'Cut it out Zack, and give me what you have in your hand.'
Silently, Zack breathed a sigh of relief. 'I assure you I have nothing in my hand, Commander.'
'Zack, our highly sensitive prisoner escape alarm system has gone off, you have something hidden.'
'Commander, you have stripped me bare, and look where I am. No windows… concrete walls. And probably deep in the bowels of your black hole. How can I possibly escape? You are being ridiculous.'
Another Freeflyer, who was standing behind Zack, hit him on the back of the head hard with the flat of his hand. 'Mind your manners, Zack.'
'Sorry, Commander, but I have nothing.'
'That's not what Knox said,' bluffed the Freeflyer.
But it was a double bluff. Zack was trying to spin out the time till the Rebel Knox would be released. He would read the message, and the future of the Earth would be in the Rebels' hands.
'Commander,' Zack said and smiled. 'I would be happy to change my allegiance to your side, having met Piers and Miles and finding them such nice chaps.' He crossed his fingers. 'Would you accept me?'
'If you were to pass the test, of course.'
'Which is?'
'Give us what you have either in your hand, or on some part of your body, that set our escape alarm going.' The Freeflyer held out his hands.
'I don't know what you're talking about.'
'Lock him up and throw away the key. No, on second thoughts, dump him in his own Tunnel of Death.'
'Goodbye Zack.'
'Nooo!'
Chapter 15
The End. Or Is It?
Polly finally caught up with the little dog. 'Fifi, you are a bad little girl,' she said as she picked her up. 'Whew! I'm puffed.' Polly sat down on the dusty floor. She looked back up the tunnel. 'Okay Fifi, where are the boys? Come on, we had better go back and find the slowcoaches. I'm going to carry you so you can't run away again.'
Polly started to walk back up the tunnel. 'I didn' t think we had got this far ahead, Fifi. Piers! Miles!' she called. 'Oh God Fifi, the tunnel could be playing tricks.' She couldn't hear any running water, and she hadn't found the boys. She stood still and started to get very frightened. What to do next? Hang on! She looked at her feet. No one can see me, so what am I worried about? 'Fifi which way - left or right? Well I'm left-handed, so left it is.' Polly looked at her transparency watch - only twenty-five minutes left. She walked for another five minutes, and the roof of the tunnel was definitely getting lower, and it began to get darker and hotter.
'I'm going to turn back, Fifi. I think we are walking into a dead end.' She turned round and walked back to where she hoped the boys would be. Once again, the tunnel started to change, and she began to worry. Being invisible doesn't matter when you are on your own. She switched the watch off and sat down with Fifi on her lap. She had no idea what to do next, so she leaned back, closed her eyes and dozed.
~
Zack was spinning faster than the speed of two scannuls. He began to wish he had stayed at home. He had no powers, the Freeflyers had stripped him bare but, for some reason, had not exiled him to The Garden of Creation in the First Universe. Wait! The Creator's Initiator! I still have it! Surely this has to be an emergency! The thought was all it needed, and he started to think of what he could say to save himself.
~
'Zack, how many times do I have to save you?'
Zack felt a bit groggy but was coherent enough to know he was back in the Dark Universe and standing over him was Commander Pope.
'Do you realise what you've done?'
'What, sir?' Zack said, and from the look on the Commander's face, whatever he had done was dire.
'Come with me, Zack. I don't know whether to be so angry with you I could break your neck or if I should feel sorry for you.'
'Sorry for me? What do you mean sorry for me?'
Pope opened a door and waved Zack in.
Lying on a cold mortuary slab was Knox.
'What? No! No! Knox! Knox!' Zack looked at the Commander. 'What happened to him?' He screamed.
'You encapsulated him, Zack, did you not?'
'Yes, but!'
'There are no buts, Zack. You were angry when you encapsulated Knox. You had a fight, and you doubled the charge. Knox was gone before the process started. He never even got to the encapsulation chrysalis.'
'No, no!' Zack fell to his knees and sobbed. 'I've killed my best friend,' he said.
'I'm so angry! I feel like making you suffer longer,' the Commander said. 'Get up, you idiot, and listen very carefully to what I have to say.' Zack was pulled roughly to his feet. 'Knox is not dead, and we can get him back.'
'I will fight anything alive,' Zack said.
'It is not anything to do with fighting, Zack. He has gone to the twelfth dimension.'
'What? The twelfth dimension? How did that happen? I can't believe it.'
Zack was still sobbing. 'Knox, Knox, please come back, please, I'm sorry.'
'Zack listen to me. As I said, we can get him back.'
'How? How can we?'
'Not we, Zack, you.'
'You have to get his twin Miles to co-operate.'
'But he's not his real twin,' Zack said, wiping his face with his sleeves.
Commander Pope had to think quickly, Zack did not know that Knox and Miles really were twins. 'Yes, of course, you are right, but it will work while you are under the exchange change.'
'I can do that. I can get him here. I will de-pneuma him.'
'Zack, for the devil's sake, that won't work. He has to come here voluntarily.'
'You have to be kidding,' Zack expostulated. 'That's not going to happen.'
'I thought Knox and he were bonding.'
'No, they were not. How can you say such a thing? They hate each other.'
'Who do you think told the Freeflyers where Miles was?'
'I don't know.'
'We know Zack, it was Knox.'
Zack strode round the room, occasionally glancing at Knox. 'Oh my friend, my mate Knox.' He finally broke down and fell to his knees, sobbing his heart out.
Commander Pope left his captain to give Zack the orders. 'Leave him for a couple of hours.' The Commander took the Rebel aside, and then tell him what he has to do.
'Yes, sir,' said the Rebel.
The bottom of the waterfall
When Piers finally opened his eyes, he was lying on his stomach on the edge of a slow-moving river. He turned over, propped up on one elbow and sat up. He was coughing so much he thought he would never get his breath back. He got to his feet and looked round for Miles.
'Miles! Miles!' He saw what he thought was a body further up the bank. He started to run but soon slowed down, his body was not responding. He called again. 'Miles!' He was walking as fast as he could, but it seemed that, with every step he took, he felt he had taken two steps back. The sun was blazing down on him, and he was so thirsty he felt like drinking the river water. As he got to within two yards of Miles, Piers saw him slightly move.
'Miles!' Piers threw himself down on the bank next to Miles and turned him over. Miles mouth was full of mud. Piers rolled him back onto his side and scooped out as much of the mud as he could. He pulled him up and held him bent over his knees as he slapped him hard on the back.
After what seemed like an hour, Miles finally coughed and spat up the rest of the mud.
'Where the bloody hell are we?' Miles said between spraying mud all over Piers.
Piers was so relieved Miles was okay he had forgotten they had jumped over the waterfall.
'Do you remember what happened after we jumped, Piers?'
'I will never forget it as long as I live. But right now Miles, I might go for a bit of a forage and try and find some fresh water. I'll drag you up to the shade of those trees, and then I'll find out where we are.'
Miles pushed Piers away and struggled to his feet. 'I think not! United we stand divided we fall.'
As they staggered away from the river, the
y did not notice that the mud was turning to sand and the sand was getting decidedly wetter.
'I don't like the feel of this sand, it's very boggy,' Piers said as he led the way. 'Oh no, Miles! I think I've trodden in quicksand. I'm sinking fast.'
Miles leaned forward and tried to grab Piers hand. 'Can you move over to me?'
'No, I can't move my legs at all.' Piers was already nearly up to his thighs.
'Look, I have an idea. I'm going to lie over the quicksand so I can reach your hand. Then we both pull the orange ejection knob.'
'Miles, no, don't do it.' But it was too late. Miles was already on his stomach with only his legs on dry sand.
Piers was now up to his waist in quicksand, and Miles was sinking fast.
'For God's sake, Piers, give me your hand.' And with only seconds to go before Piers disappeared under the quicksand they managed to grab hands. 'Here's hoping, Miles said, and he pulled the orange knob.'
~
Polly woke with a start, to Fifi barking with joy as her two favourite men had suddenly landed right in front of her.
'I can't believe it Polly,' Piers said. These rebel uniforms are smarter than we are.
Polly jumped up crying. 'Piers! Miles! Where did you get to? I've had a terrible time.'
'Thank goodness you are safe. We ran after you, but you were nowhere in sight. We came to a waterfall, and the only way past was to jump in.'
'And we ended up in quicksand,' Miles interjected.
'The how did you get here?' Polly was intrigued.
'Miles suggested we pull one of the knobs on the Rebel suit.'
'Well, why don't you pull another knob to get us out of here?' Polly suggested.
'Before we do anything, can we make a plan? I'm a little fed up of being involuntarily moved around. And I want us to stay together,' Piers added.
'I agree,' said Miles. 'But what I would like to know first is, what button do you press for food?'
'I think I can help you with that one,' Polly said. 'While I was sitting here, I played with the transparency watch. If it feels the wish is deserved, it will grant it.'
'Well, we're bloody starving and dying of thirst, so that has to be deserving.'
'Well, we had all better hold hands, and I'll switch the watch on,' Polly ordered. She picked up Fifi, and they all held hands. 'We would like some food.'
Poof! Three people and a dog ended up in a corner of a dining room, watching Gemma serve Commander Rekrap his tea and toast.
Piers put his finger to his mouth, 'Shhh.' He indicated to Miles they should get out from under the energy of the watch. He let go of Polly's hand and pulled Miles with him. Suddenly, they appeared. They walked over to the Commander.
'Zack and Knox, what are you doing here? It's good to see you. The place is overrun with Freeflyers.'
'Commander,' Piers said, and both boys saluted. 'Where are the prisoners, sir?'
'In the Crypt. Pope and Bean have gone down there to await reinforcements so we can dispatch them to the outer regions.'
When Gemma saw the Rebel uniforms, she ran into the kitchen to tell Event. Polly saw what was happening and chased after Gemma. She switched off the watch and blocked the doorway. She arrived just in time to stop Event and Salute from attacking Piers and Miles.
'Polly, where did you come from? And what happened? And how come you allowed those two Rebels to follow you here?'
'They are not Rebels Event. That's Piers and Miles, they were sent here to rescue me,' Polly protested.
'How do you know? They could be Zack and Knox organising a trap for all of us.'
'No, you're wrong, it's Piers and Miles. I'll go and bring them in here, and you can speak to them yourselves.'
'No, you can't Polly. You know Rekrap is out to get you.' Salute took hold of Polly's arm.
'Let go of me Salute. I'm not an idiot. I was going to suggest Gemma goes. That's her brother out there, and he is in as much danger as I am.'
Gemma did not have to be told twice. Alison, who was listening in, pushed forward. 'Come on Gemma! Let's see what the two Rebels want to eat.' They smiled as they walked into the dining room.
'Oh, Commander, how nice! You have two visitors.' Alison smiled at Miles.
'And what would you like, Sir? Please sit, and we will bring you whatever you order.'
Piers and Miles looked at the girls. Do they think we are really Rebels?' Piers whispered to Miles. 'We will have what the Commander is having,' said Miles, smiling. 'Is that alright with you, Zack?' He turned his attention back to Rekrap. 'Commander, do you know when the reinforcements will arrive?'
'Actually, Old Nitty told me to organise it, and I forgot. Anyway, there's no rush with you two here now. I will do it after I've had my tea.'
'That's okay Commander. I'll do it for you,' Piers said.
'Thank you Zack. Very kind of you.'
'What's your favourite food, Sir?' Gemma said to Piers. 'I will get it for you.'
'Now let me think,' Piers answered. 'When I was a child, I used to love peanut butter and honey on burnt toast. My sister loved it too and kept pinching my share.' Gemma put her arm behind her back and gave the thumbs-up signal. It could only be Piers and Miles.
Event and Salute breathed a huge sigh of relief, now the odds were even.
~
Hamish, Steve and Lucy slept fitfully, thinking this would be their last hour on Earth.
'I hope Polly has just run away,' Hamish said. 'I don't want her to come back here, with or without Piers and Miles. I don't want her to share our fate.'
'Are you crazy? She has to come back. I don't want to die!' Steve raved.
'Shut up, Steve! You haven't lived caring, so try to die caring,' Lucy said.
'I only care about myself… Always have, always will!' Steve shouted back.
'If that's true, why should Polly help you? You have been nothing but dreadful to her.'
'Because I'm with you two. You are my insurance.'
'I could tell her to leave you behind.'
'Hamish face it. She's not going to get Piers and Miles here in time, and why would she come back anyway. We're doomed. I suggest before the time is up, we should see if we can escape.'
'Shhh,' Hamish said. 'What's that?'
'What's what?' Steve had not lowered his voice.
'Shut up, idiot, and listen.'
They all held their breaths as the sound became louder.
'What is that?' Hamish walked to the far corner and beckoned Steve to follow him. The noise was like chalk scraped on a blackboard, it sounded like a monster too big for the tunnel, so was scraping his back on the roof. This was more frightening than anything the Rebels could do.
'Could you slow down?' a voice followed the noise. 'The metal on this Rebel uniform is scraping the roof.'
'It's Rebels. Stand up!' Hamish said. 'I'm going to die with honour.'
'You might want to,' said Steve, who crouched behind Hamish, 'I don't.'
'God, I hope we're in the right tunnel this time. I've had the worst day of my life. Hamish, Steve, Lucy, are you here?' A voice called.
They were all too scared to move.
'I don't think they are here. Hurry, Selim, we have to find them. If the Rebels come back before we do, they will be gone forever.'
Pendragon flew straight to Hamish, sat on his shoulder and cooed.
'Sreip, we've found them!' Selim called.
'I think we must be on the same side,' Hamish said as he walked towards the Freeflyers.
'Hamish, Steve, Lucy! It's good to see you. And you can thank Pendragon she led us here. So where's Polly?'
'The Freeflyers sent her out to find Piers and Miles and to bring them back here to save our lives.'
'Right. Now here's our plan of attack. Pendragon here will take you two to safety, and we will wait here for Polly or Commander Pope.'
'No bloody way!' said Hamish. 'I was in the SAS. I'm an experienced fighter, and I'm staying with you.'
'And I'm with you, Hamis
h,' Steve said.
Hamish was so surprised at Steve's bravery, he threw his arms round Steve and hugged him. Steve was so surprised he hugged Hamish back.
Pendragon growled. She had heard something. Whatever it was seemed to hold no fear and was whistling as it walked down the tunnel.
'That has to be a Rebel - it's too comfortable. Back, everybody, back,' whispered Sreip. 'Selim, cover me! You boys, stay behind Pendragon.' And as Sreip inched his way along the wall towards the whistling, Pendragon increased in size and shielded Selim, Hamish, Lucy and Steve with her wings.
As the whistler came round the corner, Sreip leapt out screaming. 'Ahhh!'
'Christ, Sreip! You frightened the life out of me.' It was Jamie Brummell.
'Attention Freeflyer.' Jamie jumped to attention.
'We could have immobilised you. What the hell are you doing here?'
'Sir, Commander Rhettnor sent me, Sir. He told me the area was secure, sir.'
Another strange sound came down the hall.
'Shhh! Someone or something was following you. Were you aware of that?'
'No, sir,' JB whispered.
They all crouched in the dark corner. Obviously, it wasn't a Freeflyer, so it would have to be a Rebel, and from the sound of it, an injured one.
'Let's get out of here now we have the chance,' Hamish said.
'No. It could be an injured Rebel, and even though unlikely, it could be an injured Freeflyer. We must wait,' Sreip insisted.
They stood still and waited, as the sound got closer.
'I think we should leave,' said Steve. He stood. 'Come on Hamish. That noise could be a monster.'
'Don't be stupid, Steve.' Sreip pulled him down.
The sound stopped, and two Rebels looked up to see five Freeflyers, standing, prepared for battle.
'Commander Sreip, Selim my good wishes. But I surrender to no one.' And no one moved faster than Commander Pope when things look bad or who knew the tunnel better. One earth second was all it took, and both Pope, and Bean were back to where they had come - the church steps. One more earth second and the tunnel started to collapse behind them.
'Selim, grab Steve! JB, grab Hamish and follow me! Quick to the dining room.'
If the Rebels could move fast, the Freeflyers could move faster. They left the Crypt and landed in the dining room just before the tunnel collapsed and in time to stop Piers and Miles from leaving.
Polly Pippin and The Tunnel of Death Page 20
