The Medusa Project: Double-Cross

  I turned and looked out of the window. Bixbury was one of those typical English towns – all brick houses and roses in the front garden. I didn’t need Laura telling me what we should and shouldn’t be doing.

  ‘School isn’t exactly an option right now,’ I said curtly. ‘What with Fox Academy being blown up and the government agent supposed to be protecting us trying to frame us for murder.’

  ‘I know.’ Laura sighed. ‘I just can’t believe what that woman – Geri Paterson – is doing . . . making you fugitives . . .’

  ‘So where’s this plane?’ I said.

  ‘Couple of miles away,’ Laura explained, peering at a road sign through the windscreen. She nodded to a package on the dashboard. ‘There are all your passports and tickets. There’s a note from Fergus, too, plus contact details for my friend, Sam Hastings, who lives in Sydney. We emailed yesterday and he’s going to meet you off the plane in Sydney and look after you until Fergus can get out there.’

  Well, that was a relief. But I couldn’t help but wonder if we’d make it as far as Sydney.

  ‘This pilot who’s taking me to Helsinki in his private plane,’ I said. ‘Is he for real? I mean, he’s going to be breaking about ten laws just smuggling me out of the country.’

  ‘All your parents are covering his payment, Nico.’ Laura hesitated. ‘I wish I could come with you, but you’ll be safe once you get to Sydney and I can’t just walk out on work without raising suspicions. Fergus says he’s going to fly out to join you as soon as he can give Geri the slip.’

  I nodded, opening Fergus’s note. It was fairly emotional – at least for Fergus. He wrote about how much I meant to him and ended by urging me to think before I acted, keep my wits about me and look after myself.

  I sat back when I’d finished reading, my own feelings a mix of anxiety about what I was about to do and reassurance that at least Fergus and Laura were behind us.

  Laura gazed out at the open countryside ahead and smiled. ‘Harry’s quite taken with Dylan, you know.’

  I grinned, pleased to be lifted out of my own thoughts.

  ‘Yeah, I got the impression that it’s mutual,’ I said, remembering how flustered Dylan had seemed around Harry.

  ‘What’s she really like?’ Laura asked. ‘I don’t mean to pry, but her mother was one of my best friends . . . and I’ve only spent a few hours with her . . .’

  What did I say to that? ‘Well . . . Dylan’s moody . . . but she’s loyal . . .’ I started, then stopped, unable to think of anything else to say that didn’t have ‘pain in the ass’ at the end of the sentence. Laura shot me a quick glance, then moved on.

  ‘It’s funny, it seems like yesterday we were all together with our babies – Jack and me, and Dylan’s mum and dad.’ She smiled sadly at me. ‘I knew your mum, too, Nico. And Fergus. I mean, they were on the periphery of our group, but I met them several times.’

  I nodded, feeling awkward. I wasn’t used to meeting people who’d known my mum. A photo that Dylan had shown me recently popped into my head. It was of her and Harry, Laura’s son, as babies. My mum’s in the background of the picture, heavily pregnant. When I saw it, I thought how weird it was that I’d been inside her then. I had that same feeling now, being with someone who’d known her at that time.

  Laura turned her eyes back to the road. ‘Your mother was beautiful, Nico. Very young and very fragile-looking with big, brown eyes. Fergus used to pad around her like a protective bear or something.’ She laughed.

  I didn’t know what to say. I knew so little about my mum’s life before she met Fergus. She was Italian – a student over here to learn English – who got pregnant, then met Fergus and his brother, William Fox. It was William who, unbeknown to either my mum or Fergus, had injected her with the Medusa gene that created my powers – and killed her.

  For the first time it struck me that Fergus must have felt unbearably guilty about that. He loved my mum – and yet it was because of his brother that she’d died.

  ‘Your mother never spoke to me about your birth dad. I know nothing about him and she certainly never said who he was,’ Laura went on. ‘To be honest, from what Fergus let slip at the time, I don’t think she talked about him with anyone.’

  I nodded. I was used to not knowing.

  A few minutes later we arrived at the airfield. The pilot was eager to set off so Laura assured me again that I’d meet up with the others in Helsinki and went back to her car.

  The journey to Sydney was long but uneventful. Despite all my anxieties, I loved the first part of the trip – by myself, on the small plane to Helsinki. The flight stayed low, like the helicopters I’d ridden in twice before – once when Ed and I had sneaked on board a commercial ride to follow Ketty from London to Devon and once flying over the desert in Spain a few weeks ago. However, I’d been hiding under a jacket the first time and unconscious the second, so this was my first real experience of what the landscape looks like when you’re a little way above ground.

  The others arrived in Helsinki just a few hours after me and we found the main airport easily enough. Once on the jumbo jet to Sydney, we kept ourselves to ourselves for most of the journey. Dylan, as usual, had jammed on her headphones and was listening to that fast dance music she likes so much. Ed spent most of the long journey looking like he was trying not to be sick. Ketty and I talked for a bit, then she said she was going to try and have a vision of the future and spent most of the rest of the journey with her eyes focused on the middle distance. I didn’t disturb her. I know she gets stressed out when she loses control of her gift . . . It certainly seems a lot harder to manage than any of the others.

  Ed had done a little more research on Avery Jones. We hadn’t yet found either a home or work address for him, but I was sure all the details would prove easier to locate once we’d arrived and made contact with Laura’s friend.

  Dylan made a few digs at me for going off on my own to the clinic without saying anything . . . and for forgetting to take the Clusterchaos software program that Harry had left us. It was a hacker’s program – useful, to be sure, though if I was honest, I didn’t really understand how to use it. Not that I was going to admit it.

  ‘You could have hacked into the clinic files with Clusterchaos,’ she said contemptuously. ‘Ed’s shown me how to use it; it’s real simple.’

  ‘I knew I wouldn’t need it,’ I lied.

  ‘Oh yeah, I forgot. You know everything,’ Dylan snapped.

  I ignored this. Dylan was often rude. There was no point taking it personally. The next minute she was asking if Laura had said anything about Harry. She was trying to hide her interest, but it was obvious.

  I pointed this out to Ketty, hoping to make her laugh, but Ketty still seemed preoccupied with trying to have a vision of the future so I went back to the in-flight movie selection.

  We all fell asleep during the last few hours of the flight. When I woke, it was dawn and we were coming in low over a large forest. Huge, blue-tinged hills were visible in the misty distance.

  ‘Those must be the Blue Mountains,’ Ed said. ‘They’re just outside Sydney.’

  We were met at the airport by Laura’s friend, Sam Hastings, a smiling, ruddy-cheeked man with a paunch. He chatted to me about Laura while we walked to his car, going into a long, convoluted tale about when they were students over twenty years ago.

  I listened politely, then asked how soon we could start tracking down Avery Jones.

  ‘We can talk about that when we get home, sport,’ Hastings said. ‘When you’ve had a chance to eat and rest.’

  We drove for over an hour, quickly leaving the built-up area near the airport and making our way through miles of dusty scrubland. The air was still and warm – though not as burning hot as I was expecting.

  I couldn’t get over how huge everything seemed – from the endless stretches of orange-brown earth to the flat green of the trees and bushes that punctuated the landscape, to the mountains that loomed, still misted at the peaks, in the
distance.

  Hastings finally stopped the car on a long, flat road. He pointed to a corrugated iron hut about fifty metres away.

  ‘Dunny stop,’ he said brightly.

  We stared at him blankly.

  ‘Bathroom break,’ he explained with a chuckle. ‘Go on. It’s another hour till my ranch. You should stretch your legs.’

  The four of us got out of the car and wandered over to the hut. It looked far too run-down to be a proper toilet. I glanced around uneasily, but there was no sign of anyone else for miles.

  I followed the others into the hut. It was airless and empty, with a row of cubicles at one end and a grubby towel on the floor next to a large, green door.

  ‘It’s unisex,’ Ed said, sounding horrified.

  ‘And filthy,’ Dylan added.

  Ketty and I exchanged amused looks.

  ‘It’s not that bad,’ Ketty started. ‘Why don’t . . . ?’

  As she spoke, a man and a boy emerged through the green door. The man was unsmiling, with cropped hair and sunglasses and biceps that bulged under his T-shirt. The boy looked a bit younger than me, but was the same height. He was lean and cool-looking – in jeans and a loosely buttoned shirt – with a shock of wild, white-blond hair.

  Ketty and I caught each other’s eye again. This time Ketty’s expression was wary.

  The boy grinned as he took us in. ‘Hey,’ he said in a broad Aussie accent. ‘Nico, Ed, Ketty and Dylan?’ He looked along the row of us as he spoke, fitting each name to the right person.

  I took a step backwards, my heart hammering at my ribs. I tensed myself, ready to perform whatever telekinesis I needed.

  ‘How do you know our names?’ I said.

  ‘I’m Cal,’ the boy said, ignoring me. ‘How was your flight?’

  I glanced around. The grubby towel was the only movable item in the hut. I could fling it at Cal’s face, but we’d have to run like mad to make it back to Hastings’ car before he or the henchman caught up with us.

  ‘What is this, a trap?’ Dylan snarled.

  ‘Let’s go,’ Ed urged.

  ‘You’re too late. The man who brought you here’s already gone,’ Cal said.

  I raced to the door, my heart beating fast. Sure enough, Sam Hastings’ car was disappearing into the distance.

  ‘What going on?’ I demanded. ‘Who are you?’

  ‘I’m surprised you’re so shocked.’ Cal’s pale grey eyes rested on Ketty. ‘Didn’t you know we’d be here?’

  Ketty shook her head. With a jolt, I realised that he understood about our Medusa gifts. He knew Ketty could see into the future. He was asking if she’d seen this moment.

  I raised my hands and lifted the towel off the ground. The henchman clocked the movement immediately. His fists clenched and he nudged Cal.

  ‘What do you want?’ I said to Cal, trying to keep my breathing steady and my focus on the towel.

  The smile fell from Cal’s face.

  ‘Don’t be an idiot, Nico,’ he said in his broad Aussie drawl. ‘I told you, we came to meet you. Who do you think sorted out your lift here?’

  I caught Ketty’s eye. She looked scared.

  ‘A man called Sam Hastings,’ I said. ‘He . . . he’s a friend of a friend. He met us at the airport earlier.’

  Cal snorted. ‘Didn’t you see through that?’ he said. ‘We intercepted your friend Laura’s emails and replied as if from Sam Hastings. But the real Hastings himself has no idea you’re here. In fact, he’s on a bizzy trip to the Far East at the moment. He’s not even in the country.’

  I froze. I glanced at the others, reading the same alarm in their expressions that I knew was in my own.

  I let fall the towel I’d teleported. The henchman followed its movement to the ground, then fixed his eyes on me, clearly tensed in anticipation of my next telekinetic move.

  Dylan folded her arms. I was sure she had her force field primed ready to protect herself – and us – if need be. ‘So, if Sam Hastings didn’t bring us here, who was that man who met us at the airport?’

  ‘An actor we hired for the day,’ Cal explained. ‘We gave him a bit of info about Laura Linden and descriptions of you pommies and told him to bring you to the meet here.’

  The four of us stood in stunned silence.

  A few moments passed. I looked from Cal to the man beside him who, I realised with a sinking heart, had the absolute look of a bodyguard about him.

  ‘So who’s behind all this?’ I asked, my throat dry.

  Cal rolled his eyes. ‘Isn’t it obvious?’ he said. ‘It’s Avery Jones.’

  7: The Demonstration

  I stood in the middle of the hut, my head spinning. Avery Jones knew we were coming.

  ‘How did—?’

  ‘Can we save the quessies?’ Cal said impatiently. ‘It’s just your plane was later than we were expecting and Avery’s waiting.’

  ‘Waiting where?’ Dylan asked suspiciously.

  ‘His ranch.’ Cal smiled at her. His tone was suddenly smooth and charming, completely different from when he’d been talking to me.

  ‘Why does he want to see us?’ Dylan scowled at Cal as she spoke.

  I was pleased to see that his smarmy tone had made absolutely no impact on her.

  Cal shrugged. ‘You’re original Medusa,’ he said. ‘Avery’s fascinated.’

  I stared at him. ‘Original Medusa,’ I said. ‘Does that mean there are others?’

  ‘Of course,’ said Cal contemptuously.

  ‘Who?’ Ketty said.

  ‘How many?’ asked Dylan.

  ‘Avery will explain when we get home,’ Cal said. There was a finality in his voice that made it clear he wasn’t going to say more.

  A taut silence descended. I could feel the tension building.

  ‘Er . . . would you . . . I mean, you obviously know what we can do . . .’ Ed stammered. ‘Er . . . so would you let me mind-read you? So we can feel safe.’

  ‘No worries.’ Cal glanced at the man in sunglasses beside him.

  The guy patted his jacket, revealing the outline of a gun.

  My heart thudded.

  ‘So how does this work exactly?’ Cal asked.

  ‘Just let me look in your eyes,’ Ed said.

  As Ed peered into Cal’s pale grey eyes, I reached for Ketty’s hand and squeezed it. She gave it a quick squeeze back, but kept her gaze on the others.

  After a few seconds Ed broke the connection.

  ‘Cal’s telling the truth. I didn’t go in deep, but Avery Jones is nearby and is expecting us.’

  ‘Ripper,’ Cal said briskly. He glanced at me again, his expression hardening. ‘Can we go now?’

  Suddenly Ed was in my head.

  He’s telling the truth about Avery Jones and I don’t think he’s hiding anything, but there’s something reckless about him. Be careful.

  Sure, tell the girls.

  Ed’s presence vanished from my mind. I nodded at Cal.

  ‘How do we get to this ranch, then?’

  ‘We brought the car. It’s out back,’ Cal said.

  He led the way past the toilet cubicles to the green door at the back of the hut. The man with the gun and the bulging muscles hung back, waiting for us all to leave. He still hadn’t said a word. I stared at him.

  ‘You waiting to take a dump once we’re gone?’ I asked.

  Ketty poked my ribs. ‘Don’t, Nico,’ she hissed.

  The man raised his eyebrows, then patted the gun in his breast pocket again. He jerked his head, ordering us through the door.

  Outside the sun was blisteringly hot. Beyond the hut the dusty scrubland stretched as far as the eye could see. A sleek, black vintage Bentley was parked outside, hidden from the road by the hut. We walked towards it.

  Ahead of me, Ed and Dylan were speaking in low, urgent voices. Cal strolled next to Ketty. He was obviously saying something, though I couldn’t hear what. Ketty was looking up at him, her golden-brown eyes wide with amazement.

  I hurr
ied forwards, intending to listen, too, but before I reached them, Cal stopped. He pointed along the orange-earth ground to the shining Bentley. My mouth fell open. I hadn’t looked properly before but, close to, I could see that the car was absolutely beautiful, especially set against this bleak and dusty landscape.

  ‘Avery sent his car for you,’ Cal said, clearly enjoying the look of surprise on our faces. ‘Unfortunately, we can’t all fit inside. Four passengers only, and there’s five of us.’

  I frowned. What was he suggesting? I suddenly wondered if Cal and the driver were planning on getting rid of one of us before we set off. I raised my hands instinctively, ready to use my telekinesis, and glanced at Dylan. She was the only one of us who could protect herself – and others – from a bullet. She’d saved my life just two days ago – managing to extend her own protective powers so that they shielded me and Harry from a gas explosion that would otherwise have killed us.

  But Dylan hadn’t noticed me. She was staring at Cal. ‘So, if we can’t all fit into the car, how are we all gonna get to the ranch?’ she asked.

  ‘Yeah, great plan, Cal,’ I said, trying to sound as withering as possible.

  Cal laughed. ‘I can use my Medusa gift.’

  I swallowed. Cal had the Medusa gene? I guessed it made sense. If Avery Jones had purchased the Medusa gene immediately after William Fox’s death, then Cal looked about the right age – a year or so younger than me, which . . .

  ‘How exactly does it work?’ Ketty’s eyes shone as she spoke.

  Jealous irritation flickered through me. Ketty didn’t sound at all thrown by the discovery that Cal had the Medusa gene. Was that what he’d been talking to her about?

  Cal smiled at her, his eyes full of mischief. ‘I wasn’t supposed to talk about it until Avery had met you, but . . . why don’t I show you, Ketty? I mean, it’s not like there’s anyone watching. This place is deserted.’

  No. I opened my mouth to protest, but it was too late.

  ‘What do I have to do?’ Ketty asked.

  ‘Nothing, just hold my hand,’ said Cal.

  What? I stared at Ketty. Surely she couldn’t go along with this! Whatever Cal was up to it was an unknown. It was dangerous.