Adam Brodie and the monster from the dark planet

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

"No I'm not letting you in."

This came from a robot doorframe around the doorway to Jake's room.

"But I'm Jake's brother," said Adam.

"I don't know you from Adam," said the doorframe.

"This Adam's better dressed," said Brigitte and laughed.

Adam shot her a poisoned glance. He had not been the only one who wondered why his brother hadn't been at breakfast. All that morning creatures of various forms came up to him and asked him where Jake was. These were all Jake's friends. Adam never knew his brother was so popular, but when he had a visit from an android who brought a message from Jake's house master asking why Jake wasn't at his lessons, Adam felt he needed to find his brother himself.

Adam called Jake's phone and got no answer, so he and Brigitte went to the residential beehive shaped building for House Quasar. Adam was feeling irritated as he thought Jake was hiding somewhere, probably in his room, and he had enough of Jake's weird friends, and even Quasar's house master demanding of Adam where his brother was.

Adam was starting to decide he'd had enough of this place. That crazy supervillain and his buddies had frightened him though he had directed a brave façade to them. Now his brother had performed a disappearing act. Adam wondered if he could skype his father and ask to be taken away from this mad house before the academic was up.

Brigitte and Adam stood before the doorway to Jake's room. The doorframe, a piece of intelligent material like the rest of the Nexus, was being difficult.

"I just want to see if Jake is in there."

"He isn't," said the doorframe. "Anyway aren't you supposed to be going to your lessons?"

"Is there any way you can test to see if Adam is who he says he is?"

The doorframe sighed heavily. "Young man, put the palm of your hand against the doors. Left or right, it doesn't matter."

Adam did so.

"You can take it away."

Adam did so.

"I have taken a sample of your DNA from your sweat and am analysing it."

"How long will that take?"

"I've already done it. You are Adam Brodie."

Adam looked at the doorframe. "Told you."

"Okay you can go in but don't steal anything. I will be watching you."

The doors opened and Adam and Brigitte entered Jake's room. Jake was a prefect so he had a room to himself.

"I hope there's nothing else in here that talks," said Adam.

That was another thing that spooked him about this place, the fact everything here could talk, walls, doors, tables, furniture. He felt angry at his mother and father for sending him to such a ghastly place. Now he was angry at his brother for vanishing, and not being there for him. Adam gave a cursory glance around the room. It was small and neat, a bed with a small cupboard next to it on which stood some of Jake's possessions, a framed photograph of the family, Jake's laptop and smartphone. In the cupboard, they found a few books, graphic novels, a half-eaten bar of chocolate, a packet of peppermints and an orange. On one wall Jake had blue tacked a poster of Guardians of the Galaxy.