The Unleashed Page 3

Daniel watched the brothers stare at each other. Matthew rubbed the stubble on his chin.

  “It was the only way I could get out of the GEM without being executed,” he answered. “She’s not going to hurt her––”

  “You don’t know what she’s capable of,” Jonathon interrupted. “You know nothing about her.”

  “I know she’s had ten years to harm Mina and hasn’t.”

  “What about the Enforcers in Area 14? The ones who tried to kill her?” Jonathon snapped.

  “They were Murgatroyd’s, not Anna’s. I know this is hard. Look, I’ve spent some time with her at the GEM and I’ve got to know her better. She just wants a chance to get to know her daughter.” Matthew held his hands out towards Jonathon, pleading with him. “She hasn’t brought any Enforcers with her. She’s come alone at her own danger, just to see her. Just to see you. I swear it, Jonny, I wouldn’t have brought her here if it would put Mina in danger.”

  “Listen te yeself.” Ali made a scoffing sound. “Yer not the Matthew I know. The Matthew I know wouldnae bring some GEM scientist te the Compound. Ye’ve put us all at risk.” He glared at Matthew. Daniel had never seen him so angry.

  “Would you prefer me dead, Ali?”

  “Ye know the answer te that.” Ali’s voice softened. “But there had te be another way. Ye know I would’ve come fer ye if I thought ye were alive.”

  “But you didn’t.”

  Matthew met Ali’s eyes and held his stare. The air around them almost buzzed with the electricity of unspoken words.

  “The fact is: Anna’s here and Mina has found out in the worst possible way. I don’t think she’ll ever trust me again,” Jonathon said. He sighed and removed his glasses to rub his eyes. They were red and puffy. “There’s only one person who can help her now. One person she might listen to.” He tilted his head in Daniel’s direction and raised his eyebrows. It took Daniel a few moments to realise what he meant.

  “Me?” said Daniel. His eyes widened. “Mina never listens to me! She just does whatever she wants to do.” He shrugged and dug his heel into the ground, trying to avoid the sudden attention of the others.

  “He’s right, lad. The kid’ll listen te ye more than us. I just dinnae know what ye make of all this. It’s an effin’ mess.” Ali kicked a stone from the path and shoved his hands in his pockets.

  “Don’t say that, Al.” Matthew put his hand on Ali’s jacket, but it was shrugged away.

  Ali glared at Matthew one more time before walking away. Matthew stared after him.

  “So, what are we going to do now?” Matthew said, tearing his eyes away from Ali’s disappearing figure.

  “There’s a leader here whom I trust very much. Mary should speak to Anna and tell her the way we do things here. I trust Mary will want her under observation so we can see if she’s a threat or not.”

  “Okay, that’s fair. I’m with you on that one, brother.” He paused. “I actually have some business here too. Did someone called Sebastian Cole arrive in the Compound?”

  “Yes,” Daniel said. “He’s in the barn recovering from the battle.” He couldn’t imagine why Matthew would want to know about Sebastian.

  “I ran into his father on the way here,” Matthew clarified.

  “That’s good news, isn’t it? Sebastian will want to know his family are safe. They are safe aren’t they?” Daniel asked.

  “His father is. I don’t know about the rest of his family though, he didn’t mention them. I should go and talk to Sebastian. Are you all right, Jonny?”

  The Professor met his brother’s gaze and held it. “I’m fine. Matthew, you should know I’m thankful you’re safe. I’m sorry… I put so much responsibility in your hands. When I saw Anna I… I blamed you and I shouldn’t have. This has all been my making.” He tried to smile, and it came across as half-hearted and resigned. It didn’t reach his eyes. “Everything is my fault, Matthew. I don’t want any of this to rest on your conscience.”

  “Jonny––” Matthew stepped forward with his arms outstretched, but then stopped and dropped them. “Jonny, don’t be so hard on yourself.”

  “Everythin’ all right here? Mike told me a car arrived with two people.” Mary strode down the path with her arms folded. She nodded at Matthew. “Ah know you. Ali didnae stop talkin’ about ye after ye left last time.” The two of them clasped hands.

  “Matthew is my brother,” Jonathon explained. “He’s escaped from the GEM and has brought Mina’s mother with him.”

  Mary stepped back from Matthew and placed her hands on her hips. “Mina’s mother. What ye on about? The lass has been talkin’ about her mother as if she were dead.”

  Jonathon had some trouble meeting Mary’s eyes. “It’s a very long story. I regret to say that Anna’s arrival is not a happy one. I’ve spent ten years trying to keep Mina away from her mother. Unfortunately, the time has come for the two of them to meet. The thing is – Anna has worked in the Ministry for around sixteen years. She’s a very talented scientist and someone they consider extremely valuable. Whether she intends to be or not, I think Anna is dangerous.”

  “Ye think they’ll come fer her?” Mary asked. “We havenae any way of stopping them if they dae.”

  “We’ll protect everyone,” Daniel said. “Mina can disarm.”

  “But not without cost,” said Jonathon. “She was out cold for days last time. Besides, we don’t know who Mina would side with if it came down to it. As far as she’s concerned her mother is back from the dead. It’s a miracle for her. A disaster for the rest of us. We have to tread carefully.”

  “I know where this is going and no,” Daniel said, surprising himself with his stern words. “You aren’t going to deceive her again. You’ve lied to her for too long. That’s why she’s turned against you now. If you keep lying to her you’ll just push her away. I won’t be part of that.”

  “Daniel’s right. Mina’s angry. Doing anything hasty will only make things worse. We have to be open and honest with her now,” Matthew added.

  “Well there’s one way for things to be brought into the open,” said Daniel. “Why don’t we get Hiro to talk to Anna? He’ll soon find out if she’s hiding something.”

  “Who’s Hiro?” Matthew asked.

  Mary rocked back and forth on her heels. “Ah dinnae know lad. Hiro is a grand laddie but that’s an invasion o’privacy. She’d have te consent to it. Maybe we should start with me havin’ a wee chat with her and take it from there, eh.”

  “It’s something to think about though,” said Jonathon.

  *

  Daniel wandered through the Compound. His hands bumped against his body as his arms swayed loosely. It was a warm morning, and the Compounders rallied round; they helped each other clear the rubble from the castle and checked trailers for fire damage.

  He stopped when he heard voices from behind a trailer. Mary’s deep Scottish lilt came loud and clear. But he had to move closer to hear the second voice.

  “I know you’re the leader of this place, and I want you to know that there’s really no need for this,” said a woman’s voice. It had a velvet tone, and she pronounced everything in the same posh way the GEMs did in Area 14. Daniel knew immediately that it was Anna – Mina’s mother. “It wasn’t at all fair to pull me away from the first conversation I’d had with my daughter in ten years.”

  “Ah’ve got a group o’people te protect here, so dinnae go makin’ me feel any pity fer ye. There are more important things at stake than yer family life, Ms Hart.”

  “It’s Anna.”

  “Well, Ms Hart. Ah just wanted te come speak te ye, find out yer intentions.”

  “What do you mean by intentions?”

  Daniel pushed himself closer to the trailer. The two women stood just a few feet away on the other side, out of sight. He wanted to see Anna’s face – try and work out if she told the truth – but it would mean revealing himself.

  “Well, are ye here te stay? Passin’ through? Or are ye here for a reason––�
��

  “You mean apart from seeing my daughter for the first time in a decade?” She made a guttural noise of disgust. “As if that isn’t enough of a reason.”

  “Nae listen here, Ms Hart. Ah’ve got a community te watch over, an’ that includes yer daughter. Ah dinnae know ye from Adam. All ah know is that yer a GEM worker an’ the Prof has been hiding Mina away from yer.” Anna tried to interrupt, but Mary ploughed on, ignoring her. “Nae, ah know the Prof better than ah know you. So fer nae, yer on ma radar. Ah’m watchin’ ye closely. We’ve all become very fond of yer daughter.” Again, Daniel heard Anna clear her throat to interrupt, and Mary raised her voice. “An’ we dinnae want anythin’ te happen te her. We’ll be protectin’ her te the last, whether ye her mother or not. Nae, ah’ll let ye catch up with yer daughter. Just remember ma words, because they’re a promise, love. An’ ah never break ma promises.”

  A silence lingered between the two women. “Are you threatening me?” Anna said with venom in her voice.

  “A promise, like ah said.” Mary whistled loudly, and Daniel peeked around the trailer, just enough to see one of the soldiers stride towards them. “This here is Dave, an’ he’s gunnae be lookin’ after ye while ye stay wi’ us. Ah hope ye enjoy ye time in the Compound, Ms Hart. Ah’m sure Dave is gunnae make it a pleasant visit.”

  Anne scrutinized Dave with a sour expression on her face. “You expect me to allow this man to follow my every move?”

  “Ah thought ye daughter was ye priority, Ms Hart? Ah’d imagine seein’ her an’ spendin’ time wi’ her will make up for it, eh?” Mary grinned.

  “Okay.” Anna’s voiced changed to dripping honey. “That’s perfectly acceptable. Now, listen, I have an idea, Mary – one which I think will suit everyone. My arrival in the Compound has upset a lot of people for no good reason. You seem to fear me and my employers. Well, I’d like a chance to prove myself if you’d be so kind as to give me such an opportunity.”

  “An’ just how de ye propose te do that, eh?” Mary asked with raised eyebrows.

  “I think that a welcome meal might do the trick. I took the liberty of bringing some provisions with me for the trip. I have a portable freezer pack filled with steaks. If I remove them now, they’ll be defrosted and ready for tonight. I’m sure we can gather a few people to enjoy the steaks. Don’t you agree?”

  “Or mebbe ah should take them an’ share them out amongst ma people,” said Mary.

  “A dozen steaks shared between what, over a hundred people? That’s barely a mouthful each. How do you suppose to even begin that sort of rationing?” Anna’s eyes narrowed when Mary didn’t reply. “Well, that’s sorted then. Shall we say 8pm? I have wine too. Do you have a venue?”

  There’s a room in the farmhouse tha’s no’ blown te smithereens.”

  “It’s a date.”

  5 ~ Mina ~

  Waiting is cruel, and goodness knows I’d done enough waiting already. When Mary took Mum away from me it felt like hours. And when she came back the sun seemed brighter and warmer… until I saw the soldier walking behind her.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  “Meet Dave,” Mum said. Her lips pursed, and she rolled her eyes. “I’m not to be trusted, apparently. This fine gentleman is going to be following us wherever we go.” She shrugged. “He doesn’t say much. Now, shall we go for a walk? Show me the Compound.”

  “Sure.” Mum took my arm, and I directed us towards the gravel path winding through the Compound. There was an uneasy feeling at the pit of my stomach, and I glanced at Dave, just a few steps behind us. If Mary refused to trust Mum maybe I shouldn’t either. I just hated to think like that. She’d come back to me, and I wanted to love her again.

  “So much has been destroyed, Mina.” She reached out and touched my arm. “It must have been a terrible battle. Did you lose friends?”

  We stepped around broken trailers and debris, moving closer to the ruins of the old Scottish castle. Compounders worked in the rubble to salvage what they could. “No. Many people died though. I just wish I could’ve stopped it sooner.”

  “You stopped it? On your own?”

  The blood rushed to my cheeks. I’d said too much now, letting my mouth run away with me. What did she know about my powers?

  “Well, no, what I meant to say was––”

  A yell cut me off, and I twisted around to see stones crumbling from the old tower wall and tumble on top of the workers in the Compound. I raised my hands, catching some of the stones with my mind and throwing them far away. I was a fraction too late. The stones caught two men and trapped them beneath large boulders from the castle.

  “Did you just do that?” Mum breathed.

  I ignored her. Instead, I set off at a run towards the barn. The boulders were too heavy for me to lift alone. What I needed was a boost from the other Freaks.

  Hiro I need you.

  Daniel rushed out of the barn. “I heard a shout. What’s happened?”

  “There’s been an accident, come quickly.” We rounded up the other Freaks and moved back to the scene of the accident. Mary ushered people away from the castle walls.

  “Help them!” screamed a woman. Two men held her back. “My son!”

  “I can hear them,” Hiro said. “They’re unconscious. I see their dreams in my mind.”

  Mum watched us with wide eyes. She didn’t say anything but stayed close to us. There wasn’t any point in keeping secrets from her now.

  “Take my hands,” I said. We formed a circle. A crowd gathered around us, including Matthew, Dad and Ali. We all closed our eyes to focus. “Everyone stay back away from the castle. I’m going to shift the stones.”

  Daniel’s hand squeezed mine and I fed on his power, letting the tingle in my hands spread heat up my body. In my mind, I saw the Compound with the rubble of the castle spreading onto the grass. I saw the heaps of massive boulders trapping the men, and I focussed all the heat from my power on them. Using my mind’s eye I moved each of the huge stones, shifting them to the side. I thought of them placed neatly; stacked away from the prisoners underneath.

  “One’s awake. Be careful, Mina, his arm is trapped,” Hiro said.

  I worked systematically to move the stones. First the top layer, being careful not to let the rocks implode on top of the men caught beneath, and then onto the second layer.

  “They’re frightened,” Mike said. “I can smell it.”

  A stone shifted, and it knocked others out of place, causing some to crumble to the floor. The crowd gasped and I heard a yelp coming from the rubble.

  “Careful, Mina,” Kitty warned.

  “I know,” I muttered. I focussed again, and the power seared through my mind. With another surge of energy, I lifted the top boulders and threw them aside. Then I pushed the surrounding stones away, leaving the two men lying on the rubble, bewildered and hurt. The older woman rushed forward to tend to her son. Mary and Nurse Susan helped the two men, who seemed more disorientated than hurt, and I let go of Daniel and Hiro’s hands. I staggered backwards a little and Daniel caught me.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  The sight of his sea-coloured eyes brought me back from the fog following the use of my power. I’d forgotten how beautiful they were. “Yeah. Yeah I’m fine. I just need to sit down for a moment.”

  Both Mum and Dad bustled through the crowd, racing towards me. Mum reached me first and took hold of my arm, moving me away from Daniel.

  “Mina, that was extraordinary. Are you all right, sweetheart?” She brushed the hair from my sweaty forehead.

  “I’m fine. It just takes a lot out of me.”

  Dad stood awkwardly away from the others. I glanced at him but didn’t say anything. What was there to say to a man who’d lied for ten years?

  Mum gestured to Daniel and the others. “You all helped her. How did you do that?”

  Daniel’s eyes narrowed and he shifted from one foot to the other. He glanced at Hiro with a questioning expression. Didn’t
he trust her? None of the others answered; instead they avoided her eye contact.

  “That’s okay,” Mum said. “I have plenty of time to get to know everyone. I’ll meet you properly tonight. Mary has been so kind to arrange a welcome dinner for me, and I’d love for you all to come. In the meantime, I think Mina needs some rest.”

  “Do you want to come back to the barn to rest?” Daniel asked, moving closer.

  Mum walked a few steps away and waited. I glanced from her and back to Daniel. “I’m going to go with her. There are so many things I need to know.”

  “Okay,” he said. “I understand. Just be careful.” He kissed me briefly on the mouth. When he moved away his eyes became thunderstorms, and my heart panged. I saw the unspoken questions in his darkening eyes. He hesitated, with his lips twitching as though about to speak and I stepped towards him, eager to know his thoughts. He just shook his head and left with his fists clenched by his sides. I knew from the way he left that I’d hurt him by choosing Mum. I just needed time with her. He could give me time.

  *

  That afternoon we tidied the farmhouse and searched for undamaged crockery. Mum giggled at Dave’s big gormless face as he stood staring at us like a statue. She showed me how to set the table and how to prepare a cold dressing for the meat.

  I put all of my worries in a box. Thoughts of the GEM faded away as I concentrated on getting to know my long lost mother.

  “So who are those people?” she asked as we laid a scorched table cloth onto the battered old table in the farmhouse dining room. “The ones that helped you with your powers? I mean, I know about your powers, I have since you were a little girl. You used your powers back then, too.”

  “Really? I thought it only began when I started school.”

  “Oh no, right from when you were a baby. Whenever you wanted milk you just reached out and moved the bottle right into your hand.”

  “Dad never told me.” I paused with a fork and spoon in my hand, ready to put in place. “But then he kept so much from me.”

  “Honey, the people? You know, like your friend Daniel?” She raised her eyebrows expectantly.