Chapters (25)
‘One of them hit Jack in the head with the butt of his gun.’ He heard the edge of panic in his voice. ‘I don’t know what state he’s in. He’s definitely unconscious. He … he might even be dead – he fell heavily off the stage. A Chinese girl is on the stage now. She’s talking to the main guy. I think she’s trying to collaborate with the terrorists. You know, offer to help them in return for saving her own skin. I mean, it’s stupid, because obviously they won’t let her go. She’s going to end up dead like the rest of us.’ The panic in his voice had increased.
Silence.
‘Hector?’
The Chinese girl was stepping down from the stage. She started to walk around the dining hall with an air of authority. Wherever she went, children fell silent and looked at the ground. But one child, crouching very close to where Jack had fallen, cried out, ‘His nose is bleeding! Look! He’s not breathing! I think he’s dead!’
T1 shouted at the kid to be quiet. Max barely heard. The room was spinning. Again he wanted to vomit. Could Jack really be dead? Was that the fate that awaited them all? He was weak with fear.
‘Hector! What do we do?’
No reply.
‘Woody? Angel? Can anyone hear me?’
A wave of desperation overcame him. There was nothing he could do. There was nothing any of them could do.
‘This is hopeless,’ he whispered into the comms. He felt a moment of sudden anger. ‘What were any of you even thinking?’ he hissed at the silent Watcher. ‘Sending a bunch of kids into a situation like this to save the day? We’re going to die just like all the others. The whole place is booby-trapped. There are sixteen armed terrorists. Eight of them are wearing suicide vests. It’s obvious what they’re doing, isn’t it? They’re just waiting for an assault. And we’re not superheroes or something. We’re just a bunch of kids.’ He drew a deep, shaky breath. ‘Special Forces Cadets?’ he spat dismissively. ‘We’re just a bunch of kids who are going to die, and it’s all your fault.’
There was silence over the comms.
‘Hector? Are you even there?’ He looked up. The other recruits on the stage were a picture of terror. Even Lukas’s eyes were wild. None of them could take their eyes off Jack. Max had the impression they were all feeling the same way as him.
– Have you quite finished?
Hector’s voice was very calm. Max didn’t reply. He couldn’t, because T6 was approaching again.
– Good. Then my advice is to shut up and listen. I’ve got something to tell you all.