The Reviver (45 page)

Annabel picked one up. ‘Cyanoacrylate,’ she said. ‘Superglue.’ She laughed gently. ‘You glued the fucking doors shut?’

‘My brother thought of everything,’ said Julia Hannerman. ‘He was always thorough. Every plan had a backup. Everything covered. I wasn’t sent here just to watch, just to find out what they were doing.’ She reached into her pocket again and pulled out a small black plastic box, a switch on the front beside a white button. She flicked the switch, and a red light appeared beside it. She put the box to her mouth, pulling out an aerial with her teeth. ‘Our goal was to stop their leader from coming through. To allow that could be the end for us all, but with only me left there was no choice. Let it come and burn with the rest of them.’

Jonah’s eyes widened. ‘I know what you think you’re doing, but there are innocent people here. Not just us.’

‘Collateral damage. Sacrifice.’

At the words, Jonah could feel anger boiling inside him. That was how Julia Hannerman thought of it, and that was how she thought of Daniel Harker. ‘Andreas is the only one we have to stop, Julia.’

‘They
all
have to burn. The exit on this corridor is the only way out, and I’m the only one who can open it. I have incendiaries throughout the building. When I’m sure they’ve done their work, I’ll be using that exit so I can stand and gun down anyone who comes through the fire. You keep out of my way, then maybe I’ll let you follow. At a distance. But don’t think I’m going to reconsider sending those
things
back to hell.’

*   *   *

Crouched on the ground, Never had been staying as quiet as he could while he picked at the stopper on the bottle of corrosive formamide by his feet.

He looked over to Jonah, and Jonah nodded: time for a distraction. He removed the lid from the bottle. The floor under the shelving units was clear. He set the bottle on its side, then rolled it under the bottom of the shelves. It kept going, liquid glugging out as it went. Clouds of choking fumes reached Never’s eyes and throat. He coughed, taken by surprise at just how severe the effect was.

Julia Hannerman heard the cough, then heard the bottle thunk against the wall near her. She turned, seeing the clouds of white smoke billowing from the floor, caught by the fumes like Never had been. Coughing, she turned back, but Annabel was already bearing down on her, clutching at the gun. It fired, hitting the ceiling, the noise deafening in the enclosed space. Jonah lashed out, his fist connecting with Julia Hannerman’s face.

She fell backwards, her head striking the metal shelving. She lay on the floor, one hand in the corrosive liquid, unconscious.

‘Christ,’ said Annabel. ‘Her hand.’ The skin on Hannerman’s left hand was raw red and starting to blister. Annabel grabbed a bottle of saline wash and paper towels from the sink in the corner and set to work, taking the hand out of the formamide and squirting the saline over it to wash away the corrosive. Meanwhile, Never took a second bottle of saline. He stooped and righted the formamide bottle, carefully replacing the lid. Then he emptied the saline bottle along the length of the spill. The ventilation in the room was keeping on top of the fumes, but it still stung to breathe.

Her work done, Annabel reached under the shelf and picked up Hannerman’s gun and remote from where they had fallen. She pocketed the gun and passed the remote to Never. ‘Switch that off.’

‘Uh … what?’ asked Never, staring at the remote he was holding. Annabel reached over and flicked back the switch Hannerman had enabled. The red light on the remote disappeared. Wary, Never pushed the aerial back down and slid the remote into his pocket.

Julia Hannerman moaned.

Jonah spotted rolls of duct tape on one shelf and took one. ‘She’s coming round.’

By the time she had, he’d wrapped half of the tape around her legs and used most of the rest to secure her arms behind her back, around the base of one thick metal shelf leg.

‘Don’t be stupid,’ Julia said. ‘Let me go. You know they have to be stopped.’

Annabel looked her in the eye. ‘How do we get out of here?’

‘This may be the only chance to get them! Andreas and his people are all asleep. I made sure. I drugged as much of the champagne as I dared. Only Andreas’s
whore
was awake when I checked, crying to herself in the empty room.’ Julia Hannerman smiled, her face twisting with spite. ‘I think she must have realized what she
is.
’

Annabel shot a glance at Jonah, and he could see that look for what it was – Annabel was gauging his reaction. She looked back at Hannerman. ‘Tell us how to leave. We’re taking you with us.
How do we get out?
’

Julia Hannerman said nothing.

‘Then fuck you,’ Annabel snapped. ‘We’ll get out ourselves.’ She grabbed the remainder of the duct tape and covered Julia Hannerman’s mouth, wrapping the roll round the back of her head three times. Then she put her hand in one of Hannerman’s jacket pockets, searching. When Hannerman’s eyes lit up with anger, Jonah knew Annabel was on to something. She tried the jacket breast pocket and struck gold: out came what looked like a security swipe card.

They hurried down to the isolated fire exit, at the end of a short corridor around a corner. Annabel handed the card to Never. ‘Go on,’ she said. ‘Knowing her brother, we might not have long.’

Jonah stared at her. ‘What?’

‘You saw how defiant she was.’

‘Right…’ said Never, worry dawning on his face. ‘Trussed up and she didn’t even try to talk her way out. Still confident. She knows something we don’t.’

‘Exactly,’ said Annabel. ‘Everything might just be on a timer. Another backup.’

Tess is still in there,
Jonah thought. In an instant he’d made the decision. He ran back toward the centre of the building.

‘Wait!’ Annabel shouted. ‘Jonah!’

‘Give me five minutes,’ Jonah shouted back to them. ‘Then go without me.’

*   *   *

Jonah moved quickly but with caution. He took the stairwell to the top floor, two steps at a time, slowing down on the last two flights as his legs started to complain.

He glanced down the corridor. It was the one he’d walked down, with Tess that afternoon, obsidian doors still latched open and the corridor stretching to infinity. There was nobody around. The only light he could see came from the room they’d been setting up for the celebration. He hurried down to it and looked through the door window. There she was. Alone, in a chair near one of the tables that were loaded with empty bottles and glasses and half-full plates, the lights now dimmed. He opened the door, wincing as the hinge squeaked.

She looked up and wiped tears from her cheeks. ‘Jonah?’ she said, wide-eyed. ‘Something’s wrong with Michael. He should have rested for longer. That was why. I told him it was too soon, but…’

He pulled the door shut behind him and walked over.

‘I’m getting you out of here,’ he said, keeping his voice low.

‘He … he was
confused,
Jonah. The look in his eyes kept changing. And then … and then once he turned to me, took my hand and asked me to help him. He looked so scared. He said he was drowning. Why did he say that? We left the room and he looked at me and smiled, and it was so
cold.
Then he just laughed and went back inside…’ She fell silent.

‘Come with me, Tess.’

She shook her head. ‘He needs me. He’s confused. He’s still recovering.’

‘Tess, something else came through. It’s inside him. But right now,
you need to come.
’ He held out his hand. She reached out to take it and then froze, looking over Jonah’s shoulder.

‘Mr Miller,’ said Will Barlow from the doorway. ‘I’m afraid the party’s over.’

*   *   *

Annabel and Never stood by the fire exit, waiting. Annabel didn’t know how to feel. She’d watched Jonah run into danger, putting himself at risk for a woman who’d been a key part of this whole damn thing. Right now, she wanted to punch him.

‘Why did he go back for her?’ she said.

‘One thing you should have learned about Jonah by now: he’s a principled fucker. It’s not usually so fucking infuriating. She’s an old friend, massive bitch or not. But you saw the look on his face when Andreas called her in and she explained how it was. Let’s just say I don’t think you have any competition there. If it helps.’

‘It’s not like that.’

‘So you two keep saying.’ He looked at his watch, then shook his head. ‘Fuck it. Julia said all the alarms are off. We can at least have the door open and ready.’ He swiped the card in the reader by the door. The small LCD display said, ‘CODE.’

‘Fuck,’ said Never.

Annabel looked at him. ‘Can’t we—’

‘What?’ said Never, despairing. ‘Guess?
Hack in?
’

‘I was
going
to say, since the alarms are out … can’t we just find a window to smash?’

He paused, then grinned. ‘I owe you a drink,’ he said.

*   *   *

‘They liked you, Jonah,’ said Barlow. He was slurring his words, unsteady on his feet. As he entered he picked up one of the few remaining full champagne glasses, raised it and drank. He pulled the door closed behind him and twisted the latch. ‘There was something different about you. Special. They broke
through
to you, you see, when you revived that psychologist. What was her name?’

‘Alice. Alice Decker.’

‘Yes! They even
spoke
to you. It pleased them. Unexpected, but liberation, however brief, is always glorious. Especially after so long in the darkness. I think they hoped you would prove to be our reviver. They thought if you’d been the one, they would come through strong. Much stronger than they did in the end. But you couldn’t take your medicine…’

Jonah looked around at Tess. She was still sitting with a deer-in-the-headlights stare.

She spoke. ‘Wh … what’s wrong with Michael? What did you do to him?’

Barlow looked at her pityingly, then sat beside her. ‘Oh, Tess, the times we had. You know, ever since you were chosen, I watched you with such care. I didn’t know how long it would be before you understood. I tried to talk Michael out of letting you be the second to attempt Unity, especially after I made sure the first didn’t survive.’ He looked over to Jonah. ‘You see, the one you spoke to in Underwood,
it
knew, or soon would. It was close to remembering, close to discovering the truth. One death was easy. More could prove harder, but the next was so much weaker, I thought we’d have plenty of time, and I was right. Of all those who reached Unity and survived, Tess has the strongest within her, and she still doesn’t know. But I’ve been ready to take care of Tess ever since she came through the procedure. Just in case she started to remember and ruin everything. I’m glad I didn’t have to, Tess. I want to enjoy you again.’

She stared at Barlow. ‘What’s inside him? What’s inside
me
?’

‘Ah! Understanding. Finally. But I’m not supposed to tell. They want to tell you themselves.’

‘“They”, Barlow?’ said Jonah. ‘Who are you talking about? The rest of Unity?’

Barlow smiled. ‘You know who I mean. You saw it, Jonah. I could tell. When you shook Michael’s hand, you felt what it was. We are what we eat, Jonah. They are all they have ever consumed, and they will take you too.
They. It.
All the same. One and many.
Legion.
It will take you, and you will be one with it.’

Jonah took Tess’s hand. ‘Come on, Tess. We’re going.’

Barlow laughed, standing. ‘Guess again.’

Jonah stared at this man, a man he’d always disliked because Tess favoured him. ‘How long, Will?’ he said. ‘How long have you been playing lapdog?’

‘Longer than you think. And my reward will be eternal. I’ll be favoured. Granted every pleasure, while the unworthy suffer.’

Jonah pulled Tess to her feet. ‘We’re going.’

Barlow put his hand on Tess’s shoulder and forced her back into her seat. ‘You do what I fucking tell you to do.’

Jonah saw that Barlow’s eyes were having trouble focusing. ‘I guess you didn’t drink much champagne, Tess,’ Jonah said. She gave him a puzzled look, but Barlow lifted his glass and looked at it, then flung it across the room.

‘What did…?’ said Barlow.

Jonah brought his knee up into Barlow’s groin with as much force as he could, then pushed him hard to the floor. Barlow did some unworthy suffering of his own for a moment, then lay still. Drunk or drugged, it didn’t matter; Barlow was out cold, and Jonah had ticked off a long-held ambition.

‘Now,’ said Jonah, holding his hand out to Tess. ‘We have to get out of here.’

‘What about the others?’

‘We warn them when we’re safely away.’

They moved towards the door, then stopped dead as slow hand-clapping started behind them. As they both turned, Jonah wondered if – hoped – it was Barlow, consciousness somehow regained. The one alternative that occurred to him was so much worse.

‘The gallant hero,’ said Andreas. He was at the back of the room. Jonah couldn’t see him yet, but then he rose from behind the grand piano, hidden in shadow in the dim lights. Jonah realized he’d been there all this time, watching.

Jonah held firm to Tess’s hand and took the two strides to the door, twisting the latch. Impossibly, Andreas’s hand slammed hard into the door before it was open more than an inch.

Jonah looked from Andreas to where he’d been sitting an instant before, his shock clear for Andreas to see.

Andreas smiled, the cold dark in his eyes unmistakable. This was not Andreas anymore. He turned his head, looking at the fallen Will Barlow. ‘Poor Will,’ he said. ‘He wanted to be the one. But Andreas has the money, and Will could not be risked. Besides, Will had had to rule himself out of becoming like all the others. He knew what they were, you see. Why would he want one of
those
inside him?’

‘Michael…’ said Tess, trembling. ‘Is Michael … is he dead?’

‘No, Tess,’ said Andreas. ‘We’re all getting to know each other in here.’ He tapped his own skull. ‘Michael will live within us. Always.’ He smiled, the expression on his face terrible. He opened the door with one hand. The other hand shot forward, wrapping itself around Jonah’s throat, holding with immense strength. Instantly Jonah had a vision of the blackened terrain, the burning city, the creature howling its pleasure as it picked up handfuls of living flesh and watched it burn.