Part 22 (1/2)

'If she says yes.'

'You're marrying... her?'

'She's very nice.' Smith tapped Merryweather on the shoulder and indicated that he could unblock his ears. Benny just glowered at him.

Smith took a deep breath and began a chant matched to the rhythm of the jog. 'Do we want to fight and slay?'

'We should all just run away,' returned Benny, remembering the form from grotty route marches around the Academy.

'Do we want to all get shot?'

'If we scarper, no let's not.'

'Do we want to bathe in glory?'

'It's overrated, dull and gory,' Benny continued, with a little grin of pride at that one. The gang of children and adults continued to run down the narrow corridor, repeating the verses.

Smith tried to give Benny a rea.s.suring smile, but the look she returned him was anything but rea.s.sured.

The family met outside the gymnasium, August's party almost b.u.mping into Greeneye and Hoff.

'I gather we've come to the same two conclusions,' said August. 'One, a complete holographic scan reveals that the boy we're after isn't in the building, and - '

'Two, there's a dirty great tunnel around here somewhere. Three, shall we get after the little crukker? Please?' demanded Greeneye, and ducked into the gym. Hoff, August and Serif followed.

Aphasia remained outside, her finger in her mouth, pondering something she'd read as the family had marched through the building. 'Maius Intra...'

Rocastle's party rounded the top of the landing, and scattered down the banisters into pre-arranged firing positions, surprised to find that the only person they were aiming at was a little girl.

'Miss!' Rocastle hissed. 'Miss! Would you please come here?'

Aphasia turned and saw them. She smiled. 'Oh? Why?'

Hoff poked his head out of the gymnasium doors.

'Aphasia, come on, we - '

Then he noticed the boys.

He slapped his weapon up to head height.

The wall exploded with gunfire, splinters bursting everywhere. Hoff ducked back inside.

Aphasia spun as the bullets caught her and slapped her to and fro, her chest and limbs erupting with b.l.o.o.d.y debris.

'Cease fire' screamed Rocastle.

The little girl fell to the floor, and struggled to right herself, her balloon lying burst across her shoulder. Only one arm seemed to be working, and her eyes were blinking at a tremendous rate, like a clockwork toy winding down. She put her teeth to her wrist, and pulled open the pouch there.

Rocastle noticed that a couple of his boys were standing up, about to go to her.

'No! Wait for - '

Aphasia gazed at the black capsule inside her wrist, and a sweet smile crossed her face.

Then her head hit the floor, dead.

Hoff stepped out into the corridor, looked down at the body, almost casually, and turned to face Rocastle and his boys.

They were staring at what they'd done, appalled.

Hoff looked for a moment like he was going to say something, but then he just shrugged.

He raised his gun and ran a burst of blue light up the stairs.

A row of boys screamed, dissolved, were blasted sideways, tried to run, cannoned into each other, threw their guns aside, separated, exploded, bled. The banisters before them steamed away into a cloud of ugly smoke.

'Retreat!' screamed Rocastle. 'Retreat!'

Amidst the smoke, a few boys did just that, running to his voice.

Hutchinson collided with him as they both sprinted up the stairs.

'We got one!' the boy laughed, clutching at his headmaster's lapels. 'Did you see, sir, we got one!'

Rocastle could only stare at him as the others bundled past.

'Aphasia!' Hoff stumbled back into the gym, dragging the body with him.

'Aphasia!'

The family had been scanning the floor for the hidden tunnel their earlier scans had revealed. They all ran to the body, Serif shoving the others aside to bend quickly to the child, putting a gloved hand on either side of her face. 'If there's a chance, any neural activity at all- ' His expression froze and he let out a long hiss. 'No...' His white teeth clenched and he closed his eyes. 'She is dead.'

'Why didn't she put up her field?' Greeneye howled. 'Kill them all, every single one of them.'

'Close the doors,' August told Hoff. 'Put a field across it. Prepare a fusion bomb.

This building will be her memorial. Now, quick as we can, let's be about the ceremony.'

Steaming tears were dropping from Serif's eyes, hissing as they fell on to Aphasia's dress. 'This one who was our mother and daughter, flesh of ours, let her be our flesh again.'

'Let her be our flesh again,' the others chorused.

Together, they bent to the body to feed.

The old wooden door gave way after a couple of shoves. Benny looked around the cellar. 'Yes, that makes sense.'

There were casks of beer, racks of bottles and metal pipes all around. 'It's a secret route to the pub. The Lord of the Manor must have told the missus that he was studying.'

The boys filled the cellar and closed the door after them.