Meteorite Strike (22 page)

Major Bright stands in the centre of the destruction and smiles…

Concentrating harder, Sarah probed further ahead through the colonel's mind.

It is later. Major Bright is strapped down in a chair now, his body soaked with sweat, arms and legs trembling like a man with the flu. Beside him, one of the scientists tends nervously to the restraints holding him down.

“What's wrong with him?” Colonel Moss demands, grabbing the scientist roughly by his lapels. “Where is his strength?”

“He's going into withdrawal,” the scientist stammers. “The powers he inherited from the blood samples are only temporary. He needs another injection of the serum.”

“So give it to him!” Colonel Moss spits, waving to a rack of blood samples by the chair. “Give him enough to last him more than an hour this time!”

The scientist nods his head frantically. “Okay, but you must understand, we have limited samples from the children.”

Colonel Moss sticks his face close to the scientist's. “So, replicate the serum.”

“Not possible,” the scientist replies. “The serum is created directly from the virus-enhanced blood. You need the children…”

“Sarah!” Colonel Moss's voice was suddenly sharp on the other end of the line, cutting through the images, bringing her back to reality. “What are you doing? I feel…”

He needs us,
she realized.
He needs our blood.
The thought sent a chill down her spine. As long as Colonel Moss wanted to create his super soldiers, they would have to live as his slaves – providing the raw material to make the serum.

“I saw what you did to Major Bright,” she interrupted. “I know about the blood.”

There was a silence on the other end of the line before Colonel Moss spoke again.

“Very clever,” he said, all softness gone from his tone. “Your powers continue to surprise me. No one has ever been able to read me like that, not even Octavio. Perhaps you'll be even more powerful than him one day. If you survive this afternoon, that is.”

“I know what you're planning, Colonel,” Sarah pushed, sensing her advantage. “You won't use us to make soldiers. We've got rights and we're not going to be treated like that.”

“Really?” Colonel Moss spat back. “I'm afraid that you're not going to have much choice in the matter…”

“We're not coming back, Colonel,” she interrupted, deciding that she'd wasted enough time on him. “And if you want us, you'll have to come in here and get us.”

“That's not—”

She cut him short by slamming the receiver down into its cradle.

“I guess we don't have to ask how that went,” said Nestor.

“I hope you're all ready,” Sarah replied. “They're going to be here soon. It's not too late to run. We could try to make it out of here on foot…”

The others looked at one another for a moment, a strange silence falling over the group. Wei was the one to break it. He held out his hand, fingers spread – in the centre of his palm a perfect sphere of fire appeared and grew until it was the size of a tennis ball.

I'm never going back to the base
, he said as they watched, transfixed.
But I'm not running away either.

With a sudden motion, he shot out his arm and sent the fireball flying. It smashed through the front window, flinging glass into the street.

I guess that means we're ready
, said Sarah as they all looked at the Chinese kid in surprise.
Wei especially!

He gave a shrug and they all laughed.

32

The Special Forces team entered the town from the south, skirting along the backs of the buildings rather than taking the high street.

There were four of them, all dressed in the lighter combat suits with their masks set to mirror-mode. Each soldier carried a dart-rifle with enough rounds to put a small town to sleep. Colonel Moss had briefed them that there were only five children to be captured.

It would be easy enough.

Moving in single file, the group commander led them round the side of one of the buildings that looked onto the high street and motioned for them to halt for a moment. Sneaking a look around, he could see that the street was deserted. Clearly the children were hiding out in one of the shops.

“We'll sweep the buildings one by one,” he ordered the three others through his intercom. “Dart-drop anything that moves. And I mean anything.”

The others nodded their helmets as the commander moved into the centre of the road, keeping low and making for the florist's where the truck had crashed. More than likely they were still hiding inside, but you never knew. Halfway to the door, something happened that made him stop so quickly the soldier behind almost fell over the top of him.

Colonel Moss stood in the middle of the road.

The commander froze, motioning for his group to do the same as he blinked to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. He'd seen the colonel an hour before, when he'd briefed them about the mission back at the base. It didn't make sense that he was there, except…

“Don't ask questions,” Moss barked at them, his voice strained and angry. “Just follow me.”

Years of Special Forces training had taught the commander better than to disobey an order, especially when it came from Randall Moss. With a flick of his hand he led his men after the colonel, who ran down a side street near the florist's.

They found him standing beside an open cellar door at the rear of the building. Colonel Moss raised a finger to his lips as they approached.

“They're hiding down there, soldier,” he whispered to the commander, pointing down into the cellar. “Take your men in and get them.”

“All of us, Colonel?” questioned the commander, noticing for the first time that Moss wasn't wearing a protective suit in the contaminated zone. “Is that wise?”

“Just get down there and don't question me,” Moss commanded, his voice raised. “They're sitting ducks!”

“Yessir!”

The soldiers primed their guns as the commander led them down the steps into the darkness. However, as the last man went down, they were surprised to find an empty room. Behind them, Colonel Moss swung the heavy steel doors shut at the top of the steps. There was a grating sound as an iron bolt was drawn across the door. A padlock clicked into place on the other side.

The commander ran to the top of the steps and threw his weight against the doors. They held firm. He turned to his men, who were standing at the bottom of the steps, looking up at him.

“Well, don't just stand there!” the commander barked. “Find a way out of here!”

After a few minutes of looking, he radioed the mobile base, one kilometre outside town.

“Uh, HIDRA base, this is Commander Green,” he said sheepishly. “We've been trapped in a basement. By Colonel Moss.”

Outside the building, Sarah ran back to the high street, allowing the image of Colonel Moss to fade away. Robert waved down at her from one of the roofs.

I got them!
she called and he gave her the thumbs up.

Wait!
he said.
I can see another group coming! From the north. There's five of them this time.

Sarah nodded and concentrated again, allowing the image of Moss to surround her as she walked down the high street to meet the coming force. She tried to give herself a confident military strut.

The second wave of soldiers moved up the middle of the street in single file. Sarah held up a hand as they approached.

“Hold it!” she called in her most commanding colonel-voice. “You'd better turn back. It's not safe…”

The mirror-mask at the head of the column raised his weapon without stopping to listen. Luckily for Sarah, he aimed at Colonel Moss's upper body because the two darts whizzed over her shoulder, embedding themselves in a nearby wall. Clearly her trick was only going to work once. Abandoning the pretence, she ran for the cover of the nearest building, diving through the door as a volley of darts struck the frame.

She hit the floor and looked round, seeing the group fan out around the front of the building, crouching low and training their weapons on the open doorway. Four of the mirror-masks began to advance on the shop, while a fifth made a run across the street. Sarah crawled back as a second round of darts was fired at the shopfront, shattering the glass. A dart hit the shop counter just a few centimetres from her head.

Nestor, make it fast!
she thought desperately as she saw them aiming through the open window. On the other side of the street she saw Nestor appear from his hiding place and raise both his hands…

The sound of air howling began to grow outside, loud enough to make the mirror-masks pause for a second. The leader motioned for them to fire at the building again, regardless of the windstorm that was growing around them.

Another round of darts came through the window, yet they never reached the target. As they flew towards her, Sarah saw them change course in the air under Nestor's control. They spun round and back towards the mirror-masks.

The soldiers scattered as they saw their own missiles being used against them, but it was too late. With great accuracy the darts pierced the protective suits of two of them. Within seconds they'd collapsed on the ground, guns falling from their hands. Nestor sent the darts that missed their targets back for a second try. One dart hit home, dropping a man, but a second was batted away by a soldier using his gloved hand. It shattered on the ground.

The mirror-mask who'd evaded his missile turned to Sarah and raised his dart-rifle, but checked himself, stepping towards the window before he fired. Clearly, he wanted to be sure his dart hit home. Sarah scrabbled towards the back door as the mirror-mask stepped cautiously through the window into the shop. Her sixth sense warned her of another attacker advancing from the rear. One of them had gone round the back.

Thinking fast as she entered the back room, Sarah cloaked herself in the image of one of her suited attackers. She found herself face to face with the mirror-mask who had broken away from the main group. The soldier who was following her from the front of the shop lowered his rifle in confusion as he came through the door. He turned from the disguised Sarah to the other mirror-mask and back again, unable to tell them apart.

“She's impersonating us!” Sarah shouted, aiming the imaginary gun she was holding at the man who had come through the back door. The soldier copied her and the two mirror-masks fired simultaneously, taking each other out. As they slumped to the floor, Sarah allowed her disguise to slip. She stepped over the nearest and walked out. At the front of the shop, Nestor was waiting for her.

“Are you okay?” he asked with concern. “I saw him go through after you.”

“I'm fine,” Sarah replied. “But that was too close for comfort.”

Nevertheless, she felt a twinge of elation as she looked at the unconscious soldiers on the street around them. The feeling was short-lived, however.

They're coming again,
Robert sent to them urgently.
This time they're bringing a tank.

33

Two minutes later, the HIDRA tank rolled up the high street. It contained three soldiers and was armed with a water-cannon and gun turret that fired sleeping darts and stun-grenades.

Colonel Moss watched the scene from the safety of a helicopter hovering a kilometre outside town. He'd already lost nine of his men and he wasn't going to take any more chances. It was time for the heavy artillery.

The vehicle trundled up the street. However, the tank ground to a halt as the figure of a girl emerged from one of the buildings and walked to the middle of the road. Colonel Moss held the binoculars to his face, making out that it was Louise facing the tank. Beside him, Octavio strained to see without the aid of binoculars.

“My brother is down there,” he said. “I can sense him.”

Moss nodded and looked back to the scene unfolding in the distance.

“Engage the girl,” he ordered through his communicator.

“Colonel?” the confused voice of the tank commander came back. “What should we do with her? She's eight years old!”

“Just take her down!” Moss spat into his intercom. “She's dangerous! But use non-lethal force. I don't want her damaged.”

“Uh, yes sir…”

Through the binoculars Colonel Moss saw Louise raise her hand to the tank as the gun swivelled in her direction. The tank began to judder and vibrate on the spot. Seconds later, it imploded. It was as if the sides of the tank had been pushed inward by an unseen force. The metal crumpled like cardboard. Its suspension collapsed and the hatch on the top flew open. Suited soldiers piled out as the vehicle fell in on itself. Finally, it exploded as the fuel tank punctured.

Octavio raised an eyebrow. “Wow. She's getting powerful!”

“All units pull back!” Colonel Moss barked into his com.

Louise walked around the burning mass of the tank and held up both hands at the stunned soldiers. Their commander barked an order and the men fled the wreckage towards the edge of town. Louise lowered her hands.

“Dammit,” cursed Moss, throwing down the binoculars and leaning towards the pilot of the helicopter. “Take us down there. We'll spray the whole town with sleep agent.”

“Yessir,” barked the pilot.

The helicopter went into a steep dive towards the main street. As they came within a hundred metres of the town the pilot threw a switch, releasing a cloud of sleep toxin from a tank on the underside of the machine. The pilot took them lower and covered the high street in clouds of the gas.

“Take us around again,” Colonel Moss ordered and the helicopter was taken on a second pass. “All remaining units prepare for a full assault on the town…”

“Wait!” said Octavio, gripping Moss's arm. “It's not safe. I can feel it!”