The Legacy

had to act fast.’
    ‘But she was taken by his men,’ Peter continued, shaking his head in disbelief, in anger.
    ‘Derek’s men. There’s a difference,’ Pip said gravely. ‘I understand why you’re angry, Peter, but we had to do what we did. We had to keep you safe. We hadn’t planned on . . . Events took over – the attacks on the Underground, Richard closing in on your safe house. I couldn’t risk it, couldn’t risk everything unravelling. Pincent Pharma is the most protected building in the world. It may not be comfortable, but it is safe.’
    Jude’s mind was racing. ‘The Surpluses,’ he gasped. ‘You took the Surpluses too?’
    ‘Yes,’ Pip nodded slowly. ‘Left in Surplus Halls, they would have been attacked, torched like everyone else under suspicion. We hadn’t banked on the Authorities blaming the Underground. That changed things.’
    ‘But Derek,’ Jude said, looking at the man he’d feared for so long. ‘He wanted to kill me. He would have killed us all.’
    ‘No,’ Pip said.
    Derek looked up miserably. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, falling to his knees. ‘I’m sorry. I had to. We agreed. All that mattered was the endgame. The eternal circle of life.’
    ‘That mattered more than us?’ Jude asked Pip stonily.
    Pip shook his head. ‘You are the eternal circle of life,’ he said. ‘You, and Jude, and Anna, and Sheila and the children. Especially the children. You are true renewal. Longevity threatened to break that circle; we had to keep the link.’
    ‘Longevity keeps the human race alive forever,’ Richard gasped angrily from the floor where he still lay. He was shaking, clawing at his throat.
    ‘No.’ Pip shook his head. ‘Not forever. Life is a changeable thing, Richard. Evolution taught us that adaptation is the key to survival. No drug could ever defy that fundamental tenet.’
    ‘Derek. My friend,’ Richard managed to say, his voice hoarse and pained. ‘Derek, I forgive you for what you’ve done. We all have our weak moments. Derek, help me. Get me water. Torture this man. Get the formula. Everything will be OK again. Everything . . .’
    Everyone turned to look at Derek, whose eyes darted over to Pip and back again. Then he laughed, a terrifying laugh full of pain, desperation and anger. ‘Your friend?’ He shook his head. ‘I have never been your friend, Richard. Never.’
    ‘Of course you have. You’re delirious, that’s all,’ Richard groaned. ‘You’ve been brainwashed. Albert’s got to you – I can see that now. But you can’t let him win. You can’t, Derek.’
    ‘Over a hundred years I’ve worked for you,’ Derek said, his voice low and angry. ‘Over a hundred years I’ve pretended. I’ve killed and maimed and done unspeakable things. And all for Albert.’
    ‘No!’ Richard shouted. ‘No, it’s not true!’
    ‘For Pip,’ Derek continued desperately. ‘That day you told me to take him away, I did,’ Derek said. ‘I threatened to kill him. I beat him up. I did all sorts. And he just kept telling me that I didn’t know what I was doing, that he forgave me, that his life didn’t matter but that life itself did.’
    ‘You’ve been . . . You’ve been on our side all this time?’ Peter asked suddenly, staring at Derek uncertainly.
    ‘No!’ Sheila shouted out suddenly. ‘No, he’s lying. He’s evil. He’s not on our side. He’s not. He can’t be . . .’
    ‘Hush,’ Pip said softly. ‘Sheila, Derek is telling the truth.’
    ‘Then why didn’t he help us?’ Anna asked accusingly. ‘Why did he lock me up? Why did he let Sheila . . . let the Surpluses . . . How could he?’
    ‘Yes,’ Jude said suspiciously. ‘How could he?’
    Pip moved towards him and put his hand on his shoulder. ‘Jude, you must understand. Derek had to be closer to Richard Pincent than anyone. He had to be beyond suspicion. We couldn’t risk him being discovered, even if it meant suffering. Even if it meant that we lost people.’
    ‘Derek told you about Unit X,’ Peter said suddenly. ‘He’s the reason I went in. He helped us save Sheila.’
    Pip nodded. ‘He alerted me to many things, but we had to ensure the intelligence appeared to come from other sources,’ he said.
    ‘All this time?’ Richard gasped. ‘All this time you’ve been working for him?’
    ‘Albert told me what would happen. He predicted everything,’ Derek said quietly. ‘Even this. He knew everything would end, unless . . . unless