Fortunatus Wright - Part 2 : Family Ties

[Stoat]

Chapter 3

They looked at each other, and realisation hammered its way into their shocked minds. Together they looked down at the corpse. Nobby pulled out a silver flask from one of his pockets and took a hefty swig, and his eyes glazed briefly. He didn't offer the flask to Fortunatus.

"What the hell have you got me into here, Nate? Why does a Bretonian agent want to kill you? What have you done to make the government want to kill you?" Nobby's voice was increasing in pitch with each question.

"I don't know, Nobby. I swear I don't! I came here to try and find out what Bowers is up to. That's it. And then this goon..........." Nate's eyes widened as another realisation came to him. "Errrrm, Nobby. These guys are never alone, are they? We've got to hide this body, and we've got to do it now!" He bent down and grabbed an ankle, and Nobby followed suit.

"Over there, Nate. There's a break in the wall we should be able to get this over. Come on! Pull!!"

There was a damp scraping as they hauled the body over the paving stones. Nate forced down the mental images his mind was conjuring. Reaching the breached wall, they manhandled the body over it, and into the yard beyond.

"That'll do," said Nate. "As soon as they realise this guy is missing they'll take this area apart to find him. No point in spending any more time in trying to hide the body."

"Yeah, I guess so." Nobby was regarding Fortunatus suspiciously. "You sure you've no idea what's going on here, Nate? You're awful cool for someone that's just had the government try to kill them."

"Look, Nobby. How much do you know about what happened to me before I joined the Privateers?"

"Ahhh," Nobby looked a little uncomfortable, and the flask appeared again, "you know. Bits and bobs. There might 'ave been a few things you said that made me want to find out more, you know? I weren't prying, or nothing, Nate. Well, mebbe I was, but it weren't malicious, eh?"

Nate help up a hand. "It's all right, Nobby. There's nothing you need to explain. I'm sorry I'm dragging you into my mess, but I really need some help here, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather have covering my back right now....." Nate paused as he heard the roar of an approaching engine.

"Car!" whispered Nobby.

"That's no car, Nobby," breathed Nate, as the sound increased. There was something about the tone of the noise that was eerily familiar. He looked up to see the nose of a small vessel just appearing over the rooftops above them. Memories came flooding back then. The vessel was so similar to the Dragons that had destroyed his happy life back on Cambridge. "Kusari!" he spat. "That's a bloody Drake. Come on, Nobby! We need to see what's going on here."

They scrambled over the damaged wall, and back along the alleyway, as the vessel slowed further and descended. Edging along to the mouth of the alleyway, they peered around onto Garbantrey Road, as the Drake was touching down some forty yards away.

"That'll be right outside number 47," said Nobby in disbelief. "Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'? But how would you know what I was thinkin'? I'm gonna shut up now, Nate."

Nate felt sick. How the hell had a Kusari vessel managed to get through the Leeds defence grids? As the engines of the Drake shut down, a doorway opened, and a someone, backlit, came onto the street. The face was shadowed, until it moved into a pool of light thrown by one of the few working streetlights. Colonel Bowers' features resolved themselves in the glow. He was smiling as the access door of the Drake opened, and a Kusari officer in full uniform stepped out. Nate whipped back into the alley, the blood drained from his face, and his entire body shaking violently.

"Nate! Nate?" Nobby looked really worried now. The flask was in Nobby's hand and he took a few gulps. "What the hell, Nate? You look like you just saw the Devil! You know who that is? How do you bloody well know who that is?! NATE!"

"That bastard," the words were forced out through gritted teeth, "is Major Ryaki Hakaryo. That's the bastard that sent in the attack on my bloody home! That's the bastard responsible for the death of my wife! That's the bastard that tortured me! And that's the bastard that's got my daughter!"

As he tried to surge forward, Nobby landed a powerful punch right in his solar plexus, and he crumpled to the ground, the breath knocked out of him. Nobby crouched down as Nate gasped for air. "Damn Nate, I'm sorry for doing that, but if you go roaring out there you're gonna get yourself, and me probably, killed. I can't 'ave that. No I can't. So you're gonna stay here, breathe slowly, stay safe, and I'm gonna just nip out there and see what I can find, right? Sound good to you? Don't bloody move 'til you hear from me." He placed a small communicator on the ground next to Fortunatus.

The only sound Nate could make was a muffled gasp. Nobby nodded to himself and pulled out the flask for a fourth time. With a lopsided grin on the edges of his mouth, he slipped, low, onto Garbantrey Road.

"Nobby, no! Wait." Nate croaked, but to no avail. Nobby was gone, leaving just the aroma of strong spirits.

As he tried to stand, Nate grabbed the communicator Nobby had left him. Finally hauling himself to his feet, he peered back around the mouth of the alleyway. Bowers and Hakaryo were just disappearing into the doorway, which then closed behind them. Hakaryo's ship was silent on the road, and nothing moved. There was no sign of Nobby. He continued to scan the road for a while, then ducked back into the alley. Everything ached. He bent over and rested his hands on his knees, coughing gently. Now that he had a few moments to think about it, the enormity of the presence of Hakaryo was starting to hit home. Memories of Martha and Philippa flooded him. Nausea gripped his stomach and he retched violently. His skin crawled as a cold sweat sunk its claws deep into his back.

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he leaned back against the wall. A few deep breaths helped to calm him slightly. He had to do something, he had to make some sort of effort. All that was left of his former life was a prisoner, last seen onboard a Kusari destroyer. It was time to try to recover what he could of that life. It was time he tried to rescue his daughter. Drawing himself upright, he steadied himself and then strode out into the street, heading directly for the Kusari fighter. He had no idea what he was going to do, but he hoped desperately that something would present itself before he got himself killed.

He was ten yards from the Drake, and nothing had happened. No bolts of inspiration, no agents leaping out of the shadows to cut him down. Nate could feel the first tendrils of panic beginning to wrap themselves around his guts. What was he going to do when he got to the fighter?

"Oi! Nate!!" came the lilting rasp of Nobby's voice. "What the bloody ell do you think youre doing? Get your arse over 'ere right now, you great bleedin' idiot!"

Nate looked to his left, and there was Nobby, face purple, desperately waving Nate towards his hiding place in the mouth of yet another alleyway, a few doorways down from number 47. As he ducked down beside Nobby, Nate received a clip around the back of his head for his troubles. Nobby merely glared at him, shaking his head in disbelief.

"What?" demanded Nate. "Stop looking at me like that. I had to do something." Silent disapproval still flowed from Nobby. "Look, ok. I know it was probably stupid to walk up to that Drake, but I knew something would happen before I got there ...... And it did ...... Right? ....... Nobby? ........ Oh ****, Nobby, come on, talk to me at least. My mum used to give me the silent treatment like this. I couldn't take it then, and I still can't!"

With a final glare Nobby broke his silence.

"We got ourselves a way in. I was rooting around the back of these buildings and found a way in to this one." Nobby nodded at the wall next to him. "We need to get up into the attic, and all the roof spaces are joined. If we're quiet, we should be able to drop down into number 47 without being........."

"Wait. What? You were giving me the silent treatment about approaching that fighter, and now you're telling me we can sneak into the building that Bowers went into?"

"...heard." Nobby skilfully ignored what Nate was saying. "I've been inside already, Nate. Just you wait. You aint gonna believe what you see in there. Come on." Nobby suddenly turned and headed off down the alleyway. As Nobby merged in to the gloom, Nate realised that what he'd hoped for was happening, and set off after him.

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