Mason waited until the mercs were out of sight and then started running, taking a different route through the stacks of crates. He bypassed the mound of building materials at the same time as the running mercs, but stayed out of sight using the crates. Roxy, Quaid, and Hassell ran with him, staying low.
It was a desperate sprint. They reached the building first, slipped inside before the mercs appeared. Mason started the quick dash through to the other side, traversing first the back office and then the front room. Through the shattered windows, he could see the mercs’ vehicles parked at the side of the road outside.
A dozen plans ran through his head.
They were only seconds behind the mercs, who were dragging Sally along with them. They flew through the front room and were then outside again. Mason knew he was out of options.
‘What’s the fucking plan?’ Roxy hissed tautly.
In moments of high stress, they deferred to him. Mason had once said he never wanted to lead a team again, but circumstances just kept putting him in charge.
‘Have you got some bullets left?’
They all nodded.
‘Then shoot these bastards when they come out the bloody door.’
Mason flattened himself against the wall a few feet from the broken door. Roxy went to the other side. Quaid and Hassell separated and copied their movements. Mason listened hard. Already there were sounds of the mercs coming through the front room.
Mason readied himself. The first merc came through the door, backing out, dragging Sally along with him. Mason didn’t hesitate. The whole situation was incredibly fluid. He placed the barrel of his gun close to the guy’s head and fired. Even as his body spasmed and jerked, Sally struggled with the other mercs pushing her outside. From the right, Roxy shot another merc through the face, aiming high. Mason jammed his gun into the armpit of the next merc, careful to avoid the vest, and opened fire.
All that was left was the main merc who had grabbed Sally.
He still had hold of her, but shock and fear now clouded his features. Mason shoved his gun point-blank into the man’s face.
‘Let her go.’
‘Back off or she dies.’ The merc’s eyes were wild. He lost his grip on Sally but held his gun pointed straight at her, his finger poised on the trigger. Mason could see the white flesh, showing that he already had some pull on it.
Sally stood like a deer caught in the headlights, unable to move, her arms spread out at her sides.
Roxy made it clear she had her gun aimed at the back of the mercenary’s head.
Mason put some pressure on his own trigger. ‘Stand down,’ he said carefully. ‘You don’t have to die here today.’
The merc rolled his eyes from Mason to Sally, clearly in turmoil. Around him, the bodies of his colleagues lay in pools of blood.
Mason didn’t want to kill this man. He didn’t want to risk Sally’s life. The seconds passed between them as if they were being dragged through thick, oozing mud.
‘I won’t tell you again,’ the merc hissed through tightly drawn lips.
‘If she dies, you die,’ Mason said. ‘If she lives, you live. The choice isn’t a hard one to make.’
The merc’s face twisted in indecision. Mason could see a huge, chaotic battle going on in his eyes. Surrendering certainly wasn’t his style. On the other hand, he wanted to live. Mason wondered whether to push him even harder.
But the man’s aim never wavered. The barrel of his gun stayed pointed constantly at Sally’s face.
‘You can’t win this, man,’ Hassell said, taking a few steps away from the wall. ‘Look at the firepower.’
It was a ploy, something to take his attention away from Sally, something that might give Mason or Roxy the chance to act. The merc didn’t fall for it, but he’d been holding the same position for some minutes now. He was sweating, and Mason saw his arm shaking. He wouldn’t last much longer.
‘Hey,’ he said, still trying to defuse the confrontation. ‘Hey, stand down.’
‘I’m walking away with her.’
‘No. No, you’re not.’
‘Then I’ll shoot her where she stands.’
The merc strained, his whole body pressing forward, the gun wavering in his hands. Mason was a hair’s breadth from pulling his own trigger. In the chaos of his mind, he was also very much aware that this man, this sweating mercenary, represented their last genuine lead. Bellaire had sent them into a corner to die. They had nothing. Mason’s mouth was dry, his tongue practically stuck to the roof of his mouth. He could almost taste the man’s indecision.
Until now, she’d been unaccountably quiet, but it was Roxy who stepped forward then, putting her gun away and catching the merc’s eye.
‘Nobody wants to kill you,’ she said. ‘Not here and now. We want answers from you, yes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go free when we’re done.’
The merc blinked at her. ‘Answers?’
‘Put the gun down and let’s talk.’
‘I don’t trust you.’
‘And I don’t blame you. But what else is there to do?’
Mason knew they were at a dead end. The clues that had led them to Bellaire had fizzled out the moment he betrayed them. Of course, they shouldn’t be surprised that the evil old man had scuppered everything. He was an associate of Cassadaga.
And then there was the terrible thief himself. Their only way of getting to Marduk. Even now, Marduk would be plotting against the Church. It was as certain as the fact that night followed day.
Mason decided to take a chance.
‘What’s your name?’ he asked.
It was an incongruous, dangerous question. The merc still had a good pull on the trigger. His eyes were wide and bloodshot. There was also the passage of time to consider, because Mason was sure the police would be on their way. What they really needed to do was get the hell out of here and interview this man elsewhere.
‘My name’s Gabriel.’
‘Well, Gabriel,’ Mason said. ‘How about we stow our guns, get in our car, and run? The cops will be here any minute. Does running work for you?’
Gabriel’s face smoothed a little as he took on board what Mason was saying. His eyes didn’t look so wild anymore. There were sirens in the wind, getting closer by the second. For the first time, he looked away from Sally.
‘I’m taking a lot on trust here,’ he said.
‘So are we,’ Roxy said. ‘Now give me the damn gun.’
She reached out a hand. Gabriel folded and plonked it into her hand. Sally let out an enormous sigh of relief and started to shake. Mason walked up to her and grabbed her before she fell down.
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘But we must hurry.’
It was a strange sprint to their car with Gabriel at their centre. They made the silver rental Ford in a matter of seconds and bundled their way inside. It was a tight squeeze, but it wasn’t as though they’d have to travel too far.
Mason jumped behind the wheel this time, staying silent. Nobody said a word. Their focus was on getting out of the area. A quick look around assured him that nobody was watching them – at least not discernibly. He knew that furtive eyes, somewhere, would be upon them, perhaps even noting down the licence plate. That couldn’t be helped for now. He started the car and drove off, first losing them in the network of roads that crisscrossed the industrial estate and then following signs for Zürich’s city centre. At no point did they see a police car, but they heard the sirens close by.
It was a little after five p.m. now and the roads were busy with rush hour. Mason wasn’t sure exactly where to go and nobody was talking in the car, so he pulled into the first fast-food restaurant he could find and made his way around to the back of the car park. Finding a space beneath overhanging trees, he pulled the car in and switched off the engine. It wasn’t dark outside yet, but the trees did a good job of blocking out the light, making the car’s interior dim.
The first thing Gabriel said was: ‘I could eat.’
Mason actually agreed with him. Sally and Hassell volunteered to collect some fast food and, fifteen minutes later, they were all sat in the car, eating and drinking their way through cola and burgers and nuggets as if they were all old friends.
Mason finished his burger before speaking. ‘Gabriel,’ he finally said. ‘I realise this is about as strange as it gets, but now we need to talk. Why were you at the office today?’
Gabriel blinked as if he didn’t quite know what to say. ‘Well, to kill you, of course.’
Mason nodded. ‘I figured that. Okay, wrong question, I guess. Who sent you?’
‘Wait …’ Sally said. ‘You were there simply to kill us? Not to capture us, not to interrogate us?’
‘Orders were clear. Terminate anyone found inside that building. It’s a pretty smooth operation. All the orders come down the phone lines.’
Mason delved deeper. ‘What do you know of Cassadaga? Of Marduk? Somebody must pay your wages. Is there something new happening, something big?’
Gabriel finished his box of French fries before answering. ‘I’ve heard of this Cassadaga,’ he said. ‘But I thought he was a myth, a figure dreamt up to scare weak minds. The things they say about him …’ He tailed off. ‘Are you telling me he’s real?’
Mason nodded. ‘We’ve met him. He’s as real as you or I. And all those stories? They’re real too.’
Gabriel couldn’t stop a shadow of fear crossing his face. ‘Please don’t tell me I work for him.’
‘In a way … you do. The building is a kill box, probably designed by Cassadaga and others. Their associates probably have orders to direct people to places like that, people who don’t pass the test. And then they call you guys in.’
‘It makes sense. We work for an organisation called Wineth, always on retainer and primed to move at a moment’s notice. We work shifts with other men and women, always on call, and are primarily based here in Zürich, but there are other units placed around the world.’
‘What can you tell us about Marduk?’ Mason asked again.
‘Seriously, I do not know who that is.’
Mason wasn’t surprised, but he felt a stab of despair. Where could they go next?
‘Anything about a prison break?’ Hassell asked.
Gabriel looked blank. ‘Who escaped?’
Mason didn’t answer him. Instead, he continued to push. ‘You work for a big mercenary network, right? One connected to Marduk, I assume, since it’s connected to Cassadaga. Has the network picked up any new jobs recently?’
Gabriel frowned as he considered the question. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Yeah, there was one big one.’
‘Where?’ Quaid asked.
‘Babylon,’ Gabriel said.