“The man is ours. Leave before it gets ugly. No harm will come to him.” Flo was about to leave, not interested in any further discussion.
“No, this is not acceptable. You don’t get to tell us who we can or can’t arrest,” Zac shouted, starting to get agitated. “Val, we have Fran. You can save this man. Please take action.”
“You, stupid hunter. You told her to let me do this. How quickly you forget.” Flo shoved her chest out at Zac, like a man, as if she was challenging him to fight.
Val really wasn’t sure what to do. Wendy came to her rescue. “Can you hear me?” she whispered into Val’s ear.”
“Yes, are you ok?”
“Yes. When you made the promise to Flo it was to help you keep someone on the inside safe. You have no choice but to walk away from this. We still have time to stop Excariot.”
“But Max…” she struggled with her decision, hearing Max calling for help while the twins dragged him into the darkness. “Flo, if one hair on his head gets damaged before I get him back, you will pay.” She poked her in the chest.
“You’re doing the right thing.” Flo smiled smugly, brushed down her dress, then walked off towards the twins.
“What are you doing?” Zac grabbed Val’s arm.
She shook him off and glared at him. “What I need to do. There’s a saying here on Earth: ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’. Take me home.” She was glad it was dark, that way he couldn’t see the tears streaming down her face.
“No.” Zac said before he disappeared.
“Immature,” Val shouted into the dark. She twisted round just in time to see Flo, the twins and Max teleport. Funny, Flo’s spark was green.
“How did I get here?” Val sat down on the ground, the cool grass below her, and looked up at the star filled sky. The moon was hardly visible and the sea breeze was salty-smelling. She would have to go back, she knew that, but just for a minute she wanted to sit and take a breather. She knew Zac was right: she should never have allowed Flo and the twins to take Max. Letting an innocent person be taken away while she sat back and watched. Zac was very unhappy with her, but he would get over it, and Flo was right: he had said it was ok. So actually
she
had every right to be annoyed with
him
.
“Val,” a voice in her head interrupted her musings. It was Sam.
“Hi.”
“You ok?”
“No, but what can we do?” She felt her throat tightening as the tears flowed again. “Is Zac back?”
“Yes, he’s with Jason. He’s in a bit of a mood. What’s going on?”
“We had to let someone go. We made a deal with Flo and when the time came he didn’t want to go through with it.”
“And you did?”
“Please don’t have a go. I’m feeling terrible as it is and my nose really hurts. He was calling for help and I watched them take him away. What’s wrong with me Sam?”
“Only the greatest soldiers can leave a man behind in order to choose the path they know will be for the greater good of all. You did the right thing. Please come home.” She could hear the concern and honesty in his voice.
“I’m on my way.” She placed her hand on her father’s bracelet and was off.
The flat was empty apart from the three statue women from toys r us.
“Hi ladies, thinking of popping out?” Val giggled; she would never lose her sense of humour. It kept her sane. She headed to the bookshop where she found Fran being introduced to Delta through the magic of her dellatrax.
Fran stepped back from the book. “Ok, no wonder she was such a bundle of fun.” Fran looked exhausted. Jason helped her to a chair and passed her a hot drink.
“Hi, how’re you feeling?” Val knelt down by Fran’s chair.
“I’ve had better days, but I know who my friends are now, and Wendy told me about Max. We will save him won’t we? I feel so guilty.”
“I promise you we will; I just did what I had to do to keep you safe.”
“Yes, and now we have to go and face the Collector. She is
not
going to be happy,” Zac interrupted huffily. “I will get ready for her arrival.” He stomped off to the flat.
“Yeah, yeah.” Val patted Fran’s knee. “See you tomorrow.”
“Yes, bright and early.” Fran stood and Jason led her out the shop, Shane following them.
“Well if that’s all for today, I think I need a rest,” Wendy said. She looked tired too. Sam offered to take her home, but she turned him down insisting she had her car outside. Val waved from the top of the outside steps as he escorted her to the vehicle.
As soon as Wendy had driven off, Sam came back up the steps towards Val. They were alone. He moved closer to her and, as much as she didn’t want to feel the way she did, it was almost like her heart was beating its way out of her chest.
“So what are you doing now?” he asked, moving another step closer.
She was pleased she was holding onto the door or she may have collapsed. “I have prisoners to hand over.”
“And after that?” One more step. If he came any closer they would be touching. His eyes were level with Val’s. They looked darker at night, like pools of ink on a pure white page.
“Nothing.”
“Would you like to have a coffee?”
“Yes,” she replied, as he stepped up the last step. The shop door flew open allowing Val to fall backward into the shop. Sam grabbed her hand before she had time to reach the floor. “Sorry,” she said blushing, pulling herself back up. “Will you wait for me here?” she asked.
He nodded in response.
“Ok, two minutes.” Val had to stop herself from falling over the counter and knocking herself out on the private door. It was like a scene from the chuckle brothers she thought despairingly.
Maybe telling Sam about her feelings for the other Sam wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Possibly it was just what was needed to move them on to the next level in their friendship, like having a coffee. Oh, what was she thinking? He probably just wanted to ask her some nerdy questions about her powers. He was as interested in her as she was in football.
She made her way up the stairs to find an impatient Zac tapping his foot. “Don’t say anything to me. You left me all on my own out there.” Val shoved past him. He followed her, obviously still sulking. Val flashed her bracelet over the portal and they steeled themselves for the Collector’s arrival. The warning signals started, but they didn’t sound the same as the ones she had grown used to. She could swear that it had just said something like “Guard arrest”. Zac looked nervously at Val. They both knew something was very wrong but neither of them had time to move an inch. The portal opened and a young man stepped into the flat.
“Twenty-three thirteen, you are here by arrested for the crime of hiding a known criminal from the Warden and Judges of Alchany, and for the excess use of teleportation for personal reasons. You will escort me to the prison, where you will stand trial for these charges.”
“What? I wouldn’t hide a criminal. What are you talking about?” Val was confused.
“She has done nothing of the sort, and I have teleported with her every time. She hasn’t used excess teleports,” Zac responded dryly.
“Oh, no, that’s true.” She looked at the ground in shame. “But I don’t know any criminals and I think I would know if I was supposedly hiding one.” She could feel her chest beginning to tighten.
The guard moved forward and placed what looked like a glowing circle from his bracelet over Val’s wrist.
“I didn’t know I could do that.”
“Val, when did you teleport?”
“I went to see Sam, and then to get Fran. I just couldn’t help myself. When you left with that woman I was out of control.”
“Enough talking has taken place. Thirty-three twenty-seven you will wait here for your Collector to arrive, and you will cover this position until a suitable guard can be sent to replace this thing.” He pushed Val towards the portal.
She had no choice but to go. When she looked back the last thing she saw was the fear in Zac’s eyes.
Zac watched Val fade into the portal; his world felt like it had fallen completely apart. Why hadn’t she told him about her little teleporting issues? He had warned her what would happen. Why was she so difficult to work with? His last guard hadn’t been this problematic. He looked around the flat. The reality was sinking in and he had no idea what to do. Then he remembered the Daymars; they would get him the Collector. She would help him. He placed his bracelet on the portal. The usual sounds rang in his ear and the Collector arrived.
“Something really bad has happened to Val...”
She raised her hand for Zac to pipe down. “She is in holding at the moment, and I’m unable to communicate with you about this issue. You need to look at the people you have been mixing with. Maybe a little girl who is older than her years has all the answers.” The Collector moved her tiny hand and three solid statues rose obediently off the ground.
Zac knew exactly who she was talking about: Flo. The Collector disappeared from sight and he ran for the stairs. He didn’t know how he was going to solve this problem, but he wouldn’t give up on her.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs Zac became aware that there was someone still in the shop. The lights were still on and there was a strange mumbling sound, as if someone was speaking. He pushed the private door violently in the hope of scaring any intruders.
“Good God!” Sam gasped, nearly falling off his stool. “What on earth are you doing Zac?” He straightened himself up. “And where’s Val?”
“She was arrested for helping the old one, Flo, and for teleporting without permission.”
“What do you mean arrested?” Sam stood up.
“They have taken her back to Alchany to be placed in holding. She will be put on trial at the first opportunity. I have been told to wait for my replacement, which gives me the impression that she will be extracted.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t want that to happen to her. She is annoying, unprofessional, lacks discipline and has many other negative personality traits, which I won’t list, but she wanted to save my life so much that she risked going to the Warden for me.”
“I understand.” Sam rose from his stool. “I need to know what you want me to do and how I can help you.”
“We have to find Flo. The Collector gave me a clue as to why they had taken her and it was her.”
“Funny you should say that because when she was here last I planted a tracking device on her. I never was one for trusting little dead girls who chew tobacco. So, let’s go find our friend.” Sam and Zac headed to the cupboard.
Val’s arrival was reminiscent of previous times, except she was now the criminal and the Collectors were glaring at her for a completely different reason. What was going to happen to her? She was scared, there was no doubt about that. She had never even been in detention before; now she was a prisoner on an alien planet. How had her life become this messed up? She had a real mixed bag of emotions going through her head as the guard dragged her along. Scared came top, annoyed that she had allowed herself to teleport the way she had, especially after Zac’s warning and, last but not least, she was sad to think that she might never go home. He eyes started to fill up but she fought the tears back. She wouldn’t be weak in front of these people.
“Here is your quarter. You will stay here until your trial.” The guard unattached himself and pushed Val into a tiny luminous glass cubicle. A see-through door closed behind her. The walls and ceiling started to move and lasers shot out, surrounding her body. Then the cell and walls adjusted their height and width so all she could do was sit on a bench as wide as her bottom and look out at the world passing her by. She placed her head against the door and started to beg that someone, anyone, would come and get her out of here.
Sam and Zac found Flo quickly using Sam’s tracking device. He said she wasn’t that far away and Zac was eager to leave.
“Which one is she?” Zac starred at the computer screen. “Who’s that?” he pointed at a cluster of lights.
“That’s Shane, Jason and Fran. They’re at home.”
“So this one is Flo?” He identified a single light.
“No, that’s Wendy.” Sam pointed to the last light. “There’s our friend, Flo; she’s about four miles from here.”
“Sam, do you want to come with me?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Let’s go.”
Zac grabbed Sam’s arm and they were off.
Their arrival was slightly messy as Sam was obviously unpractised in the art of landing.
“Is this your first time?” Zac enquired, patting Sam’s back as he bent over gagging.
“No, I have teleported with Val before, but the journey was very short.” He raised himself to full height and took a few deep breaths.
“Where are we?” Zac looked at his surroundings. There were far more books here than in the bookshop. They looked clean and smart, on light coloured shelves, in military style rows.
“It’s a library. Why would Flo be in a library?” Sam looked around. The emergency exit lighting gave them enough illumination to see their surroundings quite clearly.
A child’s voice rang through the air. “No, it’s not a problem. I said it was all going to plan. Trust me; I have been doing this for hundreds of years.”
Zac signalled in the direction of the voice and to his pleasure, Sam clearly understood. They moved together towards the flickering lights that seemed to be emanating from the computer section of the library.
“She’s being dealt with, and she’s growing in power every day. The time to strike is close at hand, just a few more days; be patient!” Flo clicked the mouse and the screen went dark.
Zac was on the aisle behind her and ready to pounce. Sam wasn’t as tolerant.
“Flo,” he called, standing up and moving from behind the books to stand in front of the little girl.
“Arhh!” she squealed jumping up. As she attempted to escape she found herself running into the arms of Zac.
“Hello Flo. You and me have a little trip to make.”
Zac knew he had to get her to Alchany if he was to stand any chance of getting Val back. He grabbed her arm, teleported and arrived back at the bookshop. To his utter disbelief he was completely alone. He looked around. What had just happened? Where was Flo? He teleported straight back to the library where he found Sam struggling to hold on to a wriggling twelve-year-old girl.