Scorpio's Lot (114 page)

‘Looks like the arse-end of the
world down there. Anyway, this is not the entrance I was brought to,’ declared
Brigit, believing the mere repulsive sight of the network would only open old
wounds.

‘We need to go down and look for
them,’ called Emily unexpectedly.

‘Over my dead body!’ Carpenter
responded without hesitation.

‘And why not?’ she questioned
without considering the consequences.

‘That would be foolish, Emily.
For starters, the place is far too dangerous for you to enter. God knows what might
be lurking down there. It would need a professionally armed outfit to confront
the likes of Indigo and his misfits.’

Dismissing Emily’s unrealistic
suggestion, Carpenter and Martino peered into the cavity beneath. It looked
decidedly uninviting. They studied the opening and muttered to each other for a
brief moment. Emily strained to pick up the conversation. Unable to make any
sense of their private chitchat, she let her feelings be known.

‘This matter demands immediate
action, sergeant.’

‘That I won’t deny, but it’ll
require more than two policemen to tackle the likes of Scorpio and Traffik, in
addition to locating eight missing persons. I need to place some phone calls to
see what can be arranged tonight. This cannot wait until tomorrow.’

‘But surely you’ve got immediate
backup at the station?’ Emily persisted.

‘If you recall, we were the last
two on duty. This situation now warrants city backup and appropriate equipment
to deal with the possible consequences. Our local constituencies merely make up
the numbers,’ informed Carpenter, who purposely withheld information regarding
the activities at Broadbent’s.

Emily acknowledged that a search,
at this very moment, was both foolhardy and overly ambitious. Irrational
behaviour was generally not one of Emily’s traits, but given her emotional
trauma Carpenter had already excused her direct approach.

Ensuring the trapdoor was shut
and entrance door secured, the small group returned to the car park and stopped
just short of reaching Helen’s Saab. Carpenter continued some twenty paces on,
stopped and then commenced pressing away at his mobile. Brigit observed the
numerous calls; some went unanswered while the remainder drew intense and
insistent discussion. A pause and then a return call, she could see Carpenter
becoming quite orchestral with his body language and persistent ways. He
finally hung up and returned to brief the small gathering.

‘I spoke to Whittaker, who will
assemble the local force and city backup team. Gallagher got in touch with
operations and four SOG troops will arrive tonight by helicopter -’

‘Does that mean you will mount a
search tonight?’ Emily cut in.

‘Yes.’

~ * ~

‘Bloody
hell, why didn’t some bright spark install an escalator,’ groaned Forbes,
having ascended around two hundred metres of passageway.

His men grinned, realising their
superior’s physique was not exactly cut out for mountain climbing. It had
become a tough haul for all, with periodical rests along the way to regain
composure. The three subordinate detectives, who were considerably fitter,
recognised the breaks were purposely intended for Alan Forbes as a means to
recover his breath.

The general consensus had already
decided it would be futile to explore the depths of the network. For a
logistics operation to be carried out efficiently, commonsense explicitly
inferred the Scorpio headquarters would have to be located in one of the top
six levels and understandably convenient to Broadbent’s.

‘Gentlemen, from this moment
forth our vigilance is paramount. Recheck your arms for we have reached level
six or what you might call the upper basement. Safety in numbers is the best
option, so I’ve decided we’ll remain together. It’s anyone’s guess as to the
extent of what we’re up against. Remember we’re here to observe, retreat and
then mount a full-scale attack when we know the strength or weakness of our
enemy.’

The immediate landing covered an
immense area to canvass. Although an unlikely source of activity, it was,
nonetheless, important to check the far side from beyond Broadbent s. The maze
of passageways to be covered implied a methodical approach was necessary;
otherwise repetitive surveillance would soon become apparent. With numerous
corridors looking distinctly similar, the officers certainly wanted to avoid
this ominous trap. Finally declaring the area all clear they cautiously
ascended to level five.

Almost identical to its
predecessor, the perusal of this higher landing was conducted in half the time.
Familiarization can be a useful tool thought Forbes as he further decreed the
fifth floor as being uneventful. The approach to landing four had heightened
the anxiety levels. Tension and expectancy had joined forces to imply the
enviable was about to materialise.

A notable architectural change on
this floor greeted the unsuspecting police. Whilst bluestone continued to be
the dominant material, the layout was indeed different to that previously
observed. Wider passageways made way to galleries and much larger chambers,
most of which offered doorways and an occasional window. This level was
distinctly unlike any other. With a sudden chill in the air and the notable
absence of relics and usual paraphernalia, the immediate vicinity seemed to
intensify some menacing warning. The fourth floor projected a strange and
unwelcome aura, as if an evil presence was lurking within its confines. The
crisscrossing of helmet lights seemed to emphasise the eeriness as they danced
and bounced off the bluestone passageways.

The devil’s level, thought
Forbes.

An uncomfortable silence,
dissimilar to any preceding floor, only emphasised the unfriendly tone. Gone
was the trickle of the ever-present water droplets and scurrying sound of an
occasional cellar rat. Forbes wasn’t a superstitious man, but this environment
sent a shiver up his spine. They persisted with the surveillance of level four,
and while the men half-expected the inevitable, no glimmer of evidence
prevailed. Again they would leave a further tier empty-handed.

Tension continued to mount with
their ascendance to the next higher landing. The constabulary was intensely
aware that with each subsequent clearance, the proceeding level increased the
likelihood of confrontation. Level three became instantly recognisable as a
replica of its predecessor. Broad corridors and intersecting smaller side
passageways indicated the presence of numerous junctions, at times enticing the
constabulary to choose between four or five exit arterials. With guns ready,
the cautious approach now necessitated that the detectives advance in pairs and
work from either side of the pathway. They sensed a different aura presided
over the third floor, for the strange and eerie had been replaced by an
inhabited presence.

As if on cue in the belief they
weren’t alone, the first sound of human intervention was detected. The muffled
distant noise of a compressor could be heard and its very existence suggested
on the same subterranean level. Its direction, located to the far side, was
unquestionably near the once-thriving establishment of Broadbent Warehouse.
Forbes was astounded this had not been detected on their descent, but further
contemplated the machinery was most likely turned off at the time. Presumably
the Scorpio southern operation was about to be revealed.

Like a well-oiled machine, the
four pressed forward, resembling some sort of synchronised mechanism. Even
Forbes impressed his subordinates with his sudden agile movements and
unyielding determination to find these headquarters. With each approaching
passageway, the compressor’s unrelenting and repetitive movement grew louder.
Corridors had now transformed into broader and more impressive open-style
galleries. Chambers, reminiscent from the level below, appeared in their
monotonous rows, most complete with doorways and windowsills. Forbes envisaged
the rooms served to house prisoners and the storage of drugs. Caution and
assessment of what lay ahead would determine their method of assault with the
backup team in mind. A hasty and unplanned advance could possibly backfire.
Their helmet lights would soon need to be extinguished.

With Forbes and his men flanked
to both sides of an open and rather vulnerable gallery, the rumbling sound of
machinery now appeared to be only a short distance away. Unexpectedly a voice
was heard from an elevated position. Startled by the command, the four men
turned in unison at the direction of the source.

‘Lay your weapons on the ground!’
ordered the firm voice from above.

The reaction was distinctly slow.
Shock had momentarily delayed any directive. The four simply stared into the subdued
background.

‘Now!’ insisted the voice in a
more forceful tone.

They obeyed the man’s
instruction. This was no time to take unnecessary risks given the absence of
any nearby cover. He held the ascendancy, for his aim protruded from between
two bluestone pillars perched above an adjacent chamber. The obscure figure
continued.

‘There’s a further gun pointed at
you immediately to my right. Place both hands on your heads and stand facing
the wall.’

Prior to turning, Forbes caught a
glimpse of his adversary as he stepped forward from beyond his stone shield.
The man was of stocky build, perhaps around five-seven in height. He wore a
balaclava to shield his identity and a set of military-style night-vision
goggles were tightly strapped to his head. A second person was momentarily seen
standing beside a stone column.

Forbes conceded he had stuffed
up. He had momentarily overlooked any possible threat coming from above. Their
light-enhanced helmets had served well from a surveillance perspective, but
indirectly the illuminating beams had also advertised their arrival. The men,
presumably Scorpio accomplices, appeared professional in their approach. The
one who had spoken projected a calm and organised manner. He was quite possibly
no fool and not one to take chances with. Opportunity could present itself at
some later stage, Forbes hoped.

Descending a set of steps beside
the chamber, the two men advanced toward their row of captives now facing the
bluestone wall. With guns in hand, they quickly assessed if further weaponry
could be uncovered. Satisfied the four men possessed no additional arms, their
mouthpiece commenced his interrogation.

‘Identify yourselves.’

Instinctively it was Alan Forbes
who decided to be spokesman. ‘My name is Detective Forbes and I am accompanied
by my three officers.’

Ah ... the constabulary, we are
indeed privileged.’

‘And who is “we”?’ questioned
Forbes.

‘All in good time,’ he replied.

For a short moment the captors
paused to evaluate their prisoners, studying each policeman individually before
progressing further. Believing they held no pending threat, he recommenced his
instructions.

‘With hands to remain on your
heads, you will now turn right and proceed to walk down the immediate
passageway at a steady pace. We’ll be trailing at the rear and if I so much as
detect the slightest threat, I won’t hesitate to use this gun,’ ordered the
camouflaged man.

The entourage commenced their
march toward the ever-increasing sound of the compressor. The voice from one of
the captors could be heard relaying a message on some two-way device. He
cleverly spoke in a foreign tongue with the intention of forewarning his
accomplices of the police’s pending arrival. Damage from the Broadbent
explosion now came into view. The extent of destruction was horrendous and
Forbes wondered for a brief moment if there had been casualties or fatalities.
The movement of rock to this extent must have ignited some fuel from within the
complex. Perhaps a highly potent fluid, he thought.

Evidence of habitation began to
materialise. Numerous boxes were stacked against the gallery wall. Various
pieces of equipment and personnel effects were loosely placed in periodical
collections. Forbes quickly assessed that the Scorpio syndicate was in the
processes of vacating the subterranean network. The blast from above had
exposed their southern headquarters and time was quickly running out to retreat
and move location.