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Liev woke to the sound of his alarm ringing on the dashboard. He leant forward and picked it up, flicking the off button. He could see the first rays of light turning the night sky into the colour of Prussian blue. It would not be long before the sky went through its morning ritual of gradually turning paler blue. Then as the sun began to influence the colours, the reds, oranges, and yellows would appear across the horizon during the golden hour of sunrise, then disappear until the evening. The morning chill had made him feel rough like he had been camping out in the open. The condensation that had gathered on the windows was running down them in tiny rivulets making it hard to see through them. Liev cranked the seat back to a sitting position, then wiped the side window with his jacket sleeve. A couple were walking by with their two dogs and gave him a strange look. He stared back as they walked past and saw them whisper a comment to themselves. He had seen this many times before when being on surveillance jobs in public areas and had learned to not react. They were just nosy, wondering why he was parked there and would walk past and carry on their day. He got out the car and stretched his legs. It was time to ring the Captain and confirm their location.
Liev leaned into the car and got his mobile off the dashboard. The couple that had walked past kept looking round, so Liev got back in the car and would have to move. This was a quiet town, and he stood out too much being a stranger. Most of the time people just looked and went by, others, like this couple were more suspicious and would sometimes ring the Police. That was something he did not need right now. It would be better to relocate and not risk being caught. Liev entered the memorised number and listened for the other end to ring. He never took unnecessary risks and one of his first was to become good at was keeping phone numbers in his head. Getting caught with those would be a big mistake and frowned upon by the many contacts he had made over the years. Something he would find hard to explain to the Police if he ever did get caught.
He could hear the Captains phone ring and a few seconds later a groggy voice answered.
“Hello.” The Captain answered, still half-drunk from the drinking session he had got roped into a few hours earlier.
“It’s Liev Malik. You requested an update.”
“Yes, Yes, go ahead Mr Malik. I was just err... go ahead.” He replied, fuzzy headed and now bolt upright in bed, trying to get his brain to think clearly.
“They are on the east coast. A small town called...” Liev looked round for the answer. He had been so distracted at checking the locale, he had not even seen a sign for what town he was in. But there on a post at the T-junction ahead of him was the name. “New Town East.”
The Captain was not familiar with the town but suspected from the direction they had taken where Alex and Lesley were heading, and now they were on the east coast, it confirmed it.
“They must be stopped from leaving. They are heading for Six Mile Island.” The Captain said, then realised he had given away too much as the drinking had dulled his senses, and he had let it slip.
“What's Six Mile Island?”
“Oh, err... Its operational...that is all. Detain them and bring them back to base. I need to speak with Alex ASAP.”
“Are you okay Captain? You sound like you are in a wind tunnel.”
“That also is operational, and you are breaking one of your rules Mr Malik. No Questions. Is that not a rule of yours? Your curiosity is dangerous, and I would advise you to keep that curiosity at bay.”
“Yes Captain, I shall.”
“Can you collect them straight away?”
“Not quite, they are in a Bed and Breakfast and I have narrowed it down to three. The signal is vague and thought it best for them to emerge first, then, as you now require, lift them.”
“Good work. Let me know as soon as you have them.”
The Captain rung off and sat back in his bunk, stupidly he had been drinking. Pressure was now getting him on edge, and he made the first mistake, turning to alcohol. His head pounded with the after-effects and the weather outside was making him feel sick. The promised storms had reached them out at sea and the aircraft carrier with all its size and weight still moved and undulated with the huge waves outside as the wind also whistled round the ship like a tornado was about to hit. The Captain lay his head back down. There were still a few hours to wait and right now, he could not care less. All he wanted was to sleep off this hangover.
––––––––
Liev had been given his first clue. Six-mile Island rang a bell deep in his mind, but nothing came back. It was a name he had heard, but when? And why did it sound familiar? Liev stared out into the street ahead, no, nothing was coming back. Someone was coming back down the road though, the couple who had been nosy. It was time to move. Liev turned the key and started the engine, then before the couple could get too close, he pulled off up the road. He would take a quick drive and then come back and find a new spot to park, but not so far away that he could not keep an eye on the three bed and breakfast hotels. He looked over to the ocean as he drove and could see the tide was on the turn, and he knew he could not be long. It was still early, and the skies had brightened significantly. Soon more people would be about, and he would have to be more careful to not bring too much attention to himself and judging by the first people he had seen, this might be problem if they were all like that, nosy.
––––––––
Dug had fallen asleep at the mess room table. He was woken with a blast from the Major’s voice, who was now wriggling and shouting at him from his tied-up position on the floor, clearly no worse for wear from his little drug induced sleep. The other guard tied next to him was not looking so good. He was quiet and looked pale and being tied back-to-back to the Major was probably making him feel worse as the Major was trying to wriggle free, but the zip ties held them both fast.
“You have crossed a line here Dug. I will make this clear to you. If you let me go, we will say nothing more about this. Yes, you have been clever. I acknowledge that, and I promise there will be no repercussions, IF, you let me go.”
“Sorry William no can do. You see I have figured out your plan. There is no luxury Island. You have used us and when you are done, we will be killed like the others.”
“No, you have it all wrong, it was...”
“Please, save you bullshit for your ego. I saw the body bags being dragged into the walk-in freezers. Next you are going to tell that was pre-packaged meat.”
“I see. So, what is your plan? You do know a team of specialists is coming, then what?”
“Is that what the message was you sent?”
“Well, after the guard became sick. I realised you must have put something in the food. Sleeping pills!”
“Yes.”
“I take it you didn’t know my guard was allergic then. I think they call that murder, punishment by death.”
“Oh please. What the hell have you been doing? Playing tiddly winks here. You, of all people have no right to call anyone a murderer. And this project you claim we are working on. What is all that for? Do you think we have not worked it out? You, Major William Birmingham are the murderer. A monster hiding in a uniform.”
“You have no idea what I am trying to do here do you. The world needs the ZEN program. It's humankind's best chance to survive into the future.”
“So, you are calling it a name. And what exactly does this program do?”
“If you really must know, it is a control program. It will free the people of this world of their slovenly ways and control the worlds populations and make a more productive future for us all.”
“Shit, you mean you are turning everyone into your puppets, But how, that's impossible! Free will cannot be controlled.”
“Ah my poor ignorant fellow, that is where you are so wrong. You have seen this technology you have been working on it, and you still have no idea what it was for! What a silly man you are. I thought you was one of the smarter ones. I guess I can be sometimes wrong.”
“A signal, you aim to control people from a signal.”
“Ah, the penny drops. Yes, and it works. It works so well no one will even suspect they are under my control.”
“I will destroy the computers. Then what?”
“It would make no difference. You need the transmitters which are not here yet. The uplinks you and your colleagues have worked so well on, have all been saved to a server on another Island, safe from prying eyes.”
“You bastard.”
Dug was furious and before he could control himself, he lunged forward and grabbed the Major round his neck and raised his arm to smash his fist down on his face. Suddenly, Amy shouted.
“DUG NO.”
Dug turned and saw Amy running over and as he stood there, poised to hit the Major, she grabbed his arm.
“No Dug. This is not how we do things.”
Dug released his grip. She was right. They needed a plan more than they needed to punish what had already been done.
“Good girl, you listen to her Dug. She might just save your life.” The Major said, smug as ever.
“Oh, do shut up Major. I think we are beyond your petty childish antagonisms.”
“Oh, are you developing a backbone Amy? I wish I had known sooner. I quiet like you as this bit of rough.”
Suddenly it was Dug stopping Amy from hitting the Major. All this time he had been so condescending to everyone and now they both had an opportunity to deal out some punishment.
“Amy don’t let him wind you up. This is what he wants. He is trying to confuse us. Come on, we need to talk, privately.”
Amy lowered her arm and Dug let go of her waste. He could not help noticing how good she smelt, never being this close to her before. It was totally the wrong time to be having these feeling and Dug tried to avert his mind. They both walked out of the mess room and stood in the hallway. Amy was still fuming but was calming down enough to talk.
“What next Dug? How are we going to sort this out? We have no way of getting off this Island.”
“Did you hear any of what he said?”
“Yes, all of it. I was listening outside the door.”
“So, what do you think is happening?”
“I think a whole pile of shit is happening, and we have been used to help set the ball rolling.”
“You know we cannot let this happen!”
“No shit Einstein, but as you can see, what can we do? And as for the supplies being dropped, have you seen it outside?”
“Yes. I think they will be delayed, but for how long?”
“I don’t know! What are we going to do?”
“I have his mobile. Do you know anyone that can help?”
“What, to come and rescue us! Are you insane? We don’t even know where this is. I don’t know about you, but most of my friends, that’s if they are still alive, don’t have a helicopter or aeroplane hanging around their back yard.”
“Okay, no need to be sarcastic. I am just trying to help.”
“Help, this is helping! When those men arrive, guess what Sherlock. We are dead.”
“We still have the Major. If they think we are going to kill him, would they risk killing us?”
“Yes, but how long can we stay here? Doing that. We still need to get away. They will never let us go; you know that don’t you?”
Amy was right. Dug had not thought all this through. There seemed no way of pulling an escape off. And like Amy said, they would never let them go, not now they knew all their plans. It was a mess and once the weather eased up, they would need a plan or the outcome was going to only be one, getting shot.
––––––––
Lesley woke suddenly. She had only had a few hours’ sleep and it was now light outside. She felt the bed and Alex was gone. Had he left without her? After last night as well! She got out of bed and dressed quickly. A small amount of panic was rising inside her and just as she was about to put her shoes back on, Alex walked into the room carrying two espresso coffees.
“I thought you had gone!”
“Me, leave a beautiful damsel in distress. Thought you might like a coffee though.”
Lesley raced over to him and wrapped her arms around him, nearly making him spill the coffees.
“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Alex said, as he reached forward and put the coffees on the side table then held Lesley at arm’s length as she was holding him too tightly. He looked at her face and could see tears welling in her eyes. “What’s all this about. I only went for a coffee.”
“Please don’t ever leave me.”
“Why would I do that? I love you.”
Lesley’s heart skipped a beat, he had said those magic words.
“You do?”
“Yes, the very first time I saw you. I just knew. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same. I am okay with that. I know we have only just met and...”
Lesley kissed him, she felt the same and was so glad that last night was not just a one-night stand, and it was two people just desperate for company. He had said those words and it meant everything, and she never wanted a man more than she did right now. After a minute of kissing, Alex had to push her gently away. There was something he needed to tell her.
“We have to leave.”
“What now? Can’t we... you know...”
“I would love nothing better, but the tide is in, and we must steal a boat and get to six-mile Island.”
“Are you sure we have to leave right away!” Lesley said, as she began to tease Alex by starting to unbutton her blouse.
Her timing could not have been worse. Alex, with all his willpower had to resist. Nothing more would have given him pleasure than to make love to her again, but they had to go. Time was running out and by the time the next tide came in, it could be too late.
“You know I would love this more than anything, but...”
“It’s okay.” Lesley said, disappointed, but she knew also time was against them and got ready to leave.
––––––––
The Captain woke suddenly from a nightmare, still hungover and still feeling like a tumble dryer was inside his head, but a notion came to him. What if Alex managed to get to six-mile Island! He had so far managed to elude the best field sniper he had. He quickly got up and dressed. There suddenly was a need to get a chopper out to the Island just in case Alex did make it to the other Island. The pressure again was getting to him. A twinge of pain came in his chest and the Captain reached into his pocket and took out his heart tablets. Somehow, all this did not seem worth him dying for and if his heart did not give out, he was sure the Major would finish him off if he failed to control the situation. Looking out the porthole, he could see a slight easing of the weather. It was still rough, but the main storm front looked like it had passed. It would not be long before it was time to leave. He took another pill. The idea of parachuting, giving his heart the recognisable pain of stress.
––––––––
Liev had managed to find a spot to stay at. He had to stay further away than he would have liked, but with so many nosy locals around he could not risk being spotted and reported to the Police. He was now two hundred yards up the road, parked in a lay by behind a lorry that had must have been having an overnight stay there. His view was compromised, but with the tracker next to him, he was confident he would spot any movement without having to watch the bed and breakfast hotels directly and hopefully be obscured enough to go unnoticed by the locals.
As he sat there, the words six-mile Island came back into his mind. He was sure he recognised the name, but why? Taking his mobile out of his jacket pocket, he entered the name in the search engine and waited to see what came up. Clicking on a page that had some information about the Island, Liev read it. That is it, he thought, after reading the entry. It used to be an old meat processing plant thirty years ago. It had been moved off land to this place because of the smell. That was it, he remembered. A big campaign they called, the STINK OR SWIM campaign. It was publicised and the company was forced to relocate, but why were they heading there. It had been shut down over ten years ago. By now, it would be a rusting ruin and being at sea, it would be weathered so badly by the salt spray, it would not be any use for anything. It did not make sense. There had to be more to this Island than a disused meat plant.
––––––––
Alex walked out the hotel first and looked down the street to see of anyone was about. There was a woman walking a dog, and she never gave him a second glance. Lesley followed, and they walked hand in hand over the road and towards where the boats were. They did not have much time and needed to be make this quick before anyone spotted them.
“You never did tell me what you did to the facility computers.”
“Oh that. It was a prank. I needed to stall their servers, so they couldn’t access them. I could have shut them down, but as I didn’t know what was going on, I edged my bets and put a little surprise in there, so they would think it was dangerous for them to access the computers.”
“So, what did you do?”
“Well, just about now there is probably a technician playing Donkey Kong if they haven't got past Space invaders yet.”
Lesley looked at him confused.
“I will explain on the way.”
––––––––
Back at the military base, two programmers were looking at the screen as the countdown marker reached zero. This was crunch time, and they had no idea what was going to happen next. The screen changed and an old eighty's version of the game Space Invaders began to load. Suddenly the screen was full of aliens, side stepping across the screen firing single shots at the craft below that they were trying to hit. They looked at each other and shrugged. There was only one thing they could do, the programmer at the seat began playing the game and firing back at the aliens.
––––––––
“Oh, Alex you fool. So, what happens when they finish the game?”
“If I remember, Donkey Kong is next then about a thousand other games to get through.”
“And if they do them!”
“Nothing. It loops back and the whole program repeats itself.”
“That s genius, so they can never access the servers again.”
“Nope, only I can do that. We had better get on before we are spotted. I checked the boats out earlier when I went for coffee and this one boat looked the easiest to by-pass and start.”
“Internet, you looked up how to hot-wire a boat?”
“Yes, afraid so. It is surprising what is out there.”
“You did pick my phone up! Didn’t you?”
“No, I thought you did.”
“Shit we need to go back.”
“No time.” Alex said, as a disgruntled looking guy wearing waterproofs was walking towards them.
––––––––
Liev looked up from his mobile and felt a cramp coming in his leg. He had been sat around too long and decided to stretch his legs. The morning sunshine was now rising about the horizon and it looked a promising day for good weather. Liev stepped out the car and walked over to the sea wall. The tide was in and it should not be long before he saw movement. As he went to get back in his car, he heard shouting coming from down where the boats were keeled. Looking closer, he could see a man, probably a fisherman by the way he was dressed, pointing at two people on the peer. “Shit.” It was his targets. Liev dived back into the VW, and as fast as he could, sped off towards the boats.
––––––––
The fishermen had approached Alex and Lesley, but there seemed to be some confusion.
“You two had better wait there. I have rung the Police.”
“What are you talking about?” Alex replied.
“I saw you earlier sniffing around my boat. I reckon you was after my fishing gear.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Really. I could swear it was you last week sniffing around, and then suddenly my gear is stolen.”
“Look, we are just sightseeing, and I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Well, you two just wait there. The Police will decide if you are telling the truth.” The fisherman said, while pointing at them to stay put.
Suddenly the sound of screeching tyres could be heard at the end of the peer.
“Right on time for a change.” He said, then looked round and stared at the man who was now running towards him. “Who the hell are you?”
“Keys.” Liev said.
“Excuse me!”
“Keys, boat, now.”
“I think you have lost the ....”
The fisherman stopped talking as he looked at the gun pointing at his oversized stomach. He scrambled inside his coat pocket, then handed Liev his keys. Alex and Lesley stood watching, not knowing how to react. The sound of a distant Police siren could now be heard. Liev walked past the fisherman who instinctively began to walk away, then run.
“Come on, move.” He said to Alex and Lesley, who followed him onto the boat.
Liev fumbled through the keys, trying to find the right one. The Police car had now arrived at the pier and the fisherman was at the driver’s window, pointing over to them. Suddenly, the small boat roared to life, belching out fumes at the rear and sending up clouds of smoke.
“Get the line.” He shouted.
Alex looked stunned, and Lesley just stared at Alex, both not knowing what he meant. Liev shook his head and unhooked the rope from the mooring pole. Then went back to the steering wheel. With a chugging slowness that seemed to take forever, the boat reversed, then chugged forward. The Policeman was now running towards them. Liev could not believe how slow the boat was. Pulling the accelerator lever down to full, the boat's engine began to make a noise like grinding gears, but thankfully began to make a speedier escape. By the time the Policeman reached them they were now twenty meters away and accelerating. Alex and Lesley watched as he began speaking into his radio. They had managed to get away, but who was this person that had saved them?