The Nightmare Vortex (12 page)

Max plummeted through layers of sizzling blue steam. She fell so fast she couldn't catch her breath to let out the volcanic fear-filled scream that was building up inside her.

Then, without warning, she slowed to a gentle, cushioned descent, like a carnival ride that goes into free fall until the very end, when it slows down to a quiet landing. Max looked around her hoping the wafts of steam would clear so she could see where she was. Smudges of blue-white haze floated past her between cloudless patches she struggled to see through. Then she realised she wasn't floating but was sitting on something. She waved the steam away and saw she was seated on a fluffy chair shaped as a cupped hand.

‘Great.' Max screwed her lip up to one side. ‘Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder, I end up in the palm of someone's hand.'

She grabbed onto the thumb of the chair and leant over the side to see how far it was from the ground, but there was no ground, just a long, yawning pit of darkness. Max quickly stopped looking down and breathed deeply. ‘Mental note,' she gasped to herself, ‘not to do that again. Linden,'

she remembered. ‘I've got to call Linden.' But when she dug into her pocket, she found her palm computer was broken.

‘What am I going to do now?'

Almost in answer to her question, a deep, melodious voice echoed from out of nowhere.

‘You were curious about what was on the other side of the chasm. Well, here you are. How do you like it?'

‘Who said that?' Max tried to hide the nervous edge that had crept into her voice. ‘And where are you?'

A rumbling, grisly laugh filtered through the wavering steam. The temperature had increased and sat on her skin like a layer of midday sun. She wiped a thin splodge of sweat from her forehead.

‘Answer me!' Part of Max was scared but another part of her was prickling with anger.

‘Of course. I don't mean to upset you. I have no qualms about letting you know who I am.' The steam cleared enough so that Max could make out the feet, legs and body of a person sitting in another hand chair opposite. ‘Maxine.'

It was Blue!

Apart from her mother, Blue was the only other person brave enough to call her Maxine.

‘It's always such a pleasure when we meet. I look forward to it so much. Shame it can't be in more pleasant circumstances, but if we ignore the disagreeable surrounds it'll be like old times.'

The steam cleared a little more and she could see his creepy face plastered with an even creepier smile.

He'd done it. Blue had infiltrated one of the most highly protected venues in the world. And he'd used her to do it.

That's it! Max's anger jolted a level higher at seeing Blue's smug expression. After all they'd been through, the last person she felt like dealing with was him. Just as she was getting ready to let him have it, she remembered. She was in the vortex!

This must be her turn to face her greatest fear, only she wasn't going to fall for it. She knew how the vortex worked and she was tired, hot, smelt like a garbage compactor with all the food she was wearing and was completely over this whole nightmare freakfest.

She eyed Blue with a calm, steady glare.

‘You're not real.'

Nothing happened. Blue kept staring at her like he hadn't heard a thing.

‘Did you hear me?' Max hated being ignored,
even if the person ignoring her was only in her imagination. ‘I said, you're not real.'

Blue sat on his hand-shaped chair, the steam now cleared, leaving him against a background of craggy stone, like they were in a cave deep beneath the castle. He tapped his fingers softly against each other, like a real person would do.

He should have disappeared by now. Max's confidence shivered. What was going on? Maybe she wasn't in the vortex after all, but some other place altogether.

‘Oh I'm real, Maxine. Very real,' Blue said as he picked a piece of fluff from his knee. ‘A small problem with the chairs, I'm afraid. They're helium-injected hovering chairs, which are great fun, but they keep losing fuzz whenever anyone sits on them. Most annoying. Other than that, I quite like them. Don't you?'

She wasn't interested in the chairs. She wanted to let Blue know she was onto him. ‘I guess you think you're pretty clever creating your own vortex.'

‘Maxine,' he began, but Max interrupted his condescending voice.

‘When are you going to get it? It's Max. Not Maxine. Just Max.' She gripped her chair so hard, a clump of blue fur came away in her hand.

Blue smiled, like he enjoyed provoking her temper. ‘You are quite right. This is a vortex, or what I affectionately call the Nightmare Vortex. I had it specially made as one of my side projects. We've watched you on monitors that are wired into its framework. The monitors track the position of those inside and observe their heart rate and level of fear. When their sense of terror reaches an unbearable level, the vortex harnesses that fear and uses it to help them slip into a deep coma that the body and mind never recover from.'

Max shuddered at how much Blue enjoyed talking about his gruesome device and at how close they'd been to becoming its first victims.

‘I guess that's not going to happen now,' Max sneered at his smarmy ways, which seemed to have become even more smarmy since she saw him last.

‘We were close with Linden and we almost had Ella,' Blue said with a calmness that was unnerving. ‘But you came along and figured it all out.'

Max kept her eyes trained on Blue. She needed now more than ever not to show him she was scared.

‘Not to worry. With all you let us know via the transmitter, I'll soon have everything I want.'

Max leant forward on her chair.

‘Why do I suddenly feel like I'm watching
one of those afternoon soaps full of bad plots and ham actors?'

Blue laughed quietly. ‘You really are quite humorous, but I'm not sure if you'll be laughing so much when I tell you what's going to happen next.'

The air around Max became hotter.

‘Shame, though,' Blue went on like he was never going to stop. ‘I really will miss them. For children they weren't as annoying as usual.'

Max could hardly breathe for fear of what Blue meant.

‘Where are Linden and Ella?'

Blue's eyes sparkled. ‘Why don't I show you?'

Beside Max, a small static image appeared, like on a TV screen but without the TV. She squinted to see it more clearly. Then she realised! It was Linden and Ella.

They were on a small beach. It was dark and they were nestled by the ocean on one side and rocky cliffs on the other. For a moment she was jealous. Typical, she thought. I have to sit here and face the most evil mastermind in the world and Ella gets to be with Linden on a beach. But then she saw something else. Crabs. Hundreds of them. They were marching towards Linden and Ella.

‘Did you know that the Coconut Crab is the
strongest of all species of crab and that it can break the shell of a coconut just using its powerful pincers?'

Max watched in horror as the crabs marched closer to her friends. Suddenly, the image disappeared.

Blue clapped his hands together. ‘But they are the last of your worries right now. Besides, I thought you were getting sick of Ella. She can be tiring. And that Linden, he's got a good brain but he's always such a goody-goody. Gets to you after a while.'

Max was furious. She could handle Blue putting her in danger, but not when he did it to Linden. She needed to get out of there fast and find him and Ella before anything terrible happened to them.

She plunged her hand into her pack and pulled out the first gadget she found.

‘Take this!' Max aimed her Freeze Ray at Blue and blasted him. A jagged, bright silver beam cut through the air like a lightning bolt. It sizzled and cracked like icefloes breaking in the Antarctic.

When the ray stopped, Blue didn't move.

For a second.

Then he lifted his hand and moved his spider-like fingers menacingly before him.

‘Now, now. That's not very friendly, Maxine, especially as I thought we were having such a lovely chat.'

The Freeze Ray didn't work. But Blue was real, so what was going on?

‘Actually, your little ray wasn't that unpleasant. It even tickled a little. You see, that's how I see you, Maxine. A little tickle of annoyance that must be removed. You worked out the vortex even quicker than I thought you could. But I, like you, am not one to be dissuaded by a minor setback.'

Then Blue disappeared, like a computer that had suddenly lost power.

Max jerked forward in her chair and only just caught the thumb-rest in time not to fall off. She gripped it tightly as she glimpsed the gaping chasm below her and struggled to pull herself back onto the chair. The Freeze Ray wasn't so lucky and tumbled silently into the jet-black emptiness below.

‘I told you not to look down,' she reminded herself.

Blue's voice deepened as it reverberated around her like an annoying announcement at a supermarket. ‘Have you worked it out yet, Maxine?'

Max held onto the chair's thumb tightly as she tried to catch her breath. The air around her
seemed even hotter and a sharp burning smell itched her nose. A bad feeling crept over her like a million crawling centipedes.

Blue then zapped back into view. Max's head swung round to see him sitting comfortably in his chair as his poisonous predictions continued.

‘I hope all your spy friends are having a good time at their precious awards night because a deadly countdown has begun that will blow them and their little island resort away. And as there are no records that this island even exists, no one will ever know about it.'

‘What makes you think you can outwit the world's top agents?'

‘Because I've already begun their destruction and they don't even know it.'

This time Max was really scared.

‘What are you going to do?'

‘Now, Maxine, if I tell you it'll spoil all the fun of the surprise, but you might say that it's simply the forces of nature purging the world of unnecessary pests. Oh, that reminds me,' and at this Blue's smile became even more creepy. ‘I have one more thing I'd like to show you.'

On cue, a stream of orange liquid burst from a glowing pit, filling the steaming vortex like an
angry geyser. Burning embers, some as big as boulders, fell past Max, spraying everywhere with the sulphurous stench of rotten eggs.

Max's chair swayed in the rush of hot air. She pushed herself as far back as she could to try to avoid the smell and scalding heat that enveloped her.

‘A volcano?'

Blue's evil laugh ricocheted throughout the cavern with glee.

‘Yes. Isn't that great? And now for my next and favourite part.' He clicked his fingers like a cheap magician conjuring up his next trick.

A large boulder rolled aside to reveal a deep hidden cave. From out of the darkness, a large suspended cage moved into position above the bubbling pit of lava. Inside the cage, bound tightly to a pole in the centre, was Alex Crane.

‘Alex!'

‘Yes, it's your cherished Alex Crane, the world's greatest superspy. Only in a short while, she's going to become the world's greatest French fry.'

Another blast of hot sulphurous air and lava burst from the glowing pit. Max flinched as a speck of burning liquid splattered on her arm. She tried to work out what to do. Where were Linden and Ella?

What was happening at the Spy Awards Night? And what was the deadly countdown Blue had begun to destroy it?

Max had never felt so helpless in her life but she knew she had to act. And her first step was to figure out how to save Alex.

Blue's static form crackled as another explosive burst spewed upwards from the burning pit of lava and only just missed Alex's cage. Max shuddered. Her mouth went dry and her body stiffened. Sweat gathered on her brow and poured down her burning cheeks. In the distance, Alex sat quiet and motionless. How can she be so calm? Max thought. Seeing Alex's face, she knew she had to be calm too.

‘Come on, Max. If Alex can be in control while facing being turned into a giant piece of human tempura, then you can stop panicking and start thinking about what to do next.'

Blue's image fizzled once more before his creepy laughter again filled the underground cave.

‘That's the way my young superspy, never say die.'

Max glared at him. ‘Are you still here?'

‘Of course. I wouldn't miss this for the world.'

But when Blue finished speaking, she finally realised what was going on.

‘You're a hologram. That's why you keep disappearing and why my Freeze Ray went straight through you.'

‘Well done, Maxine. I knew you could do it. The Spectral Hologram Mark III is one of my favourite devices. Perfect for when you don't want people to
know where you really are. It's also excellent for getting rid of pesky door-to-door salespeople as well.'

‘Why is it you always have so much to say whenever we meet?'

‘The world is a fascinating place, Maxine. So much to talk about. So many plans to put into place … and power to be had.'

Max had had enough of Blue and his smug plans and his annoying inability to stop calling her Maxine.

‘So you're an ideas man? Ever thought of going into politics?'

‘I used to be, remember, but you can't trust anyone in politics.'

‘Including you?'

Blue lowered his head and fixed her with menacing eyes. ‘You don't know as much as you think you do.'

‘What I do know is that you're a rotten piece of work with no better aim than to look after yourself even if it means ruining the lives of others.'

The lava pit spewed so high it sizzled against the bottom of Alex's cage.

Blue smiled widely, enjoying Max's escalating temper.

‘You're good at speeches but not so good at
facts. When I was at the Force, I was the most loyal and selfless agent they could have found.'

‘Is this going to take long? I've got somewhere I need to be.' Max was losing patience with Blue's rambling.

Blue smiled. He wasn't going to be put off by Max's sarcasm. ‘Harrison, for all that he is revered at the Force, is just as hungry for power as I am.'

‘He is the best leader they've ever had.'

‘Even when he almost caused the death of one of his best agents?'

Max felt like a mini elephant had sat on her chest and squeezed all the air out of her.

‘You didn't know that, did you? There's a lot you don't know about your beloved Spyforce. They may be up there now laughing and celebrating their awards but there is a darker side to everyone, even the good guys.'

Max felt her chest rise and fall as the stifling heat covered her like a prickly woollen jacket. She wanted to yell at Blue to be quiet. It was true he knew more about the agency than she did, but she refused to believe Harrison wasn't good.

‘Why should I believe a word you say? You're a thief and a criminal and you lied to Ben and Francis and almost broke them apart for good.'

Blue's eyelids closed slightly. ‘Because what I have to say is true. Every word of it. Isn't it, Ms Crane?'

Blue looked across to Alex and offered her a gentle smile. Alex wasn't biting. She stayed where she was, perfectly still.

‘You're stubborn things you girls, aren't you? Once you get your mind set on something you just won't let it go. Still, where was I? Oh yes. Harrison. He and I used to be partners, as you well know, but he threw that away to partner with Dretch.'

‘Dretch?' Max flinched. Something that happened a lot whenever she heard that name.

‘Yes. Dretch. To see him in action was to see a true master at work.'

‘So everyone keeps telling me.' Max slumped, annoyed with all the Dretch adoration she'd had to put up with tonight.

‘Harrison wanted the best partner so he could have all the glory for himself.'

‘Maybe he wanted a new partner because you were no good.'

Blue's voice exploded as the lava below her surged into the cavern with a violent force. ‘And maybe it was because Harrison was jealous and couldn't stand anyone being better than him.'

‘Yeah, right. The head of Spyforce jealous of you?'

‘Maxine, you're a very bright girl. Be careful what you believe. Not everyone is simply a good person or a bad person. Otherwise the world would be a very simple place. And simple it is not.'

There was an almost caring edge in Blue's voice that made Max feel more uneasy than his anger did.

‘During a mission Harrison and Dretch were on, they came to a point where a decision had to be made about their next move. Harrison chose the more risky route, whereas Dretch opted for the more certain road. Dretch tried to make Harrison see sense, but the more he tried the angrier Harrison became. You see, no one argues with Harrison,' Blue said with particular venom. ‘He decided his opinion was more important, and Dretch, loyal to Harrison, followed him. To his great detriment.'

‘Is that when he got the scar?' Max remembered the deep mark that ran across Dretch's face and neck.

‘And a whole lot more.'

Blue smiled as he could see he almost had Max. But she wasn't quite won over yet.

‘Nothing more to say, Blue? What's wrong? Did you fire your speechwriter before they finished?'

‘Be careful, Maxine, or sometime soon you may find that little mouth of yours has gone too far and the consequences will be deadly. Now you will have to excuse me. I really must be getting back upstairs to supervise the end of spy agencies the world over.' And with that he disappeared in a spluttering zap.

Blue's words sounded like a warning bell. They rang in Max's head like a terrifying prediction of the future.

‘Alex!' she yelled above another blistering inferno blast. ‘What should we do?'

Max's words brought the superspy to life. ‘The chair. There is a control panel under the fur on the thumb.'

Max lifted a fur flap and saw the panel. ‘I've found it.'

‘Press the start button and slowly move the chair forward by pressing down on the directional pad.'

Max nestled herself firmly into the chair and did what she was instructed. After a small jolt the chair took off and sailed towards Alex.

This is much better than the Personal Flying Device, Max thought as she remembered her attempts at flying with the motorised menace.

‘You'll find a release valve on the side of this cage that undoes the bolt. Once I'm free, we can
get back to Harrison and try to stop Blue before he blows this place to oblivion.'

‘What has Blue done?'

‘There is a small level of volcanic activity underneath the island. We're not sure how yet but Blue has figured out a way to artificially increase the temperature of the magma, encouraging the volcano to erupt with a cataclysmic explosion that will envelop the whole island.'

Max felt another jolt reverberate through her body. She wasn't sure whether it was the chair or the possibility of being a part of modern-day Pompeii.

She carefully manoeuvred the chair through the thickening wafts of heat-drenched steam, but the closer she got to Alex, the harder Max found it to breathe. Just then, a rush of steam and chunks of lava spewed out of the crater below. Max struggled to hold onto the chair as it tumbled backwards, tipping and turning, throwing her around like a bug in a windstorm.

‘Aaahhhhh!' The chair flew through the air and came crashing to a stop when it smacked sideways into a solid stone wall. As did Max's head.

‘Ouch!'

‘Max? Are you okay?' Alex struggled to see what had happened.

Apart from a small cut to her forehead and her growing anger at how she was being treated, Max was fine.

‘Couldn't be better,' she moaned.

‘Good,' said Alex, missing the sarcasm altogether. ‘Now try again.'

Max straightened up, steadied herself and tried again but as she got closer to Alex, a strong jet of steam from the crater pushed her away. There was no chance of getting close to the cage.

Alex thought about what they should do next.

‘The ledge.' Her head nodded to indicate a small platform protruding from a wall behind the cage.

Max turned the chair to face where Alex was looking. That's not a ledge, she thought, it's a small piece of rock that wouldn't pass for a diving board at a baby pool.

As Max was about to ask Alex to think of something else, a giant eruption of rocks and lava exploded from the crater striking the bottom of the cage as if in warning that there was no time to lose.

‘Okay,' she muttered out loud, knowing every speck of logic was telling her she was crazy.

Max steered the chair to the ledge and tried to keep it steady as she stood on the fluffy, cushioned
seat. Her feet sank into the blue fur and made it hard to balance.

‘Please. Let me reach it.' The moment she said this, another gust of steam shot out of the crater, forcing the chair forward and Max with it.

‘Aaaaahhh!'

Max lurched into the air and after a clumsy somersault with not a hint of style, she landed on both feet like a gymnast performing a perfect finish. She hardly had time to be amazed before Alex spoke.

‘Good. Now all you have to do is use the Abseiler to hook onto the cage and swing your way down here to let me out.'

I guess congratulations for making it to the ledge is too much to expect? Max grumbled as her fingers stretched into her pack to get the Abseiler. Just as she found it, her eyes fell on the bulging, boiling cauldron below her.

She'd looked down and as hard as she tried, she couldn't look away. Neither could she move her feet. Her fear of heights consumed her and cemented her to the ledge.

‘Max? We don't have much time.' Alex was feeling the rising heat of the chamber of lava and needed the young spy to act fast.

Max couldn't move. She tried with everything she had, but nothing worked. She was the only one who could save Alex, Ella and Linden, and she couldn't move a muscle.