Hamish X and the Hollow Mountain (23 page)

He looked past Mimi at Parveen and saw the little boy fiddling with something in his hands. It looked like a hand-held video game console. Parveen sensed Hamish X's gaze and looked up. He pushed his glasses up onto his nose. “It's a surprise,” he said with a shrug and returned his attention to the device.

Beyond Parveen sat the newlyweds. Mr. Kipling whispered something into his bride's ear and she giggled. Mrs. Francis caught Hamish X's eye and waved a chubby hand. Mr. Kipling turned and winked at him. Hamish X winked back. Mr. Kipling kissed Mrs. Francis's cheek, setting her off giggling again. Hamish X smiled to cover his heartache. He was going away. Who knew when he would see these people again?

Finally, he looked at the King. Liam nodded as if to say he understood what Hamish X was going through.
Hamish X smiled back. It was time to go. And so, as the Royal Swiss Guards' performance built to a crescendo, he silently eased out of his chair and slipped away through the crowd.

The Guards performed their finale. They formed two rings that linked as they marched towards each other, then as the music rose to an intense climax they broke apart and coalesced into a large
I
linked to an
R,
the two first initials of the wedded couple. Everyone cheered.

The crowd was beginning to disperse when a child pointed up in the air and shouted, “Look!”

The
Orphan Queen
sailed out over the throng of children. The ship was festooned with blinking lights of all the colours of the rainbow. Streamers of silver trailed behind her as she made a stately sweep around the perimeter of the cavern. The children went wild, clapping and hollering as the airship sailed above.

“How did they git the
Queen
in here, anyway,” Mimi said, awestruck. In truth, the ship was too large to take up the stairs or in the elevator. Parveen and Noor, with the help of the George raccoons, had painstakingly disassembled the airship into its component parts, carried it into Frieda's Cavern, and reassembled it there.

Parveen stood at the main table, controlling the airship via the radio transmitter in his hands. He and Noor had laboured long and hard for this moment. He furrowed his brow and concentrated on the knobs and switches beneath his thumbs.

“Magnificent, Parveen!” The King clapped. “Truly amazing!”

“He really is quite clever.” Mrs. Francis beamed and squeezed Mr. Kipling's hand, proud as if Parveen were her very own son.

The airship changed direction and sailed directly inward towards the centre of the Hollow Mountain. As the
Orphan Queen
reached the midpoint the cargo doors opened and multicoloured balloons tumbled out in a great slow cascade over the delighted crowd below. Fireworks erupted in glorious showers of pink and blue sparks. Everyone gasped as the fireworks went on and on.

HAMISH X NEVER HEARD
the cheers and applause as the show ended. He was walking down a long stone corridor accompanied only by a George raccoon. On his back was a heavy knapsack stuffed with food and camping gear. He still wore the Highland kilt. He had grown to enjoy the swish of the pleated woollen fabric against his legs. The rest of his wedding suit he had left on his bed. He had no need of fancy clothes where he was going. He wore his rugged flannel shirt once more, and over his pack and clothes he wore a long oilskin coat.

A George raccoon had been waiting in his quarters with his gear already packed. The mechanical creature watched as Hamish X donned his clothing and lifted the knapsack. Noticing that the book
Great Plumbers
was packed on top of his clothes, Hamish X rested his hand on the green leather binding. “What do I need this for?”

“The King thought it might be useful someday. Waste not, want not.”

And now he hurried along the stone corridor, keeping the George raccoon in sight. He'd been walking for some time when he saw the faint glimmer of light up ahead. A moment later he emerged from a sheltered cave mouth into a fierce rainstorm. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed on the mountainside.

“Good luck, Hamish X,” George said through the voice
of the little raccoon. Rain beaded on its thick pelt and dripped from its whiskers. “I hope you succeed in finding the doctor.”

“I hope so, too. Thank the King once again for me. And tell the others not to worry.”

“I will.” The raccoon waved one tiny paw and waddled back into the cave.

Hamish X stood in the rain, watching the spot where the little robot had disappeared. He hadn't felt so lonely since the first time he'd come to Windcity on that snowy day. It seemed so long ago now. He suddenly felt the urge to just go back into the mountain and join the party as if nothing were amiss, as if he'd never heard of Professor Magnus Ballantyne-Stewart. He had memories now, but it seemed that all they were good for was reminding him that he was completely alone.

He shook rain out of his eyes, rain and tears.
This is no good. You have to do this alone. Stop being a baby. You're Hamish X, hero of orphans everywhere. It's time for you to get moving
.

He looked up at the peak of the Hollow Mountain. Flashes of blue and green erupted on the mountainside. “Wow,” he breathed, “the lightning is something else up here. I'd better be going.”

He set off at a brisk trot, his boots skipping nimbly across the stony ground. Soon he was far away from the Hollow Mountain. Dawn found him running alongside a freight train and leaping aboard.

If he'd known that the lightning he saw wasn't lightning at all, he would have come back to the aid of his friends. As it was, he ran heedlessly on into the night.

Mr. Candy and Mr. Sweet

Mr. Candy and Mr. Sweet stepped out of the helicopter onto the mountainside. Their grey coats and suits were gone. In their stead the agents wore bulky grey jumpsuits with zips up the front. From the belts around their waists dangled small black bulbs attached by metal clips. They carried large rifles with round open barrels and on their backs were heavy steel canisters with funnels poking out.

They looked up the mountain at where the entrance was hidden.

“One minute until assault commences,” announced Mr. Candy, consulting an oversized watch on his wrist.

“And not a minute before time, Mr. Candy.”

The two agents swung around to look at the assembled forces ranged across the side of the mountain. There were rows of the flame-throwing Firebirds that had destroyed Windcity so handily. Behind these a row of gigantic tracked vehicles idled in the rain. Grey Agents sat at the controls in high cabs, each cab topped by a winch equipped with a gripping claw; square cargo pods made up the rear. These were the infamous child containment and transport vehicles, or CCTVs, notorious among orphans the world over.

Ranked in front of the CCTVs and Firebirds were files of Grey Agents from offices all around the world, pulled in
specifically for the operation at hand. The agents, men and women alike, were dressed in varying shades of grey, in a fashion similar to Mr. Candy and Mr. Sweet. Beneath the rims of their grey helmets, their faces were grim and pale; each had the same dead, heartless expression. They looked to their commanders, Candy and Sweet, holding their weapons ready.

“Agents, the time is near,” Mr. Candy said, his voice broadcast to all through earpieces integrated into the black goggles they wore. “The integration is coming. We need only retrieve the asset, Hamish X, and return to Providence with our prize. Fortunately, we have been afforded a chance to destroy one of our most hated enemies in the process. The King of Switzerland's secret refuge is not so secret any more. Tonight we shall eradicate this insult to the ODA from the face of the earth. This is the first day of a glorious future. Today we begin to claim our inheritance. Take as many of the children as you can. They will be useful in the integration. Subdue those who resist. Destroy the King. Capture Hamish X.”

In a normal army, after such a rousing call to arms, the soldiers would be expected to cheer, to raise a shout, or to brandish their arms in exaltation. The Grey Agents merely nodded once and stood silently in the rain awaiting their orders. Somehow the silence, devoid as it was of emotion, was more terrifying than the bloodiest war cry.

“Very inspiring, Mr. Candy.”

“Thank you, Mr. Sweet.”

“Five. Four. Three. Two. One!”

The metal backpacks the agents wore erupted in plumes of green flame. They rose from the ground as one, propelled by their rocket packs, for such indeed they were, and set off in a giant V formation like a flock of lethal geese towards the cliff face.

Chapter 21

The cake was wheeled in by George raccoons: three tiers of chocolate sponge cake coated with butter cream icing and decorated with pink and yellow roses. On the top of the cake were two tiny, lifelike statuettes of the bride and groom formed out of meticulously painted marzipan. Mrs. Francis clapped her hands with delight. A George raccoon handed Mrs. Francis a silver knife. Mr. Kipling laid his hand over his bride's on the handle of the knife and together they pressed it through the lowest tier of the cake.

Everyone cheered. The King stood up. “Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Artificial intelligences! Please join me in congratulating Mr. and Mrs. Kipling-Francis!”

Applause erupted.

Suddenly, all the raccoons stood stiffly erect. Their eyes were wide open. The King stopped applauding and the clapping died down to silence.

“What is it, George? What's the matter?”

The raccoons didn't respond for three or four seconds. Then, abruptly, all the raccoons shouted in unison. “SECURITY BREACH. WE HAVE A SECURITY BREACH. INTRUDERS IN THE MAIN TUNNEL. OUTER DEFENCES FAILING. THE MOUNTAIN HAS BEEN COMPROMISED.”

All thoughts of the wedding and the cake were forgotten. Everyone stood frozen in shock. None could believe what they were hearing. Even the Guards were confused.

“Is this a drill, George?” Aidan said.

“NO! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK.”

A buzz of panic rippled through the crowd. “Security breach?” children asked. “How is that possible? It must be a mistake.”

“George,” the King barked sharply. “Where is the breach?”

“The entrance tunnel has been breached. All sensors and cameras are offline in that area. We must assume Heinrich's Cavern is compromised.”

The King picked up his crutches. “Aidan: arm the Guards. Tell them to muster at the head of the stairs immediately. George, seal the elevator shaft and close the stairs at the junction between Frieda's Cavern and Heinrich's. Is there anyone in Heinrich?”

“Negative. Everyone was here for the wedding.”

“A blessing. We must prepare to repel an attack, but whatever happens we have to evacuate. George, prepare the escape routes. All children muster at your emergency stations. Guards only on the elevator! Everyone else uses the stairs. Older children help the young ones! Move!”

Instantly, what had been a joyous celebration dissolved into fearful pandemonium as children rushed to follow orders. Aidan and Cara set off at a dead run for the barracks to arm themselves and lead their units. Cara looked over her shoulder and saw that Mimi was right behind them. The Texan girl had kicked off her party shoes and was running in her bare feet.

“Where do you think you're going?”

“Same place as you.”

“Aidan?” Cara sounded very annoyed.

“Cara, we need every hand. She's coming with us.”

Mimi grinned fiercely at Cara's deflated expression.
They entered the elevator with the other Guards just as the doors closed.

“What can we do to help?” Mr. Kipling asked the King. Mrs. Francis clutched her new husband's arm, her eyes wide.

“Mrs. Francis, if you could help organize the retreat up the stairs. Mr. Kipling, I would appreciate it if you stayed with me and helped organize the defence of the stairs. You're the only one here with any real military experience.”

“But he was in the Navy!” Mrs. Francis protested.

Mr. Kipling hugged his bride and laughed softly. “Isobel, what is a cavern but a boat made of rock?”

“That makes no sense at all!”
⁶¹
Mrs. Francis said angrily. “I don't want you to get hurt. We've only just found each other.”

Mr. Kipling kissed her firmly on the top of her head. “Don't you worry about me, my dear. The children need you. I can take care of myself.”

Mrs. Francis looked up at Mr. Kipling's face and nodded, tears in her eyes. She kissed him once, hugged him, and then bustled away to help where she was needed.

“What should we do?” the King asked when she was gone.

“The entryway is sealed?”

“George has seen to it, I am certain.”

“We must assume they will try to force a breach and that they are capable of doing so. Let's prepare a welcome for them.”

The King and the ex-pirate shared a wolfish grin and set about their work.

BELOW, IN HEINRICH'S
cavern, the Grey Agents waited on the platform as the larger vehicles caught up with them. The rumbling of the big treaded trucks filled the rocky space. The vehicles had traversed the tunnel by means of extendable claws on the end of long cables, swinging like spiders from webs along the entry tunnel and out into the water of the lake. From there, they had converted to amphibious vehicles, powering across the surface of the water to the central platform.

Mr. Candy and Mr. Sweet listened as one of the other agents reported.

“They have sealed the elevator shaft. The stairs are similarly blocked. We are wiring both with explosives and should be able to break down the barriers.”

“Excellent,” Mr. Candy nodded. “Have all the Firebirds in position.”

“Yes, Mr. Candy.” The agent fired his jetpack and rose directly up the cavern to relay the orders.

“Now the real battle begins, Mr. Sweet.”

“At last, Mr. Candy. At long last.”

The Firebirds began to climb the stairs, their heavy steel talons striking sparks from the stone. Their long necks were extended as if to sniff for their prey above.