Battle Lines. Will Hill
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Название: Battle Lines

Автор: Will Hill

Издательство: HarperCollins

Жанр: Детская проза

Серия:

isbn: 9780007354528

isbn:

СКАЧАТЬ training has been suspended,” replied Jamie. “As of right now, you are active Operators in Department 19, until such time as this operation is concluded. When it is, you go back to the Playground. But not until then. Do you understand?”

      Morton nodded, the colour draining from his face. Ellison looked at him with wide eyes as she raised her hand.

      “Yes?” said Jamie.

      “You said search and destroy, sir,” said Ellison. “Right?”

      “That’s right.”

      “How is that going to work?”

      “What do you mean?”

      “I mean, people are going to expect the patients to be found, sir. The media is going to go absolutely crazy, and the families of the escapees are going to demand to know what happened. We’re talking about vulnerable people here, sir, people with severe psychiatric issues.”

      “Not any more,” said Morton. “Now we’re talking about vampires.”

      Ellison shot her squad mate an extremely sharp glance, then returned her attention to Jamie.

      “The media doesn’t know anything yet,” he said. “When it leaks, which we have to assume it will, we’ll make sure they don’t run it. Anyone who lives near the hospital is being handled, and when it becomes necessary to tell the public about what happened to the patients of Broadmoor, the Security Division will devise a cover story. I’ve no idea what that will be, before you ask, and it’s not something you need to worry about. What you do need to worry about are the five vampires we’ve been ordered to destroy.”

      “OK, sir,” said Ellison, although unease had clearly settled over her. Morton gave her a furious look, then whispered something Jamie didn’t catch. Ellison turned on him, her eyes blazing with anger, and opened her mouth to reply.

      “Operators!” barked Jamie, causing them both to jump in their seats. “This is not a training exercise. This is the real thing. You will give me your complete attention right now or I’ll assume that you aren’t ready for this and send you back downstairs. Is that what you want?”

      “No, sir,” they chorused.

      “Good,” replied Jamie. “That’s good. Because this is a Priority Level 1 operation, the kind that Operators die on. The footage demonstrating the power of these escaped vampires is extremely disconcerting, so let’s focus, shall we? I want us armed and triple-checked and ready to go in one hour, so it might be useful for us to know who the hell we’re looking for.”

      Morton and Ellison leant forward, their attention fully focused on their squad leader. Jamie forced a tension-breaking smile and began to brief them on what was waiting for them beyond the walls of the Loop, knowing even as he did so that nothing he said could truly prepare them.

       I’ll just be pleased if I bring them both back alive.

      8

      THE LOST HARKER

      THREE MONTHS EARLIER

       TRANSCRIPT

       INTERVIEW WITH ALBERT HARKER. JUNE 12 2002

      (tape begins)

      JOHNNY SUPERNOVA: Right, it’s on.

      ALBERT HARKER: What’s on?

      JS: The tape recorder. It’s recording.

      AH: Oh. Fine.

      JS: Please say your name for the tape.

      AH: Albert Harker.

      JS: OK. I’m going to call you Albert, if that’s cool?

      AH: That’s fine.

      JS: So. Albert. You approached me and offered me this interview. Why don’t you start by telling me why.

      AH: Thank you. I wanted to give this interview so that people know the truth.

      JS: The truth about what?

      AH: About vampires, Mr Supernova. About Blacklight. About my family.

      JS: Now you see, my bullshit detector just went off straight away. Because you just said the word vampires.

      AH: That’s right. I did.

      JS: Well, let’s get this out there then. Your position, what you’re saying to me, is that vampires are real? They exist, right now, in the real world.

      AH: That’s correct.

      JS: And why would you expect me to believe something so ridiculous?

      AH: Because it’s the truth.

      JS: Do you have any proof? Anything to back up your claim?

      AH: Just my word.

      JS: I sent a car to collect you for this interview from a homeless shelter, Albert. I can see needle tracks on both your arms. And you think I should take your word for something like this?

      AH: That’s entirely up to you, Mr Supernova. I can’t make that decision for you.

      JS: Oh, I’ll make it for myself, don’t you worry about that. So. Before we get on to the supposed existence of these vampires, tell me something else. Tell me how you would be in a position to know about them, if they were real. Because it seems to me like everyone else thinks they’re fiction, and I’ve got to tell you, you’re off to a pretty bad start when it comes to being convincing.

      AH: You are aware of my surname?

      JS: I am.

      AH: And, as a journalist, I would presume that you are a well-read man?

      JS: I suppose so. Reasonably.

      AH: And you don’t see the connection?

      (pause)

      JS: Dracula. You’re talking about Dracula?

      AH: Very good, Mr Supernova. Dracula, yes. My great-grandfather was Jonathan Harker, the hero of Stoker’s story. Which, in truth, was a work of historical fact, rather than the fiction it has been portrayed as.

      JS: You take a lot of heroin, don’t you, Albert?

      AH: That is immaterial.

      JS: So Dracula wasn’t a story. It really happened. Am I understanding you here?

      AH: You are. It happened much as Stoker wrote it down. He overheard the tale from Abraham Van Helsing, who he crossed paths with here in London.

      JS: Van Helsing was real too?

      AH: Obviously. The sooner you get your head around these simple facts, the quicker and less painful СКАЧАТЬ