Masha appeared in the next minute and Tina relaxed. Step Two was underway.
“I nearly didn’t make it,” Masha said breathlessly. “I bumped into Doctor Llewellyn and Jean. They wanted me to go with them, but I told them I had orders to report to John. I think they bought it.”
“It won’t hold for long. We need to get in there before they all meet up and notice we’re missing!” Ron exclaimed. “Will we even have time to get into the office before someone comes searching for us?”
“No worries, Ronnie.” Masha grinned. “I snagged this when I bumped into the Doctor.” She held up a burnished key and waved it in front of his nose.
“No way!” Ron didn’t try to hide his shock. “You picked her pocket? Not cool, Masha.”
“In this instance it’s not a bad thing,” Tina said. “Think of what could be at stake here, Ron. Come on, we’re wasting time.” She took the key and unlocked the office door, urging the two of them to get inside so she could close it.
Once inside she took stock of the spartan office, murmuring to herself, “Where would I hide evidence if I were a saboteur…?”
“On the computer, obviously,” Masha offered.
“Not her TQB computer,” Tina retorted. “Otherwise ADAM would see it.”
Ron nodded. His dad had been one of the team who’d created ADAM, so he knew more than most about the AI.
“ADAM?” Masha asked.
“Oh, um. He’s like the computer guy.” Tina forgot that only some people knew about the digital entity she thought of as an honorary uncle.
Masha wrinkled her nose. “Right, so not on her TQB computer. So where do you think she’d hide the evidence, then?”
“You could start with her desk.” Ron was already searching through a filing cabinet, one drawer at a time.
There was nothing on the desk except a pen holder and a silver-framed photograph of Doctor Llewellyn with what Tina assumed was her family. She had her arm around the man next to her, and each of them had a small child under the other arm. They looked happy, Tina thought.
It was strange Doctor Llewellyn hadn’t mentioned having kids when they were eating last night.
They followed Ron’s suggestion, quickly finding that the drawers were locked.
“It’s a pity we don’t have the keys to this as well,” Tina moaned.
“No problem,” Masha said, snagging a couple of paperclips from the desk.
She unfolded the first and made a loop with the second, which she inserted into the lock. She wiggled it a couple of times and smiled, pushing the unfolded clip in beside it. After few deft jerks, Tina heard the lock click.
“Great job, Masha!” she gushed, hope returned. She rummaged carefully through the drawer while Masha moved on to the next lock.
The top drawers held nothing of interest, but the double drawer at the bottom clunked as Tina pulled it open. She peered inside but it was empty.
“It can’t be empty!” she cried. “I just heard something move in there!”
Ron came over and leaned down to get a better look. “Oh, cool. Take a closer look…what’s wrong with that drawer?”
Tina calmed herself and looked again, and it hit her. “It’s bigger on the outside. It’s a false drawer!”
Just then the fire alarm cut out. The three froze and exchanged horrified glances.
Tina was first to react. “Quick, Ron. How do we get it open?”
Ron ran his fingers around the bottom of the drawer. He pressed and probed until there was a click and the false bottom came free.
A smartphone lay underneath, and Tina put it in her pocket.
Ron replaced the false bottom carefully. “Come on, let’s get out of here. Doctor Llewellyn will be back any minute.”
They waited another minute while Masha finished locking the last drawer and went to the door, opening it a crack.
Too late. Doctor Llewellyn walked in and stopped dead when she saw them standing around her desk looking guilty.
“What are you doing in my office?” Doctor Llewellyn’s soft musical voice held a sharp note. “Jean has people searching the castle for you!”
Ron held his tablet up sheepishly. “I needed a charger for this. Sorry, Doctor Llewellyn.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Hmmm. How did you get in? I locked the door behind me when the fire alarm went off.”
Masha held up the key. “This was in the door, ma’am.”
Doctor Llewellyn looked flustered. “Is that so? I’ll be having a chat with Jean about this, mark my words. Off you go, now. Get yourselves to your dorm.”
They stood there, not knowing what to do. Tina was terrified that the smartphone would ring and give them away. She surreptitiously thumbed the power button, giving it a long press to switch it off.
Doctor Llewellyn shook her head in disbelief. “Why are you still here? Well? Off you go!”
They didn’t need to be told again.
They pelted out of the office and up the corridor, continuing their mad dash until they were in the safety of the dorm room to which the others had been sent after Craig had confessed to pulling the alarm.
United Kingdom, North Wales, Undisclosed Location
Broadbent watched as one of the bank of monitors on the wall showed Laura Llewellyn shooing the TQB kids from her office.
The analyst was clearly concerned. “Looks like they found the phone we gave to Doctor Llewellyn, sir. It was switched on and off again whilst the doctor was away from her office.”
Broadbent nodded brusquely. “Looks like they did, Perkins. Those bloody kids are cleverer than they look. Tracking is in place though, yes?”
“Yes sir. If they switch it on again we’ll know.”
“What about the cameras, did we manage to get one in the dormitory?”
“No, sir. Doctor Llewellyn refused point-blank to do it.”
“Damn it! We’re losing control of this. We’ll just have to move the timetable up and go to Plan B, Perkins. Put it in motion immediately.”
Perkins pursed his lips. “Sir, are you certain this course of action is necessary? I must say, I’m not keen on the idea of John Grimes turning up at our front door in a tizzy.”
“I agree, Perkins, but needs must when the Devil drives. We have a duty to fulfill. Move the Llewellyn family to the black site.”
Perkins nodded as he typed. “If they get into that phone John Grimes is going to go on the warpath, sir. You know what TQB does to kidnappers. We all saw the reports from Vegas and Colorado. Gave me nightmares for weeks.”
“It’s not if, Perkins, it’s when. We have been left to bear the brunt of piss-poor management. As usual, all we can do is try to complete our objective and make sure the collateral damage is minimal so Whitehall can cover it up. Get them to the mine, and make sure there are enough guards to keep even John Grimes busy.”
Broadbent wasn’t done. “Now, where are my Special Forces? I want them ready to move in as soon as John Grimes leaves to rescue the Llewellyns.”
“Yes, sir.” Perkins clicked his mouse a couple of times. “They’ve been held up, it seems.”
He let his incredulity show in his reply. “What? You’re joking, surely? I didn’t think anything held those SAS lads up.”
“That’s what Intelligence is telling me,” Perkins confirmed. “There’s a weather front preventing any flights from leaving Joint Helicopter Command. They’re coming by boat instead.”
“Well, hurry them up!” Broadbent couldn’t hide the weary edge in his voice.
“They will be here in an hour or so, sir,” Perkins told him.
“I suppose that’s better than nothing. Keep monitoring the feeds, and let me know if anything changes.” Broadbent sighed as the telephone began to shrill in his office.
CHAPTER NINE
United Kingdom, North Wales, Conwy Castle, East Barbican
Maxim struggled to stay focused on Craig as they sparred. His mind was on the lies they had told. It was not sitting well with him to be
a part of dishonesty like this.
Craig had blocked him twice, and now scored a point with a tap to Maxim’s ribs.
“Come on, dude!” Craig said under his breath so only Maxim could hear. “Nothing’s going to give the game away like John’s star student getting his butt handed to him by little old me!”
“Keep your guard up, Maxim,” John called from where he sat on a stone, watching the students spar.
“See?” Craig put a little more effort into his next attack. “If I’m the one telling you to focus, you need to pull it in.” The look on Craig’s face was pure delight as he scored another half-point.
Maxim growled, as much in disgust at himself as at Craig. “I think not.” He pushed aside the thoughts of the smartphone hidden in the dorm and defended for real. “I’m surprised you can still move after all the pushups you got for pulling the alarm.”
Craig skipped out of Maxim’s reach, flexing his biceps as a distraction for the leg sweep he came in with. “Can’t contain awesome like this, Maxim. There’s just too much of it!”
They were well matched, if not evenly so. He wasn’t quite as big as Craig, but then there was a good year between them. While Craig was ahead in age, size and confidence, Maxim had the advantage of time spent watching the Guardians train around the APAs whenever he’d had a break, and the payoff from hounding his Uncle Leonid to spar with him until the reluctant Guardian agreed to help him learn.
Craig’s grin went up a thousand watts when he realized they were truly testing each other now. He went in with a knee-stamp that Maxim deflected, following up his block with a jab to Craig’s abdomen. He controlled his strength, never hitting harder than was necessary to score a point.
Craig kept up the pace, parrying the punches and kicks. He threw his own here and there, but he was getting more joy out of seeing Maxim’s techniques.
It cost him the bout. Maxim scored five points in quick succession, hitting the target John had set before the start of the match.
“Geez!” Craig exclaimed with the last one, a stinging flick to the nose.
Maxim grinned, flushed with adrenaline. “Da, good. You will think twice before annoying me again.”
John intervened. “Switch partners. Craig, you’re with Mischa. Masha, you’re with Hallie. Maxim, you’re with me.”
Maxim paled. He was going to spar with John? What if John could read minds, like it was rumored all the Queen’s inner circle could do?
John smiled at him. “Relax. I liked what you did there. Peter tells me you’ve been hanging around the APAs a lot since you last came down here. You’re picking it up quickly.”
“Thank you, sir. I want to learn so I can protect my friends and family. So I can protect my father, if I ever find him.”
“Still no news of him?”
Maxim shook his head sadly. “No, sir. Every day I ask Meredith, and every day she says there has been no sighting.”
John patted his shoulder. “If he’s down here, we’ll find him. You’re going to make a great Guardian, Maxim. In the meantime, I’ll arrange for you to take a class with Peter so you can keep upping your martial arts game. “
Maxim’s ears fizzed and his heart beat hard for two or three pumps. He was sure that at any moment John would ask him why he was so nervous all of a sudden. “Thank you, sir,” he managed through a dry mouth.
“You can thank yourself. Using your initiative always pays off. What’s that quote on the wall in the Academy? ‘As long as a student pushes themselves…’ That applies to all of us, not just the Queen. You pushed for knowledge, so here I am to open the door.”
The secret twisted knots in his stomach as Maxim struggled to speak. “I will do my best.”
John patted his shoulder. “That’s all anyone can do, buddy.”
CHAPTER TEN
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Medical Wing
Bai Hu sat up in bed. His face lit up as he tasted ice cream for the first time in his life. “Tiánměi, Yana! Mmmmm!”
Yana didn't need Meredith to translate. She could see the joy the treat brought the little werecat. “You like it?”
He dug the spoon in to snag another delicious mouthful. “Xièxiè! I like. This is?”
Yana had to think for a moment to work out the meaning of his question. “Oh, ice cream.” She pointed to it as she said the words, “This is ice cream.”
“’Ice cream.’” He launched into a stream of impossibility fast Chinese she had no hope of understanding. He saw the lost look on her face and pointed at the ceiling. “Meredith.”
“Good idea,” she said.
Meredith had already heard her name. “Hello, children. Do you need my assistance again?”
“Yes please, Meredith. Can you tell me what Bai Hu is saying? If you have time,” Yana asked politely.
“I always have time for the children, Yana. I find my interactions with younger humans extremely rewarding.”
She repeated herself in Chinese for Bai Hu, something Yana and Bai Hu had not asked the EI to do. Yana appreciated Meredith's initiative. It had gone a long way toward breaking down the language barrier between them. Little by little, Bai Hu was coming out of his shell.
Bai Hu spoke to Meredith. Yana was beginning to recognize a phrase here and there, things Bai Hu repeated often enough that her sharp mind picked them up.
“Bai Hu says that he has never tasted anything so sweet as the ice cream, Yana. He is comparing this day to a religious celebration where gifts are given and expressing his regret that he has nothing to give you in return.”
Yana smiled and wrapped an arm around Bai Hu's shoulder. “The gift is having a chance to know you, Bai Hu.”
When Meredith translated this for him he pushed his over-bed table away and returned her hug with feeling, burying his head against her shoulder and crying with a mixture of grief and happiness.
He started to speak, but paused and then tried his best to say it in his halting English. “You...my… yīngxióng... good person. I die with no Yana.”
She hugged him even tighter. “I would never let that happen. Thank you, Meredith.”
“You are welcome, Yana,” Meredith replied. “Your father is outside the room. I will leave you to enjoy the good news he is bringing.”
Before Yana could ask Meredith what the news was the door opened and Nicholas entered the room, struggling with his arms full of brightly wrapped packages, a basket filled with fruit and cupcakes, and a bunch of balloons.
She rushed to help him, taking the top three packages and placing them on the table next to Bai Hu's bed. “What is all this, Father?”
Her father grinned. “These are all gifts sent to Bai Hu by the Queen's people to wish him welcome and a speedy recovery.” He repeated himself in Chinese for Bai Hu, who looked at the mound of presents with an awestruck expression.
“Open them!” Nicholas beamed, miming tearing the paper.
Bai Hu did not need to be told twice. He began with the smallest package, carefully opening it without making a single tear in the tiger-print giftwrap. He cocked his head inquisitively at the pair of socks inside.
“That is not all, children. The doctor has assured me that Bai Hu will be discharged from the medical wing tomorrow.”
Yana had been both expecting and dreading this news. “Is he really coming to live with us, Papa?” she asked, her eyes suddenly full of stinging tears. “I couldn’t bear it if the Queen changed her mind. I want us to take care of him always.”
Her father nodded. “This is why the Queen has entrusted him to our care, my love. I signed the paperwork before I came here. If Bai Hu agrees, we will be his new family.”
The little werecat listened solemnly as her father translated. When Nicholas finished he sat in silence for a minute, his hands folded in his lap and his head down.
When he looked up, he nodded at Nicholas as he spoke. She recognized the words for “yes,” and “thank you,” but the rest was lost as began to sob.
Yana laid a hand on
his shoulder.
“Are you okay?”
Bai Hu looked up at her, his dark eyes sad. “I miss mama.”
Yana couldn't hold back her tears any longer. “I miss my mama, too.”
She gathered the boy in her arms, and Nicholas embraced them both to comfort them.
“We will heal our wounds together,” he said, kissing each of them on the head. “We will make each other strong, my children.”
Yana laughed. “You are a father again!”
“And you will have the little brother you always asked for.” He put a hand on each of their cheeks, bending to look them in the eyes. He spoke first in Chinese, then in Russian. “We will honor your mothers by living happy lives, although we will never forget those we have lost. They are always in our hearts.”
He stood and picked the biggest, shiniest gift from the pile.
“Now, let's see what is in all these packages. Are you ready to open the next one, my son?”
United Kingdom, North Wales, King’s Tower, Student Dormitory
They all sat around Tina, looking at the smartphone with a mixture of excitement and worry.
“Shall I switch it on?” She looked at the assembled students with doubt on her face.
Craig grimaced. “We need to know what’s on that phone.”
Tina touched the power button, but drew her finger back before committing to pressing it. “What if they can track it? Whoever ‘they’ are.”
Maxim shared her concern. “If it is true that Doctor Llewellyn is being coerced, we cannot risk alerting the blackmailers to our discovery.” He put his head in his hands. “I do not want to be responsible for making things worse if we are discovered.”
“Da, Maxim is right,” Masha concurred. “It would be foolish to assume we will not get caught. What if the doctor is not being blackmailed at all? What if she is working with these bad guys against TQB? She could make things very difficult for us. We all heard what Ms. Dukes said—they all want our tech. Bad guys don’t just quit because there are kids around.”
Ron had a thought. “They must be after Project Gauntlet, the new armor-making process.”
Alpha Class - Discovery: A Kurtherian Gambit Series (The Etheric Academy Book 3) Page 6