Chapter 6
The front door of the Sanctuary burst open with a bang which reverberated throughout the building. Two of the three people in the entrance hall jumped in fright at the sound.
"Where's my mom?"
Will, Kate and Bigfoot stared open mouthed at the two ghosts in front of them.
"We don't have time for this," said Ashley exasperatedly. "Where has my mom gone?"
They remained staring with silent disbelief, Kate catching flies, Will squinting as though to correct his vision and Bigfoot with his head cocked to the side, they weren't sure if they were hallucinating or not, until Druitt bellowed at them.
"Someone tell me where Helen has gone, immediately!"
Kate regained her senses first.
"They... uh...we.... uh... we don't... know. Magnus has gone with Henry on some secret mission. They didn't even tell us they were going."
The front door flew open for a second time in the past minute with another bang as Nikola Tesla burst through the door. It was fortunate for Will, Kate and Bigfoot that you cannot shock the already shocked, not that it would have made any difference. As if Ashley and her father's reappearance had not stunned them enough, now the pain in the arse Tesla was in the mix. Will's eyes would have popped out of his head if at all possible at the sight and sounds in front of him. This should, in all reasonable manners of thinking, not be happening. Tesla panted for breath for a few seconds and seemed totally unfazed by the sight of Druitt and Ashley.
"She's gone to take on the Cabal," he shouted at them, despite the fact he had their full attention.
Tesla squeaked in fear as Druitt pinned him up against the wall by his neck and hissed at him.
"And how would you know that?"
Tesla struggled to speak, without his vampire strength he was powerless against Druitt's fury.
"Uh, he can't breathe," pointed out Will.
"He doesn't need to breathe," said Druitt. "Just tell me where she is."
"He really can't breathe, he's not a vampire any more."
Druitt eyes narrowed with suspicion but he released his grip a fraction, only enough for Tesla to gasp for air.
"Talk fast, Nikola," growled Druitt.
"Helen contacted me days ago and asked for all the intelligence I had on the Cabal. She knows I watch them."
"What did you tell her?"
"They're regrouping, they've pooled their remaining resources and are rebuilding. They've been recruiting for more security staff and scientists. We didn't get them all," he spoke directly to Druitt as the man towered over him. "We missed someone, someone powerful."
"Where are they?" he demanded.
"There's a huge underground test facility in the mountains. There's been an increase in activity there. I think they do weapons testing, some of the things they've been stockpiling could be used to make weapons, bombs."
Druitt dropped him and he slid down the wall to the ground gasping deeply for breath.
"Why aren't you a vampire anymore?" he sneered at Tesla. Nikola glared at him.
"Why aren't you two dead?" he snarked in reply.
"He had a little accident" offered Kate, quickly coming to terms with the situation before her. "De-vamped himself."
Druitt roared with laughter.
"Let's go," said Ashley heading for the door.
"Wait, we're coming with you," said Will.
"No, you're really not," said Ashley. "You heard Nikola, prepare for the backlash, an attack by the Cabal. Big guy," he gave her a thoughtful look as she gave him his orders. "Black Alert. This is going to be massive." He nodded.
She turned to Nikola, a wild thought buzzing furiously in her mind. As he tried to regain some dignity and push himself off the floor she grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the wall again.
"Ooff."
"Nikola, I need you to build me a high security containment unit for electrical energy," she whispered furiously. "Don't say anything, just look like I just threatened you in a painful and horrible way for putting my mom in danger."
He open and closed his mouth helplessly like a gasping goldfish.
"Ashley!" exclaimed Will with a warning tone, still amazed at all which was unfolding before him.
She let go and he slid down the wall for a second time wheezing like an asthmatic who had just sprinted up a very steep hill.
"Later, when I get back", she said. "Be ready."
The electronic locking system buzzed and the door to the interrogation room swung open.
"Ha ha ha ha!!!" Henry laughed over the intercom, he sounded like a lunatic on a day out at a theme park. "We've got weapons, research, security, personnel, logistics, tech, finances, I am the King of the Cabal!"
Magnus didn't wait as the restraints retracted into the chair and was off out the door before they had clicked back to their reset position. Henry watched over the security cameras and directed Magnus to the control room.
"Left, right, second right. Up the stairs, level 5, wait! There's someone coming, hide in that room E-4. OK, all clear."
Within minutes Magnus was at Henry's side in the control room and alert systems had been returned to normal.
"Find the bigwigs, Henry."
"But don't you want to see what they're up to?"
"The director of this facility. Now, Henry."
"Coming up." He tapped away furiously on the keyboard. "There's an office in area E-5, Director of 'Blackrock'. That's the name for this place."
"Does this director have a name?"
"There's a picture. Hey that's the woman who was creeping us out."
"Henry."
"What's wrong with her face?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. The mugshot of the director looked as thought the face was not quite right.
"Name please Henry."
"Doctor D. Whitcomb." He stared at Magnus as he realised what name he had just read out. "That's not even possible," he muttered. "What the hell is going on?"
The atmosphere darkened as Magnus' resolve to destroy the Cabal hardened. The person responsible for inflicting Magnus with her greatest fear, was in the facility and worse had dared to show herself, flaunt herself before the unknowing duo. She was in the facility they now had control of. Henry roused Magnus from her dark thoughts.
"Holy pigshit batman!" he swore as he caught a glimpse of the security camera.
"Henry," Magnus said in a warning voice.
Seriously? He had just infiltrated the Cabal network, had total inside control of their systems operations and she was giving him a ticking off for his language. Sheesh.
"Doc, look at this."
Magnus came and stood alongside him as he rewound the footage. A blonde head ran past one of the security cameras.
"This is the real footage. Ours is till playing over the real time images. But this is the real deal." He looked at Magnus and kicked himself as he saw the emotion on her face. "It can't be, no I'm sorry, that was stupid."
"It's all right Henry," she said softly.
They were both watching the screen wistfully as a tall, bald headed man in a leather coat walked past the camera with his back to the lens.