“What took you so long? I’d almost given up on you all.”
“Sorry. We had to take care of some unfinished business, back there. Took longer than we anticipated.” Alix said, smiling.
“You okay, Dillon? You look like crap.”
“It’s good to see you too, Lola. And, thanks for asking, but I’ll live.”
After arranging to meet up as soon as possible, they all said their goodbyes, and Dillon and Tatiana set off again. This time to pick up Vince and then head back to the sea-plane that they’d arrived in. They travelled for an hour, until Tatiana spotted something and tapped Dillon on the arm, pointing.
“You see it?”
Dillon glanced up. “The bike in the ditch over there,” she said.
“There might be someone injured. Let’s go take a look.”
“Wonder what happened?” Said Tatiana.
Dillon coasted down the road; and as they approached the ditched bike, Dillon reached for his gun, tyres crunched on gravel as he pulled up twenty feet back from where it was laying on its side.
Dillon climbed warily from the quad bike, eyes scanning the deserted Highland landscape. He moved around the trials bike and saw that the key was still in the ignition. There was no one around; he checked the ditch in both directions, but found no bodies…
“Ran out of fuel by the look of it.”
Tatiana was holding a long-range scope to her eye. “In that case, whoever was riding it, is now on foot. That bike came from the facility, the security patrols used them.”
Dillon glanced around. Tatiana immediately sensed that now — in a potential conflict situation — he gave no sign that he was injured: all pain had been pushed out of the way, as the adrenalin started to flow freely around his body for the moment.
“Could be a stray guard or an Assassin then, wandering around the countryside.” Dillon slipped the Glock’s safety to the off position for a little more reassurance. “But it could also be a biker who simply ran out of fuel.”
“So let’s keep going. We’re still too far away from Vince.”
Dillon jumped back on the quad bike and they charged off up the road with all four tyres gripping the tarmac and the stealth engine running at full throttle. Dillon kept the Glock in his hand and stayed vigilant as they raced forward.
They rode with a heightened awareness for the next hour as the sun broke through the cloud and sent welcome rays down upon them. They passed no traffic in that time, and saw no other living being. It was as if everyone had hibernated…
It was Dillon who spotted her.
“Look. Over there to the left, that track running parallel to the road.” Dillon said, pointing.
The young woman squatted down behind the remnants of a low stone wall when she spotted the quad bike. But by then it was too late
— Dillon’s sharp eyes had spotted her.
They came to a halt and climbed off the quad.
Dillon moved off of the road and up the track, stopping just short of the dilapidated low wall. “Stand-up and show yourself!” He called.
Nothing moved…
Dillon pointed the gun at the pile of rocks. “Either you come out and show yourself or, I’ll come make sure you endure a slow and painful death. You have to the count of three. One, two, three…”
The woman stood up slowly, hands held high in the air. She wore tight fitting stone-washed denim jeans and a brown leather sheep-skin flying jacket, and carried a small rucksack. Dillon gestured with the Glock. Out onto the road, where I can see you clearly.”
Dillon moved closer, checking to see if she was alone. The woman was strikingly beautiful, her eyes bright. She looked frightened, terrified even. “Please don’t shoot me, please,” she said as Dillon came closer.
He stopped a few feet away, looking her up and down.
“What the hell are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“It’s a long story,” she said, smiling weakly. Slowly she lowered her arms, but Dillon waved them up again. He stepped in close and checked her for weapons, a cold sweat beading on his forehead as he fought with his inner turmoil of pain.
He stepped back. “What’s in the bag?”
“Nothing much. Just a few personal items.”
Show me.”
Claudia Dax opened the rucksack; she slowly pulled out the few personal items from inside and then showed Dillon the inside which was now empty.
“What about the side pocket?”
Claudia unfastened the Velcro flap. Slowly she withdrew a small silver disk and instantly Dillon aimed the 9mm Glock at her head and her eyes widened, like a deer caught in headlights. Tears started to roll down over her high cheekbones.
“What is it?” Dillon asked.
“That’s a relief. You’re obviously not from the facility?”
Dillon raised his eyes, and smiled grimly. “Well, we did have a brief acquaintance with a man called Kirill.”
Claudia looked into Dillon’s eyes at the mention of the name.
“Where is he now?”
“Very dead. Are you going to answer my question?”
“It’s the entire blueprint of the Chimera virus programme. So you’ve not been sent to kill me?”
“I don’t even know who you are, luv. Come on, walk over to the quad bike; you look like you’re suffering from the cold.”
Claudia walked, with Dillon a few paces behind her, checking warily all around. When she reached the quad Tatiana smiled, and Claudia was allowed to lower her hands.
“And who do we have here, Dillon?”
“Haven’t got a clue, Tats.” Dillon took a long swig of water from the metal canteen.
“But, she has got the blueprints for the Chimera virus programme,” said Dillon.
Tatiana’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
“Very serious.” Turning to Claudia, he said, “I’m assuming that you worked for Kirill?”
Claudia nodded. “Kirill had the majority of his staff murdered by those freaky Assassins. I hid in the air-conditioning shafts, and as all hell let loose, I’m assuming that was you and your friends? I managed to escape off the mountain in the basket and then steal a trials bike from outside of the guard-room. But before I left, I made a master copy of Chimera. So you’re really not here to kill me?”
“If I was going to kill you,” said Dillon softly, “we wouldn’t be talking now. Come on, jump up on the quad. I assume you need a ride out of here?”
Claudia nodded, and climbed up behind Tatiana, squeezing onto the tail-end of the saddle, just above the two stealth pipes.
Dillon fired up the engine.
“Where are you heading? Or alternatively, you can have this quad in about three hours…”
“I’ll go wherever you’re going. I just need to get as far away from this place as possible,” Claudia said wearily.
“Well, we’ll see what we can do,” said Tatiana, smiling warmly.
After a couple of hours they stopped for a break, and a little respite from the rain that was falling heavily again. They stood at the base of the cliff face under a craggy overhang that jutted out like a witch’s brow. Dillon looked up, allowing a cold trickle of water to run down over his face. “We’ll be with Vince in about an hour and a half.’’
“Text him. Let him know we’re on our way, and to get some hot food on the go — I’m absolutely starving.” Tatiana said softly.
Claudia Dax had wandered off a little way, stretching her legs. Her clothes were stained, and her leather jacket had a long tear in one of the arms, she looked in a sorrowful state, as they all did. Dillon caught her attention and she moved over to him, accepting his canteen with a radiant smile of thanks.
How is it you know about the Chimera Programme? It’s a top secret project,” she said, lips glistening with water.