‘If you want to sleep, I can keep watch.’
‘No thanks.’ Bea tied back her curls. ‘I’m staying right here until everyone is back. Besides –’ she pointed at his broken arm ‘– you might need some backup.’
Xavier laughed. ‘You can be feisty when you want, Princess Bea.’
‘It’s from years of living with Isabella. It rubs off after a while.’
‘She’s rubbed off on all of us.’ Xavier’s face fell.
They turned back to the screen, hoping the red dot would reappear and for Isabella and Charlie to come back.
Professor Singh ejected the chip from her computer and handed it to Aleksander. ‘This should be more than enough to prove to the world that Snowden, I mean Sneddon, shouldn’t be trusted. And …’ She paused. ‘If I’ve been in any way responsible for this, I am truly sorry.’
‘Sneddon is a bully,’ Raffy said and buttoned the chip into his jacket pocket. ‘And we’re going to make sure he never hurts anyone again.’
Raffy and Aleksander thanked Professor Singh and climbed into the Armavan. Raffy told Cora their next destination, while Aleksander held his phone to his ear. ‘Madeline Pinkerton. It’s Aleksander Larsen. I’m sorry it’s so early, but I have some breaking news I think you’ll want to hear.’
There was a pause. Raffy crossed his fingers before Aleksander replied. ‘We’ll be right there.’
In the luxury dining room of a mountaintop mansion, Byron P Sneddon sipped his tea and prepared to tuck into a sumptuous breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and a fluffy stack of pancakes with strawberries and maple syrup.
‘Mr Snowden, may I come in?’
Sneddon felt a brief flash of irritation. Can’t a man have a minute’s peace on such a momentous day?
‘Make it quick.’ He swiped a piece of toast through a gooey egg. ‘I have a lot to think about.’
Ariella approached the table and held her device for him to see. ‘The drones are in place for today’s demonstration and they have captured this.’
On her screen was aerial footage of the flooded city of Grimsdon. Golden rays of early morning sun painted everything in an orange glow.
Sneddon held his fork aloft and stared at the sunken buildings and watery streets. He regretted being irritated. Seeing the wretched city one last time before it was destroyed was the perfect way to start the day.
Until he noticed something else.
‘Zoom in there,’ he said, pointing.
Ariella did as she was instructed. Sneddon dropped his fork and pushed his plate away. On a lone rooftop was what looked like a large sea creature cradling a young girl. A thin stream of smoke rose from an open fire.
He shuddered. It was one of the monsters that had tried to kill him.
‘Increase the chemical dosage for the storm.’
‘It’s already very high, Mr Snowden. Ample enough to create a blizzard of great magnitude.’
‘Increase it!’ He struck his fist on the table. ‘I don’t want that girl getting out alive.’
‘Very well, sir.’
‘And send an attack squadron of eagles to make sure, but don’t tell Singh. This can be our little secret.’
Ariella smiled. ‘Certainly, sir.’
‘It’s Charlie!’ Fly saw the red dot appear on her screen. She wondered if she’d wanted it so badly she’d made it up. ‘He’s slower but he’s moving.’
Griffin entered Charlie’s location into the Armapod and programmed it to go faster. ‘We’re coming, fella.’
Thick, grey clouds bulged overhead and the snow became heavier, turning the landscape into a lumpen world of white.
Griffin tried to ignore his fears but they kept pushing their way back into his thoughts. How could anyone survive in this weather? What if we don’t find her in time? What if she’s already …
He looked up and focused on the ground ahead.
The snow deepened. The Armapod surged on.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
A Deadly Storm
‘It’s started.’ Xavier texted Griffin as the live broadcast of Sneddon’s demonstration began from the Halls of Government. ‘Are you watching?’
Griffin began typing on the screen in the dashboard. ‘Got it.’
His stomach jolted to see Sneddon standing beside Premier Albright, who was shovelling praise on him and declaring him the man who would save the world.
‘He looks even more smarmy than usual,’ Griffin groaned.
‘He’s had a lot of practice,’ Fly added.
Government officials, dignitaries and celebrities applauded with wild admiration. Sneddon held his hand over his heart, pretending to be humbled. Dressed in a long grey coat with a gold satin cravat, he was the picture of a trustworthy, upstanding human.
Ariella was by his side, perched before a computer. Behind him was a vast white screen, emblazoned with the logo of Future World Solutions and the line: Saving Our Planet.
Sneddon raised his hand to silence the crowd. ‘We humans have a responsibility to take care of this planet and each other, and I have made it my mission to do just that.’ His black eyes swept over the audience.
‘With our highly advanced robotic eagles, we can create rain in areas of drought, and snow during crushing heat waves. We can reduce the power of storms and hurricanes. We will have ultimate power over the weather.’
After the cheers and applause died down, Sneddon continued. ‘So let’s begin. For today’s demonstration, we’ve sent drones to capture the flock’s work in action.’
On the screen behind him, footage appeared of eagles flying over an abandoned, snow-covered neighbourhood. ‘We have lost so much. Whole suburbs and cities have become wastelands. But with our new climate engineering technology, we will protect what we have left.’
The eagle-like machines soared above ruined homes and clogged streets, their powerful wings propelling them forward.
Griffin leaned closer to the computer. ‘That place looks familiar.’
The snow gave way to shimmering water flooding between houses, factories and apartments.
Griffin’s body jolted with a cold panic. ‘It’s Grimsdon.’
Fly watched as their old home appeared. ‘There’s the library and the Grimsdon Bridge.’
‘Somewhere far away,’ Griffin said, remembering Aleksander’s words. ‘What if he sent Isabella there?’
Fly’s grip on her phone tightened. ‘And now he’s going to destroy it.’
‘Here, sadly,’ Sneddon continued, ‘we have one of those wastelands. A once great city that is now an irredeemable ruin. I am going to demonstrate how I can control the weather to save cities like this in the future. So now,’ he said, beaming in anticipation, ‘sit back and enjoy.’
The drones filmed the eagles as they turned in a sudden upward climb, until they disappeared into the thick, cloudy sky.
Isabella poked another piece of furniture into the fire on the roof, when Herman’s long neck rose into the air, his head poised, as if he sensed danger. Her hand flew to her sword, ready for battle. ‘What is it, Herman? What can you hear?’
Before she could say any more, the temperature plummeted and a bitter wind bustled into them.
Herman growled. He opened his claws and lifted Isabella into the air, placing her on his back, so she nestled between his shoulderblades.
The sea monster bent down until his face was level with Isabella. He growled again and nudged her head with his snout.
‘It’s okay.’ Isabella rubbed his face. ‘I’ll hold on.’
He stretched his wings and brought them down in a rapid stroke. Isabella held on tight as the rush of air pushed into her. With only one more flap, Herman’s long slender body lifted from the roof and he flew.
Peeking between Herman’s shoulders, Isabella raised her head and saw the purplish grey eye of the storm. It frothed and churned, pinwheeling in the sky, sending out waves of snow-filled clouds.
Herman swooped into a sharp turn. Isabella almost lost her grip
. She ducked down and held tight to his fur. The wind blew fierce and cruel and the sea creature strained against the increasing gale.
They sailed between bruised, roiling clouds, buffeted this way and that. Herman tore through the sky, his wings beating furiously, as the city sailed beneath them.
Isabella looked over her shoulder. She squinted against the ice and snow, which lashed the city, smothering it in white. The storm front struck like a bulldozer, tearing into everything. Buildings swayed and cracked, falling into each other, crashing into the river like a collapsing house of cards.
The snow melted on her skin. Ice-cold rivulets of water dripped into her eyes, making it hard to see. She released one hand from Herman’s fur and wiped her sleeve across her face, just in time to see the clock tower above the Haggle crumble like it was nothing more than a sandcastle.
She nestled in closer and gripped his fur tight. Herman flew faster, to the edges of the city, over rows of sunken houses, and half submerged football stadiums.
Isabella felt the sea monster’s heart quicken and his muscles tense. A long, low growl vibrated through his body.
The storm was getting worse. No matter how fast Herman flew, it was gaining on them, tearing at Isabella, making it harder to hold on and forcing her to slip down Herman’s back.
A blast of wind stampeded into them. They were flung through the air like a toy, swept away in a violent current of snow. Herman fought against the tornado-like winds, the blistering cold and the jagged shards of ice.
Dizzy and afraid, Isabella hunkered even lower and only just heard Herman’s roar as he struggled to gain control. He pushed against the force of the storm, his powerful wings battered like a kite in a cyclone.
Isabella saw Griffin’s face. Heard him say her name. For the smallest moment she felt safe, as if she was drifting. Rolling. Awash in a sea of noise, with no idea which way was up or down.
A fierce updraft of wind pushed Herman’s chest and snout upwards, like he’d been hit, when another blast bent his wing. He let out a pained wail and fell backwards.
They toppled over and over. Isabella’s head pounded. Her fingers loosened and she slid down Herman’s back.
The sea creature roared.
‘Herman!’ she screamed into the wind. ‘I can’t hold on.’
Isabella drifted even further. The barest tuft of fur was gripped in her fingers.
The last strands slipped away.
And she fell.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The Grand Finale
Sneddon watched with glee as Grimsdon was destroyed. The city that caused his downfall would be ruined forever. Erased from the world like a bad dream.
And with it, Isabella Charm.
He could not have been happier.
After years in that wretched place, his return to civilisation would be complete, just as he planned.
He stood on stage and gave Ariella a victorious nod in full readiness for his big finale. ‘The robotic eagles will release a powerful cocktail of chemicals that will reverse the wild weather, bringing it to a safe and quiet calm.’
Although battered by the wind and snow, the drones followed the eagles as they swooped into formation and entered the very heart of the storm.
‘Any minute now,’ Sneddon said. ‘You will see the results of years of hard work and ingenuity.’
The Armapod marched forward. Griffin and Fly watched the broadcast on the dashboard as the city that was once their home was destroyed. As snow and ice blasted it in a blanket of white and building after building tumbled into each other. As the Grimsdon Bridge crumbled and what was left of the Royal palace simply fell apart.
Griffin glanced at Fly’s phone, watching the red dot, which was headed straight for the storm. He sat silently, his fists clenched. Fly reached over, uncurled his fingers and slipped her hand into his.
The audience in the Halls of Government were becoming uneasy. Heads turned and concerned whispers began to rise like the hum of insects. On the giant screen before them, buildings crumbled and glass high-rises shattered in a hail of splinters. The dome of a sports stadium flew across the sky.
The storm was getting worse.
Confused murmurs spread among the dignitaries. Premier Albright sidled up to Sneddon. ‘Everything okay, Phineas?’
‘Of course,’ Sneddon answered, his voice wavering. ‘It won’t be long now.’
Sneddon’s confidence withered and his face grew pale. ‘Sometimes it takes time, especially with a storm as large as …’
He stopped. His mouth hung open.
A robotic eagle plunged from the clouds, a broken wing dangling by a cable.
‘Ariella,’ Sneddon hissed through a fake smile. ‘What’s happening?’
‘Everything’s going as planned, sir,’ Ariella replied with her usual buoyant air.
‘This isn’t the plan,’ he spat, his words like poison.
Another eagle fell and another, like space junk falling from the sky. The drone footage began to shudder until it spiralled downwards and plummeted through the coiling, icy squall.
And the screen went black.
Sneddon’s jaw clenched in fury as Ariella beamed beside him.
Inside a squat, metallic house that looked more like a lab than a home, a wiry-haired professor with large red glasses cradled a small robotic dog and wept.
The eagles were one of her favourite creations and her proudest, apart from Mathilda, and they’d been destroyed right before her eyes.
And it was all her doing.
She wiped her sleeve across her cheeks and with Mathilda nestled on her lap, she threw back her shoulders and continued to type.
In front of her was scrolling green data that, to the untrained eye, would look like a mess of letters and numbers. Professor Singh knew it well. They were coding commands, which she’d just rewritten, programming Ariella Frost to destroy her eagles.
But there was one last change she needed to make.
Isabella woke to a warm breeze. Curled into a ball, she blearily opened her eyes and found herself nestled in a rounded hollow lined with emerald green fur.
‘Herman?’
The sea monster purred, blowing hot air from his nostrils. ‘We made it? How?’
She patted his snout to make sure he was real.
‘You caught me.’ She sat up and reached her arms around his neck. ‘You’re good at this rescue business. Where are we?’
She pulled herself up between his shoulders and poked her head over his back. The sight hit her like an ill wind. A deathly quiet settled over everything and snow continued to fall. Waves of a frozen landscape rippled around them. Snow-covered houses were tilted and half-sunk, like frosted, lopsided cakes, alongside shapes of cars and trucks piled against bent lampposts.
They had escaped the storm but to where?
A low, pained growl rose from Herman, and Isabella noticed his wing lay at an awkward angle.
‘You’re hurt.’
His breathing was raspy and shallow.
‘I’m sorry.’ She stroked his back. ‘It’s my fault you’re here.’
Her clothes were wet and her hip hurt from where she’d been lying on her sword. She felt lightheaded from the cold and lack of food. She sank back into the warmth of Herman’s curved body.
‘I’ll think of something. I promise.’
But what could she do? She didn’t even know where they were.
The wind hissed and whined.
There was something else. A faint cry. Isabella held her hand up against the falling snow and looked towards the sound. The silhouette of a bird drifted above them. Its movements were unsteady, as if it was only just managing to stay in the air. ‘Charlie? Is that you?’
Isabella slid down Herman’s back, waving her arms. ‘Charlie! I’m here!’ She jumped up and down, the spear gun banging against her back.
The eagle screeched and turned into a slow dive.
‘It’s really you.’ Isabella pushed away her sodden fri
nge and laughed, until she noticed a dark object appear through the clouds above him.
And it was moving fast.
‘It’s a rescue eagle,’ she said. ‘Herman, we’re going to be okay.’
But as the robot flew closer, she noticed it torpedo towards Charlie, descending in a deadly nosedive, poised to attack.
Isabella cupped her mouth and shouted, ‘Charlie!’
But it was too late. The robot struck Charlie’s wing and he was thrown sideways, tumbling through the air. The mechanical eagle flew past, circled back and prepared for another strike.
It was definitely not here to rescue them.
Charlie struggled to keep flying. His wings staggered. He was losing height. If the robot struck again, he’d never make it. Another blow would knock him from the sky.
Reaching back, Isabella ripped the spear gun from its holster. Charlie flew faster, darting and turning, trying to escape the robot, who was closing in from behind.
Isabella aimed the spear gun, hoping it would travel far enough and desperate not to miss.
Or hit Charlie.
She pulled the trigger and the spear catapulted up, tearing through the air, heading straight for them.
It struck with a hard blow.
Isabella gasped.
The robot eagle was thrown backwards. The spear had dislodged its wing, which now dangled lifelessly. The machine rolled through the sky and crashed in a puff of snow.
Isabella retracted the spear and tucked the gun into its holster as Charlie fluttered towards her. He pulled his wings back to slow his fall, reached his claws forward and landed with a hard thud.
‘Charlie!’
Forcing her way through the snow, Isabella fell to her knees and scooped him into her arms. His body shook and his chest rose and fell in bursts.
‘It’s okay, Charlie,’ Isabella said. ‘You’re safe now.’
She got to her feet and trudged back to Herman. ‘I have the perfect place to rest.’
She lifted the eagle onto the sea monster’s back and nestled him into a warm nook. Herman raised his good wing and blew warm air onto them both.
Final Storm Page 17
