Red Centre

by Chris Ryan

  Pirroni was on the phone. ‘Is my plane ready?’

  The hostages were all awake, listening. Alex strained, but he couldn’t hear the negotiator’s reply.

  ‘I want that plane at six-thirty,’ said Pirroni. ‘If it is not ready then, I will shoot a hostage. For every twenty minutes you delay after that, I will shoot another.’

  Alex felt fingers curl painfully into his arms like claws. Milla and Holly clung onto him for dear life. He leaned forward and spoke softly but emphatically. ‘Stay calm. N o heroics. It won’t be long now. Remember your job is to stay alive until you can be rescued.’

  Eight frightened faces nodded back at him.

  Sergeant Powell was in direct contact with six snipers via an earpiece. Two were next to the main camp. Four more had come in with the fuel lorry that morning and were in key points around the lake, where Pirroni was to get into the plane. If they could get a clear shot at the target, they would take him out. But not if it meant endangering the hostages. Their safety was paramount and to date the operation had been successful. No hostage had yet lost their life. The SAS wanted to keep it that way!

  The negotiator was in the other lorry, ready. He had made the arrangements with Pirroni, but even at this late stage the terrorist might change his demands.

  Hex, Amber and Paulo were in the field ambulance, sitting in a row along the stretcher. Hex had his arms round a computer monitor, feeling for a socket with his fingers. He found it and inserted a plug. Then he flicked a key on his palmtop with a flourish and the monitor sprang into life. ‘Now,’ he grinned, ‘we can see what’s on the cameras. I’m tuned into the signal splitter.’

  ‘Hey, cool,’ said Amber.

  ‘I still wonder where Li’s got to.’ Paulo sounded worried.

  ‘She must be helping Sergeant Powell; that’s the only place we haven’t looked,’ said Amber.

  ‘Shh, look.’ Hex nodded towards the monitor. ‘They’re coming out.’

  The door of the control room opened.

  ‘Jeez, look at them,’ said Amber.

  A hostage stepped out onto the wooden steps, wearing a grey ski mask that covered the whole head like a balaclava, leaving only the eyes showing in a sinister narrow slit.

  ‘Who’s that?’ asked Hex.

  ‘Looks like one of the big guys,’ said Paulo. ‘Mark, or what’s his name? – Woody.’

  ‘Pirroni’s put that on everyone,’ said Amber. ‘Look.’ Another hostage followed the first, and another, all wearing the same grey masks.

  ‘He’s made them all look the same,’ said Hex. ‘The snipers will just about be able to tell who’s male and who’s female, but not much else. Is he planning a diversion?’

  Amber stabbed at the screen with her finger. ‘I think that one’s Alex.’ She pointed at a tall, rangy figure coming down the steps.

  ‘And guess who that is behind him,’ Paulo mused. The next figure to leave wore the flying doctor overalls as well as a ski mask. He limped as he came down the steps. Paulo squinted and leaned forwards. ‘Is that . . . ? He’s got a gun.’ Poking out of the sleeve of the overalls was the black tip of a gun muzzle.

  Hex fiddled with a switch. There was a crackle from the computer’s speaker and words started to come through. ‘Target has been sighted. He is armed. Stand by.’

  ‘That’s the reports from the snipers,’ explained Hex. He couldn’t help but grin proudly.

  ‘Hey, sound as well as vision,’ said Amber. ‘You must have been up early.’ She looked back at the screen. ‘But tell me this. What’s the point of Pirroni putting those masks on them since he’s wearing those overalls and the snipers will know him by his limp anyway?’

  Alex walked slowly, in time with the others. The ski mask was itchy; underneath, his mouth was sealed with a silver length of duct tape. He followed behind Zoe, Holly, Milla, Mark, Peter and Woody. But the limping figure immediately breathing down his neck was not Pirroni. It was Jonny Cale. Pirroni had taped the presenter’s mouth shut, made him put on the flying doctor uniform and attached the empty pistol to his hand. He had removed Jonny’s boot and sock and burned the sole of his foot with a cigarette. Jonny’s screams had come through the tape. It had sounded like a brutal act being committed a long way away. Alex’s blood had run cold.

  The real Pirroni was at the back, following Sarah Compton. He also wore a ski mask, and a long coat. Under the coat was his Colt Commando rifle. The hostages picked their way in single file between the trees. Alex trod carefully. His senses were muffled by the ski mask that covered his ears and it disorientated him. Ahead was a large painted shape visible through the trees. He came into the clearing and saw the white and blue fuselage of a seaplane, moving gently like a yacht in a breeze. A Cessna TU206-G.

  The cockpit was empty. The keys were on the seat, as Pirroni had demanded. The back door was open. Instead of seats in the back it had two long bunks with storage underneath, separated by a central gangway. The hostages climbed in, squashing into a line. This was where they no longer knew what to do.

  Li was not quite sure what to do either. She had slept in the storage locker underneath the bunk. As soon as she heard voices, she shut the lid and listened to see what would happen.

  Pirroni stepped in and moved away from the door. He shrugged off the long coat and hoisted his rifle up so that it lay along his forearm, his hand on the grip and his finger on the trigger.

  All the hostages froze. Every eye was on the black metal stock, the chunky magazine and the thick barrel. Alex’s mouth went dry. He swallowed and the tape chafed against his lips.

  Pirroni sat down on one of the bunks. Alex realized that this gave him cover from any snipers that might be outside. The rifle pointed up at Zoe. She jumped as though it had touched her. Pirroni looked her in the eye and said, ‘Out.’

  Zoe’s eyes widened behind the mask as though she could barely understand the word.

  Alex felt light-headed with relief. Could they be getting out at last? He wanted to smile but the tape kept his lips firmly in place. It wasn’t over yet.

  Another hostage was asked to leave, then another. Pirroni gave Sarah the nod and she climbed out to freedom. Holly was getting ready to go. Pirroni said, ‘Stop.’

  Alex saw Holly’s frightened eyes dancing in the ski mask. The only hostages still in the plane were them and Jonny Cale.

  Pirroni looked at Holly. ‘Sit down.’ He indicated the seat beside the pilot’s in the front.

  Holly’s hands shook as she reached for the seats and pulled herself between the gap. Awkwardly she manoeuvred herself into the seat.

  Pirroni took the phone out of his shirt pocket. He pressed redial. The negotiator answered. ‘I am ready to go,’ he said. ‘I will take two hostages. They will be released when I reach my destination and am safely on my way.’

  Alex looked at Jonny. Two hostages were staying? Holly was already chosen. Who else would have to stay? And what would happen to the other one?

  Pirroni threw the phone out of the open back door. He took Jonny by the arm, stripped the tape off his hand and removed the pistol, and pushed him after the phone. He slid the door shut.

  Amber had her hands in front of her mouth in a frozen gasp of horror.

  ‘Alex is still in there,’ said Hex.

  ‘Dios,’ swore Paulo softly.

  The snipers’ radio came through. ‘Still two hostages on board. Hold your fire.’

  Paulo opened the doors of the ambulance and jumped out. Amber and Hex sprang after him. Together they ran down the road and skidded to a halt at the end of the lake. The plane glided towards them down the water. Its nose lifted and it took off into the clear blue sky. On the belly of the plane was a giant black X. Amber remembered Sergeant Powell asking for the plane to be marked. She wondered if they would ever see it again.

  15

  MISSING

  ‘We’re doing our best to find Alex.’ Sergeant Powell was briefing Hex, Amber and Paulo in the lorry while Murphy listened to tapes of Pirroni’s c
onversations with the negotiator, looking for clues.

  The sergeant had seen enough by now to know that Alpha Force were not just ordinary kids. He talked freely. ‘We have a GPS in the plane transmitting Pirroni’s position. We’re alerting squads on the ground all along his route. When he lands we’ll take him. My men will debrief the hostages to see if he hinted at his plans. The police are searching the control room. Pirroni can’t go for more than about a thousand kilometres in that plane without refuelling, so he can’t leave the country. He may be aiming to meet someone.’

  Murphy took off his headphones.

  ‘Anything?’ said Sergeant Powell.

  Murphy shook his head. ‘Innocent conversations about water supplies and whether everyone was in good health. He kept his cards close to his chest.’

  ‘By the way,’ said Paulo. ‘Wasn’t Li in here?’

  ‘Li?’ Sergeant Powell shook his head. ‘I haven’t seen her since last night.’

  Amber got up. ‘Come on, you guys, let’s get a coffee.’ She opened the door.

  Once they were all out, Amber put her hands on her hips and frowned. ‘Does anyone else think it’s rather odd that we haven’t seen Li?’

  Paulo’s face was grave. ‘I think it’s time for a search party. She could be hurt somewhere.’

  Hex took out his palmtop. ‘We need to do this systematically. I’ll get a map . . .’ His fingers clicked on the keys.

  Amber peered at the screen. ‘Seems a little slow.’

  Hex’s face twitched. ‘Every time I did a GPS fix it gobbled up a lot of power. Normal service will be resumed as soon as . . . I hope.’ He drummed his fingers on the case impatiently as the screen loaded. ‘Right, here we are.’ He turned the screen so the others could see. ‘This is the camp, this is the lake. If we take a third of the area each, and meet back here . . .’

  ‘You can take off your masks.’ Pirroni sat impassively, two guns in his lap. He had reloaded the pistol straight after take-off. Holly was in the front seat beside him and Alex was behind on one of the sideways-facing bunk seats.

  Alex took off the ski mask. He peeled up the edges of the sticky tape with his fingernails. It stung. He took a deep breath and pulled hard. He was left holding the limp piece of tape, his eyes watering. Well, at least he might not need to shave for a while.

  They were surrounded with bright light. Alex looked out of the window and down. There was nothing but the deep green of the tree canopy. He had an idea that it might be useful to locate the compass in the instrument panel, but there were so many dials – he would need more than a mere glance to spot it. He certainly didn’t want to be caught peering at the controls.

  Instead he looked for the position of the sun. They seemed to be heading north-west. Where would that take them? The coast? Did Pirroni intend to fly out of Australia in this plane? They would surely have to refuel.

  Where would he and Holly end up?

  Alex looked around the cabin. He hardly saw it; instead he kept replaying the moment in the control room when Pirroni burned the sole of Jonny Cale’s foot. He saw Pirroni grasp Jonny’s ankle; saw the cigarette touch the pink flesh; saw Jonny struggle and kick. He heard the chair scuff the floor as Jonny jerked, and his muffled cries behind the duct tape. He saw the concentrated but calm expression on Pirroni’s face.

  He and Holly were at the mercy of a cold-blooded terrorist.

  From her hiding place under the bunk Li could hear intermittent words above the roar of the engine. She realized that Pirroni had kept Alex and a girl with him on the plane. She sighed. Alex was sitting on top of her locker, so she couldn’t even peek out. She didn’t dare try to attract his attention – Pirroni might spot him looking and then . . . She prepared herself for a long wait.

  Hex trudged back, mystified. He had searched his patch and drawn a blank. Maybe Amber and Paulo would find her. He was getting rather worried.

  He passed Sergeant Powell, who was wearing an earpiece. ‘Hex, I can get one of the police officers to take you back into town soon. They’re taking the first of the hostages.’

  Hex nodded. ‘Er yeah, thanks. We’re just waiting for a friend and then . . .’

  Sergeant Powell sounded upbeat. ‘The GPS is still signalling. We’ve followed them to North Queensland.’ His earpiece made a rasping sound, demanding his attention. He listened. His mood changed. He turned and left without speaking.

  Hex was worried. If the others didn’t find Li, the only place to search was the lake— No, the others would find her.

  He stopped at the bridge and looked out. The far end of the lake, he realized, was where Amber had played the crocodile game. Could there still be crocodiles around after all the activity with the plane? Someone could vanish in there very easily. He took a swig of water from his bottle and it seemed suddenly very, very cold.

  Hex started to search the edge of the lake. Most of it was grass, but then he came across a muddy area close to the bridge. He made out fresh footprints. He knelt down to examine them.

  Paulo and Amber saw Hex on the bridge and sprinted towards him, shouting his name.

  Hex stood up rapidly. ‘Have you found her?’ he asked, hope shining in his eyes.

  Amber shook her head. She didn’t like the way Hex’s face fell.

  ‘Then I think I have,’ said Hex quietly.

  Amber and Paulo followed his gaze down. There were several footprints in the mud by the bridge, but one of them was distinct and small.

  ‘Let’s see if that’s her size,’ said Amber. Slowly and carefully, she placed her own foot beside the print as a comparison. She nodded. ‘That’s her. She’s a size smaller than me.’

  Hex said quietly, ‘Remember that crocodile?’

  The look on Amber’s face said that she did; only too well.

  Paulo spoke rapidly. ‘Listen, amigos. Li cannot have been taken by a crocodile. She was aware they were in the lake and she knows better than anyone how they hunt. She would not get close enough to the edge to be in danger.’ He took a step backwards. ‘If she had been taken by a croc, there would be signs of a struggle. Skid marks.’

  ‘Good point,’ said Hex, and began to scan the bank.

  For a few minutes they searched in silence. Amber was the first to speak. ‘I can’t see anything that looks like that.’

  ‘There aren’t any more of her footprints either,’ said Hex. ‘There’s only the one here by the bridge.’

  They regrouped and looked down at it again.

  ‘Is that definitely her?’ said Hex.

  Amber nodded. Her voice was quiet. ‘I know her Hi-Tecs. She made me try them on when I lost my boot in the water. That’s her.’

  ‘The print is facing into the water,’ said Paulo. ‘It’s as if she got into a boat.’

  ‘A boat?’ repeated Hex.

  ‘The plane!’ Amber looked at them in excitement. ‘It was tethered here when I got up this morning.’

  ‘Why would she have got on the plane?’ said Paulo.

  ‘We’ve looked everywhere else,’ said Amber. ‘There’s nowhere else she could be.’

  ‘But surely she would have told us where she was going,’ said Paulo. ‘Wouldn’t she . . . ?’

  16

  PURSUIT

  Li had been asleep. Gradually, she became aware of the sounds and sensations. Then she remembered. She tried to raise the lid again, but Alex was still sitting on it. She attempted to stretch her cramped limbs, wiggling her toes to keep her circulation going. She wondered how long she would have to stayed curled up in this coffin-like box.

  In the cabin, Pirroni put the craft on autopilot and took Alex’s knife out of its sheath. They had been flying for an hour over the rainforest of Queensland, heading north.

  Alex stiffened. Holly stared at the knife. Alex put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently to reassure her.

  Pirroni glanced at them and Holly flinched from his look. Alex focused on the instrument panel. To his right, in the centre, was a column of slide-in units. T
o Alex they looked like car radios. Red lights winked on and off in various configurations. Pirroni selected one of the units and used the tip of the knife to undo some screws. Alex glared as his cherished knife was used for such a crude task but Pirroni was careful. He too knew to take care of a good blade. He slipped the knife down the side of the unit and then pulled out the box.

  The unit had a small LCD screen that showed a map – Alex guessed it was the GPS. A bundle of wires streamed out of the back. Pirroni put the blade under them and cut them in one swift move. Cupping his hands, he collected the screws and put them in his pocket. Then he opened the window and dropped the unit into the jungle below.

  Pirroni switched the autopilot off and took the plane around in a wide loop. When the plane straightened out he put the autopilot back on again and sat back.

  Alex estimated that they were now going south again. Was Pirroni taking them back the way they had come? Why? He knew he would be followed, that’s why. He flew away from where he really intended to go and dumped the GPS. Then he turned the craft around. Meanwhile, the SAS would see the signal was no longer moving and be searching for them, thinking they had landed or perhaps crashed. They would be slowed down by the thick jungle too. It was a good plan.

  Now, though, he must be setting out for his real destination.

  Hex, Amber and Paulo were sitting by the edge of the lake. Shock was etched into their features. They had just heard the news from Sergeant Powell: the GPS signal from the seaplane had suddenly stopped transmitting. They were sending special forces to investigate but it was likely that the plane had crashed.

  ‘I hope we’re wrong; I hope Li isn’t on that plane.’ Paulo’s voice was grave. ‘And Alex . . .’

  There was nothing anyone could say. They watched as the freed hostages walked slowly and quietly towards two police cars to be taken back to their parents.

  ‘Can’t be the first time celebrity children have been taken home in a police car,’ said Hex.

  ‘They look so dazed,’ said Amber. ‘It’s as if we’re the only people left who are still worried.’