Nate would find a solution. Together they were greater than the sum of their broken bodies, but his brother had overcome bigger challenges. Hope shone in the despair. Sofi. Had she found him?
How the fuck had this happened? Well, it had happened. Suck it up. Find a way out. ‘Any suggestions, Dmitri?’ he said towards the partition. The Ukrainian’s eye widened, his lips moved. The language was indecipherable as the words issued from his mouth between laboured breaths.
‘Can you hear?’ Ethan asked, pointing to his ear.
Dmitri grunted, nodded his head.
Ethan clutched his hands to his face, his skin taut. What kind of sadist leaves someone with nothing but their senses? He worked his jaw, grinding the despair. He had to stay positive; without hope there was nothing. His eyes wandered over the concrete box, encasing the polycarbonate walls. Either on its own was impregnable.
A solid metallic click came from the grey door. It swung into the narrow gap between the wall and the cell. Archer loomed out of the shadows like a minotaur from its labyrinth. He carried two bottles of water and a bulging paper bag. The light reflected from his domed head as he leaned down and replenished Dmitri’s drip feeder from one of the bottles. The Ukrainian rolled across his floor with an extraordinary turn of speed, hissing and growling at his tormentor. A hollow thud reverberated across the front of the cell as he made contact. Archer didn’t flinch.
Resting the second bottle on the floor, Archer folded back the top of the paper bag. Reaching inside, he paused, and tilted his head at the Ukrainian. Dmitri panted, saliva dripping from his glistening teeth. Archer pulled a large apple from the bag, closed his eyes and smelled it. He weighed it in his hand like a dog owner about to throw a ball. Dmitri grunted. The smile dropped from Archer’s face. The apple dropped back inside the bag. Ignoring Dmitri’s howls of protest, Archer turned to Ethan’s cell and stepped inside. He dropped the bag and the bottle next to Ethan.
Ethan swallowed. Taking the bag, he looked inside. ‘You’re a cruel bastard,’ he said to the unsmiling giant. ‘There’s three in here. Give him a couple. My appetite seems to have deserted me.’ He nodded towards the neighbouring cell. ‘Come on. Don’t be a dick. He’s hungry.’
‘What Dmitri gets to eat depends on your brother,’ a female voice said from somewhere.
Ethan leaned over, trying to see past Archer. The big man obliged and stepped back to the door, passing through the holographic rendition of Ulyana Lytkin. At least, that’s who Ethan assumed it was. The voice was the same. The chosen avatar this time was a blonde woman who wouldn’t stand out in a crowd.
‘Knowing my brother, my money is on him feeding you to your starving husband first, followed closely by Chewbacca over there.’
Lytkin laughed. ‘Levity is good. Helps to counter the fear of death,’ she said, toying with the gold chain around her neck.
‘It’s not death I’m afraid of,’ Ethan lied. He glanced across at Dmitri. ‘We’re not getting out, are we? Once you’ve got what you want, you’ll—’
‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.’ Lytkin interlaced her fingers. ‘I have several objectives. How easy or difficult your brother and Gabrielle Stepper make them will determine your individual fates.’
‘But our fates are inevitable.’
‘Everyone’s fate is inevitable, but fate doesn’t necessarily mean death.’
‘Immortality? I was going to say death and taxes. At least the first one is still true. Thanks to Gaia and her magical money tree, we don’t have to worry about the latter.’ Ethan shook his head. ‘I get it. I’m the leverage you need to get my brother to deliver Gabrielle.’ He pressed down with his fists, pushing himself back to the wall. ‘Then you can finish what your sick sibling started.’
‘You have no idea what you’re dealing with,’ she said, her hands on her hips. ‘I have eluded everyone, even you, the legendary Ethan Helix. What Valerian started was simply that – the start. You know nothing.’
‘So, go ahead. Show me how clever you are. Start with yourself. The real you.’ He folded his arms. ‘You’re going to kill all of us, what’s to lose?’
‘There is nothing to lose and everything to gain.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘More, more, more. That’s all it is with your sort.’ He spread his hands apart and turned his palms up. ‘Gaia, the cyber Santa Claus, ask and you shall receive.’
She turned towards the door. ‘I can’t remember who said it, but they believed cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt or disappoint us. In this world, disappointment is the least of your worries. As for hurt…’ She turned her eyes on Dmitri. ‘Well. We’ll see about that.’
24
24 Hours
Brambles snagged at Helix’s trousers as he edged through the weed-strewn car park at the side of the castle grounds. A cursory scan of the tower showed no signs of movement, save the steady drifting of the smoke from the fireplace in the stables and Wheeler’s apartment. The fire that had started courtesy of the Raufoss round he’d put through the window had gone out. Drawing his P226, he jogged up the path towards the towers.
Stone spiral staircases were a practical solution for limited space. Their design also made hand to hand combat difficult. Climbing them with a modern military bergen was impossible. Helix lowered his pack to the ground and mounted the first step. Canting his head to one side, he listened. Nothing. Three steps further up, he paused, listened and pressed on. The acrid stench of burnt material slid down the steps to meet him. Around the next turn, daylight seeped around a worm-eaten door that stood ajar. An
