Yeah I've been having a bad day and no-one seems to be reviewing. Except two of you so a special thankyou to Vordax0110 and Musicality101. :D Thankyou!
Now here's Chapter 7. Please please review. :)
ENJOY!
Chapter 7
Raven peered through the thick foliage, her eyes easily picking out the building on the far side of the lawn. She was stood behind a cluster of trees, hidden in her black combat suit and watching out for security. Opposite her, rose a magnificent mansion, placed dead centre of the co - ordinates she'd been given. Guards patrolled the structure in fours, one at each compass point, armed with assault rifles and machine guns.
The lawn itself was camoflage for mines and pressure sensors, all of which would give away her position, should she try to cross it. Huge lights surrounded the property, illuminating every corner and exterminating every shadow.
It was night, the sky cloudless and a deep rich blue. Stars glittered in that great river overhead, all fighting to compete for attention. But tonight was no night to sit and gaze at the world beyond.
Instead Raven was searching the grounds planning her route. The security put in place seemed clumsy and rushed. With the pathway drawn out in her head, she silently slipped on her helmet and flicked a button on the side. Almost immediately the assassin blended into her surroundings and only a slight ripple gave away her presense.
Raven silently made her way around the property, towards the east, walking on the tips of her feet. She skirted the lawn and was careful to move slowly. Ahead of her, under the ground floor balcony, were some eucalyptus bushes and she made her way to them for cover.
Once she reached the relative saftey under the plants, the woman assessed the guards. They were on the walkway above her head and she didn't want to accidentally crash into one.
Under her breath she counted out the seconds between footfalls. It didn't give her much time but an opportunity like that could not be missed.
Raven waited for the sounds of footsteps to fade away and then she reached up and gripped the edge of the balcony rail. With one heave the woman had vaulted over it and was racing towards a window, a couple of levels up. When she was directly underneath it, she clicked a button on the grappler glove attached to her hand and a thin wire shot into the air and burrowed into the wall above the window. All Raven had to do next was hit another button to reel the wire in.
And not a second too late. As the assassin whizzed towards the window ledge, a guard walked around the corner, gun at his side. He didn't seem to have heard anything and merely continued to walk his rounds.
Raven, above him, silently cut a hole out of the pane of glass with a device Professor Pike had created. The little machine stuck to the glass and had a handle on it so that she could slowly lever the pane out onto the floor inside without dropping it and smashing. She climbed through the entrance she'd made and waited for her eyes to adjust to her surroundings after the glare of the lights outside.
The woman was in a bare room, the walls peeling plaster and cobwebs strung between them. The bulb hanging from the centre of the ceiling had been smashed and the glass lay scattered everywhere.
Well, looks can be deceiving, she mused.
Raven glanced around quickly for a door and found one to her left. She headed for it, being careful to step away from boards that looked like they would creak.
There was a cobweb pulled taut across the room in front of her and she reached out to flick it away. But it wasn't an ordinary web. Very thin optical fibres had been planted all along it, disappearing into the roof.
As she touched the web a bright blue light suddenly flared from the fibres and a searing pain shot up her arm. The screen in her helmet cracked from the voltage sent through her and she screamed out, falling backwards.
Then all at once, guards poured in through the doorway and disarmed her, taking the katanas and equipment that she had. Her hands were chained behind her and she was forced to stand. But it was difficult. She felt light - headed and her knees were buckling beneath her. When she tried to speak nothing came out.
Someone grabbed her face and suddenly she was staring at Alexander. He had a nasty smile on his face and seemed smug.
"Well well well. Look what we have here. A little Raven brought in on the wind. How fortunate." He crooned. "Put her in the cell." The man continued, turning to a nearby guard.
"But sir?" He said, hesitantly. "We only have one cell. And the boy's in that one."
"I know. Put her in there. She won't be able to escape like this. Keep giving her small doses of a very high voltage and she won't be able to walk full stop. And surely the boy's no match for you?" Alexander asked, with a slight smile.
"No of course not." The guard replied, nodding.
"Good."
Otto sat back on the chair, his head tipped forward and his fingers pressed around his nose, from which blood dripped steadily. He had a tissue in his other hand, held under his face and Laura sat beside him, nursing a bruise on his cheek. She had a guilty look on her face and kept gulping nervously.
"I'm sorry." She muttered for the millionth time.
"It'sh fine." Otto replied.
They were in a small medical room, a nurse quickly and efficiently filling out a report at her desk. She looked up at them with pinched eyes and scanned the flow of blood that had dried up..
"You'll be fine. I suggest you wash your face though before you leave." The woman said in a high harsh voice.
Otto nodded and stood up to go to the bathroom through a doorway nearby. He was in there a couple of minutes and when he came back, the only sign that he'd been hurt at all was the bruise.
Laura stood up and followed him out into the corridor. It was deserted and she glanced nervously at him.
"I really am..." She began.
"I know already!" He said, exasperated. "Just drop it."
They began walking down the passageway, not really comprehending where they were going. Then Otto lifted his head from his trainers and found that he recognised where they were. An idea began to form in his head.
"I need to talk to Nero." He said. Laura looked up surprised.
"Okay. His door's just over there." She said, pointing.
The boy strode over to the door and pulled at the handle. It didn't open.
"Looks like he's somewhere else." Laura said, with a small smile.
"I'll wait for him to come back then." Otto said, folding his arms and leaning against the wall.
"I'll wait with you then." She replied.
"No. It's okay. I'm hungry. Could you get me something to eat?" The boy asked.
"Yeah. What would you like?" Laura said.
"Erm... Anything will do." Otto replied, shrugging. The girl nodded and walked away down the corridor. But before she got to the corner she turned back.
"You'll still be there, won't you?" She asked, frowning.
"Yeah. Course." He replied, with a smile. Laura nodded again and then disappeared around the bend.
Otto didn't wait. He dropped onto his haunches and pulled the screw from the detention centre out of his pocket. With trembling fingers, he slotted it into the keyhole and began jiggling it around. The door clicked and swung open.
He was at once up and in the room. As the boy walked over to the desk he noted how very neat and tidy the place was. Just like last time, he thought.
Otto turned to the computer on the table and switched it on. Within seconds a window had popped up asking for a password. But it was no match for his hacking skills. He was through and into Nero's personal files within a heartbeat.
After some searching, the boy clicked on a file marked blueprints and at once a window appeared with the aforementioned sketches. Otto scanned them quickly, commiting the whole thing to memory. Once he'd finished he closed the files down.
Then unexpectedly, a small window materialised at the bottom of the screen, telling him he had a new message in his inbox. He hovered over it for a second, curious. In the end his curiosity won and he clicked it.
To: Nero
From: Raven
I've failed. They've taken my weapons and have me locked in a cell with Rick. He's hurt bad with whip marks all down his back. I'll do what I can for him. The place we're in is a mansion. It extends further underground than at first meets the eye. And be wary of traps. As soon as this message is sent I'll destroy my blackbox so that they can't use it. It's the one thing they haven't taken and is my only contact with you at H.I.V.E. but I must.
Be careful. I hope this helps.
As Otto read the message his eyes widened. And then suddenly he could hear footsteps coming his way.
The boy hurriedly shut down the computer. But when he turned to go, he realised that he wouldn't be able to leave without the person seeing. Instead he ducked under the desk. It was at right - angles to the door and so the side support hid him from view. As long as no - one walked in and looked down, he'd be fine.
Then suddenly the door opened and he quieted his breathing. A pair of shoes walked past and he realised that it was Nero. The man sat down in his chair and Otto shuffled backwards slightly.
There was clicking and tapping. A moment of silence. And then a gasp of breath, whether from pain or disbelief or shock, the boy didn't know. A snap followed it and then the man spoke.
"H.I.V.E. mind? Get Colonel Francisco here now!" Nero commanded.
In a little study, lined with bookshelves and furnished with a grand oak table, was Alexander. He sat on a rather big padded chair, tapping away at a small device in his hand. There was a beep and the man smiled. Then with a flourish he stood up and walked over to the french windows in front of him, gazing out at the lawn beyond.
He frowned and glanced at the machine he'd been tapping at, as if he'd had a sudden thought. With a slow deliberate move, Alex let it drop. It fell to the floor with a thud. Then he brought his foot up and crushed it with his heel.
On the floor Raven's blackbox sparked and then went blank.