Blood Moon Read Free Page A

the pleasure of mine. What is it today? More blood samples?”
    Rose stood to one side and let one of the machine gun toting meatheads push an antique wheelchair into the room. “Not today. If you’re feeling up to it, there are some people who’d like to meet you.”
    Steven sighed, then nodded his assent. “Lead the way, Rose. It’ll make a nice change to get out for a while.”
    He allowed Rose to help him into the chair while one of the guards held it steady. The other guard watched him like a hawk, and Steven couldn’t help but notice that the safety catch of the man’s MP5 was disengaged. It felt strange to be in a sitting position after spending days lying flat on his back, and the sensation was far from pleasant. His abdominal muscles pushed against his ruined ribcage, and he ground his teeth together to prevent the cry of pain from escaping his lips. Rose must have noticed his discomfort and, after she’d attached his saline drip to a holder on the back of the wheelchair, administered a liberal dose of morphine into the line. The warm glow of the opiate filled him, diminishing the pain until it was barely noticeable. A glimmering ember that would, in a few hours time, flare back up into a raging bonfire.
    They pushed him through a series of plain white concrete corridors, illuminated by harsh fluorescent bulbs whose light glared from the sterile walls. Doors lined both sides of the corridor, all of which were reinforced and had magnetic card and keypad access. Some of the rooms had been set up as cells, while others were being used as offices. As he passed the windows, he could see military personnel sitting behind shabby, cramped desks, working on antique computer equipment. It looked like the place had been outfitted with whatever old junk they had in storage, and Steven realised that probably wasn’t far from the truth. No doubt in a month or so, once orders were approved, the rooms would be filled with new desks and modern computer systems with flat screen monitors. For now, they were making do with whatever they could get their hands on.
    They eventually arrived at a pair of double doors, which Rose opened. The guards wheeled Steven in and positioned him next to a conference table, then stepped back to the corners, weapons at the ready.
    Steven recognised some of the people at the table. Phil Fletcher and Paul Patterson sat next to each other at the far end of the room. Steven was glad to see them both. He’d heard nothing about their fate since they’d been taken by the military. Both men’s heads had been shaved, and their scalps were red and blotchy from the acid burns they’d received while rescuing him. Phil nodded a greeting, while Paul barely registered his presence. The firearms officer’s jaw was clenched and he stared into the middle distance. Steven had to remind himself he’d only lost his family a short while before. He struggled to reconcile the fact that it was only a little over a week since he’d woken from his coma in a hospital bed. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
    Steven didn’t know any of the room’s other occupants, but he didn’t need to. They were clearly military. One of them, an older man with a moustache who stank of expensive aftershave, was obviously the commanding officer. The other five men and women held themselves with a casual alertness that only came from combat experience. Even in the safe environment of the conference room, their eyes were continually flitting around, checking for potential threats.
    The officer got to his feet, a smile on his lips. He extended his hand to Steven, shaking it in a vice-like grip. “Mr Wilkinson, it’s good to finally meet face-to-face. I’m Colonel Brian Richards, the CO of this base. Mr Fletcher and Mr Patterson you already know. The rest are Lieutenant Derek Foster, Sergeant Jayne Peyton, Corporal Aaron Raines, Private Roland Lewis and Private Fay Cross. We’re just waiting for one more person to join us before we