Grunt Work

Meeting the Thunderbird

It was a hop, skip and a jump to meet the Thunderbird - literally. The security measures surrounding the Elemental were pretty complicated: retinal scanners, fingerprint scanners, lasers, a maze and a pit of komodo dragons that we had to jump over - but only because Baran had left her keycard back in her lab, otherwise she would have lowered the draw bridge. Baran isn't a strong jumper but I managed to throw her over, and I'm a pretty strong jumper, myself, so it wasn't an issue. It's a shame, really. I've never met a dragon before. They're so big and slobbery. I bet they'd love a good belly rub.

'Here, put this on,' Baran said to me as we stopped outside of a small, thick steel door. I took the mask and slipped it over my face.

'Hold on,' she said, and adjusted my mask. 'Much better. It needs to go over the nose, too.'

'Why do I need this?' I asked. 'Is it pretty smoky?'

'Smoky?' she asked, frowning. 'Oh, no. He's pretty well locked up so no fires. You see the walls?'

I followed her finger and looked at the wall around the door. It looked like a wall. 'Yep, I see 'em.'

'no, I mean - okay. See the bricks? See the mortar? That's specially manufactured asbestos cement. Very fire resistant, but not so great to inhale. So we need to take precautions.'

'Got it,' I nodded, starting to feel a bit nervous. I was sure it was hotter down here. I was definitely sweating a lot.

Baran unlocked the door by turning the big wheel on the front, which screeched with each tug, then pulled the heavy door open. Or tried to; I eventually stepped in and opened it for her. We stepped through and into a long corridor. At the end were two guards who stood either side of another similar door. They wore full face coverings, but neither of them looked like Paula. I sighed, disappointed.

'What's wrong?' Baran asked.

'Paula's not here. I was hoping - never mind.'

'Paula - is that the person you're interested in?'

'Maybe.'

'Hmm,' Baran frowned. 'I don't know of any Paula on Thunderbird's guard roster. You sure she's down here?'

'Mhmm,' I said. 'She was working down here when I first met her, at least.'

'Probably just covering for a wounded guard,' she said, and I thought that she sounded a bit nervous. I was too. Every step I took, took me closer to the Thunderbird, and the heavier my feet felt. Every step closer, weirdly, made me feel colder, too. And all too soon we stood in front of the guards.

'Dr Yazdani,' one of the guards greeted Baran. 'Problems up top?'

'No problems. I'm just showing a friend around. This is Kaia, the Beastmaster.'

The two guards stood straighter. 'Pleasure, ma'am,' the first said, then unlocked the door using a thumbprint scanner, as the other pulled it open.

Great big slabs of ice filled the room. A mist hovered throughout. A single light shone down from the roof and I couldn't even see the far walls. But I could see the centre of the room. I could see the Thunderbird.

They were strapped to a slab of stone, slightly tilted so that they were facing the entrance. They looked straight at me as I entered, and I almost ran when their eyes met mine. I didn't want to be here.

'Baran,' they said, almost like a purr. They pressed a button on a panel by their cuffed right hand, and a box that I hadn't noticed before floated up into the darkness, and I realised that it was a TV because I could hear the Friends theme song. 'Always a pleasure.'

'Thunderbird,' Baran said quietly, and I was shocked to hear how timid she sounded. That was pretty unlike her.

'Come to collect more samples?'

'Not today. I - my friend wanted to meet you. This is Kaia, the beastmaster?'

'Oh?' they turned to look at me again, looking me up and down like they were figuring out where to cut me up. I didn't want to be here. 'So you control that abomination?'

'He's not an abomination! His name is Mr Huggles!' I yelled, both angry and terrified. They laughed.

'You call it that? That thing? That beast that should never have been? Do you have any idea what it even is?'

'Of course I do,' I said angrily. 'He's a kraken, and my friend.'

They sneered at me, leaning up so that their face was in shadow. Their eyes glowed red. The stone groaned and I wondered if it really could hold them. 'That's no kraken. And anyone who calls that thing a friend is no friend of mine. When I take my leave of your company, I shall seak you out, Beastmaster. I will destroy your friend. And then I will destroy you.'

I ran.