Uprising

Chapter Thirty-Nine

The VIA office had been in a state of shock all morning following the double bombshell. First the news of the destruction of the Terzi lab, then the video message from the mysterious Gabriel Stone. Many of the VIA staff sat in stunned silence at their desks, barely able to function. Others huddled in groups in corners to jabber and whisper furiously among themselves while gofers scurried by. The frantic scouring of the archives had revealed exactly what Stone had predicted it would: nothing. There was no trace whatsoever of the vampire on any Federation records, no way to track him, not a shred of a clue as to who or where he might be.

While the rest of the building’s top floor struggled to come to terms with the situation, Harry Rumble was in his office, on two phones at once and typing emails as he talked. After an hour of helping Slade go back through the drug distribution records in the vain hope of finding a useful lead, Alex walked in Rumble’s door to find him slumped and haggard at his desk, tie crooked, hair wild. Xavier Garrett was lurking in the background, filing papers.

‘I’ve just got off the phone with Brussels,’ Rumble said wearily to Alex. He was referring to the main headquarters of the Federation Ruling Council, housed in a high-rise building just a few hundred yards from the European Parliament. ‘I talked to Gaston Lerouge.’ The way he said the name, he might have ended the sentence with an emphatic ‘himself’. Gaston Lerouge was one of the Supremos of the Ruling Council. He held court within the plush FRC offices like a dauphin prince, surrounded by an army of lackeys, and was second in command only to the legendary Olympia Angelopolis, co-founder of the Federation, the Lady of Steel, the one they called The Vampress.

‘What an honour,’ Alex said. ‘The great Lerouge actually condescending to speak with a lowly VIA chief. So what did our illustrious leader and former toy salesman have to say for himself?’

Garrett looked over at her. ‘That’s enough of that kind of talk, Agent Bishop. A bit of respect would be in order.’

‘Turns out that the same moment our friend Stone was delivering his message to us here,’ Rumble went on, ‘they got an email with the same video clip. The source is untraceable, before you ask.’

‘How are they taking it?’

‘Official version? Stone is just a minor blip, and we’ll have a new pharma lab up and running again before you know it. Nothing to worry about.’

Alex nodded. ‘Yeah. Real version?’

‘Going apeshit,’ Rumble said. ‘Or else why would they be calling a general meeting three days from now, in Brussels? Lerouge will be there, along with Achmed Hassan, Cornelius Borowczyk and all the other Supremos. The Vampress will preside, no less. My presence is requested, and I want you there with me.’

‘Me?’

Garrett strode over to the desk, pointing a finger at Alex. ‘With respect, sir, you can’t be seriously thinking of taking her into a meeting with these people. She’s insubordinate, a loose cannon. And this is way above her grade.’

For once, Alex wasn’t too quick to contradict Garrett. ‘Do I really need to be there, Harry? They don’t usually have field agents at these kinds of events.’

‘You’re my top operative,’ Rumble insisted. ‘And besides, this is no ordinary meeting.’ He turned to Garrett, who was trembling with indignation. ‘You’ll be there too, Xavier.’

Garrett smiled smugly, and relented right away.

As Alex left Rumble’s office and headed out of the building, she had other things on her mind than waste-of-time conferences with a bunch of stuffed shirts and bureaucrats. She was thinking back to the young guy Dec Maddon, and his wild story of a big house where a girl had been slaughtered by vampires. As she walked to the Jag, she took out her phone.

‘Thames Valley Police,’ said the breezy female voice on the other end.

‘Is DI Solomon available, please?’ Alex asked.

‘One moment.’ A pause. ‘I’m afraid he’s not at his desk. May I ask who’s calling?’

But Alex was already turning off the phone and getting in the car.