Double-Cross (23 page)

I showed the entry to everyone else when we met for dinner that evening. All of us with the Medusa gene were there – plus Fergus, Avery and Ed’s dad.

‘We need to find out who this contact of McMurdo’s is,’ I said. ‘The journal entry was from four weeks ago; it says that the contact was helping to develop Medusix. We need to know if he has succeeded.’

Fergus cleared his throat. ‘Actually, I think the best thing we can do is leave the investigations to the British government.’ He looked at me. ‘We were going to tell you all tonight. We’ve agreed a new protection programme for you . . . Apart from anything else, you’ve missed far too much school work recently. The summer term is nearly halfway through and we need to get your education back on track as soon as possible.’

‘What’s a protection programme?’ Amy asked.

‘A new life, basically. The others have had to deal with all this happening before, but at least now the parents are in control,’ Fergus said. He gazed round the table. ‘We’ve agreed that Ed and Amy will go home. Their whole family will change their names and move to a different part of the country. Ketty will also change her name then be sent to a new boarding school. Dylan is coming with me to Scotland for a time while we work out how best to continue her education and keep her identity secret.’

‘We’re being split up?’ I glanced at Ketty. She was avoiding my gaze. I turned to Fergus. ‘What about me?’

He hesitated. ‘Obviously, I want you with me, Nico,’ he said heavily, ‘but I have to accept that learning Avery is your birth father is a very big deal. So . . . it’s up to you. You can come with me and Dylan now or you can stay here with Avery and Cal and your other half-brothers and -sisters for a while. I appreciate you have learned you have family you didn’t know about. I don’t want to stand in the way of you getting to know them.’

A tense silence filled the room. I looked around. How did the others feel about this?

‘But we don’t know if McMurdo’s contact has managed to develop the Medusix,’ Dylan protested.

‘Imagine if they have,’ Ketty said. ‘They could be using it right now – in the place he mentions . . . Kima, wherever that is . . .’

‘Which means there could be other people out there with Medusa skills,’ Ed added.

‘Like I said, the British government will investigate that,’ Fergus said firmly.

‘Yes,’ Avery said. ‘Our priority is keeping you safe, which means separating you and providing you with these new identities and new places to live so that no one – not the government nor any of the lowlifes who know of your existence – will find you.’

‘No,’ I said. ‘We have a right to investigate what this contact in Kima has done with the Medusix drug ourselves.’

‘Nico’s right,’ Ketty chipped in.

‘We
have
to find out what’s going on,’ Dylan added.

‘And make sure it’s nothing bad,’ said Ed.

Cal and Amy nodded their agreement.

Avery and Fergus looked at each other, clearly trying to work out how to convince us that we needed to do what they said. But in that moment I knew nothing they could say would make us accept being separated from one another and hidden away from the rest of the world

The tie that bound us was far greater than blood . . . bigger than either Fergus or Avery could ever imagine. We were a team . . . a family . . . Yes, Geri might be dead, but we were still the Medusa Project and our mission to use our skills to help others would not die until we did.

‘We’ll do what we need to do,’ I said with a smile. ‘Yeah, guys?’

And as I looked from face to face, I knew that there wouldn’t be anything anyone could do to stop us.

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