by Darrell Pitt
“Watch out!” I yell. “We’re -.”
The ground swallows us up in an enormous hole. We fall about twenty feet into an underground cavern. Fortunately I’m able to cushion our landing while deflecting the bullets from the battle droids above.
Brodie yells. “Over here!”
The cave is roughly circular in dimensions, but there is a slight overhang on one side. The gunfire is relentless as we take refuge. It’s only when we are out of sight that the droids stop firing. A metal ceiling slides into place. Faint lighting comes to life.
I dust off dirt from my face. I’m annoyed with myself. I should have realized there would be one final obstacle before we reached the obelisk.
“Any ideas?” Brodie asks.
“I can fly us out of here, but not until -.”
“Wait a minute,” Ebony interrupts. “We’ll have to deal with them first.”
A door has slid open on the other side of the cavern. Three battle droids have appeared. They’re a slightly different design to the others. Taller and more slender. I throw a row of invisible stars at them.
Nothing happens.
Damn. They must be using the same dampening field – the zeno ray – that was used against us at Ravana’s building. That’s not fair! Why does -.
I stop. Of course, it’s not fair. This is a life or death battle designed to prepare us for…life or death.
To my surprise, Ebony is the first to move. She crosses the cavern in seconds and takes on one of the droids, hitting it with a flurry of punches. Brodie and I are close behind. I’m in immediate difficulty. My droid hits me across the face and knocks me flying. Brodie fairs better. Even without her extra strength and speed, she still has her fighting knowledge. If her robot could cry uncle, I’m sure it would.
I kick the legs out from under my adversary and start hammering its head into the ground. It sweeps my legs out from under me and I land face first in the dirt. We roll around on the ground for a while. Then it straddles my body and starts punching into my face.
Despite my attempts to deflect the blows, most of them are still connecting. How long can I -.
The droid’s head flies off to one side and it loses power. I struggle to sit up and shake it off me. I look around. Brodie is just finishing off her droid. It’s finding it hard to fight back with no arms and legs. It’s Ebony who is standing before me wielding one of her arms of her droid. She is the one who has just finished her adversary and mine as well.
“How did you…what did…” I begin.
“Did you sleep through basic training?” Ebony asks. “What was Brown teaching you?”
“How to fly. How to break the sound barrier,” I say airily. “That sort of stuff.”
Brodie strides over just in time to see Ebony help me up. She doesn’t look too happy. Not that I can blame her. Who wants to engage droids in a life and death battle of hand to hand combat?
And all before lunch?
“Where to from here?” she asks.
First we had to find the zeno emitters. It only takes a moment. They are speaker like contraptions set into the surrounding walls. We tear them out. Then we look up at the metal ceiling. I suppose we have to get through it first. Or there’s always the door the droids came through. Maybe they -.
It’s like Ebony can read my mind. “Forget that. There’s an easier way to get out of here.”
“How’s that?” Brodie asks.
Ebony touches the wall with both hands. Closing her eyes, a tunnel appears in the rock angling up towards the surface. She stops it just before it reaches ground level. Stooping over, we climb up it until we reach the end.
“The minerals industry would love you,” Brodie says to Ebony.
The girl nods. “I’ll be a miner if the superhero gig doesn’t work out.”
The ground is still shaking. Obviously Chad and Dan are still continuing their bombardment of the island. Ebony turns to me.
“What do you think is the best way to handle this?”
I shrug. “Let’s make an impact.”
Throwing a shield around us, we burst through the ground into the air. We’re only a few feet from the obelisk. The droids are all standing around in silence until we make an appearance. Obviously we were out of sight and also out of mind. They start firing almost immediately. Ebony slaps a hand on the obelisk and turns it to dust.
We hover above the ground for a few seconds waiting for the droid’s attack to subside.
It doesn’t.
“I thought they were supposed to quit once we took out the obelisk!” Brodie yells in my ear.
I shake my head. “I assumed the same thing too. Obviously we’ve still got to get off the island. I angle us across the jungle away from the compound and within minutes the droid’s fire has vanished to nothing. We pick up Chad and Dan from the same place we left them. They both seem flushed with excitement.
“You should have seen it!” Dan yells as we soar across the water. “First we were blowing up everything across the island. Then these robots appeared and we started turning them into junk.”
“Molten junk in some cases,” Chad pipes up.
Reaching the mainland I decide that we’ve done pretty well for ourselves. That thought is quickly put to the test, though, when I see who is waiting for us.
Twelve.
As we step onto the beach he solemnly shakes hands with each of us. Considering he probably wanted to jail us for life less than twenty-four hours ago, I’d say we’ve come a long way in a short time.
“It seems your mission was a complete success,” he says.
“So now we get some time off,” Chad says, nodding.
Twelve shakes his head. “Unfortunately not.”
“But Mr Brown said -.” I begin.
“I’m sorry,” Twelve interrupts. “It looks like Typhoid is preparing to move sooner than we expected. You fly out first thing tomorrow morning.” He studies each of our faces in turn.
“School’s out.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
By dinner time we’ve had our wounds dressed and received a battery of shots to safeguard us against every infectious disease known to man. And then some, it seems. The burns to Chad’s chest are superficial; the doctors who examine us wonder if the Alpha Project has also increased our capacity to recover from injury.
They’re probably right. The gunshot wound I received when we rescued Chad and Ebony has completely healed. Sometimes it’s great having super powers.
After dinner we’re given a preliminary briefing of our objectives, but the main briefing will be tomorrow morning. We sit around in the entertainment room and talk about the day’s events. Everyone’s relaxed. Maybe part of it is pent up tension thinking about what we’re about to face. Dan can’t get over the shooting gallery of destruction he and Chad created. The way they describe their adventure makes it sound more like a computer game than real life.
Later Brodie and I find ourselves wandering aimlessly through one of the passageways. As we turn a corner we bump into Mr Brown.
“Ah, recruit,” he says. “I heard you did well on the course today.” He holds out a hand. “Congratulations.”
Amazing. Mr Brown is operating like a normal human being.
“Th-thanks,” I stammer.
“That doesn’t make us brothers,” he says without a smile.
“No, I wasn’t expecting -.”
Then he really freaks me out. He laughs. His face breaks into a wide smile showing a wide set of teeth. Shaking his head, he says, “If you could see your face right now…”
I’m not sure what I look like, but with Brodie watching my every move I’d rather look super cool than super geek.
“So where are you both headed?” he asks.
“We were just wandering around,” Brodie says. “Is there any chance we could go outside?”
“I don’t see why not.”
I’m amazed. Up till now this place has been like Camp X-Ray. Now all of a sudden we can jus
t walk around like civilians. My feeling of astonishment must be reflected on my face because Brown gives me another grin and a slap on the shoulder.
“If you were going to leave you would have done it already,” he says.
Yep, I guess we would have.
He takes us up in an elevator that opens onto one of the bunkers at ground level. A large, dark field of green spreads out before us. The moon is out. The sky is clear. Brown pats my shoulder as we exit the elevator.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” he says.
I don’t know what he means.
Brodie just gives me a smile. We make our way across the field till we reach an embankment of rocks. We sit down and look up at the stars.
“Mr Brown seems like a nice guy, after all,” I say.
“Didn’t you think so before?”
“Are you kidding? I thought he was a monster.”
Brodie laughs. “It’s their job to train us hard.”
“Well, they’re good at it.”
We sit in silence for a few minutes. I’m suddenly aware that Brodie is sitting right next to me. Very close to me, in fact. Her arm is only a few inches away. I feel my face flushing.
Should I kiss her? Does she want me to? Or would that just be weird? I don’t know what to do.
She looks up at me expectantly. She’s very beautiful in the moonlight. Actually, she’s beautiful any time, night or day. I imagine what could go wrong if I kiss her. She might freak out. Things might get uncomfortable and that’s the last thing we want.
Tomorrow we might be facing overwhelming odds -.
She kisses me. Her lips are soft against mine. She presses herself against me and I feel her heart. It seems to be beating a million miles a minute.
“What are you thinking?” she asks.
I’m in love. That’s what I’m thinking, but to say it would be stupid so I just shrug.
“I don’t know,” I say. “Just thinking about tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Her voice goes hard. “What about right now?”
“Well, I was thinking -.”
“Sorry,” she says. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you.” She stands and smoothes her outfit.
“Hey, I didn’t mean -.”
“I know,” she flashes a quick smile at me. “It’s getting late. We should go back inside.”
I follow her back to the bunker. I feel like I’ve been through a tumble dryer. What did I say that was so wrong? In the elevator going down I make up my mind I’m going to kiss her goodnight. I’ll do it when we reach our dorm rooms.
We walk silently through the passageways until we reach our dorms. She smiles at me like everything’s fine and I try to speak.
“Brodie?”
“Yes?”
“I just wanted to say…well, you’re -.”
The door opens behind her. It’s Ebony.
“Oh, I thought I could hear people out here,” she says. “Sorry.”
She shuts the door. Just as it closes I hear the door behind me swing open.
“Oh, it’s you guys,” Dan says. “We’re ready to turn in, Axel.”
“Yeah, sure…”
“Well, are you coming to bed?”
“I’d better go to bed too,” Brodie says.
I nod. She disappears through her door, giving me one last look before she disappears.
“Everything okay?” Dan asks.
“Peachy,” I reply.
The next morning finds us up and about at 3.00am. After a small breakfast we are led to a briefing room in another part of the complex. A man we have never met before – a guy named Hodges – brings up a display on a board. It shows a timetable with our departure time listed as 4.30am.
“I won’t lie to you about this mission,” he begins. “It’s dangerous. We are taking you most of the way by plane to Cayo Placetas. About twenty miles out we’ll drop you into the sea. From there you need to make your way to the island and then to the base.”
A satellite map of the island flashes up on the screen. I realize it looks very familiar.
“It’s the same as the training island,” I say.
“Not exactly the same,” Mr Hodges says. “But similar. We wanted to run you through a similar scenario before you had to face the real thing.”
“So things might be worse than yesterday?” Chad says.
“Things will be worse than yesterday.” Hodges turns back to the map. “I recommend you adopt the same approach as before – two of you create a diversion. The others make your way to the base.” He points at the map. “This is where the missile’s guidance system is stored.” He points to a cluster of buildings. The computer room is nestled in the centre. He indicates another set of buildings. “The barracks are here…and here. Over here is the missile silo.” It is some distance from the main compound. “As has already been explained to you, Pegasus’s weakness is its dependence on its guidance system. That’s what you need to take out.
“If Pegasus becomes airborne it will be almost impossible to bring down. As missiles go, it’s not the fastest ever developed. In fact it’s fairly slow by comparison. Its strength is its sophisticated stealth mechanism. I doubt any fighter craft could bring it down before it reaches its target.”
“Do you know what that is yet?” Brodie asks.
Hodges shakes his head. “It’s impossible to say. We have to remember this is a terrorist attack. They could aim for a smaller city like Miami or they could aim for a strategic target such as DC or New York.
“Since 9/11 New York seems to have become the preferred destination for terrorists.” He looks at each of us in turn. “The important thing is to not let that rocket off the ground. If it takes off it will be virtually impossible to stop.”
We nod. This is all very sobering. I glance over at the others. They all look pretty serious. It’s hard to believe all this responsibility is falling to us. It seems The Agency is very good at scientific research and watching the activities of humanity – but not much else.
It’s almost like Hodges can read my mind. “I imagine your greatest advantage will be the element of surprise.”
I look at the map.
I hope the surprise is not on us.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The plane is still high above the clouds by the time we make our jump. The man in the rear section with us is named Mr Wilkerson. He’s short, red haired and burly and goes to great lengths to tell us his experience in parachuting. Ten years with the SAS. Four years as an instructor. He’s even fully trained to pilot a number of military aircraft.
“You’ll be landing in the ocean, so just remember to keep your legs braced,” he says. “And hold your breath.”
I nod. I doubt we will land in the ocean. I hope to scoop everyone together before we hit the water, but we’ve been told not to our powers with anyone. So I just nod.
We’re dressed in identical gear. They’re a modified version of army fatigues. Obviously there’s no insignia. I feel as anonymous now as I did when I woke up in that hotel room with the dying Doctor Richards.
We jump out one at a time into the early morning sky. Nobody looks confident. Even Chad looks scared to death, but there’s nothing any of us can do about it. As I jump, the wind catches me and I plummet towards earth. My chute opens with a jerk. Before I land I create a platform to grab everyone.
Unfortunately I miss Chad. He lands some distance from us and we collect him, sputtering and choking, from the choppy waters.
“Very clever,” he snaps.
I shrug. “It was an accident.”
Keeping low, we make our way to the island. The sun still hasn’t risen, but the sky is light. I want us to reach shore before we’re too visible. We eventually find an inlet at the end of the island most distant from the base. Chad has stopped dripping by the time we climb onto the shore.
We examine our maps. We all have identical copies in case we become separated. I point out the best place for Chad and Dan to position themselves.
Then we synchronize watches as we did the previous day. This time we’re carrying phones to stay in contact. We set a time for two hours hence, but we will check again when we reach the base.
The lessons of the training exercise from the previous day are instantly obvious. I’m even appreciating the use of live ammunition. I dread to think how we would deal with this situation without completing a practice run.
I’m under no illusion, however, as to our lack of experience. This sort of exercise should be carried out by an elite force of armed SAS soldiers – not a bunch of teenagers. I suppose that’s the problem with The Agency. They don’t like the idea of millions of people dying in a nuclear blast, but they’re not prepared to do very much about it either.
The sun is just rising as we start working our way around the island. I feel terribly exposed on the shoreline, so after a few hundred feet I suggest to the girls that we move up the cliff face.
“Don’t you think that’ll be more dangerous?” Brodie asks.
“I think it’s more dangerous to be out here where everyone can see us.”
We climb up the cliff and discover a path that traces the coastline. I wonder if it’s a trap, but then I realize the Typhoid agents need to move around Cayo Placetas as well. Still, we keep a close eye out for trip wires. We move slowly. After a few miles, Ebony grabs my arm. She urgently draws us into the undergrowth.
No sooner are we hidden than a group of four men make their way past us down the track. They are fully armed with rifles and handguns. A symbol on their jackets resembles a spider web. After a few minutes the sound of their footsteps fades.
“That was close,” Brodie whispers.
“We’d better keep moving,” I say.
We follow the path around the island. It splits into two at one point, but we keep to the trail that traces the coast. After another half hour the path starts to climb. This time I see something that makes me pause. There is a guard tower at the top of the hill. It gives a commanding view over the path and coastline.
We’re stumped. Although I can’t see the complex, I can hear movement and traffic coming from our right. It seems to be the obvious direction in which to head so, keeping close to the ground, we navigate through the jungle. We meet a wide muddy road cutting across through the undergrowth. It looks like it leads directly into the compound. A truck roars past us. The guards at the entry point check the back and allow it to continue through into the facility.
