“What happened with the police?”
“Someone must have tipped them off—maybe when they saw the bird-thing fly in, who knows. That daughter of yours is very resourceful. She knew a place for Sarina to hide and she told the police Sarina had run off with the collider. She opened those big eyes of hers at them and beamed like she was helping them. She even went outside and pointed in the direction she’d seen the other girl go. As far as I can tell, all they’ve done is put out an alert. They were more interested in getting the kids and us somewhere where they could get statements from us, so I suggested we would cooperate if they took us back to the lab. They followed our bus back. The kids were great, they kept telling stories about monsters and tied the police up in mounds of paperwork. Actually I don’t even think they were lying. Some of those monsters sounded pretty frightening. So they spent a few hours getting part of the truth. And we prevented them from searching the warehouse. I was heading back there now ...” He glanced at Harrison again. “We any closer to solving this?”
Harrison shook his head. “And we still don’t have the boy. I’m getting close to having to take collateral damage; the media frenzy is getting out of hand and I have to find a way to reverse the problem and shut the collider down, but—”
“You’re having difficulty thinking up new things?”
The Professor nodded.
“You’re not the only one.” The Agent had a grim expression.
They pulled up at the warehouse after a quick circuit to make sure they were not being watched or followed. Agent Smith stood inside the doorway to keep watch while Harrison ran to the end of the warehouse and wrenched the small door open. The small space was empty except for a lone rat, which scurried past him. He scanned the rest of the warehouse, noticed an Intensifier on the floor next to a couple of crates, and he walked over to collect it.
He returned to the Agent. “Now we are really in serious danger. Both the girl and the collider are missing. Can you have your men on the alert? Check her home and the school and other places she knows well. I’m sure she will have tried to get to somewhere safe. We’ll cover this area on our way back to the building. We must get the collider to safety; we’re all in jeopardy if we don’t. Let’s hope she isn’t noticed.”
He wondered how a twelve-year-old girl would manage to stay unnoticed carrying a device like the collider, but dismissed the thought. First things first: Find the girl. Maybe she had hidden it? He had one last look around the warehouse, but saw no more hiding places. He looked at the Agent, who was finishing on the phone, and nodded at him to leave.
They drove slowly around the block, then gradually expanded the area, heading away from the more industrial section and towards the built-up town, thinking it was where she would most naturally head.
“There!” The Agent took his hand off the wheel and pointed.
In the distance was a slight figure, marching resolutely towards the town centre. It was a girl, and she was wearing a sleek and shiny headshield and carrying a heavy object wrapped in sacking. He had to admire her courage and resourcefulness. Using the headshield meant she had at least kept herself safe. Even though it meant she stood out like an over-enthusiastic fan at a science-fiction convention.
They pulled up alongside her and the Professor wound down the window. “Sarina! Quick, jump in!”
She looked at him with a mixture of anger and sadness in her eyes and fixed him with a fierce gaze. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do!”
~ 23 ~
The Tip-Off
The phone shrilled.
“Sergeant Crawford speaking. ... Very well, put her through.” He looked over at the Inspector, who sat across from Crawford’s desk. He put his hand over the mouthpiece. “Gov. It’s someone what has spotted the girl.”
“Someone who has spotted the girl.”
“Er, yes. That’s what I said, wasn’t it?” He held up his hand to stop the conversation and uncovered the mouthpiece.
Bolton braced himself for Crawford’s ‘fake posh police voice’.
“Yes, this is Sergeant Crawford, madam. I understand you could have some information you wish to share with us?” He nodded. “Yes. I see. Where are you located please?” He looked down, grabbed a pencil and jotted some notes on a small pad. “Thank you very much, madam, for your assistance in this matter.” A brief smile flickered over his face. “No, madam, I’m sorry. I am not at liberty to discuss the case. Thank you again. Goodbye.”
He hung up and looked at the Inspector. “Someone’s seen the girl walking along the road back to town. She’s carrying something hidden in a sack. Something heavy. The person what called swears she glimpsed flashin’ lights and thought it looked like a bomb. Then a swish-looking black car with tinted windows rushed up and she got inside.”
The Inspector sat up straight. “Harrison!”
Crawford nodded with a gleeful smile on his face. “Shall we go, Gov?”
The Inspector nodded. Strictly speaking, because of the current alerts, he was supposed to notify that faceless mob of black suits in Head Office. But he’d be stuffed if they would get the credit. Fortunately for him, the woman had reported the sighting as a possible bomb threat, which meant it fell right back into his jurisdiction under one of the police force’s recent initiatives: ‘Fight Terrorism. Local intelligence: Global Action’.
He looked at his sergeant and the thought occurred to him that ‘Local Intelligence’ may not be an entirely accurate description when it came to Crawford. “Yes, Crawford. Let’s go. This time you drive.”
Crawford beamed.
~ 24 ~
Escape
Nathan thought the drooling was a masterful tactic, because the men ignored him and looked up into the fading light. Presumably Sarina had drawn their attention away from him. He focused on staring out into space and lolled his head around. Being cursed into dribbling idiocy had decidedly not been fun. But now he was back smart again, he wasn’t sure it was an improvement knowing exactly how little fun he was still having.
He risked a glance over at Makthryg. The sorcerer was still out for the count, and his men were now reluctantly returning to him. Some still had their crossbows half raised and stared at the sky. They looked angry. But the good thing was, they were no longer paying any attention to him or Paolo. Even an idiot had been able to see that he and his friend were in high danger of being tonight’s barbecue. Which meant an escape was in order, and quick-smart.
He whispered out of the corner of his mouth. “Paolo?” Paolo nodded very slightly. Good. He’d also realised that Nathan was back. “Escape. Use dark.”
Paolo nodded, then gave a deliberate nod down to the pile of wood they were partly standing on.
Nathan dropped his gaze down, and kept his head up so as not to attract attention, but the men were busy anyway. He saw Paolo had managed to loosen the rope around his feet. He nodded minutely to show he’d seen it. But how exactly would they escape? They were no match for this band of killer thugs. They’d be dead meat in minutes. Then back to being barbecued.
He sighed quietly. His best asset now would be his brain, he decided. Come up with a plan.
First of all, take inventory. He wasn’t a huge player of video games—they weren’t enough of a challenge for him to keep him interested for more than a few minutes—but one lesson he had enjoyed was the idea of taking a military assessment of your situation. What resources did you have? How could they be used? He thought hard.
He noticed Paolo slowly working the ropes loose. Resource Number One: Having a man-of-action as your buddy.
It was getting dark. Resource Number Two: If you need to escape, work on slipping out of sight as quickly as possible. He did wonder what exactly commandos did when they started escaping through a forest at night with no way to see where they were going, but he assumed this would be a new situation and require more assessment.
He looked at the men. Some of them really were huge. And they were armed to the teeth. Resource Numb
er Three: Use your weakness to your advantage. He and Paolo were much smaller by comparison. They would be faster and could duck and dive among the men. They wouldn’t be slowed by bulky weapons hanging off them in close quarters. And, he thought with a wry smile, a crossbow isn’t much use in a dark forest.
A motion near the cave caught his eye. The sorcerer was getting to his feet. Resource Number Four: Outsmart your enemy; use what they have assumed to your advantage. Makthryg would think him no threat. Therefore, keep dribbling and looking dumb. And think fast!
A rustling sound behind them caught his attention, then it stopped. Resource Number Five: Anything not fighting you can probably help you. Someone or something was lying in wait behind them. Therefore, if they ran, they should run that way. Even if it turned out to be a sabre-toothed tiger, it might eat their enemy and not them.
He lolled his head around and let his mouth open, dripping saliva down his t-shirt, and took the opportunity to cast a furtive look at his and Paolo’s feet. Good. Resource Number Six: They were properly equipped to run. Paolo wore some kind of local trekking sandal, and he had sneakers. Laces still tied? Check. Shame their enemy was wearing sturdy boots, but that too might make it harder for them to be fleet-footed.
He crossed his fingers and bumped into something solid in his jean pocket. What was that? Ah! Agent Blanchard’s mobile phone. Mind you, he was pretty sure there would be no signal in this world. But still. Resource Number Seven: One non-functioning mobile phone. Charge status unknown.
A sudden buzz of activity drew his attention. Makthryg and some of his men were approaching them. Nathan flicked a glance at Paolo, who gave one brief nod. Makthryg was limping badly now. His angry stare was fixed on them both as he was helped across. Not good.
One of his men had used a tinderbox to strike a burning brand. Really not good.
Makthryg reached them, snatched the brand from the man and leaned down to ignite the fire. Just before he did, he looked up with a sneer. “I’ve waited long enough. I don’t care if you perish. One way or another, I will find a way to harness your power, whether you, or your cowardly friends die.”
He thrust the burning brand into the wood at Nathan and Paolo’s feet.
Resource Number Eight: Surprise your enemy.
Paolo kicked his leg free and followed the kick through to a resounding crack into Makthryg’s ‘damaged’ leg. The sorcerer howled and fell forward onto the flames. His men rushed forward to drag him off, and one of them jumped at Paolo; “Why you little—”
The thug’s speech was cut short by a club to the head as Andreas and Tomas burst from the undergrowth behind them, slashing and cutting at anything that dared approach them.
The men were thrown into disarray. The thugs had grown used to a lack of structure and had forgotten how to fight as an army of regimented soldiers. Chaos erupted all around them. And so did Nathan’s jeans as flames started licking at the bottom of them.
Paolo braved the flames and pulled out burning branches, which he hurled at the men. He smacked Nathan’s jeans and extinguished the flames, and cut Nathan’s ropes off. Resource Number Nine: Make sure your buddy is armed with a knife. How had he kept that secret?
Paolo ripped away the ropes and threw more fire-brands at the group of men, some of whom were now starting to surround Andreas and Tomas and circling them in a more organised fashion. Nathan jumped out of his ropes and threw more burning branches. The spinning fire-brands lent a surreal atmosphere, like a carnival.
But this was no fun fair.
Resource Number Ten: Then don’t play fair. Pull your biggest, boldest bluff.
He whipped the mobile phone out of his pocket. He already knew it was a fancy new smartphone and he prayed to every God he could think of that it had some kind of trick FBI long-lasting battery.
He pressed two buttons in quick succession and held the phone up high. He yelled. “DROP YOUR WEAPONS OR I WILL USE MY LIGHT-BATON TO BLIND YOU ALL AND YOU WILL NEVER SEE AGAIN!”
Some of the men stopped and a few laughed. Andreas and Tomas took the opportunity to strike out at two of their opponents and move away from the circle and edge backwards to Nathan and Paolo. The fire was now out, and Paolo was holding the last two burning brands high and staring at Nathan.
Some men started to advance towards him.
Resource Number Eleven: Never let them make the first move.
He stepped in front of Paolo and cast his flickering shadow across the advancing men. He knew the fire-brands behind him would help with the effect.
“I GIVE YOU ONE MORE CHANCE. DROP YOUR WEAPONS, OR YOU WILL BE BLINDED. AND THEN WE WILL KICK YOU TO THE GROUND AND STAMP ON YOUR HEADS.”
He’d added that last bit for effect, but he could see some of them were hesitant. The lead man stepped towards him and opened his mouth to speak, but Nathan shoved the mobile phone at his face and pressed the button. And prayed.
The super-strong flash in the forest really was blindingly bright. He kept his finger on the button for multiple flashes. The man screamed and clutched at his eyes. Tomas sprang forward and whacked him over the head with a huge branch, and he dropped to the ground.
Resource Number Twelve: When you have the advantage, press it firmly home.
“YOU’RE NEXT!” he shouted, and stepped forward to the next man, and without waiting for any reply, pressed the button again.
The white flashes flattened the forest into a 2D freeze-frame of stunned and scared-looking thugs desperately trying to shield their eyes, which is hard when your hands are full of sharp objects. Nathan heard some howls of pain as some of the men, blinded by the flash, had stabbed their own faces, not realising they were still holding their weapons.
One more time.
“I WILL NOW FINISH YOU ALL OFF. THIS LAST BLAST WILL NOT ONLY BLIND YOU, BUT I HAVE INCREASED THE RADIATION LEVEL TO GAMMA-TEN-FOUR. YOUR VERY BRAINS WILL MELT IN YOUR HEAD AND RUN OUT OF YOUR EYES AND EARS.”
He raised the phone high and held the button down for constant flash. It was like a horror movie. The men scattered in freeze-frame snapshots with each flash. Grown brutes screamed, some with their hands over their heads, and bar none, they all ran into the forest at breakneck speed, obviously not caring if they were able to see or not. Only gap-tooth had the presence of mind to pull Makthryg to his feet and drag the yowling sorcerer with him.
Nathan moved to the edge of the small clearing by the cave and flashed a couple more times for good measure, then moved back to his friends. He whispered. “Quick, we have to run fast! Lead the way!”
Paolo was blinking at him. “But, Nathan, I am blinded. Were you successful? It sounds like they have gone, but we are all now blinded. And I think my brain is leaking.” Andreas and Tomas were also blinking and had their hands out in front of them.
Nathan grabbed one of the brands from Paolo and waved it in front of them all. “Can you see this?” They all nodded. “Then you are not blinded. Now, which way? Let’s run before our brains turn to jelly.”
Andreas shielded his eyes with his hand and squinted at the undergrowth they had emerged from. “There is a small trail behind there. Once you are through, the way is clear. You lead. I cannot see.”
Nathan snatched the other brand from Paolo and ran into the forest. It was as Andreas had said. Before too long, they were far enough in the other direction that they could afford to stop and gather their breath.
“Nathan, how do we reverse the brain-melting? Please act quickly!” Tomas’s eyes were huge in the flickering light.
Nathan was out of breath. “It was all a bluff. This is just a camera flash and a mobile phone. No harm has been done to us. Or to them unfortunately.”
Tomas clapped him on the back and Nathan almost fell to the ground. “Then it was truly a masterful bluff my friend, because you fooled me well. I do not know of such a thing as a cammraa flash, but even if it harms nothing, it has power enough.”
Andreas forced a smile. “I would hope one day we have time to hear you
explain how this works. For the moment, I say your bluff was bold and courageous. Let us now capitalise on it. Makthryg is weak and looks to be injured—though to be sure, I saw no visible sign of it, only his reaction and limp—and no doubt he and his band of thugs are right now on their way to the fortress. He is vulnerable and we should strike while he is weak and disorganised. Or before too long, we will have a battle on our hands. Again.”
Paolo stepped in. “He is also trying to get Valkrog back from another world—Nathan’s world, I think. He used some curse-power and our own magic to speak through Valkrog’s mouth in the other world. If he regains that creature ...” he trailed off. They all knew the terror Valkrog could inflict, Paolo more than anyone.
Tomas broke the silence. “No matter how weak he is, Andreas, we are no match for them here and now. If you wish to exploit his vulnerability, then I suggest we return to the township in haste. Even if he manages to make those killers more organised, we still outnumber him. And if we can strike before he works his magic and restores his creature to this world ...”
Andreas nodded. “You are right. Then we move. You lead the way, Tomas, and while we march, Nathan can tell his story of how he came to be in our world again.”
Nathan handed one of the burning brands to Tomas, and wondered if he would ever see his own world again.
Andreas called forward as they started out. “Keep your eyes and ears peeled for stragglers. They may not all be loyal to Makthryg, but nonetheless, some may wish to strike violence upon us.”
A voice boomed from out of the trail. “How would you hear them, if you are making so much noise yourselves?” Rocco stepped forward, followed by Eva. Eva held a smoking brand, which she touched to Tomas’s and relit.
Andreas and Rocco clamped arms together. “Rocco! What a fight you missed! But we escaped with some masterful trickery from our other-worldly friend here. What took you so long?” He looked around. “And where are the others? Did you not bring more men?”
The Dreamer Chronicles Trilogy Boxed Set Vol I - III: A Sci-Fi Parallel Universe Adventure (The Dreamer Chronicles - Science Fiction For Kids And Adults) Page 55
