‘What?’
‘Ferdy was able to hack into the Tagaar communications system for a short time,’ she said. ‘Before he was cut off, he heard a conversation regarding a woman by the name of Morgan Le Fay.’ She went on to explain the woman’s plan to use a worldwide EMP. ‘The Tagaar have thrown up a shield around Cargall Island. British forces have tried to break through, but they’ve failed. They want us to help.’ She gripped my hand. ‘That includes you.’
‘Us? Me?’ I rolled my eyes. ‘So I can risk my life all over again before going to jail?’
Brodie looked miserable. ‘Jail is still on the cards,’ she said. ‘But this is so serious they’re willing to release you. Temporarily.’
‘Great.’
She gripped my arm. ‘You don’t owe them anything.’
‘I know.’
‘You could break out of here. You could leave and never come back.’
‘And what about you?’
Brodie looked down. ‘They need me,’ she said. ‘I’m not the most powerful of us, but this is big. If Morgan Le Fay isn’t stopped…it could mean the end of everything.’
The end of everything. On the other hand, if helped, it might mean the end of me: a stroke, a brain hemorrhage, or worse.
Still, we were a team. I wouldn’t let them face something like this without me. Releasing a long sigh, I gingerly climbed out of bed. As I struggled my shoes onto my feet, Doctor Williams re-entered the surgery and looked at me in astonishment.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ he demanded. ‘Get back into bed.’
‘No can do,’ I said. ‘Duty calls.’
‘But—’
‘I’ll take it easy.’ I didn’t want him spilling the beans about my health. ‘I promise.’
Chapter Thirty-Six
My mind whirled with conflicting thoughts as I walked with Brodie through the Helix. My place wasn’t in a hospital bed. I needed to be with my friends if they were going into action. My head felt better, and I wasn’t about to exert myself—if I could help it.
The Helix was a fantastic vessel. The size of a battleship, it was shaped like an enormous square bug with supporting legs protruding from each corner. It seemed equally capable of both horizontal and vertical flight. I felt a sea of eyes turn to me as we entered the bridge.
It looked like General Clarke had just started giving a briefing to the rest of the team. Chad was there but didn’t look happy. Dan and Ebony looked slightly rebellious. Ferdy—
Well, he looked like Ferdy.
‘Axel,’ the General said. ‘Thanks for joining us.’
I nodded.
‘We’re on our way to join with NATO forces to breach the defenses around Cargall Island,’ he explained. ‘A woman known as Morgan Le Fay has taken control of the island with the Tagaar.’
‘Morgan Le Fay?’ Ebony frowned. ‘Isn’t that the woman from Arthurian legend? From the Knights of the Round Table?’
‘It is,’ the general confirmed. ‘It is either a woman using her name—’
‘Or it’s the real thing,’ Chad said. ‘She must be old.’
‘Very.’ Ferdy nodded solemnly. ‘Although not as old as Redwood trees—’
‘General Clarke,’ I said. ‘I’ve got a few questions.’
He nodded.
‘How does The Agency fit into all this?’ I asked.
‘The US Government has entered into an arrangement with The Agency,’ General Clarke said. ‘That organization is now working through us.’
An arrangement? I didn’t like the sound of that, but who was I to argue? Within hours I would probably be placed into a cell and wouldn’t see the light of day till I was old and gray. Or I’d be dead.
If The Agency wanted to enter into a deal with Burger King, there was little I could do about it.
‘And what’s so special about Cargall Island?’ I asked.
‘Cargall Island houses an experimental device called a Solar Accelerator. Scientists have been trying to develop a free and endless supply of energy. We believe Morgan Le Fay has modified it to produce the Electromagnetic Pulse.’
‘But how?’ Dan asked. ‘And isn’t Morgan Le Fay supposed to be a witch? How did she become some sort of super scientist?’
‘The Morgan of legend was supposed to be Merlin’s sister,’ the General confirmed. ‘We suspect she’s either an alien or a modified human. Regardless, it appears she’s forged an alliance with the Tagaar.’
‘General,’ an aid called from one of the bridge stations. ‘We’re approaching Cargall Island.’
He nodded. ‘I’ll ask you all to remain on hand. I believe other mods will be joining us within minutes.’
We could see the island growing closer with every passing second from our position on the bridge. It was a tiny speck in the enormous sea. A flotilla of various sea craft surrounded the island. It looked like they were firing directly at the body of land, but their shots were hitting a pale green dome. Nothing was getting through.
‘The barrier looks powerful,’ Ferdy said. ‘More powerful than the Great Wall of China. The wall was started in the year—’
‘Ferdy,’ Chad said. ‘You got any ideas about how to bring that thing down?’
‘Preliminary information suggests that the shield is generated by a squadron of six Tagaar ships in flight around the island,’ Ferdy said. ‘Disabling any one of the ships may weaken the dome enough to be penetrated.’
More people pushed onto the bridge. Most looked like scientists, but Agent Palmer was with them. She gave me a curt nod.
‘How quickly the jailbirds fly their cage,’ she said.
Obviously, she was still annoyed with us.
At that moment, a beam of yellow light sprang forth from the island and pierced the dome. Several people on the bridge cried out as the beam of light spat high into the sky and disappeared out of sight.
‘Morgan Le Fay has begun the detonation sequence,’ Ferdy said, peering at the yellow light. ‘Ferdy needs to examine the data coming from the sensors.’
Agent Palmer led us over to a spare console where Ferdy quickly brought up some information. He examined the display.
‘How does it look?’ I asked.
‘It looks like a computer screen, Axel.’
‘No. I mean, is there a way through the barrier?’
‘There is a way,’ Ferdy confirmed. ‘There is a small gap surrounding the point where the beam intersects the dome.’
‘Is it possible to get through that gap?’
‘It would require an expert pilot.’
‘I could fly through the hole.’
‘If you touched the edge of the dome, you would be vaporized,’ Ferdy said. ‘An aircraft would deliver a margin of safety. There are small fliers onboard the Helix known as Atom ships. One may be able to fit through.’
The voice came from behind us. ‘I can pilot that ship.’
‘Mister Brown!’
The black military man had been my trainer when I first joined The Agency. I hadn’t seen him in months.
After giving me a quick smile, he turned to Ferdy. ‘I’ve logged over a thousand hours in Atoms,’ he said.
The general joined us, and we quickly explained the plan to him.
‘All forces will need to attack at the same moment,’ Ferdy continued. ‘Ferdy believes that may weaken the dome enough to increase the size of the hole. Once the Atom craft is within the dome, bringing down one of the Tagaar vessels may collapse the entire shield.’
The general started barking orders. Ferdy was to remain on the Helix to monitor the readings from the dome. Brodie and Ebony would stay with him. Myself, Chad, and Dan would squeeze into the Atom with Mister Brown at the helm.
It sounded like a plan. Whether it was a good plan or not remained to be seen. As we followed Mister Brown from the bridge, I felt a hand on my arm.
Brodie.
‘You’re leaving without saying goodbye?’ She looked furious and upset at the same time. ‘Don’t you have anything to s
ay?’
‘I don’t need to say goodbye,’ I said. ‘We’ll all meet up on the island.’
By now, the others had stopped in the corridor.
‘Axel,’ Mister Brown said. ‘Will you just kiss the girl?’
So I kissed her. We hurried down the corridor. I looked back one last time to see her watching me. She gave me a small wave.
Goodbye, she mouthed.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The Atom zoomed away from the Helix at an incredible speed. I’d thought the Flex Fighters were fast, but they had nothing on this. The Atom was built more like a conventional jet, but the three of us were squeezed into a tiny space directly behind the pilot’s seat. Mister Brown made a loop of the dome.
‘I’m not sure I can see a gap,’ he said.
‘Get Ferdy on the comm,’ I said. ‘He can give us some direction.’
Mister Brown communicated with the bridge of the Helix. Ferdy’s voice came through loud and clear. After a brief explanation of the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly, he explained how to best approach the gap.
‘It surrounds the exit point of the beam,’ Ferdy said. ‘It is currently quite small. Only about six feet across.’
‘Great,’ Mister Brown said without enthusiasm. ‘Atoms have a wingspan of eighteen feet.’
‘Ferdy will direct the general to start a simultaneous attack on the dome,’ Ferdy replied. ‘Be ready to begin your final approach.’
Mister Brown circled around the dome’s crown. A multitude of ships surrounded the island, as well as jet fighters and tiny figures in the air.
‘I can see other superheroes,’ I said.
‘I wonder if our Russian friends are down there,’ Chad said, peering down. ‘I’m sure they’d love to get together for a game of chess.’
‘I’m sure.’ I glanced over at Dan. He was very quiet. Actually, he looked quite pale. I diverted my gaze to the windscreen behind him as a slow realization came over me. It was all too easy to forget we were a bunch of teenagers. We might have superpowers, but we still felt fear.
‘How are you holding up?’ I asked Dan.
He looked at me. ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘Just thinking about what’s ahead.’
‘I’m a bit nervous,’ I admitted.
‘Really?’
‘I always am when I have to go into a fight.’ I turned to Chad. ‘What about you?’
‘I’m never afraid,’ he said. ‘Well…not much…’
‘I just don’t want to let anyone down.’ Dan’s eyes were downcast. ‘There’s so much riding on this—’
‘You won’t let anyone down,’ Chad said. ‘Axel might. He freezes up sometimes. Falls apart at the seams—’
I rolled my eyes.
‘That’s when they call in The Chad,’ he continued. ‘To save the day.’
The Chad?
Ferdy’s voice came over the radio. ‘The general has arranged for a combined strike in sixty seconds,’ he said.
‘Roger that,’ Mister Brown said.
He swung the Atom around in another enormous loop as Ferdy’s voice counted down the seconds. Looking over Mister Brown’s head, I saw the yellow beam filling most of the windscreen. That beam was in direct contact with the sun ninety-three million miles away. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if we came into contact with it.
‘…three…two…one,’ Ferdy said.
Even from our position within the flier, we could hear the enormous barrage rise up from below us. A gap appeared in the dome around the beam. The Atom accelerated.
‘This’ll be close,’ Mister Brown grunted.
We headed straight towards the hole. At the last moment, he seemed to push the Atom into a dive. I felt increased G-forces upon me, and then we were through, and blue sea lay below us.
Something flew past the window.
‘Watch out—’ Mister Brown started.
Ka-boom!
A missile exploded near the craft, and it shuddered wildly in the sky. Mister Brown rolled the fighter. ‘There’s a Tagaar vessel closing in on us,’ he said. ‘I’m returning fire.’
I felt the Atom rock as it fired back at the Tagaar vessel. I couldn’t even see where the alien ship was in relation to our position. We were moving so erratically I couldn’t tell up from down.
‘Can you take us closer to the island?’ Chad asked.
‘I’m trying to do that,’ Mister Brown said. ‘Wait—’
He rolled the vessel again, and we heard another concussive blast emanate from our aft side. I had an idea, but I needed to see the craft to make it work.
‘Mister Brown,’ I said. ‘Can you bring us around so we can face the Tagaar ship?’
‘Yes, but—’
‘Do it!’
Rather than argue, I felt another massive G-force plaster us into our seats. I struggled to speak as the ship cut a wide arc through the sky.
‘Chad,’ I said. ‘When we catch sight of the alien ship—’
‘Gotcha,’ he said.
He didn’t need the plan explained. An alien craft appeared in the window. Chad raised his hand, and the other ship began to glow. No, not glow. It began to reflect light from the sun as Chad completely enveloped it in ice.
It dropped from the sky like a rock.
We whooped with delight. Even Mister Brown punched the air. At the same moment the dome flickered once, twice—and then it disappeared completely. Chad continued to laugh like a mad person.
‘The Chad does it again!’ he whooped. ‘The Chad—’
He didn’t finish the sentence because, at that moment, a missile struck the wing of the Atom and tore the ship apart.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
‘General!’ the pilot of the Helix shouted. ‘The barrier’s down!’
‘Take us in,’ General Clarke ordered.
Brodie and Ebony grabbed Ferdy and drew him away from the console.
‘It looks like this is it,’ Ebony said.
‘This is what?’ Ferdy asked.
‘I mean…oh, never mind. Let’s just hope we get to the island in one piece.’
‘There’s an alien vessel closing on us,’ the bridge commander announced. ‘It’s firing.’
‘Raise the Grav shields and start our descent.’
It occurred to Ebony that the US government had technologies that no one else had ever heard about. The Helix was one of those technologies. Ebony wondered how they had kept their equipment a secret for so long. Her ears popped as the Helix slowly descended towards the water. The ship shuddered as missiles from the approaching craft slammed into their vessel.
‘The Grav shields are holding,’ a Lieutenant announced. ‘But a Tagaar ship is closing rapidly.’
Ebony watched the approaching vessel through the viewscreen. It wasn’t a fighter craft. The ship almost seemed to rival the Helix in size.
The general started to bark his next order. ‘Close weapons on the target and—’
‘It’s on a collision course!’ the Lieutenant yelled.
‘What?’
‘Collision course! Range five hundred feet!’
‘Fire on it!’ General Clarke roared. ‘Keep firing until—’
The vessel disappeared from view.
Ebony and the others looked at each other. ‘Where did it go?’ she asked.
General Clarke was asking the same question. ‘Location of Tagaar Vessel?’
‘It’s…it’s…not there anymore,’ the Lieutenant said. ‘It’s as if—’
The Helix lurched to one side, and everyone was thrown through the air. Brodie hit the floor, banging her elbow hard on the edge of one of the consoles. The ship lurched again—this time in the opposite direction. She caught sight of arms, legs, chairs, and General Clarke as they tumbled about on the floor of the bridge.
What’s happening?
Most of the flight personnel had kept their seats. ‘The Tagaar vessel is directly above the Helix,’ one said. ‘It’s attached to us.’
Alar
ms rang throughout the Helix.
‘Boarding…boarding…boarding…’ The computer repeated the same word again and again.
‘What’s going on?’ Ebony asked.
‘The Tagaar have started to board the Helix,’ Ferdy explained.
‘In mid-flight?’
The ship shuddered again, and this time Brodie heard the sound of firing coming from the corridor. A computer voice started to intone another warning.
‘All civilians to evacuation stations…all civilians—’
‘That’s us,’ Brodie said.
She grabbed Ferdy and Ebony and half-dragged them with her down a corridor away from the bridge.
‘Shouldn’t Ferdy and his friends stay and fight?’ Ferdy asked. ‘The crew of the Helix may need us.’
‘The planet needs us,’ Brodie said.
They ran. Military personnel dashed in all directions. Brodie grabbed a passing soldier by the arm. ‘Where’s the evacuation station?’ she asked.
He pointed down a vertical ladder leading to the lower decks. They hurried down until they reached a docking bay for aircraft. Several scientists and other civilians were climbing into egg-shaped escape capsules. These were being ejected from the side of the vessel. Brodie heard the gunshots from the decks above. It sounded like a full-scale war was in progress.
They jammed themselves into one of the evacuation pods. It readied itself to fire.
‘Ferdy estimates we only have a forty-two percent chance of surviving—’
‘Enough with the numbers!’ Brodie snapped.
The Helix shuddered again as an ominous groan resounded throughout the body of the ship. Brodie was slammed back into her seat as the egg was ejected from the Helix. Then they were in mid-air and heading rapidly towards the water.
Ferdy activated a panel, and a control column shot up from the floor between them.
‘Do you know how to fly this thing?’ Ebony asked.
‘Ferdy has read the manual.’ He peered at the controls. ‘But there is a problem.’
‘What is it?’
‘The engines have failed.’
Brodie blanched. ‘What does that mean?’ she asked.
‘The chances of surviving a descent into the water are now only twelve percent—’
Teen Superheroes Box Set | Books 1-7 Page 46
