Another chapter here. So sorry this took long. I hope you enjoy this.

Apprehended

Viktor and Lyra arrived at Mary Malone's office. I knocked. The door opened revealing an excited Mary. "Lyra! Come in! Come in!"

Lyra pulled Viktor inside with her.

"I'm so glad you came back," Mary breathed happily.

"I told you I'd come back," Lyra said back.

Mary flew a glance over to my new friend next to me. "Who is this?"

"This is the boy I was connected to on your computer cave, through dust,"

Mary gave Viktor a strange glance that made him a little quivering. Lyra rubbed his hand to consul him.

"What's your name?" she asked.

He looked at her a little distrustfully.

"It's alright," Lyra assured. "You can trust her,"

"Viktor. My name is Viktor,"

"He actually felt dust when I was communicating with it. He can feel it when it operates,"

Viktor sent Lyra a soft glare. As she did was shrug. "Viktor, Mary's computer cave can you answers to why you're connected to this substance. Would it be okay if Viktor has a go on your cave?" she requested to Mary Malone.

"W...well..." Mary stuttered. "If he wants to do it,"

Lyra turned back again to Viktor. "It won't be painful Viktor. It might be able to help," he remained rather stubborn like before. "Trust me,"

Viktor took in a deep breath. "Okay," he accepted my words. "I'll do it. Just this once,"

Mary took the pair to the computer cave. They sat on seats. She held up the wires with pads to connect them to Viktor's temple. When she lifted them, he drew back a bit.

"It won't hurt. I promise," Mary said soothingly.

Lyra rubbed his hand comfortably. Viktor allowed Mary to connect him to the machine and she later turned the engine on.

"I'm scared," he said with a fear which I had never seen in him before.

"It'll be alright," Lyra assured him.

The computer began blurring a bit and he began to quiver.

"Just relax your mind," Lyra instructed. "Stop fighting it. Let it flow. Put your mind at a certain spot. Try think of what you want to happen,"

He closed his eyes. He took in deep breaths and let out long exhales. Then after a brief moment, Lyra saw his mind was relaxing. Turning to the screen, she saw loads of strange pictures. Not exactly like the ones from the Alethiometer that she had seen before But they looked like people.

Viktor opened his eyes. The moment he did, the images on the screen began changing into something else. "What is this?"

"That's Dust. It's telling you something,"

He turned to Lyra. All she offered was a face of interest.

He turned back to the screen. "So that's what it was doing. All those nights I couldn't sleep, all those feelings I was having...it was this Dust...telling me things. All this time, I wondered what all those pictures and dreams I wrote down in my journals meant..."

"It must be Dust...giving you answers. How are you feeling?"

"I feel...relaxed. It doesn't feel like I'm having a migraine or a horrible headache,"

"You just need your mind to feel relaxed," Mary said. "That's how this Dust flocks to your head like birds,"

"Thank you Lyra. I feel more relaxed than I have in such a long while," he answered after that.

Lyra smiled, happy that he was feeling so much better.

"Wait," he spoke up.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Dust...it's telling me something,"

Lyra looked anxiously at the screen. She saw a strange figure with wings. Almost like the statues outside the tower which she and Mia had seen the other day.

"What's it saying?" she asked.

"It's saying that...that..."

"That what?" Lyra didn't want to sound pushy.

"Something is happening. I'm feeling some sort of strange change...happening to someone,"

Before they could talk, they heard a knock at the door. Mary stepped off her chair and walked over. She opened the door. Lyra turned and saw a man with a creepy moustache in black clothing. It was him. The guy whom Mia had distracted the other day.

"Can I help you sir?" Mary asked.

In a rude way, he shoved past her.

"Excuse me sir!" Mary tried to protested.

"I want to talk with her," the guy pointed right at Lyra who gulped.

"Excuse me..."

"Could you all step into your office please?" he asked, keeping his glare right on me.

With no choice, Mary disconnected Viktor from the machine and we walked inside Malone's office to sit down.

"We heard there was a child running unsupervised around St. Peter's College," he pulled out a chair and sat down in front of me. "What's your name?"

"Lizzie," Lyra answered quickly. "What's yours?"

"What are you doing?" Viktor asked sceptically.

"I am just answering some questions,"

"Well...Lizzie...who's your friend here?"

"Luke. My brother," she answered.

"Well...I'm Inspector Walters. Where are you and your brother from?"

"London,"

"Who are you two staying with?"

"Some family friends," Lyra's pace began to increase.

"What's their address?"

"Why do you want to know their address?" Viktor asked. "We're not staying with criminals if that's what you're implying,"

Inspector Walters stared at Viktor with great suspicion.

"Is this really necessary?" Mary Malone asked. "We can wait for their parents you know?"

"Do you go to school?" The Inspector didn't pay any attention.

"Did you not hear a word Miss Malone just said?" Viktor asked.

The Inspector ignored him.

"Do you two go to school?"

"Yes. But it's the holidays," Lyra continued.

"Is this really necessary?" behind Viktor's tone of voice, Lyra detected annoyance.

"Why are you two here in Dr. Malone's office?"

"Because we're interested in her work," Lyra continued. That was true. Well at least half true.

"Lizzie and Luke are welcome here anytime," Malone spoke up again.

"Are you staying with Will Parry?" the guy asked quickly.

"Yes!"

Viktor flashed my head at her. "Now you've done it," he hissed.

"Where is Will? And your other friend? Lyra," the man sneered.

Lyra looked scared. Her con was discovered.

"What do you want with them?" Viktor spoke up.

"Will is a murderer,"

"Don't you dare call him that!" he shouted. "A man was terrorising him and his mother,"

"Look here boy..." he drew on me.

"Inspector, could I just talk to you for a moment?" Malone requested.

Keeping his glare glued on Viktor and Lyra, Walters stood up and faced Malone with her back turned to us. Out of his sight, Viktor saw her flicking her hand to the left. She was signalling them to run.

Quick as a whip, he grabbed Lyra's hand and pulled her through the door. Walters shouted at us to stop but we didn't. Quickly he pushed some boxes over to block the door. They ran down the corridors and out of the building.

"Nice job Lyra," he berated her.

"He spoke too fast!" she complained.

"You shouldn't have answered!" he snapped.

"I wasn't trying not to arouse suspicion!"

"We never should have come here! Man! You never listen to anyone!"

"Hey! I was doing this for a reason! To help you! You're so ungrateful!"

"Ungrateful?!" Viktor snapped, feeling almost tempted to stop.

"Stop you two!" Walters wailed angrily behind us. Viktor looked back and saw that he was closing in on us.

Lyra pulled her rucksack off her bag. "Help us Pan!"

Pan popped out, turning into a magpie. "Turn left!"

They both turned left. Pan was their guide and their eyes in the sky. He led them through streets and over walls to the lower parts of town. Viktor hoped they had lost that man because he was beginning to get a terrible stitch. They came to a quiet road. They began to pant.

"I think we lost him," Lyra said.

"That's it. We're going back home and this time we are not coming back here,"

"That I can agree with," Lyra said.

Just then...out of the corner of Viktor's eye, he saw a black car pulling along a street. The window opened revealing the dark skinned man at the museum. He glared right at him. The car pulled forward again.

Viktor narrowed my eyelids, rage and revenge boiling in his blood.

"Lyra...meet me at the window," he said quickly.

Lyra became confused. "What?"

Before she could stop him, he sprinted off to follow the man. He didn't care that he had promised Lyra he wouldn't go after him. To him that man deserved to die. For Lila's death!

"Wait! Viktor Stop!" Lyra shouted trying to catch up with him. But he disappeared.

She growled. She cursed him.

Pan flew to her shoulders. "I can't believe it! He just left us!"

"He promised me he wouldn't go after that man!"

"How are we going to find our way back?!" Pan whimpered.

"I don't know,"

Suddenly a cloth flew over her mouth. Pan tried to fight back but she felt his strength waning.

"Got you, you little critter," Walter's cold voice sneered.

The next thing she felt were her eyes shutting.

Viktor tried to catch up to that car but he was driving away so quickly. He lost him around the corner. He cursed. He kicked the ground. He slumped down on the patio, crying into my hands. How can that man live whilst my best friend is dead? He burdened himself with that depressing question.

He thought about Lila, his best friend whom he had lost not long ago. Her courage. Her wisdom. Her kindness. Thinking about her...seemed to make him think of Lyra. For some reason, both of them were very similar. He remembered Lyra again. He remembered leaving her alone. Once again he cursed myself. He never should have left her. He ran straight back to where she was. To his shock, she wasn't there. All he saw was a cloth, damp. He lifted it up and smelt it. Instantly he pulled back. He had nearly passed out, just sniffing it.

He heard the pulling away of a vehicle. He turned and saw a while car with red lights. And just in the back, Lyra's head was in clear view. He cursed myself. She had been captured. And it was all my fault for leaving her. I had to rescue her.

I am so sorry for not updating this book sooner. I've been really busy with university work and everything. I hope this makes up for it. It seems that poor Lyra has been captured. Will Viktor rescue her? And what will Will and Mia do later? We'll have to wait and find out. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please send reviews and let me know what you all thought.