Deadlock by Mark Walden Page A

narrow waterway flanked on either side by the walls of the surrounding buildings. Ahead of them was a darkened tunnel entrance, sealed by a pair of rusty iron gates that slowly swung open as the boat coasted forwards.
    ‘Head inside please,’ Gretchen said, gesturing towards the open gateway. Raven shot Darkdoom a concerned look.
    ‘Nice place for an ambush,’ Raven said, eyeing the pitch-black tunnel suspiciously.
    ‘If that’s how you feel, you can drop me off now and walk away,’ Gretchen said with a shrug. ‘You requested this meeting, remember.’
    ‘It’s OK, Natalya,’ Darkdoom said calmly. ‘We’ll be fine.’
    He pushed forward on the throttle and the boat glided into the tunnel. The gates swung shut behind them and lights flickered on, illuminating the crumbling brickwork of the tunnel which stretched ahead into the gloom.
    ‘Stop the boat,’ Gretchen said. Darkdoom did as he was instructed and cut the engine, letting the boat slowly drift to a halt. Gretchen reached inside her coat and in a blur Raven had a pistol levelled at the girl’s forehead.
    ‘Diabolus,’ an amplified voice crackled from a loudspeaker mounted on the wall nearby, ‘please tell your nervous friend to put her gun down.’
    Darkdoom reached out a hand and placed it on top of Raven’s weapon, slowly pushing it downwards until it pointed away from Gretchen.
    ‘Hello, old friend,’ Darkdoom said. ‘I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again.’
    ‘All in good time, Diabolus,’ the voice replied. ‘First, I need you to do what Gretchen here asks you. Please forgive my caution. I fear that I may have become somewhat paranoid in my old age.’
    Gretchen pulled her hand out from inside her coat and opened it to reveal a tiny black box. She opened the box to reveal three small capsules.
    ‘Please take one each and swallow it,’ Gretchen said. ‘The drug inside the capsule is harmless, but it will render you unconscious for approximately half an hour, during which time I will take you to my employer.’
    ‘This is too risky,’ Raven said, shaking her head.
    ‘Then you should feel free to leave and we will go our separate ways. I shall not trouble you and you shall not trouble me, ever again,’ the voice from the loudspeaker said calmly.
    ‘Natalya, I know this may seem foolhardy,’ Darkdoom said, ‘but we have no choice. You may not trust these people, but I know this man. We have nothing to fear from him.’
    Raven looked Darkdoom in the eye and after a couple of seconds she sighed, gave a tiny shake of the head and holstered her pistol. Darkdoom reached out and took one of the capsules and handed it to Otto before taking one for himself. Raven took the last pill and placed it in the palm of her other hand, still eyeing it with suspicion. Darkdoom popped the capsule into his mouth and swallowed, followed by Otto and finally Raven. For a few seconds Otto felt nothing, but then he felt a sudden rush of dizziness and the world around him faded first to grey and then to black.

    Laura stood behind a pillar at the edge of the combat training area in the bottom of the Glasshouse’s central pit, watching for any sign of a guard who might realise that she wasn’t actually supposed to be there. She’d arranged to meet Nigel, Tom and Penny there earlier that morning by discreetly passing them notes during breakfast. The notes had been written on scraps of paper so tiny that they were easily swallowed once read. It would be suicide to be caught by one of the guards with anything that even hinted at any kind of covert conspiracy. It had taken Laura several days of subtle observation to find a spot that was not covered by any of the many cameras that filled the facility. They could meet here unobserved as long as they avoided any random guard patrols. It was the usual hour for the Glasshouse’s inmates to carry out their work assignments and she had noticed that the guards seemed to focus their attention on the areas that