The Medusa Project: Double-Cross

  I stared at her in stunned silence.

  Ketty exhaled sharply. ‘That’s clever,’ she said. ‘Geri comes clean about the fact that we’re really alive in order to frame us and then uses that very fact to tie us to the crime that she s committed.’

  I groaned. ‘Man, this means all the authorities will think we killed a government agent!’

  We stood in silence. I forced myself to think it through.

  Bookman was the agent in charge of the original Medusa Project. Last night, Geri killed him – before trying to murder us – and now she was pinning the blame on us.

  Ketty had turned away and was pacing up and down. ‘This is bad. Really bad,’ she said. ‘It won’t just be Geri coming after us now. It’ll be the police.’

  I nodded. ‘We have to get away from here. It’s too dangerous to stay.’

  ‘Oh, Nico.’ Ketty stared up at me, her face pale. ‘What are we going to do?’

  I swallowed. ‘We don’t have a choice – we have to find whoever Geri sold the Medusa gene to fifteen years ago.’

  ‘Why?’ Amy looked bewildered.

  ‘Because that person will definitely know that William Fox died around the same time and . . . and most likely they’ll know that Geri killed him to stop him going to the police.’

  ‘I still don’t get it,’ Amy said.

  ‘It makes sense.’ Ketty nodded. ‘We don’t have any proof that Geri is framing us for Bookman’s murder. It’s just our word against hers – and she’s got the police on her side, too. But if we can get evidence that Geri killed William Fox, it will help explain why she killed Bookman and is trying to make us look responsible.’

  ‘We have to prove her guilt to prove our innocence,’ I said. ‘Then we’ll be able to go home.’ I turned to Ketty. ‘Can you remember the name of the person William Fox said Geri was going to sell the gene to?’ I asked. ‘It was in the records Harry found.’

  ‘No, but Dylan will,’ Ketty said.

  We walked back to the pier.

  ‘What made you travel disguised as Geri Paterson?’ I asked Amy. ‘Why not your mum or dad?’

  ‘Omigosh,’ Amy said. ‘I knew Geri was lying about Ed killing someone so I went to her bag while she was talking to my parents and I stole one of her passports.’

  ‘One of them?’ I said faintly. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. Geri Paterson had been a government agent for over twenty years.

  ‘Yeah, she had like three or four and they were all in different names,’ Amy gabbled. ‘So I picked one and took a picture of Geri herself on my phone without her noticing so I could study how she looked. I took some money as well and got taxis and then the ferry. It was really hard when I came out cos I forgot all the French I know. I would have changed back to being me earlier, but I was scared people would see me and I thought I’d be safer if I looked older.’

  ‘That was really brave of you,’ Ketty said. ‘Doing all that to warn your brother.’

  Amy blushed, then glanced sideways at me.

  ‘I did it for all of you,’ she said.

  ‘Thank you,’ I said, wondering why her face was getting even redder.

  Ed and Dylan were as astounded to see Amy as we had been. And they were equally dumbfounded by her shape-shifting ability. I could see that underneath his amazement Ed was concerned for his little sister – as well as bemused by her being another recipient of the Medusa gene. Dylan, on the other hand, was contemptuous of Amy’s eager-to-please manner and gushing ways. Though I also suspected she was more than a little envious of Amy’s ability to change the shape of her face and body at will.

  ‘That’s awesome,’ Dylan said, rather grudgingly, as Amy modelled her face into a longer, more chiselled look. ‘Jeez, if you worked real hard at it, you might even look pretty.’

  Amy frowned anxiously. Ketty patted her on the arm. ‘You’re fine as you are, Amy. Don’t listen to her. She’s just missing her boyfriend.’

  Dylan scowled at this reference to Harry. He’d seemed a nice guy, though I didn’t envy him having Dylan for a girlfriend.

  ‘We need to find the person Geri sold the Medusa gene to,’ I said. ‘They obviously used it on Amy so—’

  ‘But that doesn’t make sense,’ Ed said. ‘Why would my mum have let anyone put the Medusa gene into another baby after she already knew it was going to kill her? I mean, she died when I was four. Less than a year after Amy was born.’

  A silence fell on the group. One of the things that binds us is the knowledge that the Medusa gene killed all our mothers.

  ‘I agree it seems strange,’ I said. ‘But there’s no other explanation.’

  ‘Maybe Mum just wanted another child . . .’ Amy suggested quietly. ‘The Medusa gene had already caused the cancer that was going to kill her. Having it implanted again couldn’t make things any worse.’

  Ed squeezed his sister’s hand sympathetically.

  ‘Anyway, the important thing is that Amy’s a clue to whoever bought the Medusa gene code from Geri,’ I said. ‘Their evidence on Geri will help clear our names.’

  ‘And help me get revenge on Geri for my parents,’ Dylan snarled. ‘It wasn’t just my dad she killed, remember? Geri murdered my mom, too. I lost her earlier than you guys lost your moms. Geri’s responsible for that.’

  Another short pause, then Ed spoke.

  ‘I still don’t get it. My dad is really against the Medusa gene. I can’t believe he’d have let my mum have it implanted again.’ He turned to Amy. ‘What did he say to you about how you got the Medusa gene?’

  Amy made a face. ‘He wouldn’t say anything, neither would Sandra . . .’ She turned to the rest of us . . . ‘That’s our stepmum. Dad and Sandra wouldn’t even admit I had the gene until I changed my appearance in front of them. They don’t want me to use my ability, they say it’s too dangerous.’

  ‘Idiots,’ Dylan said.

  ‘Hey,’ Ed protested. ‘They’re only trying to protect us.’

  Dylan glared at him.

  I held up my hand to shush her. ‘Amy, it’s very important you try and remember anything that might be relevant,’ I said.

  ‘Okay.’ She stared at me under the pier lights, blinking earnestly. ‘What might be relevant?’

  ‘Anything about your mum’s pregnancy?’ I said. ‘About your birth?’

  Amy hesitated. ‘Well, there was something a bit strange.’

  Ed reached forwards and took her hand. ‘What, Amy?’

  Amy glanced at her brother, then at me. ‘Sandra, our stepmum,’ she explained. ‘She said I was a test-tube baby and had a surrogate mum . . . because our real mum was too ill to carry me through the pregnancy . . .’

  ‘You mean that when you were an embryo you were transferred to another woman who wasn’t your biological mother?’ Dylan’s mouth fell open.

  The atmosphere tightened. Amy nodded.

  ‘Yes, Sandra said it happened at the Norgene Clinic in Norwich, where Mum worked . . . It was a fertility clinic – that’s how Mum got involved with the whole Medusa gene thing . . .’

  Ed squeezed Amy’s hand. ‘I’m sorry,’ he stammered. ‘I didn’t know, er . . . .’

  Amy shrugged. ‘No one knew.’ She looked away, gazing across the sea into darkness. ‘I’ve never told anyone . . . no one at school. No friends.’

  I thought fast. ‘D’you know what the surrogate’s name was?’

  ‘I think the surname was Church. Mum and Dad wouldn’t tell me anything . . . they said she wasn’t important. I did see her name on a letter from the clinic once – just for a second. Her surname was definitely Church. Her first name began with S. I didn’t have long enough to read it properly, but it was something like Sally or Susie.’

  Dylan’s eyes widened. ‘Could it have been Sydney?’

  ‘Maybe . . .’ Amy nodded, her eyes widening. ‘Yes, it could definitely have been Sydney.’

  ‘That was the name my dad mentioned in his meeting with Bookman,’ Dylan said. ‘His exact words
were, “If the code goes to Sydney, I go to the police.”’

  I gazed around at the others. ‘That’s it. Sydney isn’t a man – or a last name. It’s the first name of Amy’s surrogate mum. It all fits.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Ed said. ‘William Fox said, If the code goes to Sydney, not If the code is implanted in a baby then transferred to Sydney’s womb. It’s a big leap when we’re not a hundred per cent sure.’

  ‘You’re overcomplicating the whole thing,’ I said. ‘We just have to follow the name Sydney.’

  ‘Nico’s right.’ Ketty’s eyes glittered with excitement. ‘It’s a great lead.’

  Dylan nodded. ‘The first step is going to the Norgene Fertility Clinic and digging out Sydney Church’s records. There’s bound to be some clue there. If we can track her down, we’ve got a chance of getting the evidence we need against Geri.’

  ‘But suppose this surrogate woman wasn’t the Sydney William Fox talked about?’ Ed protested. ‘I mean, I can’t believe my parents would have knowingly used the Medusa gene again, especially when it might have killed the woman carrying the baby. Plus, if Geri sold Sydney the Medusa gene, how come she didn’t know Amy had Medusa powers?’

  ‘Well, maybe Sydney didn’t tell her she’d used the gene on Amy,’ Dylan said.

  ‘Still, it’s a good point.’ Ketty’s eyes lost their excited look and her face paled. ‘Plus, I have to say I’m not wild about going back to the UK. It’s going to be risky and—’

  My phone blasted into the mild, early evening air. Ketty jumped. I glanced down.

  Fergus calling.

  Relief flooded through me as I snatched up the phone. ‘Fergus? You got my message.’

  ‘Yes.’ His voice was tense . . . urgent. ‘Listen very carefully, Nico. Geri put a trace on my phone last night. She’s been in touch. She knows that you called me thirty minutes ago.’

  No. My mind sped on, thinking through the implications of that. ‘Whatever she’s told you isn’t true,’ I said. ‘We didn’t kill Bookman. Geri did. Just like she killed William Fox.’ My breath caught in my throat. I hadn’t meant to blurt out the news like that. William was Fergus’s brother and, like the rest of us, Fergus had assumed William had died in a traffic accident.

  ‘I know, I know.’ Fergus’s voice cracked. ‘I’ve spoken to Laura. She told me what you found out . . . about Geri killing William and his wife . . . and Bookman.’ He cleared his throat. ‘Anyway, never mind about that now. There’s no time to lose. Geri’s tracked you to France. You need to dump the mobile and get out of there. Fast.’

  4: The Norgene Clinic

  Fergus’s call freaked us all out. Trouble was, everyone had a different idea about where to go now we knew Geri was on our tail. Ketty wanted to disappear into the French countryside while Ed inclined more to Paris, where he said it would be easier for us to get lost in all the crowds.

  ‘No way,’ Dylan snapped. ‘We should get back to England fast. That gives us our best chance of finding Sydney Church and getting proof that Geri killed my parents.’

  ‘It’s true that England is the last place Geri will expect us to go,’ I said.

  ‘She’ll still be watching all the borders,’ Ketty protested.

  ‘And there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to track down this Sydney Church . . . if that is her real name . . . and less that she’ll have enough proof to work against Geri,’ Ed added, anxiously rubbing his forehead.

  ‘Well, I’m going, even if you two losers stay here,’ Dylan said viciously.

  ‘Don’t speak to them like that,’ I said, annoyed. Why did Dylan always have to be so aggressive?

  ‘Don’t start on me,’ Dylan snapped. ‘This is all your fault anyway. I said it was a bad idea to call home. We’re already lumbered with Princess Ten Faces over there.’ She pointed at Amy, who was standing slightly outside the group, bottom lip trembling, then turned an accusing finger at me. ‘If you hadn’t phoned Fergus, we’d be safe.’

  ‘It wouldn’t have taken long for Geri to find us, whatever we did,’ I said, my anger boiling inside me. ‘Anyway, there’s no point arguing over all that now. Our first priority is to get away from here. There’s a train station in the town – I passed it while I was getting here. I think we should head to Paris first. Ed’s right. It’s big and busy there – easier for us to throw Geri off the scent. We can decide how – and how quickly – to trace Sydney Church from there.’

  The others nodded their agreement. I turned to Amy. ‘Okay with you?’

  Amy nodded eagerly. ‘Okay, yeah. I mean, that’s a brilliant plan.’

  ‘Er, thanks.’ I frowned.

  Beside me, Ketty suppressed a giggle. Why? I mean, Amy was definitely a bit over the top, but what was so funny?

  ‘Amy isn’t coming with us,’ Ed said firmly. ‘She goes straight back to England on the next ferry.’

  ‘But I came to help you.’ Amy stuck out her chin. For a fleeting second, she looked just like Ed.

  ‘But Mum and Dad will be worried sick,’ Ed said.

  I hesitated. Ed was right, of course. We also didn’t want to be saddled with Amy all the way to Paris. But maybe getting her home gave us an opportunity . . .

  ‘It’s better if you go back,’ I said to Amy. ‘You can be our eyes and ears in England. And Ed can stay in touch with you through remote telepathy.’

  Amy nodded reluctantly. ‘Okay, Nico.’

  I turned to the others. ‘I’ll make sure she gets onto the ferry okay.’

  ‘I can do that,’ Ed protested.

  ‘But if anything goes wrong, I can use my telekinesis,’ I said firmly. ‘We need to get a bit closer to the terminal first, to make sure we get the right boat. Why don’t you three find the station and buy tickets to Paris? I’ll join you as soon as I’ve sorted Amy.’

  Ed reluctantly agreed. As Amy and I walked towards the ferry terminal, I chucked my phone into the sea. I didn’t like not having it with me, but there was no choice. Now Geri knew the number, she would be able to track it whenever it was used.

  My plan firmed up as we walked. Amy was almost skipping beside me, chattering away in my ear. I didn’t pay her much attention, just strolled along, my mind completely focused on what I was planning to do. I discreetly juggled a handful of euros using my telekinesis as I walked. Doing so helps me concentrate, though it was weird to think that just a few months ago I couldn’t even control the bag of chips I attempted to juggle to impress Ketty.

  I stopped about a hundred metres from the ferry terminal building. Now we were closer it was obvious which boat was heading back to England. It was loading up with cars and foot passengers.

  ‘I’ll change back to Geri and buy a ticket,’ Amy said.

  ‘Okay, just to get through immigration, but once you’re on board, you should change into someone else,’ I said. ‘If Geri knows you stole one of her passports and that you’re a shape-shifter, she might easily work out that you’re travelling using her identity.’

  ‘Dad and Sandra won’t have told her about the shape-shifting,’ Amy insisted. ‘They don’t want her to know.’

  I shrugged. ‘They might do anything if they think it will help find you. Anyway, Geri might have known about you having the Medusa gene from the start.’

  Amy frowned. ‘I’m sure she doesn’t . . . if she did, surely she’d have said something by now?’

  I had to admit that was probably true. Nothing I’d ever seen Geri do suggested she thought anyone other than Dylan, Ed, Ketty and myself had Medusa abilities.

  Amy set off towards the terminal building and I turned my attention to the next part of my plan: I was going to smuggle myself onto the ferry again and go back to England with Amy.

  I hadn’t told the others – they would never have agreed – but this way, not only could I make sure Amy got safely home, but I could find the Norgene Clinic on my own and extract the information we needed without putting the others at risk.

  The first step was getting on board the ferr
y. I could, I was sure, have persuaded Amy to buy me a ticket when she purchased her own, but I didn’t want there to be any record that I’d travelled, which meant I needed a distraction in order to slip past the guards at the gate. The two men that I’d tripped up before were still there, now busy checking foot passengers as they boarded. Keeping well hidden behind the terminal building wall, I moved closer. Beyond the two guards the cars were loading slowly in pairs.

  I lifted my hand and, with a sudden twist, forced one of the two lead cars on the ramp up to the ferry to turn and block the path of the cars behind. Immediately, horns blared out in protest. Both guards turned to see what was happening. I twisted my hand, pushing the car further round. Now it was blocking both streams of traffic attempting to board. Two drivers had already got out of their cars. The driver of the car I’d turned was still at the wheel, clearly trying to shift his vehicle.

  ‘I’ve lost control of the steering!’ I could hear him yelling out of the window.

  One of the other drivers swore. Another shouted.

  The two guards dealing with the foot passengers threw each other a look.

  ‘Get over there,’ one said in French.

  The other nodded. He pulled the barrier gates across to bar any further foot passengers from accessing the ferry and together the two men went over to the car ramp.

  This was my chance. In the distance I could see more foot passengers approaching, but right now the entryway was free of people. I raced over to the barrier gates that the guards had shut and locked, undid them with a swift click and slipped inside.

  I reached behind me to relock the gates as I walked briskly on-board.

  Once safely on deck, I let out a long breath. What a relief. I’d made it. Now I just had to find Amy.

  She was still looking like Geri, and sitting in the same café where I’d shared a chocolate bar with Ketty just hours before. Her eyes widened as I walked up.

  ‘Nico!’

  I grinned. ‘Thought you might like some company for the journey back!’

  Amy’s chin wobbled. ‘Omigosh, thank you,’ she said, her eyes filling with tears. ‘That’s really kind of you. I was nervous about going on my own. Ed just contacted me with his mind-reading and I was making out I was fine, but actually, I was feeling really shaky about getting all the way home in the dark.’