Meteorite Strike (16 page)

Sarah stared into the mirror. “I need to pee.”

The soldier led her across the dome towards Louise's building, keeping a tight grip on her arm at all times, as if he expected her to make a run for it at any moment. Halfway across the dome, a Special Forces soldier blocked their way.

“Where are you taking this one?” he demanded.

“To see the telekinoid in 23B,” the soldier holding Sarah replied and was waved on.

Sarah looked round at the man holding her.
The telekinoid? Is that their name for us?

“This is Colonel Moss,” an announcement boomed across the dome. “I would remind you that due to the attempted terrorist infiltration, this base has been placed under Special Forces command until further notice. Science personnel are required to carry permission documents for movement around the base. General military personnel are to follow the directives of Special Forces operatives, regardless of rank.”

Terrorist infiltration?
She guessed that was what the colonel was calling her escape attempt. Sarah looked around the base, noticing for the first time that it seemed almost deserted. Now the majority of soldiers on guard wore the black and gold of the Special Forces. No scientists were to be seen. Clearly, Colonel Moss had taken his chance to assume full control.

“These measures are for your own protection,” his announcement continued. “Please assist HIDRA Special Forces at all times and report any suspicious activity. Remember, terrorists don't wear badges – watch your co-workers. This is Colonel Moss, out.”

The speakers crackled off and they reached Louise's building.

“So who are these terrorists?” Sarah asked the soldier as he opened the door for her. “What do they want?”

The soldier looked at her like she was stupid. “To get their hands on a contained sample of the virus and weaponize it. You kids are lucky to have Colonel Moss's protection.”

Sarah shook her head as she walked through the door. “Yeah. Really lucky.”

Louise threw her arms around Sarah as she walked into the room.
I missed you!

Sarah stroked her hair.
Me too. Have they been looking after you?

Louise nodded and pointed to a box in the corner.
They brought a new game, but I don't like it. That boy tried to make me play, but I wouldn't do it for him.

What boy?
Sarah asked with a frown.

The nasty one. He's tall with black hair and mean eyes.

Octavio,
Sarah said.

Louise nodded.
That's him. He came before. He pretended to be nice at first, but I could tell he wasn't. Then he got angry when I wouldn't do what he said.

Did he hurt you?

Louise shook her head, but Sarah saw her bottom lip tremble. She placed a hand on her shoulder.

It's okay, I'm back now. I won't let him upset you again.
She looked at the box in the corner.
But we'd better do what they want – at least until we can find a way out of the base.

Louise nodded and went to fetch the box. Sarah watched her open the lid and start unpacking the latest test.
If she can be brave, then so can I,
Sarah thought to herself. Moss might have killed Daniel and taken control of the base, but eventually she'd find a way to make him pay.

* * *

An hour later, as she left Louise's room, Sarah found Octavio waiting for her in the corridor outside. He gave a sneering smile as she passed. He tapped one finger to his forehead.

So, you still think you can get away, do you? Just remember that I can hear everything you say in there.

Sarah rounded on him.
Do you enjoy being Moss's little spy? Makes you feel important, does it?

Octavio shrugged.
You seem to be doing well with Louise. Got her convinced that you're a friend? Dr. Andersen will be pleased. Just keep on reporting back and I'm sure she'll give you a reward – like some new clothes or a DVD player. Too bad it's Colonel Moss who's the real boss around here. You picked the wrong team, Sarah.

Sarah took a step forward.
And what do you get from Colonel Moss? I'm sure it must be something more than a few computer games every month to make it worthwhile.

The colonel has such big plans for us, Sarah,
he replied.
We're all going to be soldiers in his new army. And when that happens, I'd rather be a leader than a follower, wouldn't you? I can sense how powerful you've already become. If we work together…

He reached out to touch her arm, but Sarah knocked his hand away.

“Keep your hands off me,” she said aloud, not bothering to hide the contempt in her voice.

Octavio's expression hardened.
Too bad your brother isn't developing so fast as you and Louise. Maybe I should pay him a visit too – see if I can force whatever skills he's hiding out of him.

Sarah stepped forward and poked a finger into his chest. “Stay away from Robert and Louise. Stay away, or I promise you'll regret it.”

A grin split his face.
That's more like it. We'll make a soldier out of you yet…

Octavio! Leave her alone!

They turned to see Nestor standing in the open exit. Octavio gave an irritated sigh. He looked back at Sarah and shrugged.

Oh well, three's a crowd. See you around the dome sometime.

Not if I see you first
, Sarah shot back as he swaggered down the corridor. He brushed past Nestor heavily on his way out the door.

She's out of your league, brother.

Nestor watched Octavio depart and then looked back at Sarah, red-faced.

“I'm sorry about him,” he said. “He doesn't know how to behave around people any more.”

Sarah gave a short laugh. “Does this good cop, bad cop routine work with all the kids here? You two are quite a team.”

“What do you mean?”

Sarah walked towards him. “You're Colonel Moss's prize possessions, aren't you? Good little soldiers. Both do as you're told, right?”

Nestor shook his head. “Hey, I'm not like that. I'm not like him.”

Sarah cut him short.
You're no different to them. You just go along with whatever they want.

That's not true.

Okay, prove it.

She walked past him out of the building, where a pair of Special Forces soldiers waited to take her back to her room. As they reached the entrance to her building, Sarah looked round to see Nestor standing alone in the middle of the dome.

Their eyes met for a moment before she turned and allowed herself to be led inside.

The HIDRA truck had veered off the parallel track and driven up the side of a dune.

Daniel half staggered, half crawled to the cab and pressed the button on the airlock entrance. The door swung open and he hauled himself into the decontamination chamber. Finally being out of the blazing sun might have made him cry with relief – except he was too dehydrated for tears.

He found the inner door release panel and pressed a button. A warning message flashed up on the screen:
Decontamination procedure not complete – override?

“Hell yes, override!” he said hoarsely and slammed his fist onto the panel. The inner door slid open with a warning sound.

The two soldiers were slumped in their seats, both having become victims of the fall virus. Daniel crawled into the front of the truck and started rooting around the passenger seat. He found what he wanted – a half-finished bottle of water. With a gasp he unscrewed the top and took a mouthful of the life-saving liquid, being careful not to take too much at once. The last thing he wanted to do was vomit it all straight back up again.

He slumped against the wall and closed the door of the cab, allowing himself a few moments' rest. The aircon system of the truck was still working and the inner temperature regulated to a deliciously cool twenty degrees within seconds. For a moment Daniel closed his eyes, thinking how wonderful it would be just to stay like this for ever…

He slapped a hand across his face and blinked twice. “Get it together, Dan!”

He thought of Sarah and Robert still at the base – this was no time for taking a rest, even if he had crawled through the desert to get there. He finished the last of the water and hauled the driver out of his seat. As Daniel reached for the ignition, he caught sight of himself in one of the side mirrors: his burned and blistered skin, cracked lips and bloodshot eyes. He decided he'd looked better, but that was the least of his worries. They had his children and he was going to get them back.

Daniel gunned the engine and reversed the truck off the dune. Swinging the wheel round, he sent the vehicle hell for leather in the direction of the HIDRA base.

24

Rachel watched as her scientists prepped Major Bright for the experiment that would probably finish him. He stood in the middle of the laboratory, silent and impassive as the technicians attached sensors to his upper body. With that job done, they led him over to something that looked like a dentist's chair. This chair, however, was fitted with wrist and ankle restraints. Rachel saw Colonel Moss watching the preparations from the other side of the observation window and walked through the airlock to join him.

“Is that necessary?” he asked as Major Bright's arms and legs were secured.

Rachel shrugged. “It's for his protection. We don't know what's going to happen once he's injected with the modified virus.”

She looked at the rack of specimens on the desk near the chair. There were six vials of liquid, each containing a different blood sample: one from each of the children on the base. Over the past twenty-four hours the samples had been filtered and treated until they contained something that would, hopefully, give Major Bright each of their powers without sending him into a fall virus coma.

Rachel sighed. If it worked, it would be a miracle. Beside her, Colonel Moss could barely contain himself, clenching and unclenching his fists with excitement.

Without warning, a siren split the air. Outside the lab, other alarms sounded simultaneously.

“That's the dome integrity alert!” one of the technicians exclaimed.

Moss grabbed his communicator with a curse. “This is Colonel Moss. Perimeter security, report now.”

A harried voice crackled back on the other end. “Something hit the dome, sir! Could've been a vehicle. There's been a breach.”

Moss slammed his fist down on the desk and grabbed a breathing mask from a hook by the door.

“I'm going to check this out,” he snapped. “Hold the experiment until I'm back. I want to see this.”

With that, he disappeared from the lab. Rachel waited a moment before moving to follow.

“What about him?” the technician asked, jerking a thumb in the direction of Major Bright.

“You heard Colonel Moss,” Rachel replied as she pulled on her breathing mask. “Hold the experiment.”

She went through the airlock out of the lab. A Special Forces soldier stood on guard outside.

“What's going on here?” she asked.

“Some kind of explosion at the edge of the dome,” he replied flatly. “Looks like it ripped a hole.”

“Then get your breathing mask on!” Rachel exclaimed. “The air outside is still contaminated!”

She looked around the scene of chaos. Smoke rose from the north-west side of the dome and a hot desert air was blowing sand and dust through a jagged tear. Sirens wailed around the base and people ran in all directions, desperate to get to their protective suits as quickly as possible. A group of mirror-masks ran past her in the direction of the smoke, carrying tools to repair the rip. Straining to see, Rachel made out the burning wreck of a military truck near the breach – it looked like one of theirs. Whatever was going on, Rachel's first priority was to make sure her people were safe. She ran twenty metres to the nearest security post and grabbed the intercom.

“This is Dr. Andersen,” she said into the mic. Her voice boomed out of the emergency speakers all around the base. “Dome integrity has been compromised. All science personnel are to stay within sealed buildings until further notice. Breathing masks must be worn for movement around the base. This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill.”

She slammed the mic back into its cradle and made to run in the direction of the tear – if people were injured, they'd need her there.

“Not so fast, doctor,” a man's voice hissed from behind her. She stiffened as the muzzle of a gun was pressed into her back. It was impossible to tell whether the weapon was a dart-gun or something more deadly.

“Back this way. Move quick.”

A man's hand grabbed Rachel roughly and pulled her behind the cover of a nearby building. When they were out of sight, he released her arm and she turned slowly. The first thing that struck her was the appearance of her attacker: his face was dirt-smeared and badly sunburned. She thought of the hole in the dome and realized that he must have come in from the outside.

“Give me your key card,” the man demanded, weapon raised. Rachel now saw he held a dart-gun – non-lethal. He followed her gaze and guessed her thoughts.

“I could stun you and then rip off your mask,” he threatened hoarsely, as if he was badly in need of water. “This air is still contaminated, right?”

Rachel unclipped the key-card from her belt and tossed it. The man caught it deftly, keeping his eyes locked on her at all times. By the redness around the pupils, she judged that he was in the advanced stages of the viral infection and perhaps only had a short time before he entered a coma. If he'd been out in the desert, she wondered how he'd managed to fight off the effects of the fall virus for so long.

“I take it that's your handiwork,” she said, nodding at the rising smoke from the explosion. “Do you know how many people you've put in danger? If you needed medical help, all you had to do was go to the main gate.”