Chapter Eight
Kurt got back to the dairy farm the next morning to find Blaine and Jeff squaring off in the makeshift practice room they'd set up in the barn. The young blonde communications expert seemed to have the upper hand, with Blaine pinned to the mat, one hand twisted behind his back. But Jeff seemed to have forgotten just how flexible Blaine was. The dark haired teen kicked his foot back enough to knock the other boy off balance, causing him to let go of his arm. Blaine then rolled and grabbed both of Jeff's ankles, sending him crashing onto his back. Blaine then sat on Jeff's butt and twisted his right ankle until the blonde tapped out.
"Damn it," Jeff said, glaring at Blaine. "Are you ever going to let me beat you?"
"Do you think a terrorist would just give up when you engage them?" Kurt retorted. "Where's Nick?"
"On a video conference with Darcy. They're working on a way to turn a functional cell phone into a bladed weapon without tripping security scanners."
Kurt nodded. "Hit the shower, then tell him and the others I want a full briefing in thirty minutes. And stay away from my McQueen collection!"
The younger boy grumbled something that sounded like 'rude' as he left. Kurt just gave him a level two bitch glare as he walked out. He then turned back to Blaine.
"How is she doing?" the curly haired boy asked.
"Santana is stable for now. Charlie stayed behind at the Swedish headquarters to work on an antidote. He said it would take a couple of days, but he is certain he can do it."
Blaine hugged him. "She'll be okay."
"I know," Kurt said with a sigh. "Something has been bothering me since I got the word, though. First that Gregorovich guy kidnaps Alex and takes him over two hundred miles away, and then Santana is found in the same general area. That can't be a coincidence."
Blaine nodded in agreement. "Elle thought so too, and Wes. He's ordered the Swedes to send in teams to search the area on the lowkey. If the Crimson Mongoose is there, they'll find them."
"I just can't help but feel like we're missing something that is right in front of us," the older boy said, sounding frustrated.
"We'll figure it out," Blaine sounded so certain, and Kurt only hoped he was right.
The nagging feeling persisted throughout the briefing.
…
Wille paced his dorm Saturday morning, last night's kiss replaying through his mind on an endless loop. He couldn't believe Simon had kissed him. He couldn't believe he had kissed Simon back.
Simon was an amazing kisser.
Not that Wille had anything to compare it to. He'd never kissed anyone before, male or female. Not a lot of opportunities for kissing when your entire life is a public spectacle. Maybe that was why he felt so confused right now.
With a sigh, Wille dropped down on his bed and pulled out his phone, hitting the first number on his speed dial. He needed to talk to someone about what he was feeling.
He frowned when the fourth ring sounded without being answered. Erik always answered his calls by the third ring at the latest, if not by the second. Even if he was busy, Erik would answer, even if only to say he would call back in a few minutes.
It was finally answered just before it would go to voicemail. "Hello?" The voice sounded like Erik, but Wille had never heard it so cold before.
"Hey, Erik. What's going on?" Wille asked, a bit confused by his brother's behavior.
"I can't really talk right now, I'm busy. Shouldn't you be studying, Wilhelm?"
Wille frowned. Erik never called him Wilhelm unless they were at an official event. "Uh, yeah, I guess so. I'll call you back later."
"I'm really busy, and really can't be disturbed for the foreseeable future. I'll see you on parent's day next weekend."
"Okay, bye-" the call ended before Wille could finish speaking. That was extremely weird. He went into his contacts and chose another number.
"Well hello, cousin!" Jon greeted. "You're calling awfully early. What's up?"
Wille frowned. "Have you talked to Erik today?"
"Not yet, why?"
"I just tried to call him, and he was acting all weird. He was curt and almost rude, and he called me Wilhelm. He was acting like a stranger!"
"Shit!" Jon said. "Where are you?"
"In my dorm. What's going on?"
"Just stay there, Wille. I'm going to send someone to keep an eye on you."
"Wait, Jon! What's going on?"
"Just stay there, Wille!" And for the second time the call was disconnected without warning.
Wille frowned at his phone. What the hell was going on at the palace? He thought about calling Minou, or possibly Malin, but if there was something going on, they would be too distracted to answer. He was trying to decide who else he could call when there was a knock on his door.
He opened it, distractedly, and did a double take when he saw Simon standing there.
"Hi. Can we talk?" the other boy sounded a little nervous to Wille.
"Uh, sure. Come in," Wille said, but the other boy shook his head.
"Not here. Let's go for a walk."
Wille glanced down at his pajama pants that he was still wearing. "Okay, just give me a few minutes to change my clothes."
…
Alex watched the other boy carefully as they each waited to see what the other would do. They had been sparring for the better part of an hour, neither willing to give in. Alex had faced off against adult killers who hadn't been this tough an opponent. Both he and Kurt had landed some good hits and punches, and had each managed to pin the other a few times, but each of them had managed to free themselves with skill. Neither of them seemed to have an advantage over the other, and neither of them showed signs of weakening.
Before either of them could make a move, however, the barn door was flung open and the blonde boy called Jeff rushed in.
"Kurt, Beatz just sent a distress signal from the palace. I tried calling him, but there's no answer. I put a tracer on his phone, and it's on the move, heading west."
"Fuck," Kurt said. "Make sure you let Elle and Wes know. Have both Nicks pack up. Alex, check on Wilhelm."
Alex was already heading for his laptop, even as Jeff acknowledged Kurt and moved out. He accessed the cameras Simon had placed, searching for the younger prince. When he spotted him in his dorm room, talking to Simon, he relaxed a bit. He heard Simon invite Wille for a walk, and watched as the blonde boy gathered clothes and went into the bathroom. Alex sat up straight again when Simon turned to look directly at the camera, a flash of fear on his face as he spoke softly.
"They took Sara. They said if I don't bring them Wille, they will kill her. I'm sorry."
Alex swore in every language he could think of as he rushed to the changing room, Kurt on his heels.
…
Charlie let out a sigh of relief when the girl finally opened her eyes. He'd been worried about taking a short cut with the antidote, using a pre-existing suspension instead of starting from scratch, saving nearly twenty four hours of work. He'd still worked through the night, and had given her the injection shortly after sunrise.
He smiled down at the girl. "Hi, how are you feeling?"
"Like I fell off a cliff, which considering I did, sounds about right. Where am I?"
"G.A.Y.A.S.F. Swedish headquarters. I'm Charlie Spring. You do have some scrapes and bruises from your fall, but nothing serious. You were infected with a bioengineered virus, however. That might have contributed to your fall."
She nodded. "Santana Lopez," she said, introducing herself. "I remember being captured by one of the Crimson Mongoose's men, the older guy with the scars on his face. I was unconscious for most of the journey from London, but when I got to wherever it was they took me, they handed me over to some kid in a lab coat who used me as a guinea pig for his virus."
"Do you have any idea where they held you?"
She shook her head. "Some country estate, I gather. I heard them talk about their 'host,' who ever owned the estate, but I never saw them, and they never gave a name or said where we were."
An alarm sounded then, startling them both, and Charlie stood and went to the door to see what was going on.
"Agent needs back up," one of the teens rushing past in tactical gear replied to Charlie's inquiry. He watched them rush towards the large parking bay where several vehicles were stored, and turned back to the Latina, only to see her struggling to get out of the bed.
"Hey! What do you think you are doing?"
"I need to contact Wes, or Kurt, let them know where I am."
Charlie shook his head and pushed her back down on the bed. "Wes already knows, and so does Kurt. He was very concerned about you, and if he hadn't had to get back to Hillerska, he probably would be here, ordering you to stay put!"
"Hillerska?" She sounded confused. "They mentioned that. Something about all the nobles and rich kids that go there. They plan on sending in one of their dodos to infect all the kids, and hold them for ransom until the parents pay for the antidote. I got the impression this was just a dry run, though. A test to see if their plan will work on a global scale. They are making hundreds of their walking time bombs."
Charlie frowned. "But why use the prince? Why not use a faculty member?"
"Apparently their mysterious host has a grudge against the royal family, though I don't know exactly why."
"You stay here, you are still weak from the fever. I'll tell Kurt what you told me." Charlie started for the door, but Santana called him back.
"Tell Kurt to watch his back. The Crimson Mongoose has it out for him for some reason."
…
Elle paced her office as she listened to Kurt's report.
"We were too late, by the time we got to the school, Simon and Wilhelm had vanished. We questioned a few of the students, but no one had seen either of them. There was no sign of Simon's sister, either. Blaine, Tao, and Isaac are still searching the area. I sent the Nicks and Jeff to follow Beatz's tracker. Alex and I are going to sweep Bjarstad."
"What about the cousin, August? Did you talk to him?" she asked.
"According to one of the older students, August checked out for the weekend early this morning, and is heading home to take care of some business."
Elle paused and turned back to the screen. "Isn't the cousin from Arnas?"
Kurt frowned. "I believe so. Why?"
"Arnas is only thirty minutes from the hospital where Siren was located, and close to where Alex was taken."
"Shit! I knew there was a reason I felt like the answer was staring us in the face!" Kurt cut the transmission, and Elle called for Darcy and Tara.
"I want satellite access stat! I need live images of Arnas. Darcy, is that new drone of yours ready?"
"I was going to run some final tests this afternoon, but I'm confident field testing will be effective."
…
Blaine reached the road at the perimeter of the woods bordering the school. So far there had been no sign of the prince, or a struggle.
He started to turn back to search another quadrant when a noise from down the road caught his attention. Cautiously he moved towards it, staying within the treeline. He found a van that looked like it had swerved off the road, narrowly avoiding the ditch. The front doors were open, and there appeared to be a struggle going on at the back of the vehicle. The back doors were wide open, and one man lay on the ground, apparently unconscious.
Blaine rushed forward when he realized that one of the two people struggling just outside the van was the prince. He pulled his Billy club from his belt and rushed forward, striking the other man over the head, knocking him out.
He clicked his radio on. "Warbler to Blackbird, I have the prince." He turned to Wilhelm to make sure he was alright. "Are you okay?"
The other boy nodded. "My friend is tied up in the van, though!"
Blaine turned to see Simon sprawled on the floor of the van, hands tied behind him, and a gag in his mouth. He climbed inside and gently rolled the boy over to check that he wasn't hurt.
Simon began shaking his head rapidly, and Blaine could see the fear in his eyes as he tried to say something, but the words were garbled. Blaine pulled the gag down so he could speak.
"It's a trap! That's not Wil-" A faint thwump from behind Blaine interrupted the boy, and Blaine felt something jab into his shoulder. Turning in what felt like slow motion, Blaine saw who he thought was the prince lower a dart gun, face impassive as the teen agent lost consciousness.
…
Kurt let out a scream of frustration, and punched the wall beside him. Alex couldn't blame him, although he winced and cupped his own fist in sympathy.
"They blocked our radio transmissions," Tao said. "Darcy is trying to track Blaine's phone, but if they're smart they'll dump it as soon as possible."
"We already know where they are taking them, though," Isaac said. "August is taking them to Arnas."
Kurt shook his head, but Alex spoke first. "Not necessarily. They know we know where they are. If they don't abandon the location and disappear all together, they'll be waiting for us with hostages."
"He's right," Kurt said. "We have to assume the worst when we get to Arnas, be prepared for anything. Have Charlie brought to the location with the antidote, but keep him as far from the action as possible. The rest of us go in with extreme caution."
He looked at Tao. "We need blueprints and the layout of the property. We'll set up a mobile command on the outskirts of the nearest town."
His phone rang as the others scattered to prepare. He glanced at the caller ID before answering.
"Beatz, about time you checked in. What's going on with the Crown Prince?"
Beatz sighed. "It's not good. They must have made the switch at the hospital on Friday. The imposter escaped in Erik's car. I followed, but they lost control on a curve at high speed. The clone is dead, but there were witnesses, and word is already starting to spread that the Crown Prince has died."
"Shit. Try to minimize the fallout as best as you can."
"I'm on it."
Alex looked at the other boy, seeing the worry in his face.
"Blaine will be okay," he said reassuringly.
Kurt just gave him a look, and Alex felt sorry for anyone who dared to lay a finger on Blaine. Kurt had murder in his eyes.