Them or Us

he was still very much alive.”
    “Hinchcliffe sent me to look for him in Southwold. Was that place your doing, too?”
    “What had been happening in Southwold was initially because of John Warner, nothing to do with us. I’d been talking to John for some time. He shared a lot of our ideals, and we were doing what we could to help. He was definitely on the right track.”
    “I assume you know what happened there?”
    “What Hinchcliffe did to Southwold was unforgivable. We were hoping to use the place as a staging post instead of here. It was a difficult one to call, and I got it wrong. I didn’t intend for John and his people to get dragged in like that. Hinchcliffe was obviously under the impression that Southwold was a threat.”
    “He saw it as a threat to his authority, nothing more than that.”
    I keep my mouth shut about the part I played in Warner’s downfall. Even though Hinchcliffe maneuvered me into that position, I still feel partially responsible for what happened.
    “The thing is, Danny,” he continues, the tone of his voice suddenly changing, “what Hinchcliffe’s doing won’t last. He’s going to run out of supplies and ideas eventually. Then he’s screwed.”
    “I know. I’ve tried talking to him about it.”
    “When people like Hinchcliffe realize their number’s up, they never go quietly. What happens next in Lowestoft is crucial, and we can’t afford to fail. We’re in danger of losing so much of what we used to have, you know? All that knowledge, technology, and experience … it’s too important just to throw it all away. We’ll end up living in caves again.”
    “So what exactly are you planning, and why are you talking to me?”
    “I honestly didn’t know anything about you until we arrived here. You’re an unexpected bonus, Danny. You’re someone who’s had unprecedented access to Hinchcliffe. You know how he thinks and how he works. Long and short of it, I want your help. Because, in answer to your first question, as soon as all my people are in position, we’re heading for Lowestoft. There are thousands of people there who are suffering, and I’ve got a duty to try to help them.”
    “What about Hinchcliffe?”
    “Well, that’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? If I’m honest, we’d been planning to infiltrate and get rid of him.”
    “That’s what he did to Thacker, the guy who was in charge before him.”
    “I know.”
    “If you do that, you’ll be operating down at his level. That makes you no better than him.”
    “I’m well aware of that, too, and it was a price I was willing to pay—but it doesn’t have to be that way now.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because we’re going to give Hinchcliffe a choice and make him think he’s still in control. Who knows, if he plays ball with us, he still could be.”
    “What if he tells you to fuck off?”
    “Then that’s up to him. Like I said, we’re going to give him a choice. He can let us in to help strengthen and support the town…”
    “Or…” I press when Ankin pauses.
    “Or he can get out and leave running the place to me and my people.”
    “That’s never going to happen.”
    “It will if we handle him right. That’s why I’m so pleased that Llewellyn introduced me to you.” He pauses ominously, but I already know what’s coming next. “I want you to go back into Lowestoft and make sure Hinchcliffe is aware of all his options. Make him see the bigger picture.”
    “No way. You’re out of your fucking mind if you think I’m going to be the one who goes back there to tell him to pack his bags and get out.”
    “No, no,” Ankin says, holding up his hands defensively, “that’s not what I’m asking at all. I want you to go back there as someone who knows him, not as a messenger from me. Just tell him about us. Give him a chance to get used to the idea before we arrive. Come on, Danny, can’t you see how much easier that’ll be? I’ve got thousands of people waiting to march into Lowestoft, and when they see us, most of the people who are already there will immediately switch sides. It’ll be Hinchcliffe and a few hundred fighters against everybody else; they won’t stand a chance in battle. So let’s you and me do all we can to try to stop that battle from ever starting.”

 
    33
    SINCE MY MEETING WITH Ankin first thing this morning, I’ve been kept under close watch. I was taken into a small office on the second floor of the museum under the pretense of waiting