13, page 13
‘I can’t see!’ Sam said.
‘Keep down until it clears,’ Lora replied. They huddled close to the ground, peering through the handrail, catching small glimpses of the mayhem below.
They spotted Dr Dark, trying to keep everyone calm.
The Guardians were still near the Stele—in fact, a couple were up close to it.
‘Lora, what are they doing?’
Before she could answer, the Guardians turned and fled the scene. Sam and Lora instinctively dived back as the air roared.
KA—BOOM!
38
The force of the explosion sent flying debris smashing everywhere, throwing Sam and Lora across the wet mezzanine floor.
‘Let’s move!’ Lora hissed, and they struggled to their feet.
The scene below was one of utter destruction.
Where the newly rediscovered half of the Dream Stele had been, there was now a gaping hole down to the basement level. Sparks lit up the smoky darkness as the remaining museum patrons spilled out of the emergency exits.
The Guardians were nowhere to be seen.
‘Wait!’ Sam called. He put a hand on Lora’s arm to stop her from heading for the stairs.
There, entering the room below from the main doors, a group of firemen changed before their eyes—their uniforms replaced with grey suits. At the front of the pack was the woman who’d fired the rocket, killing Sebastian.
‘So the Enterprise has Stealth Suits too?’ Sam said.
‘Any technology we have, they have,’ she replied. ‘Only better.’
‘Great,’ Sam whispered. ‘What now?’
‘We have to get the Star of Egypt.’
Sam scanned the ground level, and saw that the case containing the Star had tipped over from the blast. The floor was covered in clumps of stone that had been the Dream Stele. There were pieces of broken concrete and tiles from the floor, all covered in water pouring from sprinklers that continued to gush. The Enterprise Agents were sifting through the debris, clearly looking for the crystal sphere. Great, just great …
‘Why would the Guardians have done that?’ Sam whispered.
‘I don’t know,’ Lora replied, keeping low to the floor and watching the Agents closely.
‘Come on,’ Sam said to her.
‘Where to?’ Lora asked.
Sam pointed to the fire-escape behind them.
Downstairs, peering through a gap in the door, Sam could see that the group had split into two search parties. There were three Agents in each, at opposite ends of the expansive room, looking for the Star of Egypt.
‘What now?’ Lora asked from behind him.
The lights in the room flickered for a moment, then finally all flashed out in a shower of sparks as they shorted from the sprinkler water. In that moment, Lora’s phone rang—the sound echoing around the fire-escape stairwell.
‘Answer it!’ Sam said, as he hastily closed the door. The ringing was sure to attract attention.
‘I’m trying!’ Lora said, her wet hands fumbling.
The sound of quickening footsteps got louder.
‘Move! Go down!’
Sam pushed Lora ahead of him, down to the next level on the fire stairs as the door behind him flung open and Enterprise Agents entered, hot on their heels.
Lora turned at the landing, her dart gun drawn and fired upwards—
PFFT! PFFT!
Darts plunged into each of the two lead Agents and they slumped forward, tumbling down to the landing.
Sam followed Lora as they sprinted down another level. She spoke into her phone as they ran, descending yet more stairs and entering the sub-basement level of the museum.
Sam jammed the door shut behind them. ‘Hopefully that will hold them off for a while.’
‘Tobias is in a car chase leading a group of Enterprise Agents out of the city,’ Lora said, reloading her dart gun. ‘Their Guardians turned on them. Tobias had to take them out.’
Sam balked, but didn’t have much time to think about how his science teacher may have ‘taken out’ those hulking Guardians.
‘Eva?’
‘They got separated, but she’s headed here,’ Lora said. ‘We’ll worry about them later. Right now we need to find a way up to street level.’
‘What about Alex?’ Sam persisted.
‘They’d decided to split up earlier. Tobias must have sensed something was wrong,’ Lora said, then looked around them warily. ‘He took off and we don’t know where he went. Hopefully he will keep out of the way and not try to be a hero.’
A banging at the fire door behind them made Sam jump.
‘We have to get that crystal!’ he said.
‘Pick your battles, Sam,’ Lora said. ‘We’ve lost this one. Come on.’
‘But—’ Sam was desperate, we are so close! He couldn’t just let the chance go by.
‘No! We’re done here!’ Lora was adamant.
Sam followed after her as she ran down a corridor, to a huge room that opened up into a cavernous warehouse space for larger exhibit items. Water pooled on the floor from the gaping hole above.
‘Sam, come on!’
‘Wait,’ he said, running over to the hole that had also been blown through this floor, though no wider than a manhole in diameter.
‘Sam!’
He looked up while Lora crouched nearby, her weapon drawn, as four black ropes dropped down and the Agents, led by the woman, began abseiling down through the larger hole above them.
PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!
There was a cry as one Agent let go of the rope and fell to the ground in front of Sam with a sickening THUD, two darts in his leg.
As Sam reached for the Agent’s weapon, the sound of darts flying back and forth, echoing in an exchange of fire between Lora and the descending Agents, he saw it through the hole … the Star of Egypt glistened in the emergency lighting, resting only metres away on the level below.
‘Sam!’
He turned to see Lora get hit by a dart and she fell backwards and out of view behind a large carved-stone monument. In the same moment, he saw what she was warning him of—
Two Agents had been hit, dangling in the air unconscious, tethered by their ropes. As if in slow motion he saw a cylindrical metal object falling towards the floor.
A grenade—different this time, not a smoke grenade. He’d seen enough movies and played enough computer games to know that this was the kind that went BOOM!
He dived for the hole in the floor and saw a flash of grey as an Agent bumped into him. As he twisted down the hole, legs first, he watched helplessly as the grenade fell towards him.
39
Sam opened his eyes. He couldn’t hear anything for a moment and then suddenly his ears were ringing to the tune of giant bells. In his hand was the Star of Egypt.
He was on his back on a hard-tiled floor having miraculously survived the explosion. Sam thanked his jujitsu training for his fast reflexes. He felt surprisingly OK … it didn’t feel like anything was broken. Maybe the Stealth Suit broke my fall? He could just make out a sign to the left of his head: 79th Street.
I must be down at the subway level now.
It was deserted, dark. The only light came from a couple of flashing neon tubes and sparks from the hole in the ceiling above.
He tried to get up but realised something heavy was on top on him, pinning him down.
A figure.
It moved.
An Agent?
It had a black outline, it wobbled and blurred, seeming a little groggy.
Sam rolled it off him and got to his feet. Too fast—his vision blurred and he found it hard to focus in the dim light.
No.
No!
It can’t be true!
The fuzzy, blurred outline, the black body suit, the full-face mask.
Solaris.
Sam scrambled away, desperately searching for a weapon, searching for something, anything.
Solaris slowly straightened to his full height.
‘Sam, Sam, Sam …’ It was that voice, loud even above the ringing in his ears. It cut right into Sam’s skull.
They stood there, facing each other, barely any space between them.
Sam looked across at the escalator that rose up beside him. I could try to outrun him …
‘Give me the Star, boy!’
Sam turned back to face Solaris—his nightmare come true. Sam remembered the burning cars, buildings, people … and the real devastation that has begun in Egypt … and Sebastian. So many lives already lost.
No, no running.
‘No,’ Sam said.
Solaris tilted his head.
‘You want this?’ Sam held the Star of Egypt in his hand so that Solaris could get a look at the glinting surface. ‘Come and get it.’
He put the Star on a bench seat next to him.
And so Sam stood there, waiting, ready, hoping he could live up to his destiny. This can’t be really happening … but it is.
‘You’re a fool,’ Solaris said, taking a couple of weary paces forward.
‘And you’re not as big as you were in my dream,’ Sam said.
‘You will be sorry for this.’ Solaris neared. He sidestepped to the left and Sam mirrored his move, wary, watching.
The breeze shifted and carried with it the sound of a train approaching.
Solaris moved first, a charging strike, which Sam easily parried.
The rumble became deafening and the express train flashed through the station.
For a moment, the two figures’ moves were highlighted by the strobing lights of the graffiti-covered carriages.
Sam waited in a jujitsu stance for the next attack to come. Control your breathing, one, two, three …
Solaris’ arm came swinging at him, but Sam shifted his weight and carried the momentum through a roll. They both sprang back to their feet as one.
‘I see you’ve had some training,’ Solaris said, pacing side to side, Sam following suit to keep a useful distance between them. ‘It won’t do you much good.’
‘If this is all you’ve got,’ Sam countered, ‘I think I’ll do OK.’
Solaris nodded. Pounced.
Sam blocked the kick—but the follow-up punch to his head was too quick in the dim light to properly counter and he was knocked to the ground. His head reeled from the blow, but he twisted his legs and got up in a split second. Ignore the pain, stay focused.
The Star of Egypt was on the bench behind him. Better keep it that way.
Solaris came at him again. Sam went on the offensive, kicked out—it was blocked. Solaris’ fists were flying at furious speed now, each blow countered, but Sam ceding territory as a kick sent him slamming back against a steel column.
Stunned, the pain coursing through his body, he fought for breath—but there was no time.
Solaris punched at his throat. Sam ducked.
CLANG!
Solaris backed up a few paces, clutching his hand.
Sensing an advantage, Sam sent a high fly-kick at the masked figure’s cheek that whizzed through the air, missing as Solaris backed away too fast. But Sam was at him again—flipping through his kick and closing the gap and punching, attacking with an unrelenting pace, fists pounding at Solaris like jackhammers.
Solaris grabbed hold of a wayward arm and twisted Sam around, pulling him into a choke hold.
Down the tunnel, a train’s headlights burned two holes in the darkness.
‘We have rules …’ Solaris whispered in Sam’s ear, ‘about not killing your kind …’
Sam was choking. His fingers fought at the tight hold around his neck.
‘Which is why I’ve turned my back on my own,’ Solaris said. ‘Some things can only be done a certain way.’
Sam’s eyes watered and his face felt like it was going to explode.
‘This is where you die, Sam …’
About the Author
James Phelan started writing his first novel while in high school. He now divides his time between writing thrillers and books for teens.
jamesphelan.com.au
Published by Scholastic Australia Pty Ltd
PO Box 579, Gosford NSW 2250.
ABN 11 000 614 577
www.scholastic.com.au
Part of the Scholastic Group
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Published by Scholastic Australia in 2013.
Text copyright © James Phelan, 2013.
Illustrations & design copyright © Scholastic Australia, 2013.
Illustrations by Chad Mitchell.
Design by Nicole Stofberg.
This electronic edition published by Scholastic Australia Pty Limited in 2013.
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James Phelan, 13
