A Symphony of Echoes Read Online Free PDF

to now? Everything’s fine. We’re just going to have a look.’
    They started to cut off my clothes, as well. Mrs Enderby, our wardrobe mistress, was not going to be pleased with us at all. I tried to tell them to bag everything, but no one was listening, and after all, we were in an isolation tent. It wasn’t likely they would just carelessly toss it all away. Let them get on with it.
    I started to shiver.
    ‘OK, let’s have some heat pads here. Elevate the feet. Hang on, Max.’ Voices came and went, the way they do when you doze off in front of the television.
    ‘Cuts and abrasions on her forearms – probably defensive wounds, one is very deep indeed. Two deep gashes across her left ankle and some minor cuts to the abdomen. Nothing too serious, Max. You’ll live to be grateful to that corset. In fact, we’re ditching the Kevlar and replacing it with whalebone.’
    I don’t know why medical staff think they have a sense of humour. I went for a smear test last year and Helen swore there was an echo. How funny is that?
    Stripping off her gloves, Helen replaced Hunter. ‘She’s still with us, Max. We’re taking her upstairs now.’ I saw her eyes shift to Hunter, who shook her head slightly. ‘Don’t be alarmed. You have a couple of bad cuts on your face. We’re keeping them clean and Dr Bairstow wants you sent off to the big plastics unit at Wendover. Everything’s under control here. You concentrate on you.’
    Fog billowed and swirled like silk. A T-rex lowered its fearsome head, looked at me, decided it couldn’t be bothered and wandered off, to be replaced by Major Guthrie saying, ‘They’re on their way – ten minutes,’ and then my father said, ‘Hello, Madeleine.’ And I struggled to get away.
    Mrs Partridge stepped into my view. She wore a white robe and her dark hair was caught up in a silver clasp. Everything else was shadowed but I could see her very clearly. If Kleio, Muse of History was here, then things must be bad.
    I said, ‘Am I dead?’
    ‘Not this time. Stop fighting them. Let them do their job.’
    I relaxed and let my head fall back.
    Helen had gone.
    Someone said, ‘Give her two gowns and plenty of blankets. She feels the cold.’
    Something warm and soft covered me. If there were heat pads, I couldn’t feel them.
    ‘Another blanket here.’
    It made no difference. I was frozen, shivering violently and uncontrollably. Something pricked the back of my hand as I was hooked up to something else. Bright lights weaved and waved. Voices came and went. I could hear my teeth chattering.
    I heard a loud and prolonged grinding of metal on metal. They were opening the hangar doors.
    Someone said, ‘Keep her dry.’
    They wheeled me to the edge of the hangar and we all peered out. Wind, rain – it was a hell of a night out there. It had been a hell of a night in here, as well.
    Overhead suddenly, a rhythmical pounding cut through the sound of the storm. The outside lights blazed on. They hurt my eyes. Someone covered my face with a blanket. The rackety clatter got louder. People shouted.
    Someone said, ‘OK, here we go,’ and I was wheeled at speed out into the storm.
    ‘On three. One, two, three.’ I was tilted, turned, tilted again.
    Someone said, ‘Is she dead?’ and pulled the blanket down.
    ‘In we go.’
    I was tilted again and then bumped down. Someone’s hands were setting up the drips and disentangling the tubes. I was still shivering. The noise was tremendous. I was scared.
    Someone said, ‘Wait!’ and Leon, his face grimmer than I could ever remember seeing before, touched my hand gently, said something that was lost in the noise of the night and disappeared.
    A door slid and slammed, shutting out most of the noise. A figure in military flying gear leaned over me and said, ‘Don’t worry, pet, you’re on your way.’
    The engine note changed, the floor tilted, and we were away. 

Chapter Four
    I woke up stiff and sore. I was the only occupant in a four-bed room