The Medusa Project: The Rescue

  ‘Anyway, what can we do? There’s desert everywhere you look. We wouldn’t last five minutes if we ran away – and even if we could drive, we don’t know where the keys to Fernandez’s car are.’

  ‘There’s a phone in his office,’ Nico whispered. ‘I’m going to sneak into the main building and use it tonight. Call Geri on that emergency number she gave us.’

  I stared at him. ‘But she’ll phone here at the end of the week anyway.’

  ‘I’m not waiting for her to call and then have Fernandez listening in to the conversation, ready to tell her we’re exaggerating everything. Jesus,’ Nico hissed. ‘I’ll tell her we’re being beaten up by the staff on a daily basis if it’ll get us out of here. I need you to keep lookout. Will you help?’

  ‘But . . .’ I stared at him. ‘What if we’re caught?’

  ‘Then we’ll get ten frigging demerits.’ Nico sighed. ‘It’s worth a try, isn’t it?’

  I stared at him. Fernandez’s office didn’t just contain a phone. There must be files and papers in there. Maybe one of them would explain where Luz had been taken. Meeting her felt like a dream, now, but I hadn’t forgotten my promise to help her. If I could tell Geri where she was, Medusa HQ could at least check she was okay.

  ‘Okay,’ I said to him. ‘Yes, let’s do it.’

  4: Escondite

  Nico and I went to bed – and to sleep – at the same time as the others. We were both knackered from three full-on days of hard work and knew we’d have to wait until the middle of the night before attempting to break into the main building and use the phone in Fernandez’ office.

  As our mobiles had been taken away before we left Fox Academy, the only way we had of setting an alarm was my watch. I left it on my pillow, timed to go off at 2 a.m. I was deeply asleep when it beeped beside me, so it took me a couple of seconds to stop the thing. I sat up, looking round in the pitch dark.

  ‘What was that?’ Tommy croaked sleepily from his bed.

  ‘Just my watch going off,’ I whispered. ‘Sorry, go back to sleep.’

  Tommy snuffled into his pillow as Nico crept over.

  ‘Give it ten minutes,’ he whispered, ‘make sure the others are properly asleep.’

  We waited in silence. All I could hear was my own breathing. After what felt like ages, I tiptoed over to Tommy’s bed. He was lying on his front, curled up like a baby, sucking his thumb. I watched the outline of his chest rise and fall evenly a couple of times. Well, that settled it. He was definitely asleep. There was no way he’d be faking with his thumb in his mouth.

  Nico was standing between Mat and Mig’s beds.

  ‘They’re well out of it,’ he whispered.

  ‘Come on, then. Let’s go.’

  The door that led outside was locked. Nico raised his hand and made a twisting motion. Telekinesis. With a soft click the lock sprang back. We padded across the courtyard. In the depths of night it was surprisingly cool. A bright moon hung clear in the sky, casting a gentle light across the three buildings.

  The two bolts on the inside of the door into the main building scraped against the wall as Nico drew them back telekinetically. I held my breath, hoping no one inside would hear. We had no idea where Fernandez, Cindy or Don slept, though I was guessing their rooms were near the girls’ dorm.

  ‘Hurry up,’ I whispered.

  Nico waved his hand across the lock on the door. Another click. The door sprang open. We were inside.

  ‘So far, so easy,’ Nico murmured.

  ‘Don’t get cocky,’ I whispered as we reached Fernandez’s office door.

  Nico rolled his eyes. ‘Man, you sound just like Ketty.’

  The office door was locked too. Nico focused for a second. This time the lock turned silently. Nico pushed at the door and it swung open.

  I followed him into the office. I’d only seen it through the open door before. It was larger than I’d realised. A row of filing cabinets stood down one side of the room. A desk cluttered with a PC, several books and a mountain of papers stood under the window, bathed in moonlight. Nico flicked the wall switch but no light came on.

  ‘The generator’s probably turned off overnight,’ I muttered.

  He nodded. ‘At least there’s moonlight.’ He headed for the phone which was perched at one end of the desk.

  I went over to the filing cabinets. How on earth was I going to find out anything about Luz among all the information in here?

  I took out my little torch and scanned the drawers fast. They were labelled with numbers. I pulled a few open at random. Bills, brochures, repair estimates. I flicked through the papers as quickly as possible.

  Across the room, Nico was dialling a number.

  I checked another file. A bunch of invoices. Nothing that looked remotely connected to the kids staying at the camp.

  ‘Ed, come here,’ Nico whispered. ‘This isn’t working.’

  ‘What did you dial? I asked.

  ‘Geri’s emergency number,’ Nico said. ‘I’m just getting an engaged signal.’

  ‘Were you using the right international code?’ I said.

  ‘What?’ Nico stared at me. ‘How the frigging hell do I work out what that is? Geri said we could use this number to reach her from anywhere.’

  This was true. I remembered her handing out the number when she briefed us before our first mission. ‘Well maybe you misdialled. Try it again.’

  I turned back to the filing cabinets. The next drawer I tried was locked. I stared at it for a second before remembering who I was with.

  ‘Nico?’ I said.

  ‘What?’ He looked up from the number pad on the front of the phone.

  ‘Could you open these drawers for me?’

  Nico rolled his eyes. ‘Why?’

  ‘Please.’

  He peered at the drawer for a few seconds. With a twist of his hand, the locks sprang back.

  Nico turned back to the phone. I pulled the drawer open. Sheaves of papers. I pulled out a bunch and rifled through them. Nothing that made any sense to me. And there were four more cabinets, all full of drawers just like this one. The information about Luz and the other police van kids – if it was here at all – could be in any one of them.

  My guts twisted. How long had we been in here? Nico was still hanging on the phone, frowning.

  ‘Maybe what you think is an engaged tone is actually some weird international ringtone,’ I suggested. ‘Stay on the line.’

  Nico nodded. I shut the drawer, scanning the front of the cabinets, trying to make sense of the numbers on the drawer fronts. They didn’t follow on in any kind of order: 20 . . . 05, 20 . . . 08, 20 . . . 06 .

  Of course. My heart leaped. The numbers were dates . . . years . . . All I had to do was find this year and the information about Luz was bound to be inside.

  I scurried along the line. Nico was sitting on Fernandez’s desk now, peering out of the window, the phone in his hand.

  My heart was beating fast as I pulled open this year’s drawer. There were fewer folders than in the other drawers. Not surprising, considering we were only in April. I yanked out a sheaf of papers and scanned them quickly.

  Loads of kids I didn’t know. Then a sheet on Tommy, then Camila. Then Mat and Mig and the Spanish girls. I sped up, not looking at them properly. Soon I found one with my name on it, containing all the details of my cover story. Similar papers for Nico, Ketty and Dylan were underneath.

  There was nothing on Luz.

  I reached inside the drawer, clawing into the back of it. My hand made contact with something soft. Surely not the back of the filing cabinet. I felt round the edges. A padded bag, taped to the back wall of the drawer. I yanked it out. The tape made a ripping noise as it pulled easily away from the drawer. I got the impression it had been attached and removed several times.

  ‘What the hell are you doing?’ Nico hissed.

  But I barely heard him. I stared at the outside of the bag – it was a plain, yellow padded envelope with just one word – Esc
ondite – written on the outside in thick black ink. I shoved my hand inside and yanked out a bundle of papers. The word policia – ‘police’ – hit me straight off – it was written at the top of the first sheet and on the next few. I flicked through them. These were some kind of official forms – all written in Spanish. Most of them had kids’ photographs pinned to the top. My heart thudded. From the Spanish I knew, I was sure these were police reports on children in trouble with the law. Could these be the police van kids? The ones Tommy said came and went from the camp? Why would Fernandez have all their details on file?

  Sweat trickled down my neck as I scanned through the photos pinned to the sheets, searching for Luz.

  Across the room, Nico had hung up and was dialling again, swearing under his breath.

  A boy, two more, then a girl . . . There. Luz’s face stared back at me from her picture. Despite the fuzzy lines of the photo she looked beautiful – her sea-green eyes huge in her face. I unclipped the photo and held my torch closer.

  ‘Ed!’ Nico gasped. ‘Listen!’

  I turned towards the door, shoving the torch and picture of Luz into my pocket. The unmistakable sound of footsteps thumped down the corridor outside.

  Nico and I stared at each other for a split second.

  ‘Hide!’ he whispered, putting down the phone. He ducked behind the desk.

  I shoved the police reports back in the padded envelope, pressed the envelope and tape back into place and pushed the drawer shut.

  As I squeezed into the space between the end filing cabinet and the wall, Nico raised his hand slightly and twisted it. All the drawers clicked gently shut.

  And then the door opened and Fernandez walked in.

  5: Demerits

  I held my breath as Fernandez marched straight to the desk where Nico was hiding.

  ‘You little bastard,’ he snapped, hauling Nico up from behind the desk by his hair.

  ‘Ow,’ Nico yelped.

  I froze, shrinking into the shadows . . . praying he wouldn’t see me.

  ‘What the hell are you doing in here, Nico?’ Fernandez glanced round at the desk, his gaze sweeping from the PC to the books to the papers. His eyes lit on the phone. ‘You were trying to call someone, weren’t you?’

  Fernandez swore. He was standing sideways on to me. If he’d looked round he’d have seen me. But he didn’t look round. His full attention was on Nico. He moved closer, fury filling his face. His hands gripped Nico’s neck.

  My heart pounded. Why wasn’t Nico using telekinesis to stop him?

  A strangled squeak escaped from Nico’s throat. His eyes were bulging, his face turning purple. Fernandez was trying to kill him. I stood up. Lunged towards the desk.

  ‘Stop!’ I said.

  Fernandez spun round, letting go of Nico, who fell, gasping, against the desk.

  ‘You? ’ He loomed over me. He grabbed my arm and swore, his breath fierce and hot against my forehead.

  Nico was still bent over the desk, clutching his throat.

  I stood, panting, terrified. Fernandez shook my arm, jerking my head up. Before I could think or move, our eyes met. With a whoosh I was inside his head.

  Fury. Blazing rage at the front of his mind. Then shock at my presence.

  I shut my eyes, breaking the connection. It had only lasted a fraction of a second.

  Surely that wasn’t enough time for Fernandez to understand what had happened?

  To know that I’d been inside his mind.

  He stood, breathing heavily, staring at me.

  I raced over to Nico, pulled him upright and dragged him back to the door.

  ‘What was that?’ Fernandez gasped.

  ‘We didn’t get through on the phone,’ I said, ignoring the question. ‘We didn’t speak to anyone.’

  ‘Of course you didn’t, the phone is locked.’ Fernandez stared at me like I was some kind of alien.

  ‘So we’ll go back to bed, then.’ I edged closer to the door.

  ‘How did you get into the building . . . the office?’

  ‘Someone left the doors unlocked,’ I lied, still heading for the door.

  ‘Stop.’ Fernandez frowned. ‘Wait.’

  I stood still, letting go of Nico’s arm. I fixed my gaze on the tiled office floor at my feet.

  ‘What did you just do . . .?’ Fernandez said. ‘Just now, when I looked at you, it felt for a second like you were . . . were inside my head . . .’

  ‘I don’t know what you mean,’ I said.

  Beside me, Nico coughed.

  Fernandez’s face hardened. ‘Look at me again.’

  No. I carried on staring at the floor.

  ‘Ed!’ Fernandez grabbed my chin and forced my head up. ‘Look at me!’

  I shut my eyes. Fernandez dug his fingers into my face till it really hurt.

  ‘Do it, or I’ll break your jaw,’ he hissed.

  Praying that, against all the odds, I’d be able to avoid mind-reading him, I turned my eyes reluctantly upwards. Don’t jump into his mind. Don’t jump—

  Whoosh. I was inside his head again. No way of stopping it. Damn. This time I sensed curiosity. And fear. For a second I managed to keep my own thoughts still,and then I remembered the envelope I’d found in the filing cabinet drawer. Before I could stop myself I was diving in, probing his thoughts.

  What happened to the girl from the first day? Where are the police van kids?

  Immediately I felt his mind throw up the information. A place name he was instinctively trying to hide – it was coming . . . coming . . .

  Ed?

  Fernandez’s thought-speech hit me like a splash of cold water. What the hell was I doing, giving myself away like this? I shut my eyes and broke the connection.

  What an idiot.

  Freed from the telepathy, Fernandez’ questions spilled out loud. ‘How did you read my thoughts? How did you ask me that question without speaking?’

  ‘It was nothing,’ I said. ‘Just a trick.’

  Fernandez frowned. He didn’t look convinced. ‘Why were you asking about those kids? I already told you. They were juvenile criminals. They’ll be inside a detention centre by now.’

  ‘I just wondered if . . . er, if they were okay,’ I said quickly. I felt for the small photo of Luz in my pocket.

  Beside me, Nico stiffened. I held my breath, praying Fernandez would believe me. He shook his head.

  ‘Two demerits each,’ he said. ‘I’ll sort out the punishments tomorrow.’

  He marched us back to the dorm and double-locked the outer door.

  The other three were still sleeping – Mat and Mig emitting gentle snores and Tommy sucking his thumb. Nico stumbled to his bed and lay down.

  I went over. It was a clear night and the moon was shining directly in through the window, casting a silver beam of light across Nico’s face.

  ‘Are you okay?’ I whispered.

  ‘Yes,’ Nico said. ‘He wasn’t really going to hurt me. Just scare me.’

  ‘Why didn’t you stop him with telekinesis?’

  ‘For the same reason you tried to lie about getting inside his mind.’ Nico sighed. ‘Have you forgotten how Carson and all the other frigging bad guys we’ve had to deal with tried to use our abilities to get what they wanted? You know how I feel about Geri, but she was right about that: Our number one priority is to keep what we can do a secret.’

  I stared at him.

  ‘How come you mind-read Fernandez, anyway?’ he said. ‘Why didn’t you stop yourself?’

  ‘He’d already seen what I could do that first time by accident,’ I stammered. ‘Then, the second time, when he made me look at him, I couldn’t help it. You know that if I make eye contact I can’t hold back.’

  ‘Yeah, I know,’ Nico muttered disparagingly. He sat up. ‘At least tell me you saw something useful. Something that might help us get out of here . . .’

  ‘I didn’t see anything in Fernandez’s mind. I was deliberately trying not to mind-read him.’ I could feel my fac
e reddening. It wasn’t fair of Nico to have a go at me about this. ‘But, before, I did find an envelope of police reports in the filing cabinet. It had a strange word written on it – Escondite. I’m not sure what it means, though.’

  Nico lay back on his bed with a frustrated sigh. ‘So you’re telling me you’ve just given away the fact that you can mind-read – for nothing.’

  There was a long pause. ‘I told you, I couldn’t stop.’ I could hear how defensive I sounded. ‘It doesn’t matter. Fernandez thinks it was just some trick.’

  ‘Let’s hope so.’ Nico rubbed his eyes. ‘Why were you looking for police reports in those filing cabinets anyway?’

  I fingered the photo of Luz in my pocket again.

  ‘Information – on us, the police van kids that come through here . . . the ones we saw . . . that Tommy told us about. I don’t think Fernandez is officially supposed to have anything to do with them.’

  ‘For God’s sake, Ed, man.’ Nico groaned. ‘Never mind all of that. How are we going to get out of here now?’

  There was an atmosphere in the camp the next morning. I could feel it as soon as Cindy called us for morning chores. She was in an evil mood, barking at everyone to hurry and giving Mig a demerit just for dropping his spade. I guessed that Fernandez must have bawled her out for believing she’d left the doors unlocked last night.

  Ketty was almost in tears when she heard about Fernandez finding Nico and me in his office. Even Dylan looked shaken. She had picked up a fifth demerit late last night for talking back to Cindy at lights out and was now officially ‘in solitary’, which meant, as Cindy explained, that after breakfast she would be put to work in the barn on her own for the entire day. Anyone caught attempting to speak to her, Cindy warned, would themselves be given a demerit.

  We didn’t see Fernandez until breakfast. He stood at the head of the dining table as we filed in, radiating fury. Everyone fell silent.

  ‘Discipline,’ Fernandez said, drawing himself up to his full height, ‘is the be-all and end-all of Camp Felicidad. Without that we have nothing.’ He paused. ‘And in the past three days discipline has been in short supply.’ He turned to Dylan. ‘Five demerits in two days is a sign of weakness and a lack of self-respect.’