“Puddle Pig?” Leslie’s voice crackled over the other line. “You talking to me?”
“I thought you should have a code name. Over”
“That’s a pet name, not a code name,” the line fizzled. “I want to be called Black Mambo.”
“At the end of each transmission you’re supposed to say over. Over.”
“I’m supposed to say over over?”
“Not over over. Over. Over.”
Leslie burst into a fit of muted laughter. There was an impatient cough from behind and Dave leaned over Jimmy’s shoulder.
“Aw right, Sergeant Bilko. Enough. Leslie doll? Where are you?”
“I’m round the back of the building. Heading through the bushes and into the trees towards the fence.”
“Roger that good buddy. That’s a big ten four and aw that numpty stuff. Catch ye later. Over an oot.”
He switched off the walkie talkie and handed it to Jimmy.
“Right. Now you do your stuff, man. Ahm dyin tae see you pull this aff.”
Jimmy Hicks took a deep breath, bent over the computer and started typing. In the corridors of Pinewood the tiny receivers Hicks had planted earlier began to process the information he was feeding them and transmit signals to each other.
A blue light blinked on Warrant Officer Took’s console in the Operations Room. He put on his headphones and opened his com link. Major Cowper appeared on the screen in front of him.
“Took? Cowper here. “Don’t look around or give any sign you’re talking to me. And switch this transmission to a secure system.”
Took looked surprised, but did as he was told.
“I need to keep this between you and me,” Cowper said quietly. “Just keep quiet and listen.”
In the children’s’ dormitory, Jimmy Hicks talked into a mike attached to the headphones he was wearing.
“I’ve detected an odd glitch in our software systems.” Hicks said. On the screen in front of him, the simulation of Major Cowper was saying exactly the same thing and the boosters sent it straight to Took’s console.
“I don’t need half the technicians on this base trawling through the security systems, Took,” Cowper was saying. “It’s probably nothing, so let’s investigate this thing in-house, before we broadcast it and get egg all over our faces.”
“Sir?” Took said quietly. “What do you need me to do?”
Warrant Officer Took was fairly excited at the prospect of a covert operation, it would make a welcome change. His console was at the rear of the room and most of the staff had their backs to him. Took had often cursed his isolated position, but he supposed that was exactly why the Major had picked him to communicate with.
“I need access to the base security systems to check this glitch out.”
“Yessir.” Took said. Then in a puzzled voice. “Only… you already have access to the security systems. You’re head of security.”
Cowper gave the soldier his legendary glare of disapproval.
“If there’s an anomaly,” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I may not be able to spot it using computers that are in the normal loop.” Cowper stepped back and indicated the room behind him.
“So I’m one of the dormitories where those annoying kids are billeted. Their computers, obviously, don’t have access to our security systems either. I’ve sent all the little devils off on errands and I want you to patch one of their consoles into the main security frame. Then I can check it out from here.”
Took frowned.
“Begging your pardon but isn’t that highly irregular, sir?”
Cowper’s eyes bored into the nervous man. “Of course it’s irregular, soldier. I do irregular things all the time which, surprise, surprise you’re not normally party to. That’s because I’m head of security and you are a junior officer, which you will most definitely stay if I don’t get some co-operation.”
“Sir. Yes sir.”
“Now patch me through to computer 457 in the kid’s dorm and make sure nobody else detects it. I’ll only be on a few minutes.”
Cowper reached out and the screen went blank.
“Of course, Major Cowper.” Took gave a grimace at his own stupidity and began to press buttons.
Diddy Dave was seated at his computer, number 457, a few feet from Jimmy Hicks.
“Information coming through,” he said. We’re patched into base security.” He began to type furiously. Both boys watched him, holding their breath. After a couple of minutes he looked up.
“I’ve got the whole shebang,” he breathed. “Access codes, schematics, even the routings of the internal systems.
“Capture that info and secure it,” Jimmy said.
“Awready done.”
“Good man.” The boy switched on his mike and began transmitting again.
Cowper appeared on Took’s screen with a bleep, giving the operator a start. Took looked round but nobody was paying much attention to him. Everyone was dreaming of the Christmas they were missing and the Ops Room had a subdued, depressed air about it.
“Any progress sir?”
“Just what I thought,” Cowper said. “Minor fault in a sub-routine. I’ve bypassed it for now and I’ll sort it from my own console in a couple of days. Happens now and then.” The Major gave an uncharacteristic smile. “Good work warrant officer. Your co-operation and your silence is appreciated. I’ll remember it.”
“Yes sir. Thank you sir.”
“Thank you, soldier.”
The screen went blank.
In the dormitory Dave leaned back in his chair and let out a deep breath.
“Jeez.”
Jimmy swivelled round and gave his friend a thumbs up signal. Simon, who had been watching with bated breath, finally exhaled.
“Now what?”
Jimmy Hicks turned back to his computer and picked up the walkie-talkie.
“Leslie, Barn? You there?”
“You forgot to say over.”
Jimmy grinned.
“Go to the fence. But stay a hundred yards from the rear gate.” Let me know when you get there.”
“Affirmative.”
“Good luck guys.” He put the walkie talkie down and fastened the headset tightly on his head.
“Now we go to phase two.”
17.25
“Tell us what happened, soldier.”
Major Cowper, Lieutenant Dunwoody and the Commander stood along the side of the wall like a miniature firing squad. Monk, Olly and Cruikshank were off to one side, watching.
The observation technician sat at a bare table on the other side of the room. He didn’t seem intimidated by the military powers here to interrogate him, or the fact that his scientific boss was here as well. He stared at the uniforms opposite in a glazed way, as if he couldn’t really see them. Commander Saunders cleared his throat.
“What happened to your team, soldier? Tell us what you saw.”
The observer closed his eyes. He tilted his head, as if listening for something.
“I saw my team kill each other,” he said quietly.
“Can you tell us how that came about?” Dunwoody stepped forwards. “Run us through it.”
“They went into the observation booth. Wanted to talk to May Rose about getting bit by that mouse. Can I have a cigarette?”
“There’s no smoking down here.”
The observer nodded.
“They took a blood sample from her and passed it out to me. Then they went back and started asking her routine questions, about how she felt, that kind of thing.” The observer was sitting upright in his chair now. Very upright. As if he was trying to stay calm.