out loud. The operation wasn’t going badly and they were ahead of schedule, but the task required absolute concentration and it was three hours past when they’d normally be in bed.
‘Alteration one hundred,’ Greg said, sounding slightly triumphant because they’d finally progressed to a three-digit number. ‘Open the submodel of the motor unit G and alter the specification of the insulation . . .’
Greg didn’t finish because his phone started to vibrate. It was their mission controller.
‘How’s it going?’ John asked.
‘Not too shabby,’ Greg said. ‘It doesn’t look like Kurt’s too thorough about backing up his data and 81
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we should be finished inside an hour if we’re not interrupted.’
‘Out of luck on that score, I’m afraid,’ John said. ‘They’re triangulating the position of Sophie Lydon’s mobile phone in the control room on campus. She called for a cab a while back and it looks like she’ll be home in six to eight minutes.’
Greg glanced at his watch and saw that it was only half-past one. ‘Didn’t you tell me that the club was open till three?’
‘It might well be,’ John said. ‘But you don’t have to stay till closing time. Don’t get discouraged, you’ve got all the equipment and we made plans for an interruption. Wait until Sophie goes to sleep, then use the gas and the needle, like with her mother.’
‘I know the plan,’ Greg said reluctantly, before tapping Andy on the shoulder. ‘We’d better clear out.’
‘Bloody Sophie,’ Andy complained, as Greg snapped his phone shut. ‘Would have been so much simpler if she’d waited till we were done.’
The t wo boys stuck all their stuff back inside their packs, hurried back into George’s bedroom and threw their sleeping bags out on the f loor. 82
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Andy was tense, but he couldn’t help but see the funny side of Zhang’s loud snoring.
It was less than ten minutes, but it felt like ages before Sophie’s key rattled in the front door. She hurried down the hallway and used the downstairs toilet, before staggering upstairs, barefoot, with a bottle of Highland Spring water in one hand and her black heels hanging from the other.
Andy peeked out of the open doorway and saw that Sophie was drunk. Her head bopped to a tune in her mind and she was murmuring the line of a song to herself, over and over.
Instead of heading into her own room, Sophie ratcheted up the tension by poking her head inside George’s open door. Greg and Andy closed their eyes and kept dead still.
‘Ahh, the little geeks are sleeping,’ she muttered to herself, before giggling.
Sophie started to back out, but noticed Andy’s bag of M&Ms and a half-drunk can of beer on the carpet.
‘Mummy won’t be happy if she sees that, little brother,’ Sophie grinned, before tilting the can to take a swig.
83
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Andy and Greg weren’t sure if the can was drugged or alcohol-free, but it didn’t really matter because they needed to get on with the operation and couldn’t wait t wo hours to put Sophie to sleep. The beer was warm and f lat, so Sophie spat it out in disgust. Greg opened one eye slightly, and saw Sophie’s painted toenails on the carpet just a few centimetres away from his face.
‘I’ll teach you to mess with Mr Rabbit,’
Sophie slurred.
Smiling mischievously, she poured Andy’s
M&Ms on to the carpet near the doorway and then crunched them under her heel. Once they were nicely mashed she tipped the remainder of the beer on to the brightly-coloured mess. Even if the liquid dried up by morning, a multicoloured stain and the distinctive smell of beer would remain.
‘Talk your way out of that one, Georgie boy,’
Sophie said quietly.
She gave her bum a jubilant wiggle and laughed drunkenly as she staggered out and grabbed the handle of her bedroom door, but it was still
‘Alteration one hundred,’ Greg said, sounding slightly triumphant because they’d finally progressed to a three-digit number. ‘Open the submodel of the motor unit G and alter the specification of the insulation . . .’
Greg didn’t finish because his phone started to vibrate. It was their mission controller.
‘How’s it going?’ John asked.
‘Not too shabby,’ Greg said. ‘It doesn’t look like Kurt’s too thorough about backing up his data and 81
HS1829_WBD_Cherub.p65
81
10/29/2007, 11:56 AM
we should be finished inside an hour if we’re not interrupted.’
‘Out of luck on that score, I’m afraid,’ John said. ‘They’re triangulating the position of Sophie Lydon’s mobile phone in the control room on campus. She called for a cab a while back and it looks like she’ll be home in six to eight minutes.’
Greg glanced at his watch and saw that it was only half-past one. ‘Didn’t you tell me that the club was open till three?’
‘It might well be,’ John said. ‘But you don’t have to stay till closing time. Don’t get discouraged, you’ve got all the equipment and we made plans for an interruption. Wait until Sophie goes to sleep, then use the gas and the needle, like with her mother.’
‘I know the plan,’ Greg said reluctantly, before tapping Andy on the shoulder. ‘We’d better clear out.’
‘Bloody Sophie,’ Andy complained, as Greg snapped his phone shut. ‘Would have been so much simpler if she’d waited till we were done.’
The t wo boys stuck all their stuff back inside their packs, hurried back into George’s bedroom and threw their sleeping bags out on the f loor. 82
HS1829_WBD_Cherub.p65
82
10/29/2007, 11:56 AM
Andy was tense, but he couldn’t help but see the funny side of Zhang’s loud snoring.
It was less than ten minutes, but it felt like ages before Sophie’s key rattled in the front door. She hurried down the hallway and used the downstairs toilet, before staggering upstairs, barefoot, with a bottle of Highland Spring water in one hand and her black heels hanging from the other.
Andy peeked out of the open doorway and saw that Sophie was drunk. Her head bopped to a tune in her mind and she was murmuring the line of a song to herself, over and over.
Instead of heading into her own room, Sophie ratcheted up the tension by poking her head inside George’s open door. Greg and Andy closed their eyes and kept dead still.
‘Ahh, the little geeks are sleeping,’ she muttered to herself, before giggling.
Sophie started to back out, but noticed Andy’s bag of M&Ms and a half-drunk can of beer on the carpet.
‘Mummy won’t be happy if she sees that, little brother,’ Sophie grinned, before tilting the can to take a swig.
83
HS1829_WBD_Cherub.p65
83
10/29/2007, 11:56 AM
Andy and Greg weren’t sure if the can was drugged or alcohol-free, but it didn’t really matter because they needed to get on with the operation and couldn’t wait t wo hours to put Sophie to sleep. The beer was warm and f lat, so Sophie spat it out in disgust. Greg opened one eye slightly, and saw Sophie’s painted toenails on the carpet just a few centimetres away from his face.
‘I’ll teach you to mess with Mr Rabbit,’
Sophie slurred.
Smiling mischievously, she poured Andy’s
M&Ms on to the carpet near the doorway and then crunched them under her heel. Once they were nicely mashed she tipped the remainder of the beer on to the brightly-coloured mess. Even if the liquid dried up by morning, a multicoloured stain and the distinctive smell of beer would remain.
‘Talk your way out of that one, Georgie boy,’
Sophie said quietly.
She gave her bum a jubilant wiggle and laughed drunkenly as she staggered out and grabbed the handle of her bedroom door, but it was still
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