The Venice Job (3 page)

‘Once you're in the Force, it's hard to get it out of your bones, isn't it?'

‘Harder than I thought.' Max looked down.

Eleanor leant into Max. ‘No-one thinks badly of you because of your decision to leave. You did what you felt was right.'

‘But is it right?'

‘Only you can really know that. Even if it's not clear now, it will be.'

A great roaring yawn floated out of the house.

‘Either the zoo has lost a lion or I'd say your Uncle Ben is awake.' Eleanor stood up from the chair and held out her arm. ‘May I escort you in?'

Max wove her arm through Eleanor's, ready to face another feast. But for the first time since she'd left the Force, she realised she wasn't sure if she was ready to say goodbye to her life as a secret agent after all.

Far away in the ancient Italian city of Venice, hurried footsteps were making their way along a grand and majestic corridor. Giant yawning windows lined the elongated passage, spilling light like opened floodgates onto walls crowded with portraits, and floors of illuminated marble.

The footsteps came to a stop in front of a set of double doors that rose almost to the full height of the gold-leafed ceiling. Hair was smoothed over, a jacket straightened and breath checked into a cupped palm in small huffed spurts.

There was a knock, a small cry to enter, and the meeting began.

A brief meeting that would take no more than mere seconds.

‘They are in place.'

‘All of them?'

‘All of them.'

‘Very good. Now, we wait.'

The messenger was dismissed with a slow wave of a carefully manicured hand. He bowed, a silly thing to do he would think later, but somehow fitting as well.

The door closed and stage one of the plan was complete.

‘In a few short days I should have what I want.' The voice hardened, like boiled syrup cooling into hardened toffee. ‘Or this city will pay dearly.'

A large sheet of corrugated iron was dragged across the yard sending a mini dust storm into the air along with a strange kind of twisted orchestra sound. Ben and Eleanor's pig, Larry, tugged at the oversized piece of metal, before using his rounded nose to nudge it into place.

But Max saw none of it.

What she did see were the backsides of Linden and Ben as they leant out of the kitchen window and bit into oversized pieces of toast.

‘I've had better views first thing in the morning,' Max said to Eleanor.

‘I find that hard to believe,' Eleanor smiled.

‘Ah,' Ben said through crunching toast. ‘You're just in time. Larry's about to add the finishing touches.'

Max and Eleanor squeezed alongside them and watched as Larry placed a clump of dried bush in front of the pile of tin.

Ben, Eleanor and Linden believed they could predict the weather by Larry's behaviour. Max wasn't so sure.

‘Done!' Ben exclaimed with pride.

Max looked at the broken-down pile of junk. ‘What's done?'

‘The castle,' Linden added with equal pride.

‘That's a castle?'

‘Yes!' Eleanor smiled broadly. ‘I can see it.'

Max watched as all three stared at Larry as if he'd just delivered his first speech to parliament.

‘I can't see it,' Max declared over a growling stomach.

‘Sure you can,' said Ben as if Windsor Castle had just landed in their yard and she was staring straight at it. ‘There's the turret, the moat and the manicured garden.'

‘Why a castle?'

‘I read him the story of Cinderella and he's been obsessed with them ever since.'

‘I think he's really starting to nail it,' Linden added.

‘Right,' said Max, still unable to get her imagination to stretch as far as the others. ‘Breakfast?'

And that was the magic word to stop them talking about the pig. Ben and Linden sprang from the window and within minutes were seated in front of scrambled eggs, fresh juice, pancakes and giant slices of watermelon.

‘So where's this new mission going to be then?' Ben asked Linden.

‘Venice.'

Max couldn't help noticing that Linden said this with more enthusiasm than he'd had before.

‘Venice! Doesn't get much better than that. The Doge's Palace, the Piazza San Marco, gondolas.'

‘Yeah, I think this might be the most exciting mission yet.' Linden shot a sideways glance at Max, who had stopped eating her scrambled eggs and was now pushing them listlessly across her plate.

Ben gave Linden a secret encouraging nod. ‘Yep, you don't get sent to much better places than Venice. Know who the bad guy is yet?' He bit into a fork full of pancakes.

‘Not yet, but they think they're close. And the best part is …'

‘I think I might go to my room and read.' Max stood up from the table.

‘Okay,' Ben answered a little flatly. ‘We'll be here if you hear more pancakes calling your name.'

Max left the room and carefully closed the door.

‘It's her decision.' Ben put his fork down. ‘Even though we don't like it.'

Linden kept staring at the door, his face a blanket of disappointment.

‘You'll miss her on this mission, won't you?' Ben asked.

‘She's not like any other spy I've met,' Linden said quietly. ‘She makes me feel different, like I can do anything.'

Ben nudged him in the side. ‘You're as good a spy as any of them.'

Linden winced through a pained smile. ‘Yeah, but I don't think I'll be any good without her.'

Eleanor reached out and held his hand. ‘Do you remember another time you felt like this?'

Linden bit his bottom lip. ‘Yeah. When Mum died.'

‘I think we all felt like that for a long time, but then, slowly, we realised she'd never want us to sit back and do nothing because of what happened. I reckon she'd have been pretty angry with us if we'd let it go on much longer. And do you remember what she made us promise?'

‘That we wouldn't go wasting our lives moping around because of her.'

The bottom of Eleanor's eyes began to glisten. ‘You remember a lot of your mum's sayings, don't you?'

‘It's like I can still hear her saying them.'

‘And what do you think she'd say now?'

Linden thought. ‘That there's no use sitting down beside life, it's there to be lived. That was one of her favourites.'

Ben laughed. ‘That's exactly how she would have said it, too.'

‘Do you think Max will come back to Spyforce?'

Ben and Eleanor exchanged an uncertain look. ‘We don't know.'

Linden slumped forward onto his crossed arms. Eleanor's answer wasn't the one he was hoping for. ‘Everything seemed so simple up until now.'

Eleanor frowned. ‘You mean apart from escaping from vats of jelly, surviving plane crashes and saving an entire spy agency from a deadly sleeping sickness?'

Linden slumped even further. ‘All that seemed easy compared to this. Max, why won't you just come back?'

‘I thought you'd never ask.'

The door had swung wide open and Max was standing there trying out a series of poses that she hoped looked casual.

And as if she hadn't been listening.

‘You'll come back?' Linden sprang upright.

‘Sure, if you need a hand, but just for this mission.'

Ben and Eleanor bubbled out of their chairs like a shaken fizzy drink and were about to swoop in on Max.

‘On one condition.' Max held up her hand. ‘No-one makes any fuss.'

Her aunt and uncle stopped mid-swoop and slowly backed away to a more regular standing position.

‘Right then. No fuss. Gotcha.' It took all Ben's strength to put his hands in his pockets and not pick Max up and swing her around in a huge sweeping arc.

‘Welcome back, boss.' Linden almost saluted.

Max gave him a warning look. ‘And don't call me boss.'

‘Sure thing, boss.' He gave her a small apologetic smile. ‘I mean, sure.'

The kitchen settled into an awkward silence as no-one said anything. Max stared at the wide beaming smiles that stretched before her, smiles that were making her feel more and more self conscious every minute.

‘Well, come on, Linden. If I'm going on this mission, I'll need to be briefed on what you know so far, and we should tell Steinberger that I'm coming back.'

‘Sure, boss.' But he just stood there in a pool of Linden happiness.

‘And I was thinking we might do it sometime like … now.'

‘Oh, sure.' He snapped out of it. ‘Follow me, boss.'

Linden's jaunty footsteps echoed down the hallway as Max turned and followed. ‘And stop calling me boss!'

The nightwatchman shone his flashlight across the still and quiet yard of the glassworks factory. He looked at his watch. Three o'clock a.m. In two hours his shift would finish and he could finally get out of the cold night air and go home.

He walked over to a stone wall facing the Venetian lagoon. He took out a thermos and poured himself a coffee. But he would never take a sip.

The heat of the explosion seared his back as he was thrown to the ground. He turned to see a tidal wave of orange flames devouring the factory while great chunks of glass, metal and wood rained down.

The nightwatchman gulped in gasps of singed air, clutching his broken wrist to his chest as he watched the factory burn.

‘Exactly on time.' A man viewed the blast
through binoculars from the safety of a large palazzo.

‘Good,' a second voice replied. ‘They can't refuse us now.'

‘So long, fella.' Linden held Ralph's face in his hands. ‘It'll work out. It's always hard the first time you fall in love.'

Ralph stared forlornly back.

‘I know it feels like it'll never end, but it will. Trust me.'

‘Are you sure you should be giving advice on love?' Max stood behind Linden with her arms across her chest.

‘Oh, I know love, baby.' Linden sighed and stood up. ‘See you, fella. We'll be back in a few days and you'll see, by then everything will be fine.'

They walked towards the paddock.

‘What if it isn't?' Max asked. ‘Are you going to send him to a dog psychiatrist?'

‘Eleanor has the name of one handy just in case.'

‘A dog psychiatrist?' Max had been joking. It was too bizarre to think of Ralph lying on a couch being counselled.

‘He's a dog whisperer, actually. Like for horses, only with dogs. Apparently he's the best.'

Linden was good at jokes and Max waited for the punch line, but none came. He really was serious.

‘Max?' Linden said softly. ‘Thanks for coming back.'

Max sniffed. ‘If you wanted me to come back all you had to do was ask.'

Linden frowned. ‘I was trying as hard as I could.'

‘Well.' Max tried to think of something to say. ‘Maybe you didn't try hard enough.'

Linden laughed. ‘You know, as hard as you are to understand sometimes, I wouldn't have you any other way. In fact, Max, I wanted to say …'

Max felt a mushy moment coming on. ‘Look at the time. Steinberger will worry if we're late.'

But there was a little more mush to go before they would leave.

‘Max! Linden!'

Max turned to see her aunt and uncle running towards them. They'd reluctantly agreed to Max's request of saying goodbye in the house and keeping everything low-key. It seemed the agreement had just been thrown out the window.

‘We wanted to give you these,' Eleanor puffed.

Max and Linden took the hankies she offered.

‘You came out here to give us hankies?'

Ben looked a little guilty. ‘You never know when you might need one.' His attempt to restrain himself lasted about three seconds before he flung
his arms out and hugged Max to within an inch of her life.

‘I'm so glad you're back in the Force.'

‘Thanks,' Max wheezed.

Eleanor tapped him on the shoulder and gave him a look that told him he'd better let Max go if she was going to survive the farewell.

‘Oh. Okay.'

It was Eleanor's turn. ‘We had to say one more goodbye.' She hugged Linden. ‘Take care, both of you.'

‘We will,' Linden answered. He knew Max just wanted to get on with the departure, but when he looked, she was tearing up.

‘Yeah, we will,' Max said.

After lots of eye wiping, nose blowing and another ‘travel safely', it was time.

Max set the coordinates of the Time and Space Machine for Spyforce headquarters in London.

‘The pact!' Linden cried. ‘We almost forgot.'

Max sighed. She liked saying the pact, but now that she had decided to return to Spyforce, she was keen to get on with the mission. She reached out and took Linden's hands. Ben muscled in so he and Eleanor could take part too.

‘If Linden should come to harm or get lost or be
in danger in any way, I, Max Remy, will do everything I can to help him and bring him to safety. Your turn.'

Linden smiled and repeated the pact for Max, only a little more slowly. ‘Now we're ready.'

‘Oh, and don't forget to …' Ben began, but before he could say any more, Max said ‘transport', and with a small
fffttt
sound, they were gone.

Fifteen seconds later, on the other side of the world, a flash of fluorescent light billowed from the air and tiny sparks of colour fell like a sunshower. Max and Linden appeared from the centre of a bright light, and after a few moments suspended in the air, floated gently towards the solid ground of the VART.

The VART, or Vehicular All-Response Tower, was a large cavernous hangar where Spyforce kept all its technologically advanced vehicles. There were Inflatable Foldaway Aqua Buggies and Heliocrafts, the Sleek Machine, all-terrain trucks, one-seater mini choppers, hovercrafts and, of course, the hyper-fast Invisible Jet, which Max and Linden would be able to see if it wasn't invisible.

When Linden felt his feet settle on the ground he sighed. Although it had been a long time since he'd first used the Time and Space Machine, it still
left him with a rush that was better than any roller-coaster or G-Force ride.

‘That is still the best way to fly.'

Linden looked at Max, but she didn't answer.

For Max, landing in the VART was like coming home. Like sinking into a big comfy lounge, with your favourite blanket and PJ's.

‘I knew I'd get you to come round to my way of thinking,' Linden said proudly.

‘Linden! Max!'

Steinberger had been eagerly awaiting their arrival and hurried across in his over-polished shoes and carefully pressed suit.

‘Welcome back to Spyforce!' His eyes sparkled as if he was a kid who'd just found out the tooth fairy really did exist. ‘We've missed you.'

As he stood before them with an extra-wide grin stretched across his face, Max was sure every smile muscle was being pushed to the limit.

‘It's only been a few weeks.' She shrugged easily, hoping it would calm Steinberger down. ‘But just to let you know …'

‘Everyone is so thrilled!' Steinberger was warming up to excitement overload. ‘Quimby, Frond. And Irene. I can't tell you how pleased she is. Broke her heart when you decided to leave. She
understood why, of course, but she's been baking those ovens into a fury ever since she heard you were coming back. Alex would love to have been here but is on assignment in Russia, and Agent 31 is doing some undercover groundwork in Venice – he said he'll see you there – and I just know Mr Harrison is beside himself.'

This was getting out of hand.

‘Steinberger?' Max tried to interrupt.

‘This is turning out to be a fine, fine day. In fact, I think it might be the best day since …'

‘Steinberger?' she tried again a little louder.

‘Oh gosh, since …'

‘Steinberger!' she shouted.

‘Mmmm?' The picture of the welcome-back party froze in his head.

‘Can I ask you a favour?' Max was worried Steinberger's gushiness would explode into outright silliness with her at the embarrassing heart of it. ‘I was hoping we could do this without any fuss.'

Steinberger's enthusiasm deflated like a day-old balloon. ‘Oh. Sure. Roger that. No fuss. I'll let the others know.' He took out his palm computer and began sending a message. ‘We'll be so low-key you won't even notice we're here.'

Max wasn't sure about the low-key bit, but as long as everyone got on with being normal, her return to the Force would be just fine.

He finished his message and gazed at Max as if she was a long-lost relative he hadn't seen for years. He sniffed and took out a handkerchief.

‘Sorry. It's a little overwhelming. May I at least give you a hug?' He held out his arms.

Max scowled. ‘Ah, sure.'

Steinberger leant in and hugged her with a sniff that echoed in her ear. Max gave Linden a ‘save me' look, but he simply bit into a chewy fruit bar he'd taken from his pocket and enjoyed seeing her squirm.

Until she started to turn a slight shade of blue, then he thought he should step in.

‘Don't I get one?'

Steinberger let go of Max. ‘Of course.' He wiped his eyes on his hanky and gave Linden a hug – one not so nearly sniffle-filled.

‘It was just so emotional when you decided to leave, Max, and now that you're here, everything feels right again. In fact, when you left, I wondered how we would ever …'

Steinberger was interrupted by the sound of one of the doors of the VART slowly opening.

‘Ah,' Steinberger pulled himself together. ‘They're here.'

‘Who's here?' Max asked.

‘You'll see.' He tucked his hanky into his pocket.

Max looked up into the empty space of the VART's high roof, waiting for the entrance of a Spyforce vehicle. She heard the faint sound of an engine coming in for a landing, but could see nothing. It couldn't have been the Invisible Jet, they'd need the double doors for that, but in only a few more seconds, she found out what it was.

‘Sleek!'

Max saw the outline of Spyforce's chief engineer and vehicle expert hovering a few metres above them. He was flying the Sleek Machine, a cross between a hovercraft and a motorbike. It flew at an oscillation speed that made it and its passengers invisible, so they could only be seen on take-off and just before landing.

But there was someone else.

‘Toby?' Max watched as Toby became visible in the sidecar next to Sleek.

‘Looks like it's the old team back together again,' Linden said through the final chews of his fruit bar.

Toby lifted off his goggles. ‘That is definitely my vehicle of choice.'

An eager Steinberger led Max and Linden over to the landing platform.

‘Welcome back to Spyforce, Agent Toby Jennings. I believe we now have the perfect team for our mission in Venice.'

Toby climbed out of the sidecar and accepted Steinberger's handshake. He then stood before Max. ‘I knew Linden would convince you to come back.'

Max folded her arms across her chest. ‘Linden didn't convince me of anything.'

‘Oh, then it must be the attraction of being with me again.' Toby swept back his hair in an exaggerated Hollywood flick. ‘I can understand that.'

‘Is it just me or has your head grown bigger since I last saw you?' Max asked.

‘I think it's my general tall and good-looking stature.'

‘Are you sure it's not your very inflated opinion of yourself?'

Toby smiled. ‘Oh, I'm sure.'

It was good to be with Max again. When Toby had first met her at school, he thought she was a grumpy loner who didn't do much more than look
surly and read books, but now he knew her as one of the most intelligent and exciting people he'd ever met. Only he'd never tell her that.

‘Austria not missing you too much?'

Toby had recently moved there to live with his heart-specialist parents.

‘Apart from the weeping women gathered around my door, it's all under control.'

‘And your parents?'

‘It's been arranged that Toby is on a school trip in the Swiss Alps,' Steinberger explained.

Behind them a gnarled and strangled scream echoed throughout the VART. Max spun round and assumed her superspy action stance: arms up in self-defence, hands clenched, legs apart, ready to pounce.

But she didn't need any of it.

‘Sleek?'

The extreme agent was dangling from the blade of an Aqua Chopper, his legs swinging two metres from the ground.

Steinberger noticed the reason for Sleek's amazing leap.

‘Delilah, you pesky little cat. She likes to welcome Sleek when he returns to the Force,' he explained. ‘Trouble is, I think Sleek would rather she didn't. Here, kitty kitty.'

He bent down and held his hand out to the cat, but Delilah turned her tail towards him and hissed before slinking away.

Sleek wasn't only the chief engineer, he was also the extreme action member of the Force, and even though no mountain was too high for him, no high-speed chase too fast and no vat of worms too icky, cats were a different matter altogether.

He dropped from the blades to the floor and slapped his hands together. ‘Looks like the blades are okay.'

He then turned and walked away in a ‘trying to look calm' kind of way that just made him look awkward.

‘Right,' Steinberger began. ‘I guess we'd better get started.'

But before he could take a step, a message came through on his palm computer. He took the gadget out of his pocket and his face fell into a serious scowl.

‘Anything wrong, Steinberger?' Max felt his mood fall like a rockslide.

‘It's Irene.' He tried to say it as calmly as possible. ‘There seems to be,' he looked up, ‘an emergency in the canteen.'

‘What kind of emergency?' Toby asked.

‘I'm not sure, but we'd better find out.'