don’t know!’ Scarlet shouted through angry tears.
‘You think because you are children we will not hurt you? X-29 will bring unlimited
riches. A man could live forever on such money. A home in the best suburb. Servants
at his feet. A beautiful wife. Hurting a pair of English children is a small price
to pay for a lifetime of luxury.’
He marched over to Jack, bringing the knife dangerously close to his face. ‘I have
had to live for many years with only one eye,’ he growled. ‘It is sometimes most
difficult. Imagine what it would be like to lose both eyes.’
A gunshot rang out. Then another.
‘Que?’ Carlos said, drawing back from Jack. ‘Qué es esto?’
The door flew open and John Fleming appeared. ‘Drop the knife!’ he ordered.
Carlos raised the shining blade. The gun fired. Taking a single, faltering step,
Carlos grunted and dropped the weapon to the floor, and then collapsed. Fleming went
to one of the man’s pockets, removed a set of keys and had Jack and Scarlet free
in seconds.
‘I’m sorry I took so long,’ he said. ‘I was following in my car, but lost sight of
you.’
‘The other men—’ Jack started.
‘Dead, but more will come. We’ve got to get out of here.’
Scarlet gingerly felt her ragged hairline. ‘That’s the worst haircut I’ve ever had,’
she said, wiping tears from her face. ‘I don’t know what my hairdresser, Mrs Betts,
will say when she sees it.’
‘You’re alive,’ Jack said. ‘That’s the main thing.’
Keeping them close, Fleming led Jack and Scarlet from the room and through to the
next chamber, where Carlos’ companions lay motionless on the ground. Jack and Scarlet
followed Fleming outside. The evening air was cold, but sweet as honey to Jack.
‘We’re free,’ he said to Fleming. ‘Thanks to you.’
‘That’s my job.’ He led them over to a small steamcar, chugging at the side of the
road. ‘Let’s get out of here.’ They piled into the front seat of the car and took
off. ‘Mr Doyle is worried sick about you.’
‘Where is he?’ Jack asked.
‘Back at the hotel.’
Jack glanced back at the factory. No-one was following. He cast a look at Scarlet’s
hair. ‘It doesn’t look too bad,’ he said, tactfully.
‘I’m sure it looks awful. Shame I couldn’t take my hair with me to stick back on.’
Jack thought back to that terrible room, remembering Fleming appearing in the doorway.
He should have felt elated—they were safe—but an odd sensation was slithering about
in the pit of his stomach.
‘What did those men want to know?’ Fleming asked.
‘They were asking us about something called X-29,’ Scarlet replied.
‘X-29? What is it?
‘We don’t know. They wouldn’t believe us.’
‘You must have some idea or Carlos wouldn’t have kidnapped you.’
Scarlet shrugged. ‘We’ve never heard of it, but he mentioned a lab,’ she said. ‘Maybe
it’s some kind of potion.’
Fleming was weaving through the darkened streets. This dilapidated part of town seemed
to be going on forever. ‘Has Mr Doyle mentioned it to you?’ he asked. ‘He must have
said something.’
‘He hasn’t,’ Jack said. ‘Who were those men? Why did they kidnap us?’
‘I believe they are part of an organisation called Domina, an illegal crime syndicate
that specialises in buying new technologies and selling them to the highest bidder.’
‘And X-29 is one of these new technologies?’
‘It would seem so.’ He paused. ‘If you know something about it, you must tell me
now.’
Jack’s stomach twisted. Scarlet was already repeating that she knew nothing, but
her voice was fading to silence.
‘I believe you,’ Fleming said, at last.
‘You knew his name was Carlos,’ Jack murmured.
Fleming turned the vehicle down another darkened alley with old factories lining
both sides. ‘What?’ he said.
‘How did you know his name was Carlos?’
‘You told me his name.’
‘No, we didn’t.’
John Fleming nodded.
‘You think because you are children we will not hurt you? X-29 will bring unlimited
riches. A man could live forever on such money. A home in the best suburb. Servants
at his feet. A beautiful wife. Hurting a pair of English children is a small price
to pay for a lifetime of luxury.’
He marched over to Jack, bringing the knife dangerously close to his face. ‘I have
had to live for many years with only one eye,’ he growled. ‘It is sometimes most
difficult. Imagine what it would be like to lose both eyes.’
A gunshot rang out. Then another.
‘Que?’ Carlos said, drawing back from Jack. ‘Qué es esto?’
The door flew open and John Fleming appeared. ‘Drop the knife!’ he ordered.
Carlos raised the shining blade. The gun fired. Taking a single, faltering step,
Carlos grunted and dropped the weapon to the floor, and then collapsed. Fleming went
to one of the man’s pockets, removed a set of keys and had Jack and Scarlet free
in seconds.
‘I’m sorry I took so long,’ he said. ‘I was following in my car, but lost sight of
you.’
‘The other men—’ Jack started.
‘Dead, but more will come. We’ve got to get out of here.’
Scarlet gingerly felt her ragged hairline. ‘That’s the worst haircut I’ve ever had,’
she said, wiping tears from her face. ‘I don’t know what my hairdresser, Mrs Betts,
will say when she sees it.’
‘You’re alive,’ Jack said. ‘That’s the main thing.’
Keeping them close, Fleming led Jack and Scarlet from the room and through to the
next chamber, where Carlos’ companions lay motionless on the ground. Jack and Scarlet
followed Fleming outside. The evening air was cold, but sweet as honey to Jack.
‘We’re free,’ he said to Fleming. ‘Thanks to you.’
‘That’s my job.’ He led them over to a small steamcar, chugging at the side of the
road. ‘Let’s get out of here.’ They piled into the front seat of the car and took
off. ‘Mr Doyle is worried sick about you.’
‘Where is he?’ Jack asked.
‘Back at the hotel.’
Jack glanced back at the factory. No-one was following. He cast a look at Scarlet’s
hair. ‘It doesn’t look too bad,’ he said, tactfully.
‘I’m sure it looks awful. Shame I couldn’t take my hair with me to stick back on.’
Jack thought back to that terrible room, remembering Fleming appearing in the doorway.
He should have felt elated—they were safe—but an odd sensation was slithering about
in the pit of his stomach.
‘What did those men want to know?’ Fleming asked.
‘They were asking us about something called X-29,’ Scarlet replied.
‘X-29? What is it?
‘We don’t know. They wouldn’t believe us.’
‘You must have some idea or Carlos wouldn’t have kidnapped you.’
Scarlet shrugged. ‘We’ve never heard of it, but he mentioned a lab,’ she said. ‘Maybe
it’s some kind of potion.’
Fleming was weaving through the darkened streets. This dilapidated part of town seemed
to be going on forever. ‘Has Mr Doyle mentioned it to you?’ he asked. ‘He must have
said something.’
‘He hasn’t,’ Jack said. ‘Who were those men? Why did they kidnap us?’
‘I believe they are part of an organisation called Domina, an illegal crime syndicate
that specialises in buying new technologies and selling them to the highest bidder.’
‘And X-29 is one of these new technologies?’
‘It would seem so.’ He paused. ‘If you know something about it, you must tell me
now.’
Jack’s stomach twisted. Scarlet was already repeating that she knew nothing, but
her voice was fading to silence.
‘I believe you,’ Fleming said, at last.
‘You knew his name was Carlos,’ Jack murmured.
Fleming turned the vehicle down another darkened alley with old factories lining
both sides. ‘What?’ he said.
‘How did you know his name was Carlos?’
‘You told me his name.’
‘No, we didn’t.’
John Fleming nodded.
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