Janus the Arrival (The Janus Trilogy Book 1) (28 page)

   
‘Dana! Over here
now
,’ the voice commanded, just as they began leaving. Those still
in earshot quickly scuttled off in various directions, only too pleased that it
hadn’t been them who’d been targeted.

   
‘Yes sir!’ Dana exclaimed with her
shoulders hunched, as she turned and headed slightly crestfallen back into the
room.

   
‘Take a seat please Miss Sorbus,’ he barked,
motioning to one of the chairs opposite his desk, which was usually piled high
with a mountain of paperwork that needed filing. Dana knew she was in deep
trouble. He only ever used peoples surnames if he was about to give them a
major bollocking.
 

   
‘You wouldn’t know anything about a missing
tracker that just so happens to be the property of the Feds would you?’ He
enquired, rather sarcastically at her. Dana knew there would no point in lying,
even if it only happened to be a little white lie. He would already have made
up his mind what the answer should be.

   
‘I would have told you sooner or later sir,
but I just thought it would probably be well worth waiting to see if I picked
up a signal before going ahead and bothering you.’

   
‘Bothering me! Bothering me! You must be
joking,’ he exploded. ‘You’ve done nothing but bother me since this whole
bloody mess started in the first place. Don’t forget young lady that it was you
who pushed me into putting you on this case so soon after your father had died,
despite all of my initial concerns.’ Having said that and seeing the pained
expression on her face, he then appeared to soften a little, before asking.

   
‘I suppose you’ve already bugged the alien
they carted away?’

   
‘Yes sir, Of course I have!’ she stated.

   
‘Good!’ he replied, before giving her a big
wink.

Huey
and Duey sat next to each other looking out through the tiny window in the
Grumman Gulfstream as it taxied towards the runway. Dana stood watching the
plane from the passenger terminal as she sipped the hot coffee she’d purchased
a few minutes earlier. In a funny sort of way, she was quite sad to see them
go, but one good point was the fact that it certainly eased the pressure on
both her and her boss. It was incredibly sad that Luey was no longer with them,
especially as he’d been the one she’d considered to be the nicer of the three.
Making her way over to the ticket machine to pay for her parking, she suddenly
noticed a flashing red light on the scanner as she searched around in her
handbag for her purse. The Feds had agreed she could keep it as a farewell
present just before they’d boarded their flight home, yet Dana had been a
little embarrassed that she’d nothing to give them back in return. In the end
they all seemed fairly content as the agents settled for a big hug from Dana as
a token of their friendship instead. Keen to get started, and finally sitting
back behind the wheel of her car in the multi-storey car park, she sensibly
placed the receiver on the dashboard, and was amazed at how fast the tracer
appeared to be moving. Setting off, then inserting her ticket into the waiting
mouth of the ticket machine, she swiftly passed under the barrier and
immediately pulled across to the fast lane. Placing her foot down hard on the accelerator,
she instantly sped off in the direction of the M25 Motorway.

All
hell had broken loose at the Farnborough Research Centre. Once the helicopter
had landed on the helipad, Janus had been carried unconscious on a stretcher
right across the tarmac under armed guard. They’d then placed him into a high
security cell with his body bound up from head to toe in a twine that
automatically tightened against the skin whenever the captive struggled against
it. Therefore, the guards standing outside, quite naturally expected a fairly
easy shift, so were a little surprised when they heard an unusual high-pitched
noise coming from inside the small padded cell. It was the more senior of the
two, who’d made the decision to peer through the swivel-top service hatch in
the metal door. In doing so, both men were instantly blinded as the light
escaping through was so intense that their eyeballs were instantly destroyed.
This automatically caused them to fall to the ground, where they clutched at
their faces in absolute agony, with blood literally seeping from their now
empty sockets. They were both fully aware that the oxygen in the air was
gradually diminishing. The heat from the cell wall was growing hotter and
hotter as they lay helpless and gasped desperately for air. The wall behind
them now glowed bright red, and just minutes after they’d fallen completely
unconscious, an area in the centre moved and erupted into a molten mass, as a
tiny aperture appeared, then started growing much larger. Moments later, the
figure of Janus cautiously stepped from the hole and discarded the last
remaining bits of twine from his clothing. Knowing he was free from the cell,
he simply glanced down at the bodies of the men who’d been guarding him, and calmly
stepped over the two of them.

   
‘Sorry boys! I guess that’s what happens if
you cage things up.’ he laughed, before eventually sauntering off down the
corridor. Unfortunately, the rest of the journey through the building led to a
few further casualties, before the Dra-Na-Zee warrior bypassed the remaining
sections of security and finally stepped out into the open. Once there, he
seemed totally indifferent to all the death and destruction he’d just caused,
and calmly took a deep breath of fresh air into his lungs, while he gazed up at
the stars above, whilst deep in thought.

The
military vehicle sped east along the A30 and eventually headed into Staines
town centre. The driver had just enjoyed a leisurely breakfast back at the
base, and he now trailed through the thickening traffic, completely oblivious
of the fact that he carried an extremely dangerous passenger on board. As a
space opened up ahead of him, he had a quick look to see if anyone else may be
having the same idea, and then put on a sudden burst of speed, before having to
slow back down again, in order to keep a safe distance between him and the
civilian car travelling in front. However, just as his eyes flicked to the
rear-view mirror to check what was behind, he managed to catch a quick glimpse
of a heavy spanner, as it descended through the air towards him. It caught him
a glancing blow against the right side of the head and caused him to instantly
crumple sideways into a useless heap, half way across the passenger seat. Janus
climbed over and stepped on to the front seat, then kicked the driver’s feet
well out of the way, with quite a bit of force. He then lowered himself into
the position that the driver had been seated in earlier, and took firm control
of the steering wheel.

   
‘Sleep well my friend!’ he uttered, with
not a shred of remorse, as he immediately turned sharp left at the next
junction.

News
of the escape and the discovery of the abandoned vehicle, along with the fact
that the drivers clothing had also been stolen, was immediately sent out to
every police station in the area. This was carried out by means of a fax that
included a small but rather blurred image of a man who bore a slight
resemblance to Janus. It was the best that they could find, according to those
in charge, although Dana was not exactly impressed. Attached to the bottom was
a small footnote that contained a warning that he was a very dangerous
criminal, who should only be approached with extreme caution. This was
subsequently communicated to all mobile units out on the streets, with the hope
that they’d get the message and not play Rambo.

   
‘What the hell are those useless idiots
playing at now?’ Dana complained, as the message crackled over the radio, while
she continued to follow the signal that will still going strong on the tracker.

   
‘It’ll be certain death for anyone who even
catches sight of him, yet alone anyone stupid enough to approach him.’ She was
extremely worried and knew exactly what he was capable of.

Danny
floated along in a brightly lit tunnel. He was in seventh heaven and totally
soaking up the whole experience, when it all ended far too soon. The passageway
opened out into a huge cave adorned with a striking array of outstanding
colours. Then he noticed the largest icicles he could ever have imagined, which
spread off in just about every direction possible. On this occasion he had
plenty of time to allow for his eyes to adjust properly to his surroundings,
and the sight of four stunning females approaching him with outstretched arms, and
smiles that could melt even the hardest of hearts, was a moment he’d never be
likely to forget. The memory of his recent death disappeared in an instant, and
Danny stood totally speechless for a moment or two, as he tried to take it all
in. Gathering around him and taking his hands in theirs, they swiftly ushered
him into another section that appeared to run parallel to the main cave. Steam
rose from the glossy rock formations on either side, and he could feel the
warmth coming from them, but as they rounded the corner ahead, Danny stopped
dead in his tracks. The boy merely stared in awe at the largest crystal he’d
ever seen or imagined. It stood in all its splendour in the centre of a large
shimmering pool. Its heated waters bubbled as steam rose up and then ascended
the naturally smooth edges of the enormous mineral that towered before him. He
witnessed water cascading down from a hidden outlet at the top of the crystal,
which created an amazing waterfall effect. This in turn, set off an iridescent
display that combined a completely unbelievable spectrum of breath-taking
colours. It was a most magnificent sight, and one that had never been witnessed
by anyone other than those currently present inside the cavern. Then, a voice
from behind the waterfall suddenly startled him. Danny laughed out loud before
raising his hand to shake that of his friend J’Mi the Elder, who now stood
before him. He felt no embarrassment as the women swiftly set about removing
his clothing. He also managed to retain his cool, as they set about shedding
their own garments, before finally stepping as a group into the refreshing
waters of the extremely welcome looking pool. Once settled, Danny learnt for
the first time, just how powerful the combined powers of the Dra-Na-Zee could
actually prove to be. He’d experimented with what he referred to as ‘remote
viewing’ quite a few times, when he’d been busy on Earth learning from the
Stone Disks. Yet now, the with the combination and intelligence of the minds of
the six Dra-Na-Zee linked together, the clarity of the vision before him was
absolutely stunning. Danny now knew for certain that he was home at last with
his true family. He realised that if he’d continued his feelings for those he’d
lived with on Earth, he would more than likely have broken down with some
unimaginable consequences.
 

Janus
flexed his muscles as he stood admiring his body in front of the bathroom
mirror. This latest transition had resulted in a substantial increase in his
powers with his physical strength appearing to have multiplied in comparison to
the first human body he’d inhabited. Having thoroughly probed around in his own
mind, Janus was more than pleased to discover that all traces of Vicky appeared
to have disappeared, having obviously been consumed by the renewed Dra-Na-Zee
energy that now coursed through his veins. The hotel he’d chosen was purposely
located close to a popular zoo, and it was also the first of its kind to be
combined with a theme park. As a consequence, standing by his open window, he
occasionally heard the sound of the animals who he shared a definite sense of
sympathy with. Certain elements of his recent captivity still remained fresh in
his mind, and therefore it was not necessarily an area that he wanted to dwell
on for too long.

   
Laying in a hot bath a short while later,
Janus had decided to summon up the stone disks in the hope of opening up a
suitable path back to his home planet. Nevertheless, as nothing happened on his
first attempt, he wondered if maybe he was just a little bit out of practise.
Trying again, but concentrating specifically on the image of a crystal this
time around, he unexpectedly felt a slight shudder coming from somewhere deep
inside his head when nothing happened. Something was wrong. Something was very
wrong and he knew it. Following a third attempt, and not wishing to give in, he
immediately cast his mind much further afield. What he saw, was another force
very similar to his own, and it looked to be blocking any possible links that
he may of had to the corridors of time. Fighting back, and feeling extremely
annoyed, Janus used every morsel of strength he was able to call upon. Then,
just as the pressure started to reach dangerously close to breaking point, he
happened to catch sight of the culprits who were responsible. The two male
Elders assisted by the females had finally managed to interfere, thanks to
Vicky’s past meddling, which somehow allowed the better side of the Dra-Na-Zee
race to be one jump ahead. This meant they had a pretty good opportunity to prevent
Janus changing the future again. The sad fact of the matter was, Janus never
saw himself as evil. He totally failed to understand or recognise that he was
the vital link in the chain that had caused the destruction of his own people
in the first place. It was only now, following the most recent cycle of events,
that the Dra-Na-Zee Elders realised their own error in sending the pod
containing Janus’ cells to Earth all those years ago. Every barrel was said to
contain a rotten apple, but in this case, it simply appeared to be down to bad
luck. It was completely unfortunate that this one had been allowed to slip
through the net, at least according to what they knew at the present time. Not
being the type of creature to give up so easily, and considering his present
situation, Janus knew he only had one way of returning to Pagos in order to
destroy the Elders. To achieve this he would need to get his hands on the only
existing link that remained common to himself and the two males. According to
his plan, Dana should already be on her way to meet with him, and if that were
so, he’d soon be holding the upper hand once again.

Dana
found it hard to contain her excitement. The signal was growing much stronger
the further she drove. She’d just turned off the A3 at the roundabout above the
Hook underpass and then turned left onto the Leatherhead road where the traffic
was flowing fairly well for a change. Pressing her foot down harder on the
accelerator, she soon found that she was required to undertake a Citroen 2CV as
it pottered along, whilst hogging the fast lane of the dual carriageway.
Shooting across the next roundabout, she was then
forced to
slam the brakes on, as a woman
pushing a pram unexpectedly stepped out onto the crossing, just as she
approached the next junction. Dana lowered her head in embarrassment as the
angry mother shouted a few expletives in her direction, before finally crossing
the rest of the way, and letting her continue her journey. Trying her best to
erase the incident from her mind altogether, Dana eventually indicated right,
having travelled a little bit further along the road. As soon as a decent gap
appeared in the oncoming traffic, she pulled into the Adventure World car park
and found an empty space almost immediately. Stepping from the vehicle and
following the crowds, she had to totally ignore the protests of the queuing
public who felt she was queue-jumping.
 
Seeing where she needed to be, Dana immediately sped up and made her way
to the nearest pay-booth, where a quick flash of her badge gave her instant
access into the main entrance of the theme park, much to the annoyance of those
who still watched her.

Janus
gazed up at the printed sign just above the cage door.
Panthera Leo
it declared, as a fully grown lion peered through the
bars rather dispassionately at a crowd of onlookers. With its head still held
proud, Janus admired the animal’s fluffy mane that gave it the crowning, and
much deserved title as ‘King of the Jungle.’ Janus knew that in the wilds of
Africa and North West India, this cat would have proved a true adversary. Yet
here it stood caged for the sheer pleasure of the human public to stare at. How
tempting it would have been to stuff some of those gawping humans into the cage
with it. That seemed like real justice as far as he was concerned, plus he
could almost picture the panic as they rushed around screaming in terror, while
the creature skilfully stalked its prey as if in the wild. It would then be
able to sink its fierce claws deep into human flesh and bone. Then, with the
victim still alive and able to smell its hot, rancid breath on them, the
creatures powerful back legs would rip right into their stomach lining and
scoop out their entrails. It was amazing how such an inborn instinct could
exist. It could even be seen in the most docile of domestic cats today, if you
stopped and bothered to study their movements close enough. At that point, the
sound of fast approaching footsteps instantly removed him from his malicious
thoughts.