by Mark Walden
‘I’ll be the judge of that,’ the medic said, pointing at the seat next to Wing. ‘Sit.’
Otto sighed and sat down as the medic pulled out a pen-light and shone it into his eyes.
‘Have they found Drake yet?’ Wing said, carefully zipping up the black jumpsuit that he had been given to replace his shredded clothes.
‘They’re working on it,’ Otto said. ‘I just wish I could have got a more precise location. If I’d only had a few more minutes in the network.’
‘You did all that you could,’ Wing said, closing his eyes. ‘There was no more time.’
‘Tell that to Raven and the others,’ Otto said unhappily. ‘God alone knows what’s happening to them right now.’
‘They will survive. I have faith in their abilities. We will rescue them and stop Drake. That is what we do, remember?’
‘You make it sound so simple,’ Otto said as the medic pushed a scope inside his ear and stared into it.
‘That is because it is simple,’ Wing replied with a slight smile. ‘The hard part will be listening to Shelby explain how she didn’t need our help and that she was quite capable of escaping on her own, thank you very much.’
‘I suppose you’re right.’ Otto chuckled.
‘You’re fine,’ the medic said. ‘Cuts and bruises, nothing life-threatening.’ He closed his pack with a nod to Otto and Wing and walked away.
‘I’m just going to go and see what the Professor’s up to,’ Otto said. ‘You all right here?’
Wing didn’t reply; he was too busy snoring.
‘I wish I knew how you did that,’ Otto said, standing up and shaking his head in disbelief. He walked over to where the Professor was busily typing away at his laptop.
‘That should do,’ the Professor said to himself as Otto approached.
‘Progress?’ Otto asked.
‘Well, I believe I may have located a satellite that will serve our purposes,’ the Professor replied, ‘but it will take some time to access its control systems. I don’t suppose you’d like to try your hand at accessing them, would you?’
‘It’s too far away,’ Otto lied. The truth was he still couldn’t shake that vague feeling of unease that accompanied the use of his abilities, and at the moment the last thing he wanted to do was push them to their limits. ‘You really need Laura for something like this.’
‘Yes, Miss Brand’s skills would be most helpful,’ the Professor said, flexing his fingers over the keyboard, ‘but this old dog knows a few new tricks of his own.’
He continued to type and Otto watched for a few seconds until he could no longer follow what the Professor was doing. It reminded him of watching Laura, her fingers flying over the keyboard, unconsciously sticking the tip of her tongue out between her lips as she concentrated. Otto might be able to access computer systems but he did it by metaphorically kicking the door in: it was an unsubtle brute-force approach. He actually quite envied the elegant way that Laura, on the other hand, would just pick the lock, get in and then get out without anyone ever knowing she’d been there. He just hoped that he would get to see her do it again.
‘OK, this sucks,’ Shelby said, kicking the heavy steel door of the cell that she was sharing with Laura and Lucy. The guards had found the lock-picking kit that she kept concealed in the sole of her shoe, but even if they hadn’t there was no access to the locking mechanism from this side of the door. She was a thief, not a magician.
‘Will you sit down and let me have a look at your head?’ Laura asked, gesturing over to one of the three mattresses on top of concrete blocks that served as beds.
‘I told you I’m fine,’ Shelby snapped.
‘Will you just let me have a look anyway?’ Laura asked calmly.
‘OK, OK. If it’ll get you off my back,’ Shelby said, sitting down on one of the beds with a sigh.
Laura ignored Shelby’s bad mood. They were all scared of what might happen to them and Shelby in particular did not take kindly to being locked up. Laura supposed it must have been something to do with her old job. Shelby had, for a short time before becoming a student at H.I.V.E., been the Wraith, the world’s most notorious jewel thief, and she had never been caught. As a consequence, being locked up like this was probably her worst fear and the effect it had on her mood was not pleasant. Laura carefully pushed aside her friend’s blonde hair and inspected the nasty gash in her scalp that she had received back in the safe house.
‘So, can you see my brain?’ Shelby asked.
‘Nope, but that’s not really surprising. I don’t have a microscope with me,’ Laura replied.
‘You see how I’m not laughing,’ Shelby said.
‘You’ll be fine,’ Laura said with a sigh. ‘The cut could do with dressing but, to be honest, I think the last thing we need to worry about right now is an infected wound.’
‘What do you think they’re going to do with us?’ Lucy asked, sitting down on the bed opposite.
‘I’m actually trying not to think about it at the moment,’ Shelby said. ‘But I’m guessing it won’t be a spa session and a sauna.’
‘Do you think the others got away?’ Lucy asked. ‘Doctor Nero, Wing, Otto . . .’
‘Oh, I wouldn’t worry about those three,’ Laura said quickly. ‘When you’ve known them for as long as we have you’ll realise that they’re quite capable of looking after themselves.’
‘I hope so,’ Lucy replied. ‘Wing’s kind of quiet but you can tell he’d do anything for you. Otto’s . . . well, Otto’s just been really friendly and helpful since I arrived.’
‘Hey, Brand, I think Otto may have another admirer,’ Shelby said with a slight smile, glancing for the briefest of moments at Laura.
‘Another?’ Lucy asked.
‘Oh, Otto’s all right,’ Laura said, her cheeks flushing, ‘if you like the geeky type. Which I don’t, incidentally.’
‘This coming from someone whose desktop image on her computer at H.I.V.E. says “Han Shot First!”’ Shelby said with a snort of laughter.
‘I just hope we get to see them again,’ Lucy said, looking over at the cell door. ‘Actually, to be honest, it’d be enough if we get to see anyone again.’
Darkdoom raised his head and looked up at Drake.
‘Go to hell,’ he spat, his voice ragged.
‘Again,’ Drake said, gesturing to the man at the nearby controls.
Darkdoom jerked upright, all the muscles in his body contracting in agony as electricity coursed through his body. The excruciating pain seemed to last for long minutes but it could only have really been a few seconds. As the current was cut, Darkdoom slumped backwards into the metal chair he was shackled to.
‘Come now, Diabolus,’ Drake said in a soothing tone, ‘it doesn’t have to be like this. Just read the text on the screen below the camera and this can all be over.’
‘There’s no way I’m going to read that,’ Darkdoom whispered, his voice hoarse. ‘I don’t know what kind of nightmare you have planned, Drake, but you’re not pinning it on G.L.O.V.E.’
‘Oh, but I am,’ Drake said, ‘and you’re going to help me.’
‘I’ll die first,’ Darkdoom said, a look of grim determination on his face.
‘You know, I do believe you would,’ Drake said with a sigh. ‘I was hoping I wouldn’t have to resort to this, but you leave me little choice.’ He walked over to the cell door and knocked once. A moment later the door opened and the guard outside pushed Nigel into the room.
‘Oh God . . . Nigel . . . are you OK?’ Darkdoom said, feeling panic claw at his guts.
‘He’s fine,’ Drake interrupted before Nigel could reply, ‘at least for now. Now read the statement and there’ll be no need for any unpleasantness.’
Darkdoom stared at Nigel. He could see the fear in his son’s eyes but he also saw the tiny, almost imperceptible, shake of the head that was meant just for him.
‘No,’ Darkdoom said, looking down at the floor, ‘not until you let him go.’
�
��I think you misunderstand the exact nature of your negotiating position,’ Drake said, pulling a large black handgun from the shoulder holster concealed beneath his jacket. He pressed the pistol to Nigel’s temple and cocked the hammer. ‘Now, you’ll start reading the statement into the camera by the time I count to three or I’ll blow Junior’s brains out all over the wall. I do hope I’m making myself perfectly clear.’
Darkdoom stared back at Drake. He had spent his life around people like him; some were honourable, some were psychotic and some were just plain evil, but one thing he had learnt from them all was how to spot when someone was bluffing. Drake was not.
‘One . . . two . . .’
‘Stop,’ Darkdoom said, feeling an aching sense of despair. ‘I’ll do it, damn you.’
Drake gestured towards the camera, the pistol still pressed against Nigel’s forehead. Darkdoom took a deep breath and stared straight at the lens.
‘My name is Diabolus Darkdoom and I am the supreme commander of G.L.O.V.E., the Global League of Villainous Enterprises. I speak to you now to inform you that the events of today are just the beginning . . .’
.
Chapter Eight
‘I’m in!’ the Professor said triumphantly, rubbing his hands together. Flashing on the display of the laptop in front of him were the words ‘Access Granted’.
‘Good,’ Nero said, walking over and looking at the screen. ‘Will we be able to detect the energy signature of the fusion core?’
‘Let’s see, shall we?’ the Professor said as Otto joined them. ‘It’s supposed to be just a geological-survey satellite, but its control interface was far too well protected. And here’s why.’ He pointed at something on the screen. ‘It’s not unusual for the military to piggyback their own sensors on to civilian satellites, but it’s usually kept very quiet. Here they’ve bolted their own electromagnetic energy sensor on to the Geosat. Heaven only knows what they use it for, but it should be sensitive enough for us to detect the fusion core.’
The Professor typed a series of commands on the keyboard and a high-resolution image of the area of Nevada surrounding the nuclear-testing site appeared on the screen. He punched in another command and the map was replaced by a dark blue map covered in white blotches of varying intensity.
‘What we’re looking at is the energy signature of the numerous nuclear detonations that have occurred in the area from the very first test in 1951 right through to the end of testing in the early nineties. There were over nine hundred detonations both above and below ground during that period, which will make detection of the core’s specific signature difficult. Not so much a needle in a haystack as a piece of hay in a needlestack.’
‘Another reason why Drake may have favoured the location in the first place,’ Nero said.
‘Indeed,’ the Professor replied, ‘but there are certain key differences that should help us. The biggest clue is that the core is still active and so it will have a constant energy reading. The residue from past explosions will have a decreasing reading, only a microscopic decrease over the time we have, but I’m hoping the sensors on board the satellite are sensitive enough to detect it.’
The Professor typed in another command. The display changed: now there were only two bright white spots on the map, both of them practically on top of each other.
‘Two active fusion cores,’ the Professor said with a smile. ‘I believe we have a winner.’
‘One for the facility and one on the Dreadnought, ’ Otto said. ‘That has to be it.’
‘Colonel, prep your men,’ Nero said. ‘We have a target.’
‘It’s been a long time,’ Furan said, circling Raven carefully, both hands raised in loose fists in front of him. He wore dark grey combat trousers and a white vest. He was in his fifties but he had a physique that was the product of years in the Spetsnaz, Russia’s elite special forces unit, and then as a freelance assassin. What wasn’t muscle was scar tissue.
‘Not long enough,’ Raven said angrily and aimed a high kick at his head. Furan side-stepped and blocked her kick with crossed arms. Raven struggled to keep her balance on her injured leg and half fell to the ground.
‘You’re slow, Natalya,’ Furan said with a predatory grin. ‘I know you’re injured but still . . .’
He stepped towards her and aimed a punch at her stomach. Raven rolled with the blow but even though she had avoided most of the impact it was still enough to knock the wind out of her. She staggered backwards away from him.
‘I thought I taught you better than that, girl,’ Furan growled. ‘Never retreat. Attack is always the best form of defence.’
Raven looked around; the room was empty, with just bare concrete walls. There were no environmental weapons that she could take advantage of. ‘All you taught me was how it felt to be betrayed,’ she said quietly.
‘Betrayal? Hah! You failed me, Natalya. Everything that happened after that was just the inevitable consequence of that failure.’
‘The only way I failed was in not killing you a long time ago,’ Raven said through gritted teeth.
‘You might have had a chance once, girl,’ Furan replied, advancing on Raven again, ‘but your new life has left you soft. Look what you’ve become.’ He threw a lightning-fast jab at her face, which Raven just managed to block, but she could do nothing to stop the arcing blow to her ribs from his other fist. The impact nearly lifted her off her feet and she staggered backwards again.
‘You’re lazy . . .’ He kicked at her wounded thigh and her leg collapsed under her. ‘Slow . . .’ He swung a vicious arcing kick into the other side of her ribs.
‘And weak.’
He delivered a final savage punch to Raven’s chin and she collapsed backwards, her breathing laboured, the whole room spinning around her. Furan stood over her with a look of triumph on his face.
‘It’s your choice, Natalya,’ he said quietly. ‘Join us or die along with Nero, Darkdoom and the rest of their pathetic organisation.’
‘Go to hell,’ Raven said, spitting blood on to the grey concrete floor.
‘A shame. I had hoped we could be friends.’ Furan went over to the steel door in the wall. He knocked twice and a guard opened the door to let him out. He turned and looked back at Raven, who was struggling to her feet, a look of defiance on her face.
‘Such a waste of potential,’ he said and walked out of the room. The steel door swung shut with a clang and heavy bolts slid into place. Raven leant against the wall beside her; she closed her eyes and tried hard to block out the pain, but she knew she couldn’t take much more. Bad enough that she should have allowed herself to be captured, but now finding herself back in the hands of the one man in the world she truly feared was infinitely worse. She put her back against the wall and slowly slid down it until she was sitting on the floor.
‘Where are you, Max?’ she whispered to herself.
‘There’s nothing there,’ Francisco said, studying the photographs that the hijacked satellite had taken of the area that was supposed to contain Drake’s base. ‘Or that’s what I’m meant to think anyway.’
‘Exactly,’ Nero said. ‘Drake’s gone underground . . . literally.’ Nero couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of respect for Drake. He knew how hard it was to construct these facilities and that was with the full support of G.L.O.V.E. and their specialists. To have built an underground hangar capable of taking the Dreadnought without any external assistance and while still keeping it secret was impressive, to say the least.
‘My men will be sitting ducks out in the open like that,’ the Colonel said, still studying the images. ‘God only knows what sort of defensive systems Drake has installed. We can’t put anyone on the ground until we’ve scouted a way in.’
‘I think I know who could handle that,’ Nero said quickly. He turned to where Professor Pike was unpacking various pieces of equipment from an armoured crate. ‘Professor, did you bring the dropsuits?’
‘Yes, but I only have the two prototype units. I didn�
�t have sufficient time to manufacture more. Do you need them?’
‘Yes, I believe we do. Please get them ready,’ Nero replied, walking towards the rear of the Shroud’s passenger compartment. Otto was sitting doodling on a pad of paper with Wing next to him, fast asleep.
‘Mr Malpense, Mr Fanchu,’ Nero said as he approached. Wing’s eyes flicked open and immediately focused on him as Otto put the pad down on the seat next to him. It was covered in detailed electronic schematics. Nero made a mental note to get the Professor to surreptitiously have a look at the drawings. ‘I know that you’ve both been through a lot over the last twenty-four hours, but I’m afraid there’s one more thing I need you to do. I would never normally ask students to take on a mission like this but over the past couple of years you’ve demonstrated to me on numerous occasions that you are, quite frankly, the best infiltration team I have ever encountered. In an ideal world this is the sort of job I would give to Raven, but since she is indisposed I need to ask you if you’d be prepared to go down there and find a way into Drake’s base. I’m not ordering you to do it; I’m asking you.’
‘I think I speak for both of us when I say that you would have difficulty in stopping us from going down there,’ Wing said.
‘Good,’ Nero said with a slight smile. ‘All you need to do is find an entrance for the Colonel’s strike team. Once the assault is under way you just keep your heads down, understood?’
‘You think a direct attack is the best way?’ Otto asked.
‘It’s the only way to ensure that Drake doesn’t get the Dreadnought into the air. We have to hit them hard and hope that we can capture or disable it before that happens,’ Nero explained.
‘What about the people that Drake’s holding hostage down there?’ Otto asked, frowning.
‘The plan is not without risks, Mr Malpense,’ Nero said. ‘We will do everything we can to get our people out safely, but we have to act swiftly and decisively. We can’t afford to just wait and see what Drake will do next. The stakes are too high.’