‘But none of this makes any sense. Ramin isn’t a traitor!’
‘Was Clio?’
‘No, of course not.’
‘And yet Ramin tried to pin the blame on her. I find that very telling, don’t you?’
I had no words.
‘I have spoken to Captain Nymens and you are to be given a month’s paid leave of holiday. You need it, but more importantly, you deserve it. As soon as the egg has been unveiled, I don’t expect to see you again until you are fully recovered. I don’t need to tell you how incredibly proud we all are of you right now.’
With that final accolade, she left the room. I stood alone. Had any victory ever felt more hollow?
#41 Sam & Ramin
‘With me, QC Gamal. I’ll drive you home.’
‘Sam, this is ridiculous. Why am I being put on sand leave?’
Sam said nothing and continued to escort Ramin to his locker. In silence, he watched Ramin grab a few bits and pieces, placing them in his backpack. As he went to pick up a book, Sam stopped him.
‘Sorry. No printed material leaves the building.’
‘Great Ra, Sam, it’s a novel!’
‘Don’t make this harder than it is. You haven’t been fired, which I think you should have been, but the least you can do is do as requested. No written materials to leave the Q Zone.’
Ramin narrowed his eyes. If Sam was going to play the party lap dog, then so be it.
‘Right. That’s me done then,’ he snapped. ‘I don’t need a lift. Send Neith my love, if it won’t kill her!’
‘You will have a lift. I was told to see you safely home.’
Ramin stared at Sam in silence. The last forty-eight hours had taken on a nightmarish quality. His friend had died in his arms, and he had uncovered something that seemed to hint at a darker conspiracy. Neith had turned her back on him, and Sam, Sam who always put his curators first, was throwing him out of the building like he was a piece of rubbish.
By now they had reached the opening concourse of the Alexandrian complex when Sam seemed to pat his pockets in a gesture of obvious annoyance.
‘Damn. I’ve left my keys in the office. Taxi!’
A tuk-tuk pulled up. Telling Ramin to get in, he gave the driver Ramin’s address and then leant back, closing his eyes and ignoring Ramin. After five minutes, he opened them and shouted to the driver that they would get out here. He said that his friend was going to be sick, and that they’d walk the rest of the way.
Ramin watched as the driver re-joined the ranks of rickshaws and tuk-tuks. The longer distance hover-cars flew overhead and an afternoon breeze blew in off the Mareotis lagoon. They were still a good mile from his house, but at the moment he felt like a walk was a good idea. He would have preferred to be alone, though.
‘Right. Sorry about that.’ Sam took a deep breath. ‘Ramin, I believe you.’
Ramin looked out over the water and was startled by the sudden tears in his eyes. He brushed them away. If he was going to cry it would be for Paul, not himself.
‘What’s with all the cloak and dagger stuff, pretending not to have your car keys? You always keep your keys in the car’s sun visor.’
‘Walls have ears and cars might as well. I don’t know who might be listening.’ He went on to explain what he and Asha had discovered when she had run through the security cameras. ‘Someone is watching things. And I think it’s the same people that were behind Clio and Paul.’
‘People?’
‘Yes. Whatever this is, and I have no idea what’s going on or why, more than one person is involved, and they are at a higher level than me.’
‘So you believe me that Clio was dirty?’
‘Yes. It’s the only explanation that fits the evidence.’
‘So why was Paul involved? What happened with his sister?’
‘The director was right. When you first mentioned her in your initial debrief, we went to check and she was absolutely fine. She had no idea what we were talking about.’
‘But they were his dying words, Sam. He wouldn’t have wasted his breath on a lie. She was the most important thing in the world to him.’
‘Exactly. I believe that Paul must’ve been shown a faked video of his sister being kidnapped or tortured.’
‘But why didn’t he investigate?’
‘Because I think he was already on Beta Earth at that stage and there was no way for him to verify it. Only three people on Beta would’ve been able to show him that video. You pretty much ruled yourself out by telling everyone his last words. I had a hard time imagining Neith doing it, and given everything else you said about Clio in the tribunal...’ Sam threw a stone into the water, disturbing the birds. ‘Well, that worked for me.’
Ramin watched as they flew up into a nearby tree.
‘And now she’s dead.’
‘Yes. But whoever she was working for isn’t.’
‘I think she was about to shoot you when she got shot in the crossfire.’
‘Why not shoot Neith? She had the egg, after all. She could have stepped away at any moment.’
‘Neith was protecting Julius. I don’t think it occurred to Clio that Neith would do something as dangerous as Step whilst holding another person. The minute she’d released Julius, I suspect Clio would’ve shot her.’
‘Instead she was shot in the back by her own hired thugs.’
‘Seems a fitting way to go.’
‘But everyone thinks she’s a hero!’
‘Good. Until we can reveal the truth, then that’s how it stays. But for now you are in danger. You need to keep your head down and don’t rock the boat. Whoever is operating on this side had no problem with killing an orderly that worked for them and who knows what’s happened to that frail, defenceless angel. Whoever these people are, they are ruthless.’
‘Is Neith safe?’
‘So long as she
