The Fastest Story: Team B (From Swindon Advertiser)

The Fastest Story: Team B

2:54pm Sunday 21st November 2010 in Literary Corner

AS part of the Swindon 10 Youth Literature Festival, schools wrote a Round Robin story, each spending 45 minutes on their part of the story before emailing it on to the next school for them to add their part. Here is what Team B wrote...

Nova Hreod
Even as nights went for him, tonight was a strange night. Mr White was delivering some highly classified satellite images to his newest recruited contact Mr Slayer. For some mysterious reason his door was slightly open, the lights were off. Were they broken? Or did he just like the dark? As Mr White stepped cautiously inside, he felt the wind flow strongly through the open window sending a chill down his spine. As he approached the unstable stairs and he could hear footsteps in the distance. Climbing quietly as he got to the top of the stairs he could see a shadowy figure in the corridor above. He stopped thought about running towards him or running away for his life. Taking a calming breath, he stayed, and pulled out something from his belt. It was about 12cm tall in the shape of a cylinder. He threw it towards the shadow and a bright light appeared, when it cleared the shadowy figure was gone. Fantastic new gadgets, thought Mr White, those boffins at MI5 have done me proud.

St Joseph’s Catholic College
After nearly blowing her cover, and fleeing from the light bomb, Scarlet revealed her face by ripping off her dark mask.

As she remembered what had happened almost three weeks before, Scarlet answered the call from her employer.

“I’m sorry sir, unfortunately I could not get the device.” said Scarlet.

“Well make sure you do it, you know of my power.”

Scarlet ended her conversation with her employer by throwing her phone on the floor, and crushing it under her heel.

“That man, ever since he showed up, everything’s gone wrong.” Scarlet complained.

Mr White paced back and forth, wondering what had happened a few moments before, hearing the noise at the end of the corridor.

The ringing of the phone echoed throughout the room, Mr White hesitated, but answered almost straight away.

“Yes?” - no reply, just the sound of Morse code.

Mr White sighed in frustration as he tried to decipher the code…

Isambard Community School
After many attempts, Mr White cracks the Morse code; the message was from Mr Slayer. It says there’s been a change of plan and to meet him in the abandoned library in half an hour. When he arrived he could hear footsteps. Mr Slayer appeared through the gloomy fog. He was a short man, dressed in a tidy suit carrying a briefcase. By the flickering street lamp, Mr White could make out beads of sweat on Mr Slayers forehead.

While hiding behind a paperback novel, Scarlet saw the two men enter the abandoned library. She slipped on her mask and crept inside. The mustiness hit her hard like a fist in the chest. She placed her feet carefully on the floorboards afraid of making noise on the rotting, creaky floorboards. She crept closer but still couldn’t hear the men’s muffled conversation. As she turned around she saw a mysterious figure looming.

Highworth Warneford Secondary School
Suddenly, a lightning flash illuminated his creepy, gnarled, distorted face. Mismatching eyes: one of sky blue, and one of blood red cut through the darkness into Scarlet’s mind. Could this figure really read her mind: like his stature suggested? He lurched forward into a pool of light that glistened on the floorboard. Scarlet retreated into the shadows; her dirty blonde hair, slicing through the tense atmosphere - like a blade of a Samurai’s sword. Shock flew through her body like an electric current as he spoke in his raspy, snake-like voice, “Why are you hiding from me dear child? It won’t help your chances of survival!”

“Who are you? Why are you following me?” Scarlet enquired, “I know what you want. You will never get me to talk!” So, with the book in her hand, she turned, leapt out of the smashed window, scraping her arm as she fell, joining the outside world with a thud!

Kingsdown School
As Scarlett landed, she heard a spine chilling crunch like the snapping of a brittle branch and let out an agonised whimper. Reluctantly, she flashed a glance down at her leg and saw a crimson pool of blood beneath her foot.

Meanwhile Mr White and his accomplice, only known as Redeye, were racing down the stairs and smashed through the door.

Scarlett jerked around with a fresh wave of pain to see a pair of non-descript figures heading towards her…Realising that her injuries were preventing her from making a quick escape, the two men confidently swanned toward her – looking all the more menacing. Whilst fast approaching, Redeye reached from behind his back and produced a lead pipe; he lent back, swinging… Although the lead pipe was flying at her face, all she could process were the miss-matched eyes behind it. And next to them, the familiar face… “I told you, you know of my power…”

Nova Hreod College How did he know where to find her?

It had been more than two years since they were detained for the mission that had gone wrong… Slayer had escaped- she thought they wouldn’t see each other again (if he knew what was best for him, anyway).

“You’re certainly brave, turning up with only one useless crony.” she smirked, swinging the lead pipe she had so easily caught in her hand.

She dealt with Redeye in one bone-crunching swoop. It had all been too easy.

It was just the two of them once more, like old times.

Slayer stepped into the light, a deadly grimace on his face “I see you haven’t changed much.”

Still holding the pipe, Scarlet moved a few steps closer to him.

“Injured?” Slayer asked, noticing the limp she had acquired during her escape. Relishing in her pain, he continued, “some things must have changed.”

“cut the act, Slayer. What are you doing here?”

That was the question he had been waiting for. She had obviously realised he had been working with Mr. White and wanted an explanation.

“Where should I start?” he began, “As you know, I was forced to flee after that last mission. They would never have allowed me to survive once the government got wind of it. You know that, surely?”

She did know. A secret agent could never be caught for an assassination attempt. “So why come here? Why now?” So many things didn’t make sense.

Before she got her answer, two shots were fired. Both agents fell to the floor. Mr White approached from the shadows “Oh dear. What a pity,” he lamented, wiping his glasses. “I was hoping the secrets could have remained that way. Agents these days, you can never trust them.”