Rogue Read Online Free Page B

voice suddenly said in her comms earpiece.
    ‘Checking up on me, Max?’ Raven said with a tiny smile.
    ‘Let’s just say that I happened to be in the area,’ Nero replied. ‘Can you get to the roof?’
    ‘Yes, why?’ Raven asked with a frown.
    ‘I just thought you might need a lift,’ Nero said.
    ‘On my way,’ Raven said quickly, running out of the office and along the corridor that led to the building’s stairwell. She took the steps three at a time and flew out through the service door on to the roof. A sudden gust of wind kicked up the fine sandy dust all around her and then a rectangular patch of darkness opened up in the air directly ahead. Standing in the temporary gap in the Shroud drop ship’s cloaking field was Dr Nero, a hand outstretched. Raven grabbed his hand and pulled herself up into the invisible aircraft’s passenger compartment. The hatch closed, sealing the Shroud’s cloaking field once again and it departed as silently and invisibly as it had arrived.

    ‘I wasn’t expecting a ride home,’ Raven said, raising an eyebrow as she sat down opposite Nero, carefully placing Khan’s laptop on the seat next to her.
    ‘We’re not going home,’ Nero explained. ‘Diabolus wants us in Sydney.’
    ‘Is something wrong?’ Raven asked, sensing Nero’s concern.
    ‘It rather looks that way,’ Nero replied. ‘It’s been some time since he’s called the ruling council together for a face-to-face meeting. He wouldn’t give me any details when I spoke to him, but I doubt he would have summoned us like this without good reason.’
    ‘I don’t see why I need to be there,’ Raven said, sounding slightly irritated. ‘My time would be better spent continuing the search for Trent.’
    ‘Diabolus is quite aware of that, Natalya,’ Nero replied. ‘He would not ask for you to attend if there was not something specific he needed you for. Have you made any progress in tracking Trent down?’
    ‘I’m not sure,’ Raven admitted. ‘It seems that Khan designed some sort of hidden facility for Trent, but he was killed before I could get any more out of him.’
    ‘Killed?’ Nero asked with a frown.
    ‘Neural kill switch, just like that banker in Switzerland,’ Raven replied with a sigh. ‘There was nothing I could do. The plans are on his computer, but he didn’t manage to unlock it before the device in his skull was triggered. I could probably get into the system, but it would be safer to let the Professor look at it back at H.I.V.E. I don’t want to inadvertently trip any fail-safes that might delete the data.’
    ‘Curious,’ Nero said, glancing at the laptop. ‘Why would Trent need to have plans drawn up by Khan? H.O.P.E. has the backing of the world’s governments – surely he could construct any new facility he required without having to secretly enlist the assistance of someone like Khan.’
    ‘Clearly he wanted to keep it quiet,’ Raven said. ‘It would hardly be the first time that Trent has acted secretly to further his own agenda. Frankly I’m amazed that none of H.O.P.E.’s governmental overseers has realised yet that he has been using them to achieve his own goals.’
    ‘Never underestimate a politician’s capacity for ignoring what’s going on right under their nose,’ Nero replied with a wry smile, ‘a characteristic that G.L.O.V.E. has had good reason to be extremely grateful for over the years.’
    ‘Still, you would have thought by now that someone might have noticed that H.O.P.E. was just as much of a threat as G.L.O.V.E., if not more so,’ Raven said.
    ‘ Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? ’ said Nero.
    ‘My training did not include dead languages, I’m afraid,’ Raven said with a slight sigh.
    ‘“Who watches the watchmen?”’ Nero said with a grim smile.

    ‘Aah, Miss Brand,’ Professor Pike said as Laura walked into the room that had once been H.I.V.E.mind’s central core. The scene that greeted her was one of utter chaos. Several of the white