The Medusa Project: The Rescue

  ‘This is where we are now.’ He waved his hand across the desert beyond San Juan on the map. ‘Where d’you think your camp is?’

  I studied the map. I’ve always like orienteering and I know how to read maps well. A range of mountains ran to the north of the town we were in. I distinctly remembered seeing the sun setting to the right of those, which meant that when Fernandez and I had driven towards San Juan from Camp Felicidad, we must have been journeying southwards. I pointed to the desert area above San Juan on the map.

  ‘The camp’s here somewhere. Due north of the town – as far away as it would take a jeep travelling at about fifty miles an hour to do the journey in two hours, so . . .’ I thought for a second, ‘roughly one hundred miles north of San Juan.’

  Stanley smiled. ‘Well done, kiddo.’

  A few minutes later we were all in the helicopter. Dylan grumbled as we woke her to make her get on board. She sat right at the back and fell asleep again immediately, her head wedged against the window. Luz huddled close to me in the row in front. I put my arm round her again as Goldie and Stanley got in behind the controls. I was anxious about what lay ahead. It wouldn’t be easy to liberate Nico and Ketty from the camp, but on the other hand we were here with two adults – one of whom certainly knew how to handle himself – and with the resources to make an easy and speedy getaway.

  I didn’t know anything about helicopters, but this was a smart one. There was a spare seat beside me and Luz, and two behind us, next to Dylan. I wondered idly why Stanley needed such a capacious machine when all he was travelling with were a couple of suitcases, but then Luz snuggled closer to me, laying her head on my chest, and everything else went out of my mind.

  She smiled up at me, her eyes glinting sea-green in the dim light. As the helicopter engine started and the blades whirred above us, she said something in Spanish. The noise was too great for me to follow exactly what she said, but I caught the words tu corazon and muy rapido.

  I blushed. My heart was certainly beating very fast and not entirely, if I was honest, because we were about to set off on a dangerous rescue mission. I bent my face closer to hers. I had no idea what to say . . . still, the way Luz was looking at me, maybe I didn’t need to say anything at all.

  And then the helicopter gave a lurch and we were off, rising into the air.

  My stomach rose into my throat as we swooped down and rose again. All thoughts of kissing Luz deserted me as overwhelming fear and a strong desire to vomit took their place.

  Luz seemed to sense my anxiety. She patted my arm and pulled away from me.

  ‘No te preoccupes, Eds,’ she said.

  Don’t worry.

  I swallowed and closed my eyes. I’d felt sick on my last helicopter ride, when Nico and I had gone to Cornwall to rescue Ketty. She was being used as bait to lure us into a trap, so that we could be handed over to a weapons dealer called Blake Carson.

  Carson himself was planning to sell us on to military outfits in other countries, to use – or misuse – our abilities for their own ends. Luckily Nico and Ketty had saved us that day – and the police had arrested Carson.

  Well, today I would repay the favour. Today it was Nico and Ketty’s turn to be rescued.

  12: The rescue

  I felt sick for the whole helicopter ride. Luz, on the other hand, seemed to be loving the experience. She shuffled across a seat so that she could look properly out of the window and made constant exclamations in Spanish. Stanley had explained to her by now that once we had rescued Nico and Ketty he would take her to a safe place where the process of tracking down any remaining family could begin.

  She’d explained to me that both her parents were dead – that she’d been in and out of a number of care homes, getting in trouble with the police for various minor incidents. She thought her aunt and her grandmother lived in Toledo, and was eager to try to reach them.

  ‘Maybe I go live with them, Eds,’ she’d said eagerly.

  I couldn’t see this as a very likely outcome. After all, if they’d wanted to take her in why hadn’t they done so after her parents died? Still, I supposed it was worth a try.

  Luz asked me about my telepathy on the flight. Fighting my nausea, I explained in extremely limited Spanish that it was just an ability I’d been born with and that I didn’t like to use it too much. Luz looked bemused, but accepted what I said, turning back to the window to gaze out in wonder at the town spread out beneath us.

  As the journey went on, she told me more about her life. How she’d never known her dad, how her mum and older brother had been drug addicts, how she’d lived rough after they died before being picked up by the police. Her story, told partly in Spanish and partly in broken, stumbling English, transfixed me. I’d never met anyone who’d gone through half as much. I mean, all of us with the Medusa gene had to live with the knowledge it had killed our mothers – and I was the only one who actually knew his real father. But that was nothing compared to Luz’s experiences.

  I’m not sure how long we were in the air, but the sun was well up in the sky when Luz clamoured excitedly that she’d seen a building that looked like the camp. Dylan, I noticed, was still sleeping soundly, so with a great effort I turned my head and identified it as Camp Felicidad.

  We banked swiftly and zoomed towards it. Goldie lowered the helicopter several hundred metres away, behind a sandy hillock. It couldn’t be seen from the camp there, though anyone watching would have certainly noticed it land. However, according to Stanley’s watch it was now almost 5 a.m., which meant no one would be up yet to notice anything.

  ‘Tell me about the camp,’ Stanley said.

  I explained quickly how it was laid out and where the male and female sleeping areas were. ‘I don’t know where Fernandez, Cindy and Don sleep, though,’ I admitted. ‘They must be somewhere in the main building.’

  ‘Not to worry.’ Stanley patted the Lockdown in his pocket. ‘There’s no way Fernandez will be here yet – he still thinks you’re on the run from him in San Juan and will be looking for you there. All we have to worry about are two adults who are a) probably asleep and b) unaware we’re here. They might be armed, of course, but so are we.’

  I felt for my own Lockdown. I didn’t want to have to use it again, not after what I’d done to Dylan. But at least I knew I could if I had to. I smiled. ‘This’ll be our third rescue mission in as many hours,’ I said.

  ‘Yes, and potentially the most risky.’ Stanley didn’t smile back. ‘So keep your wits about you.’

  After a short deliberation, Stanley left Goldie, Luz and the still-sleeping Dylan with the helicopter.

  ‘Best if we keep the gung-ho factor to a minimum, kiddo,’ Stanley said. ‘If we take too many people, there’s more risk of accidental noise. Plus,’ he smiled at me, ‘I know you know how to handle one of those.’ He pointed to my Lockdown.

  We set off across the desert, the dawn air chilly against our faces. Our plan was to creep up on the camp, using the barn on the side as cover. We would break one of the windows to get into the main building, find Ketty, then move on to the outhouse dorm where Nico slept.

  The first part of this went as smoothly as it could have done. Stanley broke the window with a speed and a style that even Dylan would have envied. We were safely through and breaking down the door to the girls’ dorm in less than a minute. Stanley waited outside while I raced in to wake Ketty. She was stirring, woken by the noise from the door lock smashing. Several of the other girls looked round, but lay back when they saw me. I understood this attempt to stay out of the trouble we would undoubtedly be in if we were caught.

  Ketty’s eyes widened as she registered my presence. Her dark, curly hair was a tangled mess around her head but she still managed to look fresh and pretty in the shaft of early sunlight that fell across her bed.

  ‘Ed?’ she whispered. ‘What the hell are you doing?’

  I leaned over the bed. ‘We’re getting out of here. Now. Hurry. I found this man in San Juan who’s hel
ping us. He’s got a helicopter and—’

  ‘What?’ Ketty rubbed her eyes. ‘Slow down, Ed, I don’t under—’

  ‘There isn’t time to explain,’ I tugged at her arm. ‘The helicopter’s waiting – just outside camp.’

  At last, Ketty registered what I was saying.

  ‘Are you sure we can trust this man . . .?’

  ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Absolutely. He’s been brilliant.’

  ‘But Geri’ll be phoning again in a few days. Why don’t we just wait for her? This is all a bit dramatic.’ Ketty frowned.

  ‘Because Fernandez will be back long before Geri gets here and I don’t want to think about how he’ll punish me and Dylan for running off.’

  ‘Okay.’ Ketty relented, and reached for the jeans in her locker, neatly folded as per camp rules, then dragged them on over her pyjamas. She grabbed a pair of trainers, then picked up a little troll doll I’d seen her with before – presumably something Nico had given her – and shoved it in her pocket.

  She faced me, her mouth set in that determined line I knew so well. ‘I’m ready, what about Nico?’

  We left the dorm without a backward glance. All the other girls were either asleep or pretending to be. Part of me felt bad leaving them, but – I now realised – compared to Escondite, the camp wasn’t so terrible. You might have to work hard and the discipline was harsh, but at least there was plenty of food and hot water and you knew, in the end, you’d get to go home.

  I led Ketty outside the dorm to where Stanley was waiting. He nodded a greeting, then spoke soft and fast.

  ‘I can hear noises from the end of the corridor. Ed, get your Lockdown at the ready.’

  I could feel Ketty’s astonished eyes on me as we crept along the corridor. I wondered what she thought of this new version of me . . .

  Ed O’Brien. Man of action. Despite my sweaty palms and thumping heart, I liked how it made me feel. My dad would too. He was always saying I wasn’t tough enough. I almost laughed, imagining his face if he could see me now: all stealth and focus, weaponed-up and primed for action.

  Ahead of us, round a bend in the corridor, a door creaked open. We could hear anxious, whispered voices.

  ‘The window’s broken. Someone’s inside.’ That was Don.

  ‘Not Nico again,’ Cindy said.

  ‘I don’t think so, he’s never broken a window before.’

  Their footsteps along the corridor were getting nearer. I stopped just before the bend in the corridor. If we waited here we could catch them as they rounded the corner.

  I looked round at Stanley to check I had his approval. He nodded and stepped back against the wall. Ketty stopped too. She looked at me anxiously, but I didn’t have time to reassure her. All my attention was on the footsteps coming towards us along the corridor round the bend.

  Don was speaking again. ‘We need to phone Fernandez.’

  Stanley, Ketty and I flattened ourselves against the wall

  ‘Awesome,’ Cindy drawled sarcastically. ‘Fernandez’ll be ecstatic when he hears that—’

  Wham.

  As Don and Cindy rounded the corner, Stanley and I leaped forward, Lockdowns outstretched. I thrust mine at Cindy.

  Ratchet. Sparks. Thud.

  She fell to the floor. Ketty shrieked. Don lay beside her, similarly dispatched by Stanley.

  ‘Come on.’ Stanley raced off to the main door and slid the bolts. As we followed him through, Ketty whispered anxiously: ‘Who is he? Why’s he helping us?’

  ‘I’ll explain later,’ I said.

  Stanley looked over at the building where Nico and the other boys were sleeping.

  ‘I’ll get Nico,’ he said. ‘You take Ketty to the helicopter. Tell Goldie to get the engine running.’

  13: Revelation

  I raced off, Ketty at my side. She was still asking questions about Stanley. I answered as best I could, but I was all pumped up with the adrenalin of the situation and it was hard to formulate proper explanations of everything that had happened during the night.

  We reached the helicopter. Dylan was awake now and leaning against the body of the machine. She raised her eyebrows as we raced up.

  ‘Nice work, Chino Boy,’ she said. ‘Where’s Nico?’

  ‘Stanley’s bringing him.’

  ‘How did you meet this man?’ Ketty asked Dylan, clearly hoping for a more coherent reply from her than she’d been getting from me.

  Dylan shrugged. ‘He’s not my find,’ she said. ‘I got chloroformed and taken to some hellhole earlier. Ed turned up with Stanley. They got me out, though they didn’t manage it without knocking me out.’ She looked at me suspiciously. ‘Did you attack me with that stun gun? Your girlfriend over there wouldn’t say.’

  I shrugged, as Luz appeared from the other side of the helicopter. Her eyes widened with relief as she saw me.

  ‘Eds,’ she ran towards me, ‘estais okay?’ She flung her arms around me and hugged me tightly.

  I glanced at Dylan and Ketty. Dylan’s eyebrows were raised so high they were practically in her hairline. Ketty was frowning.

  ‘Who the hell’s this?’ she said.

  I met her eyes, unable to resist. Was that jealousy I was hearing?

  This is Luz, I thought-spoke. She was being held prisoner with Dylan. I had to help her.

  Right. Inside Ketty’s mind I sensed confusion and concern and a slight sense of invaded territory.

  But nothing you could seriously call jealousy.

  I sighed, distracted for a second by how Ketty’s mind felt. Everyone’s heads are different, you see. I mean, obviously people’s moods change all the time, but most people have their own signature ‘feel’ as well. With Nico it was the intensity that underpinned everything, with the man in the Madelina, that overlay of rage. Ketty’s mind had a base of steely determination – like a rock over which a series of fluctuating moods flowed like tides.

  I tried to focus. I could sense Ketty trying to control her own thoughts – to conceal some of the anxiety she was feeling.

  It’s going to be OK, Ketts, I thought-spoke. We’re safe now.

  ‘Eds, quien es ella?’ Luz’s anxious voice beside me brought me back to the present.

  I broke the connection with Ketty and looked down at Luz, making eye contact immediately.

  Quien es ella? Who is she? Inside Luz’s head, the question was even more vehement. The baseline of calm was still there, but another emotion – definitely jealousy this time, I thought – pricked at its edges.

  Mi amiga, I thought-spoke back, quickly. Solamente mi amiga. Just my friend.

  Okay. I could feel the smile in Luz’s mind spreading out, easing her thoughts.

  ‘Hey, lover boy.’ This time it was Dylan’s voice that jerked me back to reality. ‘Don’t you think we should get inside the helicopter? This Stanley guy’s running towards us with Nico – and Nico doesn’t look conscious – we could be in trouble.’

  I jerked away from Luz and turned to Goldie, remembering Stanley’s instruction.

  ‘Stanley wanted you to start the engine,’ I said. Goldie leaped into the pilot’s seat. Seconds later, the engine roared into life.

  Stanley was only a few metres away now, Nico slung over his shoulder. He ran up, panting, and deposited Nico in the back of the helicopter.

  ‘He thought I was attacking him . . . threw a damn locker at me.’ He frowned. ‘Though I don’t know how he managed to reach the locker – or lift it – that fast.’

  I glanced at the others. Nico had obviously used his telekinesis as self-defence.

  ‘Is he all right?’ Ketty asked.

  ‘He’ll be fine,’ Stanley said. ‘I had to knock him out otherwise we’d have been there too long. Sorry, Ed, I should have taken you with me to explain.’

  I couldn’t help but feel a little puffed up by pride at this apology. The three girls were all looking at me like I was some kind of hero.

  We all got into the helicopter. I noticed that Luz pushed her way past K
etty to the seat beside me. Ketty gave an annoyed sniff.

  ‘Everyone on board?’ Stanley grinned, yelling above the noise of the engine and the whirr of the blades.

  I couldn’t help but grin back. Everyone was safe. We were escaping from the Camp and, best of all, I had girls practically fighting over me. And Luz was definitely interested. Beautiful, special Luz.

  I couldn’t believe my luck. As Stanley slammed the door shut and got in up front, I glanced over my shoulder at Nico. He was moaning softly, his eyes still shut.

  Eat your heart out, Nico, I thought to myself. I’m the one seeing all the action now.

  Feeling ridiculously cheerful, I put my arm round Luz and we took off.

  Of course, once we were airborne, I felt sick again. But even that couldn’t stop me feeling pretty pleased with myself. Stanley turned round and shouted over the noise of the helicopter that we’d be travelling direct to a heliport just outside Madrid.

  ‘You’ll be able to contact whoever you want there,’ he yelled.

  Ketty turned to pass the news on to Dylan, who immediately leaned forward and grabbed my shoulder through the seats.

  ‘Who is this guy?’ she asked, pointing at Stanley.

  ‘Yeah,’ Ketty echoed. ‘You haven’t explained why he’s helping us or how you met him or anything.’

  ‘He’s an ex-soldier passing through on business. He saw me at the Madelina – the bar in San Juan. It’s just coincidence he found me.’ I swallowed, fighting back the nausea that swelled in my guts now we were airborne. ‘He’s sound. Honest.’

  I sat back, too sick to speak any more. Clearly neither Ketty nor Dylan were really satisfied with my answer, but they were just going to have to wait till we landed for a more detailed explanation of how Stanley had found and helped me.

  The sun was high in the sky by the time we landed. I stumbled out of the helicopter with relief. We were in what looked like a private heliport. Just a few other machines on the ground and a handful of men wandering around – some in overalls, others looking more like office workers in suits and smart shirts. Stanley seemed to know everyone. In fact, I got the impression that the people at the heliport were a little bit afraid of him. They were certainly very deferential, swarming round as we landed, offering help with anything and everything.