“Not a thing. That’s what we’re trying to find out.”
“I’m told they burned the fucking place to the ground. Just as well, cause if they hadn’t, I’d have gone back there one day and finished the job myself.”
“It’s not there anymore?”
“No, not most of the buildings, anyway. Mila got me aerial footage from one of our spy satellites. Why?”
“I had a head injury. That part of my life is lost to me. I thought returning might bring back memories.”
“You might be better off not knowing, Five. All I can tell you is that Hartfield’s somewhere along the remote west coast of Scotland. Until the night I left, I was confined to the grounds, except for the times we were driven to swim in an ice-cold loch. They ran the place like a military boarding school coupled with a medical facility. The last time I saw you I was eight, you were eleven. Some of us used to call you the dolphin because of the way you torpedoed through the water. But we rarely mixed. And you were often away on assignment. Do you remember any of the language instructors?”
“I told you. I don’t remember anything.”
“Well, we had the same Russian teacher. Shame you don’t remember, because speaking Russian was the only thing I could do better than you. A natural, our teacher called me. My last memory of the place was of her shaking me awake in the middle of the night, whispering to me that the institute was no longer safe for me and instructing me to get into the boot of her car. I always followed instructions—we all did—but I particularly trusted her. Half an hour later, I’m climbing aboard a fishing boat in the pitch black. Even in the dark, I could make out a sign on a warehouse for Kishorn Port. Later that morning, as the sun rose, I boarded a Russian cargo ship. Next thing I know, I’m taken in by a woman in the port city of Murmansk in the northwest of Russia. That’s when I finally experienced a normal childhood. I was given a real name, Ivan, instead of being yelled at as a Pawn. Took me almost a year to sleep through the whole night. Nobody said as much, but I get the impression our language tutor saved my life. She stayed behind, and I don’t know what happened to her. I didn’t know what had happened to any of you.”
As he recounts his last days at Hartfield, I finish up packing our bags. I wish we could stay and talk more. As Ivan ends his tale, Lorenzo calls out my name, and I summon him into the room.
“I spoke to—our friend,” he says, his gaze drifting between Ivan and me. He has one of the guns dangling from his right hand. I can see he’s still not convinced by our rescuer, but I don’t have time to explain.
“We need to get out of here,” I say. “I assume she has transport. Can you get her to collect us out front?”
“What about my bike?”
“Unusable, I’m afraid.”
Lorenzo thumbs a quick message before looking at Ivan again, with a telltale narrowing of his eyes. I wonder if I should explain, but Lorenzo begins talking.
“Is he coming with us?”
“No,” says Ivan flatly before addressing me directly. “You’re on your own after this. I’ll be able to explain this because Vladimir was not the brightest star in the night sky, a heavy-handed nutjob, if you know what I mean? That’s why Mila kept him with her at all times. Once you’re gone, it’ll not be difficult to blame this fuck-up on him. I’ll tell her Vlad didn’t properly secure your hands and you took me by surprise. But you’re going to need to knock me unconscious, too. I know you can do that, Five.”
Ivan stands before me, his chin up, readying himself for me to strike him.
“Wait,” says Lorenzo, as his phone buzzes with a message. “Did you ask him if he remembers a doctor at the institute called Maurice Leblanc?”
“What does he look like?” asks Ivan.
“We only have a name.”
“Then, no. Nobody was ever referred to by name. Only by a prefix and a number. M for military personnel, D for the medical staff and E for the educators. But I could tell you what some of them looked like.”
“Complete anonymity,” I mutter. “An operation run entirely without names.”
“Before you do what you have to, let me say this one last thing. I don’t know how you got out of that place, but I believe we’ve been given a second chance. They used to drill into us that we were superior, but now I see that for the lie it was. To fit in, I’ve had to learn things other people take for granted. Trust, vulnerability, friendship, fear, and yes, love. But, Five, it’s been worth every hard truth. I would never go back. Never.”
I nod because I am beginning to understand the reality of his words. We have a shared experience I cannot fathom because I have no memory. But I know my feelings for Lorenzo are wholly new and confusing if I am honest with myself.
“Are there any more of us out there?” I ask.
“That, I don’t know. I’ve been in the field for six years, and you’re the first face I’ve recognised. Look, I won’t be able to help you again, Five. Not without compromising my position. This is a one-off. You’re on your own after this.”
“I’m not on my own,” I say. I stand before him, and he nods once.
Somewhere in my memory, I know I must provide a double strike to the main artery on either side of his neck. But with lightning speed that even surprises me, Lorenzo steps forward and punches him in the temple. I step back as Ivan’s body crumbles to the floor.
“I apologise to you only,” he says, shaking out his fist. “But I needed this. Otherwise, I would go crazy. Mrs Bellacci will be here in five minutes. You packed our bags already, yes?”
“Yes.”