History Hackers Read online

  ‘You considered me a security risk?’

  ‘Yes, we did.’

  For a moment Professor Perdu seemed lost for words. She stood there stunned, as though struggling to understand Dr Vandakrol. ‘So what are you doing about these hackers?’

  ‘There’s no need to concern yourself about that, Professor. It’s all under control. Sigma Squad will be in charge of any further investigations. They’ll sort things out. They’re a most impressive unit, I’m sure you’ll agree.’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ the professor stammered. ‘Most impressive.’ She stared at Dr Vandakrol, her mouth open. It seemed like she’d collapsed – like a punctured balloon.

  The members of Omega Squad were stunned as well, not only by their suspension from Master Missions, but also by the professor’s reaction. They couldn’t believe the change that had swept over her.

  ‘But there’s no need to discuss this here,’ he continued, pleased at how quickly he seemed to have deflated the professor. ‘In fact by rights we shouldn’t be discussing it at all.’ He turned to the Minders. ‘Rule 89, I believe? Limiting the discussion of sensitive material in the presence of unauthorised persons.’ He stared at the three Battle Agents.

  The Minders chuckled at this as though it were a private joke. ‘We’ll overlook that on this occasion, Vandakrol,’ one of them replied, and the doctor turned back to Professor Perdu.

  ‘As from this moment, Omega Squad will be confined to basic Battle Book missions. No more Master Missions, nothing involving sensitive security matters. Is that clear?’

  The professor’s shoulders were hunched; she looked forlorn and lost. Five, Nine and Four willed her to fight back. They had never seen her so completely crushed.

  The doctor leaned across the desk, raising his voice. ‘I said: Is that clear, Professor?’

  ‘Yes, Dr Vandakrol,’ she replied in barely more than a whisper. ‘Perfectly clear.’ She looked him in the eye and straightened a little. ‘You’re right, of course. I have been overworked. We all have been. A rest will do us good.’

  ‘Excellent,’ the doctor said, sitting down with a smug look.

  ‘Yes,’ said Minder 1. ‘I knew we could rely on you to take the sensible approach, Professor. Thank you for your patience and understanding.’

  ‘A most successful meeting, indeed,’ Minder 2 added. Then, without even glancing up, he waved his hand dismissively. ‘That will be all.’

  The walk out of that long room for Professor Perdu and her Battle Agents was far worse than their entrance. It certainly seemed much longer, walking in the shadow of shame.

  The professor stared straight ahead, her face unflinching. Five and Four walked at her side, feeling her anguish in every step while struggling to deal with their own deep sense of shock. But Nine strode ahead, muttering to herself.

  Dr Vandakrol waited until they reached the exit to deliver his final words.

  ‘Oh, by the way, Professor,’ he called out. ‘You do realise that this meeting never happened, don’t you?’ He tapped the side of his nose.

  ‘Of course, Dr Vandakrol,’ Professor Perdu replied.

  Battle Agent 009 had already left the room, the door slamming behind her.

  * * *

  ‘Come on!’ BA009 punched at the lift button. ‘Get a move on.’

  A moment later its door opened and she strode in, followed by the others.

  The lift ride from Security Central up to CIS Level 7 seemed to take forever. Professor Perdu stared ahead in resigned silence as the background music whined like a dirge. Five stared at the floor, Four fidgeted uneasily and Nine huffed.

  ‘This lift is so slow,’ she snapped. ‘Feels like we’re going to a funeral.’

  ‘We’ve just been to one,’ mumbled Four. ‘Ours.’

  ‘I wasn’t talking to you!’ Nine hissed.

  ‘What makes you think I was talking to you?’ Four hissed back.

  The lift finally stopped. But then the door wouldn’t open fast enough for Nine.

  ‘Oh, come on,’ Nine yelled. ‘Open up!’ She thumped the door. It opened but delivered a warning.

  ‘Excessive force unnecessary. Door opens auto­matically. Excessive force . . .’

  ‘I’ve had enough of this place,’ Nine muttered as she marched from the lift. ‘I’m outa here!’

  ‘Wait,’ Professor Perdu called after her. ‘Don’t be silly.’

  Nine spun around. ‘Don’t tell me what to do. You just let us down big time. Most of all you let me down. I used to look up to you. I don’t anymore.’

  ‘Just hear me —’

  ‘No. I’m leaving and I’m not coming back.’

  Nine shook her head and stormed off.

  ‘Go after her,’ the professor told Five and Four. ‘Make her change her mind.’

  ‘I don’t like our chances, Prof,’ said 005. ‘I’ve never seen her so worked up. She’s not likely to listen to reason.’

  ‘Just do it. I don’t care how. Tie her up, if you have to.’ The professor leaned closer and lowered her voice, as if the walls had ears. ‘Take her to Pendulum for a spell. I have a few matters to sort out and then I’ll see you there. If Vandakrol thinks I’ve given up, he’s made the biggest mistake of his life. We’re fighting back, but we can’t do it without 009. Tell her that. Now go.’

  EIGHT

  ‘Maz,’ Battle Agent 005 yelled as he and 004 ran after Nine.

  ‘Don’t even bother,’ she said as they caught up to her. ‘Not interested.’

  ‘What you’re doing is crazy.’

  ‘Not interested.’

  ‘At least hear us out.’ Four grabbed her arm and spun her around.

  Five grasped her other arm. ‘Just give us a minute.’

  Nine reacted with lightning speed. She head-butted Five, and gave Four a kick-box blow to the chest that sent him reeling backwards into the wall. Then she turned and marched off.

  ‘You asked for it,’ Four muttered.

  He picked himself up, sprinted after Nine and tackled her. Five was right behind, and soon the three of them were rolling about in the hallway. Nine put up a mighty struggle and nearly escaped, but eventually the two boys managed to hold her down.

  ‘Listen to us, will you?’ Five shouted. ‘Just for a second. Prof has a message for you.’

  ‘I don’t want to hear anything from her.’

  ‘Yes, you do!’ Five insisted. He pushed his face close to her ear and whispered. ‘She hasn’t given up at all. It’s a front.’

  ‘I don’t believe you.’

  ‘It’s true,’ Four whispered in Nine’s other ear. ‘She ordered us to come after you, told us to get you back. What was it she said, Five?’

  ‘If Vandakrol thinks I’ve given up, he’s made the biggest mistake of his life.’

  Nine stopped struggling. ‘Really?’

  ‘That’s not all she said,’ added Five. ‘We’re fighting back, but we can’t do it without 009.’

  ‘She said that?’

  The boys nodded.

  ‘She’s using one of the oldest tricks in the book,’ said Four. ‘Retreat so your enemy thinks you’re beaten; then you attack when they least expect it.’

  ‘Has she got some sort of plan or something?’

  Five shrugged. ‘Who can say what’s going on in the prof’s head. All we know is that she wants us to wait for her in Pendulum.’

  ‘And she meant all of us,’ Four added.

  BA009 thought for a moment. ‘All right, then,’ she said eventually. ‘I’ll come to Pendulum with you. But whatever Prof has up her sleeve had better be good.’ She shoved the boys away and stood, dusting herself down. ‘Come on, then. Don’t just lie there.’

  * * *

  ‘Die!’

  It was the only word they said as they bashed him. Or maybe it was the only word Alpha Agent One heard, born from the very real fear raging in his mind. If they kept this up he could indeed die. For there seemed to be no end to the rain of blows, punctuated by that word.
/>
  ‘Die!’ Kicks to his guts, back, crotch, head, a deadly dance of steel-capped boots. ‘Die!’ Batons beating every inch of his body. ‘Die!’ Fists, as hard as iron, pounding his flesh to pulp. ‘Die!’ Force10 Tasers drilling him until he thought his heart would explode. ‘Die!’

  Their electronic voices chanted the word like an evil mantra. Even when he lost all consciousness it was still there. Even after they’d gone and left his limp, broken body lying in the ditch, face down in a filthy puddle, that word still echoed in his head.

  ‘Die!’

  * * *

  Pendulum was packed when Omega Squad arrived. It was a major break between lectures and tutorials at the College for Independent Studies, and nearly everyone had decided to head for the little juice bar.

  That was both good and bad as far as Omega Squad was concerned. Good because of the distraction that noise brought, drowning out their worries. Bad because Sigma Squad would almost certainly be there as well.

  And they were there, of course, and as luck would have it right next to the only free table in the place.

  Nine pulled back as soon as she saw them. ‘I can’t do this.’

  She was between Four and Five. They grabbed an arm each.

  ‘Yes you can,’ Four insisted.

  ‘Just ignore them,’ added Five.

  ‘Not possible,’ Nine growled as they sat her down.

  ‘Look, we said we’d meet Prof here,’ whispered Five. ‘Just chill it, will you?’

  ‘Okay, but she’d better show soon.’ Nine stared down at the table, refusing to look up. She knew the Sigma boys would be sniggering among themselves, and didn’t trust herself if she saw them.

  ‘Here she is,’ said Four.

  Professor Perdu appeared in the doorway. As soon as she saw the squad, she came straight over and sat down. Her brow was deeply furrowed as she glanced across and saw Sigma Squad. Their table was so close that they could easily hear her if they wanted to.

  ‘Maybe we should go somewhere else,’ Nine suggested. ‘Somewhere a bit more private.’

  Professor Perdu shook her head. ‘No. This will do. To be honest I don’t really have much to say to you, and none of it is good. We may as well get it over and done with here and now.’

  The members of Omega Squad didn’t like the sound of that. It wasn’t at all what they expected.

  ‘I’ve thought about what Dr Vandakrol said, and I’ve decided that he’s right after all. We’ve let our standards drop. I haven’t pushed you hard enough. Put simply, you are not Master Mission material, and it’s about time we recognised the fact.’

  The Battle Agents couldn’t believe their ears. How could the professor say such things? She couldn’t mean them. Not really. Was she doing this to save her own neck? Dumping them so she wasn’t dumped? And why was she talking so loudly? It was as if she wanted Sigma Squad to hear. Which they had. A nasty grin was forming on Alpha Two’s face, while the other members of the squad nudged each other and whispered together.

  ‘I’m afraid I overestimated your abilities,’ the professor continued, louder than ever. The three Battle Agents stared at the professor, utterly stunned.

  But then Five noticed that she was shuffling something in her hands. It was a ThortNote, he soon realised, a wafer-thin electronic sheet about the size of a playing card. ThortNotes were invisible to anyone from the side (like the Sigma gang) or further away than about forty centimetres, but were perfectly visible from Omega Squad’s position.

  The ThortNote had a message displayed on it. Five nudged the others and they quickly read it.

  Relax. I do not mean what I am saying. My spoken words are for Sigma Squad. They will report to Dr V that I have put you in your place. I want him to think that.

  We are going to fight, I promise you, but we must APPEAR to have given up. They must think they have won.

  ‘Is that understood?’ the professor added. At the same time she produced another ThortNote.

  From now on discuss nothing important in College. Spies everywhere. My office bugged. Even the walls have ears. Trust no-one. We are alone in this.

  As the three Time Troopers read the electronic card, Professor Perdu continued talking loudly for the benefit of Sigma Squad.

  ‘I’m sending you all home this afternoon. You need to think hard about your mistakes over the last few missions. And you need to think especially hard about how to improve your performance.’

  Then with the slightest hand movement she activated a third ThortNote.

  MISSION: Midnight. Go to Horologe’s Time Store. On 3rd floor, next to HH’s office, is a glassed-off room with cone–shaped cylinders the size of a person. I suspect they may have some­thing to do with our history hackers.

  OBJECTIVE: Find out what those cylinders are all about.

  ‘I want you in my office tomorrow at 8 am sharp,’ the professor continued, much to the amusement of Sigma Squad. ‘I’m taking you right back to basics,’ she said, slipping out a final ThortNote.

  BE AWARE: 1. You will have no SimulSkins or gadgets; getting those would alert spies. 2. No TEX – still recovering. 3. No contact with me unless urgent – I’m being watched. 4. Make sure you’re not followed. 5. And speed is crucial: Get in, get the facts & get out asap.

  ‘Have I made myself clear?’ Professor Perdu stood and glared down at her Battle Agents. They hung their heads in shame, pretending to be lost for words. ‘Well?’ She leaned across the table. ‘Have I?’

  The Time Troopers raised their eyes to hers. ‘Yes,’ they mumbled, looking suitably censured.

  ‘Yes what?’

  ‘Yes, Professor Perdu.’

  ‘That’s more like it. Don’t forget: Tomorrow, 8 am. Be there!’

  She turned and marched out of Pendulum.

  NINE

  After the professor had gone, the three Battle Agents glanced at each.

  ‘I told you Prof wouldn’t let us down,’ Four said softly to Nine.

  ‘I know,’ Nine replied quietly. ‘She fooled me.’

  ‘She fooled them, too,’ said Five, nodding towards Sigma Squad. ‘And she left her ThortNotes behind as well.’ The ultra-thin LCD cards lay on the table. ‘On purpose, I guess.’

  ‘Yeah. She must want us to have them,’ said Nine. ‘Good for covert conversation.’

  ‘Right. That means one each, and a spare,’ said Four, splitting the cards and leaving one in the middle. It was the last ThortNote the professor had transmitted, and her words still beamed up at them.

  The Time Troopers focused on the card, ­re-reading it, thinking about their up-coming mission. It wouldn’t be easy, especially without TEX. She was right when she said they were on their own.

  ‘Excuse me.’

  Four, Five and Nine were so engrossed in their thoughts that they didn’t hear Lorenzo, even when he cleared his electronic throat.

  ‘Excuse me, Omega Squad,’ the android said. ‘Sorry to interrupt your thought processes.’

  ‘That’s okay, Lorenzo,’ Five replied, instinctively placing his hand over the ThortNote. ‘We were just daydreaming.’

  ‘Is there anything I can obtain for you?’

  ‘Yeah,’ shouted one of the Sigma boys. ‘Get them some tissues. They look like they’ll burst into tears at any moment.’

  ‘They’ll need more than tissues,’ yelled another member of Sigma Squad. ‘They’ll be crying so much they’ll need towels.’

  ‘No, thanks, Lorenzo,’ said 005, ignoring the Sigma sneers. ‘We’re about to leave.’ He slid the ThortNote off the table and into his pocket and stood. ‘Are you two ready?’

  ‘Sure am,’ Four replied, standing as well.

  Nine stood up but instead of following him, she turned towards the Sigmas. ‘Well, I’m not,’ she said, ‘I’m not doing another walk of shame; they’ll slow clap us out of here. I’m not going through that.’

  ‘Let’s just get out of here,’ hissed Five. ‘You’ll only make more trouble for us.’

  ‘You
know what? We’re in trouble already,’ said Nine, with a glint in her eye. ‘I’m just going to have some fun, that’s all.’

  She walked over to Sigma Squad. The Sigmas were all grinning as she approached. This was what they wanted, an angry 009. But to their surprise she was smiling sweetly.

  ‘Enjoying a joke, Sigmas?’ she asked.

  ‘You bet,’ they chorused.

  ‘Great. I love a good joke too.’ Nine sidled up to the closest Sigma and slid her arm around his shoulder. ‘Share it with us.’

  The boy wasn’t prepared for that. He went red and coy. ‘Ah, um, I don’t think so.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘I, er, you mightn’t find it funny, that’s all.’ He was squirming.

  ‘But you lot found it funny. Why wouldn’t I?’

  The boy tried to turn his back on Nine, but she spun him round and whipped the chair from under him. He landed bum first on the floor.

  ‘Why, thank you. What a gentleman,’ she said with a broad grin, and sat down at the table. ‘So who is going to tell me what the joke is?’

  By now the whole of Pendulum had gone silent. Everyone in the bar was watching.

  The biggest member of the squad spoke up in the end. He was sitting on Nine’s left.

  ‘We thought it was funny how you Amoeba dudes have been dumped, demoted, kicked down­stairs, de-registered, whatever you want to call it.’

  ‘I agree,’ Nine said. ‘I thought it was such a hoot too because as everyone knows we’re so much better than you, and yet we were the ones who got the boot. That’s hilarious. I mean, we’re leagues ahead of you freaks but they dissed us.’

  ‘In your dreams. You don’t honestly think you’re better than us?’

  ‘It’s a no-brainer, so even you should be able to figure it out. Think about it for a minute. We’re faster than you. We’re certainly smarter than you. And I even reckon we’re stronger than you.’

  ‘Stronger?’ The agent boomed. ‘Not a chance.’

  ‘Okay, then, let’s put it to the test. Let’s have an arm wrestle. You’d be the strongest in your squad. I’m probably the weakest in ours, being just a girl. So I challenge you.’ Nine thumped the table.