Boy X (28 page)

C
ain and the others were halfway down the cliff road when Ash heard the rhythmic thudding of the helicopter.

Thucka-thucka-thucka.

The radio crackled into life and Thorn's calm voice slid out over bridge. ‘Almost there, Ash. Sit tight.'

Ash was cross-legged on the deck, with the messenger bag and the survival pack open. The contents, including Pierce's keycard, were spread out in front of him.

Two silver canisters, like thermos flasks, stood side by side, with the tops removed. Inside each one was a pull-up rack containing four slim injection guns filled with clear liquid. Four were labelled ‘
Kronos
' and four were labelled
‘
Zeus
'. There was also a flash drive inside each canister, presumably containing Mum's notes detailing how to create the virus and its cure. Once closed, the canisters would be sealed tight, totally shockproof and water resistant.

As he arranged the contents of each bag and repacked them, Ash kept looking up to the cliff road and then to the sky as the sound of the helicopter grew closer and closer.

Tears were rolling down his cheeks because he knew he couldn't save Mum. He had done everything he could to help her and the others trapped in the lab, but he felt certain now that the helicopter wasn't coming to help them. Everything he had done was for nothing. Mum and the others would die. And in a few minutes Cain and Thorn would be here, then he too would die.

All he could do now was fulfil Mum's wish. Destroy
Kronos
.

I told you
, the voice sneered.
I told you you're useless.

The helicopter thundered over the clifftop. It flew out across the sea, then slowed and turned before coming back towards the boat. Ash watched it hovering a hundred metres away as it descended towards the waves, rippling the water in the rotor's downdraught. When it had dropped to a height almost level with the upper deck of the boat, the helicopter dipped its nose and moved forward, coming to a halt just a few metres from the
Olympian
.

‘I said we wouldn't be long.' Thorn's voice crackled from the radio. ‘You did well.'

Ash could just about make out the pilot through the cockpit glass, though the sun reflected from it and shone in
his face. He stood and put up a hand to protect himself from the rush of whirling air, then glanced back at the cliff road to see Cain and the others nearing the bottom.

The helicopter rotated to the left so it was sideways on to the boat, and the door drew back to reveal the inside of the aircraft, complete with a mounted mini-gun. A man Ash didn't recognize threw out a rope ladder, then disappeared from view. When he returned to the door, Thorn was with him, one arm over his shoulder. His leg was encased in a white mesh cast. In his left hand he held the radio that he now put to his mouth.

‘You need to come aboard,' Thorn shouted into his mouthpiece. ‘You have the materials Pierce took, right? Swim to the ladder and we'll get you out of here.'

‘I want to know what's going on. Who are you? Did
you
kill my dad?' Ash had to know it wasn't his fault. That it wasn't
Mum's
fault. ‘Who are you?'

‘I already told you.'

Ash shook his head. ‘I don't believe you. I want the truth.'

‘We haven't got time for this,' Thorn said. ‘Swim out to the ladder.'

‘The truth!' Ash shouted. He was afraid and frustrated. This wasn't the way he wanted this to happen. Thorn was supposed to tell him everything – give Ash a reason to trust or distrust him, to make some sense of what was happening.

Thorn moved the radio from his mouth and spoke to the man who was supporting him. The man nodded and helped Thorn to sit down, then moved away and took up position
behind the mounted mini-gun. He swung it round to point towards the cliff road and fired a single quick burst.

The pounding shots thundered over the sound of the helicopter, and empty cartridges spilt from the weapon. They fell to the sea like sparkling, metal rain. Ash whipped around to see Cain and the others come to a sudden halt and drop to the ground.

The mini-gun fired again, kicking up dirt just a few metres from Isabel.

‘Come aboard and I'll let your friend live,' Thorn said into the radio. ‘Maybe I could use a kid like you.'

Ash shook his head again. Thorn had just confirmed everything. He wasn't there to help. Ash couldn't trust him.

‘Fair enough. Then I just want
Kronos
and
Zeus
. Nothing else.'

Ash put a protective hand on the messenger bag that hung at his side. He took a step back and Thorn leant over, yelling to the pilot. The helicopter swung closer so the rotors were spinning not far from the top of the boat.

Thorn was just a few metres from Ash now, their eyes almost level. He nodded to the mini-gunner, who fired another burst in Isabel's direction, then he lifted the radio once more.

‘I do not have the
time
for this. Throw the bag up here and we'll call it a day.'

Ash looked down at the bag, drawing Thorn's attention.

‘That's it. All you have to do is throw it onto the helicopter, then all this will be over. Don't make me come and get it.'

Ash grabbed the strap and pulled the bag over his head.

‘I'm losing my patience. Throw the bag to me now or I'll kill you and everyone else. And the first thing I'll do when I leave here is find every single one of your friends and relatives and kill them too. Is that what you want?'

Ash gripped the bag tight in his right hand and drew back his arm.

‘That's it. Throw it, goddamnit! Throw it now!'

Ash had no other choice. Whoever Thorn was, Ash had seen the bodies in the BioSphere – he had seen what Thorn had done to those guards, and he had heard what Pierce said about him.

(
He'll gut us.
)

Ash realized he had been right to be afraid of Thorn, and knew he couldn't trust anything he said – except for his promise to kill Isabel. Ash had heard the truth in Thorn's voice when he had said
that
.

So he threw it. He hefted the messenger bag as hard as he could towards the helicopter's door so that it sailed right past Thorn and disappeared into the darkness of the interior.

Almost immediately, Thorn signalled to the pilot and the helicopter began to move away from the boat, gaining height.

The machine-gunner remained in position but took his eye off his targets as he watched Thorn turn and shuffle into the aircraft to retrieve the bag.

‘Thorn?' Ash spoke into the radio.

‘What is it?'

‘You'll never take
Kronos
off this island.'

‘What? What are you talking abou—?'

But Ash didn't wait to hear anything else. Instead, he whirled around and grabbed the HEX13 handset from the dashboard behind him. The heavy white dot tracing the letter ‘Z' was still ghosting across the screen. Ash put a finger to it and copied the symbol as fast as he could.

Inside the helicopter cabin, the last of the HEX13 ignited in a searing ball of orange flame and black smoke that flashed outwards through the door, propelling the burning mini-gunner into the sea. The aircraft began to move backwards, jerking left then right with no one to control it. The pilot was screaming, his hair and clothes on fire, and when the helicopter's tail struck the water, the whole thing tipped and began drifting towards the boat, blades coming at Ash like a vicious murder weapon.

Whup-whup-whup.

Ash grabbed Thorn's survival pack and slipped it over his head as he ran to the steps and jumped to the deck below. He dived over the gunwale onto the jetty, hitting the dry boards in a roll, and then he was on his feet again, sprinting towards the beach.

Behind him there was an awesome crunch as the blades made contact with the rear of the boat. They sheared off, spinning over Ash's head and clattering onto the far end of the jetty, close to the sand. There was a squealing of metal on metal as the helicopter slammed down onto the stern of the boat, then the two vehicles erupted in a blast of flame and thick grey-black smoke.

Ash was lifted off his feet and blown from the jetty
towards the swirling sea. He flipped around, falling backwards, smashing hard into the waves. Something sharp and metal flashed towards him in the blink of an eye. He had just enough time to register that it was there before it slashed across his forehead, cutting right to the bone as it sliced through his eyebrow and down into his cheek. Pain seared through his face as water rushed around him and he sank under the waves. Eyes open, he stared at the cloud of blood billowing from his wounds.

He sank down and down. Deeper and deeper.

The world began to darken. There was no sound.

Ash's lungs collapsed as he disappeared, and then he saw something rushing towards him. Something large falling from above, smashing into the water and sinking, pushing him deeper, pinning him to the seabed.

43 mins until Shut-Down

‘
A
sh?' The voice was coming to him from another world. ‘Ash?'

Everything burnt beneath his closed eyelids. His whole body felt as if it were on fire.

‘Is he . . .
Madre de Dios
.' It was Isabel's voice. Dull and distant.

Ash was in so much pain he wanted nothing more than to just fade away. The idea of dying didn't frighten him as much as he thought it would. It would be far better than living with the agony he now felt.

Just lie down and die
, the voice whispered.
You know you want to.

But there was still something he had to do. There was
still something he had to say, so he focused, trying to remember what he had done. He'd had a plan. He had to say something before Cain killed him. He had to—

Ash's eyes jerked open and he saw Cain leaning over him. Water was pouring off her onto the black sand. Isabel was kneeling beside her.

‘
Kronos
. . .' His throat burnt when he spoke. ‘Is . . . gone.' Each word was like a mouthful of crushed glass. ‘Explosion.'

‘That doesn't matter,' Cain said. ‘What you did was very brave.'

Ash stared at her, trying to take a breath. He couldn't understand why she was being nice to him. Had
Cain
pulled him out of the water? ‘My . . . pack.'

‘Don't try to talk.' Cain's voice pounded in his head. ‘Help is coming.'

Help?
Why wasn't she trying to kill him?

‘Pack,' he insisted.

‘It's right here.' Cain put her hand on Thorn's survival pack still secure across Ash's chest.

‘Pierce's keycard,' Ash said. ‘And
Zeus
. In the canister. For Mum.'

An unexpected expression flooded across Cain's face. Was that relief? Ash couldn't make sense of it. He had beaten Cain; she should be angry.

‘You kept it?' Cain said. ‘You kept
Zeus
? That's . . .' She shook her head in disbelief as she opened the pack and removed the metal canister containing the injection guns.

‘The flash drive . . . too,' Ash told her. ‘But not
Kronos
. I
blew that up. If you want . . .
more
, you have to . . . save Mum. And the others. They will have to . . . make it for you. Get to Mum. Now.'

‘Jesus, you're a smart kid. A pain in the neck, but
smart
.' Cain looked behind her. ‘I wish these klutzes were as brave and clever as you. With men like you, I could do anything.'

Brave? Clever? She wasn't making sense. But it didn't matter any more; he had carried out his plan.

Destroy
Kronos
. Save
Zeus
.

‘Save Mum,' Ash said.

‘We will.' Cain leant closer. ‘Because saving the world isn't enough for you, is it?'

Ash took one last look at Isabel, then closed his eyes.

His job was done.

D
eath was a bright, shining light that reached into every corner and chased away every shadow. It was filled with the rhythm of breath and the beat of hearts and the scent of all the things that were most important. The familiar and comfortable smell of Mum, the sweetness of coconut, cinnamon and ginger.