by A. G. Taylor
“Are you okay?” Rachel asked with concern in her voice.
Sarah backed away. “Something’s happening… Or something’s going to happen.” She frowned as she tried to understand herself. “Trouble. Don’t follow me.”
Rachel stood quickly. “Let me help!”
But Sarah was already gone, running into the darkness of the nearby trees.
Rachel’s earpiece crackled. “Do you want us to follow her, sir?” one of the HIDRA agents asked from his hiding place. “We have men in position.”
“No, stand down,” Rachel ordered. “I promised her before we wouldn’t try to find their hiding place. And it’s about time HIDRA started keeping its promises.”
She looked in the direction where Sarah had gone and said a silent prayer for her safety.
Nestor was fixing dinner by the time his brother finally decided to come in off the balcony. Leaving the door standing wide open, he strode across the lounge. Louise gave a cry of annoyance as Octavio kicked past her, but he ignored it, grabbed a spare set of keys from beside the TV and went in the direction of the hallway.
“Where are you going?” Nestor demanded, blocking his way out of the apartment.
His brother sighed and jangled the keys in his hand. “I’m sick of sitting around here like a little kid. I’m going out to have some fun.”
“Sarah said—”
Octavio laughed. “Sarah said… Sarah said… She gives the orders now, does she? Just like Colonel Moss used to. Get out of my way.”
Nestor didn’t budge. “That’s not fair. I’m not going to let you put us all at risk.”
“What’s going on here?” demanded Robert, going to Nestor’s side.
Octavio’s face flushed red with anger. “All I want is get out of here for a couple of hours. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
Isn’t there? Louise said threateningly. The three boys looked round and saw her standing in the middle of the lounge, eyes locked on Octavio.
I’m not afraid of you, Octavio replied, swallowing heavily. I’m not afraid of any of you!
Louise gave no response, but a strange smile passed across her face, as if she’d been waiting for this moment for a long time. Her unusual eyes – one coloured blue, the other green – flashed with excitement, just like they did when she was playing one of her computer games. A deadly stillness fell over the room as the two faced one another.
“Hey! Look at this!” Wei’s voice from the balcony cut through the silence. Everyone breathed again.
“I said come here!” Wei yelled a second time, real urgency in his voice. All four of them ran to the balcony, and looked to where the Chinese kid was pointing.
On the fifth floor of the tower directly opposite, one of the apartments was blaze. Fire leaped at the window and black smoke was starting to drift upwards into the twilight. Seconds later there was an explosion that ripped out the window and a great chunk of the wall. Bricks rained down onto parked cars below and the sound of people screaming in panic became audible.
Wei gave a whistle of amazement and everyone looked round at him.
“Why’s everyone looking at me?” he asked indignantly. “Every time there’s a fire I get the blame!”
Robert raised an eyebrow. “We’re just remembering the last apartment you burned down.”
Louise leaped to his defence. “That wasn’t Wei’s fault! The cooker was faulty.”
There was a second, muffled explosion from the other side of the tower. The flames were starting to spread up through the decaying building to the floor above.
“It must have found a gas pipe,” Nestor said quietly. “The entire tower could go up. What do we do?”
Robert shrugged, unable to tear his eyes from the terrible scene below them. From the seventh floor the sound of people yelling for help could be heard. A woman smashed a window and looked out desperately, but it was far too high to jump. Behind her it was possible to see the light of the spreading fire in her apartment. She shouted something they couldn’t hear.
“What do we do?” Nestor said again, sounding helpless.
Octavio leaned casually against the balcony railing. “Sarah said we had to stay put. So let’s just enjoy the show.”
Robert looked at Octavio, anger flaring at his relaxed attitude to what they were seeing. On impulse he reached out and grabbed the boy’s wrist with one hand. With the other he grabbed Nestor.
“You wanted to go out?” he said as Octavio’s head jerked round in surprise. “Let’s go!”
With that, the three boys teleported away, leaving Louise and Wei standing alone on the balcony.
10
The fire that had started on the fifth floor of the south tower was raging upwards, already consuming the sixth storey and spreading on to the seventh. The building had not been renovated in its thirty years’ existence, so there were no modern safety features (such as fire doors or sprinkler systems) to halt the progress of the inferno. As in the other towers, the lift had not been in working order for months, so those residents above the fifth floor were piling into the stairwells and pushing their way upwards to escape the blaze. So intent were they at getting as far away from the fire as possible, no one seemed to notice as Robert, Nestor and Octavio appeared out of nowhere on the narrow landing between the eighth and ninth floors.
“Get out of the way!” a man yelled, pushing Nestor back roughly in his haste to get past.
The three boys pressed themselves against the wall to avoid being swept along with the flow of men, women and children heading for the higher levels. Octavio blinked at Robert, as if still uncertain what had just happened to them.
“Where are we?” he asked, a little stupidly.
Nestor nodded to the smoke rising up the stairwell. “Where do you think?”
Octavio rounded on Robert. “What did you teleport us here for? Are you crazy?”
Robert laughed. “I thought you said you were bored.”
Octavio grabbed Robert’s shoulders roughly and shook him. “Take us back! Right now!”
“No way!” Robert replied, pulling away. “We’re going to help. Let’s see if you can use your superpowers to do some good for once.”
Take it easy, Nestor warned them. Even though people were most concerned about escaping the fire, their shouting was starting to attract some looks. Why is everyone going up?
It was a good question. Robert pushed his way to the edge of the landing and looked over. The answer was three flights down – one of the explosions triggered by the fire had knocked out the lower levels of the fire escape, creating a stairless shaft below the fourth storey. Up was the only way to escape the fire, but judging by the sound of desperate voices from below, some people were still trapped on the sixth floor.
“There’s no way out,” Robert shouted back at the others. “I think there’s still people down there.”
Not waiting for their response, he started down the stairs against the tide of people, getting pushed and shoved in the process. Octavio shook his head and folded his arms.
“I’m not risking my neck.”
Nestor grabbed his brother’s arm and pulled him after Robert, who had already reached the next landing down. They followed down quickly, ignoring the warnings from various people that the lower floors were completely ablaze. At the landing of the seventh they caught up with the younger boy, who was standing in the doorway onto that level.
“There’s still people below,” he said urgently. “I’m going down to help them. You two check out this floor.”
With that, he disappeared.
“I wish he’d stop doing that,” Octavio said with a groan as he followed Nestor through the door onto the seventh.
They found themselves standing in an L-shaped corridor almost identical to the ones in their tower block. The only difference was that here the musty smell was overpowered by the acrid stench of smoke rising from the lower levels. At the end of the corridor a forgotten girl, no older than Louise, stood in
an open doorway, her face frozen in fear. Nestor started forward, but Octavio caught his arm.
“No! There’s danger!”
Before Nestor could protest, there was a muffled explosion and an apartment door to their right was ripped clean off its hinges. Flames leaped out of the open doorway and the boys hit the floor to avoid being fried. Thinking fast, Nestor raised his hands and using his aerokinetic power, directed a blast of air at the flames. There was a roaring sound and the fire grew in intensity, spreading along the ceiling above them.
“You’re feeding it, you idiot!” Octavio cried.
Nestor clenched his fist, stopping the air blast. “Right. Bad idea.”
The fire passed over them, igniting the ageing wallpaper along the corridor and spreading down.
Octavio looked round frantically. “It’s surrounding us!”
“Okay, let me try this…”
Nestor blasted the flames again, only this time using a different concentration of air. Thick and white, it immediately drove back the fire above them. Octavio looked at his brother and nodded.
“It’s working!”
“The oxygen fed the fire!” Nestor shouted above the howling air as he went to work extinguishing the flames around them. “I extracted the carbon dioxide from the air and used that instead.”
“Thanks for the science lesson,” Octavio said sarcastically. Nestor had succeeded in extinguishing the fire in the corridor and proceeded to blast CO2 into the burning apartment. With the flames out, they could now see that a section of ceiling had been brought down in the blast, including a large iron support that blocked their path.
“What about the girl?” Nestor asked.
Octavio sighed and shook his head. “You deal with the fire. I’ll do the heavy lifting.”
He walked to the mass of debris blocking the corridor and peered through to the other side. The girl stood in the doorway of the apartment as if her feet were rooted to the spot.
“Hey!” Octavio shouted. “Get back! I’m going to move this stuff!”
If she heard him, the girl showed no sign, keeping her eyes fixed straight ahead, not moving a muscle.
“Great,” Octavio sighed, taking a step back. He raised his hands and closed his eyes, visualizing the iron girder that blocked his way. Imagining it no heavier than a feather, he made it rise into the air and over to one side in his mind. There was a metallic grinding sound and he opened his eyes to see the girder floating near the ceiling. Easy. His first instinct was to send it flying down the corridor out of the way, but then he remembered the girl.
“Come on!” he shouted, turning his attention to where she stood. With the girder floating above, there was space for her to run through. “I said move!”
The girl looked at him and shook her head slowly. For the first time he noticed that tears were rolling down her cheeks. He was about to shout at her again, when the girder wobbled and he had to refocus to keep it in the air. Not so easy. A terrible pressure started to form at Octavio’s temples, just like it always did when he overexerted his power.
“It’s okay,” he called, softening his voice. “I won’t let you get hurt, but you have to come now.”
The girl wiped her tear-stained cheeks and looked down at her feet, as if deciding whether she dared move them.
“Please,” Octavio said, suddenly feeling the weight of the girder pressing down on his mind. “You’ll be okay. Trust me.”
At the other end of the corridor, the girl started to walk forwards, looking left and right as if she expected to be engulfed by fire at any moment. Octavio nodded encouragement to her.
“That’s it. Keep coming…”
She passed under the floating girder, looking up as it started to tremble in the air. Octavio gritted his teeth.
“Run!”
The girl broke into a sprint, throwing her arms around Octavio as he lost his mental grip on the girder and it smacked down on the floor, sending a massive vibration through the building. Breathing a sigh of relief, Octavio patted the girl awkwardly on the shoulder.
“You’re okay now,” he said, but she showed no sign of releasing her grip around his waist.
With the fire extinguished, Nestor reappeared in the corridor and raised an eyebrow at the scene.
“Let’s just get out of here, okay?” Octavio said shortly as he grabbed the girl’s hand and dragged her in the direction of the landing. “I’ve done enough hero stuff for one day.”
Halfway to the end of the corridor, however, the three of them froze as the floor beneath them vibrated and a groan went through the building.
“That doesn’t sound good,” Octavio said.
Nestor nodded and they started for the stairwell at a sprint. Behind them there was a crash as the floor of the corridor collapsed under the weight of the girder. Safe on the landing, they looked back to see most of the sixth floor had fallen into the fifth.
“Robert’s down there!” Nestor cried.
“Not any more,” Robert replied, appearing beside them on the landing with his arms wrapped around two other people – an elderly couple who were barely able to stand. “Help me!”
Nestor moved to support the elderly man, who looked around in confusion at his change in surroundings.
“How did we get out here?” he croaked, his voice hoarse from smoke inhalation.
“It’s okay,” Robert reassured him. “We’re going to the roof.”
Even as he said those words, the stairs shook and debris from above fell down the shaft.
“This whole building is falling apart!” Octavio cried as the stairs down to the fifth floor collapsed. “Go!”
They started up the stairs, but the staggering movements of the old man and woman Robert had rescued made the going painfully slow. Nestor looked round at Robert as the stairs under them groaned.
“Get them out of here!” he cried, passing the man back.
Robert considered for a moment before nodding. “Okay. Keep moving up. I’ll come back for all of you.”
With that, he tightened his grip on the old lady, wrapped his free arm around the old man and all three disappeared. Nestor turned and followed Octavio and the girl up the stairs as a section of the wall collapsed.
“Nestor!” Octavio cried, looking back in time to see the stairs behind come away from the wall and pitch into the shaft. Nestor fell with them and the girl gave a scream. “No!”
Octavio rushed to the edge, fearing what he was about to see as he looked down. He jumped back as a shape rose up the shaft before him…
Louise floated a metre or two away in the middle of the stairwell, cradling Nestor in her arms like a baby. The brothers’ eyes met, both too stunned to speak. Then they both looked at Louise.
“You didn’t think I’d let you guys have all the fun, did you?” she said indignantly. Then she looked back at Octavio and her eyes flashed. “Race you to the top!”
With that, she zipped up the centre of the shaft, carrying Nestor with her. Octavio looked up stupidly for a moment.
“Wow, she can fly!” the girl he had rescued said breathlessly. “Can you do that?”
“She can float,” Octavio corrected irritably and grabbed the girl’s hand, leading her up the stairs the slow way. “And I’m still practising.”
From the balcony opposite, Wei watched the fire spreading through the apartment block with frustration. It was bad enough that Robert and the other boys had left him behind, but then Louise had flown off to join the action. He always seemed to get forgotten. Well, when they got back he’d tell them exactly what he thought…
So caught up was Wei with his annoyance, that he didn’t hear the door to the apartment click open and footsteps approach across the lounge until the stranger was standing right behind him. Finally sensing the presence of another person, Wei spun and came face-to-face with a skinny teenage boy. The boy’s clothes were dusty and faded, as if they hadn’t been washed in months, and his face was dirty. The boy smiled at him in a friendly manner,
although it wasn’t very convincing.
“Who are you?” Wei demanded, trying not to let the fear in his voice show. He wanted to get back inside the apartment, but the intruder was blocking the way through the door. The only escape route available was over the balcony and fifteen flights down.
“My name’s Eco,” the boy replied, fiddling with a bag slung over his shoulder. “Did they go out and leave you all alone?”
“My friends are coming back any minute now,” Wei replied. “Who let you in here?”
“Oh, I’ve got a key,” Eco answered, reaching into the bag. “Look.”
In a flash, Eco removed an aerosol sedative and sprayed it in the younger boy’s face. Choking on the fumes, Wei staggered backwards.
Robert, help! he managed to think as he collapsed against the balcony railings.
“Sorry, kid,” Eco said as he pulled the unconscious Wei into the apartment. “Boss’s orders.”
As he moved Wei to the couch, however, a second boy materialized on the balcony – Robert. Eco dropped Wei and raised the aerosol again, spraying it at the doorway. Robert was too fast, however, teleporting across the room in the blink of an eye. He reappeared by the kitchen and spun to face Eco.
“I don’t know who you are,” Robert said dangerously as Eco backed towards the balcony. “But you picked a fight with the wrong people on the wrong day.”
A grin spread across Eco’s face. “Did I?”
Robert heard movement behind him – too late. He turned in time to see a fist flying towards his head, followed by a jarring impact. As he hit the floor, he made out the looming shape of a man through blurred vision, and a voice he recognized.
“Hello, Robert,” Major Bright said. “Good to see you again.”
11
“What happened here?” Sarah demanded, trying to keep the emotion from her voice. She needed to keep it together for all of them. It was clear from their absence that Robert and Wei had been taken and, judging by the signs of a struggle, it had been done by force. Louise, Nestor and Octavio stood around the apartment, looking sheepish.