The Covenant of Genesis

shook his head, while Zamal merely shrugged.

‘Excellent. Then if you don’t mind, I’ll go and find out what Fortnum & Mason have in store for me tonight.’ The laptop under his arm, Ribbsley crossed the chamber and climbed out through the hole. The others followed him.

Nina waited as long as she could bear, then jumped up, flapping at the object embedded in her backside. ‘My ass, my ass!’ she hissed through gritted teeth as she hopped about in pain. ‘There’s something stuck in my ass!’

‘Ah, you never want to try new things,’ Chase whispered jovially as he glanced through the hole to make sure the men had left, then came over.

‘Get it out, get the damn thing out!’ She let out a keening moan. ‘What is it?’

‘It’s a needle.’ He reached for it. ‘Hold still, let me just . . .’

She stifled a shriek as he tugged it out, her eyes flooding with tears. ‘Oh, ow, son of a fuck, oww!’

‘It’s a big one,’ said Chase, holding up the bloodied needle, a good four inches long, to show her.

‘And it’s been in here for thousands of years! I’ve probably caught some extinct disease off it.’

He patted her arm. ‘I’ll give you a jab when we get back to the Landie. But we need to go - I heard them say that as soon as Del Monte finds this city, they’re going to kill his girlfriend. We’ve got to rescue her.’

‘How? He’ll be with her by now!’

‘I’ll come up with something.’ He moved back to the hole. Nina started to follow, then picked up the two clay cylinders that Ribbsley had examined. ‘What’re you doing?’ Chase asked impatiently.

‘Ribbsley translated the text on them.’

‘So?’

‘So, it’ll give me something to work from - I’ve got to try to translate the rest of the inscription before he does!’ She dropped both cylinders into a pocket and joined him. Nobody was outside, the way clear.

They retraced their path through the camp. The two mechanics had joined the other men in their evening meal - and so, Chase saw as they climbed cautiously from the trench, had the three Covenant leaders, the white- haired man . . . and Ribbsley. ‘Come on, hurry up,’ he said as they reached the parked vehicles. ‘We can grab his girlfriend and make a run for it before he gets back.’

Nina still wasn’t convinced of the wisdom of the rescue mission, but said nothing. They reached the Winnebago, which had lights on inside it. Chase tried to peek through a window, but the curtains were drawn. ‘Okay, wait here,’ he told Nina. ‘I’ll go in and get her. If anyone looks like they’re coming this way, knock on the door.’

‘And then what?’

‘One step at a time. Back in a tick.’ He opened the side door and darted inside.

The Winnebago’s interior was large enough to be divided into individual rooms. Chase found himself in a well-appointed lounge, an expensive hamper open on a table. There was a wine-bottle-sized space amongst the contents, so he guessed Ribbsley had gone to get a corkscrew, or ice.

Which meant he would be back very soon.

Nobody was in the front of the RV, and he could see that the bathroom was unoccupied, which left another door at the rear of the lounge - the bedroom. He went to it, turned the handle, stepped inside—

And froze in shock.

The blonde woman on the bed stared back at him in equal surprise, but recovered more quickly. ‘Hello, Eddie,’ said Sophia Blackwood.

15

‘Sophia,’ said Chase, ‘what the fuck are you doing here?’ ‘I might ask you the same,’ she replied, her near-flawless face - its only imperfection a scar across one cheek, courtesy of Nina - and aristocratic voice exactly as he remembered them, despite the very different hairstyle. ‘Although rather less coarsely.’

‘No, I mean what are you doing here, still breathing?’

‘It’s a long story.’ She changed position, revealing that her hands were still cuffed behind her back - and attached to a short chain fixed to the bed. ‘I’d tell it to you, but I’m not exactly sitting comfortably.’

‘Didn’t know you were into bondage.’

Sophia gave him a once very familiar look of annoyance. ‘It’s hardly by choice. My, ah, associates have this funny idea that given half a chance, I’d try to escape.’

‘Or kill them.’

‘That would be the other half of the chance.’ She rattled the chain. ‘I assume you came in here looking for someone to rescue. Don’t stop on my account.’

Chase laughed mockingly to cover the whirling confusion of his feelings. ‘Yeah, right. Last time I saw you, you shot me with a poison dart!’

‘Yes, I thought you might bring that up. Would it help if I said I was really very sorry?’

A noise - Nina rapping on the door. ‘Shit! Someone’s coming.’

Sophia rattled the chain again, now with a calculating smile. ‘It’d be terrible if I shouted to the entire camp that you were here.’

‘I could just kill you.’

‘Cold-blooded murder of a defenceless woman? Not really your style.’

Now it was his turn to smile, icily. ‘I’ve got a piece of paper that says you’re already dead. I’d just be making it official.’

Another knock, more frantic, then the Winnebago’s door opened and Nina rushed inside. ‘Eddie, what’re you doing?’ she said, seeing him in the bedroom and hurrying over. ‘Ribbsley’s—Gah!’

‘Nina as well?’ said Sophia, arching an eyebrow. ‘Quite the reunion we’ve got going on.’

‘You told me she was dead!’ Nina spluttered to Chase.

‘Yeah, looks like they were a bit quick with the death certificate. Where’s Ribbsley?’

‘On his way back!’ She tugged at his arm. ‘Come on, we’ve got to go!’

Sophia shook the chain once more. ‘A-hem.’

Nina stared at her. ‘Are you kidding me?’

‘If you don’t, I’ll raise the alarm.’

‘Too late now anyway,’ said Chase, hearing movement outside. He pulled Nina into the bedroom and shut the door. A moment later, they felt the Winnebago shift on its suspension as someone entered the lounge.

‘Oh, Sophia,’ called Ribbsley in a sing-song voice, ‘I’m ba-ack! Sorry about the wait, but I needed to get some more ice. Still, pleasures are greatest in the anticipation, as the saying goes.’ He opened the bedroom door—

Chase yanked him inside. The ice bucket he was carrying fell to the floor, ice cubes scattering as the champagne bottle in it bounced across the room. Chase drew back his other fist to punch him.

‘Don’t hurt him!’ Sophia ordered, concern in her voice. Chase gave her a surprised look, but lowered his hand.

Ribbsley stared at Chase in fear, then saw Nina behind him. His eyes widened. ‘Dr Wilde?’

Nina stepped round Chase - and punched Ribbsley square in the face. ‘That was for telling the Covenant about the photos of the tablet, you son of a bitch! A friend of mine almost died because of you.’ She moved back, eyeing Sophia. ‘Okay, now will somebody tell me what the hell is going on here? Starting with why you’re still alive?’

‘I have Gabriel to thank for that,’ Sophia said, looking at Ribbsley as he clutched his nose. ‘The Covenant needed him to translate the text and lead the expedition to find this place. He had a condition - for me to be freed from Guantanamo. Since the Covenant have influence over certain people in high places, they were able to arrange it.’ She glanced at Chase. ‘How exactly did they do it?’

‘They showed me a body with half its face missing and said it was you,’ he said grimly. ‘They must have found someone who looked a lot like you - then killed her to take your place.’

‘Really? She must have been a very good likeness if she was able to fool you.’ Sophia’s expression revealed nothing more than mild interest at the revelation.

Nina was more emotional. ‘You don’t care that some innocent woman was