Hit Squad by Sophie McKenzie Read Free Book Online

said.
    ‘Okay.’ I turned to Tania. ‘Look at the lantern. Could the other boy do this?’ I pointed my hand at the lamp then lifted my palm slightly, as I’d seen Nico do so
many times. ‘See, I’m not touching the lamp,’ I said.
    On cue, Cal – his hands out of sight – lifted the lantern into the air. From where we were sitting, it did look like the lantern was moving without support . . . that I was
making it happen.
    Tania frowned. ‘You think other boy do this for real?’
    ‘Yes,’ Dylan said excitedly. ‘Did you see him do something like that?’
    ‘No.’ Tania shook her head for emphasis. ‘No, I never seen.’
    Dylan sighed. ‘Maybe they’ve been experimenting on this other boy separately.’
    I nodded, feeling despondent. We were no closer to working out what was going on than before.
    Across the room, Cal set the lantern carefully back down. I wandered over to him. The guards had taken our backpacks before shoving us into this cell. All our food and drink were inside them and
I was hungry and thirsty, as well as freezing cold.
    ‘We have to get out of here,’ I said.
    ‘I know.’ Cal moved closer to me. ‘I’ve got an idea but . . .’ He hesitated. ‘It’ll mean all of us working together.’
    ‘We can do that,’ I said. ‘What’s the idea?’
    ‘Attack Broken Nose when he comes back,’ Cal said. ‘I know it’s obvious, but it’s our only option. I can’t see another way of getting past the locked door
– once we’re through, we just need to hide out for a bit then our powers will come back and I can fly us out of here.’
    ‘What about Ed and Nico . . . and this boy they’ve been using the Medusix on?’ I said.
    ‘I’ll come back for them,’ Cal said. ‘I think we can do this . . .’ He moved nearer to me again. ‘You know, you and I are good together, Ketty . .
.’
    I was suddenly aware of just how close he was standing. I gulped. I liked Cal. I’d liked him as soon as I’d met him, but I didn’t think of him in that way.
    I wanted to move across the cell. After all, Broken Nose could come back any second. We needed to get the others ready. But there was something about Cal’s presence that held me where I
stood.
    What about Nico? I said to myself. Truth was, right now I wasn’t sure where things stood with Nico. He’d been distant and critical since we’d left the ranch in
Australia. And before then I’d hated the way he’d pretended he liked Amy, acting all flirty with her just because he liked the attention.
    I looked up at Cal. He would never behave like that to get a girl to notice him. I mean, there was something a bit reckless about him . . . a dangerous edge even, but he was definitely steadier
than Nico. More . . . dependable.
    Cal was gazing down at me. He was still standing very close. I took a step back. Turned round. Dylan was watching us. She raised her eyebrows at me.
    ‘What?’ I said, more forcefully than I meant to. ‘Cal has a plan. Listen.’
    We beckoned Tania, then Cal went through the detail of what he thought we should do.
    About two hours passed. Medutox was obviously being released into the room from somewhere, because none of our powers came back. I could feel the odourless mist on my face and clutching at the
back of my throat.
    We didn’t talk much. I couldn’t stop worrying about Nico and Ed – and whether Cal’s plan would work. At last footsteps sounded along the stone corridor outside. I peered
through the thick reinforced glass panel at the top of the door. Broken Nose was heading towards us. Cal leaped up, his body tensed for action.
    ‘Get ready,’ I hissed. ‘This is it.’

8: The Lake
    ‘Okay?’ Cal whispered.
    ‘Yes.’ I glanced round. Dylan was, as arranged, lying curled up on the floor across the cell from the door. The lantern stood beside her, creating dark shadows across her face. Cal
and I waited on either side of the door. Tania huddled behind Cal.
    Broken Nose wouldn’t be able to