The Cure, стр. 23
‘And keeping the president in the dark?’
‘All these questions Wanikiy? It sounds like you want this mission to fail. Do you have some kind of death wish? I told you. The less he knows the better. The second he knows that them leaving had something to do with the toxin he will put a hold on the operation, and we are effectively killing ourselves. Let’s get it done and worry about getting them back after we know we have somewhere for them to come back to.’
‘Don’t forget that my daughter is out there Goldsmith. I have more to lose than anyone.’
‘And don’t forget you and your daughter are only alive because I allowed it. It could easily have been you rotting in that prison too remember.’
Wanikiy gave him a sideways glance and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose in disgust.
‘I hope you know what you are doing?’
‘What we are doing Wanikiy. What we are doing.’
Chapter Ten
Danny’s eyes were starting to blur in the dark and it felt like he had been riding for days, not hours. He needed to rest and pulled over to the side of the highway as a precaution, momentarily forgetting the complete lack of traffic. He had passed the odd car abandoned in the middle of the road, swerving last minute on several occasions as the parked cars came out of the pitch black. Out here everything was stationery. He took a bite from a chocolate bar which was now melted goo, but it gave him a much-needed boost. Whatever had made him pass out had seriously slowed down his ability to think on his feet and in honesty he was still a little groggy. Still he heard the buzzing from before, albeit it slightly louder now. He knew for sure now what he had thought before. It was another motorbike.
He didn’t panic, but he was aware that he needed to do something to stop whoever was following him. Thoughts ran through his head. Maybe it was a scout sent ahead of the convoy with the toxin or maybe it was someone who had been living above ground who saw him and was trying to catch up with him. Could it be someone who could help him? He doubted this very much and again his paranoia led him back to the conclusion that not only did his father and the others now know they had left the base, but that they were aware of the plan to thwart the toxin getting to the reservoir. His heart skipped as he wondered if the others had already been caught. Would they be taken back to base and be disciplined, or would it be more serious. He knew that if Goldsmith had anything to do with it they’d be locked up in the base jails. Surely his father wouldn’t allow that. Danny felt they had a genuine grievance against the plan to annihilate half the remaining country.
Previously the buzzing had been distant and looking into the dark Danny was positive he could see a spot of light on the horizon. It was hard to tell how far ahead he was, but he knew he still had an edge on his newfound friend. However, once he reached his destination, he would have to face whoever was following him head on. Something he didn’t relish, especially as his part in the plan involved being in a certain place at a very specific time. If he wasn’t there and the others failed, then they failed altogether.
Danny took some wire from his backpack and started to stretch it across the road at waist height, securing one end to part of a dried-out tree stump and the other to a pile of rocks. It wouldn’t kill his pursuer, but it would seriously slow them down and potentially put their bike out of action. Once he’d set up his booby trap, he waited ten more minutes and then took off on his bike. Feeling refreshed he rode for another ten miles and then rolled the motor bike around to look behind him. He could hear the buzzing, louder still and the spot of light was becoming more of a beam. The other bike must have been close to the wire by now and Danny waited and waited and waited, but nothing.
Had the wire fallen loose or had the person behind him seen it in time and driven around the trap. Danny started to panic and considered hiding out until the person had passed. It would mean giving away his advantage of getting to the reservoir first and finding a prime place to see the person approaching. His heart was thumping against his chest and he started to feel sick.
Then the buzzing stopped, and the beam started moving from side to side. A louder noise like something mechanic grinding filled the air in the distance, and then nothing. It had worked. Danny let his head drop and breathed a sigh of relief. As he did, he heard a ‘whoomph’ noise and saw flames shooting thirty feet in the air. ‘Please God don’t let that be anyone on our side,’ he said to himself. For a split second he considered driving back to see what had happened but thought better of it.
***************
McGregor had been following Danny for some time after Goldsmith had got wind of Logan’s plan for him to travel to the reservoir. He knew that, had Goldsmith known about the contingency plan for Danny to go to the reservoir earlier, he would have caught up to Danny hours ago, and as per Goldsmith’s instruction the problem would have been buried six-foot underground already. Still, McGregor enjoyed the chase and as much as he disliked the idea of leaving his nice comfortable home on the base, he knew that it was necessary to continue the life he had become accustomed to.