The Resistance

Don’t cross me, Peter. Trust me when I tell you that it really isn’t worth it.’
    Peter felt his fists clench with anger. ‘Anna’s Declaration,’ he shouted as he was dragged from the room. ‘Her signed Declaration. Was that you, too?’
    But he got no answer.
    ‘I thought you said the girl was dangerous?’ Hillary whispered to Richard when the door had closed behind him and the guards. ‘Are you really going to let her off the hook?’
    Richard smiled darkly. ‘Of course not,’ he said. ‘Far from it, in fact.’
    Jude found himself at a dead end. He knew the lift shaft was only a few metres away, but a metal screen was blocking his way. He knocked it; it was thin, could be dismantled, he reckoned, but it would make a noise and the game would be up. Frustrated, he wriggled backwards; he would have to find another way round. Making his way back to the area above the Pincent Pharma reception, he crawled to the left. The dust was getting in his eyes and he longed to wipe it away, but each time he tried he simply added more; instead, he found himself squinting, using his hands to guide him.
    And then, just when he thought he was making progress, he hit another dead end. Another metal plate – they must have been installed to separate the lift shaft, he realised. Whichever way round he went, he was going to find the same barrier. Sighing, he allowed himself to collapse on the floor in exhaustion whilst he collected his thoughts. He lay there for a few minutes, his mind racing, trying to work out what to do next. And then he heard something beneath him: a door opening. Tensing up, he lifted himself back on to his hands and knees; the guards had tracked him down, he realised. He’d been stupid to rest, even for a minute. But as he peeked down the nearest air vent to see how many guards there were, he frowned. One guard walked in, and didn’t look up to the ceiling at all, but instead stared at the empty bench in front of him. His eyes scanned the room suspiciously, his hand reaching down to his holster to retrieve his gun. And then, suddenly, he fell to the ground. It took Jude a few seconds to realise that someone had struck him; his eyes widened as he realised that the someone was Pip, who had been hiding behind the door. Then he watched in disbelief as Pip swiftly unrobed the guard, swapped clothes with him and propped him up on the bench.

Chapter Twenty-Seven
    Pip cautiously opened the door and slipped into the corridor. Years of experience had taught him how to become invisible, to deflect attention, to blend seamlessly into the background, years that he seldom regretted and yet knew were owed to the darkest travails of humanity. The irony was not lost on him; in quiet moments he liked to muse on it, to question himself, just as he liked to question everything.
    He took out his phone and dialled a number. ‘Yes. Me. I’m in. There’s a power cut here. Any information?’
    ‘Power cut? No, no information. Your whereabouts?’
    Pip frowned. The power cut couldn’t be a happy accident; such things didn’t exist. Was it Peter? A more malevolent force? He walked towards a small sign. ‘Corridor A, North.’
    ‘Roger. Contact will be with you shortly.’
    Pip nodded. ‘The power cut means security is compromised. Make your way in through the basement. But be careful – it might be a trap.’
    ‘Roger.’
    Unsettled, Pip turned his phone off and slipped out into the corridor. He disliked the things – he needed them, of course, knew they were invaluable, but even with anti-tracking devices they were dangerous. If he were caught, he would never give up his comrades, never alert the Authorities to the existence of a van full of men waiting to assist him when he gave the word. But his phone? It wouldn’t take much to trace his last calls, to track down his fellow Underground soldiers.
    Seconds later, a man in overalls appeared. He cleared his throat as he passed Pip, but kept on walking.
    ‘Longevity’s all very well, but a drug for tiredness would be welcome,’ Pip said softly.
    The man stopped. ‘And one for heating,’ he said hesitantly. ‘I can’t seem to warm up in this weather.’
    They eyed each other for a couple of seconds, then Pip moved closer. ‘Location?’ he asked. ‘Do we know where the girl is?’ The news of Anna’s kidnap – and it was a kidnap, as far as the Underground were concerned – had reached him just hours before from the watchers he’d assigned to shadow