by Mark Robson
Nathan gave a grunt that Sam guessed was ‘Thanks’ in raptor language, and he took the lead again. This time, Nipper took up position next to Nathan and they moved forward a little faster.
They pressed on into the dusty darkness to the previous bend. At the corner, Nathan stopped and Sam could just see the red glow of his torch playing across the tunnel wall. There was a scraping sound and a whispered order to follow on.
The branch passage that Nathan led them into was so narrow that it forced the party to switch to moving in single file. Sam had never been afraid of the dark, or of enclosed spaces, but he could feel the tension building in his body and mind. He wanted to get out of the tunnels soon. It seemed likely that if they were forced to keep fighting running battles in these dark underground walkways, Watson would not be their last casualty. He didn’t want to think about who might be next.
‘Where are we going, Sherri?’ he whispered. ‘Or are we running blind?’
‘We’ve got a secondary HQ hidden a good distance away from the city,’ she answered, keeping her voice equally as quiet. ‘The facilities there are basic, but it’s well concealed. Don’t panic, Sam. Claire and Nathan know what they’re doing. The Imperium have been trying to catch them for years and never come close. They’ll get us out of here. You’ll see.’
‘I’m not panicking.’
It was true. He wasn’t panicking. But he knew it would not take much to tip him over the edge. He felt coiled tight, as if he was ready to explode at any second. Sam could not imagine the Imperium raptors taking kindly to the losses they had sustained today. If by kidnapping David last night they had stirred the hornets’ nest, today’s events would make the Imperium hierarchy more determined than ever to catch the rebels.
He heard the scraping sound again. It came from behind him this time. Had the entrance to this passage been concealed? He wasn’t sure. However, the sound of Claire’s shooting had ceased and by unspoken agreement, everyone was now trying to move as silently as possible. It seemed likely that they were in a section of the underground labyrinth that the Imperium raptors might not know how to access. Surely it would not take them long to find the entrance? It could not have been far from where Nathan had set his charges. The raptors that Claire had been holding at bay with her gunfire would soon realise that their quarry was gone and that there had to be another exit from the tunnel.
Nathan led the way at speed. No one spoke again for a long time, though there were still some stifled and muffled coughs. Minutes stretched as they pressed into the silent darkness and Sam lost all sense of how far they had travelled and how long it had taken them. The urgency of their pace did not let up, but the longer they pushed on into the darkness, the more Sam felt as if they weren’t going anywhere. It was as if they were on a gigantic treadmill in the dark. The only thing that gave any sense of progress was an occasional bend, most of which seemed to be to the right. There did not seem to be any interconnecting passageways.
‘Pick it up, Nathan,’ Claire called suddenly from the back of the group. ‘I think we’ve got company inbound again.’
‘I’ll do my best,’ he replied.
The next thing Sam knew, he was jogging . . . and then running to keep up. The passageway kinked to the right again, but this time he was going so fast that he didn’t see the bend coming. Grazing his left arm on the wall, Sam spun round, barely keeping his feet as he did so. He cursed. The skin burned where he had scraped it.
‘This is fun!’ Callum panted from behind. ‘Remind me . . . to write . . . a suggestion . . . email . . . to Disney . . . when I get home. Something . . . like this . . . would make . . . a great . . . ride . . . at Disneyworld.’
Despite the fear that gnawed in his belly and the pain emanating from his upper arm, Sam found himself smiling as he ran. Callum could find humour in any situation.
‘They’re closing!’ Claire’s warning was followed by a short burst of deafening weapons fire. The shocking staccato stabs of sound set Sam’s heart pounding again. In the confined space of the narrow passageway, the noise assaulted his ears.
The hulking shadow of Grunt ahead of him momentarily gained definition, illuminated by the flashes from behind. The raptor was pulling away, so Sam accelerated still further. He could feel more than hear the footfalls of David and Callum immediately behind him. They were flying along at a dangerous speed now. If there was a sudden bend in the passage, then hitting the wall at this speed was going to do a lot of damage. Sam pushed the thought from his mind and concentrated on following the moving shadows in the dim red glow ahead.
A sudden widening of the passageway took Sam by surprise. The air felt different in the wider tunnel. There was a fork ahead. Nathan raced into the left passage and Sam followed. There was another burst of gunfire from behind. The sound did not pound at Sam’s ears with quite such shocking intensity this time.
Probably due to the wider space between the walls, he thought. They had covered soundwave theory in physics last year, but he couldn’t remember much. I bet Callum could give a precise explanation and somehow manage to make it funny!
His throat was beginning to burn with the heat of his panting breath and he had the familiar dry, metallic taste of blood at the back of his tongue.
Callum might know his physics, but I bet he’s hurting more than me right now.
He slowed, sensing the group ahead bunching up. They had reached a T-junction. Nathan led them to the left again. They could not have run more than a hundred metres before there was a sharp turn to the right. As Sam rounded the turn, he nearly ran into the back of Grunt, who was slowing to a stop. They had reached a dead end.
What now? he wondered. Had Nathan taken a wrong turn? Were they trapped?
‘Hold this for me,’ Nathan ordered someone ahead.
Sam craned his neck to see what was going on. Nathan was climbing up the side wall. Suddenly, a shaft of daylight stabbed down, causing Sam to squint and look away. It was blindingly bright. There was a slight pause and then Nathan called out again.
‘It’s all clear. Everyone up. Fast as you can!’
They surged forward. Grunt passed up first one, then the other ammunition box, and began to climb. As he shot up the wall like a spider, Sam realised there was a set of what looked like half-hoops driven into the wall to form a ladder. Eyes watering in the glare of daylight, he put his head through the rifle sling, positioning it across his back, and followed. He emerged into a small open area within a sea of waist-height ferns. No sooner had he got his head and shoulders out of the opening than he was grabbed by one of the raptors, dragged to one side and placed in a sitting position next to Sherri. Everyone else was also sitting or crouched down below the level of the fern tops.
Blinking fast, Sam watched as David and Callum were given the same treatment. Nathan was talking to Edison in raptor language. He clicked and growled with unmistakable urgency. Edison appeared to be arguing, but Nathan looked adamant. Newton emerged from the hole. A distant burst of muffled gunfire came from below. It sounded so much further away than it had in the tunnel. How far behind was the rearguard?
‘Each of you climb on one of the raptor’s backs,’ Nathan ordered. ‘They can run far faster than we can. Edison will lead the way.’
‘What about Mum?’ Sam asked.
‘She’ll follow with Alex and Einstein. There’s no time for discussion. Let’s go!’
Nipper crouched down next to Sam and beckoned for him to climb up. Sam did as he was told, putting his arms round the raptor’s neck and clamping his legs round his middle. Callum went with Grunt, who had picked up the two heavy ammunition boxes again, and Newton took David. The would-be aviator looked deathly pale. Nathan teamed with Edison and Sherri with Crick. There was more gunfire below. It sounded a little closer, but Nathan had no intention of waiting for them. He grunted and Edison set off at a bounding run through the ferns.
Nipper and the others followed and Sam realised instantly that he was in for a most uncomfortable ride
. The rifle he had slung across his back bounced with every footfall, banging hard against his back. Within a minute, he was wishing he’d never offered to carry one at all. Although it had provided a measure of comfort in the dark tunnels under the city, if they were attacked now it was more likely to prove a liability than an asset.
With their ultra-powerful legs, the raptors powered through the ferns as if they were no obstacle at all. Sam had ridden horses whose flat-out gallop had been slower than they were running and he was forced to wonder just how fast a raptor could run when unencumbered.
I wonder if they have races? he wondered. A raptor version of the Olympics maybe? Now that would be a sight to see!
He tried to look over his shoulder for any sign of his mother, but he couldn’t turn his head far enough. They were covering ground at a tremendous rate and the hulking outer walls of the city were already less menacing. There was woodland ahead. Once they entered the trees, there would be no chance of seeing if the others were following.
Grunt suddenly gave one of the characteristic guttural noises that had earned him his nickname. Nipper gave a double-click response and as they reached the edge of the trees, both raptors stopped. Grunt dropped the two ammunition boxes and Nipper took a turn carrying them. While they did the exchange, Sam craned his neck round for one last look behind. He could see all the way to the city walls, but there was no sign of anyone following. Where were they?
‘Come on, Mum!’ he breathed. ‘Please. You said you weren’t going to lose me again. Don’t break that promise!’
CHAPTER TWELVE
As she approached the corner at the rear of the house, Tessa stopped. She had intended to march round and pretend to be all hurt that they hadn’t answered the doorbell, but instinct made her hesitate before she launched straight out into view. Instead, she paused and peeped first.
She was surprised to see another girl with them. Who was she? All Tessa could see was the back of her head, but it was instantly obvious that Tony had eyes for her. She ducked back out of sight.
‘So that’s the reason you ditched me in a hurry yesterday!’ she muttered, her insides twisting with fury and her mind racing. ‘You blew me off for her. Well, that’s it! I’ve had it with you, Tony Dale.’
She turned to leave, but found she couldn’t resist taking one last peek to see if she could get a better look at this mystery girlfriend of Tony’s. Keeping down low, she peered round the corner again. All she could see was the girl’s dark brown hair.
‘Come on!’ she muttered. ‘Turn around. Let’s get a proper look at you.’
Tony made a playful lunge towards the girl and she dived under the water in a bid to escape. Carrie was laughing with delight as he caught the girl by the ankle and hauled has backwards. She surfaced, spluttering, her hair covering her face. Suddenly she raked it back with her fingers and Tessa drew a sharp intake of breath as recognition dawned. She pulled back out of sight again.
‘The English runaway!’ she breathed.
She’d changed her hair colour, but there was no mistaking her. So you were hiding her after all, she thought, as her lips pulled tight into a malicious smile. Well, that’s a mistake you’ll live to regret.
Tessa reached into her pocket and pulled out her mobile. She flipped open the cover intending to dial the police, but then she paused. No, she thought. They’ll be able to trace the call back to me. I’ll use the call box. Then the police can take her back to where she belongs.
Smiling to herself, she backed away from the corner, turned and strode away with a spring in her step.
‘OK, OK!’ Niamh laughed. ‘I give in. Stop trying to drown me. How about telling us about this thing you were looking at on YouTube?’
‘Oh, yeah, the Hutchison Effect,’ Tony drawled. ‘It’s pretty freaky stuff. I didn’t watch much, but I’m goin’ to take a look at some more when we go back in. This Hutchison guy had set up an area where he could create intense electromagnetic fields and he was puttin’ different materials into it to see what it would do. There was stuff levitatin’, metal bars twistin’ and fracturin’, one type of material fusin’ with another, but in a weird way. And he mentioned stuff disappearin’ altogether, but I didn’t see that happen, which made me think about the Philadelphia project and the disappearin’ ship.’
‘What? You mean you didn’t wait to see the end of the clip?’ Carrie taunted.
‘It was long. . .’
‘And somethin’ more interestin’ caught your eye?’
Niamh blushed and looked away after Tony glanced across at her just as her eyes turned towards him.
‘Ignore her, Niamh,’ he said, apparently not at all embarrassed by his sister’s suggestion. ‘She’s a big tease. But if it’ll make you feel better, sis, then yes, someone much more interestin’ caught my eye. Do you have a problem with that?’
‘Not at all,’ Carrie giggled. ‘Just wanted to hear you say it, that’s all.’
‘Maybe we should go back in and take a look at this clip,’ Niamh suggested, trying to divert the conversation. ‘It sounds like it might have possibilities.’
‘Sure,’ Tony agreed. ‘I glanced in the notes as well. Your dad’s written quite a lot about Hutchison. He cross-referenced him with stuff to do with Atlantis as well.’
‘Atlantis?’ Snatches of things her father had said in passing about the mythical city flashed into Niamh’s mind. ‘I remember Dad telling me there was some evidence that Atlantis might have been somewhere near the Bahamas.’
‘Well, I don’t know about that,’ Tony replied. ‘But since you turned up on Monkey Island, this summer vacation’s gotten a whole lot more interestin’. Disappearin’ boats, UFOs, electromagnetic experiments, Atlantis – if it gets much weirder, I think I’m gonna totally freak out.’
‘Yeah, ’n’ we’d notice the difference because…?’ Carrie teased.
‘Listen, Carrie, I’m not joking,’ Niamh said, her excitement rising. ‘Dad’s tried to tell me about something called the Bimini Road a couple of times, but I didn’t pay much attention because he frequently gets excited about stuff to do with the Triangle. I don’t know why, but the hairs on the back of my neck are prickling. What if there is something linking all this stuff together? Electromagnetism, Atlantis, the UFOs . . . all of it.’
Carrie sighed. ‘I guess that’s recess over with then.’
‘Would you like me to sound the bell for you?’ Niamh suggested. ‘I do a pretty good bell. . . !’
Carrie scooped a wave of water over Niamh with both hands and all three of them laughed. They swam to the edge of the pool and climbed from the water. Niamh grabbed her towel from where she’d left it on a sunbed and wrapped it round her shoulders. Although it was steaming hot outside, she knew that the moment she stepped through the door back into the air-conditioned living area of the house, she’d be shivering. The lure of the sunbed was strong, but as nice as it would be to lie out and let the hot sun do the work of drying her body, she really felt like they might be on to something. Maybe she was getting closer to discovering the truth about what had happened to Sam and Callum, and maybe even about her mother’s disappearance.
Sure enough, as she crossed the threshold into the house, she shuddered. It was like stepping inside a walk-in refrigerator.
‘Race you to the shower!’ Carrie challenged.
‘No. It’s your shower. You go first,’ Niamh replied.
‘OK, I’ll be quick.’
‘You’d better be or I’ll lob a jug of iced water over the top of the door.’
‘You wouldn’t!’
Tony laughed at Carrie’s shocked expression.
‘You know what, sis? I think she just might.’
A few minutes later, Carrie announced the shower was free. Niamh smiled to herself, shaking her head and wondering if the threat of the cold water had actually made Carrie shower faster. She stepped under the powerful jets of hot water and the luxurious heat of the power shower set her body alight and tingling all over.
Again, the temptation to linger was strong, but she concentrated on rinsing her hair and body clean of the chemical-rich pool water as efficiently as possible.
When she had dried and dressed, she walked back through to the living area where she found Tony already at his laptop and Carrie bustling around the kitchen preparing food.
‘Pizza OK?’
‘More than OK with me,’ Niamh replied, giving Carrie a broad smile of approval.
She looked at the clock on the wall and was surprised to find it was nearly two in the afternoon. No wonder she was hungry. The day was fast disappearing, but between them they had managed to scan through a lot of her father’s notes. There were huge sections that they had not opened yet, but she could not help feeling they had made some progress.
I wonder what Dad would think if he could see us now, she mused.
Thinking about him made her heart sink. He would be back in England now. Would the police be holding him in a cell or would he be allowed to go home? Niamh had a horrible feeling that it would be the former. What would it be like in a police cell? She had only ever seen them on TV shows and the cells she had seen were always bleak, soulless places. She could only imagine what it would feel like to have to spend any time in such a place.
She shuddered. Poor Dad, she thought. And he’s probably worried sick about me on top of everything else. While here I am – having fun and living in comfort with friends. If only there was some way of letting him know that I’m safe and well and doing my best to get him out of there.
‘I’ve found that thing you were talkin’ about, Niamh,’ Tony announced, startling her from her morose thoughts. ‘The Bimini Road – discovered by some oceanography professor dude called Valentine.’ He looked up at the ceiling and tapped his temples with his forefingers before looking round at Niamh. ‘It says here that Valentine was divin’ in shallow water off somewhere called Paradise Point on the island of Bimini when he found a whole bunch of huge polyg . . . polygon . . . polygonal stones . . . jeez! That’s a mouthful!’