Blues revenge, p.8
Blue's Revenge, page 8
Quimby placed the suit on her work-bench alongside a line of other compact gadgets she’d prepared for Harrison.
‘Now to your new jacket.’ She held up a coat identical to the one Harrison was wearing. ‘The second button down is a miniature camera, two-way radio and location device. As your last communication with Blue instructed you to turn up unarmed and unaccompanied, I thought this would be the most discreet way of staying in touch.’
She laid the jacket on the bench and picked up a coin-shaped object.
‘Finally we have the Undetectatron, a very clever device that creates a force-field of energy around you so that you are completely unnoticeable to any security devices you come across. Simply remove the label from the back and stick the device to your chest and it is activated. You won’t need it at first as Blue will be expecting your arrival, but it will be handy if you need to make an unseen escape.’
She smiled proudly at the array of gadgets before them. ‘All we need to do now, sir, is take you to the lab’s changing rooms to attach the Undetectatron, get you fitted into your Impact Suit and you will be ready to go.’
‘Excellent.’ Harrison turned to Max and Linden. ‘You two better get back to Steinberger.’
‘Would you mind, sir, if we saw you off?’
Max’s heart lurched at Harrison’s hesitation.
‘Okay, but as soon as I leave, you are to stick very closely to Ben and Eleanor. I want them to know where you are at all times.’
‘Absolutely, sir.’
Max hated lying to Harrison, but now that her plan to save her mother had begun, she couldn’t turn back.
After Harrison and Quimby walked into the next room, Max and Linden sprang towards Quimby’s cupboards and selected their gadgets.
‘We’ll need Danger Meters, these Undetectatrons should be useful, and I like the sound of those suits. And this …’ Linden grabbed an X-ray Spectrogram like the one he and Max had used in Morocco. ‘… might be good too.’
As they put the devices into their packs, Max felt better now that she was doing something active about saving her mother.
‘What about when Quimby notices what’s missing?’ Linden asked.
‘She doesn’t check her equipment until the end of each day. By then, we’ll be a long way from here.’ But Max knew what Linden was getting at. ‘When we get back from the mission with Mum and Harrison safe, she’ll understand why we did it.’
Linden smiled. ‘We’ve already got our Personal Flying Devices in our packs, so what else do we need?’ He looked around. ‘What about this?’ He took a pen from a drawer that said ‘Knock Out Spray’.
‘Great. And look at these.’ Max spied a velvet-lined box with jewelled rings inside. They were all different shapes and colours, and attached to the shelf they sat on was a card that said ‘Digital Camera and Laser Rings.’ She slipped one into her pocket just as they heard Quimby and Harrison’s voices coming closer.
She quickly closed the cupboard doors and drawers and they both leant against Quimby’s workbench as if they’d been patiently waiting for their return.
‘Good luck, sir,’ Quimby offered.
‘Thank you, Quimby. You’re a wonderful asset to the Force.’
Quimby tucked a falling piece of hair into her scarf and blushed.
Max, Linden and Harrison made their way to the VART. As Max followed her leader, she knew there was one more thing she needed. The location of the meeting.
Harrison had decided not to use the Time and Space Machine as it would be too risky to have it so close to Blue’s possession. Instead, he had arranged to be flown to a large open field in the north of Scotland, where he would be picked up, blindfolded and taken to his destination.
As they walked down the metal boardwalk of the VART, Alex, Suave, Ben and Eleanor were waiting to farewell their chief, while Steinberger was on the hangar floor, showing Sleek a map.
Max took a hanky from her pocket and brought it to her nose, carefully concealing the digital camera ring. Linden threw her a subtle smile as she zoomed in on the map and took several photos.
Steinberger stepped towards the main group and Max put her hanky and the ring back in her pocket.
‘Everything has been prepared just as you requested, sir.’ Steinberger tried to keep his voice firm. He held out an overcoat and hat. ‘All available agents and vehicles are on standby if you need us, and the communication channels that connect you to Spyforce will be clear and operational at all times.’
‘Excellent.’ Harrison put on the coat and hat.
‘Quimby is certain your jacket button locator will let us know your exact position once you have arrived,’ Alex added confidently.
Harrison turned towards his ride, which was the Sleek Machine. It was a cross between a motorbike and a glider, and moved at an oscillation level that made it and its passengers invisible.
Sleek sat on the main body of the machine dressed in a long leather coat, warm hat and thick-lensed goggles. He handed Harrison a second pair of goggles. The chief put them on and climbed into the attached sidecar.
‘Sir.’ Max rushed to the machine. ‘Is there really no way we can come? Linden and I could be ready in minutes if you thought …’
Harrison locked onto her eager expression with a look that cut her enthusiasm short. ‘I’m sorry, Max.’
‘Okay.’ She moved away slightly. ‘I understand.’
Eleanor stepped forward and put her hands on Max’s shoulders. ‘Please come back safely,’ she said to Harrison. ‘Both you and my sister.’
Harrison nodded and Sleek started the engine. When the machine lifted into the air towards the exit of the VART, it disappeared, leaving only the sound of the engine fading into the distance.
Steinberger, Suave and Alex excused themselves and went to resume their part of the mission. Eleanor gently turned Max towards her and took her hands. ‘Let’s get you something to eat, shall we?’
Max felt bad about needing to keep their rescue plans secret from her aunt and uncle, but she couldn’t risk them stopping her. She turned away from Eleanor, a heavy sadness slumped into her shoulders. ‘I’ll meet you in the canteen. I think I just want to wait here for a little while if that’s okay.’
‘Of course it’s okay,’ Ben said with a swooping hug. ‘You take all the time you need, and I’ll get Irene to whip up something extra special.’ But when he let her go, Max could see he didn’t want to leave her alone.
‘Linden, can you stay with me?’
‘Sure.’ Linden stepped forward.
‘We’ll see you both in the canteen.’ Eleanor reached for Ben’s hand and they walked out of the VART. Ben turned for a last glance at his niece and gave a small wave.
Max waved back and watched as they disappeared from view.
‘It’s okay, Max.’ Linden guessed her thoughts. ‘When they know why we did it, they’ll be okay.’
‘I know it’s risky but I can’t just sit here and do nothing anymore.’ Max sat on the floor. ‘You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I’d understand,’ she said, even though she knew that without him she might not make it back.
Linden sat down beside her. ‘How long should we wait before we follow Harrison?’
‘Best to give him a head start, then we’ll follow from a safe distance.’ Max paused. ‘I know Harrison thought using the Time and Space Machine was risky around Blue, but we’ve done it before. I know we can keep it safe. And besides, with our Undetectatrons on, I’m not planning for Blue to even know we’re there.’
She took out her palm computer and the digital camera ring. She plugged the ring into the top USB port and within seconds an image of the map she had photographed appeared before her. ‘It’s done a good job.’
Max activated the locator in the computer to give her the coordinates of where Steinberger was pointing. Within seconds she had them. ‘Latitude 58° 37’ north and longitude 5° 00’ west.’ Max’s joy at having found the meeting point then faded. ‘Oh.’
‘What’s wrong?’
‘The name of the place Harrison is going to is Cape Wrath.’
‘It’s just a name,’ Linden suggested, but he too was nervous about what it might mean.
Max took the ring from the computer and put it on her finger, knowing they may need it later. She then felt a shiver run through her and rubbed her arms. ‘Do you feel cold?’
‘Kind of. Maybe it’s just nerves.’
‘Or maybe …’
‘What are you kids doing here?’
Max knew that voice and the reason for her sudden chill. Dretch. Her heart jolted in a breathless panic. She turned off her palm computer and slipped it into her pocket, hoping Dretch had not seen what she had just been doing.
His footsteps came closer as he walked along the metal boardwalk towards them. His dislike for Max and Linden had been clear from the moment they first arrived at Spyforce. If he found out what they were doing, Max knew he would have great pleasure in demanding they be thrown off the Force.
‘Thought you were supposed to be with Ben and Eleanor?’ He now stood above them and, Max realised with horror, his eyes were focused on the digital camera ring. His eyebrows curved upwards and Max knew they were caught.
She jumped up, desperate to explain. ‘We were, but …’
Dretch cut her off. ‘I have something for you.’
‘For me?’ Max could almost hear the crack of icy Dretch vibes spilling all over her.
He handed her a memory stick. Max took out the small rectangular device and stared up at the scarred face of the man standing beside her. ‘Um, thanks.’
She was hoping this would be the end of their conversation and the beginning of him turning away and leaving, but Dretch stayed where he was and just kept staring. What was he waiting for, Max thought, a hug?
The air thickened around them. The chill sank into her bones even further.
‘Aren’t you going to look at it?’
There was something bossy but soft about Dretch that was hard to understand. And now that he’d seen the ring and knew Max shouldn’t have it, why wasn’t he saying anything about it?
‘Oh. Yeah.’
‘It was at the end of the disk Blue sent,’ Dretch said awkwardly. ‘The others thought it would be too upsetting for you, but I thought you should know.’
Max and Linden had a bad feeling about what they were about to see.
Max took out her palm computer and plugged in the memory stick. The image of a darkened room appeared before them. ‘It’s the picture of Mum.’
As Max whispered the words, her mother called out.
‘You can’t keep me in here! Do you hear me? As soon as the police find out where I am, you will be spending the rest of your miserable, brain-dead days in a prison much worse than this.’
‘Mum,’ Max said quietly. ‘Don’t upset them.’
The image then pulled away as if the camera was backing down a long corridor. Max’s mother kept up her angry abuse. Then there was an explosion. Max flinched as if she’d been hit. The image filled with smoke and flying bits of debris. Then it went black.
They stared at the computer. Dretch’s hands made fists in his coat pockets, clenching and unclenching. His lips moved as if he was trying to speak.
‘Max?’ Linden said gently.
A dull, greyish colour filled Max’s face.
Dretch looked quickly between the two young spies.
‘Max?’ Linden wanted her to say something, do something. Anything but keep quiet.
‘I think I’m going to be sick.’
Dretch caught the palm computer that flew from Max’s hands as she ran from the VART into the closest bathroom.
Linden ran after her and pushed open the door.
‘Max!’ His voice echoed around the tiled room. ‘Max? Are you in here?’
He looked in all the cubicles until he saw Max huddled on the floor. Her hands cradled her knees, which were pulled tightly into her chest. Linden sat next to her and watched as the shock of what she’d just seen sank into her. She felt like she was in a nightmare she couldn’t wake from.
The door of the toilets creaked open and Dretch slunk in with his head down, so that his spaghetti fringe dipped over his scarred face more than usual.
‘I … ah … I …’ he mumbled.
Max started to cry. ‘It can’t be true, Linden. It can’t be!’
Dretch stared at her folded body bobbing up and down with each sobbing breath. He watched as her tears made small circular stains on her suede trainers, her sniffles reverberating off the walls so they sounded even sadder.
‘Remember, this is Blue,’ Linden said firmly. ‘What we see isn’t always what is happening.’
Dretch took an awkward step towards Max but then stopped, unsure of what to do. His spindly fingers came out of his pocket and he reached over and patted her head.
‘I think Linden’s right,’ he said gruffly. ‘I worked with Blue long enough to know he’s up to something, I just don’t know what it is yet.’
Max wanted to disappear forever from who she was and what she’d just seen.
‘I want to go home.’ Her voice fluttered around the room like a broken-winged butterfly, but after she’d said it, she realised she didn’t have a home anymore. Not now that her mother wasn’t there.
Suddenly she had this itching, breathless need to run. To get away from Spyforce. To get away from what had happened.
She stood up as another wave of nausea swiftly came over her, but it was then she realised it wasn’t being in or getting away from any one place that she needed. She needed to get away from what she’d just found out and, no matter where she went, she knew she never could.
The Sleek Machine swayed and lurched in the fury of thrashing winds tearing at the craggy coastline of Cape Wrath. The wind circled around them like a pack of howling wolves, biting into them with each ice-filled blast. Sleek held the controls firm as he negotiated each gusting push and shove that slammed into the machine, until he finally landed on the damp, rock-strewn ground.
Sleek took the goggles Harrison offered him and gave a sombre nod of farewell. A farewell, he knew, that may be their last. He adjusted his goggles before taking off into the sky, reaching his oscillation speed and disappearing seconds later.
Harrison looked around him at the gloomy horizon and pulled his overcoat tighter across his chest. A white mist whipped up from the freezing waves of the Atlantic Ocean smacked into him, leaving him cold and stinging.
‘So this is where you live?’ His lips moved slowly in the biting cold.
From over the horizon a four-wheel drive vehicle with thick, all-terrain tyres drove into view. It bumped over the gnarled and stony landscape before coming to an abrupt stop.
‘Kronch. Of course,’ Harrison murmured.
It always amazed Harrison that Blue kept Kronch on as one of his henchmen, especially considering his brain was rarely used for thinking.
Kronch lifted his log-shaped legs and tennis racquet-sized shoes out of the vehicle with a concerted wheeze.
‘Your lift awaits.’ He swung his arm out as if he was a doorman at an expensive hotel.
Harrison climbed inside and strapped himself in, happy to be out of the gnawing wind. Kronch took a small device from his pocket and seemed to be taking a reading of the area.
‘Well done. You’re here alone. It’s good to see you can follow orders when you want to,’ Kronch snivelled as he squeezed his jellied belly behind the wheel.
Harrison knew it was a dig at his last days with Blue at Spyforce and the conflicting views of the two men when it came to running the agency. Harrison believed in a sense of honesty and fair play, whereas Blue couldn’t see the harm in bending a few rules to make money. Selling Spyforce inventions to known criminals, for example. Inventions such as the Doppelgänger.
Harrison stared outside as the grey and brown landscape blurred past.
There was something else he noticed. Kronch hadn’t blindfolded him. He thought meeting at Cape Wrath was to conceal the real location of Blue’s mansion, but here he was being driven there in murky daylight. It could mean Blue had a security system in place that Harrison could not hope to renegotiate if he returned. Or, and this second idea seemed more likely, Blue planned Harrison would never leave.
Kronch wrenched the steering wheel hard to the left, sending the vehicle ricocheting off a large rock before hitting the ground with a bouncing thud. Harrison dug his heels into the floor and gripped the armrest even tighter, refusing to be thrown around by Kronch’s attempts to frighten him. He held firm and stared into the rear-view mirror, catching Kronch’s thick-witted grin. Blue and his pack of brainless thugs could try to scare him all they liked. Harrison had no intention of letting them get to him, and he became even more determined in his refusal to be afraid.
The jolting ride continued up a slippery, mud-soaked hill, and it was only when they reached the top that the vision of Blue’s property appeared before them.
Only his property turned out to be a castle.
Flanked by eight round towers joined by stone curtained walls, the castle keep rose in the centre of the fortress, dominating not only the castle but also the windswept hill it rested on.
‘This is it,’ Kronch yelled into the wind, bringing the vehicle to an abrupt, screeching halt.
Harrison stepped out and watched as the car drove off in a shower of rocks and mud. He walked towards the entrance of the castle but stopped as he reached the deep, cold moat, snaking around the ancient building and licking its algae-stained walls. It looked dismal and dark. As he was about to turn away, something in the moat moved, breaking the icy surface in an angry splash, as if lashing out against being there.
The drawbridge then began to slowly lower towards him. On either side of the rough, splintered bridge, great iron chains slowly unwound in a yawning, screaming creak, like the souls of a thousand dead had risen to welcome guests who entered.
The drawbridge finally slammed into the ground with a dull, exhausted thud. Harrison squinted into the dim arched entranceway and saw a figure walk from the shadows.
