The argument grew into shouting and brought in Mia and Max. The three of them sat around the cottage kitchen table, Mattie on speakerphone on Leo's mobile.
Mia held Leo's hand. "It's much too dangerous. I won't lose you again."
"She's right," said Max.
"Thank you," said Mattie. "The original plan is absolutely fine."
"It's the only way," said Leo.
Mattie lost the plot. "Oh my god. What is it with you and the tunnel vision? It's not the only way, it is one way and there are alternatives."
"This will be faster."
"It will be riskier," said Mattie. "Since when have you been a gambler?"
"It's my risk to take."
"No it's not." She banged her desk in Southampton so hard it made the phone jump on the kitchen table in Cumbria. "There are people who love you. You've got to think about them."
"I haven't got to do anything on your say-so as a matter of fact," Leo hissed.
"So why did you even ask my opinion?"
"Leo," said Max. "Let's think this through."
At the same moment Mia said, "Leo, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Mattie could not guess what was passing between the three of them. She pictured Mia's hand on Leo's arm, her anxious face pleading with him to be safe. "Run the code to a regular synth," said Mattie. "If you run it through yourself, apart from anything else, Fred's locator will lead Hobb straight to you."
"Mattie is right," said Mia.
"Leo," said Max.
Leo made a noise of frustrated defeat. "All right. Fine. You win. We'll do it Mattie's way." But he did not sound happy about it.
Mattie put the phone down. She messaged Leo. "Hey. Sorry that got a bit Jeremy Kyle. But you know I'm right. This is safer for you, for everyone."
No reply.
Hmmn.
Mattie bit her lip and waited, her hands hovering over the keyboard. The code was ready, but did she dare execute it?
She leaned back in her chair. This required a stiff drink, but coding while drunk was inviting disaster. She swilled Red Bull round her mouth, imagining the caffeine fizzling through her veins. Sleep was for wimps, and so on.
The code hummed on the screen. This was a bit of a violation. Like identity theft, in the very literal sense. But it was for a good reason.
Yeah. That what every criminal says. I'm innocent, I only did it to help people...
Her phone rang. She jumped guiltily.
"It's me."
"Oh. Hey."
"Hey."
"I've got the synth. Max is upgrading it tonight. We can go down to London and get Fred this weekend."
"Great." That was three days away.
"You can come with us if you like."
She blinked. "I thought you didn't want me involved." An hour of yelling certainly suggested it, even if he had conceded defeat in the end.
Leo made an embarrassed grunt. "Yeah. Sorry about- that. -I want your help with this," he said. "In case anything goes wrong."
"OK," she said.
Leo paused. "I'd like you to be there, Mattie. You're the only one who would know how to fix it if something goes wrong."
Her heart sounded loud in her ears. "Then I'll be there," she said. "Of course I will."
His breath of relief, soft in her ear. "Thanks. Thanks for everything," he said. "Mattie."
That was weird. "You ok?" she said.
"Yeah. Just." No other words came.
"I'll see you there," she said, and added, because his strange thank-you seemed to call for it, "Leo."
She sat afterwards, the silent phone in her hand, and thought about her idea. If he found out he would be livid. He would probably never forgive her.
But if she didn't do it- if anything went wrong-
"Fuck it," said Mattie out loud, and pressed Execute. The code flew through the ether to Leo's laptop. She knew he might read it, but she strongly suspected he would skip that part and simply mount it direct to his circuits. And when he did, she could start her plan.
It was ambitious, but somebody had to do it, and with any luck he need never find out. Mattie squinted at her screen, and prepared to hack Leo Elster.