Toxic Treacle (10 page)

‘I'm telling you, he called her at my house. She looked upset, so I followed her here. I saw them meet up right there.'

Angel started: there was no mistaking Moni's voice as it rose in frustration. She made to rise but Monkey restrained her as they heard Moni continue. ‘Check the cameras if you don't believe me!'

A radio crackled and the male voice spoke authoritatively. ‘Negative, Ma'am. No sign of them... Affirmative.' Monkey's heart was pounding so hard, he was frightened it might give away their presence. He glanced at Angel; her eyes were wide as they darted wildly in the direction of the disembodied voices, trying to comprehend what had happened and what to do. The adult addressed Moni again, telling her that he would log her complaint and ordering her to go home before curfew.

Neither Monkey nor Angel moved for several minutes. They listened, waiting until they were certain that it was safe. It was Monkey who spoke first.

Gently turning Angel's head to face him, he looked into her eyes. ‘I'm going to the village. OK?'

Angel nodded slowly.

‘You coming?' he asked.

She bit her bottom lip and shook her head.

Monkey set his jaw, trying to conceal his disappointment. ‘Fine!' he said, more harshly than he'd intended.

‘I'll miss you,' she whispered.

As they stood up, there was the faintest click on the slope down to the road. They spun round. Something moved in the shadows.

‘Who is it?' Monkey challenged.

Moni stepped forwards, lowering her ring-cam and grinning with contempt.

‘Shame!' she said with mock sympathy. ‘I'd always wondered what our bubs would be like, Mickey. Now I guess I'll never know. You do know you're not eligible for breeding after you've been on The Farm?' She cocked her head on one side and grinned. ‘Well, it's not so much a case of not being
eligible
– more like not being
able
!' A shudder ran down Monkey's spine. His mind was on turbo. How the hell were they going to get out of this one? Moni turned her attention to Angel and shook her head. ‘Such a bright future. I really thought we could be friends you know, Ange - long term. I saw you and me working together in The Assembly; nurturing the cause as well as our bubs. But now, you're going to be cleaning up orphans' poo for the foreseeable future. And for what?' She nodded at Monkey. ‘A breeder? Seriously? You're telling me you're willing to jeopardise your future, your freedom, your family - for a
male
?' She tutted. ‘I'm disappointed, Angel.'

Monkey watched in astonishment as Angel sprang from the far side of the track where they'd been hiding and, using all her gymnast's agility, executed a near perfect round-off back-flip in Moni's direction. The heel of her shoe caught Moni on the chin and the assistant T.R.E.A.C.L.E. trainer toppled down the embankment knocking her head on a stone.

Monkey scrabbled down the slope to where she lay. Even in the shadows of the embankment, he could see a dark stain spreading down the side of her head.

‘Shiltz!' He looked up to where Angel was standing on the disused track, paralysed in horror at the result of her action.

‘Don't worry. I'll say I did it,' he called up to her, then let out a low moan of exasperation. Two murders in one night! If Security got him, he was never going to see the light of day again.

On the Run

It was with a mixture of relief and frustration that Monkey heard Moni groan and saw her eyes flicker open. Relief that she was alive, which meant that there was one less death to worry about, but frustration because the fact that she was alive created another, more pressing, problem: what to do with her?

Moni raised her hand to the cut on her temple and winced. ‘You two are so going down for...'

Almost as a reflex action, Monkey pulled off his neckerchief and stuffed it into her mouth. ‘I think you've done enough talking for one night.' He looked up the embankment to where Angel remained staring in horror at what was unfolding below. ‘Quick!' he said. ‘Give me a hand.'

Angel slithered down the bank to Monkey's side and spoke to Moni. ‘I'm so sorry - I didn't mean to hurt...'

‘Don't worry about that; it was her or us,' Monkey interjected, matter of factly. ‘Now, we've got to get her away from here. Gimme your hose.'

Angel started.

‘To tie her up,' Monkey explained.

She dodged behind a bush and took off her tights. She shivered as she handed them to Monkey and watched him use them to tie Moni's hands behind her back. Taking Moni's own scarf, he wrapped it round her head to cover her eyes, then hauled her to her feet.

‘Jane and Tom'll know what to do,' he said to Angel.

Angel, still shaken from the incident, nodded.

‘You'll have to come with me: I can't get her there on my own,' he went on. Noting the look of apprehension in her eyes, he added, ‘But you don't have to stay if you don't want.'

The three of them set off along the disused track. Monkey and Angel walked either side of Moni, almost dragging her along the uneven surface. Moni stumbled and struggled, gagging on the scarf that was stuffed into her mouth as they guided her through the night. Monkey and Angel barely spoke; partly to avoid giving away anything that might reveal their destination and also because the events of the evening had shocked them both. Monkey's head felt as though it was oozing with thick mud - there was no clarity about anything; all his thoughts were shrouded in a dark depression. None of this had been in his plan. Sure, when he'd left home that evening, it had been with the intention of going back to the village, but only to learn more about the movement - maybe even to find out how he could help. Now though, everything had changed. Their secret expeditions had been exposed by Alex, and he didn't know who else Angel's brother had seen fit to inform; Fuse was dead and Monkey's prints were on a gun that was by his side. And, to make his situation even worse, now he'd taken hostage a T.R.E.A.C.L.E. assistant trainer.

All he'd wanted was to make it to graduation with a clean record but now he was a wanted criminal. He looked across at Angel and felt sick: her face was pale and pinched in the moonlight and he knew it was his fault. Any hopes he might have harboured about a future with her were gone. She'd be lucky to come out of this and have any sort of life outside The Sanctuary - and it was all down to him! He just hoped Tom and Jane and the rest of the resistance group could come up with some sort of plan.

With Moni in tow, reluctant and resisting, the journey took them far longer than usual. It was the middle of the night when they arrived, but Monkey had no compunction about waking Tragic's family. He gave the coded knock that he'd heard Karl give the previous week and was relieved when Jane opened the door of the cottage. Tom and Tragic were at work, out in the fields, so it was Jane who took control of the situation, and it was clear to Monkey that she was less than pleased to see her night visitors.

She untied the blindfold and used Moni's scarf to bind her feet. Then she carefully removed the ring-cam from Moni's finger, threw it on the flagstone floor and stamped on it.

‘You should've done that before you brought her here,' she chastised. ‘You have no idea who could be tracking her. You could have jeopardised our whole community.'

Monkey quickly turned off his own ring-cam and indicated for Angel to do the same. ‘I didn't know what to do.'

‘This isn't a game, you know, Mickey,' Jane said agitated.

Moni writhed and thrashed as she lay on the floor of the cottage. Jane untied the gag and, immediately, Moni screamed, ‘I'll get you for this!' She lashed out with her tied feet, aiming at Monkey. ‘You are so busted when I get out of here.'

‘Be quiet!' Jane spoke sharply. ‘You will not be getting out of here, so you can stop threatening - and, if you continue to shout, I will have to gag you again.' Moni glowered at her but remained silent. Jane turned to Monkey and, taking in his slashed cheek and blood-stained appearance, shook her head. ‘Oh, Mickey, what on Earth have you done?'

Monkey filled her in on the events of the evening as she bathed his cheek and glued the wound shut. Angel sat, pale and silent throughout, trying to avoid eye contact with Moni.

She was shivering with cold and shock.

‘We want to stay here... at least,
I
want to stay here,' Monkey corrected. ‘Is that OK?'

‘I don't know.' Jane ran her hand across her forehead. ‘For a while, maybe, then we'll try to find another community away from here that you can go to.' Monkey shot a look at Angel and felt sick. How far away? he wondered. And would he ever see her again? Jane turned to Angel. ‘But you must go back tonight.' Angel nodded. ‘Pre-breeders disappear all the time, especially ones who're wanted, but a missing pre-nurturer, especially one with such a bright future as you, will cause major repercussions.'

‘I know.' Angel, still subdued, stood up to go.

‘It's OK, I didn't mean straight away,' Jane said, indicating for her to sit down again. She put some wood on the dying embers of the fire and handed Angel a pair of Tragic's trousers that were hanging from the clothes line that hung across the hearth. ‘Put these on; you must be frozen.' She turned to Moni. ‘Come on. I'm going to take you to The Volte Face. The landlady there is a friend of mine and I'm sure she'll make you very comfortable in her wine cellars until we can decide what to do with you.'

‘You are so going to regr...' Moni began to protest.

But Jane was too quick for her. She wrapped the scarf around Moni's face, once again gagging her.

‘We've got quite a few sympathisers in the town,' she said to Angel, taking a scrap of paper and writing something down before pushing it into Angel's hand. ‘This is the address of a safe house.' She looked at her earnestly. ‘You must not go there except in extreme circumstances. Do you understand? You'll be endangering the lives...' She shot a guilty look at Moni and her voice trailed off, afraid that she might already have said too much. ‘I'm sure I don't have to explain.'

Angel nodded and pushed the paper into her pocket.

‘Now,' Jane said. ‘Mickey, you can sleep in Trevor's room tonight. Angelina, I'll give you a couple of minutes to say your goodbyes but you need to be gone by the time I get back.'

With that, she untied Moni's feet, took her by the upper arm and led her, struggling, out of the door.

Monkey swallowed hard. He didn't know what to say. This would probably be the last time he saw Angel and his chest felt as though it had been filled with lead.

‘I'm sorry...' he began, but Angel put her finger across his lips.

‘Nothing to be sorry about,' she said. ‘I really admire what you're doing.' She lowered her voice and spoke softly. ‘It was a privilege to be involved.'

Monkey stared at his feet to avoid meeting her eyes. Tears were welling and the last thing he wanted was for her to see him being weak. ‘You know, I really...' The words choked him. ‘If things...' he began again, but petered into silence.

Angel took his hand and laced her fingers through his. ‘If things had been different,' she continued, as though reading his thoughts, ‘we'd have made a great couple.'

Monkey nodded. ‘I'll never forget you,' he whispered. He took her other hand and pulled her gently round to face him. Raising his head, he looked down into her eyes, then lowered his lips on to hers. They were so soft, softer than he'd imagined and he felt that familiar tingle of excitement run through his body. To his relief, Angel didn't pull away. She responded, gently at first, then building in passion beyond Monkey's wildest imagination. He moved his hands up her back, until he could feel the contours of her shoulder blades and he drew her closer, clasping her against his body, never wanting to let her go. Their lips moved against each other's, hungrily. Their situation, the surroundings, the danger they were in, all melted away. His lips opened instinctively and he felt an involuntary stirring in his crotch. At T.R.E.A.C.L.E., they'd been given the basics of the breeding process; told how to copulate as though they were factory animals reproducing for the State. No one had explained the overwhelming desire that would course through his entire being. He moved his mouth across hers, pressing harder and harder until his teeth caught her lip and she flinched.

He broke away, blushing awkwardly. ‘Sorry. I didn't mean...' he mumbled. Then an uncontrollable grin spread across his face. ‘Wow!'

Angel managed a smile. ‘It's OK. I enjoyed it.' She looked down again, embarrassed. ‘Thank you.'

Despite their circumstances, Monkey couldn't help beaming. He wanted the moment to last forever. More than anything in the world, he wanted her to stay. ‘I don't suppose there's any chance...'

She shook her head. ‘I have to go,' she said.

His grin faded and Monkey once more felt as though his body was filled with concrete.

Angel opened the latch on the internal door and stood in the small hallway. ‘I'll try and get word to you through Tragic.'

Monkey looked away and gave a melancholy nod. ‘Yeah. I'll keep in touch. Look after yourself - OK?'

She had just raised her hand to open the front door of the cottage, when they both heard it: a female voice, harsh and clipped as though issuing orders. Monkey put out a hand and pulled Angel back into the hall. The cottage opened onto a side lane, and had no windows with a view of the village main street, so he opened the door slowly and peered out into the darkness.

It was a clear night and, through the gap between the cottages at the end of the lane, he could just make out shadowy figures in military uniform running in the direction of the village green. He went cold. It was a raid.

He dodged back into the cottage and grabbed Angel's hand. ‘Come on,' he whispered urgently. ‘We've gotta get outta here - fast!'

Together, they crept out into the lane, pulling the door to behind them. A large armoured stealth rumbled past. Monkey led Angel in the opposite direction, away from the main street. Having never seen the village in daylight, he had no idea where he was leading her, or how they were going to get out. They ran past half a dozen cottages until, after about one hundred metres, the lane trailed away and became a muddy track.

‘If we go across the fields we should be able to make it back to the loco line before dawn,' Monkey assured Angel.

‘Monkey,' Angel said, tugging on his hand to make him slow down. ‘If we don't make it, I want you to know that everything I've done has been
my
choice. If I'm arrested, it's not your fault. OK?'

‘Don't even go there. Neither of us is going to get arrested. Trust me.'

But, before the words had left his lips, they stopped dead. A voice they both recognised drifted down the lane from the main road. ‘That's the cottage. They're in there!'

It was Moni. And she was obviously free, ungagged, and directing Security straight to them.

‘How the hell did they find her?' Angel whispered.

‘Dunno. Probably tracked her ring-cam.' Monkey shook his head. ‘How stupid! Why didn't I think to throw it away?'

‘No time for that - let's get out of here,' Angel said, climbing a five-barred gate into a field that she hoped would lead them out of the village.

They could hear a commotion from the lane. There were orders and shouts of protest. It sounded like quite a crowd had gathered. Then a younger-sounding voice squealed above the others.

‘Moni! You're safe! I rang Security like you told me.'

‘You did good, Pen. Real good,' Moni replied.

‘Shiltz!' Monkey swore. ‘It's Penny - the snake!'