THE CONSPIRATORS
"That was too close," Professor Ross muttered, shaking his head. "We've got to find a better place to meet – or at the very list remember to lock the bloody door."
"It's that creep Connor," Francesca growled. "He keeps poking around the main room. I think he might have seen me at the ADD before, and he said he's seen us together as well. It's like he's watching me or something." She shuddered. "It's gross. If he weren't trailing around Jones' girlfriend like a puppy so much of the time, I'd think he just wants to get in my pants."
"He's seen us?" Ross asked, his white brows knitting together in a frown.
Francesca nodded. "He cornered me about it a few days ago. I think I managed to threaten him into not saying anything. I have no idea what that debacle was about, though." She nodded towards the door through which Connor had burst in.
Professor Ross stood up and began pacing, his hands linked behind his back. "We can't allow any of them to know what it is we're doing here," he said. "How goes your work with the detector?"
"Not as well as I'd like. Connor has so many back-up drives and failsafes installed, I can't keep it offline for nearly long enough just by pulling the plug. The whole system's password-locked, too, but my decryption program's broken through most of it already." She linked her fingers together on the desktop in front of her and smiled. "It shouldn't be too long now. Have you found us a location?"
Ross tilted his head. "I have several," he replied, "but I've not yet made a final decision."
"And the samples?"
Professor Ross took his hands out from behind his back and held one out to Francesca. Staring down at the glimmering piece of antimetal, he said, "The rest of the team was successfully fooled. Nobody but us knows that I split the first piece in half and only allowed them to destroy one through their bumbling incompetence." His tone was scathing. "I gave them the second half and told them it was from Mr Temple, when in actual fact he gave me this one to pass onto them." He folded his fingers over the antimetal again and resumed his pacing. "It's not enough, though, Francesca. I don't want us to put our plans in motion until we have more pieces."
"How many more? There were only five to begin with."
The professor slipped the antimetal back into his pocket and resumed his seat. "At least three," he said after a moment's pause. "I was told, however, that Professor Cutter will not allow us to have another unless we give very conclusive evidence that it will directly benefit the anomaly operation."
"How are we going to do that?" Francesca asked.
Ross shook his head. "We're not."
"Then how will we persuade him to give up the rest of the samples?"
Ross gave her a meaningful stare. "We're not."
Francesca looked confused for a moment longer, then a smile spread across her face as she understood. "I see," she said with a nod. "When?"
"As soon as possible. Can you do it?"
Francesca's smile only widened. "Of course."
