Children's Crusade

Chapter Twenty-Four

"I'm sorry about that, Kate," said the man I assumed was Spider as he handed Jane the syringe.

She took it without making eye contact and stuck it into her ankle, depressing the plunger. A few moments later her shoulders relaxed as the morphine did its work.

I knelt on the hard tiled floor of the central lobby with my hands on my head, fingers interlaced. The muzzle of a rifle rested gently on the nape of my neck, ready to end me if Spider gave the order. Ferguson was on his knees next to me in the same predicament. I'd counted seven soldiers in the lobby with us, mostly dressed in black or combats, all heavily armed. I could tell they were proper soldiers, not followers who'd joined after The Cull; something about their bearing and expressions told me they were professionals.

Corridors ran off the circular lobby in four directions, and white statues stood against the walls, regarding us coldly.

Spider was physically unprepossessing. Of slightly less than average height, he had blonde hair and blue eyes but lacked Brad Pitt's good looks. He didn't have that quality of madness about him that Mac or David had possessed, nor the world weary doggedness of Blythe. He seemed kind of ordinary.

I didn't doubt he'd have killed Jane, though.

Ordinary, then, but dangerous.

"Do you have a surgeon?" asked Jane through gritted teeth. She sat on a chair against the far wall, white as a sheet.

"I'm afraid not," he replied, seeming genuinely apologetic. "We make do and mend."

Kate grimaced. "Fine," she said. "How about antibiotics?"

"Yes, we have those."

"Good. I want to get over to St Thomas's, I can patch myself up there, assuming any of the equipment still works."

"I'll detail one of my men to take you there now." The boss nodded to a soldier to his left, who stepped forward and helped Jane to stand.

She hopped away but just before she left the lobby she turned and said: "Oh and Cooper?"

Spider, who had been staring at me intently with a nasty smile on his face, looked away.

"Yes Kate?"

"If you hurt either of them. At all. I will kill you."

He laughed. "Oh Kate, please. You didn't manage to exact revenge last time. What makes you think you'll manage it this time?" He paused for effect, then said: "Don't worry. They'll still be here when you get back. Probably."

She limped around the corner and Spider turned to us again. He knelt in front of me.

"Five years I've been running things here," he said. "Five years. I have a team of highly trained, heavily armed special forces at my disposal and an army of daft religious nutters out there who think I'm the representative of the Messiah. In all that time I've had plenty of people try to break out of here, but no-one's ever been stupid enough to break in before. Why on God's Earth would you do such a stupid thing?"

"Good question," I answered.

"It wasn't rhetorical," he said, allowing an edge of menace to creep into his voice.

"Should I call you Spider or Cooper?" I asked.

He appeared to consider this seriously. "You can call me Cooper," he said at length.

"Well, Coop, I guess you could say I have a compulsion."

"What would that be, then?"

"I feel compelled to hunt down murderous bastards and wipe them out."

He narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, considering my admittedly weak bravado.

"And how's that worked out for you?"

"Well, three years ago me and my friends managed to wipe out a cannibal cult that was terrorizing the countryside. Not as well armed as you guys, but they were all naked and bathed in fresh human blood, so they were a little scarier, I think."

"Good for you."

"And then of course there was the Americans."

"Excuse me?"

"The Americans army invaded a couple of years back. You may have missed the memo."

"No, no, believe me, I got that one."

"They didn't last long."

Cooper barked a sudden laugh and clapped his hands.

"Are you trying to tell me," he said, "that you single-handedly fought off the US Army?"

"Not single-handedly, no. I had a twelve year-old boy helping me. But essentially, yeah."

"And how did you do that, exactly?"

"We nuked the fuckers."

"You nuked the fuckers."

"Yup."

He stared deep into my eyes. I stared back and smiled.

"You know," he said. "I almost believe you. And this is how you go about killing bad guys, is it? You wander into their bases with some stupid plan and get yourself captured?"

The soldiers standing around us sniggered.

"Um, actually yeah, it kind of is."

And then what do you? Manufacture some miraculous escape? Call in the cavalry? Light the Bat-signal?"

More laughs.

"No, I just wait."

"For?"

"A mistake."

He leaned in close 'til I could feel his hot breath on my face. "I don't make mistakes, kid."

He held my gaze for a moment then asked: "So how do you know Kate? No, wait, let me guess. You're one of the boys from St Mark's, yes?"

I nodded.

"I used to go to school there," he said. WWhich teachers survived The Cull?"

"Bates and Chambers."

"Didn't know Bates. Liked Chambers, though. Maybe I'll have him over for dinner once I've taken the school."

I shook my head. "Nah, he died a while back."

"Pity. Where is the school now, by the way? I sent a team there last year and it was just a burnt out wreck."

"We're somewhere you'll never find us."

"I could torture you. You'd tell us eventually."

"I was waterboarded in Iraq, pal. Bring it on."

Again he laughs. "Iraq, now? I can't decide if you're a superhero or a fantasist or both. You're certainly entertaining, I'll give you that. Final question: how long have you and Kate been together?"

"If you mean Jane, she's my Matron and that's all."

"She may be Jane when she's at school, but here she's Kate. Trust me on that. And you're lying, but I don't hold it against you. I should probably keep you alive, use the threat of killing you to make her tell me where the school is. But something tells me that you're more dangerous than you seem. So, firing squad at dawn, I reckon."

I just smiled at him. Our part of the plan may have failed, but if Tariq and the others kept to their schedule, they'd be here before dawn. I looked sideways and saw the snow falling through a far off window and bit my lip.

"Dear God, you're amateur," said Cooper as I glanced back at him. "Never played much poker did you?"

He stood up then and turned to one of his soldier.

"These two aren't the whole story. There's someone else coming, another attack. They're supposed to be here by dawn but he's worried they won't make it because of the snow. Spread the word to be ready."

Cooper looked down at me contemptuously. "I used to be a copper, lad. I know all the tells."

He turned to Ferguson. "And you, Green Arrow, what's your story?"

Ferguson didn't say a word, he just stared straight ahead, jaw clenched tight.

"Smart man," said Cooper after a moment's silence. "I'll tell you what I think. I think you're one of these Rangers I've been hearing reports about. I think you've teamed up with these school runts. Quite the little power base. My question is this: is the next attack your lot?"

Ferguson stayed silent.

Cooper clapped his hands once, as if about to sum up at the end of a staff meeting. "Right then. Lock the boy up. Take the man and start chopping bits off him until you find out everything you can about his organisation. When Kate gets back, bring her to me. Double the patrols and issue extra ammunition."

He turned his back on us and walked away.

"I'm off to bed," he said cheerily. "I want to be fresh for the firing squad."