4, p.4
4, page 4
It was Issey who realised first.
‘Ojiisan!’
Issey ran to his grandfather and hugged him tight.
‘I thought—I thought …’ Issey couldn’t bring himself to say what they all had been thinking.
We thought you were dead, killed protecting us from Solaris.
‘Dead?’ Kaga said, his face breaking into a big smile. ‘It takes more than a fire-breathing oni to destroy Kaga.’
11
ALEX
Alex fiddled with his food as Ahmed carefully turned the pages of da Vinci’s journal. The paper was heavy, each page full of notes and diagrams. From across the table Alex could see the writing was barely legible, an excited scrawl written in another language. The pictures and illustrations, however, were extraordinary.
‘What’s that?’ Alex asked, pointing to a sketch.
‘That’s what everyone is searching for,’ Hans said.
‘Yes,’ Ahmed said, staring at it.
‘Really?’ Alex said. He stood and walked over to stand next to Ahmed and looked down at the drawing.
It’s the Bakhu Machine but with the Gears pieced together within it. I never did get to see the journal while it was at the Academy. Finally I’m getting a look at what all this has been for.
‘It’s incredible …’
Alex was back in his cabin on the Ra. Like the main dining room, it looked like an expensive hotel suite, complete with all the amenities he could want. There was a phone too, a cordless handset. He tried it for reception and was surprised to get a dial tone.
Must be satellite.
He sat on the edge of the bed for a while and stared at it.
I should call my mother. Tell her where I am. Get them to track the boat.
Alex picked up the phone and started to dial and then put it back into the cradle.
What if Hans and his guys are listening in on the phones as well?
Alex glanced around his small room.
I should have a poke around, see if there’s another way to make contact.
Alex left his room on a scouting expedition. He moved quietly, his bare feet silent on the carpet. He walked down the hall off the living quarters to a small lounge area at the bow of the Ra. He didn’t pass anyone, not the boat’s crew or any of the security guys he recognised as being rogue German Guardians.
Where is everyone?
The floor under his feet hummed with the constant vibration of the boat’s engines.
Still running at full steam.
He looked out a porthole window. From the position of the sun, he knew that they were still headed south in the Pacific Ocean, on a boat decked out for an icy voyage.
Could be headed for somewhere on the southern coast of South America, or … where? Maybe east, towards Asia? Or south-east to Australia and New Zealand? We could be headed anywhere. Or nowhere … maybe this is just another form of kidnapping?
Alex shook off his rambling thoughts and went into a small conference room off to the side of the lounge area, closing the door carefully behind him. He was still on the same level as the sleeping quarters, the deck below the level where he’d had lunch a few hours before. The conference room was roughly the size of his own room but was furnished with a long table and ten chairs. The walls were covered in digital screens and telecommunications gear. On a bench that ran along the end wall, several satellite phones sat in a row.
This must be the nerve centre of the boat—the command and control room. If they were going to listen in to phone calls, this is where they’d do it. Maybe I could re-wire a phone, or check it for listening bugs … where’s Shiva when I need him?
Alex looked at one of the phones, picking up the cordless handset and inspecting it carefully, before also scrutinising the docking cradle.
Should I? It doesn’t look like it’s plugged into a listening device.
He picked up the handset and dialled his mother’s number. She answered on the second ring.
‘This is Phoebe.’
‘Mum—’ Alex said in a whisper.
‘Alex! Where are you?’ Her voice was urgent and frightened. ‘When we saw those men come in, I didn’t know what to think!’
‘Mum, it’s OK, I’m fine. I’m at sea—’
‘At sea! With who?’
‘Hans. But it’s OK.’
‘Hans!’ Phoebe’s voice went up an octave as she spoke.
‘Shh. Relax, OK? I’m fine. Wait one sec.’
Alex pressed a button on a remote, flicking a nearby screen to life. The weather channel played loudly over speakers, hopefully drowning out any eavesdroppers to Alex’s side of the conversation.
‘What’s that noise?’
‘It’s just a precaution. I turned the TV on so people can’t hear what I’m saying.’
Phoebe was silent for a moment, then she said, ‘Shiva didn’t know who had taken you. It happened so fast, he didn’t have time to see anything. But Hans …’
‘Hans is … look, it’s all OK, Mum,’ Alex interrupted. ‘Is Shiva alright? What happened to Matrix?’
‘Shiva’s fine. He took a bump to the back of his head and a bit of a blow to his pride, but he’s fine. Matrix is being held at the security wing of the Enterprise. Jack is there now, interrogating him, but he’s not being very co-operative. Alex, are you saying that you went with Hans … willingly?’
‘Um, sorta … yeah.’
‘Alex! Hans is dangerous!’ Phoebe said, raising her voice again.
‘Mum, calm down,’ Alex said. ‘We’re on his ship, about five hours from Hawaii, I think, headed south at full steam.’
‘I’ll come with a team to get you back.’
‘What? No, Mum, please. Listen,’ Alex said. ‘He trusts me, OK? Hans trusts me. He asked me to come along and I agreed. I’m not a prisoner.’
‘It may have looked like that, Alex, but he’s used to getting what he wants.’
‘I know, Mum, I get that,’ Alex said. ‘Look, he’s headed someplace—somewhere I’m sure is important to the race to the Dream Gate. He has da Vinci’s journal.’ The other end of the line was silent for a long time. ‘Mum . .?’
‘How did … the Professor had informed me that it was stolen, but I didn’t realise …’ Phoebe said finally. ‘You’re playing a dangerous game, Alex. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?’
‘Look, Mum, I’m safe for now. And I’m of use here—I can see what Hans is doing. I can report back to you. Be a spy. Just like Stella was doing, remember? You were watching her, to track her movements, right? I can do the same here. I can play along and see what Hans is up to.’
‘It’s too dangerous.’
‘Danger is my middle name,’ Alex laughed.
‘Your middle name is Stacy.’
‘Yeah, don’t remind me, I got enough grief about that in school.’
It was Phoebe’s turn to laugh.
‘Look, Mum, you said it yourself, Hans believes I’m valuable, so nothing will happen to me, right? So long as he’s convinced that I’m one of the last 13, he’s not gonna hurt me.’
There was more silence. ‘OK, Alex,’ Phoebe said wearily, ‘I’ll discuss this with the Director. But you be careful.’
‘Careful is my new middle name.’
‘But I want you to call in every day, about this time. OK? That way we can accurately keep track of you through the calls.’
‘OK,’ Alex said. ‘You got it.’
Alex could hear his mother exhale, perhaps with relief, but probably with a sense of unease.
‘Gee, Mum, worry much?’
‘These people are dangerous,’ she repeated. ‘They’re killers.’
‘But not like Solaris, not like Stella. This Hans guy is different. You’ll see.’ Alex stopped when he thought he heard the soft thudding of approaching footsteps in the hallway outside. ‘Gotta go.’
‘OK,’ Phoebe said, before quickly adding, ‘call me tomorrow!’
Alex hung up the phone. He hurriedly picked up the screen remote, at the same time swinging both his feet up to rest on the bench in front of him.
The door to the room opened slowly.
Hans.
He looked at Alex, one eyebrow raised in suspicion.
‘Hi!’ Alex said casually.
Hans smiled. ‘Interested in the weather, I see,’ he said.
‘Sure,’ Alex shrugged, and turned down the volume of the weather channel. ‘Actually, I was just snooping around, trying to find a games console. It’s pretty boring at sea, you know.’
‘No time for games, Alex,’ Hans said, his smile widening. ‘Not yet. Come, I have a more productive way for you to spend this time.’
12
SAM
‘So the last you saw of Solaris,’ Sam said to Kaga, ‘was when he left you for dead in your house?’
‘Yes,’ Kaga said, after recounting the full events of the night before as he drove them all in his car to a government airfield. ‘A ceiling beam had pinned me down. My fire-suit saved me, I was not harmed as I lay there, but I had to wait until the fire had burned through the timber beam for me to get out from under it. The brave firefighters came but they could not reach me.’
‘And Solaris?’ Sam asked.
‘When he saw that I was trapped, and that the flames would consume the house, he disappeared. Like the coward he is.’
‘And we know the rest,’ Tobias said. ‘He tracked us to Ghost Island, stole the Gear and destroyed our boat.’
Or Stella has it. Either way …
‘But how did you dream of Grandfather?’ Issey asked Sam in wonder.
‘I’m not sure,’ Sam said, watching the Tokyo skyline flash by out the window. ‘I just relaxed as much as I could and I kept thinking about what Yutaka said, about letting the answers come to you. Then the memory of Kaga fighting Solaris, that unforgettable image, was the next thing I saw.’
‘It’s a good thing,’ Tobias said. ‘And not just because you were able to get Kaga, who was so close by, to come and save us. It also proves what a powerful Dreamer you are, Sam. By letting your mind take you where it needed to go, you saved us all. With practice, with time, you will be able to achieve great things.’
‘But that’s just it, isn’t it?’ Sam said. ‘If only we had time. If only I could practise, right? We don’t even know how long we have left to finish this race and I’m only just starting to be able to use my dreams to do something. If I ever work out how to become a Dreamer like you and Lora and the Professor, it might be too late.’
‘No,’ Tobias said. ‘You’re not like us. Your abilities are far beyond us all. And you must believe this race will not be the end of things. It will be a truly amazing beginning.’
The Japanese Prime Minister nodded along as Tobias spoke.
‘It will?’ Issey said.
‘He means,’ Sam said, ‘it’s not the end—so long as we win. So long as we’re the ones to get all the Gears and use the Bakhu machine to find the Dream Gate.’
‘Yes,’ Tobias said. ‘That’s about the size of it.’
Kaga drove his old Toyota towards the gates of an airfield. Several soldiers, in full uniform and holding weapons, approached as they slowed to a stop in front of the checkpoint.
‘Wait a moment in the car, please,’ Yutaka said. He climbed out of the passenger seat and confidently headed towards the men.
I guess he’s their ultimate boss.
As the Prime Minister walked closer, Sam watched the recognition register on the faces of the base guards, who smartly, and as one, stood to attention and snapped off salutes. The gate was opened immediately and Yutaka returned to the car after a short conversation with the guards. Kaga drove on, this time following a military vehicle that guided them to a long row of hangars.
‘You will be flown wherever you need to go,’ Yutaka said to Sam. ‘The pilots will take your orders and fly to any destination in the world.’
‘Wow …’ Issey said.
‘Thank you,’ Tobias said, bowing his head to Yutaka, ‘you are very kind.’ Then he turned to the others in the car. ‘Kaga, can you escort Issey to the Academy in London?’
‘Of course,’ Kaga said.
‘Sam and I have a new Dreamer to meet,’ Tobias said.
‘What about Solaris and the Gear that he took from us?’ Issey said. ‘Or do you think the woman has it now?’
Sam and Tobias said nothing. Eventually Tobias answered, ‘One step at a time I think, Issey. And that will no doubt be our next challenge.’
The car drove into a large hangar filled with several gleaming white passenger jets. Some were small aircraft that looked to only be four- or six-seaters, others were larger, official-looking jets that would carry more than twenty passengers.
‘So maybe he’s added one more to his collection,’ Sam said, almost as if thinking out loud. ‘So what? We’re going to have to get all the Gears he has anyway. What does it matter if it’s two, or three or four?’
The car came to a stop and they got out. Kaga handed the keys to a base soldier.
‘So that’s the next step—we just hunt him down?’ Issey said. ‘Battle him until he gives up his Gears?’
‘Issey, there will be no need to hunt Solaris,’ Kaga said to his grandson. ‘He will come for Sam.’ Then he turned and put a hand on Sam’s shoulder, speaking quietly. ‘Remember, don’t be afraid. Look at me, I’m old, and I survived.’
Sam nodded, and said his goodbyes to Issey and Kaga. Kaga shook Tobias’ hand and bowed to the Japanese Prime Minister before walking up the narrow stairs into the cabin of one of the small planes, closely followed by Issey and four armed guards.
‘Good luck, Sam,’ Yutaka said, shaking Sam’s hand. ‘It has been an honour to spend time with you, however difficult the circumstances.’
Sam smiled, said, ‘Likewise, Mr Prime Minister. Thank you for looking after us. And for arranging all this for us.’
‘The least I could do,’ Yutaka said. ‘And I mean that with all sincerity. And I promise you that when we next talk, it will be in New York, where I will arrange that audience for you, and we can bring the whole world to this fight.’
‘We look forward to it,’ Tobias said. ‘Thank you.’
‘In the meantime,’ Yutaka said, looking to his armed soldiers, standing at attention to one side. ‘I will find the Guardians who trapped us in the Yume Uchū. They will not be given the chance to harm another Dreamer, you have my word.’
‘Thank you again,’ Sam said. He walked with Tobias to board the jet, bound for their next destination and the next Dreamer, Poh.
13
ALEX
‘I still don’t know where we’re going,’ Alex whispered into the phone to his mother.
It was late and he was curled up on one of the chairs in the control room once more, the satellite phone handset wedged between his ear and his shoulder. His hand rested on the TV remote control, ready, in case he needed to make it look like he was in there watching the big screen again.
‘What’s wrong?’ Phoebe asked, alarmed. ‘You sound different. Is everything OK?’
‘Yeah, yeah. Just tired.’
‘Get out at the next port. Leave Hans, it doesn’t matter. We can monitor his movements remotely.’
‘No, Mum, I’ll stay. It’s better this way,’ Alex said. ‘From what I can tell, we’re headed to Australia. A place called Cairns is our next stop. I checked the ship’s itinerary when no-one was around. We’re meant to be there late tomorrow night. Then, from there to Christchurch for a refuel and resupply. After that, the itinerary is blank.’
‘I don’t like the sound of that, Alex. Get off in Australia—we’ll pick you up from there.’
‘But that’s the whole point—that’s the reason I have to stay,’ Alex said, still weary, ‘to find out. Dr Kader asked Hans if this ship can handle ice. That’s not just a random question, is it? Hans is obviously going south, far south, to somewhere he doesn’t want even his captain to know about.’
‘I don’t like this,’ his mother said again. ‘We have satellite tracking on the Ra now, Alex, we can follow where Hans is going from here at the Enterprise. You’ve done enough.’
‘Mum, you know how unreliable that can be,’ Alex said. ‘We lose satellite connections all the time. Or they can be hacked into. You know this better than I do, right? It’s always better to stay in the field. If I’m here, I can try to find out where we’re going before we get there. And if I talk to Ahmed, maybe even get him on his own, I could find out why we are going there. Wouldn’t it be better to know what Hans is looking for … or hiding?’
‘Hans has already shown how unstable and reckless he can be. And this is all just speculation. It could be a big waste of time,’ Phoebe said. ‘Or an attempt to get you out of the way …’
‘Look, Mum, I promise, if it starts to look dicey, I’ll get out at the next port and get on the first plane home.’
‘Alex …’ There was a long pause on the other end of the line. ‘Fine, OK.’
‘OK?’ Alex smiled. ‘Really? Finally! Thanks, Mum. Can you do one thing for me, though?’
‘Of course, anything,’ Phoebe said quickly. ‘What do you need?’
‘Next time I call, can we just skip past the part where you tell me I have to come back immediately and I have to convince you that I’m OK over and over?’
Phoebe laughed. ‘Hmm, we’ll see. There is something you can do for me too—the day after tomorrow, tune into the international news channel at 5pm Eastern Time, US.’
‘Why?’
‘There is a special broadcast scheduled, from inside the UN General Assembly.’
‘That sounds boring,’ Alex said. ‘What’s happening there?’
‘Just tune in. You won’t find it boring, I promise.’
‘Alright, Mum. Talk to you soon.’
‘Tomorrow,’ Phoebe corrected. ‘And Alex?’
‘Yeah?’
‘I love you. Be careful.’
‘Yeah, thanks, Mum. Back at ya.’
14
SAM
