For Anthony
1.
The Hooded Man
The man stepped forward, his eyes widening as they adjusted to the pressing darkness that surrounded him. The smell of musty water filled his nostrils as he looked around, attempting to make sense of his shadowy surroundings. He moved across the cold tiles, avoiding wetting his suede boots in the gathering puddles on the floor. He listened to the sound of a pipe dripping overhead, the droplets falling to the floor in time with his racing heartbeat. It took him a moment to catch sight of the enigmatic group he had sought out, their long, red cloaks illuminated by the soft, yellow light of the portable heater they were gathered around.
He cleared his throat loudly, capturing the attention of the eerie figures who stood before him, each of them snapping their heads towards the source of the noise in unison. The sight of them all, staring coldly at him from under the swathes of their hoods, sent tingles shooting up the man’s spine. He swallowed hard, feeling the courage he had possessed on his journey to the secret location drain from his body, as he wondered with dread what this strange gathering of people wanted from him.
"Hello," the leader greeted him, his face obscured by a mixture of his attire and the shadows surrounding him. “So glad that you could join us.”
"I came, just like you asked" the man replied, his voice catching in his throat. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
"Of course,” the leader nodded, holding his hands out in greeting. “We are the Society of the Enlightened, and we are delighted to welcome you into our midst.”
“’Society of the Enlightened?’” the man repeated. “I’ve heard the name before, but I never understood what it meant.”
"Don’t worry,” the leader reassured him. “You will.”
With a swift and unexpected motion, he dropped the hood of his cloak, revealing his true identity to the stunned man before him.
"You?" the man spluttered. "But… aren't you...?"
"Yes," the leader interrupted him. "I am who you think I am."
"Why did you summon me here?" the man demanded, a lump forming in his throat as he was overwhelmed by the powerful instinct that something was most definitely wrong.
"Isn't it obvious?" the leader asked. “We want you to join us.”
“Join you?” the man repeated stupidly. “Join you for what?”
“We have an agenda,” the leader explained, walking around the motionless group of his red-cloaked followers, his arms folded behind his back as he spoke. “It is a dangerous mission, and not one for the faint-hearted, which is precisely why we have selected you to join our ranks. There aren’t many men who would respond to an anonymous message, summoning them to a strange place in the middle of the night. Your courage, as well as your impressive skillset, will be very useful in helping us to achieve our final goal.”
“And what goal is that?” the man inquired, though he feared he already knew the answer.
The leader smiled, an ominous expression appearing on his face.
“Well, son, that is very simple,” the leader replied. “We’re going to take the Mayfly for our own.”
2.
The Famous Four
Will sat in his bedroom, tying the laces on his brand-new pair of sleek, black trainers, his hands shaking with nerves as he attempted to negotiate the unruly pieces of cotton. Once he had secured the knot, he stood up, straightening his back and giving his appearance a final check in the full-length mirror that hung from his wardrobe. He ruffled his sandy-blonde hair and stood back, evaluating his choice of outfit, scrutinising the combination of light, grey trousers and a maroon jumper he had selected, having been told by Emily that the colours suited him. He was anxious to make a good impression, acutely aware that he would soon be attending his very first party without his mother, giving him a glimpse of the freedom he would experience as his teenage years progressed. He had received the invitation from Matina two days previously, asking him to come to the gathering she was holding in her parent’s apartment and instructing him to bring his friends. His excitement had quickly turned to trepidation as he realised that he would be seeing most of his peers for the first time since the drama at the end of the school year had unfolded. Given the backlash he had faced after he had saved Finley during their infamous Rocket Control lesson, it didn’t seem too unreasonable for Will to assume that he would be on the receiving end of a less than friendly welcome upon his arrival to the party, and he had been preparing himself for the eventuality ever since agreeing to attend.
It had only been a few days since Admiral Allance’s death, but things in Will’s life had already changed significantly. Everywhere he went, people stopped to stare at him, pointing and whispering in hushed voices as they discussed the shocking events that had occurred at the Space Academy during his first year. The News Station had dubbed Will, Emily, Lois and Finley as “The Famous Four,” and a special programme about them was broadcast on a daily basis, detailing their discovery of the former Headmaster’s true identity as a murderous alien, as well as the terrible altercation that had followed after he attempted to escape.
Since the truth had been exposed, a heavy investigation had been set into motion across the Mayfly, with at least three dozen people discovered as being a Vacuous in human form on the first day alone. It had been revealed that the Admiral’s plan to use stolen technology to transform his pupils into an army had only been one of several plots the Vacuous had created in order to hijack the mission to Novum, where humanity planned to rebuild their home. Despite the Captain’s furious efforts to discover every alien aboard the ship, most of the passengers had begun to turn on each other, becoming mistrustful of friends and neighbours they had known for years, as they grew to suspect them as Vacuous in hiding. Most shocking of all to Will was the discovery that his family’s assistant, Derek, was one of the aliens in question. He had never liked Derek, finding him extremely unpleasant and rude, but he never imagined that he was really a bloodthirsty alien, living under his roof in disguise for the best part of thirteen years.
Realising that time had gotten away from him, Will glanced at his Personal Device, which was strapped in its secure position on his wrist, and realised with a jolt that Lois, Finley and Emily would shortly be meeting him at his apartment. Deciding his attire would have to do, he walked from his bedroom to the living room, finding his mother, Elsie, kneeling on the coffee table, cleaning the mantlepiece with a large, feather duster. Since Derek’s betrayal had been uncovered, she had been wary of hiring another assistant, and so had begrudgingly taken to doing the chores herself. Despite’s Elsie’s hatred of her new responsibility, Will could not help but relish the sight of his mother partaking in something as wonderfully normal as housework.
“Hello darling,” Elsie said when he entered the room. “You look nice.”
“Thanks,” Will grinned. “I’ve got that party tonight, remember?”
“Oh yes!” Elsie exclaimed, climbing down from the coffee table and clacking across the floor towards him in her stiletto heels. “How exciting! Your first time going out on your own.”
“Don’t make a big deal out of it, Mum,” Will blushed. “It’s embarrassing.”
“I can’t help it,” Elsie sighed, her eyes dewy with tears. “You’re growing up so fast.”
“Please don’t get upset again,” Will begged her. She had cried more times in the past week than she had in Will’s entire life, her emotions triggered by everything from a news bulletin to a glimpse of one of Will’s baby pictures, or even, on one occasion, simply because they had run out of milk.
“I’m sorry,” Elsie apologised, regaining control of herself. “There’s just been a lot to take in.”
She turned away and fo
cused once again on her dusting. Will felt a twang of guilt pull across his chest, and he berated himself for scolding her over her tears.
“I know it’s been difficult for you, Mum,” he sighed. “Jarvis’ death must have had an effect on you. He was your friend after all. You must miss him.”
“Yes,” Elsie nodded, without looking Will in the eye. “I miss him a lot, but what really makes me shudder is thinking of how close you came to getting hurt by that thing that killed him.”
She shook her head as though trying to forcibly remove the unbearable thought from her mind.
“We stopped Allance. That’s the important thing,” Will reminded her with a weak smile. She paused and turned to face him, her eyes wide and full of fear.
“I know that,” she swallowed, “but I still can’t believe it. Not just the fact that you were so close to danger, but also knowing that your father was right about the Great Conspiracy. He knew all along that the Vacuous wanted the Mayfly for themselves and no one listened to him. I told him he was insane. Maybe if I had given him a chance to explain…”
“It’d never have been different,” Will snapped. “Him being right only makes everything worse. He knew we were in danger and he was willing to leave us anyway. You can’t blame yourself for what he did.”
Elsie’s eyes brimmed again at the brashness of Will’s words. She opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by the sound of a loud knocking at the door. Composing herself, she breathed deeply, steadying her emotions before moving swiftly across the apartment to answer.
“Hello!” she exclaimed with slightly too much enthusiasm, opening the door to reveal Finley and Lois standing side by side in the hallway.
“Hi Ms. James,” Finley grinned, clutching the arm of his suede jacket with nerves. “Is Will around?”
“Hi, Fin,” Will greeted him, emerging into sight from behind his mother. “I’m ready to go but Emily isn’t here yet. Do you two want to come in and wait for her?”
“Okay,” Finley nodded, moving inside the apartment with Lois close on his heels. They had both dressed up for the occasion, the hand-me-down attire Finley had sported for the majority of his first-year now firmly discarded following his family’s rise from Floor Seven to Floor Two. He was almost unrecognisable, donning a finely-pressed linen shirt and sleek, black trousers to match his jacket. To see him walking beside Lois, who herself was dressed from head to toe in designer garments, it was impossible to tell that their backgrounds had been worlds apart. They looked comfortable together, moving in unison to sit down on the plush, white sofa in Will’s living room, careful to keep an appropriate distance between themselves as they sat.
With a pointed look from Will, Elsie excused herself and retired to her bedroom, wishing them a good night as she left. Finally alone with his friends, Will paused to scrutinise Finley, scanning his face for any clues as to what emotion he might be feeling. In the days that had passed since the “Admiral Allance scandal”, as it was sometimes referred to in the media, Finley had become increasingly withdrawn and distant, shutting himself away at every available opportunity. Will was surprised he had agreed to attend the party that evening and had been convinced that he would come up with a last-minute excuse to cancel.
“So, who’s excited for tonight then?” Will asked, subtly directing his question at Finley.
“I am!” Lois replied obliviously. “I can’t wait to go. This is the first time I’ve been allowed out the entire holiday. My dad basically put me under house arrest after everything that happened with Allance. Apparently, it’s for my ‘own good’, though it doesn’t feel like it. He’s had my grandmother round every day to watch me in case I try to make an escape.”
“You’re not missing much,” Finley told her bluntly. “I get gawked at every time I go out in public. I’m starting to understand how the two-headed aliens at the Zoo must feel.”
“I don’t mind people looking,” Will interjected. “It’s the whispering I can’t stand. I mean, you’d think people would be pleased that we’d saved them from a plot that could have wiped us all out, but they still manage to find something negative to say.”
“I think it’s jealousy mostly,” Lois sighed, tucking one of her loose, blonde ringlets behind her ear. “After all, we’re barely even teenagers, and we’re already being heralded as heroes.”
“Well, I’d happily swap with any of them if that’s what they want,” Finley replied. “The attention isn’t nearly as enjoyable as they think it is.”
Before Will could respond, he was halted by the noise of a second loud knock on the door, announcing the arrival of Emily. He leapt to his feet, making the distance across the room in three seconds flat, pressing his finger hard against the sensor pad beside the door, a smile spreading across his face as he flung it open.
“Hi, Emi- “Will was cut off mid-sentence, the shock of seeing Emily dressed up in her party clothes causing the words to lodge in his throat. During the school holidays, Will had become accustomed to seeing her in the conservative clothes her father insisted she wear, which tended to mean high collars, long jumpers and dark trousers that reached down to her ankles. That evening, however, she had managed to get away with wearing a brown skirt and strappy, black vest top that Will was certain Mr. Pannell wouldn’t approve of.
“Sorry I’m late,” Emily puffed through red cheeks. “I had to sneak past my dad.”
That’s okay,” Will stuttered. “You look…er…different.”
Emily narrowed her eyes.
“Is that your way of saying I look nice?” she laughed.
“You look lovely, Emily,” Lois said, appearing behind Will just in time to rescue him. “Is that a new outfit?”
“Yes, it is. I managed to persuade my mum to buy it for me this morning. She’s willing to do anything to get into my good books at the moment. She’s still trying to make it up to me after I found out about you-know-what,” Emily answered, her gaze falling to the floor as she remembered the terrible truth she had discovered about her mother abandoning her own brother on Earth after she chose to board the Mayfly and leave him behind.
Will had been speechless when Emily had first revealed the secret to Finley, Lois and himself over a hot chocolate at Joe’s café in the lobby, and time hadn’t granted him with any new wisdom on how to respond to the topic. After a few seconds of silence, he clapped his hands together in an attempt to diffuse the mounting tension.
“Now that we’re all here, shall we go?” he announced.
The others nodded their silent agreement and the four of them set off, making their way through the atrium outside Will’s apartment with pace. They reached the lift and crammed inside, searching for a space amongst the crowd of commuters who were making their way down to the lobby for an evening of shopping and entertainment. Trying to ignore the burst of discussion that erupted the moment they entered the confined space, Will pushed his way to the control screen built into the front wall and selected Floor Three, their destination for the night.
“Is it you?” one passenger asked them as the lift lurched into life. Will looked at the beady-eyed man clutching the handle of his brown, leather briefcase, his plump face full of awe as he awaited a reply.
“It is, isn’t it?” he continued, his voice rising with excitement. “You’re the Famous Four!”
Will bowed his head to avoid attracting any more attention, but his efforts were futile. The man’s loud exclamation had been overheard by everyone in the lift, sending a large outcry through the surrounding huddle. People began to push and shove to get close to the four of them, frantically asking questions and shouting messages of praise and admiration. The man with the briefcase pulled his Personal Device from his wrist and began snapping photographs, the flash from his camera causing pink and blue dots to flicker in Will’s vision.
Thankfully, the journey to Floor Three was short and Will, Emily, Finley and Lois were able to escape from the lift unscathed, rushing out of the doors the moment they docked a
nd sprinting several metres down the corridor so as to shake off any potential pursuers.
“Are you all okay?” Will asked the others through ragged breath, the moment they had come to a standstill.
“I’m fine,” panted Emily. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this, though.”
“Even my dad doesn’t get that much attention,” Lois said with disbelief, her face flushed red with exertion.
“Let’s hurry up and find Matina’s apartment,” Finley said, marching to the front of the group. “In case we’re being followed.”
“It’s number 27,” Will called after his retreating back, hastening to keep up.
With Emily and Lois in pursuit, the two boys navigated their way around the maze of blue, carpeted corridors, passing through a series of mini foyers and atriums as they journeyed deeper into Floor Three. Eventually, they located the apartment, pausing with uncertainty as they regarded the sealed set of doors in front of them.
“Where are the handles?” Will frowned, staring at the smooth surface with confusion.
“It’s I-Tech,” Emily replied, pointing out the small logo in the bottom corner of the metallic entranceway. “They’ve started ‘updating’ the Mayfly. Brett Baker, the new CEO, wants his technology everywhere. Apparently, opening doors by hand is too much of an inconvenience in his eyes.”
“I-Tech are designing doors now?” Finley sighed. “It feels like they’re taking over everything.”
“More importantly, why haven’t they installed these doors on Floor One or Two?” Will pointed out. “They look loads better than what we’ve got.”
“They’re testing all their new products on the lower floors first, and then working their way up” Emily replied, “in case something goes wrong.”
“Typical,” Finley remarked.
“Is that what you did during your work experience?” Lois asked Emily, unable to hide the tinge of amusement from her voice. “Helped I-Tech design doors?”
The Secret Society Page 1