Without mentioning M.I.9, KORPS or the Mastermind, Zoe explained to Caroline about V95 while Dan got up, examining the bars keeping them inside the cell. He listened intently and heard a faint buzzing coming from it. Usually that implied electricity, but this was just V95, not KORPS. Surely they weren't electrified.

"Where are we?" Zoe asked.

Dan shrugged, glancing over his shoulder at her before turning back to the bars. "I don't know but it's definitely not KORPS. Look around us. Look at the walls. They're white. KORPS like dark and dull. Wherever we are, it's no KORPS base, I can tell you that much."

Dan touched one of the bars and his body was immediately thrown back, so he landed painfully on the stone floor.

"It's electrified." Caroline commented.

"No shit." Dan groaned, sitting up.

"Are you okay, Dan?" Zoe asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Zo." Dan replied, eyeing the bars warily. He heard footsteps and scrambled back towards the two girls as the buzzing from the bars stopped and part of the bars swung open, allowing Zoe inside.

No, not Zoe, Caroline reminded herself, glancing quickly at the girl sitting beside her and then back up at the girl who'd just walked in.

"What do you want with us?" Dan asked, taking Zoe's hand and squeezing gently.

V95 smiled. "You want to get rid of me and leave Zoe unharmed. So I've got Zoe here to stop that. And you're here to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

"That doesn't explain why I'm here." Caroline said boldly. Almost bored, V95 glanced over at Caroline. Then she smiled. "You're here to make sure your dear brother doesn't do anything stupid."

Dan glared up at her. "Our friends will come for us."

V95 smiled, producing a bottle of light blue liquid, causing horror to cloud Dan's features. "And this is to make sure Zoe here dies just before they reach you."

"No!" Dan shouted, getting to his feet as V95 downed the bottle. She shoved Dan into the bars, which had started buzzing again. Dan collapsed on the floor as V95 laughed and walked out, shutting the door behind her.

Caroline heard the sound of shattering glass as the door closed, so V95 must have thrown the empty bottle at the wall.

"Zoe . . ." Dan whispered, his horrified gaze meeting her scared one just before he blacked out.


"I've got a bad feeling about this." Aneisha whispered.

"I'm sure they're fine." Tom reasoned. "They're probably just pulling a sickie."

Aneisha shook her head. "They haven't gotten that far yet."

"How do you know?" Tom asked.

"Because . . . Zoe would have told me." Aneisha replied.

Tom still looked sceptical, but before he could answer her, their pencils started flashing. When they got to the broom cupboard, Aneisha's heart sank. Dan and Zoe weren't there.

Blinking tears out of her eyes, Aneisha followed Tom into the broom cupboard. He cast her a worried glance, his fingers hovering over the broom handle.

"We'll find them." Tom promised and then pulled the lever. Aneisha barely even felt the usual sensation of her heart rocketing into her throat – she was too worried about her friends. When they walked in HQ, Aneisha wasn't surprised to find V95 gone.

"They didn't work." Frank said.

"Yeah. Dan and Zoe are missing." Tom said.

"We need to – " Aneisha started, just as her phone rang. Curiously, she answered it. "Hello?"

"Is this Aneisha?" A girl's voice on the other end asked.

"Who wants to know?" Aneisha asked as Tom waved his hand in front of her face and began gesturing wildly. Aneisha waved him away with a cold look as the girl told Aneisha her name.

"Caroline. Caroline Morgan."

"Caroline. As in Dan's sister?"

"That's the one."

"Caroline, are Dan and Zoe there by any chance?"

"Yeah."

"Are they . . . are they okay?"

"No." Caroline said. "They're far from okay. Dan's unconscious because V95 shoved him into the electrified bars of our cell and I think there must be some kind of link between Zoe and V95."

"Why? Caroline, what happened?"

"Because V95 drank this light blue-coloured poison and I think it's starting to affect Zoe." Caroline said. Aneisha's knees buckled and she had to grab the table to steady herself, or more to stop herself from falling as she struggled to comprehend what she'd been told – V95 had ingested poison. Zoe was dying.

"Where . . . Do you know where you are?"

"No. But I can tell you our cell's white . . . kind of like it's been converted from a hospital. That's really all I can give you. I've got to go. She could be back any minute."

Then she hung up and Aneisha dropped her phone on the table, trying to force herself not to cry.

"Neish?" Tom asked. "Neish, what's wrong?"

"V95 . . ." Aneisha said quietly. "V95, she . . . she swallowed poison."

"Neish." Tom said. "Did she tell you what colour it was?"

"Light blue . . . " Aneisha said numbly. Tom moved towards the computer and Frank eased Aneisha into a chair as she mumbled, "She faked it. The drugs never worked. She just pretended."

Tom cast her a worried glance over his shoulder at her before turning back to his computer.

"Description, Neish?" Tom asked.

"She said like it had been hospital. And there was electrified bars in their cell." Aneisha dazedly said.


It had only been a few hours, but Zoe already looked sick. She looked pale, but she was completely focused on Dan, who hadn't regained consciousness yet. Caroline could see her brother's blonde head resting in Zoe's lap and realised just how young he looked when he was asleep.

"Are you okay, Zoe?" Caroline asked.

Zoe glanced over at her and shrugged. "I feel weak, but I'm okay."

"Zoe . . ." Dan moaned, his eyes flickering open. He sat up, blue eyes glancing around quickly. When he saw Zoe, horror clouded his features as he took in her tired features. He hugged her tightly and Zoe buried her face in his neck, sobbing.

"We'll be okay, Zo." Dan breathed. "They'll find us and we'll get the antidote into you and we'll be fine."

Caroline covered her mouth with her hands and turned away to stop herself from crying. Dan was trying to reassure Zoe, but Caroline knew better. Zoe wouldn't see her friends again while she was alive without a miracle.