'If that's the virus that you can tell who to kill and who to spare then, yes, that's what we're here for. We won't leave without it and we're prepared to fight.'
'Yes,' said Joe. 'We assumed you were. You have far too many men to hold off for long and we have the additional problem of an army of happy-clappy rednecks bearing down on us. So here's the deal. You agree to protect us from the Neo-Clergy and to spare us when you unleash the virus and we'll show you how to use it. We'll even throw in a guided tour of the complex for you and your retinue, to show you that everything's above board.'
'Wait here,' said Hiamovi. He left Joe and the other two from the complex and went to consult with Onatah and Ahiga, who had been listening at a distance. 'What do you think?'
'It makes sense I suppose,' said Onatah. 'We have them backed into a corner. They're trying to find some room to manoeuvre.'
'I don't know,' said Ahiga. 'It all seems a little too easy to me. They're rolling over really quickly without any fight. I would have thought they'd put up more resistance.'
'As the man said though,' said Onatah. 'There's more than two thousand of us. There's no way they can keep us out. Maybe they'd have put up more of a fight if the Neo-Clergy weren't on their way too.'
'Do you think that could have swayed them?' said Hiamovi.
'If you look at it from their point of view, they have to pick one side in order to survive. Who would you choose, us or a bunch of Darwin-hating Christians who believe that if it isn't mentioned in their Bible then it's the work of Satan?'
'Good point. But can we trust them?'
'Probably not. But we have an army and they don't. What are they going do? The way I see it, this could be a way to win the war against the Neo-Clergy without endangering the lives of any of our young braves or squaws. Isn't that at least worth exploring'
Hiamovi was silent for a moment, weighing up what his comrades had said. 'Very well,' he said, at length. 'You're right Onatah. This offer deserves to be explored. I shall check out the complex. It will also give us some idea of their defences if things don't work out and we do need to attack.'
'Great Chief,' said Ahiga. 'I'm concerned for your safety. Let me and my best men go with you.'
Hiamovi looked into Ahiga's eyes. Ahiga looked straight back. He seemed to be in earnest, but you could never tell with this Navajo. Ahiga had done more to increase Hiamovi's power base than anyone else in the UTN, yet he always seemed to have a private agenda. This made it difficult to judge if he was a friend or enemy. Hiamovi decided this was the best reason to keep him close. He could keep an eye on Ahiga inside the complex. This way he wouldn't be left in charge of the troops.
Hiamovi put a hand on Ahiga's shoulder. 'I would be glad to have you at my side. Detail two other braves to accompany us.'
'Braves Great Chief?' said Onatah raising an eyebrow. 'Are no women allowed to accompany you?'
'Onatah,' said Hiamovi. 'I need your wisdom and the fury of my sisters out here on the plateau. Colt's army will be here any day and I need someone I can trust to hold them at the pass if I'm not here.'
'Very well,' said Onatah. 'You can trust us to protect you while you check out your new toys.'
'The entrance is hidden just around here Mr Colt,' said the moon faced man who called himself Roth. 'If you and your associates would like to accompany me.' Roth led them to a shaded alcove in the rocky outcrop.
Colt was surprised when Roth tapped a portion of the alcove's wall and the rock sprang back to reveal a keypad.
Roth noticed their wariness and smiled. 'This is just a security precaution. We don't want just anyone getting in now do we?'
Colt determined to ignore his smug and patronising manner until he had the virus in his grasp. Then he'd kick the man's teeth down his throat.
A door slid back to reveal an elevator. Roth bowed and motioned for them to enter like some sarcastic bus boy. His manner angered Colt. That was good. Anger made him feel in control, more like his old self.
At the bottom Colt and his men stepped out of the lift to be greeted by more patronising smiles from guys in white coats. Something didn't smell right to Colt. He couldn't put his finger on it but there was something about the place that felt wrong. It wasn't just that they were acting like they were trying to pull a fast one. There was something kind of eerie about the whole facility.
If they thought they were going to get an easy ride siding with him to protect them from the Injuns, they had another think coming. He'd play along for a little while till he got his hands on what he wanted, then he'd set them straight. And he could guarantee they wouldn't like it when he did. They might be scared of the redskins, but they were going to be a lot more frightened of him when he was done.
Roth showed them around the complex. Colt and his men saw the barracks where the guards were housed as well as the scientist's living quarters and recreation areas. Their rather extensive armoury was filled with all sorts of gadgets. By the time Roth showed Colt the kitchens and macrobiotic food vats, Colt was getting bored and ready to wring the podgy goon's neck. 'When are you gonna show us what we came here for?' he said.
'Any moment now. But first we have a little surprise for you. Call it a peace offering.' They turned a corner and behind an open glass door, lying on stainless steel tables, were the unconscious bodies of five redskins. Colt even recognised a couple of them. The big one was Hiamovi, the UTN's head guy. The Neo-Clergy's biggest enemy.
'Are these for real?' said Colt.
'Why don't you touch them and see?'
Colt and the other three walked into the room.
'That's Tom,' said Fitch, pointing at the man sprawled next to Hiamovi. 'The Navajo we told you about. Calls himself Ahiga now.'
They stood over the bodies and prodded them.
'What's this powder they're covered with?' said Colt rubbing it between his fingers. It smelled musky but it felt squishy when he touched it.
'I'm glad you asked that,' Roth said and the glass door slid shut behind them.
'Hey what is this?' shouted Colt.
'It's a trap Mr Colt,' said Roth through the intercom. 'I would have thought that even your basic intelligence would have grasped that. The powder you mentioned is a genetically amplified pollen. It's derived from a plant similar to the Venus flytrap, but it's effect is over a hundred times more potent. It's what incapacitated the Native Americans in there with you. You only have touch it for it to take effect. Pleasant dreams Mr Colt.'
Colt felt a torrent of righteous fury well up inside him, drowning out any compassion that he might have felt before. He went to throw himself at the glass door but his legs wouldn't move. They were numb. He couldn't feel his feet or his fingers. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Golding topple to the floor.
A huge wave of drowsiness overcame him. He heard Simon Peter and Fitch hit the ground. He wanted to fight it but even his massive anger wasn't strong enough to keep him conscious.
Colt fell to the floor.
Cortez's fever broke on the second day of captivity. He was lying on the floor of his holding pen with his knees up in the air. It was too small for him to lie stretched out and it wasn't big enough to be called a cell. The pen felt like somewhere you'd keep an animal.
They'd given Cortez the antidote to the virus soon after he and Greaves had surrendered. He'd taken real sick but when he thought about what happened to the rats he'd probably gotten off lightly. Cortez propped himself up on his elbows and breathed deeply. He stank of sweat but he had that slight euphoria that comes when your body has fought off a serious infection and returns to its old self.
In the distance he could hear the squeak of wheels and the clatter of metal plates. Twice a day someone opened a hatch in the door and stuck a metal bowl of slops through it. The slops were cold and tasted like baby food, although Cortez had been too sick to eat more than a mouthful or two up until now.
He was ravenous, but he suppressed his hunger and listened carefully to the trolley. The last two days had been a haze of fevered sensations but he tried to recollect what he could about the usual routine of mealtimes. The trolley sounded as though it was making more stops than usual. He was also fairly certain it sounded a lot more laden with slop bowls.
Cortez searched his memories for approximate times. Each time the trolley called the bowl was dropped off,
