ACADEMY FOR THE DAMNED

Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Three

Durand spoke to Macleod through a video screen. She was angry and frustrated. Nothing was going to plan and she decided she needed to remove her most dangerous obstacle. Dr Baja had ceased all communication, despite her needing Guardian to supply her with vital data.

"Macleod, I want you to take a group of men and force your way into Baja's laboratory. Do whatever it takes and I want you to bring Baja to me. If he resists kill him and make sure his people know any resistance on their part will meet with death."

Durand reasoned she no longer needed Baja. His underlings and technicians would run Guardian and she would be back to having the massive processing power of that super computer at her command. Whatever nonsense Baja was up to in his laboratory needed to come to an abrupt end. Whatever it was it could not in any way help her mission and most probably would be interference. Durand cursed herself with not putting into operation this attack on Baja earlier. She should have acted the minute that man started to become a problem.

Macleod hesitated.

"What's the matter?" she demanded.

"Baja controls the robots."

"What of it? They're machines. You are trained combatants with the best equipment money can buy."

"You underestimate the robots' capability."

"And I think you are not doing the job you are richly paid to do. No more objections. Follow my orders. Within twenty minutes I want Baja in my office, or his corpse."

"Madam, Dido St Claire has returned from where ever she vanished to."

Durand sat up. "What? Well bring her here!"

"Yes, madam."

"Give me your hand," said Dee.

Emily hesitated and then she extended the hand which she had broken against Dee's head. Dee took the hand in both of hers and then let go of it.

"How does your hand feel?"

"I've no pain," said Emily. "It's gone."

Dee smiled. "You've nothing to fear."

The cast around Emily's hand tore open and fell away, dropping to the ground. Emily raised her hand and wriggled her fingers.

"It's healed," she gasped.

Dee and Emily were outside the building in the courtyard. They were surrounded by a crowd of teenagers. Dillon, Ike, Amina and Juliette were among them.

"You see," said Dee. "I bear you no ill will. Even the tooth you dislodged has grown back."

Dee spread out her arms and rose up from the ground and soared into the air. The teenagers gasped as they watched her hover in the air far above them and then Dee came back down and alighted gently on the ground. She smiled at the crowd.

"I went through the opening into the other world and was not harmed by the monsters. I met , a powerful deity who wishes to bring harmony to this world."

"That's a lie!" cried Juliette. "Ut'Urlis-Hr'Her is a monster, the worst. Don't listen to her. She had been possessed!"

"I am under nobody's control," said Dee firmly. "So to speak, I've seen the light. Ut'Urlis-Hr'Her showed me wonderful things, great things and I can show them to you all. Follow me and you will never have to fear the monsters beyond the wall or in the other world. You will not have to fear Durand her people. I will set you all free, and I will bestow onto you all great gifts!"