Skeleton Key, The Graphic Novel

in heeere. Good morning, Alex. Forgive my clothes. I always take a twenty-four mile run before breakfast. Three times around the plantation. That will be all, Conrad. We’ll meet again at midday. Conrad doesn’t That’s all right, What’s the matter like you. with him, anyway? I’m not crazy about Conrad. He was involved in an I bet he’s a riot at explosion… with a bomb airport security. that he happened to be carrying at the time. He is a scientific miracle. I would advise you There are thirty metal pins not to mock him, Alex. in his body, a metal plate in his skull, and wires in his jaw and He still very much hopes to kill you. most of his major joints. Now, I have removed your mobile, and all phones in the compound require a code. You cannot contact the outside world.

My people may From what I know of Alan worry about me. Blunt and his colleagues, that is unlikely. Besides, by the time they begin to ask questions, it will be too late. Too late? Casa de Oro is if you attempt For what? to escape, you will surrounded by an be shot, and that is electric fence. There not at all what I is only one entrance, have planned. and it is always guarded. Today you will move now, enough of to new quarters. I have this unpleasantness. important guests arriving, We have the whole and it would be better morning together. for you to have your Can you ride own space. a horse? You are still welcome to use the house, pool, and grounds. But if you cause me any embarrassment, I will have you whipped.

l at E R This was once a sugar farm, worked by slaves. There were almost a million slaves in Cuba and Cayo Esqueleto. At four-thirty every morning they would ring a bell up there, for the slaves to start work. They all came from West Africa. They worked here… And they died here. That building is the I don’t want Barracón, the house to imagine it. of slaves. Two hundred of them slept in there, Of course not. penned in like animals. The Western world prefers to forget the crimes that made it rich. if we have time, I will Yaaa! show you the punishment block. Can you imagine being fastened by your ankles for weeks, unable to move, starving and thirsty? He killed Turner and Troy without a thought… But he wants me alive. Why?

I wish to tell you something about myself. in fact, I will tell I was born during the Second World War, as you more than I have the Germans attacked my country. told anyone else. Perhaps that is why I have always been a patriot. I always believed my country comes first. I have spent much of my life serving in its army. I was married at thirty. A year later, my wife gave me something I had always wanted. A son. His name was Vladimir. From the first moment he drew breath, he was the best thing in my life. He grew into a I believed it was handsome boy. No father right for Vladimir to serve could have been prouder. his country, as I had, and join He was top in every class at the army. His mother disagreed, school, and a great athlete. and that disagreement ended One day he might have our marriage. competed at Olympic level. But that was not to be.

You asked her He went to to leave? Afghanistan, where we were fighting a hard, I ordered her to! difficult war. Vladimir joined Three weeks into the army. He was just his tour, a sniper shot sixteen years old. him and he died. The war ended a But then year later. Our cowardly I met you. government lost the spirit to fight. it had all been for nothing! And there is nothing more terrible than for a father to lose his son. Me? I don’t … understand… You have so much in common, Alex. Just fourteen, and already serving your country! How rare to find a young person willing to fight for their beliefs! I wouldn’t go that far…

You have courage. You speak many languages. The sugar factory, and the cave, proved One day you could that even if your record learn Russian! did not already. I know you are an orphan, Alex. You ride, you dive, You have no parents… you fight! And I have no son. We I have never are both alone. met a boy like you… What plan? Except one. What are you talking about? We’re a world apart, General. We don’t need to be! isn’t it My plan will make the world obvious, Alex? a better, stronger place. When you understand what I’m doing, you will see we do not need to be enemies! I want to adopt you!

latER that night The barracón? Lovely. Thish wayyy. Yooor celll. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky… Thee Generahl has Talk about light given yoo shomme of his reading. Doesn’t pershonal booksh he have any James to reeead. bond?

‘Night, Conrad! I’ll call you if I need anything! Floodlights? Of course. Sarov’s visitors have arrived. And there’s the Russian President. Whatever Sarov’s up to… it’s begun.

Who are you? Seré tu escolta el día de hoy. ¡Despierta, “Escort”? por favor! Following me so I don’t try to escape, nExt moRning more like. What’s Juan. ¿Quieres your name? desayunar? ¿Como se llama usted? Breakfast? No… No, take me to the stables. I want to go riding again. Montar a caballo. Actually I want to check out that electric fence, see if there’s a tree I can use to climb over it… Yaaa!

Well, so much for that idea. Not a tree in sight. l at E R What about the entrance gate? Turner said there was only one road into the estate… And the dead bird tells Malchik, podvinsya! me those “Danger!” signs obviously aren’t kidding. That’s one escape route I can forget about. Three armed guards, and the fence goes all the way up to the barrier. Doesn’t look promising—

Hmmm. Come on, Juan. Let’s go have that breakfast. soon Good morning, Alex! Come here! *Giggle* Hello, what’s going on at the pool?

Allow me to introduce my old friend, Boris Kiriyenko… The President of Russia. Boris, this is the boy I was telling you about. it is a pleasure. You remind No thanks. him of my son. Unusual lifeguards Ty bil prav, on pokhozj na Vladimira. Would you like you have there. a swim, Alex? To cool you down after riding? Sorry, what? Some company Unfortunately, we for our guest. still have work to do. A local TV station has After all, Boris requested an interview is on holiday. with our distinguished visitor, and Boris has agreed.

Ah, here they are now! You can have the pool to yourself, Alex. We’re going into Santiago after lunch, but I hope you’ll join us for dinner. The chef has planned a very special main course. Poyezhai, Boris. Tam budet bezuprechno. *Giggle* …if I can do something about Juan, that is. into Santiago, eh? That could be my chance…

l at E R Nnngh! Ow! ¿Qué pasa? ¿Qué tienes? Ooof! Sorry, Juan… …But I have to get out and tell someone what’s really going on around here.

Santiago after entervyu s prizidentom lunch… hope they take proshlo horosho, ya dumayu. all of the limos. ! Need to find somewhere to hide… A-ha! Brrrr, serious air- conditioning! Which part of the house is this…?

…Oh. I haven’t been in here yet! But those are recordings of stuff that happened earlier… What are they doing in here? No time to think about that now. I have to get out and contact the CIA! Some kind of editing suite, like a TV studio… They’re watching the whole house!

The guards have I just hope one gone, but lunch will of them is open… be over soon. it’s now or never. …Bingo! And now… I wait.

Phew! Someone’s coming, but I can’t make out what Hotter in here than I expected. I hope they they’re saying… don’t take too long. Yes! I picked …And now we’re a good car… moving. So far, so good. Stopped again. …Moving again! I wonder Must be at the gate. how far it is to Santiago? Please don’t open I’ll have to listen out the boot, you didn’t for when we arrive. check it on that car We’ve stopped again! this morning… Then I can use the chewing gum Smithers gave me to blow open the boot… wait, what’s happening?

Get out. if you wanted to visit Santiago, you only had to ask. But I do not think you did. You were trying to escape. Oh, no… You disappoint me, Do you know Alex. You have seen the what this is, Alex? extent of my security. No? Then watch. Did you think I would allow a car to enter or leave without knowing exactly who and what is inside?

it is a very sophisticated sensor. it detects the human heartbeat. Every car is scanned at the barrier. When the guard heard one more heartbeat than he should have, he knew something was wrong. Conrad very much wishes to shoot you. He believes I am a fool to keep you as my guest. Do you not He is right. remember what I told you? That if you tried to escape, you could be shot? After all I have offered you, you make an enemy of me. I want you to be my son… But you force me to destroy you.

Listen to the sound of your own fear! it betrays you! Bhanng. And when you hear silence - it could be any moment, now - that is when you will know you are dead. He has learned his lesson. Take him back to his room.

Yooo arre Sorry, left my innnvited to dinner jacket in England. Anyway, dinnner. I’m not hungry. latER that EvEning it is nnnot an innnvitation yoo Yooo have five may refffuse. minnnutesh. I will wait outsshide. Oh, what At least I the hell. might get some answers.

Alex! I’m glad you’re here. I didn’t want to start without you. Come, sit at my right hand. First, caviar imported directly from the Black Sea. What about No vodka for you, Alexie? you, though. You are too young. My friends, I hope you will forgive me for speaking in English. Our guest has sadly not yet learned our glorious language. I do not drink, Boris. You know that. All the more for us! Ha!

This is for me a night I still remember of great significance. What can I tell you about him as a child who Boris Nikita Kiriyenko? teased animals, who My closest and dearest cried when there was friend for fifty years! a fight, and never told the truth. it is hard to believe this is the same man entrusted with the privilege, the sacred honour, of leading our great country in these difficult times. Well, Boris has come here for a holiday. I’m sure he needs one after so much work. And that is the toast I wish to make tonight. To Boris’ holiday! I hope it will be longer and more memorable than he ever expected.

ha ha ha! Oo vac Na zdarovie! vsegda yest stranni Ha… choovstvo yumora, Alexei! Na zdorovie! Gakk! And now it begins. What…? Kkk… Hkkk! kkk…

Alexie…! Relax, Alex. They are only unconscious, not dead. Not yet, anyway.

thiRty minutEs latER Ostorozjno! That’s the bomb… isn’t it? Get in. We must not waste time. …

Come. We are to take off immediately.

You are probably I came very wondering why I did close. But then I not kill you earlier. thought… You were it had crossed only doing your job. my mind. I admire that. My son Vladimir died for his country. I am proud that you were prepared to do the same. … Where are we going? Russia. Murmansk, to be precise - a port on the Kola Peninsula. We will cross the Arctic Circle, and make two refuelling stops - one in Canada, one in Edinburgh. Yes, Edinburgh. You will be home for an hour or two tomorrow. But you will not be permitted to leave the plane. Won’t the This is President authorities want to know what you’re doing? Kiriyenko’s private You’re a communist. jet. They believe he is on board.

“Kiriyenko’s pilot is flying. You still haven’t He is loyal to me, as are told me what that many Russians. They believe future is. in me, and the future I promise them.” No. But now I will tell you, because there is nothing you can do to stop it. Murmansk was once home to Russia’s northern fleet of submarines. But Russia’s armed forces have fallen apart, just like the rest of the country. Poverty, crime and corruption suck the people dry. “Murmansk is where that decay can be seen most starkly. “it is now home to a fleet of abandoned submarines. Nuclear submarines, left to rot. “Nobody cares. Nobody will find the money to do anything about them. “But they contain one-fifth of the entire world’s nuclear fuel! They are ticking time bombs… an accident waiting to happen.”

I have decided if one of the to arrange that submarines blew up, it would be a catastrophe. accident. A huge number of Russians in the Kola Peninsula and the So why do it? What north, as well as many more will it achieve? in Norway and Finland, would die immediately. The fallout would reach Europe, making London uninhabitable for many years. And thousands more would fall ill and die slow, painful deaths. I am giving the world a wake-up call. Tomorrow night I will place the bomb amongst the submarines. The codes required to detonate the bomb are encoded on this key card. I will insert it into the casing, then leave. At the time of the explosion I will be on my way to Moscow. But the shockwave will be felt around the whole world!

imagine the outrage it will create! They will assume one of the submarines finally collapsed. Nobody will suspect the truth. Yes, they will! The CIA knows you bought uranium! They’ll find out their agents are dead— Nobody will Everyone will look to believe the CIA. Nobody Boris Kiriyenko, the Russian ever does. Anyway, it President, for leadership. will be too late. And what will they see? The editing suite! You interviewed him, filmed him… instead, the world will unite to condemn Russia over the disaster. We will be hated. The Russian people will be ashamed. “if only we had been less careless, less poor, less corrupt. if only we were still the superpower we had once been…” Yes, Alex. Now you are thinking like a Russian.

“Our interviewer asked him about a train strike in Moscow. Boris was already half drunk, and replied:” This is my holiday. I’m too busy to deal with that. “But we will change the question.” We will release film What are you that shows him drunk beside the swimming pool, playing with going to do about the half-naked girls young enough accident in Murmansk, to be his daughters. And Mr President? then the interview… This is my holiday. Russia will see I’m too busy to deal Kiriyenko for the drunken with that. imbecile he is, and blame him. “The northern fleet was once the pride of Russia! How could it have been allowed to become a rusting, lethal nuclear dump?” Many Russians believe And I will life was better in the old harness it! days. They hate what Russia has become. Now their anger will be heard. it will be unstoppable.

Before the nuclear dust But you’ll kill cloud has settled, I will have millions of your total control of my country! I will rebuild the Berlin wall! own people! Start wars, many wars! Pah! Millions are already dying in Russia just because they cannot afford food or medicine! I will not rest until … communist government And what is the single dominant happens to me? power in the world! I’ve already told you. You will be with me in Moscow. Don’t you see, Alex? You will not just be my son. You will have power! You will be one of the most powerful people in the world! …

Tower to RF-1, you are You will not speak, Alex. Not one cleared to land for routine refuelling only. single word. Please be prepared for Conrad? administrative boarding. Roger, tower. Commencing final approach. EdinbuRgh, sCotland, nExt day if Conrad even thinks you are about to try something foolish, he will fire. Death will be instant, but it will appear as if you have merely fallen asleep. Here comes the refuelling truck. Remember, now. Not a sound.

D’ye speak English? Cheers. Here’s yer I’ve got some papers receipt. We’ll have ye back in the air in for ye to sign. nae time at all. Yes. Will ye not come out … Thank you. and stretch yer legs? it’s a fine day, and we’ve got No, thank you. tea and shortbread We are all a little tired. in the office. All right, if ye’re Shhidownn! sure. Cheerio! Relax, Conrad. I’m not going anywhere. My legs are a bit numb, that’s all.

Where are you it’s my lucky going, Alex? mascot. Michael Nowhere. Owen. What’s that you You are not to have in your hand? leave the plane. Sit down. I’ve got a headache. I just want some fresh air. I’m not going anywhere. Alex! Return to your seat! Conrad…!

Oof!

Hey! What d’ye think Locked! ye’re doing? Stretching One of the doors my legs! has to be open, please… Yes! Now all I need is… …A phone!

999 will have You have rung the to do. emergency services. Which service do you require? Police! Connecting you now… What are ye doing This isnae a public here, laddie? phone box. This isnae even a public office. Ye shouldnae be in here. I need to make You don’t understand. This is an emergency! a phone call! it’s urgent! Just let me make the call!

Ye’re not doing Oh, did ye now? anything until ye Where’s yer tell me what’s going passport? on here! This is a What? I private office! don’t have— Look, I’m sorry, Well, that’s a very but I just got off a serious matter, laddie. plane a few minutes Ye cannae enter the country ago, and— without a passport. A spy?! All right, How old are ye? look… I know this is hard to believe, but I work for the government. Just let me call them, they’ll prove it! I’m a spy— …Fourteen. I think ye’ve been watching too much television, laddie! it’s true! There’s a man in a plane on the runway and unless I make this call, he’s going to kill a lot of people!

The only thing Ah, Alex! There you are! ye’re doing is coming with me to security. Come along now! For god’s sake, he’s got a nuclear bomb! He’s going to detonate it in Murmansk! You have to let me call MI6! Who are ye? I am Alex’s father. isn’t that right, Alex? he’ll kill Yes… dad. the guard if No. Wee rascal was I deny it… helping himself when I caught him, and I Has Alex made a telephone call? put a stop tae it. So what’s all this business about bombs and spies?

Alex has an overactive I will return him to imagination, and some the plane. My assistant mental problems. He has will give you all the not been well lately. details you require. Well… Oh, do not All right, then. worry. But keep him out You will never of trouble! be troubled again, I promise. Conrad? Hurry up, Alex. We have a date with a bomb.

muRmansk, Russia Welcome to the future, Alex. Lovely. is this airport Only by us. Come! Our destiny awaits. even in use? Bomba v ychastok Vhoditye. grooz. Preenyeseetye mnye. Da, Gyeneral.

Do they really keep nuclear subs in here? I’ve seen better security in a supermarket car park! Ey! Kto eto? Shto vhi zdes delayetye?

There it is… The base of the Northern Fleet. What a dump!

Pomogitye! They’re killing Aaargh! all the staff! Spasaitye nas!

Vhoditye e uvazhayemiy! Come, Alex. Where are To their positions. they all going? Any counter-attack will find the bay very well defended. Now look!

Oh… …Wow.

Ffollow me. Hey, watch it! These things are tight! That paaain will ennnd soon ennnough. Very good. Now stand back! And so… Alex.