Profile k, p.31
Profile K, page 31
Fight! Fucking fight!
She took her thumbs from his eyes and shoved them hard, one each side, up his nose, ripping his skin apart.
His jaws flew open and it was Teddy’s turn to scream and gasp for breath, but then he had her throat again and the squeezing, the pressure, the nauseating dizziness and the pain in her lungs was the end of the fight.
Don’t hurt Dawn, she thought, knowing she couldn’t be saying it out loud.
Please don’t hurt my sister.
Her hands were flopping, arms falling to her sides, his blood mingling with hers as the battle came to a close.
And then more blood hit her face. More than she’d ever thought could come from a living body, so hot it shocked her. She tried to yell but the blood was in her throat, cloying, disgusting.
Teddy’s hands fell away, his body limp, toppling into her, the weight forcing her backward to the floor, thumping loosely over her.
Another body collapsing next to hers, tiny, frail, reaching out a hand.
‘You’re all right, dear,’ a weak voice said. ‘We’re all right.’
Midnight pushed Teddy’s body off hers and wiped blood from her face. There was enough light from the lounge to see Doris lying on the floor at the side of Dawn’s bed, clutching her chest with one hand and her head with the other.
Teddy’s head was half separated from his neck, gaping open. His body, as he’d predicted, had taken a moment to realise what was happening.
‘Dawn?’ she called out. ‘Baby, it’s okay. I’ve got you.’ She crawled to the bed and reached out a hand for her cowering twin sister. ‘Stay there. It’ll be okay.’
She kept the lights off as she made her way into the lounge to phone for an ambulance on the landline. Dawn didn’t need to see the mess that was Teddy’s cheesewire-severed body.
When help was on its way, she managed to stand and stagger back through to Doris.
‘Try to breathe,’ she said. ‘Ambulance is coming. You saved us, Doris.’
‘He was … hoisted by his … own petard,’ she panted. ‘I’m not sorry.’
Midnight took Doris in her arms, one arm extended to grip Dawn’s hand under the bed, until the ambulance crew arrived.
Midnight’s lungs were giving in by the time they reached her. ‘Keep my sister with me,’ she whispered as they began preparing to intubate her. ‘She has to stay by my side.’
Chapter 45
Some angel had put them on the same ward, not just Midnight and Dawn, but Jessica and Doris too. By the time Midnight regained consciousness, twenty-four hours later, Jessica was out of her bed and sitting next to Midnight’s. Dawn’s bed had been rolled next to Doris’s so they could hold hands as they watched television together while they waited for Midnight to wake up.
Midnight’s jaw was agony. She woke up feeling Teddy’s teeth clamped around it, as she panicked, trying to scream.
‘It’s okay,’ Jessica stroked her arm. ‘You’re safe. The nurse said you’d wake up in pain. They left this button thing you can press for more painkillers.’
Midnight tried to speak and couldn’t.
‘They had to operate,’ Jessica explained. ‘He did quite a bit of damage to your jaw, broke it, in fact, which the surgeon said he’d never known a human to have the strength to do with their teeth alone.’
Midnight tried to remember the sequence of events. It came back to her all at once.
‘See keed ’im,’ she murmured through the contraption that was keeping her jaw in position, pointing at Doris to make herself clear.
‘I did kill him, lovey. He played a blinder on me, mind. Came to our door, said he was a plainclothes officer, and that you’d been in an accident with your friend Jessica. Said he needed to get some identification from me before he could tell me the details of the accident. I let him in, turned my back, and he grabbed me. Believe me, putting that cheesewire round his neck was no trouble at all. Thank the Lord that you and this precious girl are all right.’
‘Ank oo,’ Midnight said, her right hand over her heart.
‘Don’t be silly, my darling, you don’t need to thank me. If you hadn’t come back when you did, I wouldn’t have survived and neither would your sister. If you ask me, we all saved each other.’
‘Oo ah ’ight?’ Midnight asked her.
‘I’m fine. Bump to the head, a few stitches …’ Doris said.
‘Loads of stitches,’ Jessica added softly.
‘And they gave me some fresh blood! Imagine that, someone else’s blood pumping around my veins. Might make me younger and stronger, you never know.’
Sort of what Mr Renfield’s motivation was, Midnight thought. Personally, she never wanted to see another drop again.
She turned to look Jessica up and down.
‘Don’t you worry about me, I’m fine. Broke an ankle on my way down the stairs, some cuts to my wrists from the cable ties, slight concussion, and it turns out that smoke inhalation is absolutely horrific. But I’m alive, thanks to you. The fire brigade said you kicked your way through the ceiling to save me. Is that right?’
Midnight shook her head and pointed at herself.
‘Oh, okay, you were just saving yourself?’ Jessica laughed. ‘That makes much more sense.’
Midnight caught sight of a pad of paper and a pen, and motioned to it. Jessica handed it over.
‘Teddy killed Billy. His body was in the loft,’ she wrote.
Jessica took a deep breath. ‘I thought so. I saw his motorbike at the back of the flats. I don’t know how he lured Billy there, but Teddy must have planned it really well. Billy was big, and he was strong.’
Dawn was holding her arms out in Midnight’s direction and waving her hands. Jessica got up on her crutches, helped Dawn off her bed, and guided her across the ward. She climbed onto Midnight’s bed and snuggled down beside her.
Midnight held her tight, trying not to cry, and failing. Doris smiled from the other side of the room. Jessica went back to her own bed and rested her ankle.
‘Oh, you had a visitor before, but you were still out of it from the anesthetic,’ Jessica said. ‘Someone from Necto … a man.’
Midnight frowned. Was it Eli who had helped her with the documents, or perhaps newly civilian DI Ruskin coming to apologise for not listening to her earlier?
‘It was Richard someone or other. I didn’t catch his surname,’ Jessica said.
It had to be Richard Baxter, Midnight thought. Her old boss. That was utterly bizarre. Had he visited out of a sense of duty or guilt, or to give her information about her employment status? She certainly wouldn’t be appearing at her disciplinary tribunal any time soon.
Midnight clicked the button for extra pain relief, shifted down in the bed and set the pen and paper aside. Everything else could wait. She had her sister in her arms, friends who she very much hoped might become more like the family she needed, and the chance to rest. That was enough.
Chapter 46
‘Thank you for your evidence,’ the select committee chair said. ‘You’re free to go, Miss Jones, but should you wish to watch the remainder of proceedings, you may take a seat in the public area.’
It had taken six months to convene the hearing after Teddy’s death, and it took three days for the committee to hear evidence and consider documents on formulating ethical guidelines and legislation for future psychological testing software.
Richard Baxter had given evidence on Necto’s ‘special projects’. He was offered anonymity and given whistle-blower status, but chose instead to show his face and give his real name. Midnight left the hearing when he did, catching up with him in the corridor.
‘Richard,’ she said. ‘Do you have a minute?’
‘Miss Jones, I was told you’d finished your evidence. I’m surprised you wanted to stay a second longer than was necessary.’
‘I needed to see it through,’ she said. ‘I’m also looking forward to seeing Sara Vickson squirm.’
‘Quite right too. Are you recovering?’
‘I am. You came to see me at the hospital, I gather. Thank you.’
‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘I live quite nearby.’
‘Not for the visit,’ she said. ‘For the documents you sent me about what Necto was doing. I didn’t realise it was you at the time, but when I made some enquiries, it became obvious. You risked your job for me. It was brave of you.’
‘I should have done more, sooner,’ he said. ‘Perhaps then you wouldn’t have …’ He gave an uncomfortable shrug. ‘I keep thinking, if only I’d supported you at the earliest opportunity. I allowed myself to be a slave to the Necto way of thinking for far too long.’
‘Is that why you stepped in to accompany me at the disciplinary hearing?’
‘It is,’ he said. ‘I knew then the gesture was far too little. I went away wondering what my daughter would have made of it all. I couldn’t discuss it with her, of course …’
‘Company policy?’ Midnight asked, a half-smile playing on her lips.
‘I deserved that,’ he shrugged. ‘Necto and Sara Vickson were so adamant about getting rid of you, I felt it was my duty to find out why. Hence the documents I discovered. But even then I wasn’t brave, far from it. I sat outside your flat, the night I sent the email. I wish I’d knocked on your door and done more to help.’
‘I doubt it would have made any difference,’ Midnight said, laying a gentle hand on his arm. ‘What will you do now?’
‘Ah, well, I’ve rather landed on my feet. Necto offered me a position as head of ethical compliance. The old departmental heads are all out on their ears and there’s been a substantial shake-up. I was hoping to talk to you about coming back. We need good people with a sense of right and wrong, to shape the direction the company goes in. Will you consider it?’
‘That’s very kind,’ she said, ‘but no. Necto have paid me a substantial sum in compensation. Enough to move out of London and take my sister to a house in the country which she’ll love, and someone I respect very much has already been in touch about me working with her in the future.’
‘Popular young woman,’ he smiled. ‘Whoever it is, they’re lucky to have you. I nearly forgot, Jock Ruskin handed in his notice. I tried to persuade him to stay, but he said the Highlands were calling. Something about preferring to live with less, than to live with a heavy conscience. He wanted you to know.’ Midnight nodded. ‘Well, I should be off. Plenty to do, and the boss should always set an example.’
Midnight couldn’t help but grin. She watched him go, then slid quietly back into the hearing where a new witness was reading a statement.
‘… represent the owners of what was previously Moorview College. The college as it was when Edward Hawthorne attended closed down some years ago and stood empty for a period. When it was purchased, the new owners found records in the basement, containing details of the children who had attended, their various diagnoses, treatments, prognoses, as well as lengthy logs with disclosures from the children, their medical notes, psychiatric histories and so on. Approximately eighteen months ago, the new owners were approached by Necto Corporation to sell them those documents. Necto had been identifying institutions that ranged from specialist schools such as Moorview, to foster homes, young offenders’ institutions and psychiatric facilities, to identify subjects for their product development work.’
‘In breach of confidentiality?’ the chair asked.
‘The records didn’t relate to any pupils of the new owners,’ the witness responded. ‘Legally speaking they didn’t owe any duty of confidentiality.’
‘The fee Necto paid was substantial?’ he was asked.
‘My client has made the decision to withhold the precise figures involved, as is their right. The records were passed to Necto. They had nothing more to do with it.’
‘That information was then used to identify and help locate potential targets to conduct experiments on, to see what use could be made of Necto’s new technology. We all know how it turned out,’ the chair remarked.
‘On my client’s behalf, I would like to reiterate that they accept no responsibility for—’
‘Yes, yes,’ the chair said. ‘They accept no responsibility for any of what followed. I think we all have the picture. You are dismissed.’
More details were revealed. The letter sent to Teddy Hawthorne had been perfectly pitched to pique his interest. He and a few select others had been chosen as subjects who might show signs of substantial new or regressive behaviour following Necto’s testing. The committee accepted that Necto had not intended the murderous consequences, and that they could not have foreseen the extent of the damage Hawthorne would cause, only that they were reckless and unethical in their testing. Necto’s stated aim – the extent to which they would admit what their intentions had been – was to see if triggers could be used to change behaviour outside of known therapy or institutions. It was, Necto claimed, the only way to ensure test subjects were completely unaware of what was happening, so they did not change their behaviour knowingly.
Teddy himself had started a new career working from home, directing repair and rescue mechanics to breakdowns across the UK. All he needed was a phone and his laptop, allowing him to work from almost anywhere, and giving him the freedom to watch, stalk and study his victims with few restrictions.
Jessica’s Bake Me A Cake company had been invited to work with Necto only once Midnight had highlighted Teddy Hawthorne as a potential problem, so they could keep a closer eye on their subject through the object of his obsession. She had been no more than a pawn to them, albeit one they’d believed to be entirely safe.
Chloe’s family attended the hearing, as did Mae’s. Billy’s stayed away. Mr and Mrs Hawthorne made no appearance either. The committee made wide-reaching recommendations for regulation and change around developing new technology for military use. Much good it would do, Midnight thought privately. Corporations like Necto made their own rules. Internally, laws barely touched them.
Sara Vickson was brought to court with a witness summons, and gave her evidence using one-word sentences wherever possible, a permanent scowl on her face. There were no surprises in what she said. Didn’t know – couldn’t remember – hadn’t anticipated – Necto’s thoughts and prayers to the families of the deceased.
Vickson accepted that the school records had been used to identify study targets. Yes, it was also possible that confidential disclosures made by students to school counsellors, psychotherapists and teachers might have been taken into account when identifying how study targets might react, although she couldn’t go into specifics. Had Necto been watching Teddy Hawthorne since he had undergone their psychological testing? Yes, Vickson said, but only within the confines of the law. There had been no listening devices or video feeds placed in his flat. Necto would never cross such a line. It had all been so unfortunate. Lessons had been learned, Vickson reassured them.
No, Necto hadn’t been listening to Midnight through the work laptop. No, they hadn’t burgled her house to steal a pen drive, they claimed. All of that was unhappy coincidence, and the company remained deeply concerned about Midnight’s wellbeing. On and on it went. Midnight wondered just how far Necto had gone that they weren’t admitting. They might not have anticipated the results of what they’d done to Teddy, but they were sure as hell responsible for them.
When Vickson finished, Midnight slipped out behind her into the corridor.
‘Ms Vickson, I want to talk,’ Midnight said.
Vickson sighed. ‘Something along the lines of “I told you so”? That’s incredibly tiresome of you.’
‘Actually, no. I just wanted to understand how it happened. Why it happened. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just hand all the information to the police at the outset, as soon as you realised how dangerous the situation was?’
Vickson gave a bitter smile. ‘You really never understood your employer, did you? Necto doesn’t get things wrong. They don’t fail. They don’t accept responsibility. They’re too big for those things. You think I was going to be the person who told them they’d fucked up?’
‘But … women died.’
‘Women die every week, Miss Jones. They die because they burn their husband’s dinner when he’s had too much to drink. They die because they dishonoured their father. They die because police officers can’t be bothered to properly investigate stalking claims. Women are disposable. The same way it was always made clear to me that I was disposable at Necto.’
‘It’s not the same,’ Midnight said.
‘It’s exactly the same to Necto. They’re developing technology that will change the world, weapons that will change the shape of warfare forever. You think a couple of women’s lives seemed too high a price for them to pay?’
‘But it’s unethical. Unthinkable. It’s criminal.’
‘It’s life, Miss Jones. This is what big corporations are. Tobacco companies deny that nicotine is addictive. Chemical companies poison whole communities. Car manufacturers know it’s cheaper to pay for the odd death rather than recall a whole make of vehicle when they realise it’s dangerous. This happens every day in every country across the globe.’ Her face fell. ‘I’m sorry, Midnight. I wish the world was a better place, but it’s not. So if you can’t beat them, joining them is the only sensible option.’
‘I guess Necto’s the right place for people with that attitude. You controlled Amber like that, and I’m guessing Eli gave up any information he had about me rather than lose his job, too.’
‘You say that as if either Eli or Amber owed you loyalty. Necto is a place of work. It’s a transaction. Employees do what’s asked of them and in return they’re given money. They get paid when they’re at work, when they’re on holiday, when they’re sick and in pension provision. So of course your colleagues provided information when required to do so. They understood the nature of the relationship. For what it’s worth, your friend Amber did so very hesitantly. As for Eli, he’s ambitious and he was offered an opportunity to be especially helpful. Ambitious young men, in my experience, think no more of loyalty than they do of treading in a shallow puddle. It barely makes a splash.’
