Indeed, I am, Oliver. You know, you really should have come back instead of haring off on your own. Things are getting dangerous out there.
“Yeah. Listen… Holden – wasn’t that the bloke Hannah was looking for?”
Oh good. Your brain appears to be working again. Yes, indeed. It seems Holden was the one providing our friend Marcus with the supplies he needed to build his toys. How convenient!
Olly looked at Tell. “Holden was a go-between, yeah? He got you the goods, white van man delivered them…”
“And then the same driver took them away, once I’d finished. A very tidy operation.”
“What did Holden get out of it?”
“Money, I assume. The same thing your van man did.”
“He’s dead.”
“I know.” Tell paused. “Holden is too, or will be soon enough.”
He’s right, Bagley murmured.
Olly blinked. “What?”
George Holden turned up dead this morning, floating in Regent’s Canal with a bullet in his head. Mr Tell is the remaining link in this particular chain.
Tell studied his face. “I was right. Holden’s dead.”
“Looks that way.” Olly rubbed his face. “Fuck. I’m well out of my depth.”
Tell smiled. “I have often felt that way myself. Especially these days.”
Olly sat back, thinking. “We need to get you somewhere safe, figure out where those bombs are, and what comes next.”
“I am safe here,” Tell protested. “I–” He paused suddenly, and stood with a grunt. “Perhaps I spoke too soon. We’re about to have guests.”
“What?” Olly scrambled to his feet.
Tell set his Optik on the table. “I’m wired in to the building’s security. See for yourself.”
Olly did. On a black and white feed, bulky figures moved down the hall, all armed and in body armour. “Shit.” He sagged back. “Albion.”
Indeed. Quite a few of them, in fact. You might want to think about leaving…
“They must have found the camera, even as you did,” Tell said. He checked his weapon. “I hope you have something other than that stun gun to contribute.”
Olly shook his head. “I need to think.”
“You think. I’ll distract them.” Tell went to a closet in the hall and opened it. Removing a false panel, he pulled out a rucksack and set it down on the kitchen table. Inside were a number of metal canisters.
“What are these?”
“Homemade smoke grenades.”
Olly looked at him. “Bombs and grenades?”
“Every man should have a hobby,” Tell said. He pulled two of the canisters out. “The smoke will fill the corridor, but not for long. It might not even slow them down.”
“Better than nothing.”
Tell smiled. “My thoughts exactly.” He went to the door, cracked it, tapped the activator switch on the grenade and rolled it out the door. He did the same with the second. On the Optik screen, Olly watched as roiling smoke filled the corridor. The Albion operatives paused, fell back. Tell began to barricade the door. The old man moved quickly and methodically, as if he’d been ready for this day for a long time. “If you have an idea for how to get out, now is the time to implement it.”
“How do you feel about flying?”
Tell paused. “You have a helicopter?”
“Not quite.” Olly went to the window, opened it, and looked out. There were a few drones in sight – including a sturdy Ixatech model. Easily big enough for two people, the cargo drones were fairly simple to take control of, and this one zipped towards the building quickly enough. “Right, here’s the plan: we take a drone down to the street, grab a car.”
“A drone?” Tell asked, looking startled.
“You could always just jump.”
“It was not a criticism.”
Olly flinched as a shotgun roared. There was a hollow, metallic sound. “Steel door?” he asked.
Tell nodded. “Yes, but it won’t hold forever. Once the smoke clears, they’ll shoot out the hinges.”
“It just has to hold long enough for us to get out of the window.” Olly turned. “Bagley, we need a route away from here.” No answer. “Bagley?” A burst of static was his only reply. As if the signal were being jammed somehow. He switched frequencies. “Krish?” For a moment, he thought it would be more of the same, then–
“Olly? Mate?”
Krish’s voice was strained. Tense. In the background, Olly heard what sounded like gunfire. “Krish, what the hell is going on?”
“Don’t come back here, Olly – shit’s compromised, bruv. Albion–”
Krish’s voice died in a blur of static. Olly cursed.
“What is it?” Tell asked, from near the door. “Is something wrong?”
“Albion. They’re hitting DedSec, or at least the bit of it I know how to get to.” Olly thought quickly. “You said you had flats, plural. Can you show me how to get to one of the others?”
Tell nodded. “Yes, but we need to move now. The smoke is clearing.”
Olly turned back to the window. “It’s almost here.” The drone was closing in, losing altitude as it drew near the window. “Need to be well quick, though.” Olly opened the window and made ready to climb out.
There was a flash, just out of the corner of his eye. And then that awful sound. Boom. The cargo drone came apart in burning fragments. Olly was flung back, and felt the kitchen table collapse under him. Smoke canisters rolled from the rucksack as he fell on top of it.
Tell was beside him a moment later. “What is it? Are you–?”
Olly grabbed for him. “Get down!”
Another shot, punching through the brick. Tell went flat. “No way out the window, then. We must try the door.” He grabbed for the rucksack. A shot caught it – smoke erupted, and the kitchen was filled with metal fragments.
Olly yelped as one skidded across his cheek. “Forget it – we’ve got to get out of here…”
He stopped. Tell lay propped against the fridge, his hands cupped across his stomach. A shard of one of his own canisters was buried in his gut. Smaller fragments jutted from his face and hands.
“Fuck me…” Olly breathed.
Tell gave Olly a twisted smile. He made to speak, but then, slowly, slid down. His features slackened and his eyes went vague and clouded. Olly
