Man vs. Beast by Robert Muchamore
He lit the paper shreds sticking out of the two miniature bottles and flung them high over the chain link fence. James and Kyle looked backwards as Tom downed the accelerator and shifted the car up through the gears.
But twenty seconds passed and nothing happened.
‘Shall we go back?’ Tom asked, slowing the car.
‘What are the odds on that?’ Kyle said furiously. ‘That whole place is soaked in fuel.’
‘Unbelievable,’ Tom gasped, hammering on the steering wheel as the car stopped moving.
‘We can’t turn back now,’ Kyle said. ‘The cops must be on their way. It’s too dan—’
The sky lit up before Kyle finished his sentence. The little Ford was several hundred metres clear of the depot, but the blast still made it wobble. Car alarms went off, windows in the surrounding buildings shattered and the blast of heat was so intense that James could feel it on his neck, magnified through the glass in the rear window.
The front tyres squealed as Tom floored the accelerator. They turned out of the industrial park and back on to the dual carriageway as a secondary explosion sent towers of flame fifty metres into the air. When the noise faded, they could hear police sirens in the distance.
27. GETAWAY
Twenty minutes later, James, Kyle and Tom arrived at a mock-Tudor house seven kilometres outside of Wrexham. The light came on in the garage as they pulled on to the driveway and by the time they’d stopped inside, a lanky man had run around the back of the car and pulled down the metal door.
‘No sign of a tail?’ he asked, as three car doors opened.
‘Not as far as we can tell,’ Tom said.
‘I’m Mark,’ the beanpole said, as Kyle looked around and noticed that he wore disposable gloves and had a handgun tucked into the waistband of his shorts. ‘Leave your maps, dirty gloves and everything else we gave you inside the car. I’ll switch plates, take it across town and burn it out in a field before sunrise.’
James had to lean against the garage wall as he hobbled around the outside of the car.
‘How you doing?’ Kyle asked.
‘Got my wind back,’ James nodded. ‘But my ankle’s bloody agony.’
‘I’ve been listening to a police scanner all night,’ Mark said. ‘By the sound of things you three pulled it off good. There’s over two million quid’s worth of wheels in that depot and I doubt there’ll be a serviceable set left when the smoke clears.’
Tom looked at Mark. ‘I ran a guy down with the car. Did you overhear anything about that?’
‘Only that there was an ambulance called to the scene,’ Mark said, as he produced three sets of disposable gloves from his shirt pocket. ‘Come through to the house. Afraid you’ll have to wear these, and for safety’s sake, I’d strongly recommend that you burn the shoes and clothing you used in tonight’s operation when you get home.’
‘Our mum’s gonna love having to shell out for two new pairs of trainers,’ Kyle said, as he helped James limp through a connecting door into a smartly fitted kitchen.
‘Money is one thing the AFA doesn’t worry about,’ Mark smiled. ‘I’ll sort you out with enough cash to replace everything before you go.’
‘Is this your house?’ James asked.
Mark shook his head as he leaned into the garage and flicked out the light. ‘It’s a holiday let. We’re nicely out of the way and we’ve paid for two weeks’ rent, so I’ll have plenty of time to clear up after you’ve gone.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘You three don’t want to be hanging around this area for too long, but I know you’ve been on the go for hours, so you’re welcome to take a breather before setting off in the other car. I’ll put the kettle on, there’s samosas in the fridge, or I can make sandwiches if you’d prefer.’
‘Samosas sound great,’ Kyle said, ‘but I’m worried about the state James is in. He’s all grazed and bloody and he’ll stand out a mile if the cops stop us at a roadblock or anything. Can he take a shower?’
‘Sounds like a sensible precaution,’ Mark nodded. ‘The bathroom is at the top of the stairs. Clean towels are on the rail. I’ll make sure everything is scrubbed down with bleach before I leave.’
‘I’ll help you up the stairs,’ Kyle said, looking at James.
James hobbled out of the kitchen and along a short hallway. He looked back at Kyle when he reached the bottom of the stairs. ‘I’ll manage,’ he said.
‘I’ll make sure Mark and Tom don’t come upstairs,’ Kyle whispered rapidly. ‘Take the quickest shower you can, then check out the bedrooms and see if you can find any of Mark’s stuff. This is gonna be our only chance to get something solid on the AFA before we’re dragged into the major operation.’
‘OK,’ James nodded. ‘But I’m not gonna be moving anywhere quickly, so you’d better kick up a fuss if anyone starts up the stairs.’
*
Mark gave them another map with a different route home. It was farther, but quicker because it involved crossing back into England and riding the whole way on the motorway.
The car was a chunky Nissan X-Trail and it was 2:30 a.m. by the time they set off, so the traffic was light. Tom dozed in the front passenger seat and James laid out in the back.
Kyle was shattered and fought to stay awake as the cat’s-eyes marking out the lanes tried to hypnotise him. He played mental games to stop himself from nodding off: doing times tables and working his way through the alphabet trying to think of car brands, rock groups, or foods that started with each letter.
He knew that driving when you’re sleepy is dangerous and was tempted by the signs advertising rooms from £39 a night. But he reckoned they’d all be chock full with families who’d given up on the traffic jams and even if they weren’t, he wouldn’t be able to check in without a credit card.
But despite drifting out of lane a couple of times and one hair-raising moment when he found himself closing up rapidly on a coach that had no business in the fast lane of a motorway, everyone was still alive when he pulled into Rigsworth services at a quarter to six in the morning.
The sky was a mix of orange and mauve as he stopped in a bay twenty metres from where he’d collected the van eleven hours earlier.
Kyle unclipped his seat-belt and gave Tom a shove. ‘Wakey, wakey.’
‘Tell me that wasn’t all a dream,’ Tom grinned, as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. ‘We kicked some ass, didn’t we?’
James glanced at his watch before sticking his head between the two front seats. ‘You made good time, Kyle.’
‘I’m wiped out,’ Kyle said. ‘How’re your war wounds?’
James pulled up his T-shirt and inspected the purple and black blotches across his chest. ‘Tender,’ James said, prodding himself gently. ‘I don’t reckon anything’s broken though, it doesn’t hurt bad enough.’
‘What about your ankle?’
‘It’s swollen, but I can’t really tell until I get out and put some weight on it.’
All three boys needed the toilet. They gathered up their stuff before popping their doors open. James was first out, leaning against the roof as he took his first tentative steps. Each one sent a sharp pain up his leg, but he’d walked off a similar injury during basic training and at least this time he didn’t have to run an assault course while an instructor screamed that he was a lazy worm who was faking the injury.
‘I’ve got to shut the keys inside the car,’ Kyle said, as he took in a refreshing lungful of morning air. ‘Make sure you’ve got everything ’cos we’ll be locked out.’
James and Tom did a final check, before slamming the doors and heading towards the service station. Kyle stuck close to James in case his ankle gave out, but Tom said he was busting and raced off towards the toilets.
Kyle excitedly mouthed the question he’d been burning to ask for five hours. ‘So what info did you get in the house?’
‘Got a good look at his driver’s licence. His real name is Kennet Marcussen. I found a pen and jotted down all the numbers off the speed dia
‘Great stuff,’ Kyle said, stifling his grin because he knew someone from the AFA might be waiting nearby to collect the big Nissan. ‘I didn’t realise you were sending messages back there. MI5 might even be able to put a surveillance team on Mark before he leaves the house.’
‘I expect they’ll have someone here ready to take pictures of whoever comes out and collects that Nissan too.’
‘Not a bad night’s work,’ Kyle grinned, as they stepped through the automatic doors and on to the just mopped tiles inside the service station entrance.
‘Tom ran that bloke over though,’ James said. ‘And the way those flames went up, what if one of the dudes hanging around near the kiosk got caught by the blast?’
‘They’d have had to be seriously stupid not to have backed off once they saw us run out,’ Kyle said. ‘The smell of fuel was eye-watering and for all they knew we had some kind of timed detonator ticking away in there.’
‘I bloody well hope you’re right,’ James said. ‘If we’ve misjudged it, we’ll have some awkward questions to answer when we get back to campus.’
‘When you’re playing with big boys’ toys, it’s never risk free,’ said Kyle. ‘I flicked the radio on a couple of times while you were asleep and they mentioned the fire and another arson attack down south. But they only said unconfirmed reports of casualties, nothing specific.’
As they headed into the toilets, the boys passed couples and families eating full English breakfasts and looked on enviously.
‘I could murder a bacon sandwich,’ Kyle said. ‘Then about fifteen hours’ sleep and I’ll be fine.’
*
Tom dropped James and Kyle back at Corbyn Copse. It was almost 7 a.m. and they found Lauren on the living-room couch watching Sky News.
‘Are you OK?’ she asked. ‘The Animal Freedom Army is the top story.’
James and Kyle were anxious for news. ‘What are they saying?’
‘In your attack: a hundred and six vehicles totalled and two guys taken to hospital with smoke inhalation,’ Lauren said. ‘And did you run someone over?’
‘Tom did,’ James nodded.
‘He’s in the hospital, described as serious but stable. If you keep watching for a few minutes, they’ll show pictures of the flames again. The fire crews are still dousing the buildings. And there was another attack down south, too.’
James and Kyle noticed the text scrolling along the bottom of the screen: BREAKING NEWS: CLYDE WAINWRIGHT, CHAIRMAN OF MALAREK UK CRITICALLY INJURED IN CAR BOMB WHILE HOLIDAYING IN CANARY ISLANDS.
‘Jesus,’ James gasped.
‘I thought you knew,’ Lauren said. ‘Didn’t you have a radio in the car?’
‘I clicked it on and off a few times while we were on the motorway,’ Kyle said. ‘But the one in Viv’s car is busted.’
‘When did the car bomb news come through?’ James asked.
‘It came up as a newsflash about half an hour ago.’
‘This is bigger than we thought,’ Kyle said, shaking his head. ‘We thought the AFA was a splinter group of the AFM, but it looks like more than that now. It takes organisation and a lot of money to pull off three operations on this scale.’
‘Mark pulled out three hundred quid for me and Kyle to replace our clothes and trainers without batting an eyelid,’ James added, before gawping as Ryan appeared on the television screen.
The TV people had tamed Ryan’s hair and dressed him up in a jacket and tie. James read the caption to make sure his tired eyes weren’t deceiving him: Ryan Quinn – Founder, Zebra Alliance.
‘He was a bit miffed,’ Lauren grinned. ‘The BBC were sending him a car, but they cancelled when they got hold of Madeline Laing and he ended up getting Sky instead.’
James smiled, as Ryan condemned the AFA actions and began explaining the background to the campaign against Malarek Research.
‘Morning, boys,’ Zara said brightly, as she rushed into the room and kissed both lads on the cheek. ‘It’s good to have you both home safely.’
‘Have you heard whether anyone was hurt when the napalm went up?’ James asked anxiously.
Zara shook her head. ‘I just got off the phone from campus and it looks like the only serious injury was the man who got hit by the car. He has a fractured arm and pelvis, but there’s no reason why he shouldn’t fully recover.’
‘Nice one,’ Kyle said, as he exchanged relieved grins with James.
‘MI5 ran a check on Kennet Marcussen,’ Zara continued. ‘He’s a Dane. He was involved in British and European liberationist groups in the eighties and early nineties, but he fell off the radar. Everyone assumed he’d gone back to Denmark and started a family or something. He was part of a long-defunct group called EAA: Extreme Animal Action. The group was small, but always had plenty of money and most of its members originally lived in a women-only commune near Birmingham.’
James nodded. ‘Sounds uncannily similar to what we’ve seen of the AFA. Do we know the names of any EAA members?’
‘Most of them have MI5 files,’ Zara nodded. ‘They’ll start making enquiries and they’re trying to get a surveillance team on Marcussen before he leaves the house in Wrexham. But we’ve got to proceed gently, because if he suspects he’s under investigation your cover will be blown apart.
‘We’ll also be making discreet inquiries amongst the local body shops. Your van had a pressurised cylinder welded in the back, a complete respray and Rapid Trak logos applied to the side. There can’t be many places capable of pulling off a remodelling job like that in three days flat. We’re going to start putting together a list of places that can do that kind of work in this area and see if any of them have links to known animal rights activists.’
‘At least we’re finally getting somewhere,’ Kyle said, stretching into a yawn, ‘but I’m exhausted. Is there anything you want me to do, or can I grab a few hours’ sleep?’
Zara scratched her head. ‘James’ text messages were pretty thorough, so I think I’m up to speed on everything that happened.’
‘I might turn in for a few hours as well,’ James said, catching on to Kyle’s yawn.
‘Afraid not,’ Zara said. ‘You took a nasty kick to the ribs and I want it looked at properly.’
‘I’m fine,’ James tutted. ‘I’ve been up half the night. I need six hours’ sitting around in a casualty department like a hole in the head.’
‘It’s not my idea of fun either,’ Zara said. ‘But you could easily have cracked a rib. I want you X-rayed and examined by a doctor.’
*
Kyle felt sorry for James, but it was a bonus being able to fall asleep without his constant fidgeting in the lower bunk and the irritating whistle made by his left nostril. He slept solid, but the hours of driving had stamped themselves on his mind and when Lauren shook him awake, he’d been dreaming about a motorway.
‘Your phone,’ Lauren said, reaching up on tiptoes and jiggling the mobile in front of his blurry eyes. ‘Unrecognised number, answer it.’
‘Yeah, hello,’ Kyle said dozily as he flipped his phone open.
He perked up when he heard the familiar female voice. ‘You did an excellent job last night. Welcome to the Animal Freedom Army.’
‘Thanks,’ Kyle said. ‘It went pretty well, didn’t it?’
‘I tried calling James, but his phone is switched off.’
‘Yeah, our mum saw the state of his chest and took him to casualty. You have to switch your mobiles off at the hospital.’
‘Do you think she was suspicious?’
‘Nah,’ Kyle said. ‘Don’t worry, James always gets in scraps. We told her we stayed at Tom and Viv’s and that James fell down the stairs.’
‘So, you’re ready for the big time?’
‘Ready, willing and able,’ Kyle said enthusiastically.
He knew he wouldn’t get details of the big operation its
‘There’s one problem,’ he explained. ‘I can pretty much come and go as I please, but James is only fourteen and our mum keeps tabs on him. So, a bit of advanced notice would make our getaway a lot easier, especially if you’re expecting us to stay out overnight again.’
Kyle half expected to get chewed out, but the woman paused for a moment before replying in a friendly voice. ‘We’ll pick you up on Wednesday afternoon. If all goes to plan you should be back home by Friday morning. Can you manage that?’
‘That’s great,’ Kyle said. ‘I’ll start buttering our mum up right now. Say that we’re staying in town with a mate or something.’
‘I’ll call you Tuesday evening and tell you what to bring and where to meet us,’ the woman said.
‘Look forward to it,’ Kyle said. ‘Bye.’
Kyle flipped his phone shut before handing it down to Lauren.
‘Do us a favour, Lauren. Call campus and tell them that the AFA operation is taking place between Wednesday and Friday and that me and James are definitely both involved.’
‘OK,’ Lauren nodded. ‘You know, I can’t help wondering what they’re planning. I mean, two major arson attacks and almost blowing up the chairman of Malarek, but apparently all this is just a warm-up …’
‘Tell me about it,’ Kyle nodded. ‘We came on this mission to catch a big fish, but I think we’ve accidentally hooked ourselves a whale.’
28. REVEALED
One advantage of knowing that the AFA didn’t need Kyle and James until Wednesday was that the kids could take a break while Zara went to her interview in Downing Street.
After the two and a half hour drive to London, the youngsters split from Zara and spent the morning cruising the shops in Oxford Street. Kyle got a couple of CDs he’d been after for ages, James got the latest FIFA game for his Playstation and Lauren got T-shirts and a couple of squeezy toys for Meatball’s rapidly expanding collection.