Frank Schätzing - Limit

‘Are you threatening me, Chuck?’

‘Come on. Say it.’

Dana Lawrence didn’t budge from the spot. She stared calmly into the big man’s eyes. To do so, she had to throw her head back, but inside it was as if she was looking down at Donoghue.

‘ When I’ve told you, shall we go up?’

Donoghue clearly hadn’t expected her to give in so easily. He took a step back.

‘Of course,’ Aileen hurried to reassure her in his place.

‘Yes, of course,’ Donoghue repeated lamely.

‘No!’ screamed Lynn.

Tim heard her in the Mama Quilla Club, even though the Chang’e, the Selene and the Luna Bar were in between. He heard her fear, her rage, her madness. All at once he leapt to his feet and dived down the stairs taking four at a time. Dana’s authoritarian alto joined in, counterpointed by arpeggios of high, frightened, Aileen wails, over Donoghue’s rumbling bass. He plunged down into Gaia’s throat.

Strange. His sister had pulled one of the oxygen candles from its mounting and was swinging the steel cylinder like a club, while Dana, Chuck, Aileen and Kokoschka circled her like a pack of wolves.

Tim pushed his way between the Donoghues, saw Lynn stepping back and roared, ‘What’s going on? What are you doing to her?’

‘Why don’t you ask her what she’s doing to us,’ growled Chuck.

‘Lynn—’

‘Leave me alone! Don’t get too close!’

Tim held his hand out to her. She recoiled still further, raised the candle and stared at him, eyes darting from side to side.

‘Tell me what’s going on.’

‘She wants to evacuate Gaia,’ Lynn panted. ‘That’s what’s going on. The bitch wants to evacuate Gaia.’

Kokoschka was so confused that he didn’t even try to understand what was going on. Clearly the business manager of Orley Travel was going mad. His thoughts had turned entirely to Tim and the end of his personal odyssey. He drew Sophie’s note from his pocket. ‘Mr Orley, I’ve got—’

Tim ignored him. ‘Lynn, come to your senses.’

‘She wants to evacuate the hotel.’ The woman’s voice was reduced to a whisper. ‘But I won’t let her, under any circumstances.’

‘Of course, we’ve got to talk about it. But first give me the candle.’

‘Evacuate?’ Chuck echoed, eyes rolling.

‘You should listen to your brother.’ Dana pointed at Lynn’s makeshift club. ‘You’re putting us all in danger.’

Tim knew what she meant. The cylinder contained large quantities of compressed oxygen, and Lynn’s fingers were dangerously close to the detonator. As soon as she set the exothermic reaction in motion, the contents would spread slowly into the environment, a pointless waste, along with the danger that the partial pressure of the oxygen would exceed permitted levels. The cartridges were meant for emergencies, when breathable air was in short supply.

‘Mr Orley!’ Kokoschka was waving a piece of paper.

‘ What do you mean, evacuate? ’ Donoghue snapped.

‘Dana’s right,’ said Tim. ‘Please, Lynn. Give me the candle.’

‘Julian doesn’t want us to evacuate,’ Lynn explained dreamily to an imaginary audience. For a second she seemed completely absent. Then her gaze settled on her brother. ‘You know that, don’t you? We mustn’t frighten Daddy’s guests, so we’ll all stay here like good boys and girls.’

‘That would suit you, wouldn’t it?’ Dana snorted.

Lynn’s dreamy expression made way for seething fury. She swung the cartridge again.

‘Tim, tell her to shut up!’

‘Oh, so I’m supposed to shut up, am I?’ Dana took a step forward. ‘What about, Lynn? Everybody here has known for ages.’

Tim looked at her in confusion. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘About how your sister manipulated the tapes. That she’s been used by Hanna. That she’s losing her marbles. Isn’t that true, Miss Orley?’

Lynn ducked down. A sly spark appeared in her eyes, then she suddenly jumped forwards and swung a blow at Dana, who effortlessly dodged it.

‘ You were the one who let Hanna take his trip on the Lunar Express. Why, Lynn? Was he supposed to bring something back? To us in the hotel?’

‘Stop!’

‘You blocked the satellites. You’re paranoid, Lynn. You’re in cahoots with a criminal.’

‘ What do you mean, evacuate? ’ roared Chuck. He gripped Dana roughly by the shoulder. ‘ I said, what do you mean, evacuate? ’

The manager whirled around and knocked his hand away.

‘You shut your mouth!’

Donoghue’s massive head turned crimson. ‘You – you jumped-up chambermaid, I’ll—’

‘Chuck, no!’ pleaded Aileen.

‘ Miss Orley— ’ Dana repeated.

With a tormented expression on her face, Lynn shook her head. Tears were collecting on her eyelids.

‘What have you done with Sophie Thiel, Lynn?’ Dana insisted. ‘ You were in the control centre not long ago.’

‘That’s not true. I’ve been—’

‘Of course you were there!’

‘Dana, that’s enough,’ hissed Tim.

‘You bet.’ Dana glared at him. ‘ I’ve had enough. I’ve had enough of this circus. Give up, Lynn. Tell us the truth about this bomb.’

‘ Bomb? ’ roared Chuck. He charged forwards like a water buffalo, pushed Lynn against the wall, stretched out his big hands and pulled the cartridge from her fingers. ‘Has everybody here gone mad?’

Lynn’s fingers bent into claws. She lashed out, drawing a bloody trail across Donoghue’s cheek. Before Chuck could recover from his amazement, she was at the stairs, jumped down and disappeared into the floor below.

‘Lynn!’ cried Tim.

‘No, wait! Please wait!’

Kokoschka watched in horror as young Orley dashed after his crazed sister. Stay here, he thought. Not again, I’ve got to give you—

‘Sophie told me to give you…’

Too late. Run after him? But the general madness required its tribute, so that he had to look on helplessly as Chuck raged at the hotel manager and stormed after her, holding the oxygen candle menacingly aloft. Storms raged inside his head, down-draughts, plunging temperatures, tornadoes, accumulated fear. Something terrible would happen. His thoughts danced around like faded leaves, blown in all directions by gusts of confusion. Every time he tried to catch them, they whirled away, while he impotently turned and turned. What was he to do? At last he caught one of those leaves, it flapped and fluttered, trying desperately to escape: that whatever Sophie had written on that piece of paper would explain the escalation that was going on in front of his eyes, that the piece of paper would tell him what he needed to do, that perhaps, seeing as how he hadn’t managed to carry out his mission, he ought to read it.

Fingers trembling, he unfolded the piece of paper.

At that moment, Dana sensed the change. Her whole body reacted. All the hairs on her forearms registered the disaster. Voices reached her from the restaurant. The tumult must have reached the upper floors, and some people were coming down to see what had happened, while Axel’s statue-like face sent out waves of disbelief and fury.

Dana slowly turned her head towards him.

The chef stared at her, a piece of paper in his left hand. His right hand slowly rose, an index finger raised in accusation. Dana took the paper from him and glanced at the words scribbled on it.

‘Rubbish,’ she said.

‘No.’ Kokoschka came closer. ‘No, not rubbish. She found out. She found out! ’

‘Who found out what?’ barked Donoghue.