DARK ORBIT: The complete series, page 61
As he drew closer, the light got steadily brighter so he switched off the flashlight and pocketed it. For the last ten feet or so, he moved on tiptoe, moving past the door so that when he kicked it open he’d have an unobstructed line of fire.
But then he just stood there, listening. Trying to pick out any sound which might be coming from inside but all he could hear was the sound of his own breathing.
He stood there for a long time slowly trying to build his resolve. The last thing he wanted to do now was to hesitate. He had to be totally focussed on what he was doing. Find Roth and shoot him.
It sounded simple. Yet, still he hesitated.
He brought the rifle higher, the stock snug against his shoulder, then he took a step forward. The light inside was bright enough that he wanted to look away, but he couldn’t. He had to get this one right.
Easing all his weight onto his back foot, he reached out his other leg until the toe of his boot was resting against the inside of the door. As he pushed the door outwards he came down heavily on the lead foot. Inside, there was a spotlight mounted on a tripod and it was shining right at him.
Then something tipped forward and continued to fall
Blake squeezed the trigger, the sound and the fierce recoil forcing him to flinch.
The shot had taken out the spotlight and suddenly he was in darkness.
He heard something shift on the inside and he took a step back, blinking rapidly in the hope that that would restore his night vision.
He fired again. This time, the barrel aiming downwards.
But no one cried out, and as the echo of the gunshots reverberated around the walls, he realised he was alone.
He rubbed at his eyes then pulled out his flashlight.
Played it around the room.
There was a trail of items lying on the floor. One of them, a big wicker basket, had a piece of twine wrapped around its handle. The other end of the twine was attached to the door’s inner handle. He played the oval of light over the various items.
They looked to have been balanced one on top of another so that when the door was opened the twine would pull them over.
A schoolboy’s trick.
But an effective one.
Even the light had been angled for maximum effect.
With a weary shake of his head, he examined the damage he’d done with the gun. The back wall had a big hole in it.
What a mess!
Then Maya screamed and everything changed.
He lurched back out into the corridor and headed north, back towards where he’d last seen Maya.
She wasn’t there, of course, so he raced ahead, bracing a hand against the walls whenever he was in danger of losing his footing. His eyes still hadn’t adjusted to the dimness which surrounded him but that didn’t stop his brain from trying to forge shapes out of the darkness.
“Maya!” he shouted but the only reply was silence.
He didn’t see Maya’s pistol lying on the floor. Which was why, when he hit it at speed, it simply slipped from under him, taking his foot with it. He went down on his side, his shoulder taking most of the impact as the air was knocked from his lungs. He must have lost consciousness for a second and came to lying on his back.
“There, there,” Roth’s voice was loud over the speakers. “No point blaming yourself. You see, I wasn’t completely honest with you earlier. I’ve been up and around for a couple of days now, drawing up my plans. How do you think that went by the way? I didn’t have a lot of time to set up that trick with the spotlight, but that didn’t stop you falling for it, did it?”
“Lap it up Roth!” Blake yelled. “You won’t have long to enjoy it.”
“Oh, that’s good. A sort of ultimatum. I like the fact that you seem so fired up. So confident, in your own ability after all this time living in your father’s shadow. In lots of ways that’s really quite sad. Depressing even. You spend all this time trying to vindicate yourself. Stand on your own two feet. And here you are rolling around on the deck of your father’s old ship. It looks like you’re never going to find a life for yourself.”
Blake was only partially listening to what Roth was saying. And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t heard this particular argument a dozen times before. But still it rankled, largely because there was an element of truth in it.
“What about Maya?” he shouted, pushing himself up onto his knees. “Is she alright?”
He took out his flashlight. Then he started playing it across the floor. He had to go almost full circle before he found what he’d been looking for: Maya’s handgun, lying under one of the cabinets. Only the flashlight glinting off its barrel allowed him to be able see it.
“Unfortunately, Maya isn’t feeling very well. She seems to have banged her head. No doubt I startled her creeping up on her like that.
Cooper reached his arm under the cabinet but found that the pistol was wedged tight. It took him several attempts before he could tease it out with his fingers.
Roth said, “Perhaps you’d care to come and take a look at her. I know how good you are at dealing with injuries. Always thinking of others.”
Blake checked the breach and then, when he was satisfied, he slipped the pistol into the back of his trousers.
“Where are you?” he shouted.
“Well, after all that excitement, we decided we needed a good sit down. We’ll be in the mess hall, if you’d care to join us.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Blake approached the door to the mess hall holding the chain gun flat in his hands like some sacrificial offering.
The doors opened automatically upon his approach and for a moment he hesitated. Roth was in there somewhere, no doubt lining him up for a clear head shot. Because if Roth’s intention was simply to shoot him, what was the point in delaying? He’d do well to strike as soon as Blake crossed the threshold, before a string of other variables could begin to crowd the picture.
It’s what Blake would have done if the roles had been reversed. Or, at least he thought it was. Having never actually killed anyone, he couldn’t be entirely sure.
He took three hesitant steps into the room, expecting each one to be his last. Only nothing happened and he just stood there, his mere presence preventing the doors from closing.
“Over here!”
The voice came from over on his right, and Blake instinctively turned in that direction. And there was Roth, seated at a table, waving to him as if they were in some busy restaurant.
Blake started walking in his direction, keeping the gun flat across his palms. He’d considered just leaving it outside but he wanted Roth to see that he was beaten. That he was surrendering. The gun itself was in that sense just a handy prop.
A symbol of his defeat.
The mess tables were arranged in four rows running straight down the middle of the room. Enough seating for eighty crew members, which seemed excessive. Roth’s table was situated in the second row, third table along from the left. He was standing now, as if unsure whether Blake had spotted him.
But Blake wasn’t concerned with him. He was too busy searching for Maya.
When he saw her, his breath caught in his throat. There was a series of five ceiling columns running down the middle of the hall and, slumped against the fourth one in, was Maya.
Her hands were tied on either side of the column. She didn’t acknowledge him, she had her head down, her long, dark hair obscuring her face. He wondered whether she might be concussed.
His anger started to flare up then and he had to work to try and control it. That’s why Roth had brought her here: to try and get a response out of him. Roth was no doubt enjoying watching him as he tried to keep it together.
That was why Roth hadn’t killed him when he’d had the chance. He wanted to see him humiliated first.
As Blake approached the table, Roth sat down. He sat in the top left-hand seat. A pistol lay on the table in front of him.
“If you wouldn’t mind putting your gun over here,” he indicated the spot using two fingers.
Blake stepped up behind the front chair, bending at the waist so he could lay the chain gun down length ways. Roth gave a little nod of acknowledgement before placing his hand on the forestock. Without taking his eyes off Blake, he stripped the gun of its battery before placing it down on the two seats next to him.
Once that was done, Roth drummed his fingers on the edge of the table. A little victory celebration. He was enjoying himself.
He said, “In a moment, I’m going to ask you to sit down. In order to avoid any confusion, I’d like you to take the seat on the far right, facing you. Sit with your hands and forearms flat against the table at all times. Do you think you can do that for me?”
Blake grunted and went to sit down. But as he did so, Roth snatched up the pistol and pointed it at him.
Then he laughed.
“I said: in a moment. But before you sit, there’s something else I need you to do.”
Blake looked over in Maya’s direction. She seemed to be in a bad way. Her head kept dropping as if she was about to fall asleep.
“Don’t worry,” Roth said. “We’ll get to her next. But in order to put me at my ease, I’d very much appreciate it if you could let me have Miss Valentine’s gun, also.”
Blake turned his head slightly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“But I think you do.”
Roth’s gun didn’t waver. At this distance, he couldn’t miss.
Blake took in the distances involved. The table was a good three feet wide but that didn’t take into consideration the table that stood in front of him. He’d have to move that to one side before he could do anything else and that would put him at an immediate disadvantage.
At the same time, all Roth had to do was squeeze the trigger. And at that distance, he was unlikely to miss.
Blake extended his left hand to show that he was complying and slowly reached around to his lower back. He lifted the blocky pistol between finger and thumb before bringing it around to the front.
“Careful, now,” Roth warned. “We don’t want any accidents.”
Blake placed the pistol down on the edge of the table, then, when Roth gave him the signal, he slid it across to him. Roth didn’t bother to check it, just placed it on the seat next to him.
Only then did he indicate for Blake to sit down.
“Don’t forget. Hands and forearms flat.”
Blake did as he was told and saw Roth visibly relax. He still had hold of the pistol but now it was pointing down at Blake’s hip.
“Good to get that out of the way.”
“If you say so.”
“Yes. Though I’m afraid you’re not going to enjoy this next bit.”
“Is this when you shoot me?”
Roth slumped his shoulders forward. “Is it that obvious? I tried to consider other options, honestly, I did. But that gunshot wound has taken more out of me than I was prepared to admit. I’m certainly not up to a physical fight,” he gave a little self-indulgent smile. “Still, it might not turn out too badly in the end.”
“Perhaps not for you,” Blake shifted his elbows slightly as he adjusted his seating position. Interestingly, Roth didn’t react.
“I’m talking about Miss Valentine. Obviously, I’d like to keep her alive but that will depend on the answers you’re about to give me. First of all: the skip jump. How do I initiate it? Just the basics, please, we’re working to a deadline here.”
“Actually, I’ve already set it up. Ready to go at a touch of the button. Find the skip-drive program and it’s good to go.”
“I’d love to believe you. I really would.”
“I’m telling you the truth. I’d got it all set up just in case those two Iringan ships spotted us. I thought we might be able to get away. But now that you’re in charge, I see no reason to hold anything back. My goal has always been to ensure that my father’s work continues. In reality, it makes no difference to me who has access to it first. If history tells us anything it’s that technological advances can’t be contained by one side. It’ll get leaked or stolen. Doesn’t matter how. And to think that we can contain this, to keep it to ourselves, is nothing more than blind arrogance.”
Roth seemed surprised by this outburst. “But what about all this stuff with the algorithms? I overheard some of it immediately after that first skip jump. Is that true or some useful fiction you’d concocted?”
“Oh, it’s all true. The algorithms make the whole thing much safer. And Maya had all those calculations backed up. Twenty years of sheer donkey work, gone. It simply fine tunes my father’s original calculations depending on where you are in the universe.”
Blake threw out his hands for emphasis but the twitch of Roth’s gun was enough to get him to lay them back down again.
Blake continued, “The skip jump works, make no mistake about that, but it’s a long way from being totally accurate. And skipping without accuracy is like high diving in a hurricane, into a very small pool. One small mistake might well be your last.”
Roth scrunched up his face, unsure of how to process all this information. “So, where are these calculations now?”
“A certain Staff Sergeant Lang was the last person to have them. Where are they now? Well, that’s anyone’s guess.”
Roth sat up straight. He held the pistol in both hands, his elbows resting on the table.
“Why are you telling me all this?”
Keeping his forearms pressed against the table, Blake leaned forward.
“Before I sat down. You didn’t search me, did you?”
“Should I have done?”
Blake ignored him. He was too busy looking over at the column. “And what about Maya? You didn’t search her either did you? You didn’t find the knife.”
Roth laughed, genuinely amused.
“Knife! What knife?”
But Blake didn’t laugh. He just stared at the other man.
Roth narrowed his eyes. Clearly, the fact that he hadn’t searched Maya had unsettled him.
Keeping his pistol fixed on Blake, he strained to turn around enough that he could see Maya.
Only Maya had disappeared.
He tried to stand, but the chair prevented him from standing up properly and he was forced to rest his hand on the table to stop himself sitting back down.
In doing so, he’d allowed his pistol to drift to one side and Blake, seeing his opportunity, reached over and grabbed his wrist.
The two men locked eyes.
Roth seemed surprised. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Blake reached into his waistband and pulled out the tiny Durer pistol.
As soon as he saw it, Roth’s whole body tensed.
But that didn’t stop Blake from shooting him in the ribs.
He kept hold of Roth’s wrist while he shot him twice more.
He was still holding his wrist as Roth folded forward onto the table. And he stayed like that for a little while longer while Blake unhooked his fingers from around the trigger. At which point Roth slipped off the table and onto the floor.
Blake walked over to the column.
Maya was still there. It would take more than a simple knife to have cut through her bonds.
She’d simply passed out but, because she’d been lying on the floor, Roth couldn’t see him from where he’d been sitting. It had been a gamble but it had paid off.
It took Blake some time to release Maya. She was unconscious but her pulse was strong and her airway was clear so he decided to leave her where she was.
Then he went back to where Roth was lying.
He’d made a mistake letting him live the first time.
It was a mistake he was keen not to repeat.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Okay,” Sorenson said while the others looked around. “Where are we going with this.”
Erasmus pointed up, towards the big double doors on the second floor. They had a coppery finish to them and stood directly opposite to where they were standing.
“That gives access to the starboard fin. Usually set aside for VIP arrivals.”
“First I’ve heard of it,” Sorenson said.
“Which is kind of the point,” Erasmus said. “They want somewhere they can be guaranteed not to draw attention. Somewhere discreet. They don’t want to be picked up by all the news feeds. They’d rather no one knew that they were throwing their money around.”
Cooper nodded though he wasn’t really listening. There was something about the copper doors which made him nervous.
“So, what?” Engels said. “We just stroll up there and they let us through?”
Erasmus pulled a face like he’d sucked on a lemon. “I’m afraid it’s not as easy as that. The security up there has a reputation for being rather fierce.”
Cooper waved the thought away. He couldn’t allow himself to get distracted. He said, “So what are you saying? We’re going to have to shoot our way out?”
“I don’t see that there’s much alternative,” Erasmus said.
“Okay,” Cooper said. “We need to play this cool. We can’t use the elevators because they’ll be expecting that, and it’d be too easy for them to just shut them down. That way we’ll end up trapped. So, we’re going to have to use the stairs. There’s a lot of people here so let’s not go waving our weapons around unless we have to. Understood?”
“Yeah,” Sorenson said, examining Erasmus. “But can someone tell me why he’s still here?”
Erasmus covered the suitcase with both hands and glared at her. “Isn’t it obvious. I’m coming with you.”
“We don’t have room for any passengers.”
“You’d still be back in The Viper’s Nest if it wasn’t for me,” he spat.
“Listen,” Cooper said. “We need his expertise. And, if those Golems find out that he’s helped us, they’ll tear him apart. He’s coming with us and that’s the end of it.”
They were halfway to the staircase when the screaming started.
