Memoria (43 page)

The boxer now behaved similarly to how he had when they'd found him in the lab. There, he'd
been
strange
too, until they unplugged all the machines and pulled out all the cables.
He'd spoken
as if he was under hypnosis.
After that, some sick kind of
split personality disorder must have kicked in.
The boxer had punched Frank in t
he shoulder and stared at his own hand, looking surprised. He'd recognized
Maggie and even tried to get off the bed, but
winc
ed and sat back, grasping his
wounded
leg.

Now he kept walking.

Frank
climbed
the steps to
ward
him.

"Dad!" Maggie screamed behind his back.

A deadbolt clanged, metal against metal.
Frank
cran
ed
his neck
to see
Dickens
better.

The girl wasn't on the platform.
Dickens
was climbing down into an open hatch.

The boxer kept walking. Three more steps, and Frank would be within his reach.

Frank
lunged
forward
,
turning the axe handle up, and used
it
to poke
the boxer's chest.

In a smooth and well-practiced motion,
Barney
avoided the blow and grabbed Frank's arm. His other hand
slapp
ed
Frank against the face,
knocking him down.

Frank hit the platform edge
, hurting his back and nearly falling off
onto the roof from
a
height
of four meters
.
He was lucky the edges
curl
ed inwards. Frank rolled over, avoiding the boxer's kick, jumped up and bolted for the open hatch.
Barney
lun
ged forward blocking his way.

Now Frank could see the landing site for what it truly was. The platform
was
the satellite dish; the room below, the transmitter.
Dickens
had gone down to activate it.

"
Barney
, they've been messing with your head! They-"

The boxer didn't let him finish. He advanced, raising his hands as he walked.
Frank turned the axe blade forward hoping it would discourage him for a second giving him a chance to explain.
As he walked,
Barney
threw one arm forward and grabbed the axe handle. Frank
blocked his other hand
, forcing his elbow into the boxer's chest. He let go of the handle and jumped aside.

He couldn't possibly overcome
Barney
in a
hand
-
to
-
hand.
He could also see that words failed to bring him out of his trance. Somehow he kept following
Dickens'
orders. When the transmitter started working, millions of people would
be like
Barney
, puppets in
Claney
's hands.

Frank hurried to the hatch and collapsed, his
feet
giving way
, h
is m
ind blinded by the pain and the fear that
Barney
had used the blade. He sat up
and looked
at his feet. Both were still there.
He looked up and
dodged as the blade whizzed through
the air.

The axe
sunk into the mesh
,
str
iking
sparks,
and
bounced back over
Barney
's head.
The only eye on his mask-like face glistened.
He clenched his bloodied teeth and
drew in air, lowering his
swing, when fear and desperation flashed in his glare.
Barney
shuddered, burying the blade in the platform next to Frank's feet.
Then he
brought his knee up under
Frank
's
chin, th
r
owing him onto his back.

"You've remembered!" Frank didn't care about the pain.
Blood from his bitten tongue filled his mouth.
Barney
took another swing.

"Remember Maggie!"

Barney
froze.
He
struck.

* * *

Dickens
scra
mbled down the stairs into the utility room and hurled the
girl
in the far corner, out of the way. His right hand and fingers were broken so he had to use the left one. He shoved the gun
in
his belt and
stepped
up
to the steel equipment cabinet with Memoria's phosphorescent logo glimmering on its side.

Dickens
brought the bracelet
up
to the lock
, opened the cabinet doors and reached for the master switch.

He cried out
from a
blow to the small of his back.
After a moment's bewilderment, his
reflexes kicked in. He ducked, turning,
and thrust
his left fist
toward the opponent. The attacking girl
duck
ed to one side
,
screamed
in pain and attempted another blow.

Against his will, he appreciated
her stance. She'd apparently picked up a couple of simple moves from either
Max
or her father. He blocked
her hand with his forearm
, then missed he
r slight motion in the dark and
suppressed
a scream when
her nails dug into his
cheek.

No more Mr. Nice Guy.
Dickens
kicked
the girl back into the corner, then
felt his burning cheek and
winced. He licked his bloodied fingers a
nd bared his teeth
peering into the dark for her unmoving body.
His hand reached for the gun and stopped. No good killing the hostage. He might still need her.

He turned back to the cabinet and
was just reaching
for the switch when he heard
the drone
of an approaching helicopter.

* * *

A
t the last moment, the axe
turned in
Barney
's hands, hitting Frank with the flat of the blade
.
He saw
stars:
one apparently bigger than the others
,
reached out its blinding beam to the tower, droning.

He had to be still alive, otherwise he wouldn't feel the pain.
Barney
must have restrained himself
,
or
even
the
flat
blow
should
have smashed his skull.

Strong hands grabbed his shoulders and pulled him away from the platform. A
broad
bloodied face blocked out the light.
Barney
's lips shook as
he
raised his fist
, his eye twitching to
ward
the hatch.

"Maggie's there," Frank croaked. "Your girl's there. Save her."

The boxer opened his mouth
. Then he shut his eye, shaking his head.

"Do
you remember her
? Your teddy bear? She needs our
help!"

H
is face writhing,
Barney
unclenched his fist
.

"Go," he gasped
and pushed Frank's shoulder
.
"Now!"

Barney
's
voice hardened. "Take the axe!" He
bent down to
grab it
, lost his footing and collapsed onto the platform, sn
ort
ing. Frank picked up the axe and
ran to the hatch.

The opening was wide enough for him to jump down. Not thinking about the depth,
Frank
landed on
the floor almost opposite
Dickens
. His hand on the master switch, the man turned his head.

S
pace and time didn't allow for a good swing.
Frank just stood up and lunged, the axe in his grasp.

Timing was crucial. If
Dickens
stepped back, he would miss the blade.
If he flipped the switch, he would lose his hand but turn on the transmitter.

S
elf-preservation forced
Dickens
to snatch his hand back. The wide blade
tore through the switchboard
and smashed
the
circuit breaker. I
t crackled and hissed
,
sending
blue and
white sparks
fl
ying across the room.
It turned as bright as day.
The room filled with the
helicopter's whirring
descent
. On
the switchboard, lights started flashing. The sten
ch of burned plastic filled
nostrils.

Frank pulled the axe out
of the switchboard, but
Dickens
impeded
his swing in mid-air.
His
fist dug into Frank's ribs, knocking the air out of him
. Frank's fingers
loosened, letting go of the axe.

Dickens
pulled out a gun.
Frank sniff
ed, bending
his head and shoulders
, and
rammed
his
opponent
in the stomach
until
he pinned
Dickens
to the wall.

Dickens
pistol-whipped
him on his ba
ck and head
.
Stars
exploded
in
Frank's
eyes
. He
collapsed into a dark void.

* * *

The cold air and whirring of the rotors filled the helicopter
's cabin
through the open door. The headphones didn't
block the noise out, and Jessup had to shout commands to the pilot. The sniper moved closer to the opening and raised his rifle. Two special-force men
on the other
side lowered their line
s, hooked
themselves
up
and stood
motionless
on the chopper's wide chassis
bar. Their
squad
leader
stayed inside waiting for Jessup's command.

The beam
found the
wide platform on the dark roof. On it, two men were fighting.

Jessup craned his neck
to look over the pilot's shoulder, ordering him to descend and hover over the platform. He had no idea who they were and why they fought, but he picked up the mike,
about to issue a
warning through the speakers w
hen one of the fighters collapsed
. The other picked up a large firefighters' axe, lunged for an open hatch in the middle
of the platform
and jumped inside.

Jessup raised his hand. The
squad
leader
touched the sniper's shoulder.
Jessup didn't want to give
the
order
to shoot
until he had the whole picture.
He didn't
yet
know
which side
they were on.

"Closer!" he shouted to the pilot.

The helicopter swayed, descending a few feet. The burly man on the platform turned his face, torn and bloodied, to
ward
the beam.
He knelt and raised his hands, shouting; Jessup couldn't discern t
he words above
the roar. The man wavered and fell onto the platform.