The Infinity Bridge

Part 18

The three television screens in the control room at the safe house displayed only static; they cast a flickering aura over the room. Wide cracks from several bullet-holes had spread across the glass frontage. Huge shards from two of the ruined computers were scattered on the floor.

The ethereal glow danced across the staring eyes of Jonathan Thwaite’s corpse. Nick couldn’t drag his eyes from the dead knight. The Hidden hadn’t bothered to move him; he lay in a pool of congealed blood.

To Nick’s left, Annie was leant against a wall, her hands tied with cord. Gaynor knelt by the girl. She was changing a bloodied bandage on Annie’s leg. Annie’s face was pale and furious, staring like a vengeful spirit at Armitage and the gathered androids.

There were three of them: Alpha, Beta and Epsilon. Epsilon looked ghastly, his shirt soaked with a viscous fluid. He was sat at a terminal, his fingers a blur of activity. Beta and Alpha were stood discussing tactics with Armitage, all the while keeping an eye on Andrew Preston. The dark suited agent was secured in the corner, wrists bound. He was struggling to focus on the events in the room.

Gaynor finished changing the bandage. ‘You really have been in the wars, Anne. Which of those... things did this to you?’

‘Armitage,’ Annie said, eyes glaring cold fury. ‘And thing would be an apt description.’

‘It really is a bit of a nightmare,’ Gaynor sighed. ‘I’m sad to say that I was taken in too. By the chief one—Alpha. Astonishing, given my innate distrust of anyone in a suit.’

Gaynor dabbed the cut on Annie’s head. It had re-opened when Armitage and Epsilon had thrown her into the control room, soaking through the plaster. The muscles in Annie’s jaw flickered in silent pain.

‘And this one?’

‘No—that was from the fall in the car-park on Saturday. The place where all of this started—with Sam.’

Gaynor started. ‘The blood... that was yours? Oh my Gods...’

‘What? What is it?’ Annie asked, looking in confusion at Gaynor.

‘The blood pool at the car park, where the police say there was a murder. They took DNA from it and... well, they traced it to me. That’s how I became involved.’

‘Traced it to you? How?’

‘They said that my DNA was a partial match... for yours,’ Gaynor said, almost apologetically.

Annie had gone even paler; her face was like a marble statue. Nick began to shuffle over: things had begun to drop into place in his mind. This was not the time or place for revelations though. As he moved across the floor a tiny glowing red light caught his eye—from under Jonathan Thwaite’s corpse.

He froze. Was it a smart-phone? If he could just reach it, then...