The Disappearances (22 page)

‘I feel amazing,’ he said, turning to Linus, his eyes shining.

Linus grinned. ‘That computer had some pretty great drugs,’ he said wryly then, seeing Lucas’s expression, and laughed. ‘They had you doped up, so I got the computer to stop the meds and give you something to perk you up a bit. Turns out she did exactly what I asked. Won’t last long, so enjoy it.’

‘She?’ Lucas looked at Linus curiously.

‘Oh yeah,’ Linus said, his voice deadpan. ‘It had a lovely voice, actually. I think we could have hit it off. In different circumstances.’

The car slowed down then pulled into a set of caves. Lucas looked around. ‘Where are we?’ he asked.

‘North,’ Linus said. The North Pennines. At least that’s what it used to be called. Nice place for walking. And lots of caves.’

‘So I see,’ Lucas said as Linus turned off the engine and they were plunged into darkness. ‘You’ve got this all figured out, haven’t you?’

Linus took out a torch, turned it on, and shot Lucas a grin. ‘Something like that,’ he winked. ‘So the Settlement is about an hour’s walk from here,’ he said, opening the car door. ‘You going to be okay?’

‘I’m going to be just fine,’ Lucas said firmly, and jumped out of the car, then followed Linus out into the darkness.

Mr Weizman stared at the computer screen. His boss was on it, looking very angry, very angry indeed.

‘Let me get this straight. You had him? He was in the compound and he got away?’

Mr Weizman nodded. He’d already explained many, many times, that there had been no sign the prisoner had been from the City, that there had been no indication that he’d been with someone, that he had been found outside the perimeter wall with a gash to the head and brought in as a precautionary measure, that once his status as ‘of no use’ had been established, Weizman had given the order to terminate him. The escape, the partner, the man who had got in to the mainframe … there had been no indication. No warning.

He had personally gone over what had happened several times, and had fired two people. But that didn’t help him now.

The man sitting at the computer let out a long sigh, then he shook his head wearily.

‘You’re making things much harder for me,’ he said. ‘You know, I try and trust other people to do things and they never get it right, never.’ Then he sighed. ‘Fortunately I am a few steps ahead of you. And them. Fortunately I know where they are going, and I am ready for them. But you are to take this as a formal warning. Do you understand?’

‘Yes, sir,’ Mr Weizman said.

His boss turned back as if surprised to see him still on his screen. ‘Yeah, I’m done with you,’ he said curtly and the screen went blank.

Slowly, Mr Weizman turned and left the room and decided that he needed a drink.

The Brother walked slowly up to the front of the Meeting House, the home to Gatherings, to the weekly sermons that had always kept the City’s people enthralled, towing the line, and as he walked he enjoyed the looks, stares and murmurs as he passed his flock. Because they were his flock, had always been his flock. He had spent a year in the wilderness, his wings clipped, having to pretend to have seen the error of his ways, having to pretend to be grateful to Lucas.

Grateful? He despised Lucas. Loathed him more than he had loathed anyone in his life. Lucas was a traitor, a manipulative, secretive traitor who had become … The Brother shook his head in disgust. He couldn’t even describe what Lucas had become. Lucas, who had appeared to be so strong, so uncompromising, had been a pathetic, snivelling ideologist all this time. Just like his father.

Still, he was gone now. And if he ever tried to return, he would regret it. Not for long, though, he wouldn’t survive in the City for more than a day. Not by the time the Brother had finished with him.

He stopped briefly outside the Meeting House, looking up at it with pleasure, with relief at being back. Gatherings had been one of his favourite aspects of the City he had helped to mould. A weekly meeting, they had offered him a platform, a chance to remind everyone how lucky they were, how important it was to guard against the evil that flourished so readily, given half a chance. Everyone had sat according to their label, the most public forum for label watching that the City could offer. And the Brother had loved it; loved the contempt on the look of the faces of the A’s as they regarded the sorry clump of D’s, loved the way the B’s held their heads high while casting envious glances in the direction of the A’s, and then there were the C’s, clinging on to respectability, so fearful of becoming a D that they could barely look at them lest they be tarnished immediately. Divide and conquer – wasn’t that the phrase? And it was so true. So wonderfully, beautifully true and simple.

Having their place in life set out for them, that’s what people wanted, not Lucas with his pathetic attempts to let them choose for themselves. Fortunately Lucas hadn’t had the stomach to lead the City; fortunately he had failed so miserably that the Brother had been more than able to pick up the pieces as soon as he’d gone.

The truth was that leadership wasn’t easy, the Brother knew that all too well. It took sacrifice, time, effort. It meant constantly being on your guard, constantly looking for danger, constantly working out new ways to manipulate, cajole, fire up and quietly threaten. People were like sheep, the Brother had learnt that many years ago. They liked to be led. But if you didn’t lead vigorously, if you didn’t keep absolute control, another sheep might break out from the group and, mindlessly, others would start to follow.

Of course not everyone could see that. Lucas thought that if he offered people freedom they would respect him for it, would welcome it. But people didn’t want freedom; they wanted rules, regulations, structure. Why else had man clung on to religion for so many years? Why else had dictators flourished throughout history? People didn’t want freedom; they didn’t know what to do with it. They wanted only the appearance of freedom; they wanted a belief structure that told them how to behave, that punished the bad, and made everyone else feel safe, and in return they would ignore any holes in the theories, any contradictions, any unsavoury facts that it didn’t suit them to dwell on. That’s how mankind had always lived. How it always would.

He walked into the Meeting House, through the centre, up to the raised platform and held up his hands. Everyone fell silent.

‘My friends, brothers and sisters,’ began the Brother. ‘It is so good to see you all here, as it always is. Let us give thanks.’

There was a ripple of something, and it grew louder. Then louder still. And then the Brother smiled, because it was a cheer; the people were cheering him, all five thousand of them, their hands up in the air.

‘Brother!’

‘Welcome back, Brother!’

‘Let us give thanks!’

‘We are safe again!’

The Brother allowed it to continue for a few minutes, basking in the adoration, then he held up his hands again.

‘Friends,’ he said, seriously now. ‘Friends, I am touched by your welcome, moved by your passion. But today is not a day for celebration. Today is a day for commemorating our dead, our fallen. As you know, your former leader, Lucas, left us recently, ran from the City that had looked after him all his life, taking with him one of our young. Clara, the last of the Disappeared. We don’t know where he took her; I think perhaps we do not wish to know. Because when he left, brothers and sisters, we discovered the truth – the bodies piled up outside the City walls, the rest of the Disappeared. It was Lucas, brothers and sisters. Lucas who was responsible for the deaths of our young. Lucas fell prey to evil, brothers and sisters, and we did not succeed in helping him, in fighting it. We are to blame as much as he. But now we must join together; now, we must be as one, united in our desire to keep evil outside these City walls. But first, let us give thanks for all that we do have; for this City, for each other, for the food that we grow, the work that keeps our minds active and our bodies strong.’

‘We all give thanks,’ everyone said fervently.

The Brother’s eyes fell on Clara’s parents, their eyes still bloodshot, their hands entwined, clinging on to each other for support. He smiled to himself.

‘Let us give thanks to this great City.’

‘We all give thanks.’ More loudly this time.

‘And finally …’ the Brother paused, looked to the back of the room where one man sat, camouflaged by former D’s who still knew their place, who, to their credit, did not dare to sit with former A’s or B’s as they had done when Lucas had gathered the people together. The man nodded and the Brother allowed himself a little smile. ‘And finally, let us give thanks to the System, which was shut down by the forces of evil, but which we will bring back, as soon as we can, to protect us, to look over us. So that we will lose no more of our beloved children. So that we may be protected from the evil that roams outside, that threatens to grow in this City if we are not vigilant.’

‘We all give thanks.’

The Brother smiled. Everything would be okay. Everything was just as it should be once again.

Raffy knew the man was there the minute he sat down to eat his lunch. There was no sign of him, but Raffy had an ability to pick up on the little things, a change in birdsong, an unidentified rustle in the branches of a tree, things that others wouldn’t notice, things that told him to be on high alert.

He sat, took out his food and started to eat, but really he was waiting. And sure enough, a few minutes later, the man appeared. Raffy gazed at him thoughtfully. ‘You were right,’ he said, his voice expressionless.

‘Yes,’ the man said. He sat down a few feet away from Raffy. ‘I’m sorry about that. I just thought you should know.’

‘You’re not sorry,’ Raffy said, his dark brown eyes staring at him insolently. ‘You told me for a reason, and I suspect that now you’re here to tell me that reason. You want something from me. What is it?’

The man smiled. ‘Not much gets past you, does it?’ he said.

‘On the contrary,’ Raffy said, staring at him, his big brown eyes half hidden behind his unruly hair. ‘Quite a lot does, evidently. You had to tell me about the watch. Seems I’m the last to know about a lot of things. So tell me. Why are you really here?’

‘A lot of things? You’re referring to your brother? To all the lies he spun you over the years?’

Raffy didn’t say anything; he took another bite of his sandwich, then wished he hadn’t when he realised his mouth had dried up. He realised that he had no interest in eating now and spat the food out.

‘That bad?’ the man said. ‘So I’m guessing you won’t be too pleased to hear that he’s coming this way?’

Raffy looked up abruptly. ‘What?’

The man shrugged. ‘He’s coming here to take you away. You and your girlfriend.’

Raffy’s eyes narrowed. ‘We’re not going anywhere,’ he said, his voice low, threatening. ‘Lucas can do what he wants, but I’m ready for him.’

The man pulled a face. ‘I’m sure you are, Raffy. But can you really speak for Evie? Now that you know about the watch?’

Raffy didn’t say anything; he wasn’t going to let this man see that inside he was boiling with rage.

‘She chose me, not Lucas. She’ll always choose me,’ he said. Then he stood up. ‘Is that it? Because I’m going to get back to work.’

The man nodded. ‘You haven’t eaten much,’ he observed.

Raffy stared at him with thunderous eyes. ‘I’m not very hungry,’ he replied.

The man smiled. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Look, you’re right. I’m sure you’re right. If Lucas does come here, Evie will tell him to go; she’ll do whatever you say. But, and it’s a big but, if she doesn’t, if things don’t go entirely according to plan, I have a little proposition for you.’

‘What kind of proposition?’ Raffy asked, turning around, his eyes flashing. ‘Who are you anyway? You never tried to join the Settlement. I asked around.’

The man laughed. ‘All right, you’ve got me.’ He looked at Raffy cautiously. Then he sat back. ‘Truth is, we’ve got something in common. You’re not wild on Lucas; I’m not happy with your brother either. Not happy about a few things that he’s done. I figured we might be able to help each other. I mean, I can’t imagine you’re too keen on him coming here, trying to take you away from the first place you’ve been happy in your whole life. Trying to take Evie away from you. See, I don’t think Lucas is the kind of person you can trust, is he? I mean, he’s demonstrated that in the past, hasn’t he? So how about you sit down again and let me tell you my idea. Just in case Evie doesn’t see things like you do. Let me tell you, and then you can decide what you want to do. Does that sound okay?’

He looked up at Raffy hopefully; Raffy took a deep breath. He didn’t like this man. Didn’t trust him one bit. But he’d been right about the watch. If he was right about Lucas … if Lucas was really coming …

He let the breath out, sat down, looked at the man. ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘Tell me your idea. But I’m not making any promises.’

‘I wouldn’t expect you to,’ the man smiled, reaching his hand out. ‘My name’s Thomas, by the way. It’s very nice to meet you.’

‘This is where they are?’ Lucas looked at the large fence ahead, so different from the City wall. It appeared to simply mark a boundary rather than keep people out or in. ‘This is where they live now?’

Linus nodded. ‘Wait here,’ he said. They were a few hundred metres from the perimeter of the Settlement; Lucas watched curiously as Linus ran to the fence, waited, appeared to throw something over it, then ran back again. Lucas found Linus more irritating than he could put into words, but at times like this he could only marvel at a man twice his age who seemed as fit and lithe as a teenager, who seemed to know everything, who never ceased to surprise. Lucas, who had spent his life obeying orders, could not fathom Linus, but as he watched him running back, he shook his head in admiration. Although, of course, he had no idea what Linus was up to. As always, Linus hadn’t told him anything.

‘So?’ he asked, not really expecting an answer, or at least not one that meant anything.

‘So?’ Linus repeated, distractedly.