And the World Changes by A M Kirk (classic books for 12 year olds .TXT) 📕

her at the house. His hand slipped to the handbrake and gently disengaged it.
“I’m a great fan of eighties music, Al, and did you know – school’s out for summer!” With sudden fury, Carrie frantically tried to open the passenger door, but found it locked. At the same moment Ann came running to the door an expression of wild panic on her face. “Carrie! Get out of the car! He’s – “
The engine revved and the Jeep pulled away, blue light still flashing as if in mockery. Ann Jenkins impotently watched her daughter being driven away. She saw Carrie’s hands bang on the car windows, and dimly heard her screams.
Carrie was just about to turn round to start kicking and scratching her abductor when she felt a painful jab in her right shoulder. Almost at once the arm lost all feeling and the drug spread quickly through her system. In seconds the fight went out of her, and a few moments more, hardly before the Jeep turned the corner out of her street, she was unconscious, slumped against the passenger door.
Ann Jenkins stood shouting her daughter’s name, until the More family across the road became alarmed and started to appear round the side of their house to find out what was wrong. The kids had stopped their skateboarding. Alicia had dropped her viola case and stood open-mouthed in astonishment.
Abruptly Ann turned and ran back into the kitchen where her husband lay insensible on the parquet flooring bleeding from a head wound.
With the unconscious girl collapsed in the seat beside him, Henderson turned Logan’s vehicle into Stirling Boulevard and began to accelerate towards the castle in the distance.
The witnesses, Alicia, the Mores, the skateboarders suddenly roused themselves from their stunned immobility and ran in their several directions to summon assistance or provide what help they could to the screaming mother.


21 Magic

Aaron Miller had the kind of open, knowledgeable face that inspired confidence and trust. Mark found himself responding to the General’s manner. It was difficult to conceive that this man with his easy way and informal tone was one of the most important men in Britain. He sat in one of the easy chairs opposite Mark, while Roberts sat on the edge of the bed.
“Mark, I’m going to record what we say here, if you don’t mind.”
Mark shrugged. “That’s okay,” he said.
“Thank you.” Miller gestured to Lucas who touched a small circle on his lapel. Mark knew without being told that this was miniature camera and the signal was being transmitted to and recorded in another location. “Now, first let me tell you that I’m sorry about your mother. We’re moving heaven and earth to find her. We have MI5 working with the CIS and you can rest assured –“
“It’s all right,” said Mark. “My mum will be all right.”
Miller raised his eyebrows. “How do you know that?”
Mark ran a hand through his hair. “I ‘m not a hundred per cent sure yet about a lot of things, but I just know some stuff. I’ve always had hunches and feelings, but this is more. I know.”
“Is it anything to do with the dreams you’ve been having?” asked Roberts, and in answer to Mark’s enquiring glance, added, “I read the notes you made at the Bridge of Orchy hotel. I’ve mentioned them to General Miller.”
“That’s why I’m interested in you, Mark,” said Miller. “Is it through dreams you get your knowledge?”
“No – some – I’m not entirely sure. But I know my mother will be all right. It’s me they’re after.”
“Who? The Human Freedom League?” asked Miller.
“No, not them,” replied Mark. “The Soros. You know that’s who
I meant.”
The General nodded and leaned back in his chair. “You realize the significance of what you’re suggesting.”
“No. I don’t know what it means. But they’re playing some kind of game with me. There’s more to it than you think.”
Again Miller raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Oh?” After a moment of silence, in which Mark looked down at the table between them, he added, “What?”
Mark regarded the General levelly for a second. “You know the Soros have another ship, don’t you?”
“What do you know about that?” Miller’s smile stayed in place but all warmth went right out of it.
“It’s located somewhere over the North Pole,” said Mark. “It’s interfering with satellites.”
Miller exchanged a worried glance with Roberts. “That’s very interesting, Mark.” There was absolutely no way this fifteen year old could know anything about this. Even Roberts didn’t know.
Mark said nothing. He looked at the surface of the table. Teak formica. Plastic. He recalled a physics lesson from school, his third year. Something to do with “cohesion”. How had old McAllister described it? “…the forces within the molecules that hold a thing together…the force of attraction between adjacent particles in the same body…”
Miller leaned forward encouragingly. “What do you think is going on, Mark?”
Mark began to wonder… but he did not reply. He seemed to be paying no attention at all to the question.
Miller went on: “The Soros suggested to me that there was some kind of terrorist link… And I know about your father…”
“…the force of attraction…” thought Mark. He placed his hand flat on the table.
“… but I think we can rule out any real terrorist connection there. That was all a long time ago, after all, and what with the accident…”
If I just push –
Mark pushed his hand on the surface of the table.
Nothing happened.
The General sat back . “Mark, if you don’t mind, can we just go over a few facts? I like to go step by step. If I’ve got it right, you and your mother were in your mother’s surgery at nine o’clock yesterday morning.”
“Yes, I was in my mother’s surgery at nine in the morning.”
“What were you doing there?”
Mark knew now what he had to do.
“She was examining me.”
“What for?”
“I have something growing in my head.”
Miller and Roberts started forward. “What did you say?” snapped Miller.
“Something in my head. And it’s causing me all sorts of problems.” Mark was aware of his heart thudding nervously. “For instance, you can’t rely on mobile phones when I’m around, and if I’ve managed to get my mind around it now, the most surprising thing is - it allows me to do this!”
He pushed… and his hand passed soundlessly, effortlessly through the table top.
Roberts, who had stood up, now stepped back, sitting back down on the bed. “Jesus Christ!”
Aaron Miller simply blinked in disbelief at what Mark had done.
Mark withdrew his hand. He held it up, examined it, flexed it. “Well! That was really quite easy!” Then he sat back and let nature, or rather human nature, take its course. The video recorder had captured the whole thing. There was evidence for what he had just done.

**********

Neither Roberts nor Miller was sure what to do next. There were no laid-down procedures for what to do in circumstances like these. A kid passes his hand through solid matter – what the hell can you say? They examined the table, of course, banging it and tapping it and turning it over; they examined Mark’s hand, and when they asked him to he did it again. Effortlessly, without noise or drama of any kind, his hand passed through the table.
Finally Miller said, “Mark, this has to be studied. You have to be in a safe place. It might be because of this ability you appear to be developing that people are trying to kill you. Maybe you’re some kind of threat to them. In any case, we have to get you to a secure place. Can I suggest you come with me back to Command at Stirling Castle? I guarantee it’s the safest place in Scotland.”
Mark’s eyes seemed to gaze beyond Miller for a second. The General had the uneasy feeling that something was happening right behind him, but only Mark could see it. Mark’s eyes focused again.
“Yes, let’s get to Stirling. We have to go now. Things are happening and I need to go to Stirling.”
There was a growing urgency in his voice that also worried Miller. “What is it?”
“I’ll explain on the way. We have to go – now!”
It was the work of moments to grab his few belongings, and for the General to usher him out of the building to the waiting small convoy of fast Jaguars. As they descended to the car park Roberts suggested that his part should be to return to CIS HQ and carry on with the investigation into the leads they had. The chip from the killer’s broken mobile phone might yield up some interesting addresses and Supernet links, he said, and they had still to trace that helicopter. Miller agreed, and the men parted with assurances of staying in regular contact over the next couple of days. They would keep each other fully informed of whatever turned up.
“Goodbye, Mark,” said Roberts. He held out his hand, then hesitated. “Is it safe to shake hands with you?”
Mark smiled and took the Inspector’s hand. “See? No problem. But,” he said, releasing the hand, “you should go home. You’re about worn out. And don’t worry – Sally’s all right now.”
As the Jaguars sped off towards the motorway access ramp Roberts stood for a while. He was too astonished to move and began to feel nausea creeping over him – a reaction to the strain he had been under and the bewildering events he had just witnessed. But already he was beginning to wonder if what he had heard and seen had actually happened. Then reality in the form of his mobile made its presence known and a voice told him that Carrie Jenkins had been kidnapped, her father was being treated for a head-wound in hospital and her mother was utterly distraught. His weariness and feeling of sickness intensified.

**********


22 Ambush

The first Jaguar was the “pioneer” car, containing four secret service personnel who kept in constant contact with “Home Base” which, for the Soros Liaison Commander was situated in Allied Command Headquarters in Stirling Castle, although that was not public knowledge. The Liaison Committee’s public face was presented by a specially built set of buildings adjacent to McIntyre’s Field. But the true Headquarters, to which Miller now intended to take Mark, was situated deep within the hard volcanic rock that had propped up Stirling Castle for hundreds of years.
The second car contained the General himself, and his aide, Captain John Lucas drove. An SAS bodyguard occupied the front passenger seat and the General sat in the back. Mark also sat in the back, on the General’s left.
The third car brought up the rear and its men, also seconded from the SAS, kept some pretty heavy weaponry for use in the event of an ambush.
There had been threats. Ever since the Soros ship had landed on Earth, there had been threats to anyone connected with the aliens.