Gravity by Andy Briggs

Author:Andy Briggs
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic UK
Published: 2016-11-08T05:00:00+00:00

Charles Parker read the on-screen report for the fourth time. Sergeant Wade stood behind him, anxiously wringing her hands.

“Aliens,” said Charles flatly.

“Three small figures clad in spacesuits, is what they all said. The cameras didn’t record a thing. They escaped . . . in a flying saucer.”

Charles Parker rubbed his temples; he was beginning to develop a migraine. “I can assure you aliens didn’t help the Collector escape.”

“Then who did?”

Wade had been outside of the Inventory, so Charles couldn’t blame her for not knowing all the facts. He stared at the words on the screen. He didn’t want to tell her, but knew he must.

“The Avro has been stolen.”

“Our Avro? Stolen?” The words were already spoken before Wade pieced it together. “And the children. . .?”

“Missing.”

“I think it’s a safe bet to assume they haven’t been kidnapped.”

Charles turned in his chair and looked at her. His face was heavy with sadness. “You are correct. Yet again, Dev tricked our security here. According to the access logs it was I who entered the hangar and took the craft on a joyride.”

“But maybe they—”

“They put a guard to sleep and evaded Eema. They knew exactly what they were doing. Eema, tell the sergeant what you discovered.”

Eema’s voice purred over the computer. “Devon’s search history indicates that he searched for the Collector’s location and downloaded the navigational coordinates and the blueprints for Tartarus Prison.”

Wade couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “He intentionally rescued the Collector?”

“It appears so,” replied Eema.

Wade was aghast. “I don’t believe he would do such a thing.”

Charles rose from his seat and rubbed his tired eyes. “It’s easy to forget that the Collector himself was once a product here. It seems I have been foolish to ignore the behavioural patterns. As to why Dev would do such a thing. . .” He gestured helplessly with both hands.

“I told you not to trust the Collector.” Wade was unable to keep the accusatory tone from her voice. “Yet you told him exactly where we were in the search for artefacts. You gave him information about Newton’s Arrow he shouldn’t have had!” Charles Parker looked away, ashamed. “They now know all about Professor Liu . . . because of you.”

“I am aware of my mistakes, thank you. As it is, we must mobilize the Consortium’s forces and bring them all back. That, or. . .” He paused, and then noted the shock on her face as she reacted to the unspoken threat.

“The Dissolution Protocol? You wouldn’t dare.”

Charles avoided her gaze. “It was created out of necessity. I don’t know why Dev would go rogue – but all the evidence points to that. So as of right now, he and his friends are enemies of the Consortium.”

Wade scrolled through the report and tapped the screen – leaving a fingerprint, much to Charles’s dismay. “All the cameras were out of action. But this description of the assailant with the gun outside? That sounds an awful lot like Christen Sandberg with Newton’s Arrow.”

“Indeed. I fear their run-in in Tokyo is the moment they may have joined forces.

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