Flood by Stephen Baxter Page B

my baby.”
    He refocused on her. “Miss Gray.”
    “It was one of your men, your doctors, who took her away from me. Wherever she is now, that makes you responsible.”
    “I fully accept that. We’re doing all we can—”
    “It’s not enough,” Helen said, a little wildly. She waved a hand.“Look at all these cameras, the microphones. Why don’t I stand up and tell them that Nathan Lammockson, savior of the world, stole my baby?”
    Lily touched her arm. “Helen, come on—”
    “Why don’t I go to the papers? Why don’t I write a bloody book?”
    “Miss Gray,” Lammockson said. He faced her squarely, his full, formidable attention fixed on her. “ Miss Gray . I hear what you say. And you know what? I fully accept it. You’re absolutely right, morally. My men took custody of the child, and we took our eyes off the ball, and we’re responsible. I’m responsible. I give you my word, solemnly, that I will find your baby and get him back to you.”
    “Her,” Helen said bitterly.
    “Her. I’m sorry. Look at this place. Do you doubt I have the resources to do it? No. Do you doubt I have the commitment to see it through? No. I got you out of Barcelona, didn’t I? Go public if you want, Miss Gray, that’s your right. All I’m asking is for a little time to deal with this, to resolve it.”
    Lily saw Helen was confused, trying to resist the force of his personality. Lily took her hand. “Helen, that sounds like the best bet to me right now.”
    Lammockson nodded, apparently satisfied. “Are we good? Yes?” He held Helen’s shoulders. “We’ll see this through, you and I. But for now, I’ve a room full of rich folk to comfort.” He turned and walked away, staff clustering around him like ducklings following their mother.
    Piers hurried back to Lily. “It’s all kicking off. There’s an alert out all along the estuary. I’m in contact with Gold Command. They’re mobilizing everything they’ve got. AxysCorp are putting their choppers in the air too, to be assigned to rescue operations. There’s work we can do—will you come with me? Lammockson’s staff are organizing a chopper for us. We can beat the storm if we move fast.”
    “It’s a long time since I flew.”
    “You’re not expected to pilot anything. But you know your way around choppers. You could be a big help.”
    Lily suddenly thought of her sister and the kids, who were supposed to be in the Dome this afternoon. Transport out of there was always a bottleneck. “Can you get me to Greenwich?”
    “I’m sure we can.” Piers turned to Gary and Helen. “You two may be safest here.”
    Gary said, “No thanks. Listen. Piers, could you arrange to get me to the Barrier? I’m in touch with some colleagues there. I want to try to find out what’s going on.”
    Lily said, “Gary, you’re drunk. You’re in no fit state—”
    “Not drunk for long.” Grinning, he held up a card of pills. “These days they have sober-up pills, Lil. You should check your mini-bar.”
    Piers said, “The Barrier it is. But we need to move.”
    Lammockson’s deep voice boomed over a PA. The party was being spiced up by a flood warning, he announced, but there was no need for alarm, the hydrometropole was fully flood resilient, and everybody wise enough to have booked up for a disaster vacation would be whisked right out of here and catered for.
    And the floor tilted beneath Lily’s feet. The whole of the floating building was rising like a vast elevator car, carrying Lily with it. Some of Lammockson’s guests stumbled; there was excited laughter.
    Gary said, “Holy cow.”
    The room began to settle.
    Lily said, “How high do you think that was?”
    Piers shrugged. “Hard to say. A meter? Two?”
    Lily knew nothing about the Thames Barrier, and London’s flood defenses in general.“Surely the Barrier will be able to handle a wave that size?”
    “I don’t know,” Gary said honestly. “The estuary will funnel the storm—the riverbed will be