BLOOD GURKHA: Prophesy (James Pace novels Book 5) by Andy Lucas Page B
Authors: Andy Lucas
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inches of fresh snow covering the courtyard and their helicopter.
Not bothering to look for her host, she slapped herself around the face a couple of times, really hard, and then dragged herself into the bathroom where she threw up. Fifteen minutes later, like any self-respecting, functioning alcoholic, she had showered, forced down a few glasses of tap water, and begun rounding up her sleeping crew. Despite the grumbles and complaints, another fifteen minutes saw her entire team assembled in the lounge downstairs. They were alone, apart from a couple of house guards, who questioned her intentions.
‘We are leaving,’ Sadie informed them curtly, her eyes burning fiercely with no trace of residual inebriation.
‘You cannot leave in the middle of the night,’ protested one of the guards. ‘The storm is still very heavy. It would be dangerous.’
‘Are you a meteorologist?’ she questioned. The man eyed her coldly. ‘Thought not. Now listen, carefully. We are guests of Ms Roche and Professor Prior. I have to get myself, my team and all our equipment into the air before the snow freezes on our helicopter and we end up stuck here. We are on a tight schedule and no delay can be tolerated.’
‘I understand,’ said the guard, used to taking orders and sensing the futility of arguing. Still, for her sake, he tried one final time. ‘I still think it's better to wait for first light. It would be safer.’
‘Your concern is noted, thank you.’ Then, brushing past him, she ordered her crew out to the helicopter. ‘Please thank Professor Prior for his hospitality,’ she shot back to the guard before disappearing through the door and out into the teeth of the storm.
‘Your funeral, stroppy cow,’ the guard muttered grimly. Having no desire to chase a crazy archaeologist outside and continue a pointless argument, he re-joined his companion over by the open fire, where a steaming mug of hot chocolate was calling him. Settling into a comfortable armchair, he sipped the delicious liquid and felt grateful that he’d not been ordered to help clear snow off the partially buried Chinook.
Working hard with brooms and shovels, Sadie’s team managed to clear the worst of the snow away from the fuselage after an hour of back-breaking toil, dripping with sweat beneath their winter coats.
The storm finally abated completely a few minutes after five-thirty. Sadie’s pilot was a very experienced, ex-military flier who wanted to get the team dropped off and head back to civilisation as soon as possible so he had needed no persuasion to risk the flight rather than be marooned, possibly for days.
He conducted the pre-flight checks and warmed up the powerful engines for ten minutes before finally lifting the old workhorse into the dark, starless void. Within moments, the flashing red and green navigation lights were lost within the unseen clouds above.
Below, with dawn still an hour away, the ARC complex slumbered on in blissful ignorance of the horrendous discoveries that awaited the morning changing of the guard.
Exhausted, drawn into a near catatonic sleep, Shilan too was unaware of events and slept on as the helicopter headed higher up into a mountain range which had seduced many adventurers across the centuries. As testament to the danger, most of them had never completed their return journey.
10
Chang-Lei Kwon still felt a tremor of expectation in his soul whenever he felt the elevator slide to a halt, twelve floors down. He knew where he had landed; after all there was only one stop in this car. No annoying people crowded in, floor after floor, accompanied by chatter or the ever-present irritation of smart phones. No, this ride was all his, as always.
There was also an absence of mechanical ringing, or even a soothing computerised voice, confirming to him that he had reached his destination. The grey steel doors simply slid open and he stepped briskly through them before they had even fully opened. Patience had
Not bothering to look for her host, she slapped herself around the face a couple of times, really hard, and then dragged herself into the bathroom where she threw up. Fifteen minutes later, like any self-respecting, functioning alcoholic, she had showered, forced down a few glasses of tap water, and begun rounding up her sleeping crew. Despite the grumbles and complaints, another fifteen minutes saw her entire team assembled in the lounge downstairs. They were alone, apart from a couple of house guards, who questioned her intentions.
‘We are leaving,’ Sadie informed them curtly, her eyes burning fiercely with no trace of residual inebriation.
‘You cannot leave in the middle of the night,’ protested one of the guards. ‘The storm is still very heavy. It would be dangerous.’
‘Are you a meteorologist?’ she questioned. The man eyed her coldly. ‘Thought not. Now listen, carefully. We are guests of Ms Roche and Professor Prior. I have to get myself, my team and all our equipment into the air before the snow freezes on our helicopter and we end up stuck here. We are on a tight schedule and no delay can be tolerated.’
‘I understand,’ said the guard, used to taking orders and sensing the futility of arguing. Still, for her sake, he tried one final time. ‘I still think it's better to wait for first light. It would be safer.’
‘Your concern is noted, thank you.’ Then, brushing past him, she ordered her crew out to the helicopter. ‘Please thank Professor Prior for his hospitality,’ she shot back to the guard before disappearing through the door and out into the teeth of the storm.
‘Your funeral, stroppy cow,’ the guard muttered grimly. Having no desire to chase a crazy archaeologist outside and continue a pointless argument, he re-joined his companion over by the open fire, where a steaming mug of hot chocolate was calling him. Settling into a comfortable armchair, he sipped the delicious liquid and felt grateful that he’d not been ordered to help clear snow off the partially buried Chinook.
Working hard with brooms and shovels, Sadie’s team managed to clear the worst of the snow away from the fuselage after an hour of back-breaking toil, dripping with sweat beneath their winter coats.
The storm finally abated completely a few minutes after five-thirty. Sadie’s pilot was a very experienced, ex-military flier who wanted to get the team dropped off and head back to civilisation as soon as possible so he had needed no persuasion to risk the flight rather than be marooned, possibly for days.
He conducted the pre-flight checks and warmed up the powerful engines for ten minutes before finally lifting the old workhorse into the dark, starless void. Within moments, the flashing red and green navigation lights were lost within the unseen clouds above.
Below, with dawn still an hour away, the ARC complex slumbered on in blissful ignorance of the horrendous discoveries that awaited the morning changing of the guard.
Exhausted, drawn into a near catatonic sleep, Shilan too was unaware of events and slept on as the helicopter headed higher up into a mountain range which had seduced many adventurers across the centuries. As testament to the danger, most of them had never completed their return journey.
10
Chang-Lei Kwon still felt a tremor of expectation in his soul whenever he felt the elevator slide to a halt, twelve floors down. He knew where he had landed; after all there was only one stop in this car. No annoying people crowded in, floor after floor, accompanied by chatter or the ever-present irritation of smart phones. No, this ride was all his, as always.
There was also an absence of mechanical ringing, or even a soothing computerised voice, confirming to him that he had reached his destination. The grey steel doors simply slid open and he stepped briskly through them before they had even fully opened. Patience had
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