes, we think that’s definitely on the agenda for these groups. Imagine that, a whole army of superhumans, for hire to the highest bidder.”
“And is that possible, to create a superhuman?” asked Andrea doubtfully, “I thought you needed this special gene.”
“Normally, yes,” confirmed the Major, “But there may be other ways to enhance a regular person, using DNA from a superhuman. In order to do that though, you need to have a source of that DNA.”
Andrea tried to process the other woman’s words as she spoke, “But surely, if you think about it, you’re one of these ‘groups’ too. You’re doing all the things that you’re talking about them doing. Hell, perhaps you want to create superhuman soldiers too!”
“There is one big exception, we’re here to serve the country,” the Major stated emphatically. “These people are only out to serve their own best interests. And I doubt they would have many qualms about how they got their information. You think our tests and experiments are tough? Well, try and picture what such ruthless people might do if they got their hands on you. And not just you, your actions put everyone at the base in danger – Tom, Harry, Bel.”
Andrea was silent for a moment, digesting what the Major had revealed. If these groups really did exist, she could see how valuable an asset a superhuman would be. She had a brief thought about seeking one of then out, though the Major’s warnings about their intentions rung in her ears. However, Andrea didn’t know if she could trust the other woman or not. It was in the Major’s interest to keep Andrea with her ‘group’, so why would she make any of these other ones sound appealing? On the other hand the Major could be telling the truth, and Andrea certainly didn’t want to be the one responsible for landing any of the other superhumans in trouble. She already had enough things weighing on her conscience as it was.
With Andrea still contemplating her options, the Major continued on, “Of course we do want to gain knowledge about you for our own interest, but we also want to help and protect you. We can hardly do that if you start wandering off the island on your own.”
“Your own interest is about right,” Andrea said scathingly, “You make out you’re all concerned about us and our well-being, but more likely you’re just worried about your job! It would look pretty bad for you, losing one of your people wouldn’t it?”
Andrea could immediately see she had hit a raw nerve. The Major’s eyes sparked angrily and a muscle in her cheek was visible as it twitched from where her jaw was clamped firmly shut.
Andrea pressed on, “Is that why you had to dash off after me in person, to keep it quiet?”
“No, for some stupid reason I felt responsible for you!”
“I don’t need anyone to look after me, I’m a big girl.”
“And what if you’d got into trouble, had a problem with your powers?”
“I’ve got your little device now, haven’t I? I would have been fine,” insisted Andrea. She wasn’t about to reveal that she’d had no intention of staying off the island for good anyway. Even she could see that she needed help for now, but she didn’t mind letting the Major worry.
“You may have the armband, but there are still other things that could happen to you,” insisted the Major. “There may be other aspects of your power that we haven’t uncovered yet, that you wouldn’t have been able to cope with.”
“Again with the mock concern!”
“I am concerned!” cried the Major, “It seems someone has to be, since you have a blatant disregard for your own safety or that of anyone else.”
Andrea looked at her sceptically. “Oh yes, I forgot, you’re trying to protect us all from these scary people who are just waiting to snatch us away?”
The Major tried to ignore Andrea’s sarcasm. “Not just from those people, but also from the general public to some extent. Think how you reacted when you learnt what you were. I believe ‘freak’ was the term you used, and you’re a supposedly intelligent woman. Do you think the average person is going to be too happy to discover he has ‘freaks’ living next door to him? Welcome them with open arms, invite them in for a cup of tea? I don’t think so, do you? More likely he’s going to want to put a brick through their window. It’s not the way it should be, but there are a lot of narrow-minded individuals out there.”
“So instead we shut ourselves away and pretend we don’t exist?” challenged Andrea.
“For now, but in time, who knows? We’ve known about this for such a short amount of time, these are just the first tentative steps. We just have your best interests at heart, I wish you weren’t so blasted stubborn that you could see that.”
“Yeah, well, I guess you’re going to have to keep trying.”
The Major sighed, realising she was making little headway. “Believe what you want. Just as long as you don’t continue to endanger yourself and others by your foolish actions, I don’t care. Why are you so desperate to get off the island anyway? What was it that you needed to discuss so urgently with your friend? Or more to the point, what was so secret about it that you couldn’t discuss it over the phone?”
Andrea laughed bitterly. “Like I’m going to tell you! That’s exactly why I needed to see her off the island – so you bastards weren’t listening in! Have you ever even heard of privacy?”
“Yes,” the Major replied, “But as I said before, we have to know what’s going on at the base, and more importantly any communication off it. Were you discussing the warehouse incident again?”
“We might have been.” Andrea wasn’t going to disclose any more voluntarily.
“I know it must have been hard for you, having lost all your colleagues like that…”
“Hard for me? You have no bloody idea!”
“You would be surprised,” said the Major so quietly that Andrea barely caught it. Andrea wondered if the other woman had even meant to let it slip out, since the Major herself seemed to ignore it, adding instead, “I won’t have any idea unless you tell me.”
Andrea stopped for just a moment. A tiny voice, way in the back of Andrea’s mind was prompting her to tell the Major, tell her about the nightmares. Andrea squashed it down. “I’m not telling you anything.”
The Major sighed, rubbing her eyes in an overt display of her frustration.
Andrea pressed her advantage, “So does that mean you’re going to put me under the spotlights now? Force it out of me?”
The Major’s eyes shot to Andrea in disbelief. “Who exactly do you think we are?”
“Do you really want me to answer that?”
The Major shook her head, obviously deciding she didn’t. “No, we won’t be ‘forcing’ anything out of you. I had hoped that you might volunteer the information, since I was good enough to explain the situation to you when I didn’t have to, but I guess not. All this means is that we’ll need to keep an even tighter watch on you from now on, now you’ve shown you can’t be trusted.”
“I can’t be trusted? You are unbelievable!” cried Andrea, “Fine, do whatever you want. Stick a million little trackers on me, cameras all over my quarters – I’ll still find a way to outsmart you lot.”
“Were you planning this little escape the whole time?” the Major asked with an air of disappointment, “Just playing along until you got your chance? For some reason I thought we were actually starting to make some progress, but I guess that was all just an act on your part. Your arrogance and selfishness knows no bounds does it? Do you ever consider anyone else but yourself?”
The Major’s words stung, and Andrea was tempted to correct the assumptions. The Major was partly right, though, Andrea had been planning to get off the island, but not for purely selfish reasons. And it hadn’t all been an act. In fact, if Andrea was being brutally honest, she had to admit that she’d actually started to have a grudging respect for the Major, maybe even like her a bit. Andrea was hardly about to tell the other woman that now, in the middle of receiving a bollocking. And especially not after the character assassination she’d just received. Her stubborn side was telling her she should just remain silent and let the Major think she had been fooled instead.
Since Andrea had steadfastly refused to respond, the Major shifted in her seat, leaning closer. She got so close that, even in the low light, Andrea could make out the whites of her eyes. Andrea felt like a small animal caught in headlights, unable to move under the intense stare. When the Major started speaking again, her voice had dropped to its lowest register, whispering out across the short distance between them with deadly menace.
“I really don’t care if you like me or not, or anyone else at the base for that matter. All I care about is the well being of my people. So let me make it perfectly clear that if you ever, ever do anything like this again, I shall make you will wish you had never been born.”