The belts around Betsy’s chest began to fray as she struggled to free herself. Extolziby grabbed the gas mask, ready to put her back under, but Talura put out a hand to stop him.
‘We can’t leave them with Magellan. He could kill them.’
‘Lies,’ shouted Betsy, as Joe’s eyes opened. ‘He saved us.’
‘We have to get out of here, Talura,’ Extolziby protested. His mouth was dry with fear. He might have been able to stop Betsy and Joe before but not now. He tried to concentrate but it was still no use. It was as if someone had switched off the power in his head. Not only did he feel like a normal boy again, he also had a blinding headache, and the bright operating theatre wasn’t making it any better.
Talura walked over to Betsy and stood over her. ‘You remember me, Betsy?’
Betsy nodded, slightly calmer now.
‘Magellan was using you both,’ Talura said. ‘Look at where you are. He was about to operate on you and Joe.’
Betsy shook her head violently from side to side. ‘He was helping us.’
On the next operating table, Joe had begun to strain against the belts holding him down.
‘The only person he was trying to help was himself, Betsy. He was using you and Joe,’ Talura shouted, her voice echoing off the tiled walls.
Betsy’s lips puckered and, for the briefest moment, Extolziby thought that perhaps Talura had got through to her. She looked as if she was about to cry. Instead she spat straight at Talura’s face. ‘You’re just saying that because he can’t help you, Monster-face,’ she shrieked.
Super-strength or not, Extolziby knew that he had to get Talura out of there now. People said that sticks and stones could break your bones. That was true. But the part about words can never hurt you wasn’t. Words could do more damage than sticks or stones, especially if the person had a good, open heart, like Talura.
Extolziby dropped the mask and grabbed Talura by the elbow as she wiped the spit off her face with the back of her other hand. Betsy had wrestled off the belts around her chest and was sitting up. They had seconds rather than minutes. She flailed her arms as Extolziby pulled Talura out of range. Joe was thrashing around on the operating table too. He was only a minute behind Betsy in his efforts to break free.
‘If we stay here,’ Extolziby said to Talura, ‘we’re finished. They can leave or stay. It’s up to them. You’ve tried to warn them. You’ve done all you can.’
Talura looked from him back to the others. He could tell that he was getting through to her. Betsy was fumbling with the leg restraints now.
Extolziby pulled Talura towards the narrow staircase. She started to move. He looked back at the gas canister. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to put Betsy back under now. There was only one thing for it. They had to run.
He grabbed Talura’s hand and dragged her towards the bottom of the stairs. As she put her foot on the bottom step, she stopped dead. ‘We can’t leave.’
He was about to lose patience completely. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘The doors, X. They’re programmed to recognize their fingerprints, not ours. They won’t open for us.’
Extolziby’s heart sank into his boots. He stopped and turned around. He dragged Talura with him.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked.
‘Help me, would you?’ said Extolziby, hooking his hands under Magellan’s armpits. ‘Grab his feet.’
For once, Talura didn’t argue.
‘Okay,’ said Extolziby. ‘On the count of three.’
He glanced at Betsy, who was struggling with the belts around her feet. They were tied under the table and she couldn’t reach. She had given up and was trying to pull her right leg out from under them.
‘One,’ said Extolziby. He braced himself, bending his knees. ‘Two.’
‘Concentrate, X,’ said Talura.
‘That doesn’t work any more, Talura. Remember?’
‘Just try,’ said Talura.
‘Three,’ said Extolziby.
They both heaved Magellan up off the ground. A second later, Extolziby began to lose his grip. His knees buckled and he dropped him back onto the floor. Magellan’s head thumped against the wall.
It was no use, he thought. Joe was shouting at them now as he did his best to break through the belts holding him down: ‘Now we’ll see who the Alpha is, you little runt.’
‘We’re going to tear you and your girlfriend into little pieces and feed you to the pigeons in Trafalgar Square,’ shrieked Betsy.
‘You have to concentrate, X,’ Talura shouted, over the din, as Betsy flung out an arm in frustration and sent a metal tray of medical instruments clattering to the floor.
‘I tried,’ said Extolziby, tears of frustration welling in his eyes. It was bad enough that he was going to die, but Talura as well! They were trapped.
‘X!’ snapped Talura. ‘Try harder. Count of three. One.’
Extolziby grabbed Magellan again.
‘Two.’ As Talura grabbed his feet, her face reddening with the effort, Extolziby began to pray. He wasn’t sure who he was praying to or what he was praying for exactly strength maybe? but he prayed, focused and concentrated harder than he ever had.
‘Three!’ Talura shouted, with a grunt worthy of a tennis player.
From some deep, dark recess of his mind, Extolziby felt something click back into place. Barnaby Magellan lifted from the floor like a bag of feathers. Power surged back through Extolziby as he backed towards the stairs, taking as much of the weight as the man’s bulky, awkward shape would allow.
Betsy was slamming her head against the back of the trolley now in rage. Joe was still shouting threats. Extolziby backed as fast as he could up the stairs.
As he stepped into the main room, he asked Talura to let go of Magellan’s feet. She did so. Extolziby half lifted, half dragged Magellan towards the door.
‘You grab his hand,’ he instructed Talura, who seemed too panicked at the noises coming from downstairs and their need to get out to notice the return of Extolziby’s powers. ‘Hold it up to the panel.’
Talura grasped Magellan’s hand and, for a horrifying second, it closed around hers. She shrieked in surprise.
‘Don’t worry, I’ll snap his neck if I have to,’ said Extolziby.
Magellan’s hand relaxed again and Talura pressed his fingers against the sensor in the panel. Extolziby reached around with one hand and held open his right eye so that the iris scanner would pick it up.
The door slid open as, from down below, they heard feet land on the floor. Betsy, thought Extolziby. She had finally wriggled free. He heard her walking across to Joe.
Talura stepped through the door and into the hallway. Extolziby followed, dragging Magellan with him. Ahead of them was the lift that would take them down to the lobby. Talura hit the button as Joe and Betsy’s threats echoed through the flat.
Everything was still super-sharp to Extolziby. He had no idea what had happened to change him again. His prayers? The power of his mind? There would be time to think about it later.
There was a ping from the lift. At the end of the corridor, the door they had just dragged Magellan through slid open.
Extolziby hauled Magellan into the lift. Talura stared at him. ‘What are you bringing him with us for?’
‘We’ll need him. You’ll see.’
She stepped inside and hit the button for the lobby. The lift doors didn’t move.
‘His hand,’ Extolziby shouted. ‘The panel.’
Next to the lift buttons there was another sensor panel. At the end of the corridor, Extolziby saw Betsy squeezing through the door as it opened. Joe was behind her, holding the scalpel. ‘Come here, you freaks,’ he shouted, waving the tiny blade.
Talura grabbed Magellan’s hand and pressed his fingers flat against the sensor as Extolziby prised open his eyelid. The doors began to move as Betsy and Joe raced down the corridor towards them.
The lift doors kept closing. They were almost shut but Betsy and Joe were only a few steps away. Betsy shoved a hand through a gap in the exterior doors but the inside ones had already closed. The lift began its descent.
Talura slumped against the back of the lift with relief.
‘When we get down there,’ said Extolziby, ‘let me do the talking.’
Talura rolled her eyes. ‘Are you for real? With that accent? No one will know what you’re saying.’
‘I don’t have an accent,’ said Extolziby.
‘You SO have an accent,’ said Talura.
‘It doesn’t matter anyway. If they don’t understand me, that’s all the better.’
Talura smirked at him, which made Extolziby feel instantly better. The Talura he knew and loved, the sarcastic girl with the heart of gold, was back. ‘This I gotta see,’ said Talura, as the doors into the lobby opened and they were met by two very stern-looking black-jacketed security guards.