‘Revolution!’ she cried. ‘Revolution!’
One of the warriors fired ineffectively into the deck as the other stumbled backward. Brodie was so amazed she didn’t know what to say, but Dan repeated the cry.
‘Revolution!’ he yelled. ‘Down with the Tagaar!’
‘Freedom!’ someone in the crowd yelled.
‘Kill the Tagaar!’ another voice rang out.
Ebony dove to one side as the Tagaar warriors recovered. They opened fire on the crowd. People screamed and ducked for cover. Some people were hit. Dan focused on a piece of sheet metal on one of the makeshift roofs. It flew through the air and struck one of the warriors, killing him instantly.
The remaining warrior continued to fire as he withdrew through the door. Ebony climbed to her feet.
‘Revolution!’ she yelled.
A hundred voices had already taken up the cry. Several other people were cheering at the death of Breel and the warrior. Brodie and her friends caught up to Ebony. Dan slapped her on the back.
‘You’re amazing!’ he said.
‘Not really.’ The girl blushed in the pale light. ‘I just don’t like bullies.’
Zena appeared at their side. ‘We’ve got to press the advantage,’ she said. ‘With this many people we may be able to take over the ship.’
They started forward, but the door had started to slide shut. Dan focused on it and buckled it out of shape, forcing it to grind to a halt. By now, they could hear a chant of voices ringing behind them. The revolt had only taken minutes to spread across the length and breadth of Sartaria. It seemed the whole society had been like a powder keg waiting to explode. All it needed was a match—and Ebony had provided it.
‘Well done, girl,’ Brodie said as they started up the corridor.
‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘Now we just need to take over the ship.’
It quickly became apparent that this was going to be easier said than done. The single guard at the far end of the corridor was joined by another group of warriors. Ebony formed a shield, and Ferdy wielded it before them as the aliens began firing. Brodie looked back and saw a multitude of people starting down the tunnel with makeshift weapons, most of which looked like they were made for metalworking.
‘Anyone got any ideas?’ she asked.
Ebony turned to Dan. ‘You remember the baseball maneuver?’
‘Do I ever?’ Dan smiled. ‘Bat ‘er up.’
Ebony focused on the air before the shield and created an iron ball. Dan sent it flying towards the approaching troops. They heard a scream and the sound of running. Ebony and Dan repeated the procedure half a dozen times.
‘Ferdy does not like it when we hurt people,’ Ferdy said. ‘But we have to fight back if people shoot at Ferdy and his friends.’
‘Absolutely,’ Ebony agreed.
‘In 455AD,’ Ferdy continued, ‘Roman Emperor Petronius Maximus was stoned to death by an angry mob after only seventy-eight days on the throne.’
‘Uh, I didn’t know that.’ Ebony raised an eyebrow. ‘I don’t think we’ll be meeting him today.’
‘Obviously, friend Ebony,’ Ferdy said, giving her a look as if she were dumb. ‘He is dead.’
‘Thanks for clearing that up.’
Brodie looked ahead. The Tagaar were nowhere to be seen. She urged the others forward until they reached another door. By now, the corridor was very full of people. Brodie thought they could take over the ship if they could access enough weapons.
‘Ferdy,’ Brodie said. ‘We need firepower for these people. Are you able to hack into the Tagaar communications system?’
‘I can.’
He smiled at her.
‘Uh, will you do it, please?’ Brodie asked.
‘Of course.’ He laid down the enormous metal shield. Pulling open a nearby panel, he manipulated the wires for a moment. A series of hieroglyphics appeared on a small computer screen. After a few minutes, he drew back from the panel, frowned, and punched a few more buttons.
‘How are you doing?’ Brodie asked.
‘Ferdy is well.’
‘Have you succeeded in hacking the system?’
‘Not yet,’ he replied. ‘Ferdy first had to learn the Tagaar language and counting system. The language contains almost a million words while the Tagaar use a Base-12 numeric system.’
‘Oh.’
Ferdy continued to punch buttons on the panel. He finally gave a satisfied sigh. ‘There is a weapons storage area three hundred feet to our left and one floor up.’
Brodie examined the wall. ‘This looks pretty thick,’ she said. ‘Maybe we should—’
Ferdy punched a hole straight through the metal, revealing the room beyond. He tore a jagged gap in the wall so large that two people could fit through at a time.
‘It is not so thick,’ he said. ‘See?’
Chapter Twenty-Five
I was awakened by the sound of a droning alarm. Opening my eyes with difficulty, I tried to bring myself back into wakefulness. I saw a view screen and a control panel. Chad was sound asleep in the pilot’s seat next to me.
Where am I?
I can’t say it all came flooding back to me. I’d been through too much over the last couple of days for that to occur. Instead, my memories returned in a piecemeal fashion. Last of all, I remembered that the President of Russia—Alexi Kozlov—was handcuffed to a seat in the back of the Flex Fighter.
Oh no. How did I get myself into this mess?
The alarm continued to sound. I turned my focus to the control panel. A light was flashing.
‘Uh oh,’ I muttered. ‘Computer. What’s the source of the alarm?’
‘Main power has dropped to ten percent.’
‘Why has the power suddenly dropped?’
‘Power loss is due to normal consumption.’
Normal consumption? This was weird. One of the staff at The Agency had told me Flex craft had enough power to last for years.
‘What’s using the power?’ I asked.
‘Life support, engines…’ The computer’s voice droned on, listing a multitude of ship-wide systems. Then it said something that caught my attention.
‘Computer, what was that last item?’
‘Power drainage from the outer hull.’
‘What is that?’
‘A device is attached to the outer hull that is draining energy at ten times normal rate.’
I wasn’t sure what it was, but the Russians must have fired something at us before we escaped. Waking Chad up wasn’t easy. After yelling his name, I took to shoving him half a dozen times before he finally woke up.
‘What’s going on?’ he grunted.
‘We have to put down for a while.’
‘Why?’
I explained the problem regarding the hull.
‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Put us down anywhere.’
He promptly went back to sleep.
‘Computer,’ I said. ‘Bring us into land.’
‘Confirmed.’
I heard a slight rev of the engines, and the vessel dipped. I looked at the countdown on the wrist compass. I had six hours until I was due to meet Graal. I still hadn’t formulated a plan as to how to save Brodie—assuming she was still alive—but at least I didn’t feel as alone. I watched the landscape draw closer by the moment. We dipped low over some trees and found a glade in the middle of a forest.
‘Computer,’ I said. ‘Where are we?’
‘Current position is approximately fifty miles west of the Gouin Reservoir.’
‘Uh…where is that?’
‘The Province of Quebec.’
Canada, I thought. Not quite the way I wanted to see this wonderful country.
The Flex gently set down.
Chad stirred. ‘Are we there yet?’
‘Come on. I need your help.’
‘Doing what?’
I groaned and explained again about the device attached to the hull. Stretching, he half fell out of the pilot’s seat. We entered the rear se
ction of the vessel and found the President wide awake. Obviously, he was too worried to sleep.
‘What are we doing?’ he asked. ‘Is a ransom to be paid?’
‘There’s not going to be any ransom,’ I said.
The man immediately looked alarmed.
‘No, I mean—’ I wasn’t sure how to explain this. ‘I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into this. There’s a hostage situation taking place, and we need your help.’
‘Is there to be a prisoner exchange?’ he asked.
‘Uh, something like that.’
‘That’s right.’ Chad shook his head unhappily. ‘We’re trading you for a shipment of babushka dolls. I warned you—’
‘Ignore him,’ I instructed the President. ‘We’ll be back in a minute.’
I practically dragged Chad out the rear door of the ship. We found ourselves in the middle of a clearing surrounded by tall trees. Chad and I began examining the exterior of the ship. After a minute, we found a device the size of a plate attached to the side.
‘This doesn’t look like it belongs,’ Chad said.
We pried it free, and Chad used his flame power to melt it into slag.
‘Let’s just hope that wasn’t part of the engine,’ I said.
‘I doubt it.’ He glanced around the surrounding forest. ‘I’m getting that weird feeling.’
‘Indigestion?’
‘No.’ He peered through the network of trees. ‘Like we’re being watched.’
I stared into the forest. It looked completely deserted.
Still…
‘Let’s get moving,’ I said. ‘The sooner—’
A voice boomed from the undergrowth. ‘This is Canadian Special Forces,’ the voice said. ‘Get down on the ground. Place your hands on the back of your head. Don’t move.’
Uh oh.
As we started around the side of the vessel, someone flew straight out of the forest and slammed into us. It was like being hit by a cannonball. We were sent sprawling across the ground as the shape disappeared out of sight. I tried standing, but I’d been winded. Chad was faster on his feet. He started erecting an ice wall around the perimeter. It had reached a height of about six feet when the second attack happened.
A blast of purple energy smashed a hole in the wall. By now, I was back on my feet again, but the beam of light slammed into me, and I was sent flying once more. I groaned. A hail of bullets hit the wall, reducing it to icy rubble. I tried rising again, but something knocked me to the ground for the third time.
I rolled over. The figure standing above me was the human cannonball who had crashed into me. I struggled to my knees as he drew back a fist.
‘I’m Tasker,’ he said. ‘Time to say goodnight.’
He slammed his fist into my jaw, and darkness swallowed me.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The rain had stopped.
Morgan Le Fay sipped at her cup of tea as she peered through the window of the small cottage. There were few things she would miss when she left Earth, but a good cup of tea was one of them. She always took hers with sugar and cream. A small pastry on the side never went astray either. It was a shame this cottage was so ill-equipped to satisfy her, but sometimes she was forced to settle for second best.
She sighed. The view from the cottage was delightful. From here, she could watch the sea and the mighty heaving waves off the coast. A lovely view. Still, there would be many stimulating vistas awaiting her once she acquired the necessary technology to leave this world. A muffled groan came from behind her. She glanced back at the owners of the cottage. An elderly couple named George and Sarah Bell stood with their adult son, Bruce, like toy soldiers at attention. Morgan placed down her cup of tea. Inclining her head to the elderly woman, she said, ‘You may speak.’
The woman gasped and let out a low cry. Despite the return of her power of speech, it still took the old woman a moment to form words.
‘Who are you?’ she gasped. ‘What are you? What do you—’
Morgan gave a small wave of her hand and silenced the woman again. ‘So many questions. I can see why I shut you up in the first place.’ She took another sip of her tea. Drumming her fingers on the table, she decided to try the son.
‘Young man,’ she said. ‘I’m going to ask you some questions.’
She allowed him to speak. Instead of being grateful for the return of his voice, his face convulsed with hatred. ‘Release us!’ he yelled. ‘What sort of monster—’
‘I will be the one asking the questions,’ Morgan said. She was beginning to tire of these people. Morgan flicked a wrist, and the son abruptly turned and punched his mother in the face. The old woman’s head snapped to one side, but she remained standing.
‘You will cause your mother pain every time you don’t answer me,’ Morgan instructed him. ‘Do you understand?’
Bruce Bell was a big man—well over six feet in height—but now he cried like a baby.
‘Yes…yes, I understand.’
‘Now, I want to know about The Solar Accelerator,’ Morgan said. ‘What security is at the installation?’
‘Se-security?’
‘Yes, you oaf!’ Morgan snapped. ‘Security!’
‘Well…they have a lot of security.’ Bruce’s eyes were moving about wildly in his head. ‘They have police and the army and guns…’
‘Oh, you stupid boy.’ Morgan tut-tutted him. ‘I hate it when people lie to me. I really do. And people who lie to me must be punished.’
She spent the next hour exacting punishment on the helpless family. The elderly couple was close to death by the time Morgan had finished. Finally, she allowed Bruce to speak again, and he immediately burst into tears.
‘Stop whining!’ she snapped. ‘Now tell me about the security at the installation.’
‘There isn’t any,’ he sobbed. ‘It’s a research facility.’
‘What about cameras?’
‘I…I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I don’t think there are any.’
Morgan nodded. It was just as she suspected. While being immortal, she wasn’t impervious to harm; she could be killed by a bullet in the same manner as anyone else. She hadn’t lived this long without being cautious.
‘I believe you’re telling me the truth,’ she said. ‘And how many scientists work at the array?’
‘A-about half a dozen.’
‘Good…good,’ she mused. ‘Well, I think that just about covers it, but I have one last question.’
‘Please,’ Bruce begged. ‘My parents…they need medical help…’
Morgan shut him up. She’d have to do this herself. Finishing her tea—it had gone cold because of that stupid boy—she began a thorough search of the house. Finally, she found what she was seeking in a back room of the small cottage.
Paraffin.
Wonderful, she thought. A fire on a cold afternoon is so pleasant.
She handed the tin to Bruce and made him splash it throughout the house. Finally, Morgan forced him to pour the remaining liquid over his parents and himself. Morgan rooted through a set of drawers until she found what she was seeking.
A lighter.
She offered it to Bruce. The young man struggled against her. She could see him exerting every bit of willpower to stop himself from raising his hand. Still, finally, it jerked into place, and he gripped the lighter tightly.
‘Good.’ Morgan cast a last glance about the small living area. ‘Now that looks rather nice.’
A shawl lay across the back of one of the chairs.
‘I do believe this is fine alpaca.’ She fondled it gently. ‘It’s lovely. Too good to burn.’
Morgan went to the door of the cottage and opened it wide. Gray clouds scudded across the sky. It had grown even colder, and Morgan was immensely pleased that she had the shawl. She wrapped it around her, closed the door, and headed up the street. At the top of the hill lay the Solar Accelerator. It was an imposing structure, a large concrete building with a vast antenna pointed skyward. After a mome
nt, she gave a flick of her hand. An enormous swoosh, followed by a single cry, emanated from the cottage behind her.
She continued up the hill.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I awoke slowly.
I was in a moving vehicle—an aircraft. Lifting my head slowly, I realized I was on a bench with Chad sitting next to me. He was already awake. He looked both scared and angry. Opposite us sat the man named Tasker and two army personnel. One had red hair. The other was blonde. To my left were the pilots at the front of the ship. We were in a vessel not dissimilar in design to the Flex Fighter. Possibly it was a little smaller.
I tried to open my mouth, but my jaw was hurting badly.
‘Sorry about that punch, kid.’ Tasker smirked. ‘I don’t know my own strength sometimes.’
I looked down at my handcuffs. They were attached to a chain set into the floor. I tried using my powers to break the cuffs apart.
‘You’re wasting your time,’ Tasker said, glancing up at the roof.
I followed his gaze. Two zeno emitters were set into the ceiling. They produced a dampening field that nullified our powers completely.
‘Who are you people?’ I asked. ‘You’re not Canadian Special Forces.’
He laughed. ‘You’re right about that,’ he said. ‘We’re a group known as Stint. We’re mercenaries. Someone hired us to take you out, and we did.’
‘Where’s Alexi Kozlov?’
‘In the other Lifter.’
‘Lifter?’
‘It’s like that clever little ship you boys were flying around in.’ He leaned forward. ‘I’ve got to hand it to you. That was quite a heist you pulled off.’
‘Heist?’
‘The Russian President!’ He shook his head in admiration. ‘You’re all over the news. The United States and Russia are ready to start firing nukes at each other.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘I bet you are.’ He obviously didn’t believe my expression of remorse. ‘Can I ask you a question?’
Teen Superheroes Box Set | Books 1-7 Page 42