CHERUB : Fitting in
Two weeks after coming back, victorious, from basic training, I slept lightly in my bed. At six in the morning on a Sunday, no one was awake. At least, no one on CHERUB campus. My eyes snapped open as the phone started to ring. I glanced quickly at the clock. I bit my lip. My hand shook slightly as I reached for the phone, picking it up.
"Hello?"
Click click click – click click click click-click clickclick-clickclick click click- clickclick clickclick clickclick-click clickclick click
I froze. There was only one person I knew who communicated in Morse code. Sweat beaded my palms. The Assassin Guild. I listened to the message, my heart sinking. I thought I was going to throw up. I wrote down what the person was saying, automatically translating it. As if in a dream, I put the phone down, looking at the paper.
Shadow Wolf, you have been drafted. Your target is Doctor Terrance McAfferty. He must be dealt with. These are your orders. Over.
I tried to get my head round the message. My fingers traced the scar around my eye. They had thrown me out, and now they were giving me orders? I owed them no more allegiance… But I had to warn Mac.
Still in my pyjamas, I grabbed my cloak, running out into the corridor, sprinting down the stairs. I had to tell Mac that he was in danger, that the Guild was after his head. I skidded to a stop in front of his secretary, breathing heavily. I must have looked a sight with wide eyes and messy hair.
"I have to see Mac," I said.
"He's busy at the moment, Shadow, sorry," She replied without so much as looking up.
"I've got to see him, now!" I yelled, my panic starting to rise.
"I'm trying to do some paperwork," Came an irritated Scottish voice. I wheeled round to see Doctor McAfferty standing in the doorway to his office, unamused. Relief to see him flooded through me.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I have to see you on a matter of the upmost importance," I gabbled. Mac frowned.
"Can't it wait, Shadow?"
"No, sir, I'm afraid not."
"Then come in."
I sank gratefully into one of the chairs facing Mac's desk, closing my eyes and trying to regain my composure. Mac sat patiently.
"Now, Shadow," He said once I had calmed my mind enough to think. "I have never seen you in such a state. Tell me, why did you have to see me?"
I told him about the phone call and the message, explaining that if the mission had not been completed within forty eight hours, another assassin would be assigned. He listened carefully, not interrupting until I had finished. He sat back in his chair.
"Shadow, is it not possible that you may have been dreaming?" He asked gently. I merely stared at him, unable to believe the words he had just spoken. "Ok, I'll take that as a no." He said. He sat back, shuffling the papers on his desk. He handed me a flat, plastic card, not unlike a credit card. "This will get you into the mission preparation building. You would have found out in a couple of hours, but you've been chosen for a mission. It'll take your mind off this little problem."
I sat opposite a mission controller named Zara, looking over a mission briefing. As my eyes scanned the pages, I felt the colour drain from my face.
"You have got to me pulling my leg, please tell me you're pulling my leg." I told Zara. She shook her head. "You want me to go back to the Guild? Are you out of your mind?"
"Calm down, Shadow," Zara said, looking me in the eye. "You don't have to accept the mission if you don't want to, but consider this: It's almost impossible to find someone to infiltrate the Assassin Guild. You were one of them, surely you still have access?"
I took several deep breaths. "It's not as easy as walking in, getting the information and shutting down the operation they've got going on. Yes, politicians are being killed off like spies, and it looks like the Guild's work, but I don't have access to the mission files. It could easily take a month before I can get into them."
"We can at least try. There's a major election coming up in a couple of months. We need to sort this out. Remember, you have the right to refuse the mission, but we have no one else to send in."
I rested my head in my hands, weighing up the options. The briefing said that Bruce would be accompanying me. The alibi now seemed to be foolproof. I go back to the Guild, say I failed because Bruce saw me and wanted to join up, and stay there to get the information. It seemed simple. I looked back up at Zara.
"Ok, I'll go." I said.
I spent the rest of the day with Bruce, teaching him everything I could about manners in the Guild. We would be leaving the next day for the Guild. My stomach was tying itself in knots as I thought about going back. I would not be well received, that was for sure, not bearing the scar. As the evening drew to a close, I started to feel my eyes closing. Bruce gently suggested that I get some sleep. I shook my head, saying that I didn't want to sleep, my paranoia creeping up on my mind. Once more, I found myself in his arms, my head on his chest. Within half an hour, I fell asleep alongside him, comforted by him, listening to his heart beating.
