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Authors: Iain Rob Wright
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defied him, she ’ d paid for it dearly. She wasn ’ t
stupid enough to do it a second time. She turned towards the door.
“ Sarah! ” Palu shouted. “ Before you leave, let me show you something. ”
Sarah turned around. “ What? You people don ’ t even want me here.
I heard you talking about me in the other room. ”
Palu stared her right in the
eyes. There was sadness there, but something much darker bubbling beneath. “ I just got the stats on the attacks, ” he said. “ You should see them before you make any decisions. ” He pointed the remote at the television. “ I may have wanted you gone, ” Palu said, “ but right now we need all the help we can get. You have knowledge
of Shab Bakhier that we can use. Can you really walk away, knowing that you
could help us? ”
Sarah stared at the figures on
the screen.
UK TERRORIST ATTACKS, MAY
2014
Clitheroe: 40 fatalities (6 children),
86 injured
Aborfield: 36 fatalities (2
children), 47 injured
Dartmouth: 94 fatalities (19
children), 119 injured
Studley: 12 fatalities (2
children), 4 injured
— Total deceased: 182 (29 children)
“ Okay, ” she said. “ I ’ m in. ”
READY FOR ANYTHING
E verybody took a seat at
the conference table. Dr Bennett had been recalled from the infirmary and didn ’ t look happy about it. According to Palu, the American woman was an
expert in bio-terrorism and profiling, as well as medicine.
Bradley had been asked to collect his things
and leave. As his duty had expired, they could no longer share classified
information with him. That didn ’ t
sit well with Sarah. She knew that resigning from active service was a
long-winded affair, and had no doubt been in the works for weeks before she ’ d arrived, but
without the option of replacing Bradley, it seemed wasteful to let him go.
Palu had said he needed all the help he could get.
Palu ’ s
tablet hadn ’ t stopped beeping since they ’ d
looked at the statistics on screen. Every message the man received made him
tenser, until he had started to resemble a coiled spring. Sarah almost felt
sorry for him. He may have been in charge of MCU, but it was clear that he was
a mutt with many masters.
“ Prime Minister Breslow has just given a speech from Downing Street, ” Palu informed them. “ She ’ s halted the exit-strategy for Afghanistan, and is even reinforcing
the number of troops in the region. She ’ s
keen to display Britain ’ s strength. A request for aid has been made to President Conrad. ”
Howard huffed. “ The yanks won ’ t go for it. The American people are tired of war. Conrad will
leave us hanging, I guarantee it. Loyalty is a one-way
street with the Americans. They think helping out in World War II earned them
enough brownie points to last a century. ”
“ That ’ s a little unfair, ” Bradley said, entering from the back of the room with
his things. “ The Americans have aided us countless times. ”
“ Really? ” said Howard. “ So where are they
now? MCU was supposed to be a joint enterprise, but it ’ s
been over a year since they made any contribution to our cause. ”
“They gave you me, ” Dr Bennett said, aggrieved. “ That ’ s hardly nothing. ”
He rolled his eyes. “ You were a token gesture. The US
closed their own MCU facilities and their funding has dropped through the
floor.”
Bennett folded her arms. When
she spoke this time, her tone was angry and her accent stronger. “ Do not refer to me as a token . I ’ m
the most qualified person in this whole damned facility. Believe me, I ’ d sooner be back home if y ’ all have no further
need of my services. ”
“ You are highly valued, ” Palu said. “ Now more than ever. ”
Dr Bennett nodded at the
Director, apparently satisfied.
“What’s the deal here?”Sarah butted in. “I mean, why is this
place so abandoned? Why is there only a
stupid enough to do it a second time. She turned towards the door.
“ Sarah! ” Palu shouted. “ Before you leave, let me show you something. ”
Sarah turned around. “ What? You people don ’ t even want me here.
I heard you talking about me in the other room. ”
Palu stared her right in the
eyes. There was sadness there, but something much darker bubbling beneath. “ I just got the stats on the attacks, ” he said. “ You should see them before you make any decisions. ” He pointed the remote at the television. “ I may have wanted you gone, ” Palu said, “ but right now we need all the help we can get. You have knowledge
of Shab Bakhier that we can use. Can you really walk away, knowing that you
could help us? ”
Sarah stared at the figures on
the screen.
UK TERRORIST ATTACKS, MAY
2014
Clitheroe: 40 fatalities (6 children),
86 injured
Aborfield: 36 fatalities (2
children), 47 injured
Dartmouth: 94 fatalities (19
children), 119 injured
Studley: 12 fatalities (2
children), 4 injured
— Total deceased: 182 (29 children)
“ Okay, ” she said. “ I ’ m in. ”
READY FOR ANYTHING
E verybody took a seat at
the conference table. Dr Bennett had been recalled from the infirmary and didn ’ t look happy about it. According to Palu, the American woman was an
expert in bio-terrorism and profiling, as well as medicine.
Bradley had been asked to collect his things
and leave. As his duty had expired, they could no longer share classified
information with him. That didn ’ t
sit well with Sarah. She knew that resigning from active service was a
long-winded affair, and had no doubt been in the works for weeks before she ’ d arrived, but
without the option of replacing Bradley, it seemed wasteful to let him go.
Palu had said he needed all the help he could get.
Palu ’ s
tablet hadn ’ t stopped beeping since they ’ d
looked at the statistics on screen. Every message the man received made him
tenser, until he had started to resemble a coiled spring. Sarah almost felt
sorry for him. He may have been in charge of MCU, but it was clear that he was
a mutt with many masters.
“ Prime Minister Breslow has just given a speech from Downing Street, ” Palu informed them. “ She ’ s halted the exit-strategy for Afghanistan, and is even reinforcing
the number of troops in the region. She ’ s
keen to display Britain ’ s strength. A request for aid has been made to President Conrad. ”
Howard huffed. “ The yanks won ’ t go for it. The American people are tired of war. Conrad will
leave us hanging, I guarantee it. Loyalty is a one-way
street with the Americans. They think helping out in World War II earned them
enough brownie points to last a century. ”
“ That ’ s a little unfair, ” Bradley said, entering from the back of the room with
his things. “ The Americans have aided us countless times. ”
“ Really? ” said Howard. “ So where are they
now? MCU was supposed to be a joint enterprise, but it ’ s
been over a year since they made any contribution to our cause. ”
“They gave you me, ” Dr Bennett said, aggrieved. “ That ’ s hardly nothing. ”
He rolled his eyes. “ You were a token gesture. The US
closed their own MCU facilities and their funding has dropped through the
floor.”
Bennett folded her arms. When
she spoke this time, her tone was angry and her accent stronger. “ Do not refer to me as a token . I ’ m
the most qualified person in this whole damned facility. Believe me, I ’ d sooner be back home if y ’ all have no further
need of my services. ”
“ You are highly valued, ” Palu said. “ Now more than ever. ”
Dr Bennett nodded at the
Director, apparently satisfied.
“What’s the deal here?”Sarah butted in. “I mean, why is this
place so abandoned? Why is there only a
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