Free 2041 Sanctuary (Dark Descent) by Robert Storey

from Martin, her old producer, who’d himself been sacked from the BBC for gross misconduct two weeks earlier. It read:
     
    need 2 TLK 2nite. Come aloN.
    hav som important news.
    Meet @ Colton Arms @ 8
     
    Strange , Jessica thought; she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Martin since a brief video call she’d made when she was stuck out in Russia. If he was all the way over in West London in person it must be important.
    Taking her leave of Evan a few hours later, Jessica sat alone, as requested, in the Colton Arms pub, located a few streets away from her home. Nursing her second glass of wine, she looked at her watch: nine o’clock. Where the hell is he?
    Her mind wandered and she found herself studying a rather nice wooden cabinet positioned next to where she sat. One particular carving portrayed lions pulling a chariot. Above this, winged angels blessed the vehicle’s occupants while all around other strange images of semi-naked men and women cavorted and leapt.
    A hand touched Jessica’s arm, making her jump. Martin sat down in a seat next to her. He looked out of breath. Droplets of sweat beaded on his brow and ran down his temples. Wiping them away with the back of his sleeve, he picked up Jessica’s glass and downed the contents in two swift gulps. The Colton Arms was quite a small place and a couple of the locals eyed Martin with interest before turning back to chat with the barman.
    Jessica looked at her empty glass, feeling a little aggrieved. ‘What happened to eight?’
    ‘Had a tail, had to shake him,’ Martin said, and then asked the barman to bring over two more drinks.
    ‘Tail?’
    ‘GMRC spook, probably.’ Martin removed his coat and placed it on the back of his chair as the drinks were brought over. He took a big sip of his lager and rested it down on the table with a sigh of satisfaction.
    Jessica was confused. ‘Why would they be bothering to follow you round now? You were sacked, like I was today. We don’t have the means to give them anymore trouble.’
    Martin took another sip, eyeing her over the top of his glass before lowering it back down again. ‘That’s where you’re wrong. You really think I was going to give this up? My brother is still missing, and many others too, some dead.’
    ‘I know, but our hands are tied. Evan’s lost his job, I’ve just lost mine. I did what I could and it doesn’t seem to have made much of a difference, apart from ruining my family’s prospects.’
    ‘You’re not listening to me.’ Martin lowered his voice and leaned in towards her. ‘I have a lead, a good one. It could deal the GMRC a big blow if we could get it into the public domain, but I need your help to do it.’
    ‘Why me? What can I do that you can’t?’
    ‘Speak German, for one.’
    It was true Jessica could speak German fluently. Her father had insisted she take lessons as a child to please her grandparents who were both born and bred in the Fatherland. She hadn’t used it for years, however, and didn’t know Martin even knew about it.
    ‘What kind of lead?’ she asked. ‘What sort of blow? Do you have proof they targeted journalists?’
    He looked around to make sure they weren’t being overheard. ‘Better, I think we can find out what they’re covering up. Why the media is being gagged in the first place.’
    ‘And how do you propose to do that when so many have failed before?’
    ‘Because my lead is a hacker and he says he can get us what we want.’ Martin grabbed Jessica’s hand, his eyes intense. ‘We can still break this story, you and me – together.’
    Jessica couldn’t help but be drawn in by Martin’s fervour, but due to what had already transpired she knew the risks of taking this further were great.
    ‘I don’t know—’ she said, her heart telling her to go for it while her brain warned her to let it go.
    Martin didn’t seem to acknowledge her reticence and slid a grubby piece of paper across the table to her. She picked it up. Scribbled across