Hunted

by Sophie McKenzie

  ‘What?’

  ‘Well, in the first place, your dad was murdered,’ she said. ‘It wasn’t an accidental death.’

  ‘I know that already,’ I said sharply. ‘I saw his file. It was in the murder section – and classified. Not that anyone else believes it.’

  ‘Your mum believed it. She investigated what happened. She was convinced William had been killed deliberately.’

  My heart pounded. This was exactly what Aunt Patrice had said.

  ‘Who did she think killed him?’

  ‘She didn’t know his real name. She referred to him as Bookman.’

  Bookman. Jack had mentioned him earlier. Bookman was in charge of the Hub . . . the person my dad had gone to see several times in the week before he died.

  ‘That’s not all,’ Laura went on. ‘The night she died, your mother called me. She said she was frightened that Bookman knew about her suspicions . . . that he was going to come after her. We agreed to meet two hours later. I was going to put the two of you on a flight to somewhere remote. But your mum never turned up.’

  I stared at her. ‘What are you saying?’

  ‘I’m saying that it wasn’t just your dad who was killed, Dylan. I don’t have any proof, but I’m one hundred per cent sure your mother didn’t commit suicide.’ Laura squeezed my hand. ‘Your mother was murdered, too.’

  17: Revenge

  Harry knocked on the door, calling his mother away.

  Laura apologised for leaving me, but to be honest, I was glad to have a moment to sit and let what she’d told me sink in.

  According to Laura, both my parents had been murdered. And not by rival scientists trying to get hold of the code for the Medusa gene, but by Bookman – the boss of the Hub – the man with overall responsibility for the original Medusa gene development project.

  A dead weight settled in my guts as the revelation hit home. Everything I’d been told before about my mom was wrong.

  She hadn’t been hysterical or paranoid.

  She’d been right.

  The cup of coffee Laura had brought me earlier grew cold in my hands. It was hard to accept what she’d told me, but it made sense. Bookman was the very person Dad kept going to see in his last few days. A person he’d confided in . . . and trusted. Mom had known Bookman had betrayed him . . . killed him . . . but she had no one to turn to . . . no one who could help her. And she paid the ultimate price for that.

  A terrible fury swept through me. I could barely keep still.

  Two lives taken. A baby left orphaned.

  How dare anyone commit such crimes? It was almost beyond comprehension.

  Footsteps sounded across the hall outside. A light knock on the door, then Ketty poked her head round.

  Her golden-brown eyes were anxious. ‘Hey,’ she said. ‘Laura told us what she just told you . . . She’s coming back in a sec, but I just wanted to check you were okay.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ I lied.

  Ketty nodded, then hesitated for a second.

  I turned my face away. I didn’t want or need her pity. Or the others feeling sorry for me.

  No. I only wanted one thing. Revenge.

  I had to find Bookman and make him pay for what he’d done to my mom and dad. For what he’d done to me.

  The door clicked shut as Ketty slipped away. Moments later Laura reappeared. She was flushed and flustered, full of apologies for leaving me on my own.

  ‘We can talk about it some more later,’ she said. ‘Right now I think I should take a look at that microchip your dad left you.’

  Jeez. I’d almost forgotten about the microchip. I fished it out of my pocket and handed it over silently.

  At Laura’s urging I followed her into the living room, where her laptop was set up on a polished wooden table. The others were all in there. Their low chatter stopped as we walked in.

  Great. They’d obviously been talking about me – probably Laura’s dramatic revelation about my mom’s death.

  I didn’t look at them, but seconds later felt Ed’s mind pushing into mine.

  Are you okay, Dylan? he thought-spoke.

  Go away.

  Ed broke the connection.

  I bit my lip. I knew I was being rude, but I didn’t really care. I hated them all knowing about my private stuff.

  Hated it.

  I hung back as Laura took a machine that looked like a miniature scanner out of a nearby cupboard, then sat at her computer.

  ‘We use these to decode microfiles. This is an old chip, but the decoder should still work on it,’ she said, plugging it in and carefully laying the microchip inside it.

  ‘Man, it’s tiny,’ Nico breathed.

  Laura nodded. ‘Yes, William would probably have been able to inject it with a hypodermic needle.’ She closed the lid of the scanner, then pressed a series of keys on her computer. ‘It’ll take a moment to get past the data encryption, but I know the system William used. It won’t be a problem.’

  Long seconds passed. Everyone stared at the screen.

  Everyone except Harry.

  I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn’t look up. I stayed where I was in the doorway. After a moment, a line of numbers and symbols flashed up on the screen.

  ‘There.’ Laura sounded both relieved and triumphant. ‘William really was amazing to have thought of doing this.’

  ‘Is that it?’ Ketty said. ‘The code for the Medusa gene?’

  Laura peered at the screen. She scrolled carefully down the page, her lips moving as she read the hieroglyphics. ‘As far as I can understand it, yes, this is it.’ She reached the bottom of the screen, where the numbers and symbols stopped and several lines of text took their place. I was too far away to see what they said. The others crowded round, blocking the screen from my view.

  Laura turned round. ‘It’s a message for you, Dylan. From your dad.’

  The others backed away as I approached the computer. There at the bottom of the page was the only direct communication I’d ever had from my father.

  My most precious daughter, darling Dylan. By now you will know what I have left in your care. If I am no longer alive or able to tell you these things myself please forgive me for imposing this responsibility on you and know that wherever you are and whoever you have become I trust that you will use what I am giving you wisely. As it stands, it brings both great power and great tragedy. Remember that and know you have all my love,

  forever. Daddy x

  I read the message twice, so lost in what it said I didn’t even hear Laura speak until she touched my arm.

  ‘Dylan?’ Her voice was gentle.

  I turned to her, forgetting everyone else standing around.

  ‘What did he want me to do with the Medusa code?’ I said.

  Laura shook her head. ‘I don’t know. I don’t think he would have kept it at all if he wanted it destroyed. But I’m certain he wouldn’t want it to be used if it still kills the mothers of the babies implanted with the gene.’

  A thought leaped into my head. ‘Could you work on it?’ I said. ‘Could you amend it so that it didn’t kill the moms?’

  Laura shook her head. ‘I wish I could say yes, but I simply don’t have the knowledge or skill required.’

  Ketty made a small movement beside me and I was suddenly aware of everyone else in the room.

  ‘I think we should destroy it,’ Nico said.

  ‘But the science behind it is revolutionary,’ Ed protested. ‘If someone could just work out how to make it work without killing anyone, then—’

  ‘But how can you ever guarantee how people will use it?’ Ketty interrupted. ‘I mean, I agree with Ed that it’s wrong to destroy such a great scientific achievement. But Nico’s right, too. We can’t let it fall into the wrong hands.’

  ‘What do you think we should do, Dylan?’ That was Harry.

  Again, I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn’t look up.

  ‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘I need time to think.’

 
; ‘And everyone needs something to eat.’ Laura closed the lid of her computer and switched off the scanner. She drew the microchip out and handed it over to me. ‘This is yours, Dylan. I’m going to rustle up some soup and pasta. Maybe the rest of you could help?’

  I took the tiny black dot and stared at it as the others followed Laura out of the room. My head reeled with options. I had no idea what I should do with the microchip.

  There was a bookshelf to the left of the desk. I reached for a random book.

  The Tao of Physics.

  It seemed as good a place as any to hide the chip. I opened the book at page 99 and laid the microchip inside. Replacing the book, I went back to the desk and sank into the chair.

  My thoughts went back to my parents’ murder. At least now I knew the truth . . . that it was murder. For a moment I felt a huge sense of relief. My mom hadn’t wanted to leave me. She’d loved my dad and me. She hadn’t wanted to die.

  And yet she had been killed in cold blood. The fury rose inside me again. If my mom had been right, then Bookman, the man in charge of the Hub, was the murderer. If I wanted revenge, my next step was to find him.

  I opened Laura’s laptop. She hadn’t closed anything down. The whole machine was totally available to me. Glancing round to make sure I was still alone, I searched for Bookman’s name in the documents files.

  Nothing.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Harry spoke from the doorway.

  I slammed the laptop lid down and spun to face him. ‘None of your business,’ I said.

  ‘I came to ask whether you wanted chicken or tomato soup,’ Harry said suspiciously. ‘Why were you looking at Mum’s computer?’

  ‘I was just messing around,’ I said. ‘I wasn’t looking at anything in particular.’

  ‘You’re lying.’ Harry fixed me with his piercing blue eyes.

  I stared back, my throat suddenly dry. ‘You’re in no position to lecture me about lying,’ I said.

  ‘Fair enough.’ Harry kept his gaze on me. ‘But don’t lie to my mum. She doesn’t deserve that.’

  He was right. Not that I was going to give him the satisfaction of saying so. Instead, I got up and walked past him, across the hallway and into the kitchen. It was brightly lit, with stainless-steel appliances and a wooden block in the centre of the room. Laura stood over the stove, a pan in her hand. Ketty and Nico were chopping stuff on the counter; Ed was rummaging in a cupboard.

  They all looked up as I entered.

  ‘How do I find Bookman?’ I asked Laura.

  She blinked. ‘What . . . er, why?’

  ‘I need to know the truth about what happened to my parents. According to you, Bookman is the prime suspect. Where does he live?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Laura’s mouth fell open. ‘But even if I did, I couldn’t let you go after him. It’s too dangerous.’

  I marched over to the stove where she stood. The ring on the near left glowed red-hot.

  ‘Look,’ I said. Summoning my energy field I pressed my hand onto the stove top. I could feel its warmth, but the burning heat couldn’t touch me.

  Laura gasped. ‘Don’t . . .’

  I lifted my hand and held it out to her, palm up. ‘See?’ I said. ‘Not a mark. I can look after myself. And I’m going to find Bookman whether you help me or not.’

  The tension in the room rose.

  Laura nodded slowly. ‘I’m not lying to you, Dylan. I don’t know where Bookman lives or even if he’s still alive. I never met him. Your mum never met him, either – and your dad never mentioned him directly to me.’

  ‘Geri would know,’ Ketty said breathlessly.

  ‘I don’t think we should involve Geri until we’ve decided what to do about the Medusa code,’ Ed said.

  I shook my head. ‘I disagree. Geri’s our best lead to Bookman. Anyway, what we do with the code is my decision.’

  ‘Don’t we get a say, Dylan?’ Nico asked, a touch of annoyance creeping into his voice.

  I said nothing, but a plan was forming in my head.

  ‘No, of course we don’t,’ Nico went on angrily. ‘Man, when are you going to start realising we’re all in this together?’

  I looked up, my gaze shifting from him to Ketty to Ed. ‘Actually, I do realise that.’ I hesitated, knowing I had to say the words, but finding it hard to face up to what they meant. I took a deep breath. ‘I’ve got a plan for getting the truth out of Bookman, but I’m going to need all your help to make it happen. Are you in?’

  18: The hacker

  I called Geri from my cell phone. She answered right away, her voice curt.

  ‘Where are you, Dylan? What on earth are you all doing?’

  ‘We’re on a mission, Geri,’ I said.

  ‘I thought I’d made it clear you were to do nothing without a full briefing from me so that I can provide you with proper back-up,’ Geri said, speaking at a hundred miles an hour in a low, terse voice. ‘It’s bad enough the four of you picking your own missions without you clearing off in the middle of the night to carry out some secret—’

  ‘Listen, Geri,’ I interrupted. ‘I didn’t call to fight with you. We need to find someone and I think you know where he lives.’

  ‘Who?’ she said suspiciously.

  ‘This guy . . . Bookman. He used to run the Hub – he was your boss years ago. Remember?’

  A long pause.

  ‘Of course I remember. Why do you want to find Bookman?’ She hesitated. ‘Does this have something to do with the Medusa gene code?’

  ‘Sort of,’ I said. ‘I think Bookman knows who killed my dad. In fact, I think he might be the one who did it.’

  Geri sucked in her breath. ‘Dylan, I’m sorry, but that’s nonsense. Your father died in a traffic accident.’

  ‘I’ve got reason to believe he was murdered by Bookman,’ I said.

  ‘What reason?’ Geri gave an exasperated sigh. ‘Dylan, this would be funny if it wasn’t so stupid. I worked for Bookman. He was a . . . a civil servant . . . a man behind a desk shuffling papers and rubber-stamping agency operations.’

  ‘My mom thought it was him. She confronted him and he killed her to stop her talking to anyone else.’

  ‘Your mother was an hysteric. She went to pieces after your dad died. Where are you getting this ridiculous information?’

  I said nothing. I didn’t want to mention Laura – or Harry. I was sure Geri would be able to find us once she had Laura as a lead.

  ‘Dylan, think about what you’re saying. Why would Bookman want to kill your dad? It doesn’t make sense. William Fox was a genius. He was working for us. Yes, he’d gone off the rails a bit since he found out the Medusa gene killed the mothers, but we were all confident he would calm down. It wasn’t his fault that the gene mutated – he’d tested it and the virus it was embedded in. After he’d got over the shock, he would have come back to work. That’s what Bookman wanted. William Fox back in the lab. Not William Fox dead.’

  ‘Maybe my dad knew something bad Bookman had done,’ I said stubbornly. ‘Maybe Bookman thought he had a reason to kill him.’

  ‘What reason? It wasn’t in Bookman’s interests to kill him – we were both trying to encourage him to resume his research. We didn’t want the mothers to die either. We’d already agreed that we wouldn’t use the Medusa gene code until William had sorted out the problem – and clearly, we didn’t use it, otherwise there’d be more than just the four of you.’

  I paused. It was true that there were only four of us with the Medusa gene. Ed had even admitted earlier that he was only able to do remote telepathy with Nico, Ketty and me. Everything Geri said made sense and fitted in with everything I’d ever heard about my dad . . . until I saw his death listed as murder.

  I took a deep breath. ‘I saw the classified report on my dad’s death when we did that mission to the records office, looking into the accidental death at the care home.’

  ‘What?’ Geri sounded utterly shocked.

  ‘My dad wasn’t filed un
der accidental death. He was filed under murder.’

  ‘No,’ Geri insisted. ‘You weren’t reading it properly. That database covers murders and classified deaths. I’ve seen it. Your dad’s death was in the classified section because he was doing secret work for the government. That’s standard practice.’

  I hesitated. Was that true? I couldn’t remember what the precise name of the database had been.

  It didn’t matter. My mom had been sure Bookman had killed my dad. I owed it to her to at least discover if that was true.

  ‘I’m going to find Bookman whether you like it or not. I have to at least ask him what he talked to my dad about in those meetings they had.’

  ‘No, Dylan. This has to stop. You must—’

  ‘I’ve got the Medusa gene code,’ I said. ‘I found it in my mom’s things. You can have it if you tell me where to find Bookman.’

  I waited, heart in mouth, certain that offering up the code would weigh more heavily with Geri than any other argument. Not that I had any intention of handing it over to her.

  Still, I’d cross that bridge later.

  There was a long silence. ‘I don’t know where Bookman is,’ Geri said eventually. ‘I haven’t worked for him for many years. He retired soon after the Hub closed down.’

  ‘You can find anyone, Geri,’ I said. ‘We both know that. You’re probably tracking this call right now, so you can find us.’

  ‘I don’t have those kind of resources up here.’ Geri sighed. ‘Fine, I’ll get back to you – but it’ll take time.’

  ‘Make it soon,’ I said, ‘or I destroy the Medusa code. It’s the last remaining copy, remember?’

  ‘I’m putting in a call to the MoD right now.’ She hung up.

  I hurried back to the others, drew Nico, Ketty and Ed to one side and told them what Geri had said.

  ‘She’s buying herself time,’ I said. ‘And I don’t trust her not to try and track us through our phones, whatever she says. We need to dump them and be ready to move as soon as she calls back with the info on Bookman.’

  ‘Er . . . don’t you think this is all moving a bit fast?’ Ed said.