Meteorite Strike (23 page)

Moss pulled away from the boy's grip.

“Take us lower!” he shouted to the pilot, who was beginning to struggle with the controls. A second later the machine spun violently, as if hit by a blast of air.

“It's Nestor!” Octavio yelled above the roaring of the wind. The helicopter was in the centre of a tornado and falling fast.

Colonel Moss reached desperately for a breathing mask, strapping himself in as he did so. The helicopter hit the ground. Its blades sheared off and the cockpit tumbled over and over. Glass smashed and Moss, Octavio and the pilot were thrown around violently until it finally came to a rest.

Although his head had been cut open by an impact against the window, Moss didn't waste any time. He grabbed a dart-gun from the wall and hauled open the broken door of the cockpit, dragging Octavio out with him as flames leaped up around the fallen vehicle.

“What about the pilot?” asked Octavio as he was dragged away.

“He just became dispensable,” Moss replied harshly, pulling the boy over to the nearest building.

The helicopter exploded, showering debris around them.

“All units advance!” Colonel Moss yelled at the intercom attached to his shoulder.

The yellowish sleep gas hung in the air, but it was being quickly dispersed by the wind blowing around the buildings. Within seconds it was gone. Moss cursed and checked the dart-gun in his hand. He turned on Octavio.

“Why didn't you stop the helicopter from crashing?” he demanded. “Now your brother is blowing my sleep gas away. I thought you were meant to be more powerful than him!”

“I am!” protested Octavio. “He must have been practising…”

“I'm beginning to doubt your loyalty, Octavio,” Moss said quietly. “You'd better do something to restore my faith in you. I'm starting to think you don't even have what it takes to be a soldier, let alone a leader.”

The boy's eyes widened. “What can I do, Colonel?”

Moss nodded to the alley that led to the high street. “Go out there and get them. Do whatever you have to do with your powers. And by the way…” Moss grabbed Octavio's arm and pulled him close to make his point. “If Sarah doesn't make it, that's acceptable. The rest will be a lot easier to control without her in the future. Understand what I'm saying?”

As Colonel Moss released his arm, Octavio took a step backwards, remembering his last encounter with Nestor and the others.

“But there are five of them…”

Moss pointed the dart-gun at his head.

“That's an order, soldier,” Moss hissed. “Don't come back until you've carried it out.”

Octavio backed away, chilled by the coldness in the man's eyes. He knew better than to argue with Colonel Moss when he was in such a mood. He turned and walked towards the high street, away from his master.

Moss watched Octavio go, with a disappointed shake of his head. Suddenly he wasn't so convinced the boy's nerve would hold. Waiting until Octavio was out of earshot, he spoke into the intercom once more.

“This is Colonel Moss to mobile base,” he barked into the com. “Let Major Bright off his leash. It's time to end this.”

34

A duststorm whipped through the centre of town, cutting down visibility to a few metres. It was Nestor's work, providing cover for them to evade the mirror-masks who were moving along the high street. The wreckage of the tank was still burning, creating an obstacle for the soldiers to avoid as they advanced.

Sarah watched a group of three mirror-masks approach cautiously through the swirling dust, shielding her own eyes a little. Concentrating, she imagined a plague of locusts swarming towards them and they fell back in confusion at the unexpected sight. Pushing her advantage, she pictured the insects crawling inside their suits. One of them started clawing desperately at his suit, believing the locusts were crawling inside. Another ripped the helmet from his shoulders with a scream. Raising the dart-gun she'd picked up from one of the fallen soldiers, Sarah took aim and shot each one of them in turn. They fell where they stood.

Almost too easy.

On the other side of the street, Nestor was having similar success, driving another group back in the midst of a howling windstorm. As they desperately fired sleep darts in his direction, their missiles turned in the air and brought down each attacker.

Overhead, the whirr of a helicopter grew closer, invisible through the storm. Near the florist's shop, Louise raised her hands, her face strangely serene. Seconds later the helicopter engine spluttered and then died altogether as it was brought out of the sky.

At Louise's side Wei advanced. A line of flame shot forward under his control, blocking off the approach of another group. The fire shot under the body of a car and the fuel tank ignited seconds later. A plume of black smoke rose into the air. The mirror-masks backed away as the burning vehicle rolled over, nervously eyeing the other parked vehicles along the main street.

The mirror-masks who were still standing regrouped in the middle of the road. Crouching low, they conferred about the best course of action to follow. Sarah started walking towards them, dart-gun ready, as Nestor crossed from the other side of the road. On some unheard command from their leader, the group started to back away down the street, eventually turning tail and running. They were retreating!

Sarah looked around at the shattered buildings, the burning vehicles and the sleeping bodies of the mirror-masks, at least ten of them lying around on the street. She met Nestor's eyes and felt the same surge of elation in him.

They'd beaten Colonel Moss's men.

We did it!
he said with a grin.

Sarah smiled back, but their celebration was cut short as a rumble went through the buildings lining the high street.

What's that?
Nestor asked.

A force swept between them – sudden and powerful. Sarah cried out as she saw Nestor thrown back against the nearest building. He hit the ground and rolled forwards, dazed. Before she could make a move towards him, the air around her became a vortex of swirling dust, trapping her in the centre. With all her strength, Sarah threw herself forward and out of the tornado that was forming, hitting the ground hard. She rolled and raised the dart-gun, targeting the source of the attack. Octavio held up his hand as she fired twice. The darts ripped apart in mid-air before him.

Is that the best you can do?
he asked with a sneer as Sarah lowered the weapon.

Nestor pulled himself to his feet and stumbled to her side. From across the street, Louise and Wei approached, hand in hand. Sarah looked round for Robert, but couldn't see him. She turned her attention back to Octavio.

“Still doing dirty work for Colonel Moss?” she shot back.

Octavio turned, trying to keep his eyes on all of them at once. Despite his bravado, Sarah sensed the fear in him.

“You know you can't take us all on,” she said. “We've beaten you before.”

Louise appeared at her side and scowled at the older boy. “I don't like you,” she said dangerously. “I don't like you one little bit.”

Octavio whitened a little and began to retreat along the street.

Why don't you just give it up
? Octavio said with a shake of his head.
You know that HIDRA will never stop chasing you. If you get away today, Colonel Moss will catch you tomorrow. Working with him is the only way. This is your last chance, Sarah. He wants you to join us
.

Why? To be his slave, like you?

She raised the dart-gun again, taking aim once more, but it flew from her hand into Octavio's. He turned it in his grip and took aim at her, but Nestor stepped between them, blocking his shot.

“Why don't we sort this out once and for all?” he said. “Just you and me.”

A smile spread across Octavio's lips. He nodded and tossed the dart-gun aside.

Okay, but I warn you, Nestor: you know bringing a rain shower is no match for my telekinesis—

Nestor stepped forward without warning. He landed a punch squarely across his brother's jaw. Octavio's legs crumpled and he fell back onto the road. For a moment he lay on his back looking at Nestor, dumbfounded.

“Yeah!” Louise shouted across the street. “Go, Nestor!”

“Get up and fight me like we used to,” Nestor demanded, gesturing for the other boy to get up. “No tricks.”

With a cry of anger, Octavio flew up and ran at Nestor, who dodged him easily and landed another blow on his cheek. Octavio spun round and hit the ground again. Nestor gestured for him to get up once more.

“Come on!”

Octavio dabbed at his split lip with a finger, but didn't move from the ground.

“You're a bully,” Nestor said sadly, lowering his fists. “What happened to you?”

“I'm looking after us!” his brother spat. “One of us has to! Dad would have wanted me to be strong.”

Nestor laughed. “And what do you think he would have thought of a man like Colonel Moss?” He waved his hand around the destruction in the town. “What do you think Dad would have said about all this?”

Octavio looked down, suddenly unable to meet his brother's eyes.

“Well?” Nestor demanded, real anger in his voice. “Don't you have anything to say?”

Octavio opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again. For once, he was lost for words.

Sarah moved to the fallen dart-gun and picked it up, keeping an eye on Octavio. Suddenly, with Nestor standing over him, he looked beaten – but she'd still be happier when he had a couple of sleep darts in his arm. She turned to take aim…

ALL OF YOU. STOP RIGHT THERE.

The voice cut through Sarah's mind like a knife. She could tell from the pained expressions on the faces of her friends that they'd heard it too. Even Octavio winced, looking back up the street to make out the source of the voice. It was like a hammer to their skulls, crude but full of power.

The dust cloud parted in the centre of the high street and a uniformed man strode through…

Major Bright.

Sarah and her group watched, frozen, as the soldier stopped beside Octavio. Major Bright looked different somehow, as if the muscles of his body were straining to break out from his uniform. It was his eyes, however, that were the strangest: they burned a terrifying red, making it difficult to hold his gaze. Sarah remembered her vision from Colonel Moss's memories and tried to focus her mind on Major Bright…

GET OUT OF MY HEAD! OR I'LL GET IN YOURS!

The words hit her like a brick wall and she staggered backwards. The sheer force of Bright's mind was terrifying. She found that she was trembling. Nestor placed a hand on her arm and met her eyes with concern.

“Sarah, are you okay?”

She shook her head. “They've done something to him. He's not normal any more. He has powers like us…”

They all looked back at Major Bright. Octavio struggled to his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth as he did so. A cruel smile passed across Bright's lips as he looked around at them.

WELL, WELL, WELL. YOU'VE HAD A GOOD RUN, BUT NOW IT'S TIME TO COME BACK TO THE HIDRA FOLD. YOU ALL HAVE SOMETHING I NEED…

His voice still screamed in their heads, as if he hadn't yet learned to control the volume, or didn't want to. A sheen of sweat stood out on his forehead and he grinned manically…

BLOOD…

If we work together, we can take him down,
Sarah told the others.
We can combine our powers.

A mocking laugh split her skull and Major Bright shook his head.

BUT SARAH, I ALREADY HAVE ALL YOUR POWERS. EACH AND EVERY ONE. WATCH!

Bright raised a hand and the dart-gun flew from Sarah's fingers and into his hand. He crushed the plastic frame with terrifying strength. Sarah and the others began to back away as he pointed at the ground. The tarmac of the road cracked and split. Major Bright raised his finger and the crack grew, splitting and growing until the entire road was breaking up down the centre.

“Sarah!” Louise cried out as a deep crevice split the street. The ground under her and Wei's feet crumbled and they fell down, into the chasm.

Sarah let out a cry and raced to the edge. Louise and Wei had fallen onto a ledge some ten metres below the street. Next to them, the crevice stretched down into the darkness.

“Don't move!” Sarah yelled down to them. “We're coming to get you!”

Louise nodded and Sarah turned her attention back to their attacker. Major Bright placed a hand on Octavio's shoulder. The boy stiffened and raised his hands.

What are you doing to me?
Sarah heard Octavio ask, panic in his voice. He began to levitate, until he was hovering a metre off the ground under Major Bright's control. It seemed Octavio had finally met someone who was more of a bully than he was.

JUST HELPING YOU UNLOCK YOUR FULL POTENTIAL.

Bright directed his attention to Sarah.

LET'S SEE WHAT YOU CAN REALLY DO, OCTAVIO…

Octavio stretched his arms out in front, as if he had no control over his actions, his eyes blank and staring. Sarah caught Nestor's arm as a howling sound filled the street. Before them, a swirling vortex began to appear. The dust from the air was being sucked up by a growing twister, spinning on the spot in the centre of the road. Second by second it grew, sucking in more dust until it was taller than the tops of the shops that lined the street. Octavio's face scrunched in concentration as he fed the whirlwind.

Octavio!

Nestor let out a cry of anger and rushed at his brother. Major Bright raised his free hand. Suddenly Nestor was lifted from his feet to hang in mid-air also, completely helpless.

YOU PICKED THE WRONG TEAM, NESTOR.

Nestor let out a cry of pain as his arms were pinned back by an unseen force. Sarah got to her feet and struggled forward against the growing power of the twister. She grabbed Nestor's legs and pulled him down with all her might. It was like prying him free of an invisible hand. Major Bright's laugh echoed through her mind.