eggs too. And chicken occasionally. ’
‘Eggs!’ Harry looked at Bushey. ‘Did you say eggs?’
‘Fuck that.’ Bushey made a face. ‘You said chicken? I’d sell me own grandma for a Kentucky Fried—’
‘Quiet, you two,’ said Walfield.
Adam nodded gratefully. ‘But here’s the thing, lads,’ he continued. ‘Maxwell and his soldier boys are planning on moving there themselves. They know about it, and they’re going for it. That’s what all that noise today has been about. That’s why they grabbed a hundred workers earlier this morning and took them into the middle. They’re packing up their stuff and leaving.’
Walfield nodded. ‘Shit! That’s what we were saying earlier, wasn’t it? Thought they’d found someplace better, that this was them fucking off with the supplies.’
‘Well, you were right,’ said Leona.
‘The thing is, gents,’ said Adam, ‘we have to beat Maxwell there and—’
‘Oh, I get it,’ said Bushey nodding slowly. He looked up at Leona. ‘You want us to help fight those boys when they arrive?’
Adam looked at him and splayed his hands in guilty admission. ‘Yes. We’d help Leona’s people defend themselves. That’s the price of admission.’
The men looked at each other. It was Walfield who spoke. ‘I don’t know, Brooksie, mate. They’re all psyched-out in the head. It’s Maxwell’s doing. Last few years he’s been brainwashing those little pricks into believing they’re all fucking superhero warriors. That makes ’em dangerous.’
Harry nodded. ‘They’ll fight like bloody pit bull terriers. Maxwell will probably coke them out of their heads before he sends them in.’
‘How many other men are there at your place?’ asked Adam.
‘Not many, I’m afraid. About a dozen grown men. Although most of them are pretty old.’
Walfield, Bushey and Harry glanced at each other unhappily.
‘A dozen men and us. Sixteen effectives,’ said Adam.
‘Seventeen,’ added Leona. They looked at her. ‘And every other woman there who doesn’t want to be raped by a gang of teenagers,’ she added quietly.
The men nodded. Point taken.
‘What about weapons?’ asked Walfield. ‘What have you got?’
‘Some guns. Four or five, I think.’
‘That’s it?’
She nodded.
Bushey shook his head and turned to Adam. ‘That’s not good, sir.’
Sir? She looked at Adam and it occurred to her for the first time that he must have been their commanding officer. The deferential body language, the guarded familiarity hinted of old habits hard to kill off.
‘What she hasn’t told you fellas yet is where they’re based.’
‘It would need to be a bloody castle,’ said Harry.
‘It’s better than that.’ He turned to her. ‘Isn’t it, Leona?’
‘Yes, I suppose it is. It’s a gas rig on the North Sea.’
Their eyes widened in comedic unison.
‘It’s big,’ she added, ‘five separate, linked platforms all sitting on eighty-foot support-legs. It’s hard enough climbing on when there’s someone above giving you a helping hand. Trust me.’
‘And a whole lot harder if there’s several hundred people firing guns and throwing things down at you,’ added Adam. ‘Right?’
She nodded. ‘That’s right.’
The men continued to pretend to be pissing in silence.
Walfield spoke up again. ‘We’d need more guns.’
‘Well, we’ll be getting two more when we take down the little fuckers guarding the gate.’
Bushey looked up. ‘Rush them?’
Walfield smiled. ‘I’ve got a shiv I keep under my cot. Would do the job nicely.’
‘No way,’ said Harry. ‘They’d drop us before we could get close enough.’
Adam shook his head. ‘I’m pretty sure they patrol with empty clips. Maxwell was worried about them wasting ammo unnecessarily. You remember? Limited ammo was a concern when he had us weapons-training them?’
They nodded.
‘And no one’s ever bothered to try and escape. Shit, most nights those boys aren’t doing their job properly, anyway. They’re too busy arsing around.’
‘Or sleeping on the job,’ added Walfield.
‘It’s the last thing those boys will expect,’ said Adam. ‘Even if they are packing loaded clips, I bet they’ll still be fumbling for the safety by the time we’re on them.’
Walfield grinned. ‘Useless twats.’
Adam turned to Leona. ‘Most of the boys were pretty crap at handling the SAs properly. All thumbs. You watch them. They hold them like movie gangsters.’
Harry nodded and smiled. ‘Christ, we were shit drill instructors, weren’t we?’
‘So we’re doing this? said Bushey, scratching at his ginger goatee.
Walfield nodded. Harry gave it a moment and nodded. ‘I’m in.’
‘Bushey?’
‘Get away from this shit hole? Yeah, I’m in, sir.’
‘Good. Then we’re going for it tonight.’
‘Tonight?’
‘Yes. You’ve all heard the noises coming from the middle. They’ve been at it all day. They could be leaving at any time.’
‘Are we sure that’s them packing up?’ asked Harry.
Walfield nodded. ‘Someone in my work group got a look round the