one day we end up like them fuckin’ London wild kids an—’
‘Edward! SHUT UP!’
‘Or what?’ He spun round. ‘You gonna’ do what, fool?’
‘You’ll be kicked out, that’s what! Kicked out of the praetorians. I’ll make . . . I’ll make Jay-zee my new top dog!’ He leaned round Snoop and addressed the cluster of faces watching events from the far end of the walkway. ‘You hear that? How’s that sound, Jay-zee? You want to be my new top dog?!’
He looked back at Snoop. ‘Now why don’t you shut up and let me finish what I’m—’
‘This place,’ Snoop cut it, ‘this place has figured it out. You see all this green shit everywhere?’ He pointed at the rustling leaves dangling from every level, on the platforms either end of the walkway. ‘That’s all food. That’s all grow-again, come-again food. That’s like making a real future.’ He jabbed a finger at Maxwell and turned to address the boys. ‘And you know what he is, what the Chief is? He’s like a piece of the past. The use-it-up past. And when whatever shit lying around is all used up we’ll be fucked, too.’
‘He’s right!’ called out Jenny. ‘There’s no future in this.’
‘Oh, don’t you start,’ snapped Maxwell. He pulled a handgun out of the pocket of his anorak and levelled it at Jenny. ‘You really need to shut up now.’
Snoop pulled the assault rifle from his shoulder and aimed at Maxwell.
‘Chief!’
Maxwell turned to look at him. ‘EDWARD? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?’
‘You should lower the gun,’ replied Snoop hesitantly. ‘Lower the fucking gun!’
‘Or what, Edward?’
‘My name’s SNOOP, not EDWARD!’ he replied.
Maxwell laughed. ‘No, you’re just a stupid twat called Edward, who thinks he’s some sort of hip-hop gangster!’
‘Fuck you!’ A dozen rounds ricocheted up the walkway, spinning Maxwell and knocking him heavily onto his back.
Leona was on her feet. ‘MUM!!!’ she screamed. She grabbed the gun lying beside Brooks, leaped over the storage drum and into the walkway cage.
‘NO!!! NO-NO-NO!’ The scream filled her ears as she watched her mum’s knees slowly begin to buckle. She collapsed on her haunches, sitting uncomfortably on her bottom, swaying unsteadily, both of her hands clasped over her left breast.
Leona clattered down the walkway as Snoop looked on in confounded silence. She slewed to a halt beside her mother. ‘Oh, God, Mum, no!’
Jenny looked up at her, with an expression of puzzlement. ‘I think I got hit,’ she said matter-of-factly. She looked down at her hands, both clamped over a small hole, several inches below her collar bone, that was vigorously pushing blood out between her spread fingers.
Leona dropped to her knees and pressed her hand against the wound, three hands, hers and Mum’s, all trying to do the same futile thing; stem the flow.
‘Mum . . . Mum . . . Mum,’ she whimpered. Jenny wobbled sideways like a drunkard and Leona caught her in her arms. ‘Mum . . . please!!!’ She looked up. ‘WHERE’S Tami? WHERE’S TAMI?!’
She looked down at her. ‘Mum . . . please . . . don’t . . .’
Jenny looked crossly at her. ‘Oh for God’s sake, Leona, you’ve got my mess all over your hands.’
Leona shook her head and cradled her mother’s. ‘Mum, don’t do this.’ Her voice broke into a pitiful whine. ‘Mummy . . . please . . .’
‘I’m all right, honey . . . just a bit tired . . .’
Jenny’s head began to loll heavily against her daughter’s arms. ‘Just like your father . . . so messy . . .’
‘Like you, Mum,’ she whispered, ‘I’m like you, Mum.’
‘. . . You’re . . . you . . . like . . . ?’ She wasn’t making sense, her eyes were losing focus, starting to roll to one side as a single line of dark blood emerged from one nostril and streamed down across the bumps of her scarred cheek.
‘You’re so strong, Mummy.’
‘. . . Hannah? Now be a good girl . . . just . . .’
Her head kinked over slowly to one side and her eyes seemed to be regarding the sea below, visible through the walkway grating, softly swirling eddies between the rig legs. One last breath came out as a protracted sigh of relief.
Then she was gone.
It was quiet and still there, a hundred feet above the grey void. A breeze rustled through the wire and whipped playfully with the corner of Jenny’s tan cardigan. Leona heard the clang of feet slowly approaching and looked up to