The Medusa Project: The Hostage

  We met again straight after breakfast. The Tranquillity Garden is a small, walled patch of grass with rows of rose beds beyond. It’s totally private, being neither overlooked nor en route to any of the major school buildings, and, because there’s a rule about being silent there, it’s hardly ever used.

  It was certainly empty at 8.20 a.m. that Wednesday morning.

  I wasted no time. ‘So what’s your idea for helping with my visions?’

  Nico teleported a pebble from the ground and made it spin round his wrist.

  ‘There are some techniques that might give you a bit more control over them,’ he said. ‘Not that rubbish Fergus was getting us to do with stupid trust exercises, but some of the stuff Jack Linden showed me.’

  I stared at him. Jack Linden was the man who was responsible for both of us nearly dying just a few weeks ago. The man who’d worked for Geri, tracking us all down, then trying to sell us – and the formula for the Medusa gene – to another criminal.

  ‘Jack Linden?’

  ‘I know he was a conman,’ Nico said quickly, letting the pebble fall to the ground. ‘But he knew what he was talking about when it came to helping me get a handle on my telekinesis. Maybe some of what he suggested would help you control when and how you have your visions.’

  I nodded. It was worth a try. ‘Show me.’

  I sat on the wooden bench by the rose beds. Several of the plants were full of dark green leaves and tight buds. None were in bloom, yet.

  Nico made me close my eyes and take some deep breaths. ‘What happens just before a vision?’ he asked.

  ‘I see flashing lights and I smell a sweet, heavy perfume smell.’

  ‘Okay.’ Nico hesitated. ‘Imagine those now.’

  I frowned. How was I supposed to do that? I tilted my face so that I could feel the sun on my closed eyelids. The light was bright now, but not flashing. In my mind’s eye I imagined the light moving. Nothing happened. I shook my head.

  ‘Try blinking,’ Nico suggested.

  I started opening my eyes a fraction, then closing them again. Faster and faster. It gave the impression of flashing lights.

  My heart raced, as the sight I was creating triggered a surge of adrenalin.

  ‘Now the smell,’ Nico reminded me.

  I kept blinking, trying to pretend that a sweet heavy smell was filling my nostrils. I suddenly realised how ridiculous I must look. My eyes snapped open. Nico was squatting in front of me, staring intently at me.

  ‘What happened?’ he said.

  ‘I just . . .’ My face flushed with embarrassment. ‘I stopped because I thought I must look really stupid.’

  As I spoke, tears welled up. Oh, God. What was wrong with me? I never got this emotional about schoolwork that was too hard. I’m kind of an average student – I don’t shine . . . but I don’t worry that much when I struggle either. So why was not having any control over my visions making me so upset? I looked over at the rose bushes, wiping my eyes.

  ‘Hey.’ Nico’s voice was tender.

  I turned back. He smiled at me.

  ‘I don’t think you look stupid,’ he said, softly. ‘I think you look beautiful.’

  For a moment he held my gaze and I felt a great wave of emotion swelling up in my chest. Just like yesterday. My breath caught in my throat and I remembered the promise I’d made yesterday.

  ‘As soon as the bell rings I’m going to find Ed and tell him and everyone we’re going out together.’

  Nico’s smile spread into a huge grin. ‘Why don’t you try doing a vision again? We’ve got nearly ten minutes before classes start.’

  I closed my eyes, tipped my face to the sun and started my rapid blinking again. This time it was easier to keep the blinking going while I imagined breathing in a deep, sweet scent. Like a gun firing, my heart raced. And then it happened. The flashing lights were there for real . . . the sweet smell truly filling the air.

  A jumble of images. Rain. Stone. Ivy. Foster’s low menacing voice. ‘Kill you, Lex.’ The gun, shining wet in the rain. Foster presses the tip against Lex’s throat.

  I came out of the vision with a gasp. Nico’s hand was holding mine. The sun was shining on the rose beds.

  ‘Ketty?’ He sounded anxious. ‘Ketty? Are you all right?’

  I nodded, torn between a desire to smile that I’d brought on a vision at will and concern over what I’d seen.

  I described the vision to Nico. ‘God, I wish I knew when what I was seeing was going to happen.’

  Nico squeezed my hand. ‘Don’t beat yourself up about it,’ he said. ‘What you just did was massive. You brought on a vision. That’s amazing.’

  I smiled. ‘Well, it’s a start.’

  As we left the Tranquillity Garden I kept hold of Nico’s hand. For some reason the prospect of telling everyone we were together made me feel really anxious, but I was determined to keep my promise. We sauntered along the narrow path outside the Garden. Someone was sitting, hunched over, on the bench at the end of the path. As we got closer I realised it was Ed.

  He was crying.

  9: Telling Ed

  I glanced at Nico, then stopped. We were less than a metre away from Ed now, but he didn’t see us. He was still sitting on the bench outside the Tranquillity Garden, his face in his hands. Tears leaked out on either side as he wept in huge, racking sobs.

  I swallowed, feeling uncomfortable. I glanced at Nico again. What should we do?

  Nico shrugged.

  Letting go of his hand, I took a step closer to Ed.

  ‘Hey,’ I said, timidly.

  Ed’s head shot up. He took in both of us in an instant, then started wiping his eyes, furiously. ‘Hi,’ he said.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ I asked.

  Ed shot a look in Nico’s direction. ‘Nothing.’

  A short pause, then Nico cleared his throat. ‘Guess I’ll see you inside, Ketts,’ he said drily.

  I smiled to show I appreciated him letting me talk to Ed without making a fuss. Nico strolled off and I sat down next to Ed.

  ‘Okay,’ I said. ‘Now tell me.’

  Ed stared at his lap. ‘It’s this whole stupid Medusa thing,’ he said. ‘Remember Geri called me back to school yesterday, when you went off to the Rufus Stone?’

  I blinked. Was that really only yesterday?

  ‘How did it go by the way?’ Ed said.

  ‘I’ll tell you in a minute,’ I said. ‘What did Geri want?’

  ‘To test out the parameters of my so-called Gift,’ Ed said bitterly. ‘She forced me to mind-read her and to communicate information.’ He sank his head back into his hands. ‘I felt like a monkey doing tricks. And all the time Geri was saying stuff like “this is marvellous, dear . . . what a wonderful Gift you have, dear”.’ Ed curled his lip and looked up, across the grass. ‘Patronising cow.’

  I stared at him, shocked. I’d never seen Ed so angry and upset.

  ‘It’s just so wrong them making us use what we can do, like this.’ Ed was sniffing, clearly trying not to cry again. It’s bad enough just having my ability . . . you know, not being able to look anyone in the eye without getting sucked inside their head . . . but actually trying to find out what people are thinking . . . it’s horrible . . .’

  ‘It must be awful . . .’ I hesitated. ‘My visions are a bit like that. I mean, I don’t have any control over when they come either . . .’

  Ed nodded. ‘Mr Fox is the only person who knows how I feel. I can’t talk to my parents . . . I called Geri just now to try and explain again and she wouldn’t listen . . .’ he turned to me, ‘. . . and you’ve been avoiding me since you went on that stupid mission to the Fostergames offices, so I’m guessing you think I’m being ridiculous too.’

  ‘No.’ I put my hand on his arm. ‘No, I don’t think that at all. That’s not why I didn’t see you . . . I . . . I thought you were with your other friends.’ I tailed off lamely.

  ‘What other friends?’ Ed wiped his face again. ‘I don’t have any
other friends, Ketty. You’re the only one.’

  There was a silence as the sun went behind a cloud. Two girls from the year above strolled past us, deep in conversation. Inside school, the registration bell rang.

  ‘Sorry.’ Ed flushed, straightening up. ‘I didn’t mean to get all serious with you. It’s just . . .’

  He let the end of his sentence hang in the air. But I was only too aware of what he meant. Ed and I had gone out, then I’d finished it. And not going out with him was fine . . . but it was important to Ed that I was still in his life.

  And, if I was honest, I needed him as a friend too.

  ‘So we’re okay?’ Ed asked, nervously adjusting his belt. ‘Ketty?’

  ‘Of course.’ I hugged him and we strolled inside.

  As soon as I got to our form room I went over to Nico. He was standing by his desk, sorting some stuff in his bag. Our classmates crowded past. Curtis was showing Lola a picture on his phone. Other people swarmed round them, craning their necks to get a look.

  ‘Nico?’

  He didn’t look up at me. Just carried on sorting his bag. ‘Did you tell him?’ he said.

  Oh my God.

  ‘I couldn’t,’ I stammered. ‘He was crying. It wasn’t the right moment.’ Surely Nico would understand that. ‘Plus I’m his only friend . . . he said so, which made it extra hard for me to say anything. I mean, suppose he’d asked how long you and I had been going out? I couldn’t have lied. And if I’d told Ed we’d been together since he and I split up, he’d have felt even worse.’

  ‘Right,’ Nico said. ‘So you’ve changed your mind about telling him?’

  ‘Of course not, I just couldn’t do it right then.’

  At that point, Mr Rogerson walked in and told everyone to sit down. Curtis put his phone away and Lola and the others drifted back to their seats.

  Nico shoved his bag under his desk and sat. He stared stonily in front of him.

  ‘I will tell Ed about us,’ I whispered.

  ‘Right,’ Nico said again, his voice like ice. ‘Excuse me if I don’t hold my breath, babe.’

  ‘Ketty, please take your seat,’ Mr Rogerson ordered.

  I turned and made my way across the room. I felt sick. Why was Nico being so unreasonable? Okay, so I’d told him I’d tell Ed about us straight away – but he’d seen how upset Ed had been outside. Surely he couldn’t expect me to say something then?

  I sat down at my desk, barely aware of Mr Rogerson’s voice droning on as he set us some maths problem. When the bell rang, Nico was first out of the room. We didn’t have another class together until after break. I looked for him then, but couldn’t find him anywhere.

  When break ended I trudged, heavy-hearted, off to English. At least I’d see Nico there. But before I’d got halfway down the corridor Dylan appeared out of nowhere.

  I jumped, startled. She grinned, her small white teeth flashing in a perfectly even line. ‘Fox’s office,’ she drawled. ‘Now.’ She turned and strode away.

  I scurried after her. The head’s office was just round the corner, but Mr Fox was nowhere to be seen. The others were all in there, though. Geri was talking to Ed by the desk. Nico stood, scowling, on the other side of the room. I gazed at him, hoping he’d look up. But he was pointedly ignoring me.

  As Dylan walked in beside me, Geri signalled for her to shut the door.

  Geri leaned against the wall, one tan-coloured trouser leg loosely crossed over the other. I opened my mouth to ask her if she’d got the police to find Lex overnight, but before I could say anything she was speaking herself.

  ‘Welcome, team Medusa.’ Geri flicked back her hair.

  By the desk, Ed shook his head despairingly. Across the room, Nico rolled his eyes. Behind me, Dylan snorted softly under her breath.

  I bit my lip. Some team.

  Geri cleared her throat. ‘Before we get started I should tell you, Ketty, that there’s no news as to your brother’s whereabouts yet. But it’s still early days.’

  I looked down at the floor, my emotions all jumbled up. Where was Lex? I felt a stab of resentment towards Nico. Couldn’t he see what a hard time I was having? Lex going missing was bad enough, without me having to cope with Nico’s ego on top.

  ‘I also want to apologise for the interruption to your training session yesterday. Maria told me what happened and I have had a word with Fergus Fox.’

  At this, Nico’s head shot up.

  Geri glanced at him before she carried on. ‘Fergus clearly disagrees with my training strategy, but has accepted that I’m in charge of the Medusa Project and promised there will be no further disruptions.’

  Nico looked away – I couldn’t see his expression.

  Ed shook his head again.

  ‘So what’s the deal, Geri?’ Dylan asked, sprawling across one of Mr Fox’s leather chairs. ‘I’m missing art for this.’

  Geri smiled. ‘Thanks to Ketty’s lead on Foster,’ she said briskly, ‘we’ve found out what Rainbow is.’ She paused.

  ‘And . . .?’ Dylan asked.

  ‘Rainbow is the nickname for a small, high-explosive device.’

  ‘You mean a bomb?’ Nico asked.

  ‘Yes – a small but extremely powerful bomb which would cause massive loss of life if detonated in a public area. The MoD has just reported a Rainbow bomb missing. Foster has vanished. His private and company debts are sky-high, so he has a motive for stealing and selling the device. There’s no proof, but it all ties up.’

  My heart thudded. So Foster had gone through with his plan to steal Rainbow. And Lex’s recording was the only evidence that linked him to the crime.

  Dylan sat up in her chair. ‘What’s Foster going to do with the bomb now?’

  Geri pursed her lips. ‘That, my dear, is what we want the Medusa Project to discover.’ She paused. ‘In fact, finding out is your next mission.’

  10: Accident . . . or murder?

  The plan was simple.

  Government security agents had already gone into both Foster’s home and workplace and searched, secretly, for information about his plans. So far they’d found nothing.

  ‘I don’t understand.’ Nico made a face. ‘If a group of agents couldn’t find anything, what d’you expect us to do?’

  ‘Well, it’s mostly down to Ketty.’ Geri threw me a tight-lipped smile.

  ‘Me?’ I said.

  ‘From what Ketty tells us, her brother’s most significant contact with Foster occurred in the office car park where he made his recording.’ Geri paused. ‘I want the four of you to go to the hut by the motorbike stand where Lex overheard Foster talking about Rainbow. My hope is that the setting will prompt Ketty into a vision.’

  I shook my head. This was just like when Geri sent me and Nico to the Fostergames office.

  I was being used again.

  ‘Why not just take Ketty on her own?’ Dylan asked.

  ‘Because I’m trying to build the four of you as a team.’ Geri stressed the final word.

  Dylan rolled her eyes. She clearly would have preferred to work alone, or perhaps to do a mission which focused on her own skills – the ability to protect herself from physical harm.

  I looked down at my battered old trainers. I would have preferred to get my new Asics on, get out of here and go for a proper run.

  ‘Plus,’ Geri went on, ‘it’s an opportunity to be out in the world, ready to use your skills should the need arise.’

  ‘When you say “need”,’ Ed stammered, ‘won’t there be security guards in the car park? How are we supposed to get past them?’

  ‘No problem.’ Geri smiled her cold, thin-lipped smile. ‘Two of my agents – Maria, who you know, and a newer recruit called James – have been briefed to create a distraction, allowing the four of you to slip into the car park undetected. They will also be on hand in case of any problems – but we don’t anticipate any. The last place Foster is going to show up is his office. He’ll almost certainly suspect by now that we’re onto him.’


  Ed’s shoulders relaxed with relief.

  ‘What am I supposed to do once we’re there?’ I asked.

  The others all stared at me. Dylan was frowning, curled up in her armchair, with her long legs tucked underneath her. I could imagine what she was thinking: Don’t you know how to handle your Gift, Ketty?

  Nico raised his eyebrows. God, he was just like Dylan. They both relished their abilities and wanted to use them.

  I glanced at Ed. He couldn’t have looked more miserable.

  Like me, I thought. Ed is like me. We hate this.

  We hate what we can do.

  My heart thudded. Up until now I’d wanted to be more in control of my ability. But now, I realised, I actually didn’t want it at all. I didn’t want to see visions – or act on them – any more. I just wanted Lex to be safe. And I wanted things to be okay with Nico so that we could hang out and enjoy ourselves like ordinary people.

  ‘I suggest you simply find and explore the hut in the car park, Ketty,’ Geri said. ‘See what comes up.’

  I sat back. Clearly, this was just a shot in the dark for Geri, too.

  She talked a little more about our route to central London and where Maria and the other agent were going to drop us off and pick us up.

  ‘Remember, our agents will be in the background at all times. Foster is a dangerous man and Nico and Ketty were lucky to get away without injury when they encountered him.’

  ‘It wasn’t luck,’ I blurted out. ‘It was Nico’s telekinesis. He was brilliant.’ The words were out of my mouth before I knew I was going to say them. I blushed.

  Dylan muffled a giggle. Nico continued to stare at the wall opposite. He idly raised his hand and teleported a box of paper clips off Mr Fox’s desk into his palm.

  He was acting as if I hadn’t spoken.

  Geri flicked back her hair impatiently. ‘Of course, dear. I meant no disrespect to Nico. I just wanted to make it clear my priority is your protection. You’ll leave in ten minutes. Good luck.’

  I followed Nico out of the office, determined to make him talk to me.

  ‘Nico?’

  He sped up, walking away from me and round the corner.

  I stopped. The sick feeling twisted in my guts again. Why was he doing this?