‘That sounds lovely.’
‘It will be. Unless we fail, in which case it won’t be lovely at all. But then we can gather as many people as possible and head off into Anterwold. I should add that I can’t think of any reason why you shouldn’t go now, if you really wanted to.’
Rosie shook her head. ‘No. I’ve thought about that. A lot. But as you keep on telling me, I’m there already. One’s company.’
‘Two’s a crowd?’
Rosie smiled. ‘A complication. The other me will be happy because I am here with my parents. Someone will have to look after Jenkins if Professor Lytten is in jail. I have a life here. It’s not brilliant, I sometimes think, but, you know...’
‘In that case, we had better succeed,’ Angela said. ‘Come on. I’ll walk you home. There’s nothing more to do here tonight, and I must get out of the country as quickly as possible. I need to pack and find my passport.’
A few minutes later the two left the house, and Angela locked the door carefully. ‘Quite a day,’ she said. ‘Let’s see how tomorrow entertains us.’
65
Jack was shocked at the state of the island when the helicopters flew over it before settling dustily onto the landing site. Big black holes had been blown into what once had been gleaming white roofs covering the main part of the institute; the wreckage of the defensive outposts still smouldered in the light breeze, on the far side of the island a fire still burned and half a dozen of the small ferries half poked above the water, bombed and sunk as they were, tied up to the quayside. Oldmanter’s military had done a thorough, rapid job of it.
Already the repairs were under way. As they landed, he saw other large machines bringing in the equipment needed to patch holes, get power working again. Supplies of all sorts were stacked in neat piles everywhere. His experienced eye scanned the site as they came lower, but he could see no pens for prisoners, no marks of freshly dug graves.
Some had already returned to work under their new master; others had left to fend for themselves as best they could. The place was half empty, quiet, gloomy with lack of purpose. The few dozen people brought up from the Retreats were under guard.
Jack managed to get permission to see Emily, for he was restored to his previous position, awaiting transfer to another part of Oldmanter’s vast empire. He had been offered promotion, everything he might need. Oldmanter was a generous man.
‘He is going to keep his word,’ he said to her. ‘The preparations are being made. You still have time to change your mind, though.’
‘Why would I want to do that?’
‘It’s dangerous.’
‘It is hardly safe for people like us here, either.’
‘How did Oldmanter know where I was? How did he find me so quickly?’
‘Simple enough. I told him. It was obvious he was going to win. You would have died, and so would we. This seemed a good way of saving something from the wreckage.’
‘You told me the document was old, and told him that it was a fake.’
‘That’s the sort of imprecision you get from people who do not have a thorough scientific training, I suppose.’
‘Hanslip says it is dangerous.’
‘But to whom, do you think? What about Hanslip?’
‘I have permission to see him tomorrow.’
‘I liked him. Tell him I know what I am doing.’
‘I will try to get your conditions improved before I leave,’ Jack began when he came into Hanslip’s cell the next day and looked around at the damp walls and filthy floor with distaste. ‘There is no reason for you to be treated like this.’
‘Have I disappeared?’ Hanslip’s voice was surprisingly clear and strong for someone who had evidently suffered very bad treatment. Jack looked at the bruises, the black eye, the bandages over his hands. Primitive. He hated that.
‘I’m afraid so. The electricity surge has been officially attributed to terrorists and the authorities are responding with mass arrests. The institute never existed, nor did you.’
Hanslip nodded to show he had understood.
‘And you?’
‘Oldmanter offered me a job. I had little choice, so I accepted it. He has also agreed to send the renegades to their own world in exchange for Emily Strang’s cooperation. It will be a reservation, in effect, where they will live undisturbed.’
He considered this. ‘I see. Why have you come today?’
‘To say goodbye, I’m afraid. You are to be shot. And I wish to apologise to you. One of Emily’s conditions was that you should be offered the chance of going with the renegades. Oldmanter agreed, but he has changed his mind. I have been instructed to tell Emily that you refused the offer.’
‘Lying for Oldmanter already? Will you do that?’
‘Yes. I must.’
‘Do you realise how dangerous using that machine could be? Does Oldmanter?’
‘I know nothing. You tell me it is dangerous, Oldmanter is sure it is not. As he is the most successful person on the planet, then his opinion is likely to prevail. Emily told me she knows what she’s doing.’
‘Did she indeed?’ Hanslip’s eyes narrowed as he thought. Then his face cleared and became almost contented. He nodded to himself and almost smiled. ‘Yes. Maybe she does. She’s her mother’s daughter, after all. I told you that Angela was a ruthless woman. Would you tell Emily that I understand what she is doing, and wish her luck? Also that she can count on me.’
‘If you wish.’
‘Thank you, Mr More. I appreciate your kindness in coming to visit me. Good luck to you, as well. You will need it more than any of us, I think.’
That evening Jack, with three armed soldiers, got Emily from the enclosure once more and walked her along the corridors into the open air. He led her through, then ordered the guards, ‘Keep far away. Within eyesight, as I suppose you must, but in the background, please.’
‘A man of authority,’ she commented as the guards dutifully fell back and allowed them to head down to the shore unaccompanied.
‘That’s me. They’re all right, those three. They don’t really care what happens as long as they don’t get into trouble.’
‘Like most people.’
‘I suppose.’
They walked along in silence for a while, Emily absorbing the fresh air. ‘It’s empty up here. I like it.’
‘Good. You will be getting to know it quite well.’
‘Why?’
‘It’s your destination,’ he said simply. ‘They’ve decided it is too expensive to move you geographically. So whenever you arrive, it will be exactly at the point where you left. On this island, in fact. You’ll have to make your own way after that.’
‘How many of us will go?’
‘Just you, to start off with. I’m afraid they intend to use you as an experiment, to see if it works. If you think about it, it shows they are taking it seriously. They want to do it properly.’
‘That’s unfortunate. When will the rest follow?’
‘You are asking the wrong person. I am only a security officer, remember.’
‘Then I must hope he will keep his word.’
‘He will, I think. In his odd way it is important to him. But it’s not too late to change your mind if you have any doubts.’
‘I might, if I could think of anything better. What date am I going to?’