Techno approached him with a smile. He had spent an hour calming down after visiting his mum and had come to enquire about his little friend’s health. They sat either side of a table and set out a chess set made in the shape of African animals that prowled outside. A lion and lioness were the king and queen, a hippo was a rook. Eventually they started to play. Chess was Timmo’s speciality because of the way his mind worked and he found it easy to assess the game three moves ahead. However, it was all new to Techno, who was pleased to learn the game off Timmo. Therefore, Timmo immediately had the upper hand and won the first three games.
‘Where are your gang?’ Techno’s head was lowered as he considered whether to move his hyena.’
‘Exploring, you know, here and there.’ Of course Techno knew they were mini spies, MM had told him. But he wasn’t worried about them spying anymore, he just wanted to see Marshall. How MM had found out, he had no idea, but he knew they were being watched even as they played.
‘You need to tell your friends from me, that they need to stop their exploring.’ Timmo heard the guarded warning behind the words. Techno looked up at him. ‘You are a good boy with nice friends. Why did you come here?’
‘Because of the game of course.’ But Timmo was a bad liar, his mum and dad always knew when he lied and so he tried not to. Lack of practice, made him an even worse liar.
‘Seriously Timmo, this is a dangerous place and you and your gang shouldn’t make it any more dangerous. Okay?’
‘Okay’ he replied.
‘Please watch out, I know everything and I am seriously worried about you.’ He stood up quickly. ‘Come on then, let’s go and find the others.’ He grabbed the wheelchair’s handles and whirled it through 360 degrees as a bit of fun to make Timmo laugh. Then he pushed the chair towards a lift to take them to level two. Where else would mini spies be lurking?
* * *
Twip Twop was hiding behind a large outcrop of rock staring at the friends as they peered through a door on level two. They watched the ninjas assembling nearby whilst above their heads was an almost silent gyroscope circling at slow speed in the enormous space. It came into land and then took off again. It was safer for pilots to practise inside the volcano and away from prying satellites or drones. He crept up behind the spies as they watched the ninja practising their karate skills. At least two of the fighters had already been carried off the rubber matting to the sick bay for attention to their injuries.
Twip Twop was now right behind them. ‘Boo!’ They all jumped and their hearts beat faster when they turned and saw it was the mad albino. ‘If you see a few of our helpers around, you should be happy little ones as they are here to protect you. But please don’t talk to them as they only speak Japanese.’
‘Sorry’ said Jack, ‘we were just exploring and saw the wonderful exhibition put on by the helpers, so erm... we stopped to admire them.’
‘Silly little children. Prying into places best avoided. Mark my words, prying can hurt you.’ He had been told by MM to watch them closely and keep her informed of their activities. She had decided that they couldn’t harm her or her plans but since the information had dried up from Matthews she was now running blind. Mad Twip Twop pulled a small dagger from the back of his trouser waistband and moved closer to Kate. ‘You see, I don’t like children and I especially don’t like nosy children.’ He lifted the knife to rest under her nose, a thin red line of blood oozed from the fine cut it inflicted but he held it steady, just for fun.
Jack moved to her side. ‘I don’t think that’s very pleasant Twit.’ He flexed his arms to loosen up, to be ready for action. Twip Twop levelled his knife at Jack’s heart. The corruption of his name was very upsetting.
Sneering and with saliva dripping down his chin he challenged the leader. ‘Mr George, the king of the pack. Thinks he’s a big man now.’ The knife pricked at Jack’s chest lifting a few fibres off his sweatshirt.
‘Hoy, you! Put the knife down.’ Techno and Timmo came closer but the albino barely moved after Techno’s shout. ‘I said, MM wouldn’t be happy with treating our young visitors to a piece of thuggery.’ Techno left Timmo a few metres away and came close to Twip Twop. He put his mouth to his ear. ‘Got it?’ His voice was stronger than the children remembered. The albino moved the blade upwards and sliced open the front of Jack’s sweatshirt.
‘I was just playing Techno.’ He turned and walked away from the group.
‘Are you all okay?’ Techno looked around. He stared at his brother for a few seconds. ‘Get going you lot and stay away from trouble.’ He stepped past them and walked into the training area, allowing them to gracefully turn their backs and return to their accommodation.
As they walked away, it was Roger who informed the group about what they had seen. ‘They aren’t helpers, they are ninjas. The most deadly fighters in the world of terrorism.’
‘But not as good as the SAS splodger.’ Kate was trying to boost her confidence.
‘Not as good as...better in fact. Consider this. We are inside their volcano. They must have loads of defence systems and we have no idea what their plans are. So that makes us weak.’
‘I disagree,’ said Jack, ‘we are well trained and as innocent as can be. Who would suspect five innocent children are spies?’
‘Techno knows.’ It was Timmo from his wheelchair. They stopped walking and he told them about the conversation over the game of chess. ‘But it seemed like he wanted to help somehow. I dunno, it was really strange bro.’
Jack was thoughtful. ‘Maybe he could be an ally for us but remember we can also pull a surprise or two. All we need to do is find the key to the real game. If I insert the memory stick into Techno’s AIC, we could download their plan of action and software.’ They were all quiet considering their options. ‘Thing is, in any good game there is a always software key. Without that key we won’t be able to stop them.’
‘That has to be in the one place that no one goes into.’ Kate astounded everyone once again.
‘That’s brilliant Kit Kat. How do you know these things?’ As her embarrassment grew, Jack continued. ‘So the one place no one goes is level four. Right?’
‘Sounds like we need to visit’ said Timmo.
Jack shook his head. ‘We, is the wrong word bro. You can’t do much with that broken leg.’ Timmo was disappointed but at least he could literally “sit guard”.
Jack made them form a circle and rest their arms on each other’s shoulders like a group of rugby or football players before a big game. ‘Remember guys, we have two objectives here. One is to upload the master data onto my memory stick and get it back to Brett in Kenya. Two,’ he paused, ‘Do you know what? I’ve forgotten point number two...’ he said lamely.
‘And two,’ said Kate, ‘is to stay safe and survive until we are rescued.’
‘No it’s not’ replied Timmo in a whisper. He sat in his wheelchair at the centre of the foursome. ‘Two, is to beat the baddies and save the world no matter what.’
Marshall scowled. ‘Hang on you three, the number two objective is to escape and not hang around here. The yanks could nuke the volcano if they really wanted to save the world.’
‘No, no, no’ said an exasperated Roger. ‘Two is to save the world, beat the baddies and get home safe and sound as soon as we possibly can. Is that agreed?’ They all nodded their assent before they headed towards McDonalds for their third burger of the afternoon. It was Jack’s turn to push his brother which was unfortunate for Timmo as Jack kept letting go of the wheelchair handles on each incline so that it careered away as if out of control. Then Jack would run after it and catch it at the moment just before it crashed. That’s what brothers do.
* * *
The next day 100 screens set within 100 AICs were logged onto “world domination two”. Techno had been instructed by MM to network all the players to information downloaded from the world’s financial markets the day before. Every worldwide transaction for commodities and stocks and shares had be
en recorded to a massive database and 500 of the biggest companies were being used as assets by the oblivious children. However, there was a devious twist unbeknown to Techno. It was still using the program which had been taken from Techno’s secure files by her geek in LA. However, the yank had inserted her unique viruses into Techno’s software, which would be triggered by the software key safely located on level four. Twenty minutes before the meltdown of the world’s markets on MD day, she would insert the key, which was an SD card, into Techno’s AIC and double the trouble created by the 100 children. It was a stroke of genius, a stroke of pure evil. The currently friendly countries would be friends for a few months, maybe for a year and then she would take over their markets too with her secret teams in the States and Japan. She would rule the world using her secret software lying in the depths of the world’s computer servers.
* * *
The children were free to watch anything that happened on level three. Although they couldn’t get close to the engineering section, they could sit on a gallery and watch and so they took it in turns in bands of two to roam throughout the level and fully explore it. They couldn’t find an obvious way to access level four but they did manage to watch a host of gyroscopes leaving the mountain via a large steel door on the northern side of the volcano. Ten of the machines sped across the concrete and into the open air with barely a whisper as the exhaust designs were so effective. They resembled a flock of giant crows as they sped away on a trial mission to help the Somali warlords running the modern pirates for Madam Musseine. The warlords fed back any captured arms from the ships intercepted off the African coast. The new use of gyroscopes would help counter the threat from the Navies of the West, principally France, Britain and the USA. MM had instructed the warlords that they could keep anyone they captured for ransom and that all she wanted were the arms. She was watching the trial mission from her bedroom using a TV link via her two lead gyroscopes. MM shouted with glee as the machines gracefully landed on six large container ships as the pirates’ RIBs came alongside. None of the ship’s crews were prepared for a simultaneous attack from the air and sea as the ninjas helped the pirates take each ship. She turned the TV off so she could sleep, after all it would take a day for the pirates to reach friendly waters off the small ports of Somalia. Then they would unload the arms to larger boats and send them to Dar Es Salaam for MM’s men to transport by helicopter to Mount Kilimanjaro.
She snored happily, dreaming of world domination. She was sat on a throne in Windsor Castle receiving the heads of state from the most powerful countries in the world.
Chapter 10
Who dares wins
Many of MM’s child guests had been in the volcano for up to two weeks and the natives were getting restless. It was against this background that MM, with a certain amount of resentment, decided a safari might be good for them all to maintain their interest and divert their attention from the increasing homesickness. She had caved in to Techno’s suggestion, after all, another two days and it would all be over. So a little diversion might help ease the tension.
Jack’s gang first heard the dissent at breakfast that morning. The Irish contingent were sat at the next table.
A small boy about Timmo’s age was complaining. ‘I miss my mum, she always cuddled me before I went to sleep.’
A larger more loutish lad rudely replied. ‘Shut up you wimp, you’re such a mummy’s boy. Get a life and have some fun. There are no parents to order us around, we eat McDonalds every day and play constantly with no school. What more could you ask for?’
The little boy thought about it for a minute. ‘I would ask for some proper food, a homemade steak and kidney pie with spotted dick and custard for pudding and I want a grown-up to tell me what to do and when to do it.’
The lout pushed him, ‘see, you’re a great wimp.’
‘No I’m not, I’m not scared or anything. I thought it would be fun without parents, gaming all day and stuff. But really, it’s boring. I’d rather be at school with my real friends passing messages in the classroom or playing Gaelic football.’
‘You wimp, you’re just crazy, no one even likes Gaelic football, real soccer’s far better.’
‘It’s in our culture you Protestant.’
‘Idiot.’ The bigger boy stood and pushed the smaller one off the bench seat. ‘Shut up you Catholic wimp or next time I’ll thump you so hard you won’t get up.’ The smaller boy cowered on the floor, closely watched by Jack. He left his friends and walked across to help the small boy to his feet and then turned to face the bully.
‘Next time you want to pick on someone, pick on me.’
The bully stood eye to eye with Jack but after a few moments he sat down murmuring. ‘We are all entitled to our opinions.’
‘Sure,’ said Jack, ‘just like people in Libya and the other countries in The Arab Spring in 2011. They wanted freedom of speech but dictators no different to you had stopped them.’
‘I dunno mate, don’t get het up about it, it was just a lark.’
Jack eased up on him. ‘Remember those people had to fight for their rights. We are here having an easy time for two weeks and so you should try and show respect for other’s opinions. Right?’ He leaned over the bigger boy until he heard a murmured okay in reply. Jack nonchalantly rejoined the others, who were impressed by how he handled the situation.
‘It’s not all about money and power is it Jack?’ Kate looked for support. MM’s master plan was scaring her as they drew closer to action. ‘This stuff, what we’re doing. You see, I don’t understand how it will benefit us kids.’
‘No Kit Kat. There are more important things in life than money and power, all the subjective things like love and family. The trouble is, most of these children have forgotten the truth about modern life. How easy we have it, in places like the UK and Europe. They don’t think about children near here with no food or water. No Kit Kat, money isn’t everything but the safe and stable structure of our society lulls us into a false sense of security. Everything comes easy in our lives and we all exist in a privileged way.’
She turned away from him, sometimes she found it painful talking with Jack. She imagined she loved Jack, just like The Prince and Princess stories from her Disney books. She was beginning to have teenage urges. She had even imagined him kissing her gently on her lips and then instantly dismissed it from her mind. Shaking her head, she grimaced at the thought but felt hotter, with a strange little tingle down her back.
* * *
The children were due to go on safari in two batches. Jack’s gang were in the first batch and ready to go at 10 am.
As they stood next to their assigned Landrover, Madam Musseine started to address them from the gallery above their heads. ‘It is with the greatest pleasure, that I give you a final present.’ All the gamers roared in appreciation apart from the English. In the next two hours, you will see leaping lions, huge hippopotamuses and riotous rhinos.’
Roger was muttering as they watched her. ‘Lions lie about and rarely leap, hippos are quite small and rhinos only riot if you get too close.’
MM continued. ‘Enjoy your safari my little ones, soon we will win, we will conquer. You are all part of my gang now. The Black Hand Gang.’ The children dutifully held up their left hands, all died with permanent black ink since their arrival. A klaxon sounded high above the vehicles and they all climbed into the cabs. Slowly, in line astern, 20 Landrovers left the safety of the volcano.
As soon as they appeared outside, Wolf was alerted by the SAS surveillance team hidden on the foothills, 6 kilometres away. Two men were in the team and had parachuted into position a week before. This ensured they could avoid detection by the Maasai informers. The soldiers had spotted the metal snake appear from the door in the volcano and sent a coded signal to London via the “comms” satellite silently crossing Africa in the outer stratosphere above. Wolf quickly pulled up the satellite video link to watch the Landrovers’s progress and dialled Brett on his ce
ll phone. ‘Morning, have you got this?’
Brett was aghast. ‘My god, why is she letting the kids outside?’
‘I suppose it is a way of warning us to back off. The message is simple – Look, they’re alive but don’t mess with me or else.’
Brett considered MM’s motives. ‘I think your right Wolf. I’m making for the Hummer now. Send me the convoy’s coordinates every five minutes and I will get as close as I can. You never know, they may be in it and get a chance to give us the memory stick.’ Brett ran for the huge metal beast and gunned it into life and then raced down the dirt track leading to the Tanzanian border.
The Landrovers had spread out over a 30 square kilometre area. It was Kate who decided to hang her pink jacket out of the window as a signal to any watching friendly eyes. Everyone except the driver noticed and silently applauded her cleverness. That was until the rhino saw it through blinking and unfriendly eyes. Their vehicle was closing on a small pool that the driver knew contained hippos and so he didn’t notice the mother rhino and the two-week-old calf standing under a chunky baobab tree. As he revved the engine to scare the hippos into some action to entertain the kids, the rhino charged.
‘Look out,’ it was Kit Kat who screamed first, closely followed by the rest including the driver. The two tonne animal slammed into the side of the Landrover and rolled it onto its side. Everyone fell on top of each other and the driver’s head was smashed on the windscreen, which knocked him unconscious. The vehicle had stopped moving and lay dead. Once the rhino had circled around the cabin, she decided to retreat back to her calf under the tree. But she watched the opposition for any sudden movement and was quite prepared to charge again.
‘Quiet, everyone stay quiet.’ Jack took command. ‘What can you see?’ Kit Kat slowly raised her head out of the open side window, which was now facing a perfect blue sky. She glanced around quickly and pulled her head down as the rhino snorted from 50 metres distance.