Blue's Revenge (8 page)

‘A doppelgänger?' Linden marvelled at such a device. ‘And it creates an exact replica of a human?'

‘That was his aim while he worked here,' Quimby replied.

‘So the replica of Blue was the one who saved
the prisoners from the fire. And the one who was killed,' Eleanor spelt out for them. ‘Which leaves Blue to do his dirty work as freely as he likes, without anyone knowing it's him.'

‘Thanks, Quimby. I'll be down to be equipped immediately.' Harrison shut down his computer and stood up from his desk.

‘Should we be equipped too, sir?' Max asked as she and Linden leapt from their lounge.

Suave gave Alex a sideways glance before looking back at his notes. It was a look that told Max she wasn't going to like what Harrison had to say.

‘Max, we can't allow you to be on this mission.'

Ben and Eleanor looked at each other, familiar with this Spyforce rule.

‘Sorry?'

Harrison fixed Max with a steadfast eye. ‘You're too close to this one, Max. Your emotional involvement in this mission may well cause you to jeopardise its outcome.'

‘But that's crazy!' Max raised her voice. ‘She's my mother. I know her the best and I'm a good spy. I'm the perfect one to be on this mission.'

Harrison looked at her as she calmed down from her outburst. ‘It is exactly that kind of emotion that can cost lives.'

He walked over to her, gently laying his hands on her shoulders. ‘Max, you are one of the most courageous and skilled spies I've ever known, but in this instance, I refuse to let you go on this mission. You are welcome to stay with Steinberger, Alex and Suave, who will oversee the operation from here, or you can go home and we will keep you informed of everything that happens.'

‘But sir …'

‘My decision is final, Max.' His words ended with a resounding full stop and Harrison left the room with the weight of his decision riding on his heels.

Max stared after him, desperate to stop him, to have him change his mind. As he walked out the door she knew she couldn't let him go on this mission alone. She had to find her mother, and even Spyforce wasn't going to stop her.

Max stood before the solid stone structure of the Wall of Goodness. She clenched her hands into nervous fists and looked across at Linden.

‘Are you sure you're okay about doing this?'

‘Sure I'm sure.'

Linden finished off the last of a sesame seed bar, put the wrapper in his backpack and stared at the Wall.

‘But we're going against Harrison's orders.'

‘We're going to rescue your mum,' Linden replied easily. ‘Anyway, rules and orders only matter as long as they don't get in the way of what's right. And yes, before you ask, that was another one of Mum's sayings.'

Max smiled. ‘Was there anything your mum didn't have a saying for?'

Linden thought about it. ‘Nope. Now, time to go in, eh? Oh, and Max?' He prepared to give her one last piece of advice. ‘Try to get it right this time, will you?'

Max grimaced. She'd never once been through the Wall of Goodness without some kind of spluttering, gurgling trouble. The Wall was created to let only true and honest people through to the heart of the Force. It had never yet failed to do its job, and even though Max knew what they were
doing was right, she wasn't so sure the Wall would feel the same.

They stood perfectly still, as Steinberger had instructed them in the past, and stared straight ahead. Within seconds the Wall's atoms began reconfiguring as it went into identification mode. It reached out and began enveloping them with a warm, custardy ooziness, massaging Max and Linden to assess their level of Goodness.

‘See you on the other side,' Linden winked.

But then, the Wall's kneading slowed down until it had almost stopped.

‘It's not going to let us through,' Max said despairingly. She knew that at that moment Harrison was in Quimby's lab being equipped for his mission, and if they didn't get through soon he'd be gone, along with their hopes of following him.

‘Please, Wall,' she said softly. ‘We've got to get in or …'

Before she could finish, the Wall came to life again with even more force than before, and after a final, heaving lurch, it totally enveloped them in one squelching slurp.

In Quimby's lab, the Wall spat Max out in a stumbling, arm-flinging stop, but for Linden it was more like a gentle shove.

‘Max? Linden? I didn't know you were coming down.' Quimby stood at her workbench beside rows of shelves and cupboards filled with Spyforce devices, puzzled by the sudden appearance of the two young spies.

Max shot Linden a quick look signalling she'd take care of the explanation.

‘We wanted to make sure you were feeling okay after last night and wish Mr Harrison good luck for his mission.'

Quimby blushed. ‘I'm fine, thank you. My cat Millie's a little nervy but it's nothing her super-confidence can't conquer.'

Harrison seemed a little miffed that they had followed him.

‘Your decision was to stay with Steinberger or go home.'

‘I'm not very good at sitting still since Mum …' Max couldn't finish.

Harrison softened. ‘Max, you needn't worry, I will be fried.'

This time it was Max, Linden and Quimby who flinched at their leader's word fumble.

‘You mean
fine
, we know,' Max corrected. ‘And you will be.'

‘We'd better keep preparing for the mission,'
Quimby said softly. ‘And Max, I'm sorry about your mother. We will find her, you know that?'

Max nodded.

Quimby turned to a cupboard behind her and picked up a small piece of cloth that folded out to a lightweight bodysuit. ‘This is an Impact Suit. It fits snugly on the body and works much like a suit of armour, a bullet-proof vest and an airbag at the same time. It is made from the toughest yet softest material and is lined with a slim hyper-strong gel that absorbs all the impact of a hit or fall. It's also an excellent buoyancy vest.'

Quimby placed the suit on her work-bench alongside a line of other compact gadgets she'd prepared for Harrison.

‘Now to your new jacket.' She held up a coat identical to the one Harrison was wearing. ‘The second button down is a miniature camera, two-way radio and location device. As your last communication with Blue instructed you to turn up unarmed and unaccompanied, I thought this would be the most discreet way of staying in touch.'

She laid the jacket on the bench and picked up a coin-shaped object.

‘Finally we have the Undetectatron, a very clever device that creates a force-field of energy
around you so that you are completely unnoticeable to any security devices you come across. Simply remove the label from the back and stick the device to your chest and it is activated. You won't need it at first as Blue will be expecting your arrival, but it will be handy if you need to make an unseen escape.'

She smiled proudly at the array of gadgets before them. ‘All we need to do now, sir, is take you to the lab's changing rooms to attach the Undetectatron, get you fitted into your Impact Suit and you will be ready to go.'

‘Excellent.' Harrison turned to Max and Linden. ‘You two better get back to Steinberger.'

‘Would you mind, sir, if we saw you off?'

Max's heart lurched at Harrison's hesitation.

‘Okay, but as soon as I leave, you are to stick very closely to Ben and Eleanor. I want them to know where you are at all times.'

‘Absolutely, sir.'

Max hated lying to Harrison, but now that her plan to save her mother had begun, she couldn't turn back.

After Harrison and Quimby walked into the next room, Max and Linden sprang towards Quimby's cupboards and selected their gadgets.

‘We'll need Danger Meters, these Undetectatrons should be useful, and I like the sound of those suits. And this …' Linden grabbed an X-ray Spectrogram like the one he and Max had used in Morocco. ‘… might be good too.'

As they put the devices into their packs, Max felt better now that she was doing something active about saving her mother.

‘What about when Quimby notices what's missing?' Linden asked.

‘She doesn't check her equipment until the end of each day. By then, we'll be a long way from here.' But Max knew what Linden was getting at. ‘When we get back from the mission with Mum and Harrison safe, she'll understand why we did it.'

Linden smiled. ‘We've already got our Personal Flying Devices in our packs, so what else do we need?' He looked around. ‘What about this?' He took a pen from a drawer that said ‘Knock Out Spray'.

‘Great. And look at these.' Max spied a velvet-lined box with jewelled rings inside. They were all different shapes and colours, and attached to the shelf they sat on was a card that said ‘Digital Camera and Laser Rings.' She slipped one into her pocket just as they heard Quimby and Harrison's voices coming closer.

She quickly closed the cupboard doors and drawers and they both leant against Quimby's workbench as if they'd been patiently waiting for their return.

‘Good luck, sir,' Quimby offered.

‘Thank you, Quimby. You're a wonderful asset to the Force.'

Quimby tucked a falling piece of hair into her scarf and blushed.

Max, Linden and Harrison made their way to the VART. As Max followed her leader, she knew there was one more thing she needed. The location of the meeting.

Harrison had decided not to use the Time and Space Machine as it would be too risky to have it so close to Blue's possession. Instead, he had arranged to be flown to a large open field in the north of Scotland, where he would be picked up, blindfolded and taken to his destination.

As they walked down the metal boardwalk of the VART, Alex, Suave, Ben and Eleanor were waiting to farewell their chief, while Steinberger was on the hangar floor, showing Sleek a map.

Max took a hanky from her pocket and brought it to her nose, carefully concealing the digital camera ring. Linden threw her a subtle smile
as she zoomed in on the map and took several photos.

Steinberger stepped towards the main group and Max put her hanky and the ring back in her pocket.

‘Everything has been prepared just as you requested, sir.' Steinberger tried to keep his voice firm. He held out an overcoat and hat. ‘All available agents and vehicles are on standby if you need us, and the communication channels that connect you to Spyforce will be clear and operational at all times.'

‘Excellent.' Harrison put on the coat and hat.

‘Quimby is certain your jacket button locator will let us know your exact position once you have arrived,' Alex added confidently.

Harrison turned towards his ride, which was the Sleek Machine. It was a cross between a motorbike and a glider, and moved at an oscillation level that made it and its passengers invisible.

Sleek sat on the main body of the machine dressed in a long leather coat, warm hat and thick-lensed goggles. He handed Harrison a second pair of goggles. The chief put them on and climbed into the attached sidecar.

‘Sir.' Max rushed to the machine. ‘Is there really no way we can come? Linden and I could be ready in minutes if you thought …'

Harrison locked onto her eager expression with a look that cut her enthusiasm short. ‘I'm sorry, Max.'

‘Okay.' She moved away slightly. ‘I understand.'

Eleanor stepped forward and put her hands on Max's shoulders. ‘Please come back safely,' she said to Harrison. ‘Both you and my sister.'

Harrison nodded and Sleek started the engine. When the machine lifted into the air towards the exit of the VART, it disappeared, leaving only the sound of the engine fading into the distance.

Steinberger, Suave and Alex excused themselves and went to resume their part of the mission. Eleanor gently turned Max towards her and took her hands. ‘Let's get you something to eat, shall we?'

Max felt bad about needing to keep their rescue plans secret from her aunt and uncle, but she couldn't risk them stopping her. She turned away from Eleanor, a heavy sadness slumped into her shoulders. ‘I'll meet you in the canteen. I think I just want to wait here for a little while if that's okay.'

‘Of course it's okay,' Ben said with a swooping hug. ‘You take all the time you need, and I'll get Irene to whip up something extra special.' But when he let her go, Max could see he didn't want to leave her alone.

‘Linden, can you stay with me?'

‘Sure.' Linden stepped forward.

‘We'll see you both in the canteen.' Eleanor reached for Ben's hand and they walked out of the VART. Ben turned for a last glance at his niece and gave a small wave.

Max waved back and watched as they disappeared from view.

‘It's okay, Max.' Linden guessed her thoughts. ‘When they know why we did it, they'll be okay.'

‘I know it's risky but I can't just sit here and do nothing anymore.' Max sat on the floor. ‘You don't have to come if you don't want to. I'd understand,' she said, even though she knew that without him she might not make it back.

Linden sat down beside her. ‘How long should we wait before we follow Harrison?'

‘Best to give him a head start, then we'll follow from a safe distance.' Max paused. ‘I know Harrison thought using the Time and Space Machine was risky around Blue, but we've done it before. I know we can keep it safe. And besides, with our Undetectatrons on, I'm not planning for Blue to even know we're there.'

She took out her palm computer and the digital camera ring. She plugged the ring into the top
USB port and within seconds an image of the map she had photographed appeared before her. ‘It's done a good job.'

Max activated the locator in the computer to give her the coordinates of where Steinberger was pointing. Within seconds she had them. ‘Latitude 58° 37' north and longitude 5° 00' west.' Max's joy at having found the meeting point then faded. ‘Oh.'

‘What's wrong?'

‘The name of the place Harrison is going to is Cape Wrath.'

‘It's just a name,' Linden suggested, but he too was nervous about what it might mean.

Max took the ring from the computer and put it on her finger, knowing they may need it later. She then felt a shiver run through her and rubbed her arms. ‘Do you feel cold?'

‘Kind of. Maybe it's just nerves.'

‘Or maybe …'

‘What are you kids doing here?'

Max knew that voice and the reason for her sudden chill. Dretch. Her heart jolted in a breathless panic. She turned off her palm computer and slipped it into her pocket, hoping Dretch had not seen what she had just been doing.

His footsteps came closer as he walked along the
metal boardwalk towards them. His dislike for Max and Linden had been clear from the moment they first arrived at Spyforce. If he found out what they were doing, Max knew he would have great pleasure in demanding they be thrown off the Force.

‘Thought you were supposed to be with Ben and Eleanor?' He now stood above them and, Max realised with horror, his eyes were focused on the digital camera ring. His eyebrows curved upwards and Max knew they were caught.

She jumped up, desperate to explain. ‘We were, but …'

Dretch cut her off. ‘I have something for you.'

‘For me?' Max could almost hear the crack of icy Dretch vibes spilling all over her.

He handed her a memory stick. Max took out the small rectangular device and stared up at the scarred face of the man standing beside her. ‘Um, thanks.'

She was hoping this would be the end of their conversation and the beginning of him turning away and leaving, but Dretch stayed where he was and just kept staring. What was he waiting for, Max thought, a hug?

The air thickened around them. The chill sank into her bones even further.

‘Aren't you going to look at it?'

There was something bossy but soft about Dretch that was hard to understand. And now that he'd seen the ring and knew Max shouldn't have it, why wasn't he saying anything about it?