The Stronghold

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One month later...

I returned to Thunder with a big smile on my face and a wedding ring on my finger, generally at ease with the world. I'd just come back from my honeymoon in California, going to the Comic Con and stalking John Barrowman, visiting the Golden Gate Bridge and freaking out at Disney Land.

"Welcome back," S greeted me, raising his eyebrows the second I stepped out of my new Jaguar. "Did you smash your car, or something?"

"I accidentally drove it off the bridge," I shrugged, walking towards the building.

"Drove it off a bridge?" he echoed.

"Yep."

"Normal... So, have you picked which student you're taking through to the exams?"

I stopped dead. "What exams?"

"Both you and your student need to prove how to much you've proceeded over the year," S explained. "Because of what you specifically teach it will be a test of wit, logic and memory power."

"I have to do exams," I said slowly.

"Yes, you do."

"Well that's crap."

"Yes, it is."

"Do you have to do any?"

"Nope."

"Dammit, I wanted to prove that I'm more fabulous than you." I bit my lip and stuck my hands into my waistcoat pockets. "Do I have to pick just one student?"

"Yes."

"Double dammit. Can I pose in their place?"

"No, that's cheating."

"So I have to choose which of my pupils I want to have a career as a spy and which one I don't."

"Pretty much."

"Triple dammit. It'll ruin their lives! I'll get killed by Jake, I know I will..."

"Then choose him."

"He's not as intelligent as Tony." I sighed deeply and kicked a stone, wincing as the front of my shoes buckled in and crushed my toes. "So I'll take through Tony."

"I'll go and tell Jake the bad news." S turned on his heel and walked away, albino head protected from the sunlight by a parasol.

"He is so camp," I muttered, continuing on my way to my office.

If he's gone to talk to Jake then you don't need to go and teach them.

"I can go and look for the machine," I said to myself. "The demon converting machine..." I grinned and started to jog away, head turning every three seconds to look for guards and suspicious looking doors. Heading down darkened corridors and ducking out of sight of cameras and lights I followed my nose, my internal sat nav clicking into action.

"Classified 2333," I kept on repeating. "Classified 2333... Here's classified." I'd reached a grey door that had the word 'classified' stamped across the front in large capital letters. I pushed at the door and it didn't move. Searching for a door handle and seeing none I stepped back and then charged at the door at the fastest I could go. It exploded off its hinges and I fell into the room, falling down the flight of iron stairs just as you walked in.

Bruised, battered and with a clanging noise still ringing in my ears I dizzily stood up, clutching the railing for support. The door had somehow shut behind me, righting itself and turning on the lights.

The door didn't do that. I did that. The machine is down here... I'm getting stronger.

Slightly unnerved by this development I staggered down the remaining stairs, clutching my head. I could hear the random dream man walking around in my brain and I sent him an irritated message to keep still. He did so, sitting on the ground and wrapping his cape around him like a blanket.

I looked up from staring at the floor and gasped. Directly in front of me was the largest metal machine I'd ever seen and that includes some of the stuff in the Stronghold's basement. It was copper, iron, zinc, aluminium... every single metal imaginable had been used in the creating off that machine.

Circling it, mouth open in awe, I saw two large open spaces for people to stand. Spikes with electricity sparking from them every three seconds were poking from every angle, clawed hands on the edge of them.

"Oh my Lord," I murmured, taking out my phone and taking a few photos. Thinking better of it I put on my dark glasses, the ones that could communicate with people and take photographs. Dialling the Stronghold I waited patiently for it to connect, temple bend converting into a mouthpiece.

"Hey, what's up?" Georgina asked, picking up.

"Is Shaade there?"

"Yes."

"Josh?"

"Yes... are you planning to kill them or something?"

"Put the phone on speaker," I said, ignoring her question. "I have some pretty major news."

*

Shaade and Josh stared at the machine whilst I sat on the metal railing, the little dream man screaming at me in my head. I did my best to block him out but every so often a burst of blue light would flash across my vision, making me disorientated.

"So this will get rid of our demons?" Josh asked, breaking the silence. Georgina was stood by my side and Rebecca was on the opposite side of the room along with Sophie, Amalia and Emmi. Due to Lotte working for the press we couldn't risk her finding out and so she'd been blanked.

"Hopefully, yes," I replied, shutting my eyes and shouting back at dream man. He fell silent, glaring at my mind's eye sullenly.

"What are we waiting for?" Shaade grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Let's rock and roll!"

"Only if you never say that again," I said, getting up and walking over to the machine's controls, dread settling like a stone in my stomach.

"Fine," Shaade grumbled, hopping into one of the arch ways, gripping the hand holds tightly.

"Let's hope we don't die," Josh muttered, taking his place."

"Allons-y," I breathed, gaining a smile from Georgina.