The Nightmare Vortex

by Deborah Abela

Francis continued. ‘Many elements have been refined and, of course, it not only transports objects but people as well.’

  ‘You did it!’ Max yelled.

  ‘You guys are brilliant!’ cried Linden.

  Francis blushed and focused on the Transporter Mark II. He never liked it when people made a fuss over him.

  ‘Let me explain how it works. As you can see, it is still is a small device with a sensor/camera, power light, a rod at the side and an LED screen with a grid. The solar cells and cord have been replaced by the energy of the Aurora Stone and the key panel has been replaced by a voice recognition system or if you need to be quiet, by writing your request with the rod on the LED screen.’

  ‘So I can just talk to it or write down what I want?’ Max asked.

  ‘Yes. It’s incredibly efficient technology. When you need to find a location you simply tell it where you want to go and it will find the coordinates. For multiple transportation, you can still use the scanner and outline the objects or people you wish to transport or simply say where you want to go and the Transporter will transfer you and anyone holding your hand. Excellent for quick getaways. And finally, when transportation takes place, there is no loud noise, just a green flash of light and a quiet fffftttt.’

  ‘Can it travel through time as well?’ Linden already saw himself in ancient Egypt or sailing on the Bounty.

  ‘We need to do a few more checks before we try that, but we believe so.’

  ‘And remember,’ Ben added seriously. ‘This has all happened because of you, but as important as you are, it’s time you were home in bed.’

  Max couldn’t imagine ever being tired enough to sleep again. They were standing next to the creators of one of the most important inventions in the world and they were part of making it happen.

  As they left the lab, a figure on the other side of the world sat before a radio transmitter as the fog of a northern hemisphere sunrise swirled outside. He was dressed in slippers and a dressing gown and sat at a large desk before an open fire. He had heard everything.

  ‘Ben and Francis have brought me a little closer to becoming the most powerful man in the world and they don’t even know it. They may think they outsmarted me last time, but they haven’t even begun to know who they are dealing with.’

  Max stood outside the training centre and stared at the doors.

  Linden could feel she was tense and tried to lighten her mood.

  ‘They’re not going to come to you, you know.’

  ‘I know,’ Max answered. ‘You may have noticed I haven’t done very well in there over the last few days.’

  Linden was quiet, fearful that speaking might be dangerous for his health.

  ‘I’m going to change all that,’ Max said decisively.

  Linden waited. Alex hated them being late.

  ‘Is it going to take long?’

  Max shot him a glare that made him feel he was standing in front of a firing squad.

  ‘I mean, you take all the time you need.’

  After a few minutes Max was ready. ‘Let’s go,’ she said and strode through the doors like James Bond accepting a mission. This training session was going to be unlike any other, she’d told herself as she marched inside. Gone were the days of being a klutz. She was going to be the best, most agile agent there ever was.

  ‘We’re ready,’ she announced to Alex. ‘Where do we begin?’

  Alex launched into the evening’s schedule, but despite Max’s resolve, this training session turned out to be worse than all the others.

  The last task was to outwit the Intruder Robot but after the tenth attempt, Max ended up scrunched in its arms, squirming like a piece of live bait.

  ‘Okay, Max. That'll do.’ Alex hit the remote and the robot dropped her to the floor.

  ‘Oooph!’ Max looked up at the robot. ‘Maybe you could be a bit gentler next time, you hunk of technology?’

  Max picked herself up while Alex finished her notes and packed her bag without a word.

  ‘I guess that means we can go,’ whispered Linden.

  When they were outside, Max stopped. ‘I forgot something,’ she said as she turned back towards the doors.

  Linden sensed this could mean trouble. ‘Max?’

  ‘Hmmm?’ she mumbled innocently.

  ‘Try not to upset her.’

  ‘Who said anything about upsetting her?’

  Linden sighed as she turned on her heels and went inside. ‘Just a hunch.’

  Max stopped abruptly in front of Alex.

  ‘Yes?’

  She took a deep breath. ‘I think you’re being really unfair and way too hard on me considering this is my first week of training and anyone can see I’m trying as hard as I can to do everything you want me to but for some reason you don’t want to see that.’

  Alex studied Max as though she was a bug under a magnifying glass. Max’s heart thumped and her throat seized up. Maybe she’d gone too far. Maybe Alex would refuse to train them. Maybe her big mouth had really blown it this time.

  Alex said in a voice so quiet Max had to lean in to hear it, ‘If you want an easy ride here then you should quit now. Spyforce isn’t a holiday resort, it’s an intelligence agency for fighting crime.’

  She said it like she was speaking to a small child and if there was one thing Max hated, it was being spoken to like a kid. She gritted her teeth and felt her anger grow inside her, splitting imaginary clothes like the Incredible Hulk in a bad mood.

  What Max wanted to say was this: ‘I can do anything you or Spyforce ask me to do, but what I’m really sick of is your big-headed attitude that makes me feel like I’m the biggest failure who ever lived and who will never be able to do even the simplest spy work when, in case you’ve forgotten, I’ve saved the world twice.’

  Max felt good until she realised she’d only said it in her head and Alex was still looking at her expectantly. ‘Is there something else you’d like to say, Max?’

  She struggled to make her lips move, suddenly not feeling as brave as she had.

  ‘You’ll never get anywhere in this world without finding things a little hard sometimes.’

  Max tried to think of something to say, but came up with zero.

  ‘Now have a good night’s sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow.’

  There was nothing else for Max to do but walk outside to where Linden was waiting.

  ‘Are we in for it? Because I don’t think my body can take anymore perfecting,’ Linden joked, flexing his muscles.

  Max didn’t answer.

  ‘It’s okay, Max. You’ll get it.’

  ‘I know I will. I just wish she wasn’t so mean.’ She was only just holding back a sloosh of tears.

  ‘I guess being gushy isn’t her style.’

  Max looked up and smiled, but as she did, she saw someone across the street staring straight at her.

  ‘Hey. I think I’ve seen that guy before.’

  ‘Which guy?’

  A bus pulled up on the opposite side of the street and when it drove off, the man was gone.

  ‘He was there. At the bus stop.’

  ‘Maybe he wanted to catch the bus.’ Linden tried to say it without sounding sarcastic but decided he didn’t do a very good job. ‘You’ve had a rough day. Maybe you shouldn’t trust your eyes tonight.’

  Max sighed. ‘You’re right.’

  ‘I know.’ Linden smiled. ‘You better get used to that. It happens a lot.’

  ‘You kids going to stand there all night or do you want a lift?’ It was Ben.

  Every bit of Max’s body and pride was bruised and sore and as she got in the car there was only one place she wanted to be. ‘Yeah. Home please.’

  ‘It says here in the event of high pursuit on snow, the Silver Snowbeast is the only way to escape. It is a twin-engine high-speed buggy that is compact, made completely of natural materials and has a built-in parachute for quick aerial getaways.’

  ‘Really?’ Max leant her chin on her hand and focused
all her energy on trying to lift her head.

  Linden sensed Max wasn’t listening.

  ‘And then there’s the Minotaur, a single-seater glider that moves through the air in complete silence and runs on the wind of elephant farts.’

  ‘That’s great,’ Max murmured.

  ‘Max, did you stay up all night again?’

  ‘I’ve got to prove to Alex I can be a good spy.’

  ‘I think even spies go to sleep sometimes.’

  ‘Max! We’re late, sweetie. Are you and your friend ready?’

  If she doesn’t use Linden’s name soon I’m leaving home, Max thought as she dragged herself off her bed and downstairs.

  When they arrived at school, Toby was the first person they saw. Suddenly Max’s feeling of being a total failure reached new heights.

  ‘Hey, Max? Ready for your exam results?’ Toby pasted on one of those grins toothpaste companies love.

  Max tried to ignore him. Why do some people seem to have everything? He’s good-looking, popular, has good grades and always gets everything right.

  Max stepped into class and yawned as she found her desk. Mrs Grimshore started talking and Max tried to concentrate. But then something very strange happened.

  ‘Now class, I’ve come across some exceptional students in my seventy-five years of teaching, but I’ve rarely come across one so gifted.’ Mrs Grimshore was in a much better mood than usual and, Max noticed only now, had a bright blue hairdo and giant teeth.

  ‘I would like to award the prize of Student of the Year to Max Remy.’

  The whole class cheered. Max looked up. Was it true? Could she have finally beaten Toby? And she thought she hadn’t even passed! As she walked to the front of the class she saw Toby in tears. Kids from all around called her name. ‘Max! Max! Max!’

  She’d done it!

  ‘Max! Max! Max’

  ‘Max!’

  Max sucked in a gulp of air and wiped a line of dribble from her mouth.

  ‘I’m not exciting enough for you this morning?’ It was Mrs Grimshore, with her normal teeth and hair. Please don’t let it be a dream, thought Max.

  ‘And this is for you.’ Max saw the fat ‘D’ on the exam paper and knew it was real as was Toby’s whale-sized grin.

  ‘Congratulations, Toby. First place.’ There was polite applause from the class. ‘But we have an equal first place. Linden Franklin.’

  Linden blushed. He liked science but hated when people made a big deal of when he did well.

  At the end of class, as if Max’s life wasn’t miserable enough, Toby and his friends made an appearance.

  ‘What happened, Max? Forget your brain on the day of the exam?’

  Max wished the Time and Space Machine was with her now so she could program herself right out of there.

  ‘Maybe you were just too busy to study.’ He winked at his friends. ‘Or maybe you were spending too much time with your boyfriend.’

  Max fired up a deep red. After what she’d been through in the last few days, she’d had enough. She flung her hands on her hips and got ready to let him have it. ‘Listen, Jennings. You think you’re so smart but there are some kids who have done things much cleverer than you could even think of.’

  ‘Like what?’ Toby savoured his next jibe. ‘Be a superspy?’

  Linden knew Max was being baited and in the state she was in, if Toby pushed hard enough, she just might reveal their involvement in Spyforce.

  ‘For your information —’

  An announcement cackled across the school-yard, stopping Max from saying anything else.

  Linden quickly got them away from Toby. ‘Where’s our next class?’ he asked as he led Max away.

  ‘Why does he have to be such a jerk? Where does it say his name is Toby Jennings and he’ll be a massive pain in the —’

  ‘He does seem to have developed a knack for it.’

  ‘Knack for it? He wrote the manual on Jerkdom. He’s a fat-headed, conceited, arrogant nobody and he called you my boyfriend!’

  Linden looked offended. ‘And here I was thinking I was a good catch.’

  Max felt herself calm down. ‘Now that one definitely came from your mum.’

  Linden pouted. ‘You don’t think it’s true?’

  She laughed. ‘Let’s just say she might have been a bit biased.’

  ‘Max? Can I say something that might make you mad?’

  ‘Depends on how long you want to live,’ she said warily.

  ‘I think Toby picks on you because he likes you.’

  Max had seen and heard some amazing things in the last few months — the Time and Space Machine, the Wall of Goodness, the Invisible Jet — but this was the most crazy.

  ‘Toby like me? Are you nuts? Toby can’t stand me. Toby’s aim is to make my life a misery. Toby’s the most popular guy in school. How could Toby even possibly like me?’

  ‘Just a thought.’ But Linden wasn’t convinced and by the amount of times Max said Toby’s name, he wasn’t sure she was either.

  The rest of Max’s day blurred around her. Teachers. Classes. Students. She was worried about training and the Spyforce exam. She’d made a mess of everything so far and she really needed to do well to prove to Alex she was a good spy.

  At the end of the day, Max saw her mother waving and calling from across the street. ‘Sweetie,’ she yelled in front of everyone. ‘Quickly. We’re in a hurry.’

  ‘Do you think she deliberately tries to embarrass me?’

  ‘From what I’ve seen, I think it comes naturally.’ Linden shrugged.

  ‘Great. So it’s for life.’ She sighed. ‘Better go. Training’s going to be fun compared to what Mum’s going to do to me when she hears about that exam.’

  Despite what Max expected, training wasn’t so bad after all. Like things suddenly clicked and her body started to cooperate. She successfully manoeuvred her way through the Infra-red Night Vision Enemy Hideout course and managed to infiltrate a maximum security Bad Guy Lair to save a captured Spyforce agent. At the end of the session, she was exhausted and stood before Alex hoping she’d be happy too.

  Alex looked up. ‘That’s all for today.’

  That was it? After finally being good at something, that’s all she had to say? Max was starting to get sick of how hard it was for Alex to say anything nice.

  She and Linden turned and started to walk out, when Alex stopped them.

  ‘Max? Can I see you for a minute?’

  See me? What for? Max had that awful being-sent-to-the-principal feeling.

  Linden gave her a warm smile. ‘I’ll wait outside.’

  ‘Sit down,’ Alex said.

  Max sat not knowing what was going to happen. Please don’t tell me I’m not spy material, she pleaded silently. Please don’t tell me that.

  ‘I know you think I’m being hard on you, Max, but the best lesson I’ve learnt in life is that you have to look after yourself. Once you know that, no matter what situation you get caught in, no matter how frightening, you’ll be able to give it your best shot to get out of it.’

  ‘That’s not true!’

  Alex’s head tilted in annoyance and Max thought maybe she’d been too harsh.

  ‘Well, not all of it anyway.’ Max felt scared, but now that she’d started, she had to keep going. ‘It’s good to be able to save yourself but there’s nothing wrong with relying on other people as well.’

  Alex’s expression softened like she was trying to work out how to say the next part.

  ‘Can I tell you something you can never tell anyone?’

  Max felt her body stiffen. She’d wanted so badly to be friends with Alex, but now she was about to tell her something secret all she wanted to do was run.

  ‘I’m not sure what you know about me, but I was the youngest person ever to be inducted into Spyforce.’

  Max perked up. ‘I know. You were nine years old and always wanted to be a spy since reading about them when you were little and because your dad was in Spyforce
too.’

  ‘He was the bravest man ever, but during a dangerous mission we were on, he died.’

  Alex’s lips sandwiched tightly together. This must have been the mission that had been deleted from the book.

  ‘There was another spy on the mission with us. He was my dad’s best friend. I’d known him all my life and called him Uncle Larry. I was fifteen. We were in the building of an enemy agent that had been blown up and was collapsing around us. Walls and ceilings were crashing down and the floor was crumbling like chalk dust under our feet.’ Alex’s words were like an ice storm, sticking Max to the spot.

  ‘I was following Uncle Larry and my dad was following me, making sure I was okay. We were running along a corridor dodging falling debris when I heard this crash behind me. The floor between Dad and me had collapsed into a dusty pit, leaving Dad trapped beneath a tangle of beams. I turned to Uncle Larry for what we should do next as another piece of roof crashed behind us. Uncle Larry looked me in the eye and said. “We’ll have to leave him.” I wasn’t going anywhere without my dad, but then Dad spoke up and told us to get out before we were killed.’

  Alex took a quick gasp of air.

  ‘I only saw him for five seconds after that, before the floor beneath him gave way and he was gone.’

  Without another word, Alex picked up her bag and walked away.

  Linden stuck his head round the door and saw Max alone on the bench. The way her shoulders drooped, he knew things hadn’t gone well.

  He sat down beside her. ‘Max, sometimes things don’t go the way we want them to for a reason, even if we can’t see it at the time. That was one of Mum’s best sayings.’

  Linden could see she didn’t want to talk. ‘Come on, let’s go.’

  At home, Max’s mother was waiting at the door. ‘Max, Linden. Come in.’

  Something was wrong. Max could feel it. Max’s mother had this gigantic smile and sounded so sweet it felt like a dental hazard just standing near her.

  And another thing. She’d actually said Linden’s name.

  ‘Mrs Grimshore called.’

  Of course, Max thought, she knows about the exam.

  ‘She was shocked by your performance and asked if everything was okay at home. Of course I said it was and suggested that perhaps your friend’s visit was too distracting and wouldn’t happen again if things didn’t improve.’