‘Speed they’re going they should be done in about fifteen minutes,’ Paul said in a low voice, rubbing the palms of his hands together, unaware of his nervous gesture.
‘You ever used one of them before?’ Todd asked Stratton.
‘I haven’t seen one in about ten years,’ Stratton said as he pushed a test button on the bottom of the device that glowed green for a couple of seconds.
‘It’s that old?’
‘Older. Works even better underwater.’
‘SBS,’ Todd said decisively, nudging Paul.
Stratton removed the bulbous rubber cover to reveal a thick fish-eye lens. ‘They went on to develop a riot- control version but scrapped it because it induced fits in epileptics.’
‘What if one of these guys is an epileptic?’ Todd asked.
‘He wouldn’t get a job as a prison guard if he was,’ Paul said.
‘Good point,’ Todd conceded.
‘They’ve got the wheel off,’ Paul informed them.
Stratton took a moment to ensure that his kit was organised and he had everything he needed. ‘Glasses,’ he ordered, taking a pair of dark brown goggles from the bag and putting them on.
Paul was wearing his around his neck and he pulled them over his eyes, tightening the elastic straps that held them firmly in place.
Todd took a long look at the device before pulling his goggles on. Stratton could feel the young man’s eyes on him. Todd had hinted more than once the past few days about his desire to move up the ladder to hostile-field status. Part-way into an operation might seem hardly the time to do it to some but not to Stratton. It depended on the operative and he felt confident that Todd was up to it. He held out the device to him.
Todd looked at him in surprise.
‘You want to do this?’ Stratton asked.
Todd’s mouth dropped open, a mixture of soaring excitement and apprehension. ‘Seriously?’
‘Your first lesson: when you’re sure never hesitate unless it’s part of the plan.’
Todd practically snatched the device out of Stratton’s hand and then held it as if it was something precious.
‘No doubts,’ Stratton said, more an order than a question.
‘None,’ Todd said quickly in case Stratton took it back.
‘The beam’s forty degrees. You need to get within fifteen metres.’
‘I know,’ Todd replied, getting himself ready to move forward.
‘You’re not serious?’ Paul asked, looking horrified.
‘Watch out for cars,’ Stratton continued, ignoring Paul. ‘Let’s not cause any collateral accidents.’
‘You’re going to let him do this?’ Paul insisted.
‘How long does it take to work?’Todd asked Stratton.
‘Depends on the individual. Disorientation is almost immediate. Full incapacity can take up to ten seconds. Lasts about five minutes. But you can double-dose if need be.’
‘This is madness,’ Paul said. ‘He’s a tech.’
‘Chill, Paul. I’m not going to kill anyone.’
‘This is where it starts, though.’
‘Bollocks,’ Todd scoffed, getting to his feet but remaining in the crouching position.
‘They’ve got the spare on. Let’s go,’ Stratton said.
Todd made his way forward, keeping low through the long grass, as Chuck reached under the truck to release the jack and the new tyre took the vehicle’s weight.
Todd eased his way down an incline and through the foliage to the base of the slope that led up to the edge of the highway. The three prison guards had their backs to him as he moved into what he considered to be the ideal position, placed a finger on the trigger and aimed the device towards them. He suddenly couldn’t remember if the target actually needed to be looking in the direction of the light or not. It seemed logical to him that they should. He decided not to take the chance - he’d wait for the guards to turn around.
Chuck pulled the jack out from under the vehicle, turned his back to the highway and looked directly at Todd who was partly exposed in an effort to get a clear shot. Chuck wondered why someone was in the bushes in the middle of nowhere pointing a flashlight at him.
Todd immediately recognised that his predicament was expecting all three guards to face him at the same time. Realising how unlikely that was, coupled with the fact that one of them had already seen him, he hit the trigger. A penetrating white light flickered from the lens like a powerful strobe.
Chuck immediately started trembling uncontrollably as the intense light penetrated his retinas. It was designed to pulse at the same frequency as brainwaves, upsetting the flow of information between the compartments and causing massive synaptic short-circuits. The other two guards began to feel odd sensations caused by the light bouncing off the side of the truck. They both turned to look at the source. Harry dropped immediately onto his hands and knees, unable to look away, fell onto his chest and remained still, apart from the fluttering of his eyes. Jerry, beginning to shake uncontrollably, had more resistance to the bombardment and reached for his pistol.
Todd kept his finger pressed firmly on the trigger, squeezing it hard as if the added effort might increase the beam’s power. But the guard continued to pull his pistol from its holster.
Jerry raised the barrel of the weapon towards Todd although it began to shake violently in his hand. His knees began to buckle, his face twisting into a grimace as he fought to keep control. He could no longer see the man in the bushes as his brain filled with a white light which suddenly went out as he dropped forward onto his face.
Todd kept hold of the device, transfixed by the fear that he’d almost been shot. A hand gripped his wrist while another moved his finger off the trigger.
Stratton took the device, placed it into his backpack along with his glasses and climbed up the slope. He looked both ways along the highway to ensure there were no vehicles coming and crouched by the guards to check that their vital signs were OK.
Paul arrived, carrying the rifle case and looking flustered. ‘That was lucky.’
‘Be even luckier if you send the signal,’ Stratton said. ‘Put your caps on. Look like prison guards.’
Paul chastised himself for forgetting and grabbed his cellphone as he put his hat on. Todd joined him, fitting his own cap and looking seriously chuffed about the success of his task.
‘This is Paul. Go, go, go,’ Paul said into the phone.
Todd hurried towards the back of the wagon.
‘Keys,’ Stratton called out as he pulled a bunch from Jerry’s pocket.
Todd halted and as he turned the keys were sailing towards him. He caught them and hurried around to the back of the wagon.
Charon and the other prisoner were sitting and staring down at him.
‘How ya doin’?’ Todd asked in an exaggerated American wise-guy accent that he could not help slipping into. He climbed inside the wagon.
A small van with the same prison markings on its sides arrived, pulled up behind the prison truck and two men in the same-style guard uniforms climbed out.
Todd pulled a syringe from a pocket, removed the sterile cap, plunged the needle into the scarred prisoner’s leg and emptied the contents into it.
‘Ouch! What the fuck’s goin’ on?’ the prisoner cried as he struggled in his shackles.
Todd removed another syringe from the pocket, took off the cap and stuck the needle into Charon’s leg. ‘What the hell is
Stratton climbed into the prison truck as the others unshackled the scarred prisoner and hauled him out, carrying him to the side door of the small van and putting him inside. Stratton pulled off his overalls to reveal his Styx prison uniform and sat beside Charon. One of the newcomers crouched in front of the two lookalikes in order to study them. ‘Hold his head up, please,’ the man said.Todd grabbed the back of Charon’s head and held it upright.
