A. N. T. I. D. O. T. E.

by Malorie Blackman

  ‘You won’t finish this one,’ said Uncle Robert confidently. ‘This game is my best one ever.’

  ‘What kind is it?’ I jumped up and snatched the envelope out of Uncle’s hand. I tore it open. It contained a CD labelled Elliot.

  ‘I’m not telling you that. That’s for you to find out – hot shot!’ Uncle laughed.

  ‘But not now,’ said Mum quickly. ‘You can find out tomorrow night after you’ve done your homework.’

  ‘But can’t I even …’

  ‘No, Elliot. I mean it,’ said Mum firmly.

  Mum had that glinty, steely look in her eyes. I knew better than to argue.

  ‘Oh, all right.’ I turned to Uncle Robert. ‘Thanks for the game. I can’t wait to try it.’

  I began to run up the stairs, before I remembered something. ‘Uncle Robert, what’s it called?’

  ‘Huh?’

  ‘The game?’

  Uncle Robert considered for a moment. ‘You’ve got to discover that for yourself,’ he said at last. ‘That’s the whole point of the game.’

  I raised my eyebrows. ‘That’s different.’

  ‘Good night, Elliot.’ Uncle Robert smiled.

  ‘’Night, Uncle. ’Night, Mum.’ And off I went to clean my teeth.

  I gave my mouth a quick final rinse before straightening up to check my teeth in the mirror before me. I was surprised and then not surprised to find myself frowning. What kind of game was it where the point of the game was to find out the name of the game? I’d never heard of that one before – but I liked it! I admit it, I was intrigued. Uncle Robert designed and programmed games for me in his spare time and I loved it. To have a game designed just for me was so … awesome! And my friends at school were always impressed too. It also meant that I was in every one. In each game, the hero of the story was a boy called Elliot! So far Uncle Robert had designed three different games for me, each one harder than the last. I’d battled dinosaurs, fought my way past dragons and rescued colonists on a doomed planet. I couldn’t wait to see what Uncle Robert had in store for me this time. But I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how the game might work. If I quickly loaded it up now, I could at least check the game’s format. That wouldn’t take too long …

  It was no good! I just had to load it up now. I couldn’t wait till the morning to see what kind of game it was. I had my own computer, but it was slow. Just about good enough for homework; but to do justice to a new state-of-the-art game, I’d need the power of Mum’s computer. I’d have to be careful that Mum didn’t catch me – not after she’d told me to go straight to bed. I knew if Mum caught me she would go ballistic to say the least, but I couldn’t help it. I was desperate to try it out. I tiptoed out of the bathroom and across the landing to my bedroom to get the disc.

  ‘I’ll only be on Mum’s PC for five minutes. Just five minutes,’ I muttered, already working out my excuses in case Mum caught me.

  But I didn’t make it to my bedroom. Raised voices reached me from downstairs. I stopped and looked over the banister. I couldn’t believe it, but Mum and Uncle Robert were arguing. I’d never, ever heard them argue before. I crept down the stairs. Mum and Uncle Robert were in the living room and the door was shut but as I reached the hall, snatches of their conversation echoed out to me.

  ‘ANTIDOTE needs your help, Lisa. I need your help. Please!’ Uncle Robert’s voice was a mixture of frustration and entreaty.

  ‘… No! No! NO! How many more times?’ Mum replied furiously. ‘I gave all that up when Elliot was born. I’m not getting back into it now.’

  ‘But we need you …’

  ‘So does Elliot. No!’

  ‘If I do this job alone, I’ll be found out in less than a minute,’ said Uncle Robert. ‘You’re the expert, not me.’

  ‘Expert? Yeah, right! What did it ever get me? Nothing. And where did it ever get me? Nowhere. I’m not doing it, Robert, and that’s final.’ Mum’s voice was bitter.

  Stunned, I moved in closer towards the living-room door.

  ‘Just look at the data on this memory stick – that’s all I ask,’ Uncle Robert pleaded.

  ‘Why? I won’t change my mind,’ said Mum.

  ‘Lisa, this data is important. It was smuggled out of Shelby’s two days ago,’ Uncle Robert began.

  ‘I’m not interested.’

  I recognized Mum’s tone. When she was in that kind of mood, nothing short of a truckload of Semtex could shift her.

  ‘Lisa, they are performing experiments on illegally imported, rare animals in that building. It goes on in their top-security lab down in the basement. This data refers to it – but it’s not enough. Someone needs to get into Shelby’s and film what’s going on,’ said Uncle Robert.

  ‘I’m not doing it, Robert. And you have no right to ask me.’ Mum’s voice was so low, I had to strain to hear it. I took another step towards the door.

  ‘Lisa, listen. There’s … there’s something else. Some of us at ANTIDOTE have found out that Shelby’s have planted an agent in our organization,’ said Uncle Robert. ‘We managed to get a print-out of a confidential memo, written by Marcus Pardela himself, where he talks about his “mole” in our group.’

  At Mum’s stunned gasp, I pressed my ear right up against the cool wooden door.

  ‘An agent? Are you sure?’ Mum asked.

  ‘Positive. Someone at ANTIDOTE is secretly working for Shelby’s. I was hoping you’d help us find out who, once this other business is out of the way. Please say you’ll help us. We can’t call in someone from outside in case the news leaks out and damages our organization and we can’t tell too many people in the organization what’s going on in case our “mole” goes underground,’ said Uncle Robert. ‘I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I didn’t desperately need you – you know that.’

  ‘You don’t want much, do you?’ Mum said tersely.

  Silence.

  ‘Who else knows about this confidential letter about the mole?’ asked Mum.

  ‘Just me, Sarah Irving – she’s chief executive of ANTIDOTE, Ian Macmillan, the general secretary, and Rohan Adjava, the treasurer. Four people – that’s it. And the other three are as anxious as I am to find out who’s betraying us to Shelby’s. But we’ve all agreed that getting proof of Shelby’s experiments on illegally imported animals is our first priority.’

  ‘Let me see the letter about this so-called agent,’ Mum said.

  I straightened up. What on earth was going on? Why did Uncle Robert need Mum’s help? What kind of help? What could Mum do? Uncle Robert called her ‘the expert’. What did that mean? The expert in what? My head was like a beehive, buzzing with questions. It was all quiet in the living room now. I turned to head back to my bedroom and knocked into the hall table. It rocked against the wall with a loud thud. In the next moment, I legged it up the stairs. I was only halfway up when the living-room door opened. Thinking quickly, I turned and ran down the stairs just as Mum and Uncle Robert came out of the living room.

  ‘Hi! I’m just coming down for some water,’ I said.

  ‘And then straight to bed – OK?’

  I nodded, noting the sheet of paper in Mum’s hand, the serious look on both the grown-ups’ faces.

  ‘So when are you coming to see us next, Uncle?’ I asked.

  ‘On Sunday, bright and early. You can both spend the day with me,’ Uncle Robert replied.

  ‘Brill!’ I started up the stairs again.

  ‘I thought you wanted a drink of water?’ said Mum.

  ‘Oh, yeah.’ I could feel my face growing hot. What a giveaway!

  Ignoring the slight yet knowing smile on Mum’s face, I went into the kitchen. I poured myself half a glass of ice-cold water from the fridge and downed it in one. Then I headed back to my bedroom. Mum and Uncle Robert stood in the hall watching me go up the stairs.

  ‘Elliot, you’re cute, but if I catch you eavesdropping at this door, you’re in big trouble!’ said Mum.

  ‘As if!’ I called down from the
landing.

  ‘Yeah, right!’ Mum followed Uncle Robert back into the living room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

  Friday

  Chapter Four

  The Long Run

  ‘WHY’VE YOU GOT a face like a handful of mince?’ Nosh frowned. ‘Anyone would think it was Monday morning instead of Friday evening. School’s over for the next three weeks. We’re on holiday. What more do you want? Blood?’

  I sat back on Nosh’s sofa, but I couldn’t relax. It was past nine and we’d had a brilliant dinner of pepperoni pizza because Nosh’s mum was at the cinema with her friends so Nosh’s dad had sent out for a meal. Here I was, next door at Nosh’s house playing one of my favourite computer games, and was I enjoying it? No, not much! All I had on my mind was Mum and the strange conversation I’d heard the night before.

  When I’d got home earlier, Mum told me I was spending the night at Nosh’s house. She didn’t ask if I wanted to, she just told me. Mind you, usually I couldn’t wait to stay over with Nosh. We’d spend all night reading comics or playing games by torchlight – but I didn’t want to do it, not this time. This time, I was sure it was just a ploy on Mum’s part to get me out of the way. When I’d asked Mum where she was going, all she said was, ‘Your Uncle Robert and I have some things to sort out – that’s why I can’t be here. And I’m not leaving you on your own.’

  ‘Why can’t you sort out whatever it is from here?’ I asked.

  ‘It’s not that simple,’ Mum sighed. ‘Don’t argue with me, Elliot – not tonight. Please?’

  Mum looked tired and kind of worried, so I shut up. Against my better judgement, I packed up my stuff and headed next door to Nosh’s house.

  The only trouble was, I’d spent every minute since then thinking about what Mum and Uncle Robert might be up to.

  I looked at Nosh, wondering if I should confide in my best friend. I sighed for the umpteenth time in ten minutes. I couldn’t help it! All this wondering and worrying was driving me crazy.

  ‘What’s the matter, Elliot?’ Nosh asked impatiently. ‘Tell me before I have to kill you! All your sighing and moping about is really starting to cheese me off.’

  ‘It’s about Uncle Robert and Mum,’ I began slowly. ‘I think Uncle Robert is trying to get Mum to do something that’ll get her into trouble.’

  ‘What kind of trouble?’ Nosh’s ears pricked up at once. That’s the thing about Nosh. He loves to know everyone’s business.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ I admitted.

  ‘This isn’t another of your worry-wart ideas, is it?’ Nosh asked suspiciously.

  ‘What d’you mean?’

  ‘Well, you must admit,’ Nosh said, ‘sometimes you’ll get an idea in your head and worry it to death.’

  ‘Rubbish!’ I said indignantly. ‘My mum’s up to something – or at least she might be.’

  ‘I’m still waiting for you to tell me what kind of something,’ said Nosh.

  I took a deep breath. ‘Well, it’s like this …’ I began.

  And I relayed the whole of the conversation I’d heard between Mum and Uncle Robert the night before. By the time I’d finished, Nosh looked just as perplexed as I felt – which, I must admit, did make me feel a bit better.

  ‘Is that all true?’ Nosh asked.

  ‘Of course it’s true,’ I snapped. ‘I wouldn’t make up something like that.’

  ‘ANTIDOTE … Halle’s always going on about them,’ Nosh mused. ‘So what does it mean?’

  ‘I wish I knew. But I’m worried. I don’t know what went on after I had to go to bed. Maybe Uncle Robert managed to persuade Mum to help him get into the Shelby building and film the experiments on those animals, after all?’

  ‘Wow! Your mum?!’ Nosh was as stunned by the idea as I was.

  ‘Maybe I’m worrying about nothing,’ I said hopefully.

  ‘It wouldn’t be the first time,’ Nosh pointed out.

  Before I could argue, the doorbell rang. At my look of query, Nosh sniffed with disgust. ‘It’s probably one of Halle’s butt-ugly boyfriends!’

  I’d heard all about Nosh’s sister’s boyfriends. According to Nosh, his sister Halle always chose to go out with boys who Nosh was guaranteed to loathe! Halle’s current one scored zero out of ten for patting Nosh on his head the first time they’d met!

  ‘Elliot, could you come here for a moment?’ Nosh’s dad called out from the hall moments later. It’s strange but looking back, that was the moment that changed my life. I can see that now. I only wish I could’ve seen it then, but I didn’t.

  I did as requested, followed by Nosh. I thought it was Mum, back already from wherever it was that she’d had to go. I was wrong.

  It was the police.

  A man and a woman stood at the door, both of them in uniform. The man had light-brown hair and the woman was a blonde who looked past Nosh’s dad straight at me.

  ‘Elliot Gaines?’ said the blonde policewoman.

  I nodded, swallowing hard. My mind went blank – completely and totally blank.

  ‘Mrs Carlisle, your other next-door neighbour, told us we might find you here. Can we talk to you for a moment, son?’ the woman continued.

  I walked forward slowly, my legs suddenly filled with lead weights.

  ‘Do you know where your mother is, Elliot?’ asked the policeman seriously.

  I shook my head.

  ‘Has there been an accident?’ asked Nosh’s dad.

  My head snapped round. Even though I’d been thinking the exact same thing, it was still shocking to hear it put into words like that. At that moment, I almost hated Nosh’s dad.

  ‘Do you know where your mum is?’ the policeman asked me again, ignoring Nosh’s dad completely.

  ‘No, I don’t.’ My voice was little more than a squeak.

  ‘What’s this all about, officer?’ asked Nosh’s dad.

  I’ll say one thing for him, he was persistent.

  ‘Can I talk to you alone for a moment, sir?’ said the policewoman.

  Nosh’s dad frowned. He stepped out into the front path, pulling the door partially to behind him. Nosh and I immediately moved forward to have a listen.

  ‘Are you any relation to Lisa Gaines?’ asked the policewoman.

  ‘No, but we’re the best of friends. Elliot’s staying here with us until she gets back,’ Nosh’s dad answered.

  ‘I see.’ Now it was the turn of the policeman to speak. In hushed tones, he said, ‘Well, Mrs Lisa Gaines and her brother-in-law Robert Gaines were filmed breaking into Shelby and Pardela Pharmaceuticals earlier tonight. Robert Gaines has now been apprehended, but Mrs Gaines is still on the run.’

  ‘Excuse me? I … I don’t b-believe it. There must be some mistake,’ spluttered Nosh’s dad.

  ‘No mistake, sir,’ the policeman said. ‘Mrs Gaines can be seen clearly on the company’s security surveillance recording. She’s already been identified.’

  Nosh turned towards me. I think he said something but I could only see his lips move. No sound came out – at least, none that I could hear. I couldn’t understand where that roaring noise in my head was coming from. It was as if I was drowning – floundering in a nightmare, sinking beneath his stare of disbelief and sympathy and suspicion.

  As the police and Nosh’s dad stepped back into the house, Nosh and I bounded back. I don’t know about Nosh but I was functioning on auto-pilot.

  ‘If your mum does phone you, Elliot, or if she tries to get in touch, please let us know,’ the policewoman said. ‘She’s in trouble and you must tell her to give herself up. She’s not doing herself any good by going on the run like this and sooner or later we’re going to catch her. It would look better for her in the long run if she gave herself up to us first before that happens.’

  ‘My mum didn’t break into Shelby and Whatsit or anywhere else,’ I shouted. The words exploded from me in a burst of white-hot anger. ‘I heard what you said to Nosh’s dad and it’s a lie.’

  The policewoman opened her mo
uth to argue, only to snap it shut again. ‘Just tell her to give herself up if she tries to get in touch with you,’ she repeated. ‘OK, Elliot?’

  No, it wasn’t OK. What a stupid thing to say. The police were after Mum. For something she hadn’t done. For something she couldn’t have done. It was ridiculous, outrageous. But here they were knocking on the door and asking for her.

  ‘What’s going to happen to my uncle?’ I asked.

  ‘He’ll be remanded on bail, then allowed to go back home, I suppose,’ the policeman said. ‘It’s really up to the magistrate, though.’

  As Nosh’s dad closed the door behind the two police officers, Nosh turned to me, his eyes huge with delighted disbelief.

  ‘Your mum’s not really on the run, is she?’ he asked. ‘Did she really break into Shelby’s?’

  I scowled at him.

  ‘Nosh, that’s enough,’ Nosh’s dad said firmly. ‘Leave him alone. Elliot, you’re welcome to stay with us until your mother comes home and this business is all cleared up. I’m sure the police have just made a stupid mistake.’

  ‘They didn’t seem to think so,’ Nosh muttered.

  ‘Nosh, you’re not helping,’ his dad pointed out impatiently.

  Nosh took a quick look at my stormy face and he had the grace to look contrite. ‘Sorry!’ he muttered again.

  ‘Elliot, d’you know anything about this?’ Nosh’s dad questioned.

  After a quick glance at Nosh, I shook my head. It was the truth in a way. I hadn’t a clue. What did the policeman say? Uncle Robert had been arrested? Was he the one who’d identified Mum on the CCTV recording? OK, so they’d talked about getting into the Shelby building – but Mum wouldn’t have done that. She couldn’t. She was just a secretary. What did she know about all that ‘James Bond’ stuff? My head was swimming with questions and one thing was for sure, I wouldn’t find any answers in Nosh’s house.

  ‘I’d better go home now,’ I said.

  ‘I don’t think that’s a very good idea …’ Nosh’s dad began.