Chapter I... in which we find Lucas in his cell in Russia on New Year's Eve, remembering life before he had come to Russia.
CHAPTER I
Every bone in Lucas North's body hurt. The cold in Russia was unlike anything he had ever experienced. To be sure, the winters of his boyhood in Cumbria had often been long and harsh. However, the freezing temperatures of the gulag, combined with the ever-inventive torture to which he was frequently subjected, fostered a deep, burning kind of cold that seemed to worm its way into the inner core of his very being.
The constant companion of that cold was the emotional darkness that the sadistic guards, with carefully chosen words and actions, had coaxed into full-blown hopelessness. Each night, when a tray of lukewarm tea and mouldy black bread was shoved into his cell, the words would float in behind it. Another day of your life, wasted. What for, Lucas? You know they've forgotten you.
Although the voice was different depending on who was on duty, not one word of the three phrases had changed in the six years he had been held. Lucas had taken to analysing the intonation of each word, ruminating for hours on the emphasis placed on certain syllables, desperately trying to glean any sense of his captors' mood.
Once in a blue moon, if the day had been especially long and the guards had been drinking, he would catch a snatch of their idle conversation as they passed by his cell door. Today had been one of those days. He had lost track of the date several months ago, due to a particularly virulent gastrointestinal illness that had lasted several days and caused him to neglect the rough calendar he had scratched out in a corner of his monotonous, cinder block cell. Tomorrow is the New Year. He heard the voice of one of the guards, his speech slurred, and a keen sense of despair descended upon him.
Closing his eyes and pulling the threadbare, worn grey blanket over his gaunt frame, he settled down on the sorry excuse for a mattress he had finally been allowed last year. Pillowing his head on his arm, he thought of the last New Year's Eve he had been able to celebrate….
The streets of London had been dusted with a light cover of snow, and the coloured lights strung around Adam and Fiona's front porch had twinkled as he had trudged up the walk to ring the bell. The door had been opened by Ruth, who had handed him a mug of mulled wine and dragged him into the living room, where his help was badly needed. Fiona, Adam, Jo, and Zaf were besting Harry, Ruth, and Ros in a very competitive game of charades, and Lucas had quickly been drafted for Harry's team.
Meanwhile, Malcolm, Tariq, and JJ were at a table in the corner, teaching Wes the fundamentals of Dungeons and Dragons. Wes was probably up long past his bedtime, but he sat happily in his dragon-decorated pajamas, soaking up every word of advice from JJ, whom he idolized. Lucas glanced fondly at the now 19 year old IT whiz, who had been recruited by Tom Quinn several years ago. Tom had seen the raw promise of JJ's intelligence, and had convinced him to leave his brother's gang and join an MI5 internship program. With his dark skin, cornrows, and large diamond stud in his left ear, JJ had gotten more of his share of skeptical looks from his initial instructors. However, his intellect and programming skills, combined with his dry, sarcastic wit, had soon won them over. On the day of his graduation from the internship, Malcolm and Tariq had come to the ceremony sporting diamond studs in their left ears, causing JJ to dissolve into laughter as they handed him his diploma.
The night had been full of fun and camaraderie, and had lasted well into the wee hours of the morning. Now, it seemed like a lifetime ago. He wondered if his friends would even recognize him now. That is, his mind corrected him, if they ever think about you at all. He finally fell asleep, feeling more alone than ever.
Characters belong to the BBC and Kudos. I always thought it would have been intriguing to have JJ join the IT team, so included that as part of my plot.
Next time...the care package arrives.