| |
Scottish Government Bunker, Edinburgh
Siobhan glanced at her watch. It was 7 p.m. Wherever Rory, Kendra and Xian were on their journey to Lloyd’s in Fife, they would be camped for the night. The hall in the communications area was quiet; the personnel monitoring the radios would be at their evening meal.
Who could she trust? Who else was involved in this treachery?
Siobhan halted at the doorway of the room next to the short-wave radios. A technician turned from the screen where tech staff viewed drone footage, and removed the sound excluding headphones from his ears. “Mrs Campbell?”
Alec MacAllister was one of the younger members of the Bunker’s population. An honest young lad.
Please don’t destroy my trust in the goodness of human nature.
Tightness pressed inside her pelvis. She bent forward and rested her hands on the back of the nearest chair.
“Are you okay, Mrs Campbell?” Alec asked and stood to face her.
Siobhan breathed through the tightness. “I need to contact my husband.”
“The CB room’s next door but can I get you some help?”
“No, I’m fine.” The tightness receded, and she straightened. “Do you love your country?”
“Pardon?” The young man’s stare intensified.
“Do you love Scotland and believe in the New Scottish Government?”
“Aye, ma’am.” Alec blinked and stood to attention.
“Then you can help me. You’re viewing drone footage?”
“Today’s views of Kirkcaldy, ma’am.”
“Show me.”
“I should get clearance for you—”
“Alec, this is of national importance and I know what to look for!”
“...We only have daylight footage. None of our drones have a functioning night vision camera anymore.” Alec brought up a view of a substantial, well-established stately home in the middle of fields with early crops, long sheds, and storage vats. He zoomed the vision in. From a distance, there were dark dots by the solid stone fence that surrounded the house. Close up, these dots were armed men, wearing the familiar garb of Lloyd’s personnel.
His army.
“This is Mr Lloyd’s property where the PM is attending the fuel summit. He has quite a lot of security,” Alec noted. “The issue at present, ma’am, is that the talks have taken longer than expected and the PM’s convoy will have to return to the Bunker in the dark. And they haven’t yet contacted us by CB.”
“That’s the thing, Alec. I don’t think she’ll be travelling home tonight.”
“No? They were planning to. Mr Lloyd’s hospitality—”
Siobhan shook her head. “Please show me the most recent footage you have.”
“Aye, ma’am. I haven’t yet examined it myself.” Alec went to the appropriate section. The sunset footage showed dim figures collecting near one of the larger sheds, they stood in guard formation.
“Was that shed guarded previously?” Siobhan pulled up a chair and sat next to Alec, ignoring the tension starting in her abdomen.
“No, ma’am. I’ll rewind.” Alec rewound and played the scene.
Lloyd’s dark uniformed men held Scottish Government personnel at gunpoint and herded them into the large shed where they now stood guard.
“Oh, no.” Alec’s voice held his disbelief and shock.
“I didn’t see the PM. Where’s Bethany?” Her question came out choked as it mixed with the last of the tightening in her abdomen, bordering on pain.
Alec adjusted the view and zoomed in close on the people being forced into the shed. No Bethany but Alistair was there, and Micah.
But Micah was pointing a gun at government personnel.
A cold chill ran down her spine, kicking off another tightening which increased in pressure, and her back ached.
“I must CB Rory,” she said through an expelled breath.
“Mrs Campbell, ma’am, if you don’t mind me saying so, you’re all sweaty and I think what you really need to do is go the medical centre, ma’am.”
“Get me to a CB,” she ordered.
Alec hurried to the next room and turned on the nearest CB. Siobhan followed and sat beside him. She turned the dial to the frequency Rory used.
Alec hovered. “Mrs Campbell, ma’am. I’m going tae alert my superior. We’ll need to send support for our detained security but with our low supply of petrol...Ah, and I’ll get Dr Longford, okay?”
Siobhan nodded as another contraction started.
Oh, slow down, please.
Rory should go and help. It made sense. He was closer and could muster aid. He’d stayed at the Tummel House Community on his way down and they had an army.
But I need you, Rory.
Another contraction started, forcing a cry between her lips. She breathed through it.
The pain tailed off and annoyance took over. Rory would choose to help. He’d go to Lloyd’s first. He’d not make her a priority.
She blew out a long sigh. “Breaker. Breaker. Rory,” she said into the handset.
Her man was needed elsewhere. For important things in a crucial time. He was a leader, she reminded herself.
Siobhan repeated her mantra.
“I married a man who leads a people and I must share him with them.”
And determine to love him, no matter what decision he makes.
“Mrs Campbell, ma’am?” Alec’s strangled voice filtered through her determination. She ignored him.
“Rory. Come in. Over.” Desperation echoed through her words.
Siobhan! What’s wrong? Rory’s voice came loudly through the handset.