Brian Lumley - Necroscope - Invaders

'No, not really/ Trask answered. 'Not even if it was just our espers you were talking about. See, in E-Branch we've never much cared about colours, creeds or nationalities. In that respect you could even say that we've always recruited far afield. For example: David Chung is of Chinese stock, you are Scottish, and poor Darcy Clarke's forebears were French. As for Zek Foener. Zek…' Trask's voice faltered and his face clouded over.

'Aye, Ah ken, and Ah'm sorry/ McGilchrist took his arm. They had arrived at Trask's tent. Freeing himself from the Scotsman's grip, his well-meant but inopportune commiseration, Trask turned his face away, occupied himself in fastening back the entrance flap to let in the predawn light. And in a while:

'Currently the team consists of a small nucleus of agents, mainly from London HQ/ he went on on. 'But the back-up squads are Australian military, and likewise all their gear. It's not likely that anyone would know that, because the tac signs have been removed from the vehicles and choppers, and of course the men themselves aren't wearing their standard uniforms. But the discipline is the same. And you're quite right, Grahame, there have been several changes in E-Branch. For one, we're no longer the shoestring outfit that we used to be. Financially we're pretty stable now; when you can pay your own way, it gives you that much more clout.

'Five years ago, through our dealings with Gustav Turchin, the Russian Premier, we got ourselves accepted and well-established. We could afford to come out of hiding — emerge, as

it were, from the esoteric closet — but never too far. For let's face it, an organization like E-Branch can't remain secret if everyone knows about it.

'As for these Australians: obviously they're all subject to their own version of the Official Secrets Act, and they've all been hand-picked for their loyalty, their unswerving devotion to duty and their country. Isn't that just exactly how it should be? Who better to do… well, what I'm calling on them to do, than loyal subjects of the country under threat?'

'Under threat?' Suddenly McGilchrist's tone was sharp as he took his seat at Trask's small table.

Trask nodded gravely. 'Perhaps the entire world/ he said. 'Except the world doesn't know it yet, and it mustn't/

'A secret invasion?' McGilchrist looked from face to face, trying to fathom their expressions. 'As bad as a' that, is it? Then ye can only be talkin' about one thing. Oh, Ah dinnae need tae ken it a', but is it… Them?' An ex-member of the Branch, he'd had access to the files on their long-term war against the Wamphyri; indeed those files had long been required reading for all Branch operatives and senior affiliates.

'Grahame, you weren't part of the Sunside/Starside thing/ Trask told him, 'and from past experience I know how dangerous it could be to put you in the picture now. So please let it be. But yes, it is… Them. And now perhaps you'll forgive me for getting you out of bed in the middle of the night? As for Jake Cutter here, he could be very important to us — but very important — in the work we've still to do/

The big Scot had heard enough and was suitably impressed. 'Then we'd best be at it/ he said. 'But tell me, just what am Ah supposed tae be lookin' for? Can ye no offer a wee clue?'

Trask looked torn two ways. He glanced first at Jake, then turned back to McGilchrist. 'I can, but that would mean telling Jake, too/

'What's that? But doesnae he have a right to know?' McGilchrist frowned. And Jake said:

'Huh! My point exactly.'

'But/ Trask countered, 'if he does have such a right, why doesn't he already know? If he's been denied access, it must be for a reason. In which case, what right have I to give him access now?'

McGilchrist shook his head, frowned again. 'Well, doubtless ye ken well enough what ye're on about, but Ah'm as much in the dark as Jake here! Can ye no gi' me a startin' point?'

'Oh, yes,' Trask answered. 'That I can do. Just a week ago Jake was in jail in Italy, Turin, when—' 'Undercover?' the hypnotist cut in.

'Er, no/ said Trask, and the big Scot sat back and scratched at his beard musingly. 'Anyway/ Trask went on, 'Jake escaped from the prison, barely. But it's the way he escaped that interests us. And it's where he escaped to.. p>

'Eh?' said McGilchrist. 'Escaped to…?' 'To Harry's Room, Grahame/ Trask told him. 'You'll remember Harry's Room, at E-Branch HQ?'

'Ah!' The other stopped scratching on the instant, stared hard at Trask, and harder still at Jake. 'He escaped there, ye say?'

'Arrived there/ said Trask. 'But the question is, was he brought there, or did he come of his own volition… or was he sent? And if the latter, by whom was he sent?' And again:

'AW.' said McGilchrist. 'Verra well, then that'll be our startin' point: the prison, the escape/ He unbuttoned a tartan shirt pocket, took out a small vial and uncorked it, gave it to Jake and said, 'Sit down here and swally that/

Jake sat, looked at the colourless liquid in the vial suspiciously. 'Do what?' he said.

'It's only a wee drug/ McGilchrist was completely matter-of-fact about it. 'We've had truth drugs a long time now, stuff ye had tae inject. But we've come a ways since then. This isnae a truth drug, but it does open the mind… it lets ye see more clearly intae yere own past. Aye, and it lets ye talk about it! Oh, and one other thing: it enhances mah power over ye/

'Your power over me?' Jake didn't like the sound of that, especially since he'd already poured the draught down his gullet.

'It simply means that unless there's a verra strong post-hypnotic block on yere mind, yell gi' me all the assistance Ah require. Ye willnae hold anythin' back.'

'And if there is a post-hypnotic block? Will that mean I've been hypnotized before?'

'Well, if no hypnotized, ye'll have been got at, certainly/

'And you'll be able to clear it?'

'Man, Ah cannae make ye that kind o' promise/ McGilchrist was honest about it. 'As Ben here will tell ye, there's hypnotists… and then there's hypnotists. And if what he fears has been here first.. He shrugged.p>

'I understand/ said Jake, though in fact he didn't.

'Now, that's a fast-actin' drug that's in ye/ McGilchrist continued, 'so Ah'd best be tellin' ye one or two things. Ye're tae sit verra still and upright in yere chair; oh, dinnae fret, Ah wouldnae let ye topple over. And ye're tae look at me, at mah eyes. Verra big and black, mah eyes, are they no?'

They were very big and black, and Jake's head was beginning to spin oh so slowly, languidly at first, but gradually getting faster; as if he were drunk, flat on his back on a bed, and the room spinning around him but without the sick feeling.

'And here's me bringin' mah eyes closer, lookin' at ye, and lookin intae ye/ McGilchrist's voice was so very low now, like the growl of a great wolf. So low, so dark, and so close. 'Ah'm lookin' intae ye, and ye're lookin' intae mah eyes, or is it mah eye? For see, there's only one o' they now! The two have merged intae one, like a wee swirly black hole in mah face. Or maybe a big black hole? And it's suckin' at ye, Jake, suckin' at ye.. p>

It was indeed. That blackest of black holes, spinning faster and faster. And Jake felt its lure, its attraction. God, if he could back out of this now he would! But he couldn't. And:

'Dinnae fight it, laddie/ said a voice that burned in his head. Just let it go, and come to me. Open up to Grahame/ And then:

The black hole had him! He was sucked in and whirled like a bug down a plughole. It was as quick as thought; it had happened before he could even cry out, if he had been able to…!

Paolo has slid a length of rubber tubing over the links of the chain to deaden its clanking. Now he looks at me, gives me the nod, and I cup my bands far him.