The Final Curtain (13 page)

Max's elbows sank into the sheets of Linden's bed, her bandaged wrist and arm nestled in her good hand. The beeping electrocardiogram held a steady rhythm, and she found herself willing each beep to follow the one before.

‘We're going to get a drink.' Eleanor nuzzled into Max's cheek. ‘Can we get you anything?'

Max shook her head.

‘He's out of the wars,' Ben said. ‘He's improving all the time, according to Finch, and should wake up soon. We'll be back in a tick.'

Max nodded and heard their footsteps recede down the hospital corridor.

‘We went back to the castle, Linden. To see Blue. To try and make him stop what he was doing. We nearly got him, too, but … we lost him. I think we did our best. Toby did a really good job, but it wasn't right without you there with me.'

Linden's chest rose with slow, steady breaths.

‘Linden, please wake up. I don't think you have any idea about how important you are.' She smiled. ‘But you wouldn't, would you. You're Linden. That's just who you are.'

Max wiped the sleeve of her jumper against her face.

‘When I first met you, I was grumpy and
bad-tempered, and I never knew what to say to someone when they were sad or upset – or when they needed my help. Maybe I'm still not good at any of that but, since I've met you, you've taught me how to be a better person. Not perfect.' She laughed a little. ‘Actually, I'm a long way from being perfect, but you never seemed to care about that. You always seemed to like me no matter what I did or said or …'

Max sniffed and fresh tears fell down her face.

‘For years I never wanted to get close to anyone. Moving around a lot when I was young, and then my parents fighting and the divorce. It seemed silly getting close to anyone, because I only ended up having to say goodbye to them. Like I had to say goodbye to my dad. I'd even convinced myself that I didn't need any friends. But that was before I found out what it was like to have you for a friend.' Her tears flowed. ‘I don't want to say goodbye to you, Linden.'

Her throat tightened and her chest sank so that she wilted into the bed. She suddenly felt tired, laid her head on her arm and closed her eyes. ‘Everything's in its place when you're here.'

‘Couldn't find anywhere better to sleep?'

Max pulled herself up. ‘Linden. You're back.'

‘Back from where?' He asked in a slight drawl.

Max was caught in a half-laugh half-cry. ‘Just back.' She laughed and felt her shoulders shudder, unable to stop herself from crying.

‘What's wrong?' Linden looked around as if he had just realised where he was. ‘Am I in hospital?'

Max nodded.

Linden went to sit up but was forced back by a pain in his side. ‘Maybe I'll just keeping lying.'

‘You took a bit of beating from the collapse.'

‘Of Spyforce?'

Max nodded.

‘Spyforce. The meltdown. How's Irene?'

‘Irene's fine, but Spyforce isn't so good.' Max raised an eyebrow. ‘She's mad at you for going to find her when the place was falling apart, so you'd better watch out.'

Linden frowned. ‘I had to make sure she was okay.'

‘I know. You just need to explain that to her.'

Linden rubbed his head. ‘How long have I been here?'

Max looked at the clock on the wall. ‘You've been out for thirteen hours and twenty-four minutes.'

A crooked smile nudged into Linden's lips.

‘Roughly.' Max shook her head.

‘What happened to your arm?' Linden asked.

‘Bad landing with the Time and Space Machine.' Max shrugged. ‘Looks like I'm never going to master them.'

‘Do we know how Blue infiltrated Spyforce?'

Max bit down on her lip. ‘It was all my fault, Linden.'

‘Your fault? How?'

‘You remember I was knocked out in the forest during training? Turns out I
wasn't
knocked out. Blue's men ambushed me and injected an activator in my ankle. When I went to Spyforce, I was the one who triggered the collapse.'

‘And the activator?'

‘Finch took it out.' Max blinked away her tears. ‘Blue set me up, and like some newbie spy I fell for it.'

‘He's been at the game of being mean a lot longer than we've been spies.'

‘And I almost got you killed,' she cried. ‘Again.'

‘Well, you haven't done a very good job of it – I'm still here.' He caught himself reflected in a chrome vase beside him. ‘And looking better than before.'

Max laughed.

‘Where's Blue now?'

‘Toby and I went to the castle to find him, but he got away.'

‘You went after him?' Linden went to sit up and winced.

‘I'll tell you all about it later.'

‘Where is he now?'

‘Alex and Suave followed him down a chute that led to the ocean beneath his castle. And an internal escape platform. They think he got away in some kind of submarine.'

‘Hey, don't hog her all to yourself!' Toby stood at the door with a small white box. ‘I hope Max told you what kind of hero I am. Do you know how many times I saved her life while you were lying there?'

‘You remember Toby,' Max said to Linden. ‘The superhero?'

‘Pleased to meet you.' Toby helped himself to an open box of chocolates.

‘Sure, have some chocolates,' Max said.

‘I'd hate for them to go to waste.'

‘What's in the bag?' Linden asked.

‘It's a get-well gift, only it got a little flattened because I was stuck in the elevator with this really
big guy who squashed me against the wall.' Toby slipped a lopsided cake out of the bag. Scrawled in icing across the top of the cake were the words ‘Happy Birthday Todd'.

‘Todd?' Linden asked.

‘It was the only one the shop had. Hip-hip …'

‘Hooray,' Max answered.

‘Who said the celebrations could start without me?' In both hands, Irene held a tallish object covered in material and tied at the top with a red ribbon.

‘I have a feeling whatever's in that bag is going to taste a lot better than Toby's mushed cake,' Max said.

Irene swooped in and planted a sloppy kiss on Linden's cheek. ‘I got here as fast as I could, but I had to make this first.' She held out the gift.

Linden looked at Max, and they both undid the ribbon with their good hands. The material fell away from a triple-layered chocolate mousse cake made in the shape of his house in Mindawarra.

‘Ben gave me a photo,' Irene said. ‘I thought you might be missing it after what happened.'

Linden stared at the house. ‘Finch said the best thing for my recovery would be rest, but I think it's this.'

Irene laid the cake on a table that bridged across the bed.

‘May I?' She held out her arms.

‘I've been hoping for one ever since I woke up,' Linden barely whispered.

Irene hugged Linden, and he heard her gasped breaths in his ear. ‘Thank you,' she whispered.

Irene straightened up. Blinked quickly, threw one hand on her hip and stabbed at the air with the other. ‘And if ever do anything like that again, you'll officially not be my favourite person in the whole world. Got it?'

Linden nodded. ‘Got it.'

‘It's about time you got back,' Ben reached in and was about to give him one of his hugs until Eleanor held his arms. ‘He's been through a lot. Maybe just a hello for now.' She kissed Linden's cheek. ‘Even though I agree, it's about time you got back.'

‘They're right.' Steinberger's face was lifted in every corner by a wide smile. ‘Welcome back.'

‘Thank you, sir.'

‘And I hate to break up this party but, Toby, I'm afraid you have to go. We've covered for you this far, but your parents are expecting you home from a physical fitness camp in the next hour.
And Max? Mr Harrison would like to see you. Room 312.'

‘Did he say what he wanted?'

‘I'm afraid not.'

‘See you, Linden,' Toby said. ‘Maybe next mission you could do some of the work.'

‘I wouldn't want to take away from your hero status.'

‘No danger of that.' Toby smiled and waved. ‘See you, fans. Who knows when you'll have the lucky chance of meeting me again.'

Toby flicked his head and walked outside the room with Max.

‘See you, partner,' Toby said. ‘We did okay.'

‘You were all right,' Max said.

‘Who would have thought we'd work so well together when you never liked me at school.'

‘It was
you
who picked on
me
, remember?' Max threw up her hands.

‘Didn't mean I didn't like you.'

Max frowned. ‘That's what Linden said.'

‘Ah, Toby?' Steinberger tapped his watch. ‘Sleek is ready.'

‘The Hyper Fast Invisible Jet?'

‘The Sleek Machine.'

‘That's just as good. Can I help fly?'

Steinberger raised an eyebrow.

‘Worth a try. See you for our next mission, Max.' He waved and walked with Steinberger down the corridor, his voice floating behind him. ‘You should have seen me, Steinberger, “
Keep your hands where I can see them
.” It was better than a movie.'

Max took a deep breath and walked into room 312.

Chief Harrison was sitting in the lounge chair of an empty patient room with a phone to his ear. He waved her in.

‘Yes Prime Minister, sir. Thank you, sir. Of course, sir. I'll do it now.' He folded the phone into his pocket.

‘It's not every day you get a call from the PM to say spank you.' Harrison pounded his fist into the arm of the chair. ‘Blast, blast, blast. No one's in for any
spanking
, just some good solid
thanking
.'

‘You wanted to see me?'

Mr Harrison patted the bed beside him.

‘How's Linden?'

‘He's awake.'

Harrison's shoulders softened. ‘Excellent,' he said softly. ‘The Prime Minister wanted to thank us for finding the culprit behind the collapses.
He was less thankful about the fact that we lost him.'

‘I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was going to find Blue,' Max said. ‘I thought I was doing the right thing, and then I thought we had him, and now I've lost him and who knows …'

Harrison held up his hand. His expression grew serious.

‘Agencies around the world are still on high alert to find him, but this time he's exposed himself in a way that means, with the few places he can hide, he'll be a virtual prisoner for the rest of his life.' Harrison sighed. ‘I know you may find this hard to believe, Max, but I had great respect for Theodoran. Not for who he became but for who I once knew him to be. We were friends and colleagues, and losing that has always been a great sadness to me.'

He shook his head. ‘And now to your actions.'

Max looked down.

‘In the time I have known you, you have broken more rules than any other agent. Probably all my agents combined.'

‘Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. I'm trying, I really am, but I have this habit of –'

‘Of being a truly good person.' Harrison's eyes
glistened. ‘You're a natural at it. A person who won't be stopped when they believe what they are doing is just. When there is someone who needs them. You have a good heart and good instincts. It's wise to trust them both.' He smiled. ‘It is truly a delight to know you, Max Remy.'

‘Thank you, sir.' Max paused. ‘Will Spyforce be okay?'

‘Steinberger already has a team of architects and designers working with the heads of departments on the new plans for the Force. Even when I am long gone, when Steinberger, Frond and Quimby have retired and moved to the country to fish and play golf and write books, Spyforce will still be here. What we have lost is a building, but nothing will destroy the desire to make the world a just place – and that alone will mean Spyforce will outlive us all.'

‘And London?'

‘Master craftspeople and builders, historians and architects from all over the world are gathering now to rebuild the monuments to their former glory.'

‘You heard about the Time and Space Machine?' Max asked.

Harrison nodded. ‘Destroyed by Blue. Ironic considering how badly he once wanted it. But I'd
prefer that the Machine blocked Blue's electric rays than got you. Now it's time for me to be one of the many who tell Linden how happy we are to have him back.'

In the corridor, Max and Chief Harrison watched Frond leave Linden's room and slam headlong into Steinberger. They rubbed their heads, and when Steinberger tried to move out of Frond's way, he accidentally stepped on her toe. She hopped and clutched her foot but lost her balance and pushed Steinberger into a vase of flowers on a hall table that crashed to the floor.

‘Sir, do you think it's time this was sorted out?' Max asked.

‘Way overdue, I would say,' Harrison replied.

Frond's hand flew to her cheeks, and she spilled apologies to Steinberger.

‘Ah, Dr Frond,' Mr Harrison said. ‘Been visiting our little friend?'

‘Yes, sir.' she smiled. ‘It's a relief to know he's going to be fine.'

‘And how are the plans for the new Plantorium going?'

‘Very well, thank you, sir. I'd better get back to the planning meeting. Lots to do.' She nodded and turned briskly down the corridor.

The Administration Manager watched without breathing as Frond left.

‘Steinberger?' Max said.

He stood unmoving. Unbreathing.

‘Steinberger!'

He gulped in a huge breath, as if he'd been trapped underwater. ‘Yes?'

Max crossed her arms. ‘It's time you did something about this.'

‘About what?'

‘Your crush on Frond.'