“It says that all those who want to remember need to touch this entry in the dellatrax together.” Jason was at her side in a blink, hand on the centre of the page followed by Shane and Sam. Wendy placed her hands with theirs and the light show began. Images danced over them all. Val felt a churning in her stomach. What if they didn’t remember Delta? What if it went wrong and the dellatrax wiped all their memories. A little late for that thought now.
The colour changed from blue to red, and then to a deep purple. It was the most extraordinary display to watch. Then, in the gap between them, an image of Delta appeared. It was like watching a movie rewinding at speed. Val found it extremely painful to watch. As the film started to fade into a blur, so the light show seemed to dissipate. Sam was the first to look up. Val waited patiently for a reaction. They all stood back in silence.
Wendy was first to speak. “Don’t do that to me again.”
Val looked at the ground. They had every right to be angry with her. “I’m sorry but...”
Zac came to Val’s side. “Val did nothing to you. She had no control over you forgetting Delta. She could have told you everything but it wouldn’t have made sense because it no longer existed in your memory banks.” Zac looked serious, ready to argue with anyone who wanted to question his decision.
“It’s ok, Zac.” Val placed her hand on his arm. “Look, I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you, but I’m not sorry that I left her there.”
“Neither am I,” Jason spoke up. “Now I remember her and what happened on that night I agree with your decision, but all I care about now is getting Fran back. Is there any way you can find her with your equipment, Zac?”
“No, she isn’t in my prison banks. So, unless a prisoner takes form to capture her, I can do nothing.”
“She’s with Delta and that means there are no prisoners. From what I have seen of her, she’s working alone and is extremely annoyed with me.”
“How did she get back then?” Sam asked.
“We don’t know, but whatever she did it must have had some serious power behind it. It took Excariot a whole coven plus me to travel through time.”
“Maybe she isn’t alone then,” Sam suggested what Val didn’t want to even contemplate.
“Hello! Fran. Please.” Jason’s voice was now full of despair.
“I understand, mate, but we need to know what we could be walking into and from what Val has just said it could be very dangerous.” Sam was right, they didn’t have enough information, but they needed to move fast.
“Let’s look at the picture. Maybe there are some clues on it.” Shane started to inspect it closely.
“Ok, everyone, please take one of these.” Sam pulled a small box from his pocket with what looked like pinhead badges.
Wendy picked a purple one out. “What are they for?” She put it onto her dress.
“So we don’t lose you as well.” Sam handed one to Shane, Jason then Zac.
“I have no need of this device; I am a hunter.” Zac held it back out to Sam.
“You are and a very good one, but we aren’t, so do me a favour and put it on.” Zac did as he was told, looking concerned at Sam’s words.
“I just can’t see anything to help us: white walls and a standard chair; there are no defining points to the image.” As Shane passed the picture back to Jason a violent knock came at the door causing them all to jump. Wendy squealed with shock. Val looked out into the darkness but the lights cast a reflection on the glass so it was hard to see who was there.
She made her way to the window and pressed her nose to the glass. Now she could see Flo on the other side. “It’s Flo. Should I let her in?”
Flo banged again loudly. “I can hear you, you idiot. Let me in!” Val opened the door and Flo pushed past.
“You’re a nice little girl!” Sam said sarcastically; pushing her past him gently.
“She’s not a girl,” Zac responded.
Sam shook his head as if not surprised.
Flo pointed at Jason. “You’re the reason I’m here. That little trollop Delta is back, and she has your girlfriend.” Everyone looked at Flo in amazement.
Jason crossed over to Flo, grabbing her forcefully by the arm. “Where is she?”
Flo winced and let out a cry. “Do you want me to help you?”
He released her, but stayed close.
“Listen carefully. Excariot knows Delta’s back. She has been leaving him notes all over the place, but he hasn’t managed to find her yet, not even the witch has. Then tonight he got this picture.” Flo held up an identical picture to the one Val had received. She turned it over, revealing an address on the back. “He is going to send some Daymars to try and get rid of Delta once and for all. He’s not stupid enough to go himself. So, now you know where she is, go and get the girl before him.” She grinned at them, seeming pleased with her offer.
“You say not even his witch can find Delta, so Delta must be powerful,” Wendy commented.
“Yes, he’s also very displeased that you escaped from the Summari, Val. He came back injured, but he won’t even talk about what happened. I heard through the grapevine that there was some sort of heated fight.”
“A fight?” Zac asked, but Flo chose to ignore him.
“Anyway, back to tonight. Excariot has located another high priest and he’s sent me to go collect this man from some weird location. I know we had a deal for me to tell you about these collections, but I thought that maybe saving your friend was a priority today. Plus he suspects there’s a turncoat in his midst, so I need to tread carefully.” Flo looked up at the others for a reaction.
Val scratched her head. “Let’s just take a moment. You’re saying that there was a fight and Excariot got wounded, although you can’t say by whom or how, and we have an address for Fran but you’re off in the opposite direction to capture another innocent high priest. Are you asking us to ignore you?” Val looked for support.
“Well, it would take some of the heat off me.” Flo shoved a hand full of tobacco into her mouth.
“That stuff will kill you,” Sam said.
“Don’t worry, she’s already dead,” Val replied.
Jason grabbed the picture from Val’s hand and headed towards the door. “I know where I’m going.”
“No, Jason, wait. We need to work out how we’re going to tackle everything. Flo is off and we need to get Fran back, but we need to be a united front or we don’t stand a chance.”
“Val, this situation you’re in means nothing to me, but Fran does.” He pulled the handle.
“STOP! Listen! Our Daymars have just taken human form: Prisoner 16059. They are already where Fran is.” Zac shouted urgently, getting everyone’s attention. “Wendy, get the books open; we need information, fast.” Glad of something positive to do, she headed behind the counter.
The shop door banged shut as Jason disappeared through it.
“I’m going with Jason.” Val hurried after him.
“No, I’ll go.” Shane ran past, helmet in hand. “You go with Zac and make sure nothing happens to her till we get there.”
“I’ll man the computer and stay here with Wendy.” Sam waved them all off as he headed towards the cupboard.
“But I need you,” Val whined.
“We need to move out. Do you have everything?” Zac asked impatiently, his hand hovering ready to teleport her.
“Yes, but what about Flo?” She looked towards the little blonde girl standing at the counter.
“There’s only one Fran and there are more priests and priestesses. Let Flo get this one to prove to Excariot that she isn’t this turncoat person. Let’s get your friend back. Jason is a vital member of your unit, and without her he is lost.”
The last thing she saw as they teleported was Wendy grabbing a book and running after Sam.
As Val landed she felt Zac pull her to the ground and slap his hand over her mouth. Holding her down, he leaned over her body. If his weight wasn’t bad enough, the fact that she could
n’t breathe made things a little more confusing. Zac looked down into her eyes, his hot breath blowing into her face, making her blink uncontrollably. She realised they must have landed a little closer to the action than expected, so she didn’t do the usual complaining. Slowly Zac lifted himself off of her, easing the pressure of his hand over her lips so that breathing became slightly less painful. She nodded in his direction to confirm she understood that things weren’t going so well. As he released her, she heard footsteps on the other side of what they had landed behind. She reached her hand out to touch something that felt like very poor quality wooden shelving, mass-produced, and possibly pre-packed. If they were ever captured and tortured with furniture questions she would definitely get out alive.
“Do you recognise where we are?” Zac whispered.
Val pulled herself into a sitting position, knowing she would be hidden by the shelves. She peeked over the top and caught her breath. “Toy r Us,” she said, ducking back down.
“What?”
“We are in a very large toy store. Here on Earth we give toys and play with our children.”
“There is no need for your sarcasm; we have forms of entertainment on Alchany.”
“Sorry. So the place is full of shelves with stuffed teddies and Barbies. We’ll never find Delta,” Val sniggered, then stopped realising how inappropriate it was.
“Will there be a problem with these teddies and Barbies?”
“No.” He really was an alien.
“Hello.” A familiar voice whispered into her ear. She smiled. Sam was there with her.
“Do you know where we are?”
“Lanron,” he responded.
“Ok. So Jason and Shane will be here soon. Zac, we need to get ready because Jason isn’t going to go for a quiet entrance.”
“I agree. Wendy has found the Daymars... she’s so good with these books,” Sam gushed.
“Hi Val,” Wendy called from the background. “Prisoner 16059. The Daymars are sort of like scorpions. They have armour for skin, which is impossible to penetrate unless you have a telactic horn, something a little bit like a curly dagger.”
“Zac, do you have a telactic horn hidden in your uniform?” Val looked at him with expectant eyes.
“No!” Zac let out a nerdy snigger. “Do you know how rare they are?”
“No, and I don’t care,” she hissed back at him. “Did you hear that, Wendy?” she whispered in the hope that Wendy would come back with an earthly alternative.
“Shh,” Zac placed his finger clumsily against Val’s lips, making her look like a strange fish. She rolled her eyes, unsure what was happening, but following his lead. He pointed towards the shelving that covered them and Val heard a deep cough come from the other side. Her heart suddenly started to race; this was real. Fran was here somewhere and she needed to save her. For the first time since they had arrived she knew her friend’s life depended on her, and that was an overwhelming weight to bear. She pulled out her sword. It may not work on the solid skin of the Daymars, but she didn’t yet know exactly what was on the other side of the shelving.
The bang happened with no warning. It was like a bullet going off and for a split second, Val feared the worse. She peered over the shelves to see that the noise was Jason who was coming through the double doors. He had arrived a lot quicker than she had hoped and he wasn’t going to be quiet or patient, and she was sure he definitely didn’t have a telactic horn in his pocket.
“We need to act now. Jason’s here and he’s not going to take any prisoners,” she said to Zac. She extended her sword and jumped up to see Jason and Shane running towards them down the main aisle. What she hadn’t spotted was the man coming in from the right hand side. The first she knew of him was when a very large fist connected with her face. The initial pain wasn’t too bad; it was the crunching sound her nose made that was more worrying. She could tell it was bleeding because when the man’s fist withdrew, it was covered in blood: her blood. She staggered back into the supportive arms of Zac. At least he was there to catch her, even if he didn’t fight.
“Pay attention!” he scolded her. “Don’t let your emotions distract you.” He said unsympathetically, pushing her back out - towards the man’s returning fist. If her face was going to survive the experience she needed to react.
Her duck was perfectly timed. His hand missed, flying past her head and ruffling her hair, causing him to lose his balance. As he staggered over her, she came in close with an upper cut, aided by alien magic. No one was going to make her nose bleed twice in one evening. He fell backwards but no one was there to stop his flight and he crashed into the shiny plastic flooring with a thud. He grunted when a shower of ‘tickle me Elmos’ landed on him.
“Good,” Zac called from behind her. She would deal with him later, now she needed to get to Jason who, with Shane, had another large man on the ground.
“Where is she?” he screamed into his face.
The man laughed. Jason was just about to show him how much he didn’t appreciate that when a store room door flew open and out walked three women. “Daymars,” Zac told her, pointing at them. “Look at that armour; you can see it, even in human form.“
Val wiped blood from her face with the hem of her t-shirt. She needed a sponsorship; that way she could have a new top for every occasion. As they came into the florescent lighting Val could see what he meant. Their skin looked like shiny black metal. As they came closer, the man who was pinned down started to panic. He managed to push Shane off and scramble to his feet, bursting past Val and running in the only direction he could: towards the women. He obviously hadn’t heard of telactic horns or Daymars. What followed was very quick. The first girl moved into a single leg squat. Her other leg came across the man’s shin. Val heard it crack. This wasn’t going to be pretty. He crumbled to the ground, screaming in pain. The female returned to the walking position without even breaking her stride.
“Wendy, I need some help and fast. These women are going to kill us.” She looked anxiously towards Jason and Shane. They wouldn’t stand a chance against these women.
“Ok, it says here that they have the ability to withstand bullets. Wow, that’s cool.”
“Are you serious?” Val yelled.
“Fire!” Sam shouted almost deafening Val. “They are subdued by fire.”
“Fire?” Val looked at Zac. “What about the women who own the bodies? Will I hurt them?”
“No. The human form should be protected until extraction,” Zac answered.
“Should?” Val blurted. She knew she could do it, but would it be enough? Only time would tell and the time was now. She pushed her sword into her back pocket and focused all her energy on the nerves in her stomach. A small flame appeared on the palm of her hand, but it wasn’t big enough or quick enough. The Daymars were on top of them and Val feared the worst. She tensed, expecting pain. Then a hand grabbed her from behind and in an instant she was teleported across the room. Zac did have his uses.
She opened her eyes to see one of the women striking Shane. To her horror he fell to the ground and stayed there, his body seeming limp and lifeless. Jason leapt onto a set of shelves to avoid one of the others. Val ran at the woman closest to Shane, no thought in her mind other than the need to protect him.
“YOU!” she screamed, getting the creature’s instant attention. The anger she felt now, had only been equalled the time she had thought that Delta was dead. Without any effort from her, her body raised off the ground and fire exploded on both her hands. This was power beyond anyone’s imagining, including hers. She threw a massive bolt towards the woman closest to Shane. When it hit, the woman screamed once, then froze. It was as if her chemical compounds were shorted out by the flames. She became completely rigid, cooked in her own armour.
The other two women didn’t fare any better. Flames fired from Val’s hands, causing toys to fly through the air and filling it with the overwhelming smell of singed fur. Finished with them at last, Val came to a standstill
only feet away from Shane’s still unconscious body.
She lifted Shane’s wrist and felt for a pulse. He was alive. “Zac, you stay with him, teleport out if necessary,” Val ordered and he knew better than to cross her at this moment. He wasn’t even sure if she knew her hands were still on fire.
“Jason! Me, you, out back. Sam, Wendy - silence.” She pointed towards the large set of swing doors the women had been heading for. They had metal detectors on each side of them and a sign above them. Val now had a good idea where Delta had put Fran. They pushed through together as her flames petered out. Jason closed in. He wasn’t scared, she could sense it. Fran was so lucky.
“Where are we going, mate?” he asked as they walked past a wall full of board games.
“I think she’ll be in the toilets, but don’t expect her to be alone.” The ladies’ toilets lay five feet ahead of them. When they reached the door, Jason nodded at her, and she pulled out her sword and extended it. Whatever was behind that door, this finished here and now. Val moved in front. She kicked the door with her foot, allowing it to swing open once. In the crack she saw a very scared looking Fran, tied and gagged, and guarded by three large men. Where did they all come from? ‘Giants for hire.com’? Jason pushed past her, lost in the sight of Fran. It would be no good to even try to stop him.
The first man who came at Jason received a great deal of the anger he had been holding inside. His huge mass fell limp after the exchange of a few blows, then Val tazered the next guy, her bracelet flashing contently in sync with her sword. She smiled grimly as he also fell to the ground where he twitched and writhed. However, the last one wasn’t going to go down so easily. He struck Jason across the face and had him on his knees before Val could get to him.
“Stop!” she yelled. The man was shocked at her reaction and whilst still holding Jason’s hair he came to a halt. “Enough. We want Fran and you’re alone. If you leave now I promise you won’t get hurt.” She was pointing her sword at his face. He looked nervously between the two of them. And then decided to take the offer. Val didn’t care about this man. He was an employee and no wage could match her anger. She had what she wanted. He released Jason who leapt to his feet and ran to Fran, throwing himself on her, kissing her face with his bloodied lips. Finally reminded by Fran’s frantic grunts and expressively rolling eyes, he pulled frantically at her ropes and released her. Val watched the last man starting his dash for freedom.
The Turncoats (The Thirteenth Series #2) Page 16