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

by Malorie Blackman

  ‘You plug it into each PC you can, and when it tells you what drive-letter it has assigned, you just go to the right drive and then double-click on the file named ‘DETECT,’ I told her.

  ‘DETECT. Got it,’ Halle repeated. ‘What does it do?’

  ‘It will snaffle any interesting-looking files and also copy all the emails out of each person’s inbox directory onto the memory stick. That way I can read each person’s messages without worrying about their email account passwords.’

  Halle chewed on her bottom lip, her unease evident. ‘I must admit, Elliot, I’m not so sure about this any more …’

  ‘Not so sure about what, muffin?’ Julian asked.

  Muffin! Ple-eease!

  ‘Pass the sick bucket.’ Nosh said what I was thinking.

  ‘Haven’t you got something better to do, Nosh?’ asked Halle. ‘Like playing with the traffic?’

  ‘Only if you join me,’ said Nosh, sweetly.

  ‘Not so sure about what, muffin?’ Julian repeated.

  ‘I’m coming with you to the ANTIDOTE office,’ I told Halle.

  ‘Oh, no you’re not. I can’t do this with you trailing behind me. How would I explain your presence? And besides, I’m quite capable of doing this on my own.’

  ‘Doing what?’ asked Julian.

  ‘One of us should be with you, in case you get into trouble,’ said Nosh reluctantly.

  ‘And what could you do, squirt?’ Halle said, dismissively. ‘I’m quite capable of looking after myself.’

  ‘Would someone please tell me what’s going on?’ Julian asked, exasperated.

  Halle looked at me. ‘Can I tell him?’

  I shook my head slowly. I didn’t want anyone else to know what was going on – and especially not Julian. I mean, he was a total numpty and then some! It had been hard enough bringing Halle in on this. If I could’ve thought of a way of getting the information off the PCs at the ANTIDOTE office without involving her, believe me, I would’ve.

  ‘Please let me tell him,’ said Halle. ‘Julian could come with me and help out. Besides, if it might be at all dangerous, I’d feel better if I wasn’t alone.’

  ‘I thought you just said you could handle yourself,’ Nosh reminded her.

  ‘I can,’ Halle snapped back. ‘But it wouldn’t hurt to have Julian along, now would it?’

  ‘Halle, what’re you getting yourself into?’ Julian’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

  Halle looked at me pointedly. I frowned at her. As I turned to Julian I could feel my frown deepening. Now what? Halle was right about Julian being able to back her up. And I’d never forgive myself if something bad happened to Halle because of me.

  ‘Oh, all right then,’ I sighed.

  Halle smiled at me. ‘It’ll be OK. You can trust Julian. He’s grade A.’

  I caught Nosh’s derisive snort even if Halle didn’t. She told Julian the whole story and far more succinctly than I had. I watched his face intently as Halle spoke, trying to gauge his reaction. He looked … almost shocked. He couldn’t have been more stunned if it was his own mother and uncle Halle was talking about. Then his expression seemed to clear and he looked at me, disbelieving, as if he thought I was making the whole thing up to steal his girlfriend or something.

  ‘It’s true. Every word,’ I told him.

  ‘I never said it wasn’t,’ Julian replied.

  ‘I saw the look on your face,’ I said.

  ‘It didn’t mean what you think it meant,’ Julian said, adding bitterly, ‘I’d believe anything you said about Shelby’s. I wouldn’t put anything past Marcus Pardela.’ He turned to Halle. ‘Well, you’re definitely not going to the ANTIDOTE office by yourself. I’m coming with you.’

  ‘I hoped you’d say that.’ Halle beamed at him.

  I was in no position to argue, but I couldn’t help being a bit peeved at Halle. It was as if this whole exercise was just another way for her to get together with Julian. Don’t get me wrong, I was grateful, but it felt like Mum and me were a poor second on Halle’s list of priorities after her boyfriend. Totally unreasonable, I know, but that’s how I felt and I’d be lying if I said otherwise.

  ‘And what happens if we do find some evidence of who the mole at ANTIDOTE is?’ Julian asked.

  ‘We use the information to get Mum and my Uncle Robert out of trouble,’ I replied tersely.

  What a stupid question! What did he think we’d do with the evidence? Why did he think I was doing all this?

  ‘And how exactly do we do that?’ Julian persisted.

  I frowned at him, not quite sure what he was getting at.

  ‘Are you going to go to the police, or challenge the mole directly, or try to get to Marcus Pardela with the information?’ Julian expanded.

  ‘I thought I could talk to the Shelby agent at ANTIDOTE directly,’ I said.

  ‘And what happens if the Shelby agent tells you to do your worst, or just doesn’t care?’ asked Julian. ‘I’m sure Marcus Pardela has already made plans just in case his mole at ANTIDOTE is found out.’

  I hadn’t thought of that and it showed on my face.

  ‘You obviously don’t play chess,’ Julian said. ‘If you did, you’d know how important it is to think more than one move ahead. That way you don’t get caught out.’

  He had a point.

  ‘OK, then. Tell us what we should do once we get the information – if you’re so clever,’ Nosh challenged.

  ‘You have to come up with alternative plans of action. That’s all I’m saying,’ said Julian.

  ‘I think that once we get proof of who the agent is, we should go straight to the top – Marcus Pardela. We should tell him that he’s got to admit that the footage of Elliot’s mum and uncle is a fake or we’ll publicize the fact that he put a spy into ANTIDOTE,’ Halle said decisively.

  ‘And you really think a man like Pardela would be scared of that?’ Julian snorted. ‘He’d just laugh in your face.’

  ‘You don’t know that,’ Halle argued.

  ‘Oh yes, I do.’ Julian’s reply was immediate.

  ‘Do you know Marcus Pardela, then?’ Halle said, surprised.

  ‘I know his type.’ Julian’s voice had a strange edge to it. ‘Believe me, he doesn’t care about anyone or anything but himself and his company. Even if we do find out who the Shelby spy at ANTIDOTE is, Marcus Pardela will just remove him or her and put someone else in their place.’

  ‘So what would you suggest?’ asked Halle.

  ‘Elliot, where’s this confidential memo of yours sent from Marcus Pardela to Joshua Shelby?’ Julian asked.

  I dug it out of my pocket. As Julian reached out for it, I quickly pulled my hand back.

  ‘Why d’you want it?’ I asked, suspiciously.

  ‘Well, for one thing, I can see it’s falling apart – so I’ll make several photocopies of it as our record of what was said. And for another, I’ve got a idea how we can use this to flush out our mole – that is, assuming that they let Halle and me work there in the first place.’

  ‘Why do you want to help? You don’t know me or my family.’ I still wasn’t sure about Julian. I agreed with everything he’d said, but, I don’t know – there was something about him …

  ‘I don’t need to know every last detail about you to want to help, do I?’ Julian shrugged. ‘And besides, anything I can do to help ANTIDOTE against Shelby and Pardela Pharmaceuticals is fine with me.’

  I handed over the memo.

  ‘How do we use the memo to get to the double agent, then?’ Nosh asked, his eyes gleaming.

  ‘You leave that to me. Halle, we need to stop off at my flat first. I’ve got some things to set up before we go to the ANTIDOTE office,’ said Julian.

  ‘Like what?’ I asked.

  ‘I won’t say – in case it doesn’t work,’ Julian replied. ‘Just stay out of trouble until we get back tonight.’

  Stay out of trouble! That was a joke. I was going to the park to see Mum, and goodness only knew who else would b
e there.

  ‘Hang on a minute.’ Nosh glowered at Julian. ‘You can’t just decide to take over …’

  ‘Come on, Nosh. We’ve got some other things to sort out,’ I interrupted him.

  ‘What will you two be doing until we get back?’ Julian asked, his expression speculative.

  ‘We’re going to the park,’ I told him.

  ‘Hhmm! That’s all right, then,’ he smiled.

  I went upstairs to Nosh’s room. Reluctantly, he followed me.

  ‘Who does Julian think he is?’ he exploded once the door was closed. ‘He only just found out about all this two seconds ago and now he wants to run the whole show …’

  ‘Listen, Nosh. If Julian can help us then I’m not going to stop him. If nothing else, this whole business has taught me that I can’t do everything myself. I just can’t,’ I said. ‘And Julian was right about planning ahead, so that’s exactly what I intend to do.’

  ‘Plan ahead for what?’ Nosh asked.

  I took a deep breath. ‘Mum wants me to meet her today.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘At the park.’

  ‘When?’

  ‘She didn’t specify a time.’

  ‘When did she tell you this?’

  ‘Over the phone on Saturday night.’

  Nosh stared at me. ‘Wait a sec. I thought you told me that your mum reckoned your phone was bugged.’

  ‘That’s right,’ I replied.

  Nosh was astounded. ‘And she still made arrangements to meet you at the park?’

  I nodded.

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘Neither do I. But that’s what she wanted me to do. I’m supposed to meet Mum at my favourite spot in the park,’ I remembered.

  ‘And where’s that?’ asked Nosh.

  ‘I don’t have one.’

  ‘But your mum was the one who suggested the meeting place, wasn’t she?’ Nosh looked perplexed.

  ‘Yeah, I don’t understand that either,’ I admitted. ‘I hate the park. I’ve told Mum that often enough …’ I stared at Nosh. ‘What an idiot!’

  ‘Who is?’

  ‘I am,’ I replied. ‘I’m so slow. Of course.’

  ‘Elliot, you’re getting on my nerves now,’ Nosh said, irritated. ‘What’re you going on about?’

  ‘Mum doesn’t want me to go to the park at all.’ Only now did I remember the conversation I’d had with Mum just before Uncle Robert had arrived last week.

  Mum wanted me to meet her at the fish and chip shop opposite.

  ‘I’ve got one thing to do first and then I’m going to need your help – just in case I am being watched and followed.’

  ‘What d’you want me to do?’ Nosh asked.

  ‘It’ll be dangerous …’ I warned him.

  ‘So what else is new?’ Nosh said dryly.

  ‘I need you to be me.’

  Once I’d told Nosh my plan, his expression was the most serious I’d ever seen it.

  ‘Elliot,’ he said quietly. ‘We’re getting deeper and deeper into this and we’ll be lucky to find our way out again.’

  And how could I argue with him?

  ‘D’you want to back out?’ I asked, my heart in my throat.

  ‘Yes,’ he replied at once. ‘But I’m not going to.’

  I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. It didn’t work. ‘Let’s get going,’ I said. ‘Before we both change our minds.’

  Chapter Fifteen

  True Colours

  ‘ARE YOU JUST going to stand there collecting dust or are you actually going to buy something?’

  I glared at Tony behind the counter. Sarky old trout!

  ‘I’ll have a bag of chips, please,’ I said, after studying the menu board behind him.

  ‘Is that all?’

  I nodded.

  ‘Why has it taken you over half an hour to decide on a bag of chips?’ he asked, annoyed.

  ‘I was waiting for you to bring out a fresh batch of chips,’ I improvised.

  Tony gave an exaggerated sigh and looked distinctly cheesed off. What was his problem? It was the middle of the afternoon, for goodness’ sake! The lunchtime rush was over and the early dinner crush hadn’t yet started, so why was he giving me grief? As he served up one portion of chips, I had another look around.

  Where was Mum?

  And what about Nosh? Was he OK? Nosh had left the house dressed in my jacket and a woolly hat and made for the park about fifteen minutes before I’d left the house. I told him to keep his head down and not look up at anyone for at least an hour. Right now he should be making yet another circuit of the park, watched by goodness only knew who. But if they were watching him, they wouldn’t be watching me. I just hoped that Nosh would be all right.

  I glanced down at my watch. Mum hadn’t specified a time, so I had no way of knowing when she might arrive.

  ‘D’you want these chips or not?’

  I turned back to Tony behind the counter. Someone had obviously woken up on the wrong side of bed this morning.

  I handed over my money and got my chips. Moving to one side of the shop, I leaned against the wall and stood there eating my chips one at a time as I looked out of the shop window.

  ‘This isn’t a restaurant, you know,’Tony snapped.

  ‘Oh, go on, mister. It’s raining outside. Couldn’t I just stay here until it stops? You do the best chips for miles. You wouldn’t want me to get them all soggy and spoil them, would you?!’

  Tony regarded me. His lips twitched. ‘Oh, all right, then. But as soon as you’ve finished eating, off you go.’

  I smiled gratefully and carried on looking out of the shop window. I had got it right, hadn’t I? Mum did mean for me to meet her here? Suppose I was trying to be too clever and Mum really had meant for me to meet her in the park. I shook my head. No, I must’ve got it right. I was just panicking, that’s all. I couldn’t stay in the chip shop for ever and if I went outside, there was the chance that I might be spotted. I nibbled each chip really slowly, chewing on each mouthful a good thirty times before swallowing. I was determined to stay put for as long as possible.

  I watched the street as people came and went in the chip shop. I was totally focused on seeing Mum, no one else. And yet when I did catch sight of her, it was still a shock. She emerged from the back of a car which had Drive-Rite Mini Cars painted in big letters down its side. The mini-cab drove off immediately. Mum stood across the street, looking into the chip shop. She was wearing a raincoat with the collar turned up against the weather, and a flat cap. She just stood there looking into the shop, even though I must’ve been visible at the window. With a burst of pure joy, I headed for the door. Mum started across the street.

  ‘Oh, hello, Elliot. This is a surprise.’

  I almost collided with the man who had spoken to me. I gasped with dismay. It was Smiler – the man with the pony-tail who’d been waiting outside Uncle Robert’s house. And whatever else this was, it was no chance meeting.

  ‘Where’re you going in such a hurry?’ Smiler smiled, silkily.

  I glanced across the street. Smiler’s eyes followed mine. His smile instantly vanished. Mum stood stock still in the middle of the road. A car rushed past her, the driver honking his horn indignantly.

  I tried to run out of the shop but Smiler was out before me. Mum raced off down the street, closely followed by Smiler with me trailing behind both of them.

  ‘MUM! MUM, RUN!’ I yelled.

  ‘Elliot, get out of here!’ Mum turned her head to call back to me.

  No way was I going to leave her now. Mum turned the corner pursued by Smiler, who was gaining on her. I turned the corner just in time to see Mum dart across the road towards the same mini-cab that had dropped her off. The cab was driving slowly, its back door open. Mum practically dived into the car which then took off, its accelerator roaring.

  I tried to see who the driver was but what with the rain and the windscreen wipers and the speed the car was going, I couldn’t see a
thing. The car whizzed by too quickly.

  Smiler stood in the middle of the street, intense fury on his face – his true colours revealed. His hands were clenched so tightly into fists that I could see the veins standing out on the back of his hands. He scowled down the street after the mini-cab, the muscles in his neck standing out like old rope. He turned to face me. If looks were made of fire, I would’ve been nothing but ash on the ground. He started coming towards me, ignoring the cars whistling past him.

  With each step he took towards me, I took a wary step backwards. Our eyes were locked together. I didn’t even dare blink. I was a rabbit, caught in a car’s headlights. But then Smiler started running.

  I may be a lot of things but I’m no mug. I turned and ran for my life – and that’s just exactly what it felt like. Like I was running for my life.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Watching and Waiting

  I RAN ALL the way home, not daring to look back once. My calves felt like white-hot pokers were being thrust into them, I thought my lungs were going to burst, and my blood was pounding so hard around my body that I could barely hear the traffic around me, but still I kept going. It was only when I stood in front of Nosh’s house that I stopped and looked around. Smiler was nowhere in sight. I don’t know when he’d decided to give up chasing me. It could have been five seconds after I started running, it could’ve been only five seconds ago – but I was alone. I rang the doorbell and practically fell into the house when Nosh’s mum opened the door.

  ‘Elliot! Are you all right?’ she asked, as I stumbled past her.

  I nodded. I couldn’t speak. I was fighting to get my breath back.

  ‘Elliot, what’s the matter? You’re wheezing like the devil himself was chasing you,’ said Nosh’s mum.

  I shook my head, still gasping for breath.

  ‘I’m fine,’ I gasped. ‘I just decided to run for a while.’

  Nosh’s mum frowned. ‘You’re meant to start slowly and build up. Not try to run a marathon the first time out.’

  ‘I’ll remember that for next time,’ I coughed.

  I dragged myself upstairs, knowing that Nosh’s mum was still watching me. I headed straight for the bathroom, where I was horribly, wretchedly, embarrassingly sick. I vomited up every bit of chip in my stomach. It was so bad, I’m sure I vomited up food I’d eaten as a toddler. The combination of nerves, fear and all that running had just about done me in. Once it was over, I rinsed out my mouth and washed my face. Muscles I didn’t even know I had ached. I sat down, leaning against the bath tub as I tried to get my thoughts in some sort of order.