Beyond the Knock Knock Door (20 page)

The last of the harlequins vanished through an opening on the top level. A hover vehicle waited for them outside, kicking up dust and pebbles. Their leader tapped the hidden earpiece on the side of his gold mask, nodded and warned them to keep watch for ‘savages'.

‘It's the Scorned, isn't it?' Michael said. ‘They're your slaves. They're the same natives you talked about earlier – the ones who think this mountain is haunted. They either work in your mines or flee to Pacifico. But that means –'

‘Yes?'

‘– the Broken Islands are their home and –'

‘And what?'

‘– you've conquered them.'

The black harlequin strolled along a broken edge, pleased with their insight. ‘Close, my boy. We harlequins haven't conquered these islands for ourselves. No, it's for Pacifico – your beloved city of peace.'

The triplets gripped the bars. ‘You're lying!' Michael said.

‘Let me fill you in on the blanks, shall I?' the black
harlequin said, retracing his steps. ‘Pacifico is like a hippopotamus in a small pond. It's grown too big for its home and needs a bigger one with space to move and food to survive. Except another hippopotamus lives in that bigger pond and refuses to share it with the first hippopotamus. What do you think the first hippopotamus will do?'

‘Fight the second hippopotamus,' Luke answered.

‘Which is the Scorned,' Samantha added.

‘Correct,' the black harlequin said. ‘Pacifico ran out of land years ago. It no longer had enough crops and fresh water to support itself, so it had to look elsewhere. It turned to the Broken Isles, which had plenty of space and resources – one of which, to our great delight, was gold. After centuries of war, the traditional owners – the Thirteen Tribes – were scattered and living in poverty. Many of their number had sought refuge in other outposts on this planet, leaving their homeland vulnerable. When the thirteen chiefs refused to yield to the government's demands for colonisation, the government hired my friends and I to wage a secret war on these islands. To ensure that no one found out, we created the monster story to keep people away. As a result, now everyone stays fed; the Scorned threat is eliminated; and the flow of gold keeps the nobles happy and their mouths shut.'

‘But you couldn't keep all the nobles quiet,' Samantha said. ‘People like Isabelle and Cavalli – they threatened to expose you with their questions, so you made them
disappear. Guido even convinced the Red Samurai to come here.'

‘And he too had to vanish. Imagine if all the other worlds found out about these islands. It would be disastrous. Tourists would boycott the city. Planets would ban all trade. The nobles would lose their riches and have to work again. It would set Pacifico back centuries. The entire social system would collapse. Most of those rich fools have even forgotten where food comes from. Without their money, they're helpless.'

The black harlequin tapped the side of his mask again as he received a new transmission. ‘Ah, time to bid farewell. Thank you for taking part in my conspiracy.'

‘Our part?' she said. ‘We've done no such thing.'

‘Really? Then ask yourself: if I've known your true identities all along, why have you been allowed to continue your game of heroes?'

‘Because you were afraid we'd defeat you!' Luke said.

‘And yet, here I am, standing as a free man – and you are locked in a prison.'

He walked towards the exit.

Michael tried stalling him. ‘It's because we interrupted your plans, isn't it? When we arrived in Pacifico unexpectedly, it gave people hope. They believed we really were from the Hall of Heroes. You couldn't get rid of us straight away, because you knew they'd tear the city apart to find us. It's the same reason why you can't touch Oriana. Too many people adore her. But what's going to stop them tearing apart these isles to find us now?'

The answer came swiftly. ‘Your deaths.'

The threat echoed throughout the entire library. All three pressed their faces against the bars and checked the chains suspending their cages.

‘Don't insult me,' his voice carried down to them. ‘I'm much more inventive than that. The monster has been such a good and faithful pet, but its demise is at hand. Secrets cannot last forever. For years to come, parents will tell their children how the Gold Knight and his two companions slew the ugly beast. With a fatal blow they ran their swords through its invisible heart, but its huge frame crushed them underneath.'

‘You're crazy!' Samantha shouted.

‘In the next few weeks, the good citizens of Pacifico will mourn their champions and hold a state funeral. Among the crowd, a rumour will start. It'll move rapidly from the taverns, into the homes and up to the palace before finally reaching the Queen's ear. People will say that the Scorned controlled the monster, that their age-old enemy had ordered the Gold Knight's death. The nobles will demand action. The Queen will have no choice but to send her new marine captain to investigate. Within a week, there will be no word, but lo! What's that drifting on the horizon? An empty boat covered in spears. It's an act of war! The Broken Isles are ours!'

‘You're risking war over a lie?'

‘You'd be amazed, young one, how many wars are fought over just that.'

The lights powered down, leaving King Amadeo's
Ghost in complete darkness. Metal chains stopped clinking as the triplets paused in their cages, straining to hear the harlequin leave.

‘What are you going to do with us?' Michael shouted. ‘Answer me! What are you going to do with us?' He shook the cage door and bars, but it was hopeless. For such a vast hall, he felt increasingly claustrophobic.

‘Nothing,' the black harlequin said from far away. ‘That's for your new masters to decide.'

‘You're selling us as slaves?'

Again, silence.

‘Who are you?' Michael demanded. ‘Who's behind that mask?'

A voice startled him. It whispered in his ear – not from above but only half a metre away. It had no solid form, but definitely belonged to the black harlequin. ‘You should already know. I have a hundred different names on a thousand different worlds. And, yes, one of them is Earth.'

‘Look on the bright side,' Luke said. ‘At least we know who the monster is.'

Ten minutes later, Michael finally prised a screaming Samantha from the bars. ‘The bright side is I'm not in the same cage as him!'

No one spoke for a long time. The triplets withdrew into themselves until a weak voice crossed the blackness. ‘Mikey?'

‘What?'

‘Thanks.'

‘For what?'

‘Trying to rescue me. I thought –'

‘That we wouldn't?'

‘Don't be so stupid,' Samantha snapped. ‘Who else was going to tell you you're an idiot for flying off on your own?'

‘You shouldn't have called me fat,' Luke said.

‘Well, you are. Get over it.'

‘Sam!' Michael said.

She huffed and pouted until the quiet overpowered them. ‘Look, I'm sorry, okay? I'm just tired of you never listening to me.'

‘Because you treat me like I'm dumb,' Luke replied.

‘Only because you never take anything seriously.'

‘What, and be dull like you? No thanks.'

‘I am not dull!'

‘Oh yeah? Do you know what the other kids at school call you?'

‘What?'

‘The Drill Bit – because you're skinny, twisted and boring.'

The insult lingered. When Michael heard sobbing, he moved towards his sister, only to be shrugged away.

Hours seeped by like the dripping from the roof. Bats returned to their roosts in the cavern below and the winds scoured the shafts. As Samantha and Luke accepted defeat, a metal
thunk!
startled them.

‘What are you doing?' she asked.

Thunk!
An edge of marble crumbled across from them.

‘What's that noise?'

‘I'm not giving up,' Michael answered as his gauntlet boomeranged back to his fist. He tore it off his hand and threw it a third time.
Thunk!

‘Can someone tell me what's going on,' Luke said.

‘I'm trying to hit that lever. It's connected to the chain that's holding up this cage. If I can knock its locking mechanism, we'll drop to the ground and the door'll smash open.'

‘It's a thirty-metre drop! We'll smash open!'

‘It's better than waiting for those slave traders.'

Again and again he tried, unable to even see the lever. He hit the marble walls, punched a bookcase and even bashed the chain, but not once did he find his target. In the end, he tore off his helmet and chucked it into a corner of the cage. ‘If only we had some light.'

‘My utility belt,' Luke said. ‘It's on top of the cage.'

Michael and Samantha cheered him as he ran from one side to the other like a wrestler bouncing off the ring ropes. Soon, the cage seesawed dangerously and threatened to spin. With one more jolt, his utility belt, jetpack and earpiece slid from the roof but fell past his outstretched hands.

‘No!'

‘Don't panic,' Michael said.

The gear plummeted towards the pool but bungeed straight back up. Just like the gold armour and pirate hat, the star ranger's costume also boomeranged. The jetpack was too thick to squeeze through the bars but not the earpiece and utility belt. Luke fished through all the pouches and found his shoulder flashlight, but it needed recharging. Unable to find any matches, he grabbed the second best thing – a flare gun.

PPPHHHFFFFFFF!

Red fire flashed and blinded them. Once their eyes adjusted, Michael renewed throwing his gauntlets.

‘Give me your other one,' she said, also aiming for the lever's locking mechanism. Just one hit would bash it free. But it was harder than it looked. It was like
throwing pebbles at a pin. ‘Hurry! The flare's running out!'

‘And I've only got two more left,' Luke said. He desperately scouted the storeys below and above, before firing nowhere near the lever.

PPPHHHFFFFFFF!

‘What are you doing? We need light over here!'

The flare exploded against an archway before sinking into the black mire.

‘Luke! Stop wasting them! We won't be able to see.'

He ignored her. With the last flare, he took aim at the same spot and squeezed the trigger.

PPPHHHFFFFFF!

‘Luke!'

It blazed towards a pillar then roared into a fireball. When the flame shrank, light burned from a fixed oil lamp.

Michael and Samantha looked at each other. ‘Genius!' they shouted.

‘Not so dumb, eh?' he said, striking a pose.

The flame was the most precious thing they'd seen. They renewed their attacks on the lever but only managed a glancing blow. Soon, the time between
thunks
slowed as their muscles tired. Michael slumped against the bars, his armour scraping down the metal. Samantha lay on the floor opposite him, rolling a cramp from her shoulder. Only Luke kept up his enthusiasm. He scrummaged through his utility belt's pouches, hoping to find another hidden treasure. Chewing gum? No. Spoon? No. Mosquito repellent? No.
Dr Quadvark's
Guide to Poisonous Berries
? No. A replacement inflatable six-man raft? No. Pepper spray? No. Handcuffs? No. The toy robot he'd won at Rajan's party? No.

He jumped to his feet when he fished out a small tool kit. ‘Hey! A lock pick!'

He worked his cage's keyhole with the two strips of metal as his siblings egged him on. They flopped down again, though, when they realised he lacked one vital skill. ‘A lock pick's useless if you've never used one before,' he said.

The oil lamp burned lower as they drew their coat, jacket and cloak around themselves. They shared lemony rations and drank dripping water.

‘How did the harlequins catch you, anyway?' Michael asked.

Luke paused after emptying the last item from his pouches – that silly tin of sardines from the Now-Or-Never Wagon. ‘The red harlequin ambushed me in these underground tunnels,' he said. ‘She hit me with her knock-out gas. The next thing I remember is waking up here.'

‘What were you doing underground?'

‘Chasing someone, I think. It's hard to remember. Everything's still a bit hazy. I thought it was the monster but – wait! Yes! That's it. There was this man. He'd stolen food from the palace and carried it in this sack –'

His brother and sister looked at each other. ‘The lame footman!'

‘Yeah! But how do you know?'

‘When we were searching for you, he just appeared out of a grate in a Scorned community,' she said. ‘When he saw us, he knew he'd been busted.'

‘So how's he mixed up in all this?' Michael asked.

Luke shrugged. ‘No idea. But there's something else. A room. No, not a room. Er, it's in the tunnels too. I remember sneaking inside and' – his eyes widened. ‘Oh no! All those people!'

‘What is it?'

‘We've got to get out of here. We have to get back to Pacifico!'

‘We know that. But why?'

‘Because there's a secret dungeon. It's where the harlequins keep their prisoners. And Lady Isabelle – she's there! We can still rescue her!'

‘Only if we get rescued first,' Samantha said.

Her bluntness crushed their last hope and they said no more. Luke repacked his pouches, while the others wrestled with their fears.

Watching bats flap out the upper passageway, Michael noticed them pass the levers and their swords. Slowly, he stood as a plan formed in his mind. But for it to work he'd have to open the cage first.

‘Luke, can you use your jetpack to burn through your lock?'

His brother tried twisting around its rocket cylinders pressed against the bars. ‘Not without burning myself.'

Michael pounded his cage with his fist. He'd almost figured it out.

A tingling ran through his gauntlet.

‘I'll do it anyway,' Luke said. ‘We have to get out of here.'

‘
No,
' Samantha said. ‘You're not setting yourself on fire. I'd prefer to be a slave than watch you suffer.'

They looked at each other. Nothing was spoken. Nothing had to be.

Michael hit the bars again in frustration. ‘C'mon! Think!' He hit them again and again, until he left a sizeable dent.

‘Wow! Mikey!' Luke said.

‘How'd you do that?' Samantha asked, alarmed. ‘You can't even twist off a jar lid.'

Michael looked at his gauntlets and felt strength ebbing away. It was the same sensation he'd experienced during his fight with Cavalli at the garrison. The marine had knocked him off his feet several times before he'd retaliated and sent the captain flying across the wet stones. He'd just thought it was a lucky shot. Now, he wasn't so sure.

‘My armour comes with some sort of power,' he said. ‘I can't figure out how to use it.'

Not wanting to waste the chance, he grabbed the bars and tried prising them apart. They held fast.

‘What's wrong?' Luke asked.

‘I don't know. Suddenly I feel weak again.'

‘What were you doing before?'

‘Hitting the cage,' she answered for him. ‘Do it again.'

He did. He struck it flat on the knuckles and drew
his hand away in pain. Nope, that wasn't right.

‘Why doesn't anything make sense?' she said, exasperated.

Michael refused to give up. He shook his hand then used the side of his fist to hammer the bars. The tingling sensation returned and, within moments, he was bashing them with both gauntlets. It became so intense he stopped hitting the cage and just ripped off the door and threw it into the murky pool below.

‘All right, Super Mikey!' Luke yelled.

‘Good job,' his sister said, patting him on the shoulder. ‘Now we need to get down.'

They stood at the open doorway and looked below. The thirty-metre drop was too far to jump. But the bats had inspired him.

‘Luke, you said your earpiece records and plays back music, right?'

‘Yep.'

‘Do you have a radio station for whale sharks?'

Bats screeched and scattered as ten minutes later Ningaloo and her pilot fish soared into King Amadeo's Ghost. She circled Luke's cage, heeding the music recorded from their first meeting with Aurelio. Only problem was, they had no way of controlling her.

‘Go to Michael and Samantha,' he said, waving her away. ‘They need to hop on your back.'

‘Over here, girl,' Michael said, clicking his fingers. ‘C'mon.'

‘Fish taxi!' she added. ‘Want a fare?'

Michael glared at her. ‘You're not helping.'

The throbbing of a descending starship's engine outside reverberated through the cavern and into the library. More bats fled their roosts below, while the whale shark curved away. Luke only managed to stop Ningaloo fleeing by turning up the piping's volume.

‘Slavers!' Samantha guessed.

‘We've got to do this now,' Michael said. ‘But the only thing she understands is Aurelio's music.'

Luke produced the tin of sardines. ‘Or food.'

He tossed it to his brother, who fumbled and dropped them. However, his sister had far better reflexes and caught it before it fell into the mire. Within moments, they lured the whale shark to their cage with the tiny fish, boarded her and steered her – carrot-and-stick – to the levers. Releasing the right one, Michael slowly lowered Luke's cage to the ground before meeting him there.

‘Quiet!' she said. ‘Listen!'

Voices echoed from the cavern below.

‘They're inside!'

Luke grabbed his jetpack before following his brother and sister upstairs. They recovered their swords then tried reboarding Ningaloo, but, in the absence of piping she turned away and disappeared down the shafts again. Instead, they took the path of the harlequins, where, further along, dusk glowed. They surfaced among the mountain tops whistling with a chill wind and saw a vast plain stretching towards the ocean. Directly below, the highest dome of King Amadeo's Ghost poked through, covered by centuries of rockslides. Long ago,
the library had been swallowed by an earthquake.

A few minutes later, when the slavers reached the exit, they were out of patience and puff. Their leader snapped at them to turn around and fetch their ship. ‘Contact the harlequins! The children have escaped!'

The man stood on a rocky outcropping, surveying the vast plain through a pair of electronic binoculars until he spat in disgust and followed his crew. His boots dislodged a scattering of pebbles, which bounced past the triplets cowering underneath. Once the slave ship blasted into the skies, a relieved Michael, Samantha and Luke sought shelter further along the mountain and, in no time, fell asleep.