Eye of the Storm by Mark Robson Read Free Book Online Page A

casually, Niamh let Tony lead the way along Duval and off into a side street. Even though her ankle was throbbing with pain and her shoulder felt like it was on fire, she
felt lighter than air as he guided and supported her. Reunited with Tony, her confidence soared and suddenly she felt more positive about making progress with her search for Callum and Sam. If
anyone could help her, it would be Tony and his sister.

CHAPTER FIVE
    The roof of the school was neither flat nor sloping, but almost like a scaled-down landscape with rolling hills and an occasional steeper mountain peak. As Sam emerged out
through the forced panel and on to the roof, he noted that the shapes of the geodesic panelling here were every bit as irregular as they were on the walls. There was a strange sense of strength
about the irregularity. All of the panels seemed to fit together in an elaborate three-dimensional jigsaw that, while strange to the eye, gave an impression of solidity.
    Einstein and Newton had taken the lead again and were bounding over the lumps and bumps of the roof surface, their claws clicking against the panels with every leap. Sam followed as closely
behind as he could, but with more care and stealth. When he caught up with the raptors, he held back from the edge, as there was no safety rail. Raptors, it seemed, had no use for such features.
Nor, apparently, did they fear heights. Einstein prowled along the very edge of the roof with no regard to the deadly drop. His concentration appeared set on the gulf between this rooftop and that
of their target. Turning, he beckoned to Nipper and Grunt, who were approaching with the heavy bags of equipment. They wasted no time. Within a matter of seconds, an impressive frame was slotting
together, each pole sliding into place with a reassuring clunk.
    ‘Blimey!’ Callum gasped. ‘Look at them go!’
    Einstein lifted out the special, heavy-duty crossbow contraption and slotted the bolt in place. Laying out a coil of
lightweight rope, he passed the end to Claire, who tied it off on one of the crossbars of the frame that was still under construction with a self-tightening knot. Sam watched her work and noted
that she kept her eyes averted from the edge of the building throughout.
    Einstein hefted the crossbow up to his shoulder and took aim. Angling the bolt high above the target roof, he fired. There was a loud thunk and a whizzzzzzz as rope fizzed out of
the coil in a high arcing snake towards the roof of the Imperium laboratories.
    Sam held his breath as it went. The bolt would have to penetrate the surface of one of the panels on the opposite roof, to give the grapples a suitable hold, as the smooth surface of the tightly
interlocking plates offered no suitable grip. But what if it didn’t break through as the raptors said it would? He needn’t have worried. Einstein knew exactly what he was doing. He and
Newton had done their calculations perfectly. The metallic torpedo punched downwards and smacked through the neighbouring rooftop, puncturing a panel with a clean entry hole. Whether by luck, or by
exceptionally good shooting, Sam didn’t know, but the grapple pierced one of the highest points of the roof.
    Einstein turned and fired a quick sequence of clicks and growls at Newton, who replied with a short grumbling answer.
    Claire placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.
    ‘What did they say?’ Sam asked.
    ‘Einstein asked Newton if it mattered that the entry hole was close to the edge of a panel,’ his mother said, looking thoughtful. ‘And the nearest translation I can give to
Newton’s response is: Who knows? Ask me one on apples.’
    ‘A raptor with a human sense of humour!’ Callum sniggered. ‘I think I’m going to like him.’
    ‘Way to fill me with confidence!’ Sam complained. ‘Are you sure these raptors know what they’re doing?’
    ‘Don’t worry, son,’ Claire soothed. ‘You won’t be going first and the raptors are heavier than you.