by Darrell Pitt
“What is it?” Ebony asked. “Is she okay?”
“No. I can sense desperation…pain…”
“Has she been in an accident?” Chad asked.
“No…I don’t know…I’m not sure…”
Chad produced his cell phone. “I’ll try ringing her.” After a minute, he shook his head. “No answer.”
“She’s been gone all afternoon,” Ebony said.
“I thought it was weird when she didn’t pick up earlier,” Chad said. “Maybe she’s in trouble.”
“I think we should speak to Agent Palmer,” Ebony said.
Ferdy picked up the ball. “Ferdy throw the ball.”
“Okay, Ferdy,” Ebony said absently. “But we’ve got to go inside.”
Ferdy drew his arm back and threw it hard into the air. They watched as it soared over the wall, across rooftops and past buildings into the sky. It finally disappeared into the distance, a tiny black dot racing toward the far horizon.
“Ferdy has friends,” the boy said. “And he knows how to throw the ball.”
“Right on both counts,” Chad said.
Chapter Seven
Brodie awoke to find herself being dragged behind something that looked like it had escaped from a horror film. It wasn’t one of the creatures that she had fought on the flight deck of the spaceship. It was larger, covered in shaggy hair, and made a strange grunting sound as it moved.
She lifted her head slightly.
“Hey, ugly,” she called.
The creature stopped and turned its head. Its face was a cross between a gorilla and a bear. Saliva dripped from its open mouth onto its hairy chest.
“I was right,” Brodie said. “You are ugly.”
With her free leg, Brodie kicked the thing in the back of the leg as hard as possible. Through luck more than skill, she must have hit a pressure point because the creature immediately released her and fell backward.
Brodie rolled out of the way before it could land on her. As it hit the deck, she leapt up and directed a kick at the creature’s throat. It let out an inarticulate gasp of pain. Running down the corridor as fast as she could, she had almost reached the end before she heard the burst of weapon fire behind her. A shock like a bolt of electricity ran through her body and darkness swallowed her again.
When she next awoke she found herself in another cell. The difference this time was that she was sharing this cell with other beings. She sat up and looked at them blearily. She had been stunned three times now and her body was beginning to feel as if a tractor had run over her.
“Who are you people?” she asked. “What the hell is going on?”
“We are many,” one of them said cryptically. “My name is Zena. I am from Corrida. They are from other worlds.” Zena was a woman with a catlike face; a fine coating of red hair covered it. She pointed to the other two occupants of the cell; a lizard woman and a short grey faced man who lay asleep on the floor. “That is Bax, a woman from Frakaal. The sleeping man is Sadara from Forbus Nine.”
Now Brodie understand the meaning of the girl’s words. “You are many. You mean you are from many worlds. What are you doing here?”
“We are here to fight,” Bax said. “To fight and to die.”
What a bright and positive environment, Brodie thought.
“Fight?” she said. “Do you mean each other or –”
“The Tagaar,” Zena said. “They are the aliens who kidnapped you. They are a warrior species that loves to fight and kill.”
Brodie frowned. “They’ve come a long way to fight and kill me.”
“Their goal is larger than you,” Bax said. “It is your planet.”
“What?”
“The Tagaar are excluded from the Union of Planets because of their warlike ways. They actively work to keep planets from joining the Union by promoting war and disharmony. Eventually they present themselves to one of the warring sides as a saviour and offer to supply weapons and technology.”
Zena continued. “After a time they begin to install troops and military bases under the guise of co-operation and friendship.” She snorted. “Then the killings begin. The assassinations. The terrorist attacks. By the time the species realise what is happening, it is too late. The Tagaar have become the masters of their planet.”
“How do you know all this?” Brodie asked.
“Because it happened to our worlds,” Zena said. “Corrida was once a beautiful place, but our people did not treat our world with respect. We were in a state of constant war. Then the Tagaar appeared and sided with one of the superpower nations. Within months a world war had broken out. By the time it was all over, the Tagaar were the only ones standing.”
Bax nodded. “It was a similar story on my world.”
“So what are you doing here?” Brodie asked.
“The Tagaar like to fight,” Zena said. “They pick the best warriors from a world and fight against them.” The woman looked at Brodie. “You must be a great fighter, otherwise you would not be here.”
Wonderful, Brodie thought. If only I were a housewife in Sydney…
“I’m a mod,” Brodie said. She went on to explain modifications and how the Earth had changed over the last few months.
“Your planet must be growing close to joining the Union,” Zena said.
“I suppose so,” Brodie said.
“You will prove a worthy adversary for the Tagaar,” Bax said. “That is good. It will keep you alive for longer.”
Brodie did not reply. She was thinking about the Earth and how little respect people had for it. The Tagaar must have rubbed their hands together with glee when they realised how much disunity already existed on the planet; war, religious conflict, terrorism, overpopulation, global warming. The list went on. It was amazing humanity hadn’t wiped itself out already.
There’s always hope, Brodie thought. We still have friendship. Love. Co-operation. We’re not all bad.
A sound came from the corridor outside the chamber. They all looked up. Brodie caught a glimpse of fear in Zena and Bax’s eyes. Even the man who had been asleep – Sadara – sat up and stared at the door.
It opened and three of the Tagaar appeared. One of them was obviously their leader. He wore a fur around his shoulders with epaulettes. His eyes settled on Brodie.
“Ah, here is the troublesome human,” he said.
Brodie said nothing.
“I am Breel,” he said. “I am the commander of this vessel. I congratulate you on the way you fought on the bridge. You killed two of my men, including my chief navigator.”
“I’m sorry,” Brodie said. “I don’t like to kill anyone.”
“He was a terrible navigator. I have already replaced him.”
“Why am I here?” Brodie asked. “I demand you release me at once.”
Breel smirked. “I like that. Courage and bravery are good traits to have. Perhaps your species is not as worthless as I was led to believe.”
“We will fight you!” Brodie clenched her teeth. “We will defeat you!”
“You may fight us, but you will not win.” Breel looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. “You are here because we want you to fight, but we are also holding you as a hostage so that your mate will do our bidding.”
It took Brodie a moment to digest this information. “Axel? Do your bidding?”
“If that is his name,” Breel said. “One of our men is using him to cause disharmony on your world.”
“He won’t follow your orders.”
“He already is. It is surprising what a man will do for a woman he loves.”
Brodie was stuck for an answer. “When will I be released?”
Breel laughed. “When we are finished with you.” The alien swung his head about. “You. It is your time to fight again.”
He was looking directly at Sadara. The man slowly stood and looked to the three of them in the cell. “If I die,” he said, “I go to the afterlife, to S’billa. My wife and children await me there.”
Brodie stared at him in horror. “Your arm –”
He looked down at it. “Broken in the last fight,” he explained. “I have nothing to fear. I am ready to go to the land of my ancestors.”
“No!” Brodie leapt to her feet. “This is wrong! It’s inhuman! You can’t expect this man to fight. He’s injured!”
“It is inhuman,” Breel said. “But we are not human. We are Tagaar.”
“No!” Brodie yelled.
The two guards grabbed her and held her back as Sadara walked from the room. Just before he left, the grey-faced alien looked back at Brodie.
“Save your strength, little one,” he said. “You will need it for later.”
The guards threw Brodie to the floor. Brodie lay there in horror as the door closed shut.
“Sadara was right,” Bax said. “Save your strength. In a few hours you will be fighting for your life.”
Chapter Eight
“Axel!”
I was halfway across The Hub when the voice came from behind me.
Damn. It was Chad and the others. They hurried over.
“Something’s wrong with Brodie,” Chad said.
“What?” I looked at them in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Dan’s getting one of those weird head things,” Ebony said. “You know, like when he picks up people’s thoughts.”
“So she’s alive,” I said.
“Of course she’s alive.” Chad looked at me strangely. “But she must be in trouble. We’re going to see Agent Palmer.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll see you there.”
“Where are you going?” Ebony asked.
“I have to wash up.”
“Wash up?” Chad said. “But Brodie’s in trouble!”
“Yeah.” I was not handling this very well. I wanted to tell them the truth, but that would just get Brodie killed. “I have to go to the toilet.”
“Whatever.” Ebony shook her head. “We’ll see you at Palmer’s office.”
“Sure.”
I watched them go. Chad cast a long last look over his shoulder at me. He looked furious. I didn’t blame him.
Waiting till they were out of sight, I crossed to the opposite side of the concourse where a bank of elevators were located. I had never used these before; I had never had any reason to do so. Punching a button, I waited a few seconds before one arrived and I stepped inside.
My heart was thumping. I pulled out a security pass. It had been supplied to me by Graal. How he had acquired it was a mystery, but now I swiped it across the reader and hit the button for Sub-Level Thirty. At the last moment a security guard stepped into the elevator with me. Staring straight ahead, I ignored him as we descended to my level. I climbed out and walked straight ahead until the doors closed behind me.
Then I let out a breath and sagged against a wall. I wasn’t cut out to be a spy. I checked the device attached to my wrist. It was a three-dimensional compass with a map of the area. Another gift from Graal. The device indicated a supply room on my left. I hurried down the corridor, found the room and stepped inside.
Closing the door behind me, I expected to hear alarms explode all over the complex and security guards to appear from nowhere. Instead, the only sound was the buzz of the air conditioning and the thudding of my own heart.
This is completely wrong, I thought. I should go upstairs and speak to Agent Palmer and tell her what’s going on.
Except if I did that, Brodie might die, and I was not prepared to let that happen. My brief conversation with the others had already confirmed she was still alive. Involving The Agency would only endanger her life. I had to do this. Alone. Later, when Brodie was safe, I would make things right.
I hoped.
An air conditioning grill was set into the wall above one of the storage racks. I wrenched it free, stepped up onto one of the racks and climbed in. Again I expected a dozen alarms to explode into action, but nothing happened. I slid down the access shaft until I reached a junction. It was dark, so I produced my cell phone and activated the torch. Taking a turn to the right, I followed it for about a hundred feet until I reached another turn. I followed this until I reached the end.
This next step would be impossible for anyone else because before me lay a slim shaft that went into a straight drop for hundreds of feet. I was unsure exactly how far; the map did not indicate the distance. I slid over the edge and slowly lowered myself into the shaft. Finally I used my powers to lower myself downward.
I would be finished if my powers failed now. I would fall for an eternity before smashing head first into the floor far below.
I tried to imagine what the others would make of my absence.
Both Brodie and Axel are gone…
They must have eloped…
Sir, we’re getting a very strange smell from ventilation shaft P18…
I continued downward. After the first hundred feet I began to really wonder about the depth of this shaft. What if it continued for miles? What if my concentration wandered? What if a security system existed within the shaft that –
A bend in the shaft appeared before me. Letting out a long breath, I slowly lowered myself to the floor below. I curled up and lay gasping in foetal position. Sweat was running down my back. A crick of pain had opened up on the right hand side of my neck under my jaw. I felt like a nervous wreck. Was I too young to have a heart attack?
How was I going to survive this?
Because I had no other choice.
Because Brodie was depending on me.
The shaft opened out into a wider, flatter rectangular prism. I slid along it toward a metal grate about fifty feet in front of me. A slight breeze moved against my face. Finally I reached the grate and pressed my face against it. I saw a thin, rectangular chamber beyond with an elevator to one side.
“Oh hell,” I said.
A round door the size of a fully grown man was set into the opposite wall. It had a digital combination lock on the front. Fortunately, Graal had supplied me with the code to open the door. At least I knew I could get in. That wasn’t the issue.
I peered upward through the holes of the grill. The real issue lay directly above my position because a security camera sat a foot above my head. It was focused on the door of the safe. There was no doubt in my mind that alarm bells would start ringing if I turned the camera off or tried to reposition it.
I was stuck.
Chapter Nine
Dan’s head felt like it was about to explode.
The pain began at the back of his skull and vibrated all the way across the top to a point between his eyes. One of the trainers at The Agency had called this his Third Eye, a point of psychic ability within Eastern mysticism. Dan had another name for it.
Frikkin painful!
He looked across at the others. Chad and Ferdy were seated opposite him in the waiting area directly outside Agent Palmer’s office. Ebony was sitting next to him with a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. A secretary sat outside Agent Palmer’s office. She was an older woman with a severe expression. She had already shot them several disapproving looks.
Dan glanced at Ebony. He liked the quiet girl. Not only was she always friendly toward him, but she didn’t treat him like a baby.
Unlike her brother.
Chad stuck out his jaw. “Suck it up, little man. You gotta be tough to be a superhero.”
Little man?
“Get lost.”
Chad cast his eyes to the ceiling. “I’m just saying you gotta have a backbone if you want –”
“Backbone?” Dan felt the heat rising to his face. “My head feels like it’s about to explode!”
“It can’t be that bad!” Chad said. “If you can’t handle the heat –”
That was enough for Dan. Fortunately, Chad was sitting on a metal chair which made it all the easier to lift it – and him – straight up off the ground.
“Hey! What –”
“Get some backbone!” Dan yelled as Chad crashed head
first into the drywall ceiling. “Suck it up!”
A ball of flame burst from Chad’s hand and flew toward Dan. The younger boy dove to one side as the fireball hit his chair and sent it flying. The secretary screamed and dove under her desk. Ebony shrieked and leapt in the opposite direction. Chad and the chair hit the ground in an untidy pile. He swore and started to his feet. Only Ferdy remained seated. His eyes were focused on the new hole in the ceiling.
“Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States,” Ferdy told them. “Born in –”
“Fire alert,” a computerised voice intoned from a speaker set into the ceiling. “Fire alert. Warning. Fire alert.”
The door to Agent Palmer’s office burst open. “What on Earth is going on out here?”
“They’re out of control!” Only the top of the secretary’s head showed above her desk. “They’re running amuck!”
“Is that true?” Palmer asked.
“Only a little amuck.” Ebony climbed to her feet. “We need to see you for a few minutes.”
“It’s important,” Dan said.
Palmer studied the chaotic scene. “All right. Five minutes. No more. I’ve got paperwork coming out of my ears.”
They followed her into the office and sat down.
“It’s about Brodie,” Dan and Ebony started together.
They stopped.
Ebony continued. She explained about Dan’s headache and that they had not seen Brodie all day. Agent Palmer interlocked her fingers and listened in silence until she finished. Then she started punching keys on her computer.
“We should be able to get an idea of her location within seconds,” the agent said. “We can trace the phones through their SIM cards.”
“You can trace our calls?” Chad did not look pleased.
“No,” Palmer said. “Not your calls. Just the phones. We can locate the phone by triangulating its position off cell towers.” She punched a few more keys and waited. “This should only take a few seconds.”
They waited while the agent stared at the screen.
“That’s odd,” Agent Palmer finally said.
“What is?” Chad asked.