CONTENTS

1. LOOKING FOR TROUBLE

2. SECRETS REVEALED

3. SCIENTIFIC APPRAISAL

4. BACK IN ACTION

5. PARADISE FOR KIDS

6. A LITTLE BIT OF EXPLORATION

7. A FEW ENEMIES

8. ELECTRIFYING PROBLEMS

9. SECRETS AND LIES

10. MIDNIGHT SWIM

11. TASED

12. THUNDERSTRUCK

13. EXPLOSION

14. FLYING LESSON

15. AIRBORNE KNIVES

LOOKING FOR TROUBLE

    I sat on the bench, staring into space. Two days before I'd found a letter in my bed, under my pillow. It had said:

    We need your help. Come to Butterfly Residencies immediately.

    Dad

    My Dad – John Henders – isn’t exactly the kind of person who lives with me and drops me off to school. He’s a spy working for British Intelligence.

Two months ago, I'd been asked to temporarily join them, and the experience had almost killed me. I'd told myself I'd try not to get involved with them again, but it seems I haven’t got a choice, not until I hear the details, anyway. 

    Perhaps I should explain. 

    My name is Samuel Henders (although I'm more commonly known as Sam). I'm fourteen years old. My mother is dead, and I live with my two cousins; Jane, who is twenty-one, and Matt, who is seventeen. Ever since I was old enough to understand, I'd thought my Dad was dead; I'd been brought up by his brother, Robert (Matt’s Dad). Two years ago Uncle Robert got a job in America and Jane had

come to live with us in Chelsea. Now I knew otherwise. 

    Uncle Robert is a spy too. He'd gone to America, probably on an assignment. Jane’s Dad, my Uncle Edward, is dead and so is her mum, but she doesn’t seem to mind. 

    Suddenly a boy with fair hair sat down on the bench next to me. 

    ‘Hello, Sam,’ he said. I couldn’t resist a faint smile. It was Jake, a seventeen-year-old boy I'd trained with. He was nice to me; in return I sometimes helped him with his homework. He had an older brother, Harry, with whom I'd trained with too. The two of them were almost like brothers to me.

Sometimes I thought he was rather like my cousin, Matt. They were the same age, after all.

    I realised I hadn’t answered him, and I said, ‘Hey.’

    ‘Sam, are you all right?’ he asked anxiously. ‘You look upset.’

    I forced a smile. ‘Jake, I got a letter on Wednesday, and it was Dad, asking me to come in. I don’t know if I want another assignment.’

    He looked sympathetically at me. ‘I can’t really decide for you, Sam,’ he said. ‘It’s your choice.’ I wished he'd said something more reassuring, but I knew he was right. I could go and meet them, maybe hear them out and refuse if it was dangerous…

    My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden CRACK! I was on my feet before I even knew what was happening. Jake looked wildly around, then grabbed my arm and dragged me away to another part of the park. 

    ‘What was that?’ I whispered. I was feeling thoroughly panicked. ‘People wouldn’t shoot at us in Hyde Park, would they?’ 

    ‘I don’t know, Sam, but some criminals will do anything to get what they want.’

    There was a man – dressed in combat clothing – leaning over the bench where we’d been sitting.

    ‘I've got a card left to play too,’ I said through gritted teeth. Jake looked on in surprise as I crept

up behind the man, who was still crouching beside the bench. From my pocket I pulled out a small, rectangular box and opened it. Inside there were two batteries. 

    I took out one of the batteries and stripped off its aluminium coating. In my hand I now held a small dart that had been hollowed out and filled with a sleeping-draught. I inserted it into a little slot on the box and pushed the back. The dart cut through the air and landed in the man’s shoulder. He froze and crumpled to the ground.

    Jake and I went over to the man’s unconscious body. I wasn’t sure what he was doing or even why he was doing it at all, but Jake dug around in the

man’s pockets. Triumphantly he pulled out a small pen drive.

    ‘This was stolen form headquarters a few days ago,’ he explained. ‘Faust asked us to keep an eye out for the criminal, and I thought it might be this one. I was right. Good thing, too. This pen drive contains vital information about our agents.’

    ‘I hope it has nothing to do with me,’ I joked nervously. 

    ‘Actually, it does. That’s why it’s important. People will come looking for you if they knew.’ He slipped it into his pocket. ‘Come on, let’s get this safely returned.’

    I knew we were heading to Butterfly Residencies, and right now that was the last place I wanted to be. But it didn’t look like I had a choice. ‘All right,’ I sighed. ‘Let’s go.’ We turned and walked towards the busy London roads.

        SECRETS REVEALED

    I stared tiredly at Milton Faust. Jake sat in the chair next to me. He'd just handed over the pen drive and was waiting for Faust’s response. The head of MI6 was reading a thick report, his empty grey eyes darting back and forward among the

paperwork. I was about to stand up and leave when the door opened and three men walked in. One of them was my father. The other two men looked vaguely familiar to me, but at that time I didn’t recognize them. Dad smiled and walked over, followed by one of the other men. The man reached out and ruffled my hair. I leaned back uneasily, but at that moment I realised who he was…

    ‘Uncle Robert?’ I exclaimed in disbelief. Then the other man strode over and I saw who he was – Jane’s father, in other words my uncle Edward. I stared in amazement at him and his likeness to Jane. 

    ‘Uncle Edward? You're alive?’ I mumbled feebly. He nodded at me but said nothing.

    Dad put a hand on my shoulder, and Uncle Robert recoiled slowly.

    ‘I see you got my message, Sam,’ said Dad. ‘The pen drive has been recovered, I presume.’ He glanced at Jake, then back at me. ‘Well, Mr Faust had said he'd like you to have a scientific appraisal. Of course, I can’t defy a direct order, but I thought I’d better ask your permission first, to see if you're comfortable with it.’

    ‘What’s a scientific appraisal?’ I asked.

    ‘It’s like a scientific report of your health,’ Jake explained. ‘I had mine six months ago. Basically, it’s

like a doctor giving you a check-up and keeping a record of the results. All agents get one.’

    I bit my lip. I'd had a horror of hospitals ever since age four, and it hadn’t gotten any better over the years, despite the fact that I'd almost been killed on my previous assignment. I tried to keep my face even.

    ‘When?’ I asked finally. 

    ‘Is tonight all right with you?’ Dad asked.

    ‘No. I have school tomorrow.’

    ‘How about Saturday night?’

    I considered for a moment. ‘All right,’ I said. ‘I'll be there.’ Uncle Robert patted my shoulder, and then the three brothers left the room. I waited a minute

before exiting as well. Jake came with me as we made our way to the Chelsea football ground; he watched as I had a game with my two closest friends, Jack Crestwood and Paul Rivers. Afterwards, Jack’s ten-year-old sister Anne joined us to have supper at the nearby Burger King. Then I went home and got ready for school the next day, Monday.

        *     *     *

    The week passed quietly. In that time I hardly thought about my scientific appraisal, but when Friday came – bringing with it a pouring wet afternoon – I was horribly aware of it, and that it

was only one day away. To keep my mind on more satisfying thoughts, I spent the afternoon after school with Paul and Jack, at Paul’s house on the Kings’ Road. After that I walked home through the rain, pulling the hood of my dark jacket over my head and plodding through the shallow puddles. I swung open the front door to our house, and there stood – Uncle Robert. I stared at him in amazement, then delight. He'd finally come home. 

    He smiled and ran a hand through my sodden, light brown hair. I walked inside with his arm around my shoulder. I remembered the day he'd first welcomed me into this very house, eleven years ago when I was just three. The memory

warmed me. 

    He led me into the sitting room. Jane and Matt were sitting on the sofa, talking. They looked up as we came in. 

    ‘Sam has something to tell you.’ Uncle Robert held up an envelope labelled Official Secrets Act. ‘Go on, Sam.’

    ‘Really?’ I mumbled. He nodded.

    I stared at him. He was asking me to tell them about MI6, and presumably the reason I'd been away in March. But they had to sign the Official Secrets Act. Did I have to tell them about Dad too? Even though I was glad that he was alive, I still felt it a private subject. Uncle Robert cleared his throat.

He glanced at me, silently urging me to start talking. I drew a deep breath, and I began.

    I told them everything.

    ‘Well, that’s it,’ I concluded. ‘That’s about every-thing that’s happened recently. Oh, and I've got a scientific appraisal tomorrow.’

    ‘What's that?’ Matt asked.

    ‘It’s a bit like a check-up from a doctor, except that the results are recorded and stored away.’

    ‘Are you sure, Sam?’ Jane said. ‘Remember last time…?’

    I waved my hand dismissively. ‘You don’t have to worry,’ I said. But I was worried. ‘I – I’ll be fine.’

    ‘Well, I think it’s time for bed,’ said Uncle Robert. ‘I

want to have a private talk with Sam.’

    I watched as they left the room, and then I was alone with Uncle Robert. 

    ‘What do you want to talk about?’ I asked, trying not to show my nervousness. ‘Is there anything wrong?’

    ‘Yes, there is.’ He wrapped an arm around me. ‘I think you’re nervous about tomorrow.’ I bit my tongue and said nothing. Uncle Robert sighed and went on. ‘I understand, Sam. It’s natural for you to be scared. You should have seen Jake. He was trembling like a jelly.’ I suppressed a smile. ‘Well, it’s late,’ he confided. ‘You should get to bed, Sam. It’s late. And remember – you'll do great.’

    He followed me up the stairs. I showered and went to my room. Uncle Robert hugged me goodnight, and when he did I felt like I was four years old again. I wriggled into bed feeling pleased and comfortable, and soon my eyelids closed and I fell asleep.

    SCIENTIFIC APPRAISAL

    Uncle Edward came to see us the next morning.

    Jane laughed with delight and embraced him in a bear-hug. Seeing her so happy made me forget all my worries. Uncle Edward took us all to watch a movie – the latest Spider-Man movie – and I enjoyed it. Afterwards we went Hyde Park and got ice creams. Then Uncle Edward separated me from

everyone else and we walked alone together, him regarding me with concern. 

    ‘Are you all right?’ he asked. ‘You look nervous. You aren’t worried about tonight, are you?’

    I glanced at him ‘I suppose I am a bit,’ I admitted. ‘It’s a bit different from just going to a regular doctors’. But I guess you should know, I'm not too fond of hospitals either.’

    He touched my cheek. ‘There’s nothing to be afraid of.’ He grinned. ‘After all, saving a group of fifty kidnapped children should’ve taught you that there are worse things than doctors!’

    I smiled weakly. We were still alone, and I decided there was a question I wanted to ask:

    ‘Did you pretend to die like Dad, so that Jane would be safe?’ 

    Uncle Edward pursed his lips. ‘Not exactly. You’re Dad was shot at, but he was wearing bulletproof clothing. Even so, he pretended the bullets got through. One actually did. It lodged in his shoulder, and he was in hospital for eight weeks, and in that time you were born. Your mother was angry that your father wasn’t there at the time of your birth; that’s why they separated. My story is a bit different. I don’t like talking about it.’ 

    I listened in silence. Dad had been shot, yet he was still alive. I shook my head slightly, and Uncle Edward noticed. He sighed. ‘If you don’t believe me,

you can ask him yourself.’ 

    I looked at him and saw that he was trying hard not to show his emotions. We locked eyes. He started speaking suddenly, in a soft tone, but he looked pained.

    ‘I was in a private plane with Jane’s mother, your aunt, on our way to France, for a holiday.’ His voice choked up. ‘We left Jane in England. But then it went wrong. The plane crashed in Grenoble. I escaped, but Edith didn’t… 

    ‘I later found out that some enemies were trying to kill me, but I'd survived. I felt terrible. On the news, they said that everyone on board had been killed. I couldn’t suddenly show up alive, could I?

And so Jane was sent to a foster home and she stayed there until Robert adopted her. Now, please promise me you won't tell Jane. It would break her heart.’ 

    I put a hand on my heart. ‘I promise I'll keep it a secret.’

    *     *    *

    Later that evening I showered and changed into a hooded grey jumper, jeans and trainers, just as Uncle Robert instructed. Then I walked up the road and climbed into Dad’s silver BMW.

    ‘Ready?’ he asked. ‘Don’t worry. It’ll be all right. I’m here for you.’ He sounded so reassuring that I felt

relaxed, and I nodded at him. We drove on to Butterfly Residencies; Dad parked opposite and we made our way there. 

    I lowered myself into the chair opposite Dr Sharp, who sat across from me on the other side of the desk. He said nothing as he checked my sight, hearing and reflexes, and then measured my blood pressure and pulse rate. Finally he took a blood sample. 

    ‘You're quite fit, Sam,’ said Sharp. We’ll just take an X-ray – and a few other things – but you needn’t worry. You'll be asleep.’

    Dad took me into another room and asked me to climb onto a small bed and lie flat on my back.

Although puzzled, I did what he asked. Dr Sharp came over.

    ‘Hold still,’ he ordered. ‘Don’t move a muscle.’

    Then suddenly a thick cloth was pulled onto my face. I kicked wildly, feeling my oxygen lessen.

    ‘You may feel symptoms of suffocation, but don’t panic.’ I wasn’t sure who was speaking; everything seemed distant. I tried to relax, to take a breath. But I was panicking because I couldn’t absorb air. 

    Liquid dribbled onto the cloth. The smell flared up my nostrils, burning the back of my throat. I realized what it was – ether. My eyes watered. I forced myself to stay calm, but it was difficult. I closed my eyes, and I didn’t open them again for

another two hours.

    ‘You are remarkably healthy, Sam,’ said Dr Sharp. I'd come round about ten minutes ago, and I felt a bit groggy. ‘However,’ he continued, ‘we find a small problem. You’re a little bit run-down, and you need more vitamins. To fix that problem, I'll just give you an injection and you can get out of here.’

    I watched as he produced a hypodermic syringe and filled it from a small bottle of amber-coloured liquid. I wanted to run, but for some reason my legs felt as of they were glued to the ground. I swallowed hard and tried to ignore the large size of the syringe. Dr Sharp squirted a bit of the liquid out

of the tip and onto his finger.

    Dad suddenly placed a hand lightly on my shoulder. If I tried to move so much as a muscle, his hand would clamp down and I'd be unable to escape. I looked at him straight in the eye and thought about my previous assignment, and about the dangers I'd faced. Slowly, I rolled up left my sleeve. Dr Sharp looked surprised, but he didn’t let it distract him. I felt a cool, damp wetness on my arm where he was cleaning it. I clenched my teeth and tried to focus on something else. 

    ‘Ready?’ Dad asked. I nodded slowly.

    The needle stabbed suddenly into my arm. At first I felt nothing but a sharp, painless sting, as if I'd

been bitten by some tiny insect. But then a cold, numbing pain spread through my arm. I winced and  gripped the edge of the chair so tightly my knuckles turned white. Dad let go of my shoulder as Dr Sharp stuck a plaster onto my arm. I clutched my wrist, trying to ignore the pain. A nurse came over and dragged me up from the chair and over to the bed. I sat there for about five minutes before Dad came over.

    ‘You did great,’ he said, smiling warmly. I smiled back.

    We took the lift upstairs, and as the doors opened I found myself face-to-face with Milton Faust. He forced a thin smile to his lips.

    ‘I'm glad to see you, Sam.’ His face hardened. ‘We need your help.’

    BACK IN ACTION

    ‘No! Forget about it. The answer is no!’

    I glared defiantly at Faust. I was sitting across from him at his desk in his office on the second floor of Butterfly Residencies. The minute he'd said that he needed my help, I'd decided that I would refuse. I didn’t want another hare-brained mission that would risk my life. Dad looked a bit

uncomfortable, seated in the chair next to me. 

    ‘I haven’t even said anything yet.’ Faust didn’t sound as if he were protesting. He sounded as if I'd agreed. ‘The reason we need your help is not just because it requires someone younger or more adaptable. It’s because it’s about someone you might know.’ He paused. ‘Do you know a boy at your school named Andrew Brenner?’

    I nodded. Andrew Brenner was a boy in my year group. He and I had once been paired up for a science assignment, and while working together we’d become quite good friends. He hadn’t been at school for the past week; the teachers said he'd had appendicitis, and was recovering. 

    ‘Well, you may have noticed that Andrew hasn’t been at school for at least a week now,’ continued Faust. ‘The reason is because he’s been kidnapped.’

    ‘What? How?’ The news came as a shock to me. ‘He was at school about two weeks ago. How’d he suddenly go missing?’

    Faust pursed his lips. ‘He entered a magazine competition and won first place. The prize was to go to a place just in the countryside of Dartmoor for two days, a place called Hammond Enterprises. It is run by a man named Anthony Hammond, who is a multi-millionaire businessman. His wealth came from running a shipping industry a few years before, but now he makes his money from

manufacturing computers, PlayStations, game cartridges – any type of device, really – and selling them. His latest model of a PlayStation is what he calls the Thunderstruck.’

    Thunderstruck. I'd heard the name before. I'd even seen a picture of the console online. It was sleek and black, with a lot of new technology built into it. I also knew that Anthony Hammond had invented a lot of new game cartridges and sold them at high prices in the malls in London. A single cartridge was about five pounds.

     I nodded my understanding at Faust.

    ‘Andrew kept in touch with his parents.’ Faust spoke with utter sincerity. ‘But soon he stopped

contacting them. They were worried, and the local police tried to find him at the compound, but he seemed to have disappeared. His parents are quite rich themselves, and they contacted us. We have to find him.’

    ‘Yes,’ I murmured quietly. ‘You do.’

    ‘One other reason we think you’re right for the job,’ Faust went on, ‘is because you entered one of these magazine competitions and won second place. ’

    ‘What?’

    ‘It’s true. You quite impressed me. I hadn’t realized you were a bit of a genius in dealing with technical problems.’

    ‘Thanks,’ I mumbled. I remembered entering the competition, but I had no idea I'd won second place. ‘But can you please tell me everything so I can decide whether or not I want to agree?’

    He nodded. ‘Well, you just have to go to the compound where Hammond lives and works, find Andrew and get him out, then come back home.’

    ‘And how do I make sure I don’t die trying?’

    ‘You can't. That’s just how life works. Now, do you agree or not?’

    I glanced warily at Dad. 

    ‘And what happens if I don’t agree?’

    ‘You'll be forbidden to see your father.’ There was a heavy, dead quality to the words. 

    I heaved a sigh. ‘Yeah. All right. I guess I don’t really have a choice this time, do I?’

    ‘Smith will equip you with whatever you need,’ said Faust. ‘Why don’t you go meet him? He's on the fourth floor.’

    ‘OK.’ I stood up and left the room.

    ‘Sam, old chap!’ Smith bellowed as I walked through the door to his office. ‘I hear you’ve got another assignment!’

    Smith was a large, jolly man with a round, rosy-cheeked face and a crop of dark hair, and a small moustache above his lip. He often dressed outrageously. Today he wore a loud red-and-white

checked shirt and baggy trousers.

    I nodded. ‘Mr Faust said to meet you.’

    Smith grinned and produced a small canvas bag. ‘Have you still got the Smart Watch I gave you?’ he asked. 

    ‘Yes.’ I held up my wrist. ‘I've still got it.’

    ‘Good. You'll need that to control these things as well.’ Smith brought out a pair of sunglasses. ‘These are night-vision goggles,’ he explained. ‘They can also be used as an X-ray, to see through walls.’ Next he held up a small aerosol can labelled “Mosquito Repellent – extra protection”. 

    ‘It won't really protect me from mosquitoes, will it?’ I asked, staring in amazement at the small

bottle.

    ‘Absolutely not.’ He pulled out a small, thin sheet of metal and sprayed the contents of the can onto it. For a second, nothing happened, but then a jagged hole appeared in the metal, with a curl of acrid smoke rising up from it. 

    ‘Cool,’ I said. ‘Is that all? Haven’t you got another miniature smoke bomb this time?’

    ‘Of course,’ said Smith. ‘No secret agent would be complete without one.’ In his fingers he held three small coins. Each of them had a number two on one side and a picture of the queen on the other. ‘All you have to do is press the power button on your watch three times and they’ll detonate. One of

them – this one here – is silenced.’ 

    I nodded and slipped the supplies into my pocket. ‘Thanks, Mr Smith.’

    ‘Any time, old chap.’ Smith waved goodbye. I left the room, took the lift downstairs and climbed into Dad’s silver BMW. I fell asleep on the drive home, and only awoke to the feeling of the car stopping.  

    ‘See you in three days, Sam,’ Dad said, patting my shoulder. ‘Stay alert for any updates.’

    I waved goodbye and stepped into the house. I clambered into bed and fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep.

    PARADISE FOR KIDS

    ‘You’re still not talking to us?’ Jake asked. He was

sitting in the back of Dad’s BMW with a pair of headphones around his neck. Seated next to him was Harry, his older brother. I sighed and folded my arms across my chest. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dad smile sympathetically at me. 

    It was three days after the night I'd had my scientific appraisal. I'd gone to school yesterday, and my life had actually gone back to normal – for a while anyway. But today I'd been plunged back into the foreboding world of espionage. It was about seven o’clock in the evening. The sun was just dipping behind the buildings, casting eerie shadows across London. We’d left the house about an hour ago, and so far I hadn’t spoken a single

word to anyone, not even Dad. My shoulders slumped as I continued to stare obstinately out the windscreen. 

    ‘I guess he's not too happy about another assignment. ’ Harry shrugged. ‘I wasn’t too happy to be sent to the training centre at first either.’

    I raised my eyebrows, asking a silent question, but no one seemed to notice. I didn’t bother too much about it. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

    The compound was huge. In the dim, fading light of the sun, it looked like something I would have drawn when I was five years old. It was built of flint-grey stones, with an enormous yard stretching

out in all directions. Off to the side of the yard, near one of the building’s walls, was a large pool. A narrow channel carried a stream of water through a hole in the thick, six-metre high wall towards a larger lake just outside the compound. The wall had a large sign nailed on it: “HAMMOND ENTERPRISES – PARADISE FOR KIDS”.

    ‘Well, Sam,’ Dad said, ‘Jake and I will be staying at a house a few miles away, in Spreyton.’ He handed me a small scrap of paper with a few hastily-written words on it:

    Mrs Elizabeth Jenks

    Willow Dean,

    Spreyton

    I nodded, pushed open the door of the BMW and stepped outside. It was about eight, and the sun had set, leaving behind a dim glow of twilight in the sky. Stars twinkled into view, small balls of glowing fire that illuminated the night and gave little warmth to the solitary – yet stunning – compound.

    I walked towards the compound, up the driveway and to the front door. I reached for the doorbell, but at that moment the door opened and a smiling, middle-aged woman stuck her head outside and greeted me, ushering me inside. 

    ‘I am Adele Dumont.’ She spoke with a thick French accent. ‘Please, follow me.’ 

    She walked like a soldier, back straight, her feet rapping against the tiled floor. Her blonde hair had been twisted into a tight bun at the top of her head. I followed her up a flight of stairs and then down a corridor, to another wing of the building. The left wall of the corridor was lined with doors. Adele Dumont pushed open one of the doors at the far end and showed me inside.

    ‘You will be staying here,’ she said. ‘The other rooms have children in them as well, but not many of them will spend much time with you. They’ve won a contest about a month ago, but there was a delay and Monsieur Hammond agreed to take them in now, since we have many rooms free. I'm

sorry, but what did you say your name was?’

    ‘Sam,’ I answered simply. ‘And thank you for the escort, Miss Dumont. What time is dinner, if you don’t mind me asking?’

    She laughed. ‘Oh, you are polite. You may call me Adele. And dinner is in another half an hour. I would advise you to wash and get changed. I will be back here in twenty-five minutes to collect you. Au revoir!’ 

    I stepped into the room. It was enormous, with a king-sized four-poster bed in the corner. There were two doors set in the wall; one leading to the bathroom and the other to a small, private balcony. A suite of leather sofas sat off to one side by two

large French windows, just in front of an old-fashioned mantelpiece. 

    I dumped my bags on the bed, unzipped one and grabbed some clothes, then went into the bathroom to change. It was almost as stunning as the room. There was a huge tub, a power shower and little spa bath. I stood under a powerful jet of cold water, pulled on my clothes and then sat on the bed to wait.

    The dining hall was bigger than the school cafeteria. 

    About twenty-five children were inside, chattering eagerly together. Adele gestured at a nearby table.

‘Why don’t you go sit down and make friends?’ 

    I sauntered awkwardly over to the table. Three children were already seated there. They looked up as I came over. One of them – a little girl about twelve years old – glanced up and smiled at me. She had short, curly black hair and a freckled face, with shining blue eyes and a childish grin.

    ‘Will you be sitting with us?’ she asked. I nodded. The girl gestured invitingly for me to sit down, and I did. She introduced herself as Lily Marsden. 

    ‘I won the competition on the under thirteen category,’ she explained. ‘It was last month, but it got delayed and I arrived here five days ago. I've been missing bit of school, but my parents don’t

mind. I've got a tutor. What's your name?’

    She spoke so rapidly I had to try hard not to smile. ‘I’m Sam,’ I said politely, ‘and you are a very nice girl, Lily.’ She laughed, and then dinner was served. Throughout the meal, Lily and I talked. She told me she lived in Dorset, by the beach. I told her about my life as well, and in those few minutes, we became friends. Then one of the boys sitting at our table looked up from his food and scowled at me. 

    ‘What are you doing here?’ he growled. 

    ‘I'm sorry?’ I didn’t see why he had to be cross with me. ‘What do you mean?’

    ‘You weren’t here yesterday, were you?’

    ‘No. I only arrived today.’

    He looked as if he was going to punch me, but then Lily entered the conversation. 

    ‘Now, Carter, be polite,’ she said, sounding like a teacher speaking to a five-year-old. ‘Remember, you'll be going home soon.’

    He nodded sulkily and went back to his food, but every now and then he'd shoot me dark looks. He was about my age, with a lock of untidy dark hair and a seemingly permanent frowning expression.

    The other two boys at the table were called Martin Wing and Joseph Green. I later learned that they were cousins. 

    After dinner, I went up to my room. Lily had the room just next to mine, and she waved goodnight

as I entered my room. 

    I tumbled into bed and closed my eyes.

    A LITTLE BIT OF EXPLORATION

    At exactly twelve-thirty that night, my eyes blinked open and I was instantly awake. 

    I hadn’t changed before going to bed, but now I realised that my yellow jersey would probably be

quite noticeable in the moonlight. 

    I put on some darker clothes and slipped the gadgets – my only weapons – into my pockets, leaving behind the aerosol can since it felt a bit heavy in my pockets. Then I stole out into the corridor. Hammond Enterprises was like a huge maze, a labyrinth of corridors and rooms and passages. I wasted about five minutes just to find the front door, but when I did I made a mental note to explore the compound afterwards, if I had time. A place like this could easily hide about a hundred children, and they probably wouldn’t be found for about fifty years – unless you searched really, really carefully. 

    The night was cold and still, with a stiff breeze blowing. An owl hooted quietly, and suddenly a dark shape swooped over my head. I swatted at it, then kept moving. 

    Suddenly a blinding white light swept across the yard. I threw myself face-first into the only hiding place I could think of – the ground. Just a microsecond later, the beam swivelled round over my head. If I'd still been standing up, I would’ve been seen. Once it had retreated, I stood up slowly and looked around. It was a searchlight, controlled from a small tower at the far end of the compound, just by the wall. I hadn’t seen the tower before. And as I got closer, I realized why.

    The tower wasn’t very big, and was made of uneven brick. It had been built at such an angle so that, unless you knew exactly where to look, it would be almost invisible. But for the searchlight, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it at all. I looked up. The searchlight was no longer on. And then I saw something that turned my blood to ice. 

    A face was staring at me, and not just any face. It was the face of Andrew Brenner; I was almost certain of it. He opened his mouth and I read his lips. He was asking for help. 

    I motioned for him to wait. I scanned all the visible walls for an entry point, but there didn’t seem to be one. I scouted round the tower, and

suddenly I caught sight of a door. It fitted so flush with the wall that I had almost walked right past it, but for the faint glinting of the knob in the moonlight. I reached out to try and turn it.

    The moment I touched it, my hand clenched. Pain exploded in my arm as an arc of electricity shot up it. I bit my tongue, trying to not to scream. I tried to pull away, but I couldn’t. My eyes watered. Steam rose from my palm. I felt as if my heart was being torn out. Then suddenly my grip on the knob loosened and I yanked my arm away. The pain subsided. My legs felt like putty as I staggered away from the door. I swore under my breath as I saw that my palm was bright red and scorched with

black lines. 

    The knob was electrified.

    I shook my head and walked back to the compound. But when I got there, I discovered that the door was locked. I swore again. How could I get back inside? I certainly couldn’t rough it out here and then say I'd gone for an early morning walk the next day. Everyone would think I was mad. This was a problem, a very serious problem indeed. I wished I had the Mosquito Repellent that could burn through metal with me – or at the very least a skeleton key. 

    I emptied my pockets but couldn’t turn up anything useful. Apart from the gadgets, I had only

my wallet, a few odd coins and my phone. And then I was hit with an idea. But there was something I wanted to double-check about first. I turned on my phone and quickly sent Dad a message. His reply came almost immediately. I nodded with satisfaction. 

    I produced one of the coins Smith had given me and placed it against the door handle. It stuck there, but it wouldn’t do so for long. I adjusted a few things with my watch, and then pressed the power button on it three times. I took a few paces back and covered my ears. 

    BOOM!

    The explosion wasn’t very loud at all, since the

coin was silenced, and hopefully no one would hear it vibrating through the winding corridors of the compound. I swung the door open and stepped inside. I readjusted the door handle so that it looked perfectly normal. Provided that no one looked too closely, they wouldn’t see anything wrong with it. 

    Then I walked towards the staircase and went upstairs to my room. I washed my burnt palm with ice- cold water before putting on my pyjamas and climbing into bed. Soon I was fast asleep.

    A FEW ENEMIES

    I woke up the next morning to an indignant Adele Dumont pounding on my door. 

    ‘Are you not yet awake?’ she said. ‘Monsieur Hammond would like to speak to you after breakfast. Get dressed quickly!’

    I walked down the stairs to the dining hall for breakfast, which was bacon and eggs, with coffee to drink afterwards. Once again I sat with Lily, Joseph and Martin, and Carter too, although he didn’t look very pleased to see me.

    ‘We’re going for a swim later,’ Lily said. ‘Would you like to come?’

    I nodded. ‘Sure. I'd like a nice swim.’

    After breakfast, Adele beckoned for me to come with her, presumably to see Mr Hammond. Carter shot me a nasty look as I stood up from the table and went over to her. 

    We walked to the back of the house and took a lift up to the fifth floor. Adele showed me into a large,

octagonal room with a desk in the middle, and a chair behind the desk. 

    ‘Monsieur Hammond will be here shortly,’ she said, before closing the door behind her. I remained standing, even though there were plenty of places to sit down. I felt pretty awkward, standing in the middle of this room all alone. I considered exploring it a little bit, but then the door opened and a man walked in.

    Anthony Hammond was tall. He must have been about six feet, with a well-built structure; the body of a wrestler. His skin was heavily tanned, and he had a crop of dark hair on his head. His evenly-set teeth flashed when he smiled. 

    ‘Sam Henders, is it?’ he bellowed. ‘Very pleased to meet you, I'm sure.’ He extended a hand and I reached out to shake it. 

    ‘Do you like playing video games?’ asked Hammond. 

     ‘Occasionally.’

    ‘Most lads your age simply love to play video games.’ Hammond looked at me. ‘Would you like to have a go? I've got a new game you can try out.’

    He went over to his desk and yanked open a drawer. I followed him, and he handed me a game cartridge labelled “Nemesis”. 

    ‘Have you got a machine to insert that into? A Nintendo DS, perhaps?’ he asked. I shook my head.

    Hammond sighed and rummaged in his drawer, and after about ten seconds he produced a game console and past it across to me. It was just like a Nintendo, except that it was sleek and black, with a larger screen. It felt lighter than a regular Nintendo too. I knew it was the Thunderstruck. 

     I inserted the cartridge and the screen flickered into life, showing a digital world of colourful graphics. I tried to play it, but it was quite difficult. The aim of the game was to move the avatar through a maze filled with dangerous traps, and almost every trap would result in death. Around one corner there was a wall of fire. At a dead end a dragon appeared. The avatar had five lives. I died

in the game four times, and soon I was down with only one more chance to live. I drew my breath in sharply and focused all my concentration on the game. I got through all of the traps, and I reached the end. But then, out of nowhere, an enormous monster appeared and struck me with a blow to the head. My avatar flickered and disappeared. The words GAME OVER appeared on the screen in its place. 

    ‘Not bad.’ Hammond clapped softly. ‘Not too bad at all.’

    I nodded wearily. ‘Thanks.’

    Hammond sat down behind his desk. ‘You may leave now.’

    I left the room.

    The lake was pretty, glistening like a mirror in the sunlight. I was sitting on a sort of makeshift jetty by the pool, just after lunch. Birds sang up in the trees. The sun was still quite high up in the blue, cloudless sky. 

    Quite suddenly Lily sat down next to me. ‘Are you all right?’ she asked, sounding concerned. ‘You look worried.’

    I forced a smile. ‘I'm fine.’ It was a lie. I wasn’t fine. I was thinking about how I'd seen Andrew the night before, and also about how drawn I'd been to Hammond’s new game. 

    Lily touched my arm. ‘Come and swim with us,’ she said, smiling. ‘Race you there!’ She took off, running swiftly. I smiled and followed her. But once I arrived at the lake, trouble started brewing.

    ‘Hey!’ Carter called. ‘I'm willing to bet you can't swim to the other side of the lake!’

    ‘How much?’ I asked, my tone dangerously quiet. 

    ‘Five pounds.’ Carter smiled smugly. ‘But if you don’t want to…’

    I extended my hand. ‘Deal.’ We shook.

    Carter and I stood at the edge of the lake. ‘When Joseph whistles, we go in,’ he said. I nodded. 

    The whistle came suddenly, loud and shrill. We plunged in together. My arms thrashed over my

head as I cleaved the deep blue waters. Suddenly l felt something tug at my left leg and I was yanked under. I spluttered as my mouth filled with water. I opened my eyes and saw Carter a few feet away. I gritted my teeth and continued forward. I used a slow, steady stroke, and soon I reached the end of the lake. I broke through the water, gasping. Carter resurfaced a few seconds later. 

    ‘How did you – ?’ his voice faltered. ‘You were behind me, but now you're here – and – I – I saw you myself. I don’t understand…’

    ‘We still have to get to the other side,’ I said, jerking my head towards the opposite bank. ‘Perhaps we can make that part of the race too.’

    ‘All right.’

    Carter remained above, but I dived under and began swimming towards the other side. I saw Carter’s body directly above me, a vague silhouette through the water. I swam strongly, feeling the relaxing sensation of the water. I reached the bank quicker than I expected. When I broke through, I found Carter a few yards away. A look of confusion and anger crossed his face. 

    ‘I suppose I owe you five pounds,’ he grumbled.

     I shook my head. ‘You can keep the money.’

    I turned and walked away.

    *     *    *

    Hammond came to the dining hall at supper.

‘Good evening, kids!’ he exclaimed jovially. ‘I hope you are all finding the cooking satisfactory?’ A few of the kids nodded their heads in agreement. 

    ‘Could I please see the winners of last week’s contest?’ Hammond said. I raised my hand, along with Carter, who shot me yet another sinister look. 

    ‘Only two?’ Hammond asked, sounding surprised. ‘Where is our first prize winner?’ He glared pointedly at a boy sitting alone at a table at the end of the hall. He glanced at Hammond and hastily raised his hand. 

    ‘Good. See you all tomorrow.’ With that abrupt ending, Hammond left. 

    The boy who’d claimed to have won first place

came over to our table. I stifled a gasp when I saw him. He looked exactly like Andrew, but not completely. He walked a little bit differently, perhaps almost inhumanly, but other than that tiny detail, he looked just like him. 

    ‘Hello,’ he said. ‘I’m Jeff. What are your names?’

    ‘I'm Sam,’ I replied. ‘And this is Lily.’

    Lily smiled sweetly. ‘Pleased to meet you, Jeff.’ She turned to Carter. ‘And this is Carter.’

    ‘Hey.’ Carter didn’t look up.

    Jeff nodded. ‘Well, see you.’ He turned and started walking away, but suddenly seemed to stumble. He put out a hand to steady himself, and when his sleeve fell back I saw that his arm had a deep scar

on it. I couldn’t help but stare at it. Lily seemed taken by surprise as well. Jeff straightened up and hurriedly rolled his sleeve down again. He glanced back at us before hurrying off. 

    ‘That was strange,’ muttered Lily. I nodded in agreement, but I didn’t think too much about it.

     The only thing that bothered me was how Jeff looked almost exactly like Andrew, and I wasn’t sure how that tied in with me seeing Andrew’s face in the tower window. I sighed and stood up, barely hearing Lily’s concerned questions as I dug my hands into my pockets and walked slowly away. 

ELECTRIFYING PROBLEMS

    I spent the whole of the next morning after breakfast at Spreyton, looking through shop windows and talking to any friendly local who wanted to chat. At about noon I popped into a small café and ordered some sandwiches and a bottle of Coke. The woman who ran it was round and jolly, and even gave me a free sample of her chocolate cake. I thanked her and left Spreyton by bus. 

    Back at Hammond Enterprises, I felt gloomy and subdued. I wasn’t sure why, but I thought it was because Lily had gone out for the day and I had no one to talk to. Joseph and Martin were nowhere to be seen either. Only Carter, Jeff and two or three others were at the compound, but I didn’t feel like hanging around with them. Instead, I decided to take a walk and think things out. 

    I sauntered by the lake. It was pleasantly warm, the perfect weather for an afternoon walk. I sighed contentedly as I sat down by the lake. I hoped the lake and its peaceful aura would help me make light of my problems. 

    I remembered the searchlight beaming around

the yard, and Andrew’s frightened face staring at me, asking for help. I couldn’t put it out of my mind. To tell the truth, I'd felt a bit spooked myself when I'd seen Andrew’s face, appearing suddenly like a ghost. Thinking about that made me feel a sudden twinge of guilt. I hadn’t even told Andrew that I couldn’t help him. That brought back the painful memory of getting electrocuted.  

    I shuddered as I remembered the electricity surging up my arm, rippling through my body as if it could tear my heart out. Then I thought about yet another thing: Jeff. Why hadn’t he raised his hand when Hammond asked who the winners of last week’s contest were? Was it because he was in a

daze? Or was he just frightened of Hammond? No reasons that I could think of seemed likely to answer that question.

    And then there was his likeness to Andrew. Unless Andrew had a twin brother, I didn’t know how else Jeff could look almost exactly like him. One more thing still disturbed me, however: the scar on Jeff’s arm, and his hurried reaction to hide it. There was something different about his scar. And in that moment, I realised what it was. The scar was long and jagged, just like any other. But this one was very long, and it looked a bit like a snake. Jeff’s scar didn’t look like an accident. It looked as if had been made deliberately, on purpose. 

    Someone sat down suddenly next to me, but I didn’t notice. I was too busy trying to work things out, turning over every idea in my mind.

    ‘Sam?’ The person who'd just sat down next to me sounded worried. ‘Are you all right?’

    I snapped suddenly back down to earth. It was Lily. 

    ‘Er – yeah,’ I stammered. ‘I'm OK.’

    She sighed with relief. ‘Good. Would you like to come inside and have a game of cards? You look sad and lonely. Maybe we can – ’

    Lily stopped speaking abruptly as a loud, piercing scream rippled through the air. I stiffened. 

    ‘Wh-what was that?’ Lily asked shakily. ‘Do you

think someone is in trouble?’

    ‘I don’t know, but I'm certainly going to find out,’ I said, standing up. I patted Lily reassuringly on the back before shuffling away from her.

    I tore off. I was almost certain that the scream had come from the tower. I just hoped no one else had been electrocuted.

    At the tower, a small group of kids had gathered. Joseph, Martin and Jeff were standing next to a crumpled, unconscious figure lying on the ground. As I came closer, I realized who it was – Carter.

    I gently rolled him over. His face was an ashen white, his fingers clenched. I brushed a lock of his dark hair away from his forehead.

    ‘Has anyone got some water?’ I asked. Joseph came forward with a small bottle. I drizzled some of the water onto my palm and splashed it onto Carter’s face. His eyes fluttered open

    ‘Wh-what happened?’ he asked, looking dazed. I pressed a finger to my lips, motioning for him not to talk, and helped him sit up. He gulped down the entire bottle of water after I'd offered it to him. I noticed that his palm was bright red and scorched with black lines, as if he'd been burnt. He struggled to his feet. I helped him up, wrapping an arm around his waist and supporting him as we walked down the driveway. Somehow we managed to stagger over to the nearby petrol station. I flagged

down a taxi and we got in. 

    ‘Willow Dean, please,’ I told the driver. On the way there Carter passed out again.

    Willow Dean was a large, homely place with three storeys. I staggered over with Carter and rang the doorbell. A smiling, middle-aged woman – Mrs Jenks – opened the door.

    ‘Oh my!’ she exclaimed, her smile fading. ‘Have you come to see Mr Henders?’

     I nodded. She helped me drag Carter up the stairs and to a large room. Dad was on his laptop, while Jake read a book. They stood up in alarm as I came in, holding Carter.

    'Sam! What happened?' Dad rushed over and

together we laid Carter down on the bed. I glanced at Mrs Jenks and made a few swift hand gestures. 

    ‘Sorry to bother you, but could you please call an ambulance?’ asked Jake. 

    She nodded, wished us luck and left. A moment later, we were alone.

    In urgent whispers, I told Dad everything that had happened. He looked grim after I'd finished. 
 'Jake, fetch the medical kit,' Dad ordered. 'Be quick.'

    Dad went over to Carter and felt his pulse, and then laid a hand on his forehead to check his temperature. Jake produced a large plastic case and opened it. Two seconds later Dad had strapped

an oxygen mask onto Carter's face. He sucked the air in slowly. 

    The siren of an ambulance could be heard five minutes later, and seen out the window, too, tearing up the road and screeching to a stop just outside the house. Two paramedics jumped out and raced into the room. They stuck an IV needle into Carter's wrist, then rolled him on to a stretcher and took him downstairs to the ambulance, parked just in front of Willow Dean. A second later it was gone.

    Dad turned to me. 'Sam, tell me everything you found out,' he said. 'Don't leave anything out.'
 I told him everything, starting from the moment

I'd arrived at the compound to the minute I'd heard Carter scream. 

    'I think someone increased the voltage that's supplied to the knob,' I concluded. 'It wasn't that powerful when I touched it.'

    'You should be careful, Sam,' Jake said. 'We don't want you getting hurt like your friend. And you haven't found a trace of Andrew either, have you?'

    'Actually, Carter isn't my friend; I just didn't want him to get hurt.'

    'That's the best part about you, Sam.' Jake clapped me on the back. 'You're loyal to everyone, even to people you don’t like. You'd make a great soldier one day.'

    'Do me a favour.' I glanced at him. 'Please, shut up.' He laughed, his eyes gleaming mischievously. 

    I looked at Dad and said, 'Let me know when Carter's feeling better, all right?' 

    Dad nodded. 'Sure, Sam. And Jake's right. You'd make a brilliant soldier one day.' 

    I smiled, but it was a watery smile. 'Bye,' I said as I left the room. I turned and walked downstairs. Mrs Jenks smiled and patted my shoulder.

    'Come again,' she called cheerily. 'Be careful.’
 I nodded and slowly trudged away.

    *     *    *

    Back at the compound, I found Jeff sitting by himself on a bench by the wall, on the far side of

the yard. He looked lonely and upset. I decided to talk to him. 

    He glanced up as I came over, and gestured for me to sit down next to him. 

    ‘Where were you?’ he asked. ‘You missed tea.’ 

    I nodded but said nothing. I wasn’t sure what to say. ‘An – I mean Jeff,’ I said, kicking myself for almost calling him Andrew, ‘how did you get that scar on your arm?’ I knew it was a personal question, and probably a stupid one too, but I couldn’t think of anything else to talk about. Jeff pursed his lips and looked genuinely uncomfortable. 

    ‘I'm not sure,’ he replied at length. ‘I just woke up

one day and I had it on my arm.’

    ‘That’s a bit strange.’

    ‘Yeah. It is.’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t like talking about it, or even thinking about it for that matter. It’s just a bit of a private thing, you know?’ 

    I could relate to that; I had plenty of secrets that very few people knew – dark secrets that I barely understood myself. We sat in silence for a few minutes, and in that time a helicopter soared overhead. It dipped to lower altitudes, then cruised east before spiralling downwards and beginning its descent.  

    ‘Where’s it going to land?’ I asked, puzzled. 

    ‘There’s an airstrip about quarter of a mile away,’

Jeff answered ignorantly. ‘It belongs to Hammond.’

    I filed away the information. Then a bell began clanging loudly. Jeff stood up. 

    ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘I think it’s time we went inside.’

    I looked for the helicopter, but it was no longer in sight. I nodded and followed Jeff inside. 

    SECRETS AND LIES

    I couldn’t sleep well that night. A torrent of confusing, dangerous thoughts swirled around my head, and I struggled to make light of them. First

there was my talk with Jeff. He'd seemed friendly enough – in his own way. But there was still something about him I found disturbing. In general he seemed polite and solitary, a decent fellow. Yet, I felt unsure about him. 

    My thoughts shifted to the helicopter. I'd described it to Dad as best as I could and he'd told me it was probably a Bell 412HP utility helicopter. Jake had confirmed any last doubts by using a special type of MI6 software on Dad’s laptop to see all the aircraft at Hammond’s airstrip, and the Bell definitely suited my description. I didn’t think too much about it. After all, if it had landed at Hammond’s personal airstrip, then it would almost

definitely be known to the multi-millionaire that it had touched down at the runway. I pushed the thought out of my mind. At least I'd eliminated one confusing idea from my head. 

    Then suddenly I heard footsteps outside in the corridor. I caught my breath, hoping against hope that it was just one of the kids going out for a breath of air. But then I heard voices. I crept over to the door and pressed my ear to it.

    ‘Let me go!’ It was a boy’s voice, loud and indignant. It also sounded vaguely familiar.

    ‘Shh! Nothing will happen to you if you remain quiet.’

    ‘And how do I know you won't just shoot me in the

back?’ I could tell that the boy was probably scared to death, but was determined not to show it. He was trying to show his captor that he was not going to go anywhere quietly.

    ‘You want to quit stalling and come with us?’ I noticed that it was a man’s voice, and that he spoke with an American accent. ‘I could shoot you if you want, but I imagine you value your life, like any other person would.’

    ‘All right, but you’d better not try to kill me. I've had enough of you creeps!’

    The party moved off. My chest was hurting and I realised I'd been holding my breath. 

    ‘If another kid goes missing, I swear I'm going to

kill whoever’s in charge of this stupid kidnapping business,’ I mumbled fiercely. Hurriedly I grabbed some dark clothes and pulled them on. I slipped all the gadgets into my pockets, even though the aerosol can only weighed more. But I was determined to be prepared for whatever obstacles the night would hurl at me.

    The corridor was completely dark. I was tempted to use the small pocket torch I had, but then I remembered the sunglasses and pulled them out, positioning them over my eyes and activating them with the button on my watch. Suddenly I could see. The corridor was translated into a dim, pulsating mass of colours that I could easily interpret as

solids or liquids, just by identifying their temperature. There was a thermal intensifier concealed somewhere in the sunglasses, and it was because of this device that I could see in pitch darkness. 

    I crept forward. The voices were no longer audible but I could still hear the vague sound of footsteps a few feet away. I pursued them for about five minutes, and after this time I was beginning to feel a bit tired. Then suddenly the corridor veered sharply off to the right. I switched direction and suddenly found myself facing the end of the corridor, where a group of people stood. There were two men, black, and dressed in suits and dark

glasses. A boy stood between them. He looked about my age, with a sweep of short, fair hair and blue eyes. With a start, I realised it was Jeff… or was it Andrew? I stood where I was for no more than a nanosecond before diving back the way I'd come, throwing myself sideways underneath a sleek, wooden table. I pressed myself against the wall, hoping no one would see me – or hear me, since I was breathing hard. 

    Suddenly I heard a loud yell. I stiffened. The muscles in my body seemed to tense, and I knew they were, in a way, coiling themselves up like a spring, preparing to pounce if anyone attacked me. My jaw tightened as one of the men walked past,

his hand hanging slack by his side, holding a gun that was pointed at the floor. Once he was safely out of sight, I crawled out from underneath the table and peered round the wall. I was certain that the boy was Jeff – there was no possibility he could be Andrew with that scar on his arm – and what chilled me was that he was holding a gun. The gun was pointed at the floor, but I could tell that Jeff wouldn’t hesitate to use it. He had pinioned a man against the wall; he'd probably overpowered the man and hijacked his gun to use it against him.

    ‘Tell me where the boy is!’ Jeff demanded, his eyes dancing with a dangerous light. ‘Tell me now and perhaps I'll spare you life.’

    The man inhaled deeply. ‘I can’t Jeff,’ he said tightly. ‘You should have listened to Hammond and just stayed with him. You’ve double-crossed him, and now your life will be nothing but misery. Let me go now, this very instant, and perhaps I'll put in a good word for you.’

    ‘No.’ Jeff’s finger tightened on the trigger. ‘I may have left Hammond behind, but it was only because he was cruel. He tortured that boy Andrew, and he promised me he wouldn’t be harmed. But Andrew’s been electrocuted, handcuffed and badly injured. I can't just stand by and let that happen. I'm just glad this plastic surgery is temporary. I would have killed myself if I

had Andrew Brenner’s face and he was dead.’

    The man listened in stunned silence. ‘He’s your father, Jeff.’ His voice was deliberately quiet. ‘You can't hate him like that. It isn’t right.’

    ‘Maybe not,’ Jeff replied, ‘but I can't sit in my room doing nothing while he puts the Thunderstruck to use. I can't.’ He squeezed the trigger. 

    There was no sound. The gun must have been silenced. But still I saw the bullet cut through the air, red through the glasses, and lodge in the man’s shoulder. He yelled, blood spurting from his forearm. Then he slumped sideways and lay still. 

    My head spun. I'd just witnessed a murder. And I'd found out that Jeff was Hammond’s son. I couldn’t

believe it. I took the sunglasses off and rubbed my eyes.

    ‘Sam?’ I hadn’t noticed that Jeff had slipped right next to me. He waved a hand in front of my face. ‘Earth to Sam, are you awake?’

    I jerked myself back to the present. 

    ‘What?’ I stammered stupidly. ‘What’s wrong?’

    ‘You were here the whole time, weren’t you?’ Jeff’s expression darkened. ‘Did you hear everything? Were you spying on us? Did you see me kill him?’ His questions began tumbling out. 

    ‘Listen Jeff,’ I said evasively, trying to sound reasonable. ‘I need you to explain something to me. Why did you pretend not to be Hammond’s

son? And why do you look like Andrew Brenner?’

    He drew a deep breath. ‘You know who he is?’

    ‘Yes, but that wasn’t the answer I was expecting.’

    ‘I don’t like people to know how rich my dad is. It’s awkward, because if they know they keep treating me as if I'm someone important. I hate it. They never act as if I'm just a regular schoolboy. They think I'm some type of famous stunt double in a film.’

    I patted his shoulder. ‘I'm sorry.’

    He turned suddenly on me, his eyes burning with fury. ‘Don’t say you're sorry!’ he yelled. He faltered and looked down, ashamed. When he spoke again his voice was more controlled. ‘Sorry, I – I don’t

know what happened.’ Jeff avoided my gaze. ‘Well, in answer to your second question, my father invented something called the Thunderstruck; it’s a game console, just like a Nintendo and everyone wants to own one. But it’s more than just that. I don’t know what exactly, but dad needed Andrew’s help. So he asked me to have some type of plastic surgery and look like Andrew. I had no choice but to agree. But I kept my name of Jeff. It suits me better.’ He paused for breath. ‘Well, I made him promise that he wouldn’t hurt Andrew, but he did. I hate him for it. And that’s not the only reason. He divorced my mum when I was just three, and she moved to San Francisco, in America. And my Dad

taught me how to shoot. I was scared to learn at first, Sam, I really was, but I had no choice.’ Tears filled his eyes.

    ‘You can stop now,’ I said softly. ‘Perhaps you should go to bed, Jeff. You need to rest.’

    ‘OK.’ Jeff didn’t try to argue. ‘But I hope you’re going to sleep too.’

    I nodded. ‘Come on. And maybe you should leave the gun here. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be holding one at this age.’

    ‘Good idea.’ He laid it down on the floor by the dead man’s body, and the two of us walked away, Jeff sobbing quietly into his sleeve.

    *     *    *

    The next morning, I received a call from Dad. He said that the hospital had called him last night, saying that Carter wanted to speak with me.

    That surprised me. Carter didn’t seem like someone who showed much gratitude to anyone. 

    ‘All right,’ I said into the phone. ‘I'll see him soon after breakfast.’

    I took the bus to the bus-stop nearest to the hospital, then clambered out and made my way to the hospital. At the reception, I asked the smiling woman behind the desk about Carter.

    ‘He's on the third floor, in room twenty,’ she said. 

    ‘Thanks,’ I said, drifting away from her and

towards the staircase. I sprinted up the stairs two at a time, and soon I reached the third floor. Room twenty was the third door down the corridor. I knocked.

    ‘Come in,’ rasped a voice. I opened the door and stepped inside. I was shocked by what I saw. 

    Carter was lying on the bed, flat on his back. He was painfully thin, his face completely white. His untidy black hair hid his left eye. 

    ‘Do you feel better?’ I asked. I noticed a wire snaking down from his pulse to a small monitor, but its screen was blank. He nodded weakly. 

    ‘You don’t have to walk if you don’t want to -’ I began, but Carter shook his head.

    ‘No,’ he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. ‘I want to thank you Sam. You helped me, despite how nasty I was to you.

    ‘I was like that because I don’t have parents. My mother died when I was born and my father died three years after that. I was sent to a foster home, but I ran away. I've been to four homes since then, and I didn’t like any of them. Then I was sent to a school called Clarke’s Academy for Disturbed Children, but I ran away after three days there. It was horrible. I hated it.’

    I drew my breath in sharply. Clarke’s Academy was a fake school that had been trafficking drugs around the country, and quite possibly the world.

I'd been sent there two months ago, to find out what was going on, and it was there that I’d nearly lost my life.

    ‘I guess I didn’t like you,’ Carter went on, ‘because of how calm you were. You reminded me of my cousin. I haven’t seen him for eight years, but I still remember him. His name was -’ Carter stopped talking as a fit of violent coughing overpowered him. I ran over to him, alarmed, and gave him some water. He swallowed slowly. 

    ‘Well, the thing is, I touched the knob because I saw Jeff up in the tower.’ Carter bit his lip. ‘He seemed to be asking for help.’ I knew that it was Andrew he had seen, not Jeff, but I didn’t say

anything. I just nodded.

    ‘If Jeff is still up there, can you try to help him? Please?’ He sounded sincere. I patted him on the shoulder. 

    ‘Get some rest,’ I said. ‘You need it. I'll come and see you again soon.’ He nodded and laid his head against the pillow, and soon he fell asleep.

    I turned and left the room.

    MIDNIGHT SWIM

    I spent the rest of the morning playing cards with Lily. She was actually quite a good player for her age. 

    ‘I've got a sister,’ she chattered animatedly. ‘She’s fourteen too, like you. Her name’s Rowan. Have you got any siblings?’ I shook my head. She seemed disappointed.

    ‘That’s sad.’ Lily looked upset. ‘You don’t know how fun it is. And you don’t even have parents. Perhaps I should stop taking mine for granted.’

    I felt something twist in my stomach – an uncomfortable sense of guilt settling over me. I'd told her I didn’t have parents. I felt guilty about that. But I didn’t like talking about Dad; it made me

feel weird, since I'd thought he was dead for years. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Lily noticed.

    ‘Would you like to play something else?’ she asked. 

    ‘No thanks, Lily,’ I said. ‘I'm having a bit of a headache, so I'll see you later, if you don’t mind.’ It was a lie. But I wanted to talk to Jeff, perhaps to comfort him. I also wanted to avoid Lily’s sympathy. She was sweet, of course, but when she told me she felt sorry for me, I always felt as if she’d just punched me. My life was nothing but secrets, dark secrets, and now that I'd been drawn into a world that held nothing but secrets, I had to make sure that no one knew about them. I stood up abruptly,

returned Lily’s anxious goodbyes, and left the room. 

    Jeff was sitting alone on the bench once again. I sauntered over to him. He looked up as I came over. His face was pale.

    ‘How are you, Jeff?’ I asked. ‘Did you sleep well last night?’

    ‘Not really,’ he replied. ‘I had dreams about Andrew. I want to help him, Sam, really, but they changed his cell and I don’t know where he is.’

    I bit my lip. ‘He’s being kept prisoner?’

    Jeff nodded. ‘Yes. I saw him once or twice, and at that time he was in the basement. But he isn’t there

anymore. I don’t know what happened to him, but I think he's being held in the tower. And you know the doorknob is electrified.’

    I didn’t see a way how to help Andrew. Just then Martin came running up to us.

    ‘It’s time for tea,’ he panted. ‘Adele said to come quickly.’ He darted away. I stood up too, and pulled Jeff to his feet. We went inside, Jeff looking woebegone and lost.

    I awoke suddenly at midnight to a loud, frightened scream. I'd gone to bed fully dressed, and I quickly sprinted out of my room and out into the corridor. I was almost certain it was Lily who

had screamed. Her door was a few paces away from mine. I knocked. Nobody answered. 

    Once again, I rapped on the door. This time I heard a voice – Lily’s voice – quietly telling me to enter.

    Lily’s room was almost exactly the same as mine, and the only difference was the colour of the walls. I caught sight of Lily, huddled up in bed, swathed in blankets and trembling from head to foot. 

    ‘Oh Sam, I saw a ghost!’ she exclaimed, petrified. ‘Please, call Adele! Quickly!’

    ‘Ghosts aren’t real,’ I whispered reassuringly. ‘Where did you see it?’

    ‘In the balcony,’ she replied, her voice quavering.

‘Careful!’

    I padded over to the door and swung it open. A blast of cold air hit me in the face as I stole outside into the balcony. There was no one there. I stepped forward and looked down. Below me, the lake shimmered in the faint glow of the stars. I put a hand on the railing and took in the beautiful scenery. It was certainly stunning: the stars shining over the vast stretch of countryside, with the gently sloping hills stretching upwards on the horizon.

    Suddenly I sensed something behind me, some small movement – a warning instinct. I gripped the railing tighter. All of a sudden I felt something – or someone – shove me in the back and my legs

buckled. I hurtled over the railing and fell through space. I knew I'd hit the water and I tried to take a breath, to absorb some oxygen and calm my mounting panic. 

    The biggest shock was the cold. 

    I hit the water with such force I saw the spray erupt as I plunged in. It was cold, colder than I'd expected, and the shock of it almost forced the air out of my lungs. I opened my eyes and tried to swim upwards. But as soon as I resurfaced, something conked me on the head so hard I sank back down into the depths, my head pounding. Blood trickled over my left eye. 

    I felt a mix of feelings. Frustration. Anger. Despair. I experienced so many things at once I wanted to punch something, to drive them away. I felt my heart hammering inside my chest; my lungs tearing themselves apart, straining for air.

    I screamed. Bubbles erupted from my lips, and then my scream itself rose upwards as I broke out of the water. I lay on my back, trusting my natural buoyancy to keep me upright. But then I felt a moment of blinding pain, a flash of white light. The world went dark.

    When I came round I was lying on the bank of the lake, still dressed in my jersey and shorts, the same clothes I'd been wearing before. My mouth felt dry,

like sawdust. I coughed and spluttered, water choking out of my mouth. 

    I tried to sit up, but my muscles no longer obeyed me. My limbs felt like putty. I groaned. My breathing was shallow. I heard a pair of voices I vaguely recognized, but they seemed to come from an ocean away.

    '...he's awake...'

    '...was a rough fall...'

    '...all right?' 

    Then two faces came into view: Dad and Jake, but my vision was blurred and I could just barely make them out. They came over, followed by two men in medical uniforms. One of them stuck an IV needle

into my wrist, and I winced. Then Dad strapped an oxygen mask onto my face. I tried yet again to sit up. Dad helped me up and I was rolled onto a stretcher and carried over to a waiting ambulance. 

    I tried to ignore the throbbing pain in my head and focus on something else. As soon as the ambulance started up and began driving down the road, I felt a wave of nausea and prayed I wouldn't be sick. Unfortunately my prayers were unanswered. I threw up, and afterwards tried to go to sleep, to forget everything and just slide away from the present. I could, and my eyes stayed closed as we continued down the road, the sirens screaming.

    Jeff came to see me quite soon. I was in a hospital, and Dr Sharp had just left the room. He looked worried when he saw me.

    ‘What happened?’ Jeff asked. ‘Lily said you fell over the railing and into the lake from her balcony.’

    I nodded. I was too weak to talk. Jeff seemed to understand. 

    ‘The doctor said not to stay for long, but I wanted to tell you, my dad has something big planned. It'll happen tomorrow.’ He paused. ‘Well, I hope you come back soon. You’re actually the only friend I've had for years.’ His words caught in his throat. I smiled sympathetically at him. Jeff waved goodbye

and left. I was alone once again.

     Then, after about ten minutes, the door opened and Dad walked in, followed by Jake.

    ‘Are you feeling any better, Sam?’ Dad asked. I shook my head. I wanted to talk to him, to tell him what Jeff had just said, but I couldn’t. I found it difficult just to sit up.

    ‘Is there something you want to tell us?’ Jake asked. I nodded vigorously. Jake handed me his phone. At first I was puzzled, but then I understood. My fingers flew over the keypad as I typed him a message:

Jeff is Hammond’s son. He told me Hammond kidnapped Andrew. Today he said that his dad is

planning something big, and it involves the Thunderstruck. We have to stop him, because Jeff says the Thunderstruck is more than a video game console. It’s something dangerous.

    He stared at the phone. 

    ‘How is this possible?’ Jake asked. ‘How could one of the richest men in the country be involved in crime?’

    ‘I don’t know,’ I managed to say, but it took a lot of effort. Dad patted my shoulder. 

    ‘You'll feel better after you get some sleep,’ he said. ‘We’ll talk to you later.’ They left the room.

    I put my head on the pillow and closed my eyes. 

TASED

    It started to rain as soon as I stepped out of the hospital. I cursed silently. Dad rested a hand on my shoulder and steered me towards his BMW. I climbed in and we drove in silence, back to Hammond Enterprises. About an hour earlier, we’d had an argument, something we’d never done before. It had been about heading back to London and back to school. 

    ‘No. I have to find Andrew. He's my friend. I can't let him suffer,’ I'd said to Dad. 

    ‘Sam, I don’t want you to get hurt,’ Dad said firmly. ‘We’ll find him, I promise.’

    I shook my head. ‘I know you're worried, Dad, but

I'll be fine. Really. I'll send out the distress signal if I'm in trouble. I promise.’

    ‘No. I can't let you do it.’

    ‘Please, Dad. I'll be safe. You don’t have to worry.’

    He sighed heavily. ‘All right. But promise me you'll keep out of danger.’ 

    ‘I promise.’

    I remembered the conversation as we pulled up in Hammond’s driveway. I clambered out of the car. 

    ‘Whatever happens, Sam,’ Dad said, ‘remember, you're the greatest person I know.’

    ‘Thanks,’ I said, trying not to choke on my words. ‘See – see you soon.’

    I walked back to the compound.

    I didn’t go inside but went over to the bench. Once again I found Jeff sitting there, staring into space, lost in his thoughts with an expression of confusion across his face. He didn’t seem to notice when I sat down next to him. For two whole minutes we remained silent. Then Jeff seemed to notice my presence. 

    ‘I'm glad to see you Sam,’ he said ruefully. ‘Lily’s gone missing.’

    ‘What? How?’ 

    ‘She disappeared soon after you were taken to hospital.’ Jeff looked at the ground. ‘I think she's been taken prisoner, too, with Andrew. We have to

help them, Sam. And you're the only one who can help me do it.’

    ‘Why is that?’ I asked. 

    Jeff swallowed hard and lowered his voice. ‘My dad got something stolen – a pen drive, I think – and there was information about you on it. It’s probably just a load of rubbish, but it said that you were a spy.’

    I stared in horror at Jeff. ‘Did you know that this whole time?’

    He shook his head in response. ‘I only found out this morning. But it isn’t true, right? The government can't employ schoolboys, can they?’

    I bit my lip, feeling uncomfortable. ‘Listen, Jeff,’ I

said, ‘I'll explain everything to you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not even you father.’

    ‘What makes you think I'll tell him?’ Jeff retorted scornfully. ‘He doesn’t even remember my birthday, and I don’t even bother to remind him.’

    ‘Well, in short, I actually do work for British Intelligence, but don’t think I enjoy it. It’s hell when people are always trying to kill you.’ 

    Jeff stared at me in amazement. ‘Really? You’re not pulling my leg? You actually work for British Intelligence?’ 

    I nodded. ‘And I'm here to find Andrew,’ I went on, ‘because we go to school together; and also because I was forced to. I have to find him, and I

think he's in the tower. I have to find a way to get inside, and then get him back to his parents. They’ve been worried to death.’

    Jeff nodded slowly. ‘I found something out, too,’ he whispered. ‘The Thunderstruck is something to do with robots, or automatons, if you prefer it. I'm not sure what dad plans to do with them, but I do know he's planning to get rid of Andrew.’

    ‘So will you help me save him?’ I asked. Jeff nodded.

    ‘Good.’ I lowered my voice. ‘I think I may have gotten an idea.’

    That night, I slipped all my weapons into my

backpack and escaped the compound through my bedroom window. I slid down a drainpipe that had been positioned against the wall. I found Jeff waiting by the tower. 

    ‘I hope this works, Sam,’ he whispered, and I saw that he was frightened about what he was going to do, but was trying his best to hide it.

     ‘Let’s hope it does,’ I murmured. I glanced at Jeff. ‘Have you got the rope?’ He nodded. ‘Good. I'll help you onto the wall, and then I'll come up myself. Then we can swing ourselves in through the window.’

    Jeff drew a deep breath. ‘Right. Help me up.’ I kept him straight as he scrabbled up the wall. Within

seconds he was crouching on top, extending his hand to aid me. I grasped it and vaulted onto the wall. 

    A spike of jagged metal protruded from the window frame. I leaned across and tied the rope to it, then gave it a tug to make sure it was firm. 

    ‘Right,’ I said. ‘I'll swing in first and you follow.’ Jeff nodded, looking a bit out of his depth.

    I grabbed the end of the rope and jumped, launching myself into space before shooting out my legs to prevent myself from slamming face-first into the wall. I slithered up the rope until I was level with the window. The catch was a bit tight, but it wasn’t too much of a problem as I sprayed the

contents of the Mosquito Repellent onto it, causing the catch to fall away from the frame. I swung myself inside. 

    I whistled softly to Jeff: a signal. I saw him jump down from the wall, clinging onto the rope before climbing in through the window. 

    ‘That was definitely not my idea of fun,’ Jeff said, breathing hard. ‘I've never felt so scared before!’

    I grinned at him. ‘Come on. Let’s go see if we can find Andrew.’

    We stole along the narrow corridor. The tower wasn’t nearly as confusing as the compound; in fact it was just a spiral staircase that went to every floor and a twist of corridors. Everything was lit by a

series of neon strips, set high in the ceiling, which produced little light. I could feel Jeff trembling next to me. 

    Then suddenly we came to a sharp bend, and just round the corner was a heavy door made of reinforced steel. 

    ‘What do you think is behind there?’ Jeff whispered. 

    ‘I'm not sure,’ I replied, ‘but I think I can find out.’

    I produced the sunglasses and positioned them over my eyes. Using my watch, I readjusted their settings so that I could see through solid objects.

    I crouched down next to the door and peered through. I saw a large, circular room, the walls

lined with counters and tables. In the centre there stood a large, round object, but it wasn’t too clear through the sunglasses. I wondered what it was. 

    ‘Sam…’ Jeff sounded worried. I slipped the glasses off and twisted around. Jeff was no longer there.

    ‘Jeff?’ I called, alarmed. ‘Where did you go?’

    I got to my feet, but the second I took a step forward I was met with the muzzle of a gun. It had appeared out of nowhere. I glanced up and saw a man with brown hair and a pair of dark glasses.

    ‘Don’t move.’ There was ice in his voice. ‘Come with me.’

    I shifted my weight slowly, trying to find a way to escape. And suddenly I found it.

    I swung my fist, driving it into the man’s hand. He gave a yell of surprise and stepped backwards, and while he was still in shock I landed him a blow to the side of his head. The gun clattered to the floor. I scooped it up and ran for all I was worth.

    I had no idea where I was going but I knew that anywhere but the tower was safe. I had to find Jeff – and Andrew if I could – and get out of here. The stakes were too high now. I rounded a corner and saw the spiral staircase. I raced towards it. 

    I felt something slam suddenly into my legs. I stumbled but managed not to fall. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a tall figure, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. My only thought was to get

out of this prison. 

    Then suddenly the figure stepped in front of me. It was Hammond.

    ‘You’ve caused me a lot of problems, Henders.’ His voice was utterly cold. ‘I'm going to make you pay for all of them.’ He lashed out, the heel of his hand catching me on the throat, blocking my air. I gasped as I flailed backwards and landed on my back. Hammond leaned over me and slowly brought his hand, clenched into a fist, down to my throat. His fingers uncurled and I saw what he was holding – a Taser. 

    My stomach clenched in fear. I struggled but his hand had pinioned me to the ground. I felt the

electricity surge through my body as Hammond activated the Taser. My body felt as if it were tearing itself apart. The electricity shuddered through my veins, searching for a fatal point in my body. I screamed as he increased the voltage. I thought he was going to kill me. And then suddenly everything went dark.

    THUNDERSTRUCK

    I came round feeling as if my head had been microwaved. I blinked my eyes clear and when my vision adjusted I saw that I was in a small, square room – a cell. I was lying on a small bunk. I sat up groggily. At least I still had my backpack and all the gadgets. 

    The cell had grey, windowless walls and a low

ceiling. I rose to my feet and strode over to a small door that fit so flush with the wall it was almost invisible. It didn’t open. I let out a cry of exasperation and slammed my fist into the wall. I walked back to the bunk and somehow – incredibly, impossibly – fell asleep.

    I was woken up brutally, wrenched out of my sleep. Two men were standing over me, one of them holding a pair of handcuffs. They forced me to my feet and snapped the cuffs onto my wrists, behind my back. 

    ‘What the hell do you think you're doing?’ I demanded. ‘Let me go!’

    One of the men – the one with the blue suit – held