The Last Enemy(53)

Chapter 26




As they walked towards the door, Guy ordered, ‘Stay close to me, Jake, so that when the door opens we both get through. It might be on a timer that shuts as soon as one person walks through it.’

Jake shot a look at his watch. 17:00 hours. They had less than thirty minutes to find The Index so that Guy could make the call. Once again, Jake did his best to try and keep himself calm. Inside, he knew this was a dead end, despite the confidence with which he’d told Guy that The Index would be here. It was now just a matter of waiting for the right moment to grab Guy and take his gun off him. Maybe he should have raised the alarm at the checkpoint? The soldiers would have overpowered Guy. But his fear was that Guy would have pulled out his own gun, a fire-fight would have taken place, and Guy would have been shot dead. Jake needed him alive.

And even if the soldiers had been able to take Guy alive, wounded or otherwise, there was no guarantee that Guy would make that phone call to save Lauren and the others. The soldiers wouldn’t necessarily believe Jake’s story either. And, even if they did, they’d hardly be likely to threaten to kill Guy unless he made the phone call. No, only Jake would be able to do that, which meant Jake was on his own. He had to overpower Guy. Maybe when they were going through this door together?

Jake stopped by the door with Guy close behind him. With one hand in his jacket pocket, holding the gun on Jake, Guy used his free hand to push Gareth’s ID card through the scanner. Then he took Gareth’s finger from his pocket and pressed the tip against the glass screen.

There was a click and the door opened.

Guy pushed Jake and the two of them slipped through the doorway like one person, then the door shut, and they were inside the hangar. Jake was scanning the warehouse for a weapon but all he could see were rows and rows of shelves in aisles, reaching up to the curved ceiling. Above each aisle was a letter, all neatly alphabetised: A, B, C . . . And every shelf in every row looked to be packed with items, boxed or wrapped up.

‘We’re in!’ murmured Guy. ‘Right, Jake, what next?’

A noise made them turn round. An armed soldier was approaching them, his gun pointing towards them. Jake had blown his moment.

‘Let’s see your ID cards,’ snapped the soldier.

‘But we’ve just used them to get in!’ protested Guy.

‘You know the rules,’ said the soldier. ‘Triple protection. Gate security, door security, and the final face-to-face check.’ He frowned suspiciously. ‘But the fact you don’t know . . .’

‘Yes, all right,’ grumbled Guy. ‘They told us back at the office. But this is our first time, and I’d forgotten.’

The soldier still regarded them warily.

‘Where is your office?’

Guy shot a look at Jake, who said, ‘The Department of Science press office in Marsham Street.’

The soldier didn’t look convinced. He held out his hand.

‘Let’s see your ID cards,’ he said.

Guy held out Gareth’s ID card.

The soldier studied it, comparing the photo with Guy. Then he ran it through a decoding machine on the wall beside the door. The machine beeped.

‘OK.’ The soldier nodded. He held out a small machine, similar to a mobile phone. ‘Right index finger on the screen.’

Guy reached out to take it, and as he did he suddenly produced a knife from behind his back with his other hand and thrust it upwards hard beneath the soldier’s chin. The blade hit the soft flesh and sank in deep, upwards. The soldier’s eyes opened wide in shock, his mouth dropped open and blood gushed out. Then he crumpled against Guy.

Guy pushed the dead soldier away, pulling his long-bladed knife out from beneath the soldier’s chin. Guy wiped the blade, closed it, and reached round the back of his jacket, slipping the knife into a hidden pocket.

‘Always keep a knife behind your back where you can get hold of it quickly in an emergency, Jake,’ he said almost casually. ‘A gun’s very effective, but the last thing we want is a gun going off, even with a suppressor fitted, that might bring people running.’

Jake stared at the dead soldier.

‘Come on,’ said Guy. ‘Get him out of sight, in case anyone else turns up.’

Jake looked at Guy. He was still in a state of shock.

‘Come on!’ snapped Guy urgently. ‘I don’t need to tell you the clock is ticking, if you want to save your girlfriend!’

This could be my chance, thought Jake. He gestured at the dead body of the soldier.

‘I can’t move him on my own,’ he said.

Guy shook his head.

‘Do it!’ he snapped. ‘Or else I might think you’re trying to distract me.’