Steinberger stepped between Toby and Max. ‘All get fitted into your suits so we can explain the task ahead?’
‘Excellent suggestion, Steinby.’ Quimby wheeled a covered rack closer to them and pulled off a large sheet. ‘These are the Super Suits for today’s training exercise.’
Quimby handed each of the agents a green camouflage-pattern suit.
‘Last night Toby paraded the “Formal” version of the suit, but these are called our “Forest Special”. You can change over there.’
The three spies disappeared into the change cubicles Quimby pointed to. Toby was out first, bursting through the curtain in his most practised action pose. The cargo-style pants, equipped with pockets and zip-off legs, fit perfectly beneath a button-up, long-sleeve shirt and cap.
‘Okay nature, come and get me.’
Linden was next with an equally well-fitting suit, but without the action pose.
They waited for Max’s curtain to slide open.
And they waited …
Max?’ Steinberger crept closer to her cubicle. ‘Are you okay in there?’
The curtain was flung aside and Max shuffled out. ‘Good fit,’ Toby sniggered.
‘Sorry, Max,’ Quimby apologised. ‘I did ask to have one made in your size, but it looks like they’ve added a little extra material.’
‘A little?’ Max’s suit was made for a person twice her size. Possibly more.
‘If you roll up the sleeves and the cuffs of your pants, it’ll fit perfectly,’ Steinberger offered.
Max stared at him as she put on her cap and it fell over her eyes and ears.
‘Almost,’ he added.
Quimby reached into her pocket and pulled out some hairclips. ‘These should help keep it in place.’
The suit dripped off Max from every angle. It drooped from her shoulders, pooled past her ankles and slid down her waist. She squatted to the floor to roll up her pants before standing and pulling up the waist.
Steinberger continued with the training instructions.
‘In a short while, we will be dropping you at different points in a forest near London. The forest is off limits to the public and used exclusively by Spyforce, sometimes for office picnics but mostly for training. Your task today is to reach the centre of the forest and be the first to claim the Spyforce flag. The position of the flag is marked on a map I’ve sent to your palm computers. The map also comes with a compass to give you your bearings. The real task, however, will be to evade each other and specially chosen Spyforce agents, who will be trying their best to stop you reaching the flag.’ He smiled. ‘Your Super Suits and a few select gadgets should help you achieve your task. Quimby?’
‘For today’s training exercise, we have included super-slim laser guns that will shoot out a bright red beam of light. When the laser strikes your suit it will set off an alarm, which means you are out of the race for the flag. Any agent struck with a laser must fall to the ground and remain there until we have a winner.’
She handed them three leather belts with the laser guns sitting in narrow holsters.
‘Finally, something to keep my pants up.’ Max grabbed the belt and immediately slipped it on.
‘As you saw Toby demonstrate last night, there is the fine web-like material in the cuff of your left hand. In the right wrist, we have added our plant-based Knock-Out Spray that will render your enemy immobile for about half an hour before it wears off. By turning the top button on your shirts, you will activate the force-field that protects you from attack but makes movement difficult. I suggest only using it when you are certain you are being targeted.’
Quimby picked up three boxes from the bottom of the clothes rack. ‘We would also like you to have these.’
Each of the agents opened the lid, and a pair of boots rose out unaided, hovering a few centimetres above the box.
‘Floating shoes?’ Max asked.
‘Sort of.’ Quimby smiled as the agents pulled on their boots. ‘They are Counter-Gravity Boots. The soles have been filled with helium so that you don’t actually float above the ground like you can with your Flea-Powered Hover Shoes, but your weight will be offset against gravity so that you will be very light when you walk and make very little noise. Perfect for jumping from small heights, where the boots will take the impact, or making quiet treks through leaf-and twig-strewn forests.’
Toby replicated his fashion walk from the night before. ‘It feels like I’m hardly touching the ground. These would be perfect for breaking into the school kitchen at night.’
‘If you were allowed to take them to your school,’ Quimby reminded him.
‘Maybe you could make an exception for the agents who were nearly killed during your gadget demonstration.’
‘You weren’t nearly killed,’ Max objected.
‘Official Spyforce business only, I’m afraid.’ Quimby shrugged. ‘They’re also great for doing acrobatics. Anyone want to try a flip?’
‘I will.’ Toby stepped forward. ‘Anything to add to how impressive I already am.’
‘Do you find it’s hard having such low self-esteem?’ Max asked.
‘I try to deal with it as best I can.’ Toby faked a sad look.
‘Imagine you are on a diving board and about to somersault into a pool,’ Quimby advised. ‘And your boots will do the rest.’
Toby bent his knees, leant forward and jumped. The boots vaulted him into the air, where he tumbled forward and landed on the ground with a casual flick of his head. ‘I knew I’d be good at that.’
Quimby handed them the last of their gadgets.
‘We wanted to keep the equipment to a minimum to test your individual skills, but we have included a pair of tinted Heat-Sensitive Glasses that, like the Night Vision Glasses you used during your mission in Paris,8 will reveal the presence of any living creature by displaying a red blur.’
Toby and Max slipped their glasses into their shirt pockets, while Linden stared at them in his hands.
‘Linden?’ Max whispered.
He shook his head as if he snapped out of a dream.
‘Ready?’ she asked.
‘Yeah.’ His face lifted into a slow smile. He put away his glasses. ‘I’m ready.’
Toby watched them and frowned.
‘Even with your gadgets,’ Steinberger said, ‘you will have to practise all that you have learnt in the art of stealth. Any questions?’
‘Do I look better in the Forest Special or the Formal Suit?’ Toby held his hands out.
‘I think you’d look better at the bottom of a locked trunk, preferably on its way to a galaxy far, far away.’ Max frowned.
Linden smirked.
‘Now, Max,’ Toby put his arm around her shoulders, ‘you don’t have to pretend. We all know your nastiness is a flimsy cover for how much you really like me.’
‘Or it could be … that I just don’t like you.’
‘Impossible.’ Toby ran his hand through his hair and put on his camouflage cap.
Steinberger’s palm computer beeped. ‘Looks like Sleek is ready for us.’
Steinberger thanked the Professor and led his agents back through the Wall of Goodness, which allowed Max through with only a slightly improved slurp. Apart from the noise made by Steinberger’s polished shoes, they silently trod down the long corridors to the Vehicular All-Response Tower, or the VART, which held Spyforce’s extensive and highly advanced selection of vehicles.
‘Which one are we going in this time?’ Toby rubbed his hands.
‘The RX650.’ Steinberger pointed to a glass helicopter with blackened windows at the end of a platform where Sleek, Spyforce’s extreme pilot, was waiting in the cockpit.
‘I am going to look so good flying in that.’ Toby took out his Heat-Sensitive Glasses, slipped them on with a flick of his wrist and strode to the chopper.
‘Good luck!’ Steinberger cried after them. ‘Remember, the first to reach the flag wins – and no one is your ally.’
Max stopped and turned b
ack. ‘I’m sorry about what happened at the anniversary party.’
‘You did what you thought was in the best interests of the Force,’ said Steinberger.
‘If only that involved less melted chocolate and gunfire and more grace.’
Steinberger laughed. ‘You are who you are, Max Remy, and that is a very good thing.’ Steinberger lifted his arm before cradling it against his chest. ‘Ow!’
‘What’s wrong?’
‘I hurt my shoulder when I hit the ground last night.’
Max frowned.
‘And as soon as I gain full use of my arms again, you are in for one very firm hug.’
‘I’ll look forward to that.’
‘Come on, let’s get this baby in the air,’ Toby called from the front seat of the chopper.
The blades of the helicopter flicked into life. Max joined Linden in the back and, when the three spies were buckled in, Sleek lifted the aircraft into a sharp right-hand turn before swooping out of the hangar and into the skies over London.
‘Aaah, I’m going to die!’ Max dangled from the rope that was to drop her into a small clearing amidst a thick canopy of trees.
‘You won’t die,’ Linden cried over the noise of the chopper blades. ‘Your harness will keep you safe. All you have to do is enjoy the ride.’
‘Enjoy the ride?’ Max yelled. ‘How can I enjoy the ride when …’ She looked down. ‘Aaah! I’m going to die!’
‘And try not to look down,’ Linden shouted. ‘See you in the middle of the forest.’
‘What if I don’t even make it to the middle?’
‘You won’t if we keep hovering here.’ Toby released the cable lock that lowered Max down with an abrupt jolt.
‘Aaah!’ She shut her eyes tight and clung onto the harness rope. The wind from the chopper’s blades buffeted her into a corkscrew entry into the forest. She approached the ground swinging and spinning until, in a last final jolt, the rope quickly released and she fell with a hard thud.
‘Ouch!’ She rubbed her backside and looked up to see a grinning Toby. ‘Wait till I see you next, Toby Jennings.’
Max slipped out of her harness and gave the okay to reel it in. Toby wound the rope upwards and blew her a kiss. She was about to let him have it when Linden waved and mouthed the words ‘good luck’.
‘You too,’ Max said as the chopper swept away into a large arc, headed for its next drop-off point.
Max fixed her cap to her head with Quimby’s hairclips and slipped on her Heat-Sensitive Glasses. The world before her became tinged with green, but when she held her hand in front of her it was a bright red blur, just as Quimby said.
She pulled her palm computer from her pocket, opened the map and a compass appeared beside it. It was clearly marked out with her starting point and destination. She needed to head north. After looking around for any movement or signs of life, she stepped out of the clearing and into the forest. Treading over the leafy floor, she stopped and smiled. She lifted her foot and placed it down again on the crunchy, dry leaf bed. There was barely a sound. ‘Good one, Quimby,’ she whispered.
She gave a start when she felt her palm computer vibrate in her hand. ‘Stop being so jumpy,’ she warned herself.
‘Max.’ A beaming Steinberger stared at her from the corner of her screen. ‘You’ve arrived A-okay?’
‘Almost in one piece.’ Max rubbed her aching backside again.
‘Have you found the map and compass okay?’
‘Yep, I’ve got it open now and I’m heading into the forest.’ Max continued walking silently forward in her Counter-Gravity Boots.
‘So all you need to do now is reach the flag without being tagged by a laser. Any questions?’
‘Is there any way we can have Toby transferred to Siberia?’
‘Ha, ha, ha. Very funny, Max.’
‘Who’s being funny?’ she mumbled.
‘Just remember,’ Steinberger said, ‘stealth is the key, so don’t do anything that’s going to attract attention.’
‘I’ll be as quiet as … Aaah!’
‘Max, are you okay?’
‘Aaah!
She flung her arms around wildly, caught in the sticky strands of a spider’s web. Just above her, a plump golden spider oscillated wildly.
‘I’m being attacked by a giant spider.’
‘What kind?’
Max jumped backwards and held the computer’s in-built camera towards the bulbous arachnid, while still trying to extricate herself from its web.
‘It’s only an Orb Web Spider. Perfectly harmless. Unless you’re an aphid or some garden pest, and lucky for you you’re not.’
Max calmed down. Slightly. ‘Sorry, I’m not very good with spiders.’
‘You’ll be fine from now on. Better be off. The others should have landed by now. Good luck!’
Steinberger’s face disappeared from the screen.
Max stepped away from the spider and took a deep breath. ‘Try and do this with a little less screaming.’
With the palm computer in her hand, she began her task. She navigated her way under low-hanging branches, over fallen logs and down into damp, marshy ditches, all the while looking out for any movement or noise that might be enemy agents.
She was about to climb out of another ditch when she heard the snap of a twig. She crouched low. Her boots dampened every sound as she crept under cover of a nearby bush. Seconds later she heard a rustle of branches. She slipped her computer into her pocket and pulled her laser gun from its holster, holding it before her, surveying the forest above.
Then she saw it. Through the huddle and twist of trees. A red human-shaped blur moved slowly towards her. She crouched even further into the bush, hardly breathing, and trained the gun on their every move.
The enemy agent approached the ditch and stopped on the edge, no more than a few metres above Max. She held her gun firm, her finger on the trigger, and waited until she had a clear view. Then she struck.
A brief alarm sounded and the agent dropped to the ground.
Max allowed herself a slight grin before carefully backing out of the bush.
She followed the direction of her compass north, making quick progress towards the middle of her planned route, her eyes and ears alert to any movement or sound. She came upon a narrow stream. The gushing water made it difficult to hear if anyone was following her. She scanned the forest surrounds with her glasses and saw no sign of enemy agents. At the water’s edge, she slid her computer into her pocket, stepped onto a large rock and began to hopscotch her way to the other side. As she reached the soggy bank, Max smiled to see her Counter-Gravity Boots skimming the surface of the muddy slime. She stepped onto drier ground when she saw a rustle of movement in the scrubby leaves at the base of a set of trees. She hid herself behind a mossy stump and took out her laser gun. She scoured the surrounds but, apart from a butterfly and an industrious group of bees, her glasses revealed nothing.
Until she saw Linden.
He wove through the thick forest, between scraggy bushes and under knobbly branches. Max smiled, then frowned. She kept her eyes locked on Linden and felt the slim fit of the laser in her hand. She lifted the weapon and trained it on him as he crouched down and checked his palm computer.
She had him in her sights. Her heart beat fast. Her finger rested against the trigger.
Linden put his computer in his pocket, looked to either side of him and kept moving. Max lowered her laser and watched him leave. She allowed a few minutes to pass to keep a good distance between them.
As she was about to move, she heard another crunch of leaves, followed by a tremble of branches to her right. Her Counter-Gravity Boots made almost no sound as she closed in on the hidden intruder. Her muscles tightened all over her body, and her eyes swept through the forest and back to the quivering clump of bushes.
She carefully trod over the forest floor, her laser gun ready in one hand, her other hand poised with one finger on the button of the web net. Her ears and
eyes were alive to every noise, to every movement … when she tripped over the end of her overly long trousers and toppled forward. She clenched her fists before flinging her arms out to break her fall, releasing a web of silky netting into the air above her.
‘Ouch!’ Max hit her head on a small rock.
The web sailed upwards and ensnared a branch, just as a rabbit bounded away in a sudden bolt, disappearing into the trees.
‘Chased by a killer rabbit.’ Max laughed quietly.
As she went to stand, her face was covered from behind by a damp smelly cloth. She writhed and kicked and tried to prise the gloved fingers from her face. Their grip tightened. Her eyes felt heavy. Her nose stung from inhaling the bitter smell. Her body slackened into a crumpled heap.
Two figures in black worked quickly.
One remained on lookout while the other put the cloth in his pocket and took a small box from a belt concealed beneath his shirt. Inside the box were four moulded compartments: three held flat, square microchips the size of a child’s pinky nail. The last one held a miniature gun. With a pair of tweezers, he picked up one of the chips and inserted it into the gun’s chamber. He pulled up Max’s left pant leg, held the gun against her inner ankle and pulled the trigger. A soft whittt sound whispered into the air.
He took an antiseptic sachet from his pocket, tore open the end and wiped the moist cloth across her ankle.
He watched for any movement. Max lay perfectly still.
He returned the gun to its box and closed the lid. The two figures crept further into the forest, away from Max’s unmoving body.
The jungle tangled in front of them like a sunken shipwreck – all twisted branches, bent, splintered and threatening, blocking out daylight like they’d been sucked down to the bottom of the ocean. The ground was a snare of fallen trees and gnarled roots, and cutting through the middle was a winding muddied track.
‘Hey, watch it!’ The Aqua Buggy wrenched left and right, flinging Max and Linden across the backseat, barrelling them into the doors and each other. ‘It’d be great if we actually survived this drive.’
The buggy lurched into a sharp, hairpin turn.
The Final Curtain Page 6