Long time no see I know! Before my lovely readers attack me with ink and blotters, may I be granted to make some feeble excuses: I had exams. And they were horrible.
But now I'm back! A thousand thanks to Kuno, my amazing beta, who put up with 2 months of silence and to the forum, who are all really supportive and humorous, and have taken it upon themselves to stop me from procrastinating come June. Thanks guys
Lastly to conclude this essay, thank you to you, my readers, who keep me writing and inspire me!
So, Shelby, are you ready?" asked Laura tentatively. The blonde had spent the morning of the departure in the bathroom, supposedly packing her toiletries, but even Laura, with her pitiful knowledge of cosmetics, knew that you couldn't have so much makeup that it took 3 hours to pack.
The morning had also been punctuated by Shelby storming out of the bathroom with suspiciously red eyes and wads of wet tissues. She'd tried to pass it off as a cold but Laura was sceptical. Well, if that's how she wanted to play it, and not face up to her over dramatic handling of things between Wing and her, then that was fine with Laura, even if she was about to withdraw her go-between services. She was tired of having to say the same question twice, even though they could hear each other perfectly. They were being childish, but the issue must have been massive for Wing to take affront. He had the worst emotional radar of all of them. It must have been a serious argument, but that's all she knew.
Wing sat on the bed. He wanted to talk to Shelby and make it better, but he didn't want to make the first move. He'd never had a girlfriend before her, and despite her smart, cynical quips and her annoying habit of taking yearsto get ready, he missed her. Strangely, admitting this fact made him feel slightly better and he sat up straight. Otto walked in.
"You ready, Wing?"
Wing nodded the affirmative. Otto turned and began packing, rolling his eyes over the silent boy.
"I'm quite interested in the motives and location of this organization that claims to provide the justice for the world. There are some questions I'd like to put to them, about the ethics and decisions over genocide and child soldiers perhaps. Do you agree Otto?"
Otto stood up so fast from rooting around under his desk (even Wing was loathe to inquire what was in that box) that he whacked his head on the way up. Rubbing his head and groaning, he slowly turned until he could look Wing straight in the eye.
"Who are you and what have you done with Wing?" Otto inquired, a picture of seriousness. "If anyone on the GLOVE board is behind this, then you have my word that I will hunt you down and expose you."
"Otto, there will be no need to enforce that threat. I'm back. I mean, physically I never left, but mentally I believe I was in a coma-like state. Almost catatonic I am led to suppose. It was quite...a shock."
And that, Otto concluded as he embraced his friend, was just about the understatement of the year.
The students blinked as the sunlight hit them. The bay doors swung open soundlessly. Many of the Alphas closed their eyes as a breeze blew in. They could taste the salt and the fresh air, with its pollutants and particulates, but still a million times better than the filtered, purified air that they breathed at H.I.V.E. The rest of the Alphas pretended not to notice what their more soppy classmates were doing. Nero and Raven stood before them.
"I and several of the staff will be escorting you into the care of C.O.U.R.T. We know what you are capable of and do not wish for any...problems to occur."
Nero did not miss the smirk Otto shot at Wing, who continued to gaze forward, straight faced bar a twitch in his cheek. He noticed also that Miss Trinity and Miss Brand, usually inseparable from the other duo, were stood as far as possible from Otto and Wing. He'd have to talk to Raven, although what she knew about teenage girls and relationships could probably fit on a page of A5.
Shelby wasn't talking to Laura, except in monosyllables. Laura could see that the boys had made up and dearly wanted to talk to Wing again. She missed the sensible, endearing boy. The redhead was struggling with being the break up friend. She wanted to talk to someone who wouldn't bite her head off when she tried to make conversation or who wasn't constantly angry or frustrated.
They'd gone through at least 40 boxes of tissues in a month, and Laura knew that breaking up was painful, she'd seen enough of them on TV to understand, and didn't contest that with Shelby, but she did think that this was a little excessive. Nero was still talking.
Laura sighed and shifted her backpack. She was sure it was heavier than it had been when she'd packed it last night. She'd check on the plane. She wouldn't put it past Franz to try and dodge the hand luggage weight limit on the plane by storing chocolate and other goodies in her rucksack.
"...we are all proud of you and your achievements, and we hope your talents will stand you in good stead at C.O.U.R.T." Nero concluded.
There was a ripple of polite applause, and then the students were packed onto the Shrouds. It was Wing's and Otto's misfortune to be put on the same Shroud as Shelby and Laura. As she climbed on, Shelby grimaced and stuck her nose up at the pair. She slumped into a seat, and positioned her backpack for her ultimate comfort, leaving Laura a tiny space for what they had been told was a long-haul flight. Otto growled under his breath. He and Laura had an excellent friendship but he felt something else for her. He wouldn't see her treated like that, just because Shelby was feeling bitter.
He felt a strong hand on his shoulder.
"Just put your seat belt on, Otto." Wing said calmly. "This can be settled after the flight, when we don't have to spend 10 hours or more trapped on a plane with each other."
Otto saw the logic and reluctantly settled back into his seat. As the Shroud door closed up, none of the passengers were aware that this was the last time they would see H.I.V.E. for a long time.
Nero climbed into the co-pilot seat and thumbed in the secret co-ordinates himself. He was the only one who knew them. They changed every time he visited.
The engines soundlessly thrummed and turned to the takeoff position. As the plane flew from the island, Otto got out his Blackbox. Time for a little further investigation into C.O.U.R.T since he hadn't spoken to Laura since the Shelby/Wing fiasco kicked off.
Laura fidgeted around uncomfortably in her seat. She couldn't believe how selfish Shelby was being.
She decided to find out what was making her bag so heavy. It wasn't as if she had anything else to do. As she fumbled with the clips and strings, she glanced up at Otto. He was absorbed in something on his Blackbox, his white hair and face illuminated by the electronic glare. She smiled fondly. His face got that look when he was trying to understand a complex problem. She missed him and his smart aleck comments and the way he got what she was thinking almost as soon as she thought it, and the way his lips curved up like they were doing now...
No, she reprimanded herself, shaking her head like she was trying to clear water from her ears. You know he doesn't like you that way! Idiot.
She finally opened her bag and gaped at what lay inside. It was a robot of some kind, but what totally gave it away was the blue light gently pulsing from within.
"HIVEmind!" she hissed.
The blue light flickered and glowed brightly.
"Could you please put your headphones in Miss Brand? I'd rather people didn't know I was here." a small voice whispered.
Laura jammed the headphones into her ears and into the microphone breathed:
"HIVEmind, I really hope you're supposed to be in my rucksack otherwise you and I are in deep trouble."
The AI's voice was apologetic and guilty as he said: "Well, I think I'm supposed to be in your rucksack: you'll need me. Believe me. Does that count?"
Laura rolled her eyes and whispered back: "No. But we will need you, I know, and truly I'm glad you're here but aren't you risking being caught by Nero? You're already in his bad books. And how will H.I.V.E. cope without you?"
Laura could almost see HIVEmind's bemused expression as he realized his mistake, then she heard a satisfied sigh.
"I'm being bad aren't I?" he asked with glee.
"I think you're missing the point HIVEmind! You need to get back! What happens if H.I.V.E is attacked? What then? It's not..." She broke off as she realized everyone on the Shroud was staring at her.
"Ahaha, funny computer game...very competitive...you know..." she trailed off feebly. Returning to the AI, she hissed, "Look what you did!"
"Laura, you're worries are unfounded. I have left part of my consciousness back at H.I.V.E. to manage everything. I am yours to command."
"Then I command that you shut up and shut down until we get to C.O.U.R.T.!"
HIVEmind sniffed but the blue glow faded to dim. Laura sighed, leant back into her seat, and brushed her hair out off her face. This would be a long trip.
She must have fallen asleep because it seemed like five minutes after concluding her rant at HIVEmind the Shroud had arrived at their destination. The other occupants stirred and groaned into wakefulness. The air suddenly felt close and stuffy. Laura resisted the urge to run and pound on the landing doors. She closed her eyes to get rid of the feeling. A hand gripped hers. She whipped round to see Otto, and then felt queasy and claustrophobic again.
"It's all right Laura." his voice soothed. "It's nearly over."
They stood together as the doors slowly lowered and let in a gust of icy wind. The others gasped and shivered, but Laura felt a release. She'd forgotten how claustrophobic it was on long haul flights. It wasn't like she'd been on many since she'd been press-ganged into H.I.V.E.
Otto looked around, taking in everything. The landing strip was empty but the most astonishing detail was plain to observe. They were surrounded by sea. C.O.U.R.T was located on an island, like H.I.V.E.
"Drat." he muttered. From one prison to another, and at least he knew the other prison.
He and all the other Alphas were herded out of the Shrouds. As the Shroud's left, Otto felt strangely bereft and alone. He was acutely aware of Laura's hand clutching his. It was a pleasant feeling.
Seemingly from nowhere, a group of people appeared. As they came closer, Otto saw that they wore smart blue uniforms, similar to those worn by the British RAFand were all about their age. They were led by a formidable looking woman. She stopped, and the greeting phalanx halted with precision. She smiled, a steely glint in her eye.
"So here you are. We have been so looking forward to meeting you all."
Otto couldn't decide whether this was a good or bad thing.
"We welcome you to our home. Any mischief will not be tolerated. You are no longer on your home turf, and are expected to behave as such. I have heard stories of your wondrous achievements from Dr Nero." She smirked at the headmaster, who coolly returned her stare. "I do hope we aren't disappointed."
She gazed at them closely. Otto saw that her left eye was in fact mechanical. He felt much better: he had the upper hand on her. He tried to make a connection with the computer but as he probed, he was hit by a burst of power so hard it gave him a headache. Cool as can be, the Rt. Hon. Ms Justice Black, looked at him grimacing with pain. "Do behave Mr Malpense." She turned and called over her shoulder:
"Dr Nero, keep your protégée in line otherwise we'll do it for you. We are the law after all."
The students, suitably chastened, followed the formation of the silent students into what appeared to be a hill but when they emerged into light, they were standing in a hub of activity. Students moved with purpose in all directions, along corridors and walkways suspended above a massive central hole. The 'island' was manmade. Below them, in the depths of the machine, were five massive engines that Otto assumed connected to propellers that directed the ship/island. That explained the need for Dr Nero to receive coordinates. The 'island' moved, he assumed, to avoid retribution from convictions or attacks from those whom they governed. That had been one of the more puzzling and impossible to hack mysteries of C.O.U.R.T. (of which there were many) Otto marvelled grudgingly at this achievement of engineering.
"Welcome to C.O.U.R.T, Alphas."
I was experimenting with this chapter: I wrote it in a slightly different way and the consensus so far is it's a little slow. I'd love to know what you think! As always, please point out errors and constructively criticise because it'll help me improve.
Review is always welcome. Biscuits and tea on arrival ;)