his face that he was in pain also. Across the plaza, the crowd that had seen
their original fall was now in complete turmoil at their disappearance. “We were generating a little too much interest.”
Hack sat down and rubbed his aching shoulder, which had hit the concrete hardest. “Who are you?”
“My name’s Robert Williams,” he answered. “And I’m here to make sure you don’t get yourself killed tonight.”
6
“So, let me get this straight,” Hack said. “You came here looking for me because your sister had a premonition I was in trouble. She just knew I’d be
there on the 77 th floor needing someone to save me from the men with guns?”
Robert nodded. “Something like that. Sarah has advanced telepathic abilities and she uses them to track down kids like you. Kids who’ve been given powers by the fall
virus.”
“Track down?” Hack said. “Or do you mean hunt down?”
“We’re with a scientific organization called HIDRA. It stands for the Hyper-Infectious—”
“I know what it stands for. I’ve read the blogs.”
“Then you’ll know we’re working to find a cure for the fall virus,” Robert continued. “We’re also a safe haven for kids who’ve been persecuted because
of their abilities. We give shelter if necessary, advice on controlling and developing your powers—”
“And all I have to do in return is help out your private army from time to time, right?” Hack interrupted. “I’ve heard all about Colonel Moss. And what was the other guy
called? Major Bright?”
“That’s in the past. Colonel Moss is in jail. The military doesn’t call the shots at HIDRA any more.”
“I’ll take your word for that,” Hack said. In the middle of the plaza, a couple of uniformed cops had arrived and were listening to the woman’s story. He got to his feet,
keeping in the shadows. “Well, thanks for saving me from getting squished. Maybe I’ll look you up sometime—”
“Hey, you can’t just walk away!” Robert protested, standing also.
“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” Hack said and he started across the plaza, keeping to the edge.
His thoughts had turned to Jonesey, who was still in the hands of Hui. They could be anywhere in the city, but if he knew his friend he’d go to the Golden Chip. The only question was,
would Hui let him? Thankfully, the crowd was too busy bending the ears of the cops to notice him as he approached the entrance to the MTR station. The teleporting kid, Robert, seemed to have taken
the hint and wasn’t following him either.
Hack ran down the escalator into the station, waved his Octopus card at the turnstile reader and made the platform for the Tsuen Wan line just as the train was arriving. The protective doors,
designed to stop the rush hour crush of passengers pushing themselves onto the tracks, opened and he slipped inside, grabbing a post in the middle of the carriage. A few seconds later the train
pulled away smoothly on its high-speed trip under the bay towards Kowloon.
Glancing down the carriage, Hack saw someone he recognized: the fake tourist guy from the GC. He cursed inwardly and looked in the other direction. Sure enough, there was camera woman from that
day in Tai-O. Both of them were staring directly at him, making no effort at pretence now. How had they found him again?
“Friends of yours?”
Hack turned. Robert stood beside him, holding onto the pole as if he’d just appeared out of nowhere – which he probably had.
“You don’t give up, do you?”
Robert shook his head. “I told you I wasn’t going to let you get yourself killed, and I meant it. My sister sensed people are after you because of your powers – people who
don’t have your best interests at heart.”
“And did she sense that before or after your HIDRA spies started following me?” Hack pointed at the man down the carriage and then the woman. “I spotted my tails a week
ago, so you can stop with the telepathy
their original fall was now in complete turmoil at their disappearance. “We were generating a little too much interest.”
Hack sat down and rubbed his aching shoulder, which had hit the concrete hardest. “Who are you?”
“My name’s Robert Williams,” he answered. “And I’m here to make sure you don’t get yourself killed tonight.”
6
“So, let me get this straight,” Hack said. “You came here looking for me because your sister had a premonition I was in trouble. She just knew I’d be
there on the 77 th floor needing someone to save me from the men with guns?”
Robert nodded. “Something like that. Sarah has advanced telepathic abilities and she uses them to track down kids like you. Kids who’ve been given powers by the fall
virus.”
“Track down?” Hack said. “Or do you mean hunt down?”
“We’re with a scientific organization called HIDRA. It stands for the Hyper-Infectious—”
“I know what it stands for. I’ve read the blogs.”
“Then you’ll know we’re working to find a cure for the fall virus,” Robert continued. “We’re also a safe haven for kids who’ve been persecuted because
of their abilities. We give shelter if necessary, advice on controlling and developing your powers—”
“And all I have to do in return is help out your private army from time to time, right?” Hack interrupted. “I’ve heard all about Colonel Moss. And what was the other guy
called? Major Bright?”
“That’s in the past. Colonel Moss is in jail. The military doesn’t call the shots at HIDRA any more.”
“I’ll take your word for that,” Hack said. In the middle of the plaza, a couple of uniformed cops had arrived and were listening to the woman’s story. He got to his feet,
keeping in the shadows. “Well, thanks for saving me from getting squished. Maybe I’ll look you up sometime—”
“Hey, you can’t just walk away!” Robert protested, standing also.
“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” Hack said and he started across the plaza, keeping to the edge.
His thoughts had turned to Jonesey, who was still in the hands of Hui. They could be anywhere in the city, but if he knew his friend he’d go to the Golden Chip. The only question was,
would Hui let him? Thankfully, the crowd was too busy bending the ears of the cops to notice him as he approached the entrance to the MTR station. The teleporting kid, Robert, seemed to have taken
the hint and wasn’t following him either.
Hack ran down the escalator into the station, waved his Octopus card at the turnstile reader and made the platform for the Tsuen Wan line just as the train was arriving. The protective doors,
designed to stop the rush hour crush of passengers pushing themselves onto the tracks, opened and he slipped inside, grabbing a post in the middle of the carriage. A few seconds later the train
pulled away smoothly on its high-speed trip under the bay towards Kowloon.
Glancing down the carriage, Hack saw someone he recognized: the fake tourist guy from the GC. He cursed inwardly and looked in the other direction. Sure enough, there was camera woman from that
day in Tai-O. Both of them were staring directly at him, making no effort at pretence now. How had they found him again?
“Friends of yours?”
Hack turned. Robert stood beside him, holding onto the pole as if he’d just appeared out of nowhere – which he probably had.
“You don’t give up, do you?”
Robert shook his head. “I told you I wasn’t going to let you get yourself killed, and I meant it. My sister sensed people are after you because of your powers – people who
don’t have your best interests at heart.”
“And did she sense that before or after your HIDRA spies started following me?” Hack pointed at the man down the carriage and then the woman. “I spotted my tails a week
ago, so you can stop with the telepathy
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