Authors: Robert Muchamore
Lauren broke into a coughing fit as Large let go and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
‘We’ve got to stop him, Kyle,’ Lauren screamed. ‘He’s gonna kill Meatball.’
As the two injured cherubs stumbled into the hallway, Large ran across the driveway and made the Asker’s front door shudder as he shoulder-charged it.
Kyle reached the inside of Large’s front door a second later, but it didn’t move when he turned the handle.
‘He must have put the deadlock on. We’ll have to go out the back.’
As they scrambled towards the rear of the unfamiliar house, Large’s second kick knocked the Askers’ front door off its hinges. He shouted, ‘I’ll show you Lauren Adams,’ as the burglar alarm erupted.
Kyle made it out of the back door and sprinted across Large’s garden towards the driveway.
‘You’ve
got
to bite him, Meatball,’ Lauren shouted desperately as she charged after Kyle. ‘Don’t let him get hold of you.’
As the chairwoman of CHERUB, Zara Asker was one of the highest ranking officials in the British Intelligence Service. This made her a potential hostage target and her home was fitted with a state-of-the-art alarm. When Meatball heard the claxon, he went into a frenzy, running around the living-room couch and barking like mad.
Mr Large had looked after Meatball when the Askers were on holiday and the little dog padded curiously towards a man who’d fed him on many occasions. But as Mr Large reached down to grab Meatball off the carpet, the dog picked up the scent of Lauren racing up the driveway.
While Mr Large had fed him, Lauren not only fed Meatball but also played with him, took him for really long walks and never shouted at him. As a result, Meatball vaulted over Mr Large’s hands, cut between his legs and charged on through the splintered front door.
But Kyle was running ahead of Lauren and before Meatball knew it, he’d put a hand under the dog’s belly and plucked him off the ground. Meatball hadn’t seen Kyle since he was a puppy, but the dog remembered Kyle’s smell and seemed happy enough, until he looked back and noticed that Mr Large was charging down the hallway towards them and yelling noisily.
With Meatball in his arms, Kyle scrambled out on to the driveway. But Large had a good turn of speed for a man in his forties. He’d built up momentum while Kyle turned, and soon got his arms around Kyle’s waist.
As Kyle tumbled forward on to the patio, Meatball spilled out, yapping frantically as he ran towards Lauren.
Down on the patio, Kyle had wriggled on to his back and put Mr Large in a headlock, while Large was using his trunk-like arms to crush Kyle’s ribs.
Lauren considered grabbing Meatball and making a dash back towards campus, but the fight was horribly uneven. Large was powerful and completely out of control, and she could see Kyle getting seriously hurt. To emphasise this, Large freed himself from the headlock and pressed his elbow against Kyle’s windpipe.
‘You’ll kill him,’ Lauren screamed, as she searched desperately for a weapon.
As Meatball wagged his tail, excited by the running around and the blaring alarm, Lauren raced towards the Askers’ front door. She was greatly relieved to see a muddy implement leaning against the inside of the front porch.
Mr Large saw Lauren charging towards him, but he had Kyle’s legs locked around his waist and only one free arm to fend her off. Kyle used all his strength to keep Large still as Lauren swung at him, hitting him square in the back of the head.
The blow made a huge clang and sent a wave of vibration up the handle. Large groaned, as Kyle felt his opponent’s strength evaporate. He wound up with Large’s dead weight slumped on top of him.
‘Are you OK?’ Lauren asked, as she threw down the spade and pushed Large’s unconscious body off Kyle.
Kyle was bright red, with sweat pouring down his face. ‘Just about,’ he coughed.
As he stood up and brushed off his trousers, a white BMW came to an abrupt halt in the road. Two men slid handguns from under their jackets as they opened the doors and ran up the driveway. Lauren recognised them as campus security officers and realised that the Askers’ alarm was linked up to the campus security room.
‘What’s going on here?’ one of the guards shouted, glancing between the unconscious Large and the busted front door as his colleague used a plipper to shut off the alarm.
Zara Asker had never liked Mr Large, and she had to hide her smile when Lauren admitted that she’d battered him with a spade for the second time.
Large had only been stunned and he’d regained consciousness shortly after being lifted on to a bed in the medical unit on campus. When Zara arrived ten minutes later, he sat on the edge of his mattress sipping water out of a plastic cup.
‘Ahh, here she is,’ Large grinned sarcastically. ‘Her Royal Highness, gracing me with her presence.’
‘Funny,’ Zara said, her manner making it clear she thought it anything but. ‘I was just speaking to my husband. Is it true that you threatened to kill my son’s dog?’
Large shrugged, acting like he couldn’t have cared less. ‘That fancy security rig on your house must have CCTV. Why don’t you work it out for yourself?’
‘I haven’t had a chance to look, but I’ll take your answer as a yes,’ Zara said.
Large smiled. ‘You can take it as whatever you like and then you can shove it up your big fat arse.’
‘Listen,
Norman
,’ Zara snapped. ‘Nothing would make me happier than to kick you out of here and never see you and that ridiculous moustache again. But you know about CHERUB, you’ve worked here most of your life and that means we’re obliged to help you out.’
‘Only so you can keep tabs on me,’ he snorted.
‘You’ve known that we’ll keep tabs on you since you were ten years old,’ Zara said. ‘What’s the saying? Once you know, we can’t let go. Now the question is, are we going to have to go through the charade of a disciplinary hearing, or can I expect a resignation letter?’
‘You write the letter and I’ll sign it.’
‘Good,’ Zara said. ‘You own your house jointly with Gareth, don’t you?’
Large nodded. ‘He’s doing a fifty-mile commute every day so he’s after moving anyway.’
‘CHERUB has steadily been buying up that row of houses to use as staff quarters,’ Zara said. ‘We’ll pay you twenty per cent over market value which should cover your moving costs. You can have three months’ severance pay and I’ll guarantee to write you a good job reference if you want to work elsewhere within the security or intelligence business. But don’t expect any kind of help if you apply for a job that involves kids. I won’t have that on my conscience.’
Large grunted.
Zara put her hands on her hips and stiffened her voice. ‘Considering that you’ve attempted to blackmail a twelve-year-old girl and strangle Kyle, I think we’re being
very
generous. And this isn’t a negotiating position. You can take my offer right now, or we’ll go through the disciplinary process and you’ll come out with diddly squat.’
‘Whatever.’ Large sounded like a spoilt kid as he crumpled his plastic cup and threw it at a waste bin. ‘Just give me something to sign.’
‘Excellent,’ Zara said. ‘The nurse said it’s probably best if you stay here and rest for an hour or so. They’ve taken a head X-ray, but they doubt there’s any lasting damage. If you have any belongings over in the instructors’ building I can send someone to collect them.’
Large shook his head. ‘There’s a few pairs of muddy boots, but you’re welcome to ’em.’
‘Like all ex-cherubs you’ll be welcome to return to campus for reunions and anniversary events, but your regular access will be revoked as soon as you step off the grounds.’
Zara reached out to shake hands, but Large kept his arms at his side.
‘Maybe you don’t believe me when I say this, Norman,’ Zara said after a pause, ‘but I’m truly sorry that your career had to end like this. I wish you luck with whatever you choose to do and you’re welcome to call me at any time if you think I can help you.’
Large didn’t respond and Zara thought he was being rude. But as soon as she left the room, Norman Large tipped his head and started to cry.
*
The photographs had dropped from Kyle’s pocket when he ran from Mr Large’s living-room. They’d been picked up by the security team and handed to Zara as evidence. Most pictures were of James and Hayley, but Bruce and Kerry were identifiable on some shots taken inside the steakhouse and there was even a pic Bruce had snapped while testing the camera inside the mini-bus which revealed Callum, Connor and Rat. Andy was the only one who got off.
The chairman’s office had recently been redecorated. Zara’s glass desk, iMac and Herman Miller chairs made the room feel less intimidating than the leather and oak of her predecessor. There weren’t enough seats, so major perps Lauren, Kyle and James were told to sit down, while Kerry, Bruce, Callum, Connor and Rat stood in line behind them.
Strict discipline was important because cherubs have to perform to the highest standards when they’re out on mission. But Zara didn’t enjoy punishing kids and when she’d first become chairwoman some staff had accused her of being soft. She’d reluctantly accepted the criticism and become stricter, but she wasn’t consistent about it.
When Mac was chairman, a cherub could be certain of their punishment for most routine offences. An agent returning to campus after curfew could always expect twenty punishment laps for every quarter hour they were late. With Zara, you might get anything from ten to a hundred, depending upon her mood.
This randomness made kids who were about to be punished nervous, and cherubs could no longer do something wrong because they could
take the punishment
if they got caught. Oddly, while Zara generally punished kids less severely than Mac had done, it was tales of the harshest penalties that circulated around campus and she’d gained a fearsome reputation.
‘I’m very much torn about how to punish all of you,’ Zara began. ‘The whole affair was instigated because Mr Large tried to blackmail Lauren, but that doesn’t excuse the way you acted.’
Kyle spoke boldly. ‘I’m the oldest and it was my idea to get revenge. I’m prepared to accept full responsibility.’
Zara smiled. ‘And how much longer are you with us, Kyle?’
‘Just over seven weeks.’
‘So if I punish you and you don’t fancy it, you’ll just quit a few weeks early,’ Zara said.
Kyle realised he’d been rumbled and looked down at his lap.
‘I know I haven’t been chairwoman for long, Kyle, but I’m not a
complete
idiot. It’s Hayley I feel really sorry for in all this. As she doesn’t know that CHERUB exists there’s no way I can have you make it up to her. I just hope that her feelings weren’t
too
badly hurt.’
James shrugged. ‘She didn’t seem all that impressed, so I don’t think she’ll be upset if she never hears from me again.’
‘Sensible girl,’ Zara said. ‘First of all I’m going to deal with you five standing along the back. I’m giving each of you two hundred punishment laps, to be run over a three-week interval along with eighty hours’ gardening duty—’
‘But that’s not fair,’ Kerry shouted, ‘I was barely involved.’
All the other agents turned to give Kerry dirty looks, even Bruce.
‘You were in the restaurant, which means you were more involved than me or the twins,’ Rat pointed out.
‘Quiet,’ Zara yelled. ‘If you’ll
just
let me finish. The laps and the gardening duty will be suspended for six months. If you break any other rules before the end of September, you’ll serve this punishment, plus the punishment for whatever else you did wrong.’
Kerry was pleased by this. She hardly ever got in trouble and reckoned a suspended was as good as no punishment at all. The four boys were also relieved, but didn’t relish having to tiptoe around on their best behaviour with a big punishment hanging over them.
Zara continued. ‘James, you played a major role, but you
weren’t
an instigator. I’m giving you two hundred laps and a hundred hours’ decorating duty, but I’m suspending everything except fifty laps, which I want you to run before you go off on your mission.’
James was fairly happy with this. He liked to run a couple of times a week and twenty-five laps was a ten-kilometre run, which took him less than fifty minutes.
‘Now I want those of you who’ve received their punishments to leave the room. I need to talk with Kyle and Lauren in private.’
Bruce spoke as they headed out of the room. ‘Can I just ask: has Mr Large been kicked out?’
Zara nodded and everyone started to smile.
‘You’d
better
wipe those grins,’ Zara said sternly as the six kids headed out. ‘If I see
any
of you gloating about this, I might just decide to unsuspend some of those laps. Mr Large would almost certainly have been dismissed at his disciplinary hearing, so all you’ve really done is brought a lot of trouble upon yourselves.’
James was the last one out of the room. As he closed the door, Lauren and Kyle looked anxiously towards Zara.
‘Kyle,’ Zara said, breaking into a friendly smile. ‘I think we’ve reached the end of the line, don’t you?’
Kyle was confused. ‘Pardon me?’
‘This was mainly your idea and you’re the most senior agent involved. But I can’t punish you effectively because you’ll just leave. You passed the bulk of our exams last year and you’re only studying maths. I’ve spoken to Meryl Spencer. She’s just bought a sizeable house off campus and says she’d be happy to have you as a lodger for a couple of months until you set off on your travels.’
Kyle gasped. ‘But—’
Zara raised her hand. ‘There’s not enough time for you to prepare for another mission. I think the only reasonable solution is for you to pack your things up and leave campus a few weeks earlier than planned.’
‘But what about my lessons and stuff?’
‘You can come back on to campus to attend the revision sessions for your maths A-level. And I believe James has been tutoring you, so you can come back for that, but only in the campus library, not up in his room. Obviously, you’re welcome to socialise with your friends off campus, but the leisure facilities on campus will be out of bounds and I don’t want you hanging around anywhere else on campus either.’