-1Davenport and Hood looked as white as Goren felt. He tried frantically to make sense of this. "How's that any use to Andropov?"
Hood's voice was so controlled it suggested he was on the verge of screaming and pulling his hair out. "I checked the evacuation plans, the temporary roof collapsing means the exits out of the ground are blocked, and they'll evacuate onto the pitch. All Andropov's sniper has to do is wait for them to come out. They'll be protected by bodyguards, but that's no use against a sniper sited up at the top of the stand, bullets dropping down on you from the air. Thought at the time, it would be a hell of a difficult shot, killing through the windows of the VIP boxes… easier this way. We blocked off the site Andropov planned to use, but the sniper could use practically anywhere up here to take the shots from."
"What do you mean, 'has to do'?"
Davenport replied in a tone marked with self-disgust: "Goren, I earn my living thinking like bastards like Andropov, because to a large extent I am one. If it was me, I'd plan for everything, including me getting captured. As long as the roof comes down and he can get a sniper in here, Andropov's plan still works. He's backed by a foreign government. They're not going to give up now after they've spent so much time and money on this. Including, almost certainly, ensuring that Towells Construction got the wrong kind of steel for the temporary roof."
"How the hell… how the hell would you get a rifle in here? The stadium is crawling with armed police and everyone's on the look out for potential snipers…" His voice trailed off, brain having one of those lightning flashes of intuition that never failed him. "Fifteen minutes ago, I saw an armed response officer with a rifle and a backpack going up to the top of this stand, on his own."
They stared at each other, each remembering Davenport's camouflage trick with the fake council van, and thinking that you could fit a lot of equipment inside a backpack, especially if you had to partially dismantle a sniper's rifle in order to disguise it as standard police issue. As if linked telepathically, their eyes stared out across the pitch to the VIP boxes on the other side. Goren felt his heart contract. Sienna's in there! They stared up at the roof, which was beginning to shake just slightly. They looked along the vast length of the south side of the stadium, but the man was nowhere to be seen amidst the crowds, the seating and the bits of roof scaffolding here and there. Suddenly, just audible over the sounds of the crowd, there came an ominous metallic creaking from above them.
Hood's voice was barely under control. "We need to get everyone out. I'll go and explain…"
Davenport cut him off. "There's no time for you to explain; they'll be dead by the time you're halfway through." The roof was creaking louder now, and Goren could see one corner of it just beginning to droop slightly, creating a horrendous mental picture of sheets of steel, jagged bolts and torn-off supports, dropping down onto the unsuspecting crowd, screaming, mangled bodies, blood beginning to spread down the steps.
"Bomb scare." He said it without even thinking, an flash of pure dark inspiration.
"I'm sorry?"
"A bomb scare will get everyone out. That's the one thing that will get them to evacuate instantly, without any questions."
Hood shook his head. "We can't evacuate onto the pitch, not with the sniper there."
"Yes we can." Davenport and Goren spoke in unison. Goren continued. "We don't have a choice. If the sniper's only after the VIPs, the ordinary people should be safe."
"Should be safe?"
"Safer than they'll be in their seats with the roof coming down, even with the risk of stray bullets."
"Fine. I'll make the call. The two of you, get running." Davenport looked at their faces and explained impatiently. "When they start tracking down the person who called in this fake bomb alert, you two don't want to have been anywhere near me. I'm going after the sniper. The very top seats of the stadium up here will be safe – they must be if Andropov was planning to site his killer there. I'll find the bastard and shoot him."
"I'll come with you."
"No. Get Tanya and Eames out, warn Sienna. Hood, get out there and get explaining. If there's one fake police officer out there, there's probably more; warn everyone to get ID before taking orders and check with the central command unit if they're unsure. Get the fuck on with it! GO!" Davenport turned and ran away from them, up to the very top of the ground, already punching buttons on his cellphone. Hood and Goren turned and began to run down towards the front of the stand, each man trying desperately not to stare up at the roof, focussing on the ground ahead, although out of the corner of his eye they could see that that corner of the roof seemed to be sinking lower and lower, very slowly peeling away.
As he reached the seats where Eames, Tanya and he had been watching, he saw to his horror that they were empty. Where the hell were they? He pulled out his cellphone, glancing around frantically, seeing only faces, unknown, helpless faces, still smiling, having a happy day out, completely unaware of what was going on above their heads. In a minute he would start screaming "Get up! Get out! The roof's collapsing! Get out of your seats and down onto the pitch, get going, get moving, get running, get out!"
He began to run up and down the stairs, looking frantically, aware that he was drawing attention from the crowd and the stewards nearby. As he drew towards the bottom of the steps, towards the pitch, with still no sign of either his partner or Tanya, the tannoy suddenly boomed: "Ladies and gentlemen, due to security information received, this match is being cancelled. We must ask you to remain calm and follow the stewards' instructions." Nearby, a steward's radio crackled into life, and he could hear the instructions that must have been pre-arranged for just such a situation as this.
Except that no-one had planned for the roof coming down. No-one had factored in the effects as the crowd began to look up, and realise what was happening. A tidal wave of humanity began to gather, pouring down the steps, the stewards frantically trying to ensure that the pathway onto the pitch was clear. Far off in the distance, he could see the bright playing strips of the two teams and the match officials vanishing towards the tunnel. As he watched for just a second, one of them, clad in the striped t-shirt of a match official, collapsed. He could hear screams coming from the other side of the stadium, and he knew what must have occurred. Rangefinder shot! The sniper was in position, but where, he had no idea, and whether Davenport could find him in time was anyone's guess.
Suddenly, without any more warning, a section of the roof peeled away from its supports and dropped downwards, lethally bouncing off seats and missing him by only a few feet. The people nearby were not so lucky, and the screaming began now, people reverting back to animal instincts, frantically trying to escape. He was almost swept off his feet in the crush of the crowd.
Suddenly, hiding under a seat, he saw a small child. He forced his way through the crowd, ignoring the howls of indignation and blows aimed in his direction, and picked the child up, then ran, ran for his life, ran towards the bright green of the pitch and safety. Ahead of him, he could see a familiar figure, DS Hood, radio in hand, frantically trying to explain the situation over the radio to his superiors, whilst around him people screamed and begged him to help. A mounted police officer on a huge white horse was heading towards him, Hood frantically trying to signal the officer to come towards him so that he could get above the crowd and be heard over his radio. As Goren ran towards him, he was knocked off his feet in the press of the crowd, and disappeared under a sea of bodies.
…The noise as the roof finally collapsed behind him, a stray piece of metal leaving a long gash across his back, was surprisingly quiet. For a moment, it was almost silent. Then the screams of those who had not managed to escape, mixed with the deafening roar of fear from the other sides of the stadium, began in earnest.
