The weather has gone weird. Is it a natural phenomenon or is something more sinister at work ? When the weather is good, it's very very good. But when it is bad it's horrid !
"Are you stupid ?" responded the first man. "You've seen what Storm's been doing lately. He sent a tornado out into a field full of teenagers for God's sake ! How's that going to save anything. The man's been changed by that weird field thing. He's not the same. Tell me you think he's still sane," he challenged the other rangers. They all shifted uncomfortably and started to look worried.
"He has got a bit unstable," admitted one of the other men. "He's shut himself in the control room. You'll have to get him out of there and turn the thing off."
"Control room ?" asked Stella.
"Back of the house on this floor," said Tom, pointing to an entrance into the hall. "Down a couple of corridors in that direction. It controls a large courtyard at the rear of the property where the weather machine is. It's underground and the stuff sort of comes up through these big metal grilles in the ground," he explained, as best he could. It all sounded so crazy. "If you see a funny wavy field coming up you musn't go in it. Apparently it makes people go a bit crazy. That's probably what's happened to Mr. Storm. He's not rational," he finally warned.
"Right. Tom, I need you to take us there," said Stella. She selected a group of the SWAT team to go with her. Then she gave instructions on her radio for a team to make an attack on the rear of the house, passing on Tom's warning about the weather field. "I repeat, on no account enter the area if the weather field is in operation," she finished.
Tom walked beside Stella, leading the team towards the control room. He was worried about Dan. Dan was locked in the control room with the furious and unstable Storm and Dan wasn't famous for his tact and diplomacy. As they neared the control room door, a face appeared at the glass window in the heavily armoured door. Tom didn't recognise Sinstra Storm at first. His face was distorted with fury, and what looked alarmingly like madness. His eyes were opened wide and he had a strange snarling grin on his face.
"Oh God. What's he going to do ?" murmured Tom. Stella glanced at him with a frown on her face. She waved on the team. As they neared the door, they heard a deep rumbling beneath their feet. The team stopped and looked at one anther. "I've heard that sound before," said Tom, his voice filled with dread. "Look !" he whispered, pointing at the floor of the corridor ahead. Where the carpet ended there was a metal grille set, unnoticed, into the floor. Out of the grille rose a swirling misty substance.
"Is that … ?" asked Stella.
"Yes. Yes it is," whispered Tom. "Run !" he shouted, turning back. He barrelled through the stunned SWAT team, heading back through the corridor. He paused when he realised they weren't following him. "Get out of here. You have no idea !" yelled Tom. They saw the look of fright on his face and turned back to face the control room door. The field was growing in strength and they could now feel waves of air blowing into their faces. A roaring noise was building, like that of a strong wind.
"Move !" shouted Stella. The team turned and started to run after Tom. They were not quite in time. Before they reached the end of the corridor, a blast of air slammed into them, throwing most of them off their feet, and leaving people rolling along the corridor. One of the SWAT team was thrown down the stairs which Frank and the others had used to climb up from the basement entrance. Pictures were being torn off the walls. Curtains were streaming out beside window frames. The noise was deafening.
Tom found himself pressed against the wall at the corner of the corridor. Stella smacked into the wall beside him. Luckily her helmet protected her from serious injury. They both had to roll to avoid being hit by other team members being thrown helplessly down the passage. They all crawled along the next corridor and sighed with relief once they were out of the main thrust of the wind.
The agents who were unhurt helped their injured colleagues to their feet and they made their way back to the hallway. Frank and the other anxious agents met them. "What happened ?" asked Frank. "We heard a strange noise," he said.
"Storm's got a miniature weather machine in the floor outside the control room door," explained Tom. "He's now blasting a hurricane down the corridor. There's no way anyone is going to be able to get up there," he said.
"That metal grille outside the door ?" asked one of the rangers.
"Yes, that's right," said Tom. "Why ?"
"There's more of those. They're all over the house," said the man. He looked scared. The other rangers started to mutter. "Does anyone know about them ?" asked the man. The others shook their heads.
"Before my time," said one man. Others nodded in agreement. "Sorry," he said apologetically.
Stella touched her earpiece. "What ? As well ? All right. Stay in position so long as it's safe to do so," she instructed.
She turned to Frank. "The team at the back of the house can't get close. There's a weather field building in the back courtyard. They got a glimpse of Storm in the control room. They think Dan is tied to a chair in the control room," she told him.
Frank turned to the rangers. "Is there any other way to get into that control room ?" he asked.
The rangers all looked at one another, then shook their heads. "I'm really sorry. He obviously didn't trust us either," said one man apologetically. "Honestly, if we knew a way we'd tell you. The guy's obviously gone off his rocker. You might be able to get to it through the kitchen wall, if you can knock a hole in it." he added.
"Can you show us ?" asked Stella. "We've got some explosives."
The ranger took them through the house, along a different route, to the kitchen. He pointed to the shorter wall at the far end of the room. "That should lead through to the control room," he said.
Frank helped one of the SWAT team set some explosives into the wall in a circle. "I'm not putting too much Stella. I don't want to risk bringing the wall down on top of Dan," he explained. Stella nodded her agreement, giving him an encouraging smile. Everyone took cover behind some kitchen benches at the end of the room. "3, 2, 1 .." Frank counted down, before there was a loud, muffled thud and a cloud of plaster dust burst out of the wall. A hole was blown through the wall. Frank got a very brief glimpse of a dusty Dan lying on the floor on a toppled chair through a fairly small hole. His heart sank when he realised that Dan wasn't moving. Then the enraged face of Storm appeared.
"You will pay !" screamed the man. He ran to one side and disappeared. As the SWAT team picked up their weapons, the floor of the kitchen started vibrating and the now familiar misty swirl started to rise from grilles set in the floor. The air started to move around them. Pots and pans hanging from hooks on the wall started to rattle. Zoe made as if to run towards the hole, but Frank grabbed her arm.
"No, Zoe. You can't get through the field. It's not safe," shouted Frank above the rising clatter of pans.
"Everyone out !" shouted Stella. A large black cloud was gathering above their heads. Kitchen equipment was starting to break loose and fly around the room. They all ran for the door, holding their hands over their heads to protect themselves from the flying debris. The howling wind seemed to follow them out of the kitchen and into the corridor. They all started running back towards the entrance hall.
Back in the entrance hall, Frank looked helpless. "We'll think of something Frank," said Stella. "Tom ?" she asked him hopefully.
Tom frowned. "What's that noise ?" he asked. Everyone looked around them. The house seemed to be filling with noise; a roaring and crackling. Before anyone had a chance to react, a gale of wind burst out into the hallway, ripping pictures off the wall and making doors slam shut or open. It was followed by torrential rain.
"It's raining !" shouted Aneisha in disbelief. "We're indoors ! How is that possible ?"
A large stone statue at the bottom of the stairs suddenly toppled over and smashed into pieces on the floor. "We can't stay in here !" shouted Stella, trying to protect her eyes from the lashing rain. Lightning flashed across the stairs, accompanied by a loud crash of thunder, which made everyone dive for the floor. "Everyone out !" shouted Stella. "Now !"
"But what about Dan ?" shouted Zoe in despair. "He's still in there !"
Frank grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door with everyone else. "He's safer in the control room for now Zoe. Don't worry. We'll think of something," he tried to reassure her.
Once everyone was standing outside on the gravel driveway in front of the house, there was a silence. "Tom, if you can think of anything. Anything at all," said Frank desperately.
"There's no way any human being is going to be able to get near that control room," said Tom. Then he paused, with his mouth still open. He looked up at Aneisha. Aneisha smiled back at him. "Digby !" they both said, simultaneously.