Revenger

79

Carver had gone shopping. In a Boots Opticians he bought a pair of spectacles with clear glass, choosing the frames specifically to complement his existing appearance, by making him even more pathetic-looking than he was already. When the chatty salesgirl asked him why he wanted clear glasses he explained that he had an important job interview coming up, ‘And I want to look more intelligent.’ He’d almost got to the door of the shop before she could no longer contain herself and burst out in helpless giggles.

Now he just needed to purchase the following:

A powerful, cordless nail gun. In a country that bans the sale of firearms, this was the next best thing.

A short-handled axe with a high carbon steel head, that would chop through flesh and bones with its razor-sharp edge, or, when reversed, act as an effective sledgehammer.

A Genghis ‘Ultimate Fear’ 10cm ground mine — the loudest firework available in the UK, and as close as commercially available products come to the ‘flash-bangs’ used by special forces to stun and disorientate opponents. The Genghis website had a video clip showing the Ultimate Fear going off, and Carver had checked it out. The firework sent up a spectacular show of sparks before its main detonation. He timed the length of that show: twenty-three seconds.

The final entries on his shopping list were:

A length of strong nylon rope.

A pair of scissors.

A plastic bottle of mineral water.

A backpack — as bland and unappealing as possible, to match his new persona.

A packet of windproof camping matches.

Once he’d got them all he would have a scaled-down civilian equivalent to the gear he’d once taken into battle as an officer in the SBS. The only thing missing would be the opportunity to use it. But Carver had little doubt that he would not have long to wait before that arose.