“What message?” Thompson cut in.
I looked to him and spoke again. “We have to tell everyone to prepare. We have to tell them what’s coming. There must still be people who have a chance. I need to make a live broadcast to the people. It’s all set up with my editor.”
“Huh?” Logan said, and both he and Thompson turned my way.
“When I went to get the satellite phone, I made a call. Stan said the BBC is under military control.” Thompson nodded in the corner of my view. “He has to be so careful or they’ll put him back under arrest. They’ve locked me out. We know that already. We have one chance to make one last broadcast. All I have to do is call him on the sat phone and he’ll get me in, but we have to make the broadcast great. One shot only. He’s willing to sacrifice his position, and possibly his life. So am I.”
Alex nodded, and after a moment Logan did too. Gibson tipped his head without pause.
“I don’t know about all this,” Thompson finally said after taking his gaze from Gibson’s resolute expression.
“Do you have families?” Cassie asked from the wheelhouse and we looked her way, watching as she stared out across to the dark coastline with her back to us. “Wives. Children. Parents. Friends?”
“Yes,” Sherlock said, nodding. The others kept quiet.
“Do you want them dying in fear, rushing down the street to help an injured old man only for him to turn on them? Are you prepared to go home and put a bullet in their heads?”
A murmur came from under Sherlock’s breath and he looked at Thompson, squinting slightly as if he was trying to say something without speaking. He looked away when Cassie spoke again.
“Well, most of my family are dead because we weren’t prepared. The rest are with that woman, helpless to stop her testing like they did on Jess and ready to make more of these creatures we’ll never defeat. So I know what I’m doing.”
I had nothing else to add; between us we’d said it all. Logan then spoke to break the silence that followed.
“You see,” he said to the group, looking at each of the soldiers, glancing to the weapons on the deck or holstered at their side, and then to me. “We all have our reasons to go to that place and end the plans of those two psycho-doctors and we can’t have anyone getting in our way.” He tensed, readying for the fight as Cassie glanced over her shoulder and despite knowing some of us would lose our lives, we knew it was a battle we couldn’t prevent.
I stood and stared at each of the soldiers for a moment before I spoke.
“So are you with us or against us?”
77
LOGAN
Thompson turned away, moving his gaze to Gibson and then to Sherlock, and with it our attention followed, but theirs stayed fixed on his moonlit features.
“That’s a brave thing for someone in your position to say,” Thompson said, his words slow and considered as he turned back to glance down to the pistol strapped in his holster before looking Jess in the eye.
My muscles tensed, readying for the fight and the engine note slowed as Cassie let down the throttle.
Thompson didn’t flinch. “But this is something we have to decide as individuals.”
“I’m with you,” Gibson said without delay, and I looked his way, tipping a nod. All heads turned to Sherlock as he stared at Jess.
“But what if you’re the answer?” he asked, his brow furrowed. “You came after us. You put yourself in danger, at massive risk to save us. Who’s saying those that come after wouldn’t do the same?”
Water lapped at the hull as Jess stared back to Sherlock.
“I live on a knife edge. Your scent is so powerful I’m picturing you naked on a platter with an apple stuffed in your mouth. Do you know you’ll taste somewhere between chicken and pork? The dark meat is the best,” she said, licking her lips and taking a deep swallow as her face bunched to highlight the dried blood around her hairline and in the creases around her nose.
I swallowed hard. I had no idea if what she’d said was true, but turning to Sherlock, his hardened expression remained unmoved. Jess spoke again.
“During your training, were there people who were great at getting the job done? Those that could summon so much aggression they were amazing at doing all the physical stuff, but come the dinner bell they just couldn’t turn it off?”
Thompson looked to me, and then to Sherlock, his eyes narrowing. Sherlock caught his gaze, then turned back to Jess with a slow nod.
“Do you want to take the chance that the monsters you help to create will have enough self-control to stop themselves from splitting you in half and eating your organs whilst the blood still pumps around your body? If you do, then I suggest you start swimming now.”
Silence hung for a long while as we drifted towards the shore.
“Okay. I get it,” he finally said. “I’m with you.”
“And so am I,” Thompson added, but I could tell by his expression he’d made his mind up long ago.
Without delay the engine note rose, and we picked up speed as Jess sat back down.
“So what’s the new plan?” I asked, looking back at Thompson. I expected a thoughtful delay as he considered the options, but I soon realised he’d not been sitting idle all this time.
“The main objective is to find your family,” he said, turning to Cassie’s back. As he spoke, she twisted to acknowledge his words.
“And the other children,” I added, as he continued to speak.
“Yes. Then Jess sends the message and we
