B.A.S.E. Camp (5 page)

‘Must be a way out somehow,' said Adam. ‘Start lookin', gang.'

They probed the tunnel walls until Tom found a small lever tucked into a recess in the rock. As he gave it a tug, two things happened. First, all the lights went out and the boys were plunged into blackness – then a welcome shaft of daylight appeared as a section of the brick wall began to creak open. The relieved group scrambled through the gap and along a short tunnel, which emerged in a wood.

‘Looks like an old mineshaft,' observed Gareth, glancing back at the overgrown exit. ‘It's well camouflaged. You'd be lucky to find it again amongst all these trees.'

‘Belt up, GG!' said Adam. ‘I can hear voices.'

They all listened.

‘Coming from over there,' Gareth said, pointing to the right. ‘Let's go and see.'

‘Think we should?' Eddie whispered. ‘I mean, we don't want to get done.'

‘
Done
?' Adam repeated. ‘Who's gonna
do
us, Wonder Boy?'

Eddie shrugged. ‘Well, we could be trespassing on private property.'

Adam ignored him. ‘Just break off some branches as we go through the wood so we can follow the trail back here,' he ordered before striding away.

It wasn't long before their progress was halted again – this time by a high, mesh fence with lengths of barbed wire stretched along the top.

‘Guess they don't want anybody to get in,' said Gareth.

‘Or out,' muttered Adam.

The boys followed the line of the fence as best they could, though they were hampered by the undergrowth, which was full of nettles.

‘Look!' cried Eddie when they gained their first clear view. ‘Another track!'

They stared through the fence at an athletics track, where a group of young runners were training.

‘You sure we haven't somehow stumbled back to B.A.S.E. Camp?' said Tom.

‘Positive. Our track has six lanes,' Eddie told him. ‘This one's only got four.'

‘So who are
these
guys?' Adam demanded.

In response, Eddie let out a gasp of surprise. ‘Well, for a start, there's that kid who got me into all that trouble.'

‘Which one is he?' asked Tom.

‘The one out in front, of course.'

‘Thought you didn't get a good look at him,' Adam sneered.

‘Not his face, but I'd know that running style anywhere. That's definitely him.'

Adam had recognised somebody, too. ‘And I know the one who's behind him!' he said, nodding.

‘Who is it?' asked Gareth.

‘Jacko.'

‘What's
he
doing here?'

‘Dunno,' Adam muttered, ‘but I sure intend to find out.'

The four boys kept out of sight among the trees as they watched the runners finish their training and flop down for a brief rest not far from the fence. The presence of a coach, however, made an attempt at contact too risky.

Led by Adam, they crept along the fringe of the wood instead, until they came to a single-track road and padlocked gates.

‘There's a notice on the gates,' said Eddie.

‘Advanced Centre of Excellence,' Tom read out. ‘Huh! The initials spell A.C.E.'

‘Sure puts us in our place at B.A.S.E. Camp, eh?' Gareth muttered. ‘These kids here must be a cut above.'

‘They'll have to prove it first,' said Adam.

‘I think one of them already has,' Tom said, winking at Eddie.

Before Eddie could respond, Adam came to a decision. ‘C'mon, gang, let's go back,' he urged.
‘Gotta speak to Jacko somehow. He'll tell us what's goin' on here.'

That was easier said than done. The A.C.E. athletes were now doing stretching exercises further away from the fence, so Adam began jumping up and down, waving his arms, to attract Jacko's attention.

It wasn't only Jacko who noticed him. Adam's antics were spotted by a number of the athletes, making them point and laugh. The coach turned to detect the source of the distraction, but Adam had already dived for cover in the undergrowth.

‘Did he see you?' Tom demanded from his hiding place behind a tree.

‘Jacko? Yeah, think so.'

‘I meant the coach.'

Gareth peeped through the bushes. ‘It's OK. He's making them do press-ups now. Punishment for laughing, I bet.'

‘Don't this lot have any free time?' said Eddie. ‘I mean, it
is
Saturday afternoon.'

‘Probably lucky if they even get time to eat,' Adam said with a smirk. ‘Pity poor old TomTom if
he
got sent here!'

After about ten more minutes of exercises,
the coach ended the session and the group broke up. Most of the athletes wandered off, but two of them began to play with a tennis ball, tossing it back and forth as they jogged around the track.

‘Jacko's headin' this way,' Adam grinned. ‘Knew he would.'

‘And look who's coming with him,' Eddie muttered.

Jacko deliberately let the ball go past him and then kicked it into the long grass near the fence so that they would have to go and search for it.

‘Watcha, Jacko!' Adam greeted him.

‘Thought it was you, Foxy, dancing about like a nutcase.'

‘What the hell are you doin' here?'

‘I've been here since Easter. Thought they were going to throw me out for calling that old man “the prowler”, but they brought me here instead. I've been doing loads of running,' he said, and then nodded towards Eddie. ‘Just like your new mate, I gather.'

Eddie hadn't taken his eyes off the other lad, who had now found the ball.

‘Hey! Wonder Boy!' said Adam. ‘Bet you can't beat Jacko over 400 metres.'

‘Maybe not,' Eddie replied sourly, ‘but I'd like to have another race against his pal.'

The black-haired boy chuckled, flipping the ball casually from hand to hand as they all stared at him.

‘We met before, man?' said Adam. ‘You look kinda familiar.'

The boy spoke for the first time. ‘You most likely heard my name,' he said in a lilting voice.

‘And what's that?'

‘Taffy Jones,' he replied, enjoying their surprised reaction. ‘But everybody calls me YT.'

‘YT?' repeated Tom.

‘Yeah – Young Taffy!' he giggled.

Gareth was the first to respond. ‘So are you Old Taffy's grandson or something?'

‘Or something…'

Eddie wasn't satisfied with that answer. ‘And what does that mean exactly?'

Young Taffy grinned. ‘Don't know if you lot are ready for the
exact
bit yet. What do you think, Jacko?'

Jacko shrugged. ‘Might as well tell 'em, YT.'

‘Yeah, why not?' he agreed. ‘Don't suppose they'll believe me, anyway.'

‘Try us,' grunted Tom.

‘OK, then,' he said. ‘I'm not his grandson – or even his son. I
am
Taffy Jones…'

Adam butted in. ‘You've already told us yer name.'

‘You're not listening to what I'm saying,' he replied calmly. ‘I'm
him
and he's
me
.'

‘That don't make no sense, man.'

‘It does if you're a clone!'

Beeeeeeeppp
!

The intruders had no chance to recover from their shock at such a revelation, nor ask any further questions. The long blast on the coach's whistle was quickly followed by two more.

‘You've been spotted,' cried Jacko. ‘Leg it – fast!'

As the others turned to go, Adam hesitated. ‘You ain't seen the last of us, Taffy Boy,' he promised. ‘We'll be back.'

Young Taffy shrugged. ‘Not if the dogs get you first,' he said with a sly grin.

Loud barking could now be heard from the far side of the track.

‘Beat it, Foxy!' urged Jacko. ‘Those brutes don't ask questions.'

‘A
fox
hunt!' cackled Young Taffy. ‘Tally-ho!'

Adam shot him a dirty look, nodded to Jacko and was gone, lost to sight among the trees. He soon caught up with the rest. Their panicky flight had taken them into the wood on a different course from before and they had halted in a small clearing, trying to get their bearings.

‘Which way now?' gasped Tom, red-faced.

‘Not sure,' Gareth confessed.

‘We could try and skirt back round the lake,' suggested Eddie.

‘What, with them great mutts on the loose behind us!' exclaimed Adam.

‘He's right,' said Gareth. ‘The tunnel's safer. It can't be far away.'

‘Just find it, will you,' Tom demanded. ‘I don't want to end up as dog meat.'

It was more by luck than judgement that the group stumbled upon the same path they had used when leaving the tunnel.

‘We're OK!' whooped Eddie in relief, pointing to some broken branches. ‘Here's the trail Foxy got me to make.'

‘Good job you did what you were told for once,' Adam grinned. ‘Well done, Wonder Boy!'

They soon found the concealed entrance and disappeared inside the narrow tunnel that led to the brick wall. They scrambled through the gap and waited until Tom found the lever to re-close the wall and switch the light circuit back on.

‘Phew!' breathed Gareth. ‘That was close. Can't hear the dogs at all now.'

‘C'mon, let's get back,' urged Tom. ‘I'm hungry.'

‘Huh!' grunted Adam. ‘Don't worry if you hear any rumblin' noises, guys. It's not the roof cavin' in – just Tom-Tom's belly playin' up!'

In single file, the boys made their way through the tunnel under the lake until they reached the ladder. Gareth clambered up it first and peered through the gap beneath the statue.

‘All clear,' he announced. ‘We're in luck.'

It was only after they had all got out of the hole that a dark figure emerged from the nearby trees. He was not alone. Straining forward on a tight leash was a big, black dog.

‘Reckon our luck's just run out,' muttered Adam.

‘Welcome back to B.A.S.E.,' Blackbeard said grimly. ‘Don't forget to close that hole. Somebody might get hurt…'

The boys were confined to their room for the rest of the day after being lectured by Blackbeard for straying off limits. The head coach also made them promise not to say anything to their families during the Open Day about what had happened.

In exchange for their silence, they would be allowed to stay at B.A.S.E. Camp and complete the coaching course. It was an uneasy – and temporary – truce.

‘Thought human clonin' wasn't possible,' said Adam, sprawled on his bunk.

‘Yes, it's possible, all right,' Gareth replied. ‘Just not done, that's all.'

‘Why not?'

Gareth shrugged. ‘Not sure. Might even be illegal, for all I know.'

Tom picked at the remains of the meat-paste sandwiches, which had been sent up to the dormitory as their meal, along with glasses of juice. He was still hungry.

‘Scientists have done it with animals,' Tom told them, ‘but it's supposed to be very difficult with humans.'

‘Well, they seem to have managed it here somehow,' reasoned Gareth. ‘YT's the proof of that.'

‘Strange he didn't mind admitting it,' said Tom. ‘Even boasted about it, really.'

‘Old Taffy likes to show off, too,' Adam muttered. ‘Maybe they
are
one and the same, sort of thing.'

‘You're very quiet, Eddie,' said Gareth. ‘What do
you
think about all this business?'

‘I think it stinks even worse than Foxy's feet!' he said, pulling a face. ‘YT's a freak!'

‘There you are, Gramps!' Gareth exclaimed. ‘What do you think of that?'

Gramps stared, open-mouthed, at the statue of his old schoolfriend. ‘Taffy Jones…' he breathed. ‘I can hardly believe it.'

‘We said you'd be in for a big surprise,' laughed Gareth. He exchanged grins with Adam, who had managed to slip away from his parents for a while to meet Gramps and show him what they had discovered.

Adam glanced towards the house to make sure no one was watching and then stamped on the stone discus. ‘Watch this!' he cried.

Gareth enjoyed Gramps' shocked reaction as the gap slowly appeared at the base of the statue.

‘It's a secret passage,' Gareth told him. ‘Just like in your stories about the school.'

‘Better than any of them, m'boy,' said Gramps. ‘How on earth did you find it?'

‘
He
told us.'

‘Who?'

‘Taffy!'

‘You mean the old boy's still here?' Gramps gasped. ‘You've actually met him?'

‘Sure have,' said Gareth. ‘He might even own the place, for all we know.'

Gramps shook his head, marvelling at such news. ‘Taffy Jones!' he repeated in amazement. ‘Thought he were dead.'