Chapter 7

Saturday arrived, but with no sleep it felt like time had come to a standstill.

But tired eyes were perfect for this role.

"You're a pathetic man," I crowed victoriously. "And a fool. A fool to believe you could end this war with a single bullet! Now look at you: A husk. A shell filled with nothing!"

"Isabelle, you must understand," Bartholomew panted, clutching shaking hands on the ground before me. "My intentions were for the good of the country and for her people! How can you not see this?!"

I grinned and tickled at the trigger of my pistol. It was warm and ready. "I see only truth."

His weak eyes turned up from the floor and to mine. His own words played back to him, he started to piece together the puzzle. "You…" He growled. "You!"

Edward Stone, silent to that point, stepped forward pensively. "Isabelle, it cannot be…"

I pointed the gun to him, and his hands wavered to calm me. "That's right, Edward Stone. You thought you were so clever, chasing Bertrand around like a lost dog after scraps! Well, Bertrand is dead. I killed him, just like I killed Sir Henry Gullett!"

The ambience shifted. A blue dread settled over the faces of the men standing before me. The truth revealed, there was nothing left for me to do but…

"Wait, Isabelle! Please!" Bartholomew cried. "Might I speak a final word?"

I maintained my weapon, and cackled lightly, fiddling my fingers on the handle. "If you must, you poor wretch."

"You kill us now…" He uttered with pain. "You murder more than just the two of us. You murder us all. You unravel the plans to end the war, to bring peace back to our lands! Please, allow us to do what is right before you carry out your execution."

BANG!

He collapsed. Stone shuddered, his hands quivering either side of his head as the corpse of Bartholomew laid still on the ground.

"Your part in this war is over," I spoke to the body. "I won't allow you the pleasure of being the hero."

"You have made a mistake," Edward Stone uttered shakily. "They will find out, and you will be imprisoned as a traitor. For all your cunning and conniving, you cannot outwit Her Majesty's finest."

I grinned. "You underestimate me, just as you have done all this time, Mr Stone."

BANG!

"Ahh!" He screamed, collapsing to a heap on the floor. He clutched at his wounded leg and groaned in the pain.

I laughed again and started to pace around him as he nursed the wound with bloodied hands. "You won't be chasing anymore, Mr Stone. You will die here, and oh how I will enjoy these moments together."

"You're mad!" He seethed. "Bloody mad!"

"Mad?! I'm about to take my place as the saviour of Britain and her colonies. Everything's in place. All I need to do now is silence the one doubter who remains…"

I brought up my weapon again with a delightful sneer. This would be the moment Isabell would be reborn…

But there was a bang, louder than any pistol could muster! The lighting was abruptly cut away, and rumbles came below our feet.

I shouted, screamed. I grunted and yelled. In the dark I felt him wrap a hand around the barrel of the pistol. His other arm wrapped around my chest and he held me tightly.

The lights flickered as the sounds of aircraft shot overhead. Edward Stone had turned the tables, and as our hands wrestled the weapon, he was holding me in place.

"Get off me!" I yelled. "You will die, Stone!"

He groaned and attempted to push the weapon from my hold. "Drop the weapon, Isabelle!"

"The raid has started! The raid has started!"

It was Mary! Mary, that stupid girl. Stupid and naïve. Her whine carried through long before her.

I smirked. She was arriving just in time.

Edward Stone heard her too, and I could her the panic in his stuttered breath. "Mary, no! Stay away! Do not come inside!"

"The raid! The raid!" She cried.

Then she came through the door, tears and fright streaming down her face. She gasped when she saw the blackened depths of a barrel staring her down like the dead eye of a tiger stalking its prey.

Stone tried to avert the weapon, but with my might I held it in place. I pulled the trigger.

BANG!

"No!" Edward howled. "Dear Mary!"

His grip weakened, and I shoved him back, escaping his grasp with the weapon still in hand.

Mary was clutching at her chest, her eyes agape in stunned horror. Her knees hit the floor with a bang, accompanied by the thunderous roar of a distant bomb.

"How could you?!" Edward roared. I span on my feet as he rushed at me, but his wounded leg caused him to stumble and granted me the opportunity to dodge. He collapsed to the centre of the room, and watched as Mary fell dead to the dusty floorboards. His arm reached forward, but Mary could not join her hand to his.

"Monster…" He whispered. "Murderous monster…"

I stepped over him, placing my pistol back into its holster. I would need it no longer. "You know that what I do is for the best, Mr Stone."

He groaned and rolled onto his side in mourning agony. "That's not true! That's not true at all! You have given your life to a lie!"

"The sacrifices I make will save us all!" I replied.

He uttered a bitter, defeated laugh. "You think so highly of yourself, Isabelle. Yet, you a little more than a sp-"

He stopped. His motioned of nursing a wound ceased. It was like he froze in time. I waited for him to continue and held my posture and expression.

The wait continued. Had he forgotten his lines? In my peripheral vision I saw George just lift his head enough to watch.

My teeth clenched and I tapped impatient fingers on my belt. "Spy…!" I said quietly. "Say it…"

Then he looked up at me, his face blank. He said nothing.

The momentum dropped like a rock. I dropped my arms and glanced away. The scene was over.

"What the hell, Oli?!" Kiani grumbled, picking herself up from the stage. "We almost had it there!"

Oliver remained on the floor, the shock on his face remaining. George saw it, too. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," He said blandly. He never said anything blandly. "Just… forgot my line."

"You were flawless," Ms Duncan spoke up from the rows of seats before the stage, her voice echoing around the hall. "Until that moment. What was it? It's not like you to forget your lines!"

Kiani had her arms crossed, and she was huffing petulantly. George helped Oliver back to his feet as he started to regain his composure.

"Sorry, Ms Duncan," He said, rubbing a hand over his cheek where he'd hit the stage flooring. "I froze there. I know the lines…"

She smiled, and there was understanding. "That's okay, young man. No actor is without flaw. It's best you get the demons out now before the real show begins."

He tore away his big bushy moustache to reveal his own face. "It was good though, huh?"

Ms Duncan glowed. "It was like watching a Broadway show. Truly, you are all such splendid talent! All of you!" Then she gestured a hand towards Kiani. "A little much with the facials. You shouldn't oversell it."

Kiani's face spoke a thousand grumbling words, and she folded her arms into her chest. "Sure. Okay."

Ms Duncan turned to George next. "And you, where did the spark go from last time. You move with such energy and splendour, but today you shambled like zombie with bowel cramps."

George was embarrassed. I saw it, too, but his posture showed me that he had also gotten no sleep. He was no good without rest.

"Amy…"

I awaited the feedback, putting my hands on my hips.

"You were sparkling!" She said with glittery eyes. "Perfect."

Rehearsal ended, and Ms Duncan departed before us. We met up backstage once we'd all gotten back into our regular clothing to confirm our plans. Kiani had moved past her mild anger and, while we were getting changed, started to display the same concern over Oliver that I had. When we found him and George, we had to make sure that everything was okay to move forward.

"Sorry about getting angry earlier." Kiani said to him.

"No need," Oliver said, pulling his rucksack full of clothes over one shoulder. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

George nodded. "Same here."

Oliver continued, "I had this dream when I did get to sleep. We were all there, fighting people."

"Just people?" I asked.

"Yeah," He said softly, a tone I never associated with him. "Just people. We killed a bunch. Men, women. Children." His thick fists clenched and he looked to the floor. He shuffled awkwardly on his feet.

"They said no killing," George reassured. "Just a dream, mate. Okay?"

"Yeah, I know. I just remembered it on stage. That's why I froze."

I smiled to him. "We understand. Let's just get tonight over with. I'm sure we'll feel better after whatever this training is. How bad could it be?"

Oliver huffed a weak laugh. "Don't say that. I hate that cliché."

"Yeah, right," George sniggered. "You just jinxed us. I'm blaming you for anything that happens tonight."

"You can blame me for the cash, then," I replied. "I'm happy to take that blame."

"Let's just go," Kiani grumbled. "I want to eat tonight, and it's Steak Saturday at Wetherspoons. I'd happily eat half-a-million-quid's worth."