by Mark Walden
‘On my way.’ She flipped the Blackbox closed and broke into a run, heading for the cavern.
‘Come on, Nigel, wake up.’ Otto shook the Blackbox slightly, as if that might somehow get Nigel to answer more quickly. After a few more agonising seconds Nigel appeared on the screen, rubbing at his eyes.
‘Otto, you do know that it’s half past four in the morning, don’t you?’ Nigel moaned.
‘Sorry, Nigel but this couldn’t wait,’ Otto snapped back.
‘What?’
‘See for yourself.’ Otto pointed the camera at the rampaging monster that had once been Nigel’s science project.
‘Violet!’ Nigel cried, and Otto turned the camera back towards himself. ‘Oh my God, what’s happened to her?’
‘I was hoping that you might be able to tell us, Nigel,’ Otto replied, trying to keep his voice calm.
‘She was fine last night. I checked on her before I came back to my quarters. I have no idea what could have caused this.’
Otto looked down at the scene below. The squirming mass of lethal-looking tendrils had now covered the entire floor of the cavern. As he watched he was horrified to see a mass of these tendrils rip the cover from a ventilation shaft that was set into the cavern wall and fling it to one side, more tendrils swarming into the now exposed shaft at a ferocious speed.
‘How do we kill it, Nigel?’ Otto demanded.
‘You can’t kill her! She doesn’t know what she’s doing!’ Nigel wailed.
‘It’s her or us, Nigel. If we don’t stop her she’s going to overrun the entire school. So how do we kill her?’ Otto was losing his patience.
Nigel hesitated for a second, a look of tortured indecision on his face. ‘There’s a bundle of nerve clusters at the base of her stem. You have to destroy those to kill her.’
Otto peered down into the cavern trying to pick out anything at the base of the monstrous stem. Then he saw them – pulsating slime-covered sacs arranged in a circle around the stem, each one the size of a small car.
‘OK, I see them.’
‘I’ve got to come down there. Perhaps I can calm her down,’ Nigel said frantically.
The monster’s huge head tipped back and let out another screeching roar like fingernails being dragged down a blackboard.
‘I think it might be a bit late for that Nigel. Stay where you are.’
The chief of security ran up to Nero as Otto flipped the Blackbox shut.
‘It’s in the shafts, sir. At the rate that thing’s growing it’ll overrun the whole school in a couple of hours.’ He didn’t appear to have an immediate suggestion as to what they could do about it. Behind the chief, security guards fanned out along the walkway. Some were carrying flamethrowers with large fuel tanks strapped to their backs and others were armed with shoulder-mounted rocket launchers.
‘Very well, Chief. Hit it with everything you’ve got. Let’s see how much damage this thing can withstand,’ Nero instructed.
‘Make sure they aim for those growths at the base of the stem,’ Otto added, relaying Nigel’s advice.
The chief nodded and yelled instructions to his men, who were now spread out along the length of the walkway, before shouting, ‘Fire at will!’
The guards did not need to be told twice, and multiple rockets streaked down from the walkway towards the creature below. The tendrils surrounding the base of the creature reacted impossibly fast, springing into the air and swatting the warheads aside before any of them could find their mark, the missiles exploding harmlessly against the walls or in the masses of squirming tentacles. There was no way the guards could destroy the nerve clusters from their current position. Round after round was swatted away before they got anywhere near finding their mark. Nero looked even more worried than before.
‘Chief, lock down the accommodation blocks. If that thing reaches the students we’ll have a massacre on our hands.’
In accommodation area seven Laura and Shelby sat dejectedly on one of the sofas in the atrium. Neither of them felt like talking about the disastrous failure of their escape attempt, but at the same time both of them were much too wired to sleep. Suddenly from all around them there came thumping clangs.
‘What’s that?’ Laura shouted over the noise.
Shelby looked around the atrium as the noise continued. ‘They’re sealing the ventilation shafts,’ she replied as yet more steel sheets slid into place behind the grille dotted around the accommodation block’s walls.
‘They don’t seriously think we’re going to go crawling around in there again tonight, do they?’ Laura moaned. ‘We get the message!’ she shouted at their unseen tormentors.
‘I think they know that,’ Shelby answered softly as the noise stopped. A grinding noise from behind them caught their attention and they both turned to see a huge metal slab closing off the entrance to the block. Shelby looked across to the other entrance way at the far end of the cavern. That too was being sealed shut.
‘I don’t think they’re trying to keep us in.’ She looked carefully at Laura. ‘I think they’re trying to keep something out.’
Meanwhile in the hydroponics cavern, the tendrils were climbing the walls and it was all the guards could do to drive them back from their previously safe perch.
‘We’re out of ammo for the launchers, sir. I’m running out of ideas here,’ the chief said, anxiously eyeing the tendrils that were climbing the walls towards them.
‘Get as many of the helicopters ready for take-off as possible,’ Nero instructed. He knew that it would be impossible to get everyone off the island that way but he might be able to save at least some of the students.
‘Yes, sir.’ The chief jogged away and began to issue more frantic orders to his men.
Otto looked around the cavern, trying not to look at the terrifying mass of swarming thorn-covered vines below. He glanced up at the ceiling. His eyes widened.
He turned to Dr Nero. ‘Dr Nero, I may have an idea.’ He briefly explained what he was proposing to Nero, whose expression changed from one of doubt to one of intense calculation.
‘Under any other circumstances I would say you were insane, Malpense, but that might work,’ Nero said with a grim smile just as Raven ran out on to the walkway. There was not much that surprised his most capable operative, but Nero saw the look of astonishment on her face as she took in the scene in the cavern below.
‘Raven,’ Nero shouted over the sounds of the guards firing at the creature, ‘over here.’ She seemed reluctant to tear her eyes from the monstrous plant as she approached Nero.
‘We never have small problems, do we, Max?’ she said in a quiet voice.
‘This one is bigger than most, I fear,’ he replied, his face grave.
He quickly explained the plan that Otto had proposed to him a moment earlier.
‘I get all the fun jobs, don’t I?’ she said, giving Nero a predatory grin.
‘Go with Malpense to collect the items he needs, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to hurry. And keep an eye on him, we wouldn’t want him to slip away in the confusion, would we?’
‘We’ll be back before you even notice we’re gone,’ she replied, turning to Otto.
Wing eyed the black-clad woman warily. ‘What did you get yourself into now, Otto?’
‘I’m not sure,’ Otto replied, ‘but I’m not going to argue with her, are you?’
‘I should come with you. I don’t trust that woman.’
‘Neither do I, Wing, but you’re hurt. You should stay here.’ Wing was still holding his wrist carefully. If anything did happen Otto knew that Wing would not be able to help very much with a broken wrist. Besides, the creature had probably spread throughout H.I.V.E. by now and there was no point them both ending up as fertilizer if something went wrong.
‘Malpense! You’re with me.’ Raven’s tone made it clear that she was not prepared to discuss the situation.
Several dozen students had now gathered in the atrium of accommodation area seven, woken by th
e sounds of distant explosions and nervously discussing what was going on outside the firmly sealed block. Laura looked over at the heavy steel doors as another explosion made the atrium floor shudder.
‘I wish I knew what was going on,’ she said, turning to Shelby. ‘You don’t think it’s got anything to do with Otto and Wing, do you?’
There was the sound of distant gunfire. ‘I hope not,’ Shelby replied, ‘for their sake.’
Laura saw a frightened-looking Nigel making his way through the gathering crowd towards them.
‘Hey, Nigel. You having trouble sleeping too?’ Shelby asked as he approached.
‘Erm . . . yes . . . look, there’s something you should know.’
It took Nigel a couple of minutes to hurriedly explain the disaster that was unfolding at that very moment in the hydroponics cavern. The two girls stared at him in amazement.
‘Well I’ve heard of people trying to live up to their family name, Nigel, but it sounds like you’ve really outdone yourself,’ Shelby said with a grim smile. ‘So we’re all on the menu for Frankenflower. Great, just when I thought tonight couldn’t get any better.’
‘I don’t understand what happened,’ Nigel said sadly. ‘Violet was so small, I just don’t see how –’
He was interrupted by a scream from elsewhere in the atrium. They all turned to see what the commotion was and saw several people pointing up towards the ceiling. Laura looked up and saw dozens of thick green vines swarming out of the cave from which the atrium’s waterfall flowed, squirming across the rock and quickly advancing down the cascade towards the floor. No one had to tell the assembled students what to do – almost as one they seemed to turn and run for the lifts at the other end of the atrium.
‘This way,’ Shelby said, steering Laura and Nigel away from the crowd forming around the lifts and towards the stairs. Shelby bounded up the stairs three at a time with Laura and Nigel following close behind.
They came out on to the walkway that led to their own quarters and looked down into the atrium. The doors of the lift carrying the last load of students slid shut moments before the slithering vines reached them, whisking the terrified students upwards to temporary safety. The thorn-covered tendrils slammed against the glass of the elevator shaft, trying to find a way in.
‘We’re locked in with that thing,’ Laura said as they watched the writhing green mass below expanding to cover more and more of the atrium floor. ‘There’s a limit to how far we can run. We have to try to find a way to stop it.’
With a crash, the glass on one side of one of the lift shafts gave way and the vines crawled inside.
‘I’m open to suggestions,’ Shelby replied grimly.
Otto had trouble keeping up with Raven as they ran down the corridor towards the Tactical Education department. They had passed a couple of squads of security guards hurrying to other areas of the facility but otherwise the corridors were eerily deserted. Otto tried to ignore the noises that were coming from the ventilation grilles that they passed, but it was clear that the creature was expanding throughout H.I.V.E. at a alarming rate.
They rounded a corner and came to the entrance to the grappler cavern. Raven quickly punched a code into the panel beside the doors and they slid apart, granting them access. Otto dashed to the racks of grapplers and hurriedly shoved two into his backpack. Raven scanned the cavern impatiently. There was no sign of the creature anywhere but she was not about to let her guard down.
‘OK,’ Otto said, turning to Raven, ‘next stop the Tech department, but we need to find a weapon locker.’
‘There are several on the way,’ Raven replied as they hurried out of the cavern. ‘Are you sure you can make the required modifications?’
‘I hope so,’ Otto didn’t sound entirely certain, ‘but I’ll need some of the tools in the Tech labs.’
‘The creature has been sighted in that area, we should proceed with caution.’ Raven set off down the corridor at the same breakneck pace as before. Once again Otto struggled to keep up with her. If they did encounter the creature, being a slow runner would not be a good thing.
On the walkway overlooking the hydroponics cavern the situation was quickly becoming desperate.
‘The flame units are low on fuel, sir,’ the chief informed Nero, trying to keep his voice steady, ‘I don’t know how much longer we can hold the walkway.’
‘We have to hold it chief, at least until Raven and the boy return,’ Nero replied. ‘Do everything you can.’
‘Yes, sir.’ The chief hurried over to his men and redeployed the few flamethrowers that remained functional along the length of the walkway. Nero knew that the situation was desperate, but they had to hold this position to give Malpense’s plan any chance of working.
Without warning a huge tendril reared up into the air above the walkway. It was as thick as a tree trunk and covered in vicious-looking thorns. The guard nearest to the whipping tentacle fired his flamethrower straight at it with little effect. The tendril recoiled momentarily before lashing out and slamming the guard violently against the rock wall. It continued to thrash around the walkway, looking for new prey.
Wing backed away from the flailing tentacle. There was no cover on the walkway and as his back pressed against the rough rock wall he realised that there was nowhere to run. Suddenly the tentacle, seeming to sense his presence, whipped towards him at blinding speed.
‘Fanchu, get down!’ Nero yelled, sprinting towards the boy. Knowing it was pointless, Wing raised his one good arm to defend himself as the creature prepared to strike. Nero hit Wing hard, pushing him to one side as the tendril hit, the savage thorns raking across the older man’s chest and throwing him several metres along the platform. Wing gasped in pain as he landed on his injured wrist, spots swimming before his eyes. Several of the guards hurried down the walkway and used the last few precious kilos of fuel in their flamethrowers to drive the monstrous tendril back before it could strike again. Wing struggled to his feet and limped towards Nero’s crumpled body. As he knelt next to the Doctor he was relieved to see that, while his chest rose and fell irregularly, the man was at least still breathing.
Wing carefully rolled Nero on to his back. There was a lot of blood, his shirt had been torn open and several long deep gashes gaped acrosshischest. A glint caught Wing’s eyeand, as he looked closer, his mouth dropped open in astonishment. Nero was wearing an amulet that was the perfect mirror image of his own, the yin to his own yang. Wing’s mind reeled as he touched the amulet. There was no doubt about it – the symbols they both wore were perfect twins.
‘Medics!’ the chief of security screamed when he saw Nero lying injured on the walkway, and Wing was shoved to one side as several guards and medics swarmed around the unconscious headmaster. ‘We have to get him to the infirmary now, he’s losing too much blood,’ the chief instructed frantically as the medics assembled a portable stretcher next to Nero.
‘The infirmary’s cut off, sir. That thing is running rampant in the corridors between here and there,’ one of the guards quickly reported.
‘Do what you can for him here,’ the chief instructed. He looked down at the tendrils that were now slithering up the wall towards the walkway. If they didn’t stop this thing soon, it wouldn’t just be Nero whose survival was in doubt.
Otto and Raven had not been able to take the most direct route to the Tech labs. They had found corridors blocked at several points by twisted masses of the deadly green vines and had to find alternate routes. It was fortunate that they both knew the layout of the school like the backs of their hands. Now they were finally near to their destination, and Raven poked her head round the corner, scanning the corridor that led to the lab entrance.
‘Looks clear – let’s go.’ She dashed round the corner and towards the doors, with Otto close behind. Trying to maintain Raven’s merciless pace was exhausting.
As they passed through the doors they found that the lab too was deserted. Otto moved around the room gathering the tools he woul
d need as Raven watched the corridor outside nervously.
‘I’ll need five minutes,’ Otto said, pulling from his backpack the sleepers they had collected on the way to the lab.
‘You’ve got three. Hurry,’ Raven replied. She could hear the unmistakable slimy rustling sound of the creature’s tendrils moving somewhere nearby.
‘It’s a good job I work well under pressure,’ Otto muttered to himself as he set about removing the casings from the Sleepers. He stared at the exposed mechanism. The design was more complex than he had anticipated. He picked up one of the tools he had gathered and set to work as quickly as he could.
In accommodation area seven the situation was rapidly becoming critical. All of the students were now either locked in their quarters, trapped by the tendrils or, like Laura, Shelby and Nigel, were crowded on to the upper landing watching with horror as the mutated plant crept slowly upwards towards them.
‘How do we stop this thing, Nigel?’ Shelby demanded. The tendrils would be on them in a matter of seconds.
‘I’m not sure,’ Nigel replied desperately. ‘Fire would harm her, but we’d probably just end up burning the school down. Besides which, these aren’t dry twigs, this is fresh green growth. It’d be very hard to burn.’
‘OK, fire’s out. What else?’ Laura asked.
‘Cold. Violet’s a tropical plant, she hates the cold,’ Nigel said weakly.
If Laura had been a comic-book character, a light bulb would have appeared above her head. She ran to the fire alarm on the wall and smashed the glass with her elbow.
She knew that with H.I.V.E.mind offline the automatic fire suppression system would not kick in, but she also knew from previous discussions with Otto that there was a back-up plan for just such an occasion. All around the landings hatches slid open and fire extinguishers slid from hidden compartments.
‘Grab an extinguisher, Shelby,’ Laura yelled, taking one for herself. She ran towards a point on the landing where the first few tendrils were starting to appear over the edge of the balcony, and depressed the lever of the fire extinguisher. An icy-white cloud of carbon dioxide gas shot out, enveloping the waving tendrils and making them recoil instantly as if they had been burnt. Shelby also fired her extinguisher at the encroaching tentacles, quickly repelling them from the balcony.