by Sarah Dalton
“How is he?” Daniel asked.
“Weak, but healing. Eating like a horse.” Jonathon adjusted his glasses and stood awkwardly. The usually well-presented Professor seemed more frazzled than usual.
“We can’t just sit around here,” Daniel said. “We don’t know what Anna is doing to Mina. We have to get into the GEM and get her out.”
The Professor’s jaw clenched. “I agree. We’re not ready for any kind of attack yet, and that means we need to get ready.”
Des approached. “May I add to the conversation?”
Daniel swore under his breath. Did the man have superhuman hearing? Or was he just a sneak?
“If you must.” Jonathon lifted his chin and peered down at Des over his glasses.
“You’ll need the Resistance to help you get your daughter out of the Ministry. There’s no way you can do that alone. Unless you have some kind of super power I’m not aware of.” He glared at Daniel as though he knew a lot more than he let on. “And we’ll need a few days to get weapons sent from K. Our stocks are depleted at the moment.”
“How do you contact this K?” Daniel blurted out. He knew it was rude, but something in Des’ tone made him doubt this close connection with the Resistance leader. Why would K let them live unarmed under a church? Surely the ever present threat of an Enforcer attack meant they should always be prepared.
“The priest acts as a connection,” Des said without any hint of annoyance. “We use church members as messengers. Anyway, don’t you want to focus on how we can help your girlfriend?”
Daniel’s cheeks heated, and he clenched his fists. “Of course I do. I just want to know all the facts before I trust you to help.”
Des laughed then, and it was mocking. “Why, are you planning to do this alone, boy? You want to wander into a building full of security and cameras to retrieve your precious Mina?”
“Now, that’s enough,” Jonathon warned. “We’re very grateful for your help, Des, but Daniel is right to be cautious about our allies.”
“I got you through the border, didn’t I?” Des leaned in. “Didn’t hear you complaining about that. Why should we help you get the girl back? If it means putting my people in danger, maybe I shouldn’t bother.”
“There are reasons that benefit both of us.” Jonathon spoke in a lower register, his tone one to command attention. “Mina is dangerous in the hands of Anna. She becomes a weapon to use against the Resistance––”
Daniel shook his head. “What are you doing?”
Des laughed. “The boy doesn’t trust us with his secrets. Well, that’s a good start.”
“It’s not his secret.” Jonathon dumped the bandages on the dining table and folded his arms. “We should call a meeting – talk this out.”
“Agreed,” Des said. He gave Daniel one more stare, then moved to join another group.
Daniel pulled Jonathon away from the others. “Hiro said not to trust him.”
“I don’t trust him,” Jonathon replied. “But they are the only ones who can help us get Mina away from Anna. And we need to make them think that taking Mina out of Anna’s hands benefits them as well.”
“I don’t like it.” Daniel shook his head. “Why are they down here without weapons? If this K guy is as powerful as they say, surely they wouldn’t be left unable to protect themselves.”
Jonathon rubbed the stubble on his chin as he considered Daniel’s argument. “They’re small time. Look around you. Aside from a few computers they have nothing; a few families and a techie.” He glanced at Dale.
“Yet Des is ambitious,” Daniel said. “That means he thinks big. He posed as an Enforcer for a start.”
“He does seem to want to impress this K person,” Jonathon agreed. “Which might make him a loose cannon. What’s the alternative? There are few of us and we have little in the way of weaponry or equipment. We have no other choice than to accept their help and hope for the best.”
He was right, and yet Daniel really didn’t want him to be.
*
The group huddled around the dining table, with the dim light casting many of them in shadow. With Ali still recovering it left Jonathon with Matthew, and Daniel with the Freaks. Des, Dale and Luce sat opposite. A few other Resistance hovered around them.
Des began. “Luce predicts Ali will be back on his feet in a few days, and back to his best. Praise God.”
Daniel shuffled in his seat. He still didn’t feel comfortable with Des’ frequent references to God. He thought of his mother’s prayer: take the devil from my son… take the devil from my son… take the devil from my son…
“Thank you, Luce,” Matthew said, his eyes shining with emotion.
Luce’s cheeks flushed and she nodded. For some reason her eyes flashed to Daniel’s. He had no idea why. He’d hardly even spoken to her.
“Right then, first order of business is to welcome our guests. You’re all under our protection here. This is a secret operation; we’re safeguarded by the priest and nuns who run the church, as well as K.”
Translation – they were under their control. Daniel and the others owed the Resistance big time, and Daniel didn’t like to be in debt. You never know what price you’ll pay.
“And now that we’ve welcomed you, we’ll move onto what it is that you want from us.” Des leaned forward and placed his hands together like a steeple; his elbows resting on the table. “You’re looking for someone – this Mina girl – and you want to get her out of GEM control. I think someone needs to give me more information, before we can decide how much involvement the Resistance will have in this matter.”
It was Jonathon who spoke. “Mina is my daughter so I’ll explain.” He took a deep breath before he began. “My wife… I mean my ex-wife, works as a scientist at the fertility clinic in the GEM, and has some influence there. I believe she has taken our daughter – at this crucial moment in the country – in order to use her specific powers. My daughter is gifted with the power of telekinesis, and could be used as a very powerful weapon. I’m afraid that Anna – Mina’s mother – is a very manipulative woman. My fears are that she’s using Mina and twisting her into a weapon for the GEM to use.” He paused. “The crux of the matter is: we have to get her out of there, and away from Anna’s clutches before it’s too late.”
Daniel thought of his vision. Jonathon was right. If Mina stayed with Anna, there was a good chance that she could be converted to the wrong side. He remembered the hope and joy in Mina’s eyes as she’d stared at her mother in the Compound. Mina was love-struck and blind, easily manipulated. He became nauseated at the thought.
Des had bowed his head close to Jonathon to hear every word. When Jonathon finished, he nodded, and then rested back in his chair. “You’re saying she could be used against the Resistance.”
Jonathon’s back stiffened very abruptly. “She isn’t your enemy. She’s a girl and she needs saving.”
“But she’s a dangerous girl,” Des said. “She’s very dangerous by the sounds of it. We might not be able to get her out of the GEM. Not if she doesn’t want to go.”
Daniel shot to his feet. “What are you saying?”
“Calm down, hot-headed one. I’m not saying anything, yet,” said Des. He didn’t flinch at Daniel’s sudden movement, even though most of the Resistance members had reached for the knives in their belts. “Just that this is going to be a difficult operation. Especially if we’re saving someone who doesn’t want to be saved.” He lifted a finger as though suddenly remembering something. “But there is one thing we can do. We have another sleeper agent working in the fertility clinic. Perhaps we can make sure that she keeps an eye on Mina. In fact, shall we head to the screens, watch the action for a while?”
Des stood and there was the screeching of metal-legged chairs against the concrete floor. Daniel followed the group around the corner to the prison cell. He suppressed a shudder as they followed the corridor to the archway to where the catacombs lay. But before reaching the archway, Des unlock
ed a door into a room fitted with shelves on three walls and a large screen on the other. Most of the shelves were empty, with just a few boxes of food and supplies left.
“Is this the armoury?” Daniel asked. “Is it where you keep the guns?”
Des switched on the large screen in total silence. Why didn’t this guy ever answer a question? Daniel’s temper rose and Mike shot him an annoyed glare. He tried to suppress his anger, seeing as they were in a confined space, and Mike was probably getting a nasty whiff of fermenting chillies.
When Des failed to make the picture clear, Dale fiddled with the screen until a blurry black and white image appeared. Every now and then the image went dark for a tiny fraction – the length of a blink. Daniel watched closely, and realised that the gaps in filming were eye-blinks. They viewed an image recorded by a Plan-It lens. It was so clever that despite his reservations about Des – he was impressed.
“Meet our insurgent,” said Des. His chest puffed up with pride. “She’s our top secret weapon right now. Using her – let’s call it unique influence – she’s managed to infiltrate right into the heart of the GEM. In fact, they use her as a Substitute to the designer babies. She feeds and cares for them until the parents are ready to collect them.”
“Who is she?” Kitty asked, moving nearer to the screen. All it showed was a long corridor with GEM workers walking towards the unknown spy. Some nodded to her in greeting. She exited the hallway through a set of doors and climbed up a staircase.
“That’s classified, I’m afraid,” he said. “But she’s very special. We communicate with her on a daily basis, and ask her to gain the trust of certain people. If you want to get your girl out, or get yourselves in, this might be the way to do it.”
The insurgent stepped through double doors into a strange large room with cars and boulders. Daniel made out two figures near the back of the room. He stood up straighter, a jolt running through his body. She seemed so familiar… Could it be?
He strained forward, eyes glued to the screen as the spy trotted through to a kitchen area and started making tea. As she began to pour the boiling water through a tea strainer, another woman approached and gently took the kettle from her hand. She smiled and nodded at the girl like they were old friends. Jonathon gasped.
“Anna! That’s Mina’s mother,” he said.
The insurgent picked up a plate of biscuits and stepped out of the kitchen area. But instead of carrying on with whatever she was doing, the insurgent stopped, and glanced back at Mina’s mother.
Daniel pointed straight at the screen in shock. “Did you see that? Did you? She put something in her drink.”
Jonathon nodded in agreement. Daniel moved back; his heart racing. He’d just seen Anna Hart interfere with the tea on the counter. But why?
The insurgent moved away from the kitchen and Daniel’s heart skipped a beat. Mina bounced up to the spy with a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. Her skin glistened, like it always did after a workout, and she wore her hair and clothes in the same way as always. Yet there was something missing; a sparkle to her eyes; a flash of personality. She seemed almost dull and two dimensional, not the Mina he knew, whose face lit up around a biscuit without fail.
Anna emerged from the kitchen and handed Mina the tea. She gulped it down as Anna watched intently. Daniel’s stomach sank to his knees. It was his worst fear come to life. Mina really was in danger, and she was being drugged by her mother.
23 ~ Mina ~
Even as a child I loved my training. Dad showed me how to punch pretty young. He told me to pour out a glass of water from a heavy pitcher; he made me do it over and over. And then he taught me to mimic the position of my arm when I poured the water, with my fist in the same position. Knees slightly bent, shoulders back… draw your hand to your side with your elbows bent… then forward, twisting your fist into the same position as before… go on… that’s right.
The air hissed out of the bag as I lunged again, pow, pow, pow, in quick succession, grunting out my breath in a ha. Those memories were lies. I hit the bag – listening to the thud of fist against synthetic plastic. He’d lied to me over and over. I hated him.
The timer rang and I moved on to the speed bag, working my right fist first. My shoulder ached, but I carried on, hitting and hitting and hitting. This time Mum had to call out when the timer went off. I didn’t even hear it. She looked up from her notebook and smiled in approval. I shuffled to the next challenge, my breath now laboured and sweat pouring down my face. I arranged the cars in a pile using my mind. There was no need to concentrate or shut my eyes. The anger and hate lay just under the surface; ready to erupt. I balanced them into two piles, juggled with them and lastly laid them back into position. Mum hurried towards me with a towel to dry me off.
“That was good, Mina. You’re on great form.”
“Sure,” I said.
She handed me a cup of cooled tea and I drank it down. A sense of calm spread through my body.
*
Late that night I lay awake as my body shook. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Daniel laughing and joking with my dad as though everything was okay. Sometimes the scene changed and it was Dad with Hiro, taking him to the park, with me left out on the side-lines, staring through the metal fences.
My muscles ached, and when I cried out my mum brought me hot milk to drink. Then the numbness spread and I drifted to sleep.
“I have a surprise for you tomorrow,” Mum said. “I want to show you what you can be. It’s really exciting.”
I hardly heard her as I drifted into slumber. She blurred into my dreams like a ghost; an un-dead spirit with glowing red eyes and a fearsome set of teeth. I woke to the sound of my alarm with a start.
“Come in for breakfast, Mina,” she called from the kitchen. “I’ve made you bacon sandwiches this morning.”
The air smelled of the salty yumminess of bacon, so I rushed through in my pyjamas. When I saw her there I lost my appetite. I backed away from the table, staring at the other woman who haunted my nightmares. The same woman who had cut off my hair and humiliated me. Mrs Murgatroyd sat at our table with her legs crossed calmly.
“I know this is a shock, darling––” Mum started.
“What is she doing here?” I snapped.
“She runs an important part of the GEM – something you need to see in order to realise what we’re doing here.”
Mrs Murgatroyd smirked. “It’s nice to see you, Mina. Your hair has grown, I see. It’s quite… fetching.”
“She tried to kill me,” I said through gritted teeth.
Mrs Murgatroyd rolled her eyes at me as though I were a frustrating child. “That’s in the past.”
“It was only a few months ago!” I said.
Mum stood and approached me. “I know it’s hard to believe, but Margaret is actually on our side now. What happened in Area 14 went too far, and Margaret knows this.” Mum regarded her sternly. “She’s even been verbally warned by the Ministry.”
“Verbally warned?” I said with a harsh laugh. “What would have happened if I’d died? A slap on the wrist? I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe you’ve brought her here to me – in our flat.” I shook my head.
“I thought you said you had her under control?” Mrs Murgatroyd said, still smirking.
Mum glared at her before turning back to me. “I understand your anger, Mina. I’m still angry too. If you’d have died… well, I’d be a mess. You know I love you, and I will make sure that you’re not put in danger. But during the war we’ll have to work with her. I know it’s hard, but please try, for me.” She placed her hands on my shoulders and squeezed gently. “Now come and eat your sandwich before it goes cold.”
I chose the seat the furthest away from Mrs Murgatroyd, and ate my food. It immediately made me feel a lot better. Then I had a quick shower and change before meeting Mum back in the kitchen.
“We’re taking you on an extended tour today,” Mum said. “You’re going to see jus
t how powerful the GEM is.”
*
After a short drive Mum stopped the car outside a huge warehouse the size of the maize field on the farm in the Compound. Mrs Murgatroyd stepped out first, and the breeze took her mane of hair – swishing it against her face. As much as I resented being forced to spend time in close proximity with the woman who tried to murder me, I was grateful to be outside in the fresh air after days of being cooped up inside the GEM. I sucked in the cool breeze and let it burn my lungs. It was a good day for running. No matter how much Mum told me the treadmill was better for training, I missed the sights, the sky and the bitter feeling of cold wind. Most of all, I missed finishing my run and finding Daniel. I missed lying with him on the grass and staring up at the clouds in the sky. I closed the door to the car and noticed my fingers shaking again. The calm slipped away and my chest constricted.
“Ready, Mina?” Mum called in a sing song voice.
“Yeah, sure.” I moved towards her and took the hand she extended to me. Mrs Murgatroyd watched us with hooded eyes, and I thought for a fleeting second that she was in pain. Then the moment passed, and her usual hard mask of a face came back.
We followed Mrs Murgatroyd to the warehouse door. She applied a print to let us into a narrow passageway. On the right lay a small kitchen area with tall men hanging around eating, cleaning, or leaning against the walls. They observed us calmly and sniffed the air. If I hadn’t known Mike and Kitty, I would have thought it was strange. Luckily, I was accustomed to strange.
After opening another door, we came to a vast area spanning almost the entire length of the warehouse. I stopped, mid-step, and my mouth fell open. Covering every square feet of the room were more of the same tall men. They stopped what they were doing and stared at us – the intruders. Mrs Murgatroyd raised an arm and they rushed into formation: like soldiers awaiting instruction. Each of them wore a pristine white tracksuit. The room was decked out with living areas and beds on the right. On the left they lined up for inspection. I squinted into the distance to see a training area beyond, but it was hard to make out after the lines and lines of men. Thousands of them.
