The creature looked at Robert’s unconscious form briefly and seemed to shrug, before turning his attention back to the rest of the people in the room. It backed up slowly towards the ropes and the dark hole that the creatures had entered from. He then reached out for one of the ropes and gave it a tug as he had done so before.
Instantly another arm appeared and started to pull itself out. Once this creature had emerged another followed.
Fafnir walked forward, his arms raised. “Cease this incursion and return back over the hills and far away!” he ordered. The three creatures stared back at him, unmoved by his slightly odd order.
Fafnir shot a warning jet of flames over the original creature’s head. They each emitted a rumbling chattering sound but still did not move. Another arm appeared from behind them.
Fafnir fired again, this time hitting the original creature in the chest. The flames licked at his torso but did not appear to do any damage. The creature continued to stand its ground.
Ken stepped forward and flung his hands in front of him, subjecting both creatures to a deluge of water. It pushed them to the side, moistening their black armour so that it glistened under the bright light from above. The water continued past them and disappeared into the darkness, the emerging arm disappearing with it just as Ken ceased his volley.
Fafnir resumed firing a jet of flames, this time at the second creature. It tried to move aside but the flames seemed to hold it in place. The armour began to shrink, forcing the creature to crouch slightly. Owen saw that the effect of this was to close the gaps in the armour, which protected the creature’s skin beneath, but meant the creature could not move. Fafnir continued to engulf the creature in flames, although it didn’t seem to be causing it any harm. Suddenly Fafnir stopped, and Ken leant forward and shot a jet of water at the spot that Fafnir had concentrated upon. Steam billowed out from the armour, which cracked with a high pitched squeal. The armour leapt off the creature and shrank onto the ground where it lay motionless.
The creature stood there appearing humanlike devoid of its armour, the dark leathery material wrapped around its body. It hissed and leapt back through the portal, just as another emerged through it.
The remaining creatures growled with anger and leapt at Ken, vaulting the stream of water that he sent their way. The first creature kicked Ken in the arm knocking him over, his torrent firing wildly about the room for a moment before halting abruptly as he hit the ground rolling.
Mrs Argyle rushed towards her brother, keeping her arms directed at the creatures. The second creature landed in front of Fafnir and swung at him with its right arm. Fortunately he managed to duck sufficiently so as to avoid being hit by the vicious barbs, but was still subjected to a blow that knocked him off his feet.
The creatures turned to Owen once more, their arms at their sides. They started striding towards him, but were stopped by a gust of wind courtesy of Mrs Argyle. They leant forward and tried to weather it, making slow progress against the gale. Mrs Argyle moved towards them also, a look of intense concentration and fatigue on her face.
Owen and his father stood behind her, unsure what to do next. Katie and Matt joined them at her side, looking at the elderly lady with concern as her shoulders started to slump. After about thirty seconds she buckled and landed on all fours, her energy spent.
The creatures made a loud hiss and their armour seemed to ruffle, like feathers on a bird. They strode towards Mrs Argyle and the second creature was about to swing its barbed arm at her head when Clive appeared next to it, holding a large metal bar in his hands like a baseball bat. The creature froze in mid-movement, its head whipping towards Clive. Before it could react, Clive brought the bar down onto the creature with a crunch, hitting the armour over its neck, sending a small section of armour across the room.
“It’s a home run!” Clive declared.
The creature staggered back, its hands on its head. Its armour quivered and started to shrink as it had done so on the creatures before.
The first creature let out a high pitched scream and stared at Clive. It reached to its arm and ripped off one of the spikes, and then threw it at Clive. Clive vanished just before the spike hit him, which passed through the space he vacated and landed on the floor several metres behind.
The creature by now appeared livid, and turned its full attention back to Owen and the others. It leant back as if it was going to attack once more, but then a light appeared behind it.
Unseen, Trilby had crawled away from beneath the door, and was holding the creature around the waist trying to pull it towards the opening from which it had entered our world. The creature screamed as the light started to spread about its body and thrashed its arms and legs at Trilby. Several met their target, the sharp barbs ripping at his coat as Trilby staggered but continued to pull the creature back.
Mrs Argyle got to her feet, and Owen and Katie rushed forward to help her stand. They watched as the creature was slowly pulled backwards. Trilby slipped and Owen saw that there was a barb sticking out of his right leg.
“We need to help him!” Owen said. The light from Trilby was now spreading around in a wide radius. Owen let go of Mrs Argyle and ran forward, but Trilby shouted a strained “no!” directing a beam of light at Owen.
The light burned at his skin and he retreated back. His arms were blistered on the sides, and his t-shirt was scorched. Katie came to Owen’s side and held him back, just as Owen was about to begin another attempt at helping the very man that had just attacked him.
Still Trilby tried to pull the creature into the darkness, but the venom appeared to be taking hold and he was starting to lose the fight. The creature managed to wrench itself free of one of Trilby’s hands and started to lash out with its barbs which were only narrowly avoiding their target.
Owen tried another effort, but this time the creature stopped him, launching another barb in his direction. Owen swung in the air, narrowly missing it.
“Get me airborne,” Katie said.
“What?” Owen replied.
“Get me in the air and I can hit the ground with enough power to knock them over,” she explained, “then the others can try and push them back into wherever that goes.” She pointed at the darkness.
“Do it,” Mrs Argyle agreed, Ken and Fafnir staggering to her side.
“It’s too dangerous, Katie,” Owen said, visions of her being burned alive or slashed apart.
“Maybe,” Katie replied, “but no more so than just standing here and waiting for our turn to dance with whatever that thing is, so come on!” She glared back at Owen with a look that he knew was not to be trifled with.
“Okay,” he said, and bent slightly so she could climb on his back. As soon as she had done so he launched them into the air and reaching out he climbed up towards the ceiling.
“That’s high enough,” said Katie looking down below. Trilby and the creature were just in front of where they were suspended in mid-air, standing less than a metre from the entrance to the darkness. “Now drop!”
Owen let go and they fell. Katie pushed herself off Owen’s back and turned her body so that her right fist was pointing downwards. Owen swung down after her as she plummeted.
Just before she hit the ground she pulled her fist back, and it radiated with light as she did so. She then thrust it into the ground as she landed in a kneeling position.
The floor buckled underneath it, a wave of destruction emanating from the spot she had hit. Tiles were thrown up in the air as the shockwave passed beneath. As it travelled under the feat of Trilby and the creature they fell back as if hit by a car.
Trilby landed the furthest away and was consumed by the blackness, aside from his arm which still hooked onto the creature which had grabbed hold of one of the ropes, fighting against the strength that was pulling it back. It wriggled and Trilby’s other hand let go, disappearing back into the darkness.
It looked like it was going to be able to pull itself free, but then a jet of water hit it in th
e chest, followed by Mrs Argyle subjecting it to another force of wind.
The creature howled as it was pushed back slightly, but it managed to hold its ground. The two forces fought against the creature for a few moments but then stopped, the two siblings collapsing exhausted.
The creature grabbed the other rope and roared at its attackers. Before it could do anything else, Trilby reappeared from the darkness and grabbed the creature again. Surprised, the creature let go of the ropes and was pulled back by Trilby.
They both vanished into the darkness.
Owen looked over at the tripod and was about to knock it into the void, when Clive reappeared and landed a hefty kick into the centre of it, knocking it over. Mrs Argyle sent one last blast of wind forward and it disappeared into the portal.
The darkness endured however.
“Damn,” Clive said, “I thought that thing was keeping it open.”
“No,” said Owen in realisation. “I opened it, so I have to close it.”
He staggered towards the opening, his scorched skin adding to the pain from his fall. He stood in front of the darkness and stared into it. Briefly the shimmering darkness gave way to a clear view through the portal. Owen staggered back in despair at what he saw and turned at his friends; a look of terror on his face.
But the sight of them gazing back at him with such hope and respect caused a fire to be ignited within Owen Johnson. He reached out and pulled at the perimeter of the opening and drew the edges closer. As the edges became closer, they snapped together silently and the darkness and all that lay beyond it vanished, replaced by the white wall behind.
27
Jet
“What were those things?” Katie asked, after making sure that Owen and the others were okay.
“Very good question,” Mrs Argyle commented, striding over to Robert. He was seated upon the door that had briefly trapped Trilby underneath, nursing his arm. Matt had given him a shot of the antidote just moments before. “Well, Robert? You brought them here: why?”
He looked up at Mrs Argyle and smirked. “This is but a minor setback I assure you, Celia. Things have been set in motion that cannot be stopped, my old friend.” He struggled to his feet.
“What have you done?” asked Mrs Argyle, an air of trepidation on her voice. Robert didn’t answer.
“He’s got an army,” Owen said. “I saw them. There were hundreds of those creatures; all waiting to come through. And other things, only much larger”. Owen had looked upon a sea of the creatures, amassed beyond the darkness, in what appeared to be a large cave. Amongst them were large shapes that he could not properly discern in the darkness, but whatever they were they seemed to be moving and could well have been alive, even though some of them towered as high as tall buildings over the other creatures.
“Magnificent, aren’t they?” Robert said.
“Not the word I’d use,” said Fafnir, rubbing his head. “To what evil end is having an army swarm into this world, leaving us trampled underfoot?”
Before Robert had the chance to answer, the door that he and Owen had entered earlier opened, and through it entered Fiona and a dozen guards. “There they are!” she shouted.
“Stay where you are!” one of the guards ordered.
“Time to go, I think,” announced Fafnir as he grabbed Katie’s arm, pulling her towards the hole in the wall that she had created. The rest of them followed.
“Run by all means!” Robert cried after them, “but remember to keep one eye over your shoulder! We know where you live, and we have means to find you! You are marked men now, you hear me!”
Katie turned just as she exited through the hole in the wall, the others running past. “I’m a girl,” she corrected him, and punched the ground. She leapt back as the walls around the opening trembled and then gave way to collapsing masonry, blocking the way for her sister and the guards.
Fafnir gave her an approving nod and they carried on. Owen just gazed at her in awe. They ran up a steep sloping road towards daylight, Owen only now realising how long he had been unconscious for. The opening was sheltered by a shallow roof and beyond that was a yard surrounded with a high metal fence. There was a closed gate just ahead of them.
Owen looked back and saw that they had emerged from the inside of the hill he had seen from above. As they ran into the centre of the yard a truck came bursting through the gates. The group huddled back together, Mrs Argyle and Ken adopting a defensive posture and Clive vanishing. Fafnir stared at the approaching truck with one eyebrow cocked, and then chuckled, walking towards it.
The truck came to a stop just ahead of them, and out of the cab leapt Ellie. “It’s an automatic!” she announced, before giving Fafnir a hug.
Ken gave a sigh of relief. “All the same, do you mind if I drive? I’m exhausted enough without your reckless road sense.”
Ellie laughed again and stood aside so that Ken could climb on board.
“Fafnir?” Ken said. “I could probably use your help finding the best way out.”
“Right oh,” Fafnir said, “come on Ellie, you too!” They climbed into the cab via the passenger door. The others headed to the back of the truck. Matt opened the doors and revealed an empty compartment with a row of benches against each of the side walls. Empty that is, apart from the cow that stood at the far end staring at the driver through the glass.
They climbed in, one by one. Owen was last so he closed the doors behind him. “We’re in!” he shouted out, and the truck pulled away with a squeal of tyres.
Myrtle let out an alarmed moo and decided to lie on the floor, whilst the others belted themselves in. Owen was seated at the back opposite Katie; his father chose the seat next to him.
“Where are we going to go?” Owen asked.
“Fafnir will know somewhere safe,” his father replied. “His old mill is good for hiding out in.”
“My sister knows about it so it’s no longer safe, no matter what safety measures Granddad has up his sleeve,” Katie pointed out. Her voice trembled as she spoke, tears welling up in her eyes. Clive was seated next to her and put his arm around her. Owen fought against his jealousy which was telling him to leap over and prise them apart.
“Fafnir has been around long enough to know plenty of hidey-holes that we can use,” Mrs Argyle said, her eyes closed. “It’s what we decide to do afterwards that is the tricky part.”
Owen looked over at Katie. “Why did your sister try and turn us in?”
Katie opened her mouth but no answer came out.
“Now’s not the time for that,” said Clive, “we need to stay alert until we’re clear of the compound.” He turned to Matt. “How many guards have they got?”
“Quite a lot,” Matt explained, “but I doubt there’s enough to follow us. The Ministry would only let them have so many men at a time”.
“The Ministry?!” Owen exclaimed.
“Of Defence,” Matt continued.
“So this is a government initiative? They know about what The Remnant are trying to do?”
“I’m not certain how much they were told. The official purpose of the Manor was for developing new weapons. It took them so long to build the warehouse in the hill that very little R&D actually occurred there.
“The involvement of the Remnant was to create some form of arsenal that could combine conventional weapons with the powers that you guys have. They’ve been trying to create them for years; way before they moved here, and that’s what led your parents-” Matt gestured at Katie “-to recruit me.”
“You knew my parents?” Katie asked.
“Not very well,” Matt admitted, shaking his head, “they died not long after they got me the job here, after your dad and I bumped into one another when I held a much more junior position in the police. The Remnant found it useful to have a man on their side in the police force to help them with surveillance and such. Not that I was ever on their side of course, your dad showed me the extremes that they would go to achieve their goals, but as far a
s they’re concerned I’m a detective chief inspector by day; a praetorian by night.”
“What were you doing at my place?” Clive asked suspiciously.
“I’d been tracking Trilby through London after a tip off from a member of the public, who described a man in a hat who was making light appear from his hands. It was dismissed by my colleagues as a prank call, but I thought it wise to investigate. I knew that the Remnant had managed to locate the area that Clive here was residing, so I ventured out that way to see if I could quiz him about our friend in the hat.
“Just as I arrived I saw the two of you enter,” Matt pointed at Owen and Mrs Argyle, his finger resting on the latter, “and then you blew me off.”
“Very funny,” commented Mrs Argyle.
“Were you in the compound all along?” asked Christopher.
“I arrived this afternoon, summoned by the powers that be. They wanted me on surveillance duty, but I abandoned my post in the confusion caused by Ken deciding to turn the old house into Iguaçu Falls.
“I’d heard a rumour about a prisoner that had been captured in the Midlands and was curious as to who it was. I was lurking in the room next to yours, Christopher, which just happened to be where they kept those wretched poisoned darts and their antidotes. I heard Sir Robert leave your room, so I risked coming in to try and rescue you, after I’d dealt with the technician of course. I was lucky Sir Robert didn’t see me when you walked past. Once you were out of sight I went to look for Christopher and found him sleeping on the job. A quick jab from that antidote soon had him wide awake though.”
“For which I am very grateful,” Christopher said, “even though your injection technique is a little brutal.”
“Who is this Robert character?” Owen asked.
“He used to be head of our division,” Mrs Argyle explained, “he’s the one who recruited me and Ken, and Clive too.”
“But I thought he recruited you to help win the War?”
The Remarkables (The Remarkable Owen Johnson, part 1) Page 21