Blood Prize (27 page)

T
om pushed Noah’s hand off his shoulder in anger. He felt confused and betrayed. How could he possibly make sense out of this subversive world?

He began to stammer; his words barely coherent.

“You lied to us, Noah?”

“Tom, please. Let me explain …”

“No … No I won’t. Go, before I get really angry.”

Tom waited for Noah to retreat several paces down the aisle, before raising his weapon and aiming it at the priest.

“Tell me everything and no more lies. Make me believe, priest.”

“Alright, Tom. Alright.”

The clergyman closed his eyes and pulled back his lips as he spoke. Tom thought he looked as angry as he felt.

“One very rare, hot English summer, we all found one another. I met my Emma at the same garden party as your father met your mother. I already knew Noah and when Alexander, your father, introduced me to Tom Kite, we all became ridiculously idealistic and naive friends. Despite our hideous predicament we stuck together until the end.”

“Hideous predicament … You mean the Prize?”

“No, no, long before that. It began when our group of gullible friends first beheld the Angels. Before we could even grasp at the truth of our situation, we become submerged in a very ugly lie. The truth of which, didn’t set us free. Rather it enslaved us. People got killed who didn’t go along with the Assembly’s fraudulent activities.”

Isobel cut in, her voice no more than a whisper.

“Yes. Your happy little club cost me my father.”

“No. No. No. The Assembly took both of your parents. Noah and I are the only ones from that group to survive.”

He stopped talking for a moment and Tom almost retreated from the intensity of his gaze.

“Noah feels guilt over our deception, but I won’t apologise for either of us. We’ve lived a life of secrets just to survive. You must understand; Noah not only lost his wife, but his closest friends. Your people.”

Isobel shook her head.

“Our people …?”

“Noah and your parents became inseparable, Isobel, like family. That’s why he tries to act like your guardian.”

Tom noticed Isobel’s shoulders droop. Her strength seemed to die away and she began to tremble.

“I can’t handle this. It’s too much.”

“I know, my dear. We’ve all suffered at the hands of the Assembly. Tom didn’t even get to know his parents.”

He smiled and Tom thought it held genuine warmth.

“I can’t change the past, young man, but this might help.”

The clergyman’s hand delved into the inside of his jacket and returned with two photographs between his thumb and forefinger. Tom’s heart began to beat faster as he realised what the priest offered him.

“These are for you, Tom.”

Because of his own features, he expected his mother to have long, wavy, blond hair, but instead, she chose to have it cut short, like a boys.

His hands began to shake as he examined irises as black and appealing as the raven colouring of her hair.

Oh my God. She’s so beautiful. Perfect. Even better than I imagined.

His mother stood next to her husband; her mouth open in the midst of laughter; perhaps amused by her exaggerated attempt at an elegant pose. Tom smiled as he searched his father’s features. He wore a dinner-suit over a tall lean frame, crowned with a mop of unruly blond hair. It felt like looking into a mirror and viewing a future version of himself.

He looked over at Isobel. Her smile conveyed empathy, and he began to feel a warm longing in his chest … until he noticed the similarities.

Mum … Isobel …?

Apart from the colour of their eyes and his mother’s height, they looked almost identical.

What does that mean? Is that the reason I’m so attracted to her?

He felt nausea constrict his throat as he tried to come to terms with his mother’s appearance. His hands continued to shake, as he began to examine the second photograph of his mother. She stood alone in a ridiculous looking yellow swimsuit.

Her body’s the same as … as Isobel’s.

Katherine Fox stood with legs apart and hands on her hips; her long, slightly muscular limbs, adding to the elegance of her super slim torso and hips.

God … They could almost be twins.

A sweet voice brought him momentarily out of his thoughts.

“Tom, can I see?”

“Ah … sure, but in a moment. I just want to look at her for a while longer.”

“Yeah, alright, Tom.”

He became aware of Isobel’s expression. She seemed to be reading his thoughts? What would she think if she saw the picture?

He felt like throwing up.

His attempted grin felt out of place as he moved off towards the rear of the plane. After several steps he stopped and listened. He could hear Noah calling for the priest from the open cockpit door.

“Nico, I need you here ASAP.”

Tom returned to where Isobel sat. She smiled at him and he tried to hold her gaze, but couldn’t. He felt troubled as he turned away.

Is it sick to desire someone identical to your mother?

Then another thought occurred to him.

Oh God. They could be mother and daughter …

How could he possibly find the awareness he needed to sort this out, with the SRP and the Assembly on his tail?

He turned towards Isobel and once again tried to hold her gaze. Her eyes seemed to smile at him by themselves; bright and blue.

No. No. When I look at that tiny body and get aroused, it’s … my mother’s.

Once again her voice broke through; ending his thoughts. This time it sounded strained.

“Tom … Tom, you’re wanted.”

Isobel pointed towards the cockpit door, where he could see Noah gesturing for him to come.

No-one looked up as Tom entered the cockpit. Noah and the priest stood behind the pilot, looking intently at a map spread over the man’s knees.

Noah didn’t look at him when he spoke.

“We have a situation, Tom.”

“Well, that’s a surprise. What is it this time?”

“We have an unknown private jet and an RAAF aircraft following us from the south. We also have an Assembly P34 jet approaching, even faster from the north. All of these are unscheduled flights heading in the Longreach direction.”

T
om tried to discern the lay of the land, as they began their descent towards the red earth of Longreach.

It looks too small; no bigger than a village.

The problem of determining any real perception of size from this height, especially in such a vast landscape seemed deceptive.

“I can’t see any vehicles. The airport looks deserted, Noah.”

“We’re fortunate. There’s no scheduled flights at this hour.”

Tom could feel the tension amongst the men in the cockpit.

The pilot coughed in an attempt to be heard.

“Gentlemen. I can’t be sure if the front wheel mechanism activated. Do you understand what this means?”

No-one answered.

“Even if the tyre is blown, the wheel mechanism can potentially stop the nose from hitting the tarmac. Either way a crash landing remains inevitable.”

Tom left the cockpit and returned to his seat. He sought Isobel’s eyes and tried to reassure her with a smile.

“It’s going to be a little rough, but we’ll be alright.”

In that moment of crisis, he remembered reading somewhere that you needed to assume the correct crash position.

Come on, pull yourself together.

He checked his posture: his feet pushed hard into the floor and his body remained stiff with dread anticipation. He raised his head and looked out the window to check their height. The ground looked close.

“This is it, Iz. Learn forward and place your hands and forehead on the seat in front. I read that it helps to stop whiplash and cushions the impact.”

“I don’t want to die, Tom. Let’s live, alright?”

“Yeah sure. Of course we will.”

Above the roaring of the engines, Tom thought he heard Noah’s voice.

“Tom. Nico. Get up here. Quick.”

Tom began to ply Isobel’s fingers from his arm and he felt her shudder.

“It’s just something minor. I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Bullshit, Tom.”

He squeezed her hand and rose to follow the clergyman, just as the aircraft lifted with full power. The thrust threw him backwards and he bounced off a seat in the opposite aisle, crashing to the floor and landing on his back.

He felt pinned by the jet’s forward momentum. It took a great deal of strength to rise and climb up towards the cockpit. Half way there the aircraft started to level off. He adjusted by letting go of the nearest seat, before pushing himself to a more upright position.

What the hell’s going on?

He tried to take a step forward, but at that moment, the aircraft banked sharply to the south, wedging him sideways between two rows of seats. He braced himself and used the chair’s frame to regain his feet. He managed enough forward speed to enter the cockpit on the run.

“What’s this all about, Noah?”

Tom followed Noah’s glance, out beyond the aircraft.

“We have another situation. We spotted several police cars in the big aircraft hangar on the near side of the terminal.”

Once again the pilot cut into their conversation. Even in the confines of the cabin, he needed to raise his voice to be heard.

“We’ve got no choice, we have to land. We haven’t got enough fuel to go anywhere else. We have to go in now.”

Tom grabbed at Noah’s shoulders and shook him in frustration.

“We can’t give up this easily, Noah. It’ll all be for nothing.”

“I agree. So, what do you suggest?”

Tom’s voice sounded chilling, even to him.

“If we survive the landing, I have a plan for handling the police.”

Tom returned to his seat as the aircraft came around and lined up for another attempted landing.

“I think it’ll be easier the second time around, Iz.”

He lied to comfort her and himself. He couldn’t stop thinking about their possible demise. Passing away in bed, age ninety-something, seemed far more appealing than plummeting from the sky.

Some deaths seem a lot worse than others.

“Here we go again. Hang on, Iz.”

The aircraft came in bum first. Tom thought the cabin pointed ridiculously upright. Everything seemed to be moving slowly, as if time warped with fear. As the rear wheels struck the tarmac Tom’s world became a place where everything held worth; even boredom mattered.

He braced himself for the crash, but the rear wheels didn’t smack down, as he anticipated. Instead, they eased onto the tarmac.

“Stay in the brace position, Iz. It’s not over.”

His fingers dug into the seat, as the front of the cabin began to drop.

This is it. Hang on.

He heard the engines squeal in protest, at being thrown into reverse thrust. Would the front mechanism hold under the weight of the aircraft?

I’m about to find out.

T
he chairman raised his enormous bulk into a standing position and employed an old, well utilised technique. He opened and spread his arms wide; raising his face towards the heavens with an anguished expression, like the Saviour beseeching his Father for guidance.

Stupid theatrics, but they’ll fall for it. They always do. I’m going into battle against a pack of hunting dogs. I need every trick in my arsenal.

The expressionless faces around the marble table confirmed his need for any tactic that worked.

This is their opportunity to replace me, but I’m ready.

“Gentlemen, we are the elect of God’s Church and we’ve been given many privileges. We have become exalted through His greatness.”

He stopped and searched each face.

“Never forget that our cause is greater than each of us. It is this responsibility that binds us together and I congratulate you all, for your years of courage and fortitude.”

The men at the marble table stood and clapped.

Ah … Deception … The beautiful lie … Always appropriate.

Even after so many years he felt amused by the committee’s mock spontaneous protocol. He felt compelled to smile back at them with the same feigned appreciation.

What kind of world would it be, if men became openly honest? Wouldn’t the blackness in each man’s heart, be exposed for all to see? Wouldn’t religion and government and even culture, struggle as a means of control for the world’s masters if they told the truth about their wealth? Without such cultured lying, all men descended into chaos and became animals.

He felt it his duty to manipulate and lie, like all good hierarchy did as a matter of course. His position and its dark machinations created no guilt, rather he felt esteemed by the responsibility of providing such structure to the world.

He raised his right hand for quiet.

“Gentlemen, thank you. I am now in a position to tell you that we are close to achieving our goal. Soon the Prize will be ours.”

He let them absorb this information before continuing.

“This boon will grant us the right and the means, to bring about true order.”

The chairman nodded his acquiescence to a challenger who slowly stood and faced him; the man’s sloth like exertions causing his ancient bald scalp to shine with perspiration.

“What of Wolf, Mr Chairman? Can we be sure of our success this time, given the antics of his predecessor?”

The chairman understood his comrade’s words as an obvious and calculated measure to test the strength of his leadership.

“Yes, a very good question. As usual your candour strips away the unimportant and brings us straight to the point. It is because of our new appointment that we know the location of the Prize. Wolf and the enemy are headed towards the Raptor Park dig site as we speak.”

“No. That can’t be, Mr Chairman. We searched that area with absolute thoroughness and …”

“Well it appears that you didn’t search well enough, my friend.”

“Yes, Mr Chairman, but the area …”

“Of course, no-one is blaming you.”

Antonio felt both relieved and amused, as his most likely opponent fell into his own trap.

Good. Because of his stupidity, the others will be inclined to hold back and support the stronger man.

“Gentlemen. Wolf has helicopters and ground support, so there won’t be any mistakes. Not this time. He will surround the area and hold off until the Prize is fully revealed. Then we will take back what is ours.”

The bald man remained standing, but already his body language held much less menace and authority.

“Mr Chairman, if my calculations are correct, Wolf will never make the site in time? Won’t this allow the enemy to use the Prize against us, or even destroy it?”

“No. No. No. It cannot be destroyed. We will safely secure it and eliminate God’s enemies.”

Ignore the question … Wait for the precise moment.

The day already belonged to him. Once again he held off the predators, but he realised that the jackals in the group grew bolder. Only the Prize could keep the pack from devouring him. This is how men are meant to behave and how he took power so long ago.

“Gentlemen, I am duty bound, not only to weed out disloyalty, but to protect us against its outcomes. For this reason, I have taken a liberty on behalf of the board. Wolf is already half way to Australia.”

An elderly man rose from his seat with the help of his assistant; his physique so gaunt and wasted of flesh that he resembled a corpse.

“This is a terrible breech of your position, Mr Chairman. We are of equal authority and are to be consulted in all important matters, yet you predetermined the entire voting process.”

“Yes. The reasons should be clear to you all. Circumstances forced me to act in a decisive way for the benefit of expediency. For this reason, I have also dispatched another aircraft, which will arrive shortly after Wolf … To, as you say, eliminate any antics. On board, is the seventh and last remaining Angel. He will ensure our victory.”

“Mr Chairman, this is too risky. He is extremely unstable and has lost much of his power. We don’t know what might happen if he is directly exposed to the Prize.”

“The Angel will act as a deterrent only. Agreed?”

The six other members of the Assembly yielded to the stronger man.

“Gentlemen, I have acted for the good of all. If I didn’t act, it could be us kneeling before another victor. Is that what you want? No. I will not allow our enemies to impose terms upon us. Our obligation is holy.”

He stopped and sipped some water.

“Don’t worry, my friends. I do not envisage that the Angel will be actively involved. He is our insurance. What man or technology could stand against him, even in his current state? No, gentlemen, we will not be dictated to. There will be no compromise. We will win and we will destroy our enemies.”

_____________

Bruno Wolf made a fist in annoyance. He lived in the shadows where he could watch others in the light, yet others shared his darkness.

It has to be his predecessor, but who is the woman?

Two unknowns and more. By accident, his assistant discovered that two jets flew from Rome, on this same quest.

So, the chairman employs another to keep me in line, or possibly remove me once the job is done. How quickly the hunter becomes the quarry.

The facts: an RAAF troop carrier followed Fox, as did a Fokker T950 business jet and an Assembly Cessna Peregrine 8000 followed him. An educated guess suggested that Vogel, a representative of the Black Cardinal and an Assembly heavy; probably someone closely associated with the chairman, like his son Roberto, completed the list of watchers in the shadows.

First, some insurance.

He punched a number into his communicator.

I must deal with the tangible and gain leverage, then work on my growing competition.

A surprised and cultured voice answered his call.

“Yes, who’s speaking?”

“We’ve never met priest, but we have heard of each other.”

“You have this number, so I know you’re the Assembly.”

“My name is Bruno Wolf. I’ve been sent to hunt you down.”

“Yes, The Darkman. I’ve heard of you, but really why the call? We’ve moved quite a bit past silly threats, don’t you think?”

“No. Not at all. You see I have a proposition for you, priest. One that will change your life.”

_____________

Vogel knew that his whereabouts could be easily determined if he made contact with any local authority, yet, if he could utilise the state police effectively and maintain secrecy at least for the short term, he could steal an eventual victory.

My troop carrier won’t be a concern to the Australians or the Assembly. They’re convinced that the aircraft is on a mission concerning top-secret covert activities.

Vogel maintained many contacts around Australia, which included high ranking members of the Queensland State Police Force. He could gain the assistance of the Longreach constabulary with one call.

The Assembly won’t involve the Australians … No way.

They won’t allow local participation. He felt no such qualms. With everything to gain if the G11 group got caught, the police became an asset. Even if this didn’t occur, he could monitor and control their pace and movements.

“Captain. You are about to receive an important transmission from the senior sergeant in charge of police in Longreach. Please inform him that their objective is to bring Tom Fox into custody and contain him until we arrive. Under no circumstances is he to be harmed. Also inform him that all of the others on board the aircraft are expendable.”

If these police yokels pull this off, nothing can stop me.

“And captain, please inform the officer that this is a top-secret endeavour. No paperwork and no communication.”

He groaned involuntarily at the thought of Fox’s capture.

Fox, you may be the most precious commodity in the world, but once I get the information I need, I’m going to slit your worthless throat.

_____________

Wolf presented his proposal to the clergyman and nodded when he heard the expected expulsion of breath. Silence followed.

“I take it that your lack of response indicates a yes, priest?”

“I have no real choice … Yes.”

Bruno Wolf fell back into his leather chair and laughed.

Now that’s genius. I’ve won this battle with a single call.

The priest fell back to earth like a shot bird; how easily he capitulated.

“Ah. Winning always feels so good. No matter how easily it occurs.”

The assistant looked bewildered as he entered the fuselage and heard his superior talking. Wolf continued the private conversation for his own amusement.

“The priest will do whatever I ask. He belongs to me … He’s mine.”