The entry chime sounded and Nero pressed the button to open his office door. He smiled as Wing Fanchu strode into the room.
‘You asked to see me, sir,’ Wing said formally.
‘Yes, Mr Fanchu. I believe this is yours,’ Nero said, handing the white half of the yin-yang amulet to Wing. ‘Despite everything that your father did, I am sorry for your loss. If there is anything you need please let me know.’
‘Thank you, sir, I appreciate your concern,’ Wing replied. ‘There is one thing that I need.’
‘And what might that be, Mr Fanchu?’ Nero asked.
‘I need to know something,’ Wing said evenly, looking Nero straight in the eye. Nero was suddenly struck by how much the intensity of this young man reminded him of both his parents.
‘Yes?’ Nero asked, prompting Wing to continue.
‘Did you murder my mother?’ Wing said, an edge of steel to the tone of the question.
‘No, Mr Fanchu, I did not. Your mother and I were once great friends. She sent me the other half of the amulet just before she was killed because she trusted me. But you don’t have to take my word for it.’
Nero pulled open a drawer in his desk and handed Wing the letter that had been enclosed with the amulet when he received it. He waited as Wing read the letter and then handed it back to him.
‘Thank you, sir,’ Wing said softly, ‘I hope you can forgive my impertinence. To be honest, it is a relief.’
‘And why is that, Mr Fanchu?’
‘Because now I will not have to kill you,’ Wing replied with a dead straight face.
‘Many have tried, Mr Fanchu. Dismissed.’
Wing did not see the broad grin that spread across Nero’s face as he turned and left the room.
‘And I am punching Colonel Francisco’s lights out,’ Franz said as Nigel just slowly shook his head, a slight smile on his face.
‘No doubt about it, Brand. We’ve got a couple of bona fide heroes here,’ Shelby said with mock awe as Laura suppressed a giggle.
‘What about Laura “Sea Wolf” Brand here,’ Otto said, flopping on to the sofa next to them.
‘Och, I dunno, you sink one stealth battleship and people just never let you forget it,’ Laura replied with a grin. ‘Besides which, who says that you get to have all the fun.’ She poked Otto playfully in the ribs.
‘I didn’t do anything,’ Otto replied with a grin. ‘I just always seem to be around when things start exploding. It’s not my fault.’
‘I believe that returning from the dead trumps all, though,’ Wing said with a smile.
‘I don’t think you ever actually did, though,’ Shelby said. ‘I think you’re still dead, zombie boy.’
She got up and shuffled across the open atrium of the accommodation block, arms outstretched in front of her.
‘Heelllooo, my name is Wiiing, I want to eat your brains,’ she said, doing her best zombie impression.
This even got a slight smile from Wing, something that Otto was very glad to see.
‘Come on, Shel,’ Laura said grinning. ‘It’s water polo night, let’s leave this lot in peace.’
‘We will be coming with you,’ Franz said. ‘Nigel is promising to show me what is being so good about the library.’
‘I keep explaining to him that it’s just books,’ Nigel smiled, ‘but he’s convinced that there’s something I’m not telling him.’
Otto and Wing watched as the four walked away across the atrium, chatting and laughing.
‘I do not want to leave any more,’ Wing said, still watching the others leave. ‘There is too much I would miss.’
‘Well, I suppose that means I’ll have to stay as well,’ Otto said with a sigh. ‘I mean, without me to keep you out of trouble who knows what might happen.’
Wing started laughing and as usual it set Otto off too. As he sat there chuckling away Otto realised something with a slight sense of shock.
It was good to be home.
.
Chapter Twenty
The Contessa struggled uselessly against the bindings that shackled her to the chair.
‘Hello, Maria.’
Her blood froze as she recognised the voice that crackled over the speaker mounted above the mirror on the wall.
‘I suppose it is pointless to beg for mercy,’ the Contessa said.
‘Oh yes, quite pointless,’ Number One replied.
‘Then release me,’ she said, the familiar sinister whispers of command twining through her voice.
‘Oh, come now, Maria, surely you know better by now than to try your voodoo on me,’ Number One replied calmly.
‘Let’s just get this over with, shall we?’ the Contessa spat defiantly. ‘Kill me and be done with it.’
‘Oh, Maria,’ Number One replied. ‘I’m not going to kill you. You’re going to be much too useful for that.’
Mark Walden, The Overlord Protocol
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