CHERUB: Knight

23: Mission

The first thing Rex saw in the morning when he woke up was George's mission preparation card dangling in front of his nose.

"What time is it?" Rex said in a muffled voice as he hid back under his duvet.

"Eight. I've already showered, dressed and eaten breakfast," George grinned. "Got my meeting with a mission controller at nine."

"Well why can't you leave me to sleep," Rex moaned, rolling onto his front. "It's Sunday for goodness' sake."

"Wanted to make sure you knew all about it," George sang and he got off the bed and danced around the room. "I'm gonna wake up Jemima and Letty too."

"I wouldn't," Rex said without removing his head from the pillow. "Letty will kill you, you know how much she loves sleeping, and Jemima will just crush your head to powder."

George thought for a moment. "Yeah, maybe you're right. I might just go and polish my boots or something."

"Good idea," Rex replied. "Please go away."

"Alright, Rexy, I'm going," George laughed, slamming the door deliberately as he went.

Once his boots were sparkling and his hair was brushed, George made his way down the path towards the banana-shaped mission preparation building. The swipe card gave him entry and when he arrived outside Denis King's large office, his watch told him it he was five minutes early. He took a seat outside and tried to contain his excitement.

"You George?" a man said as he walked down the corridor and unlocked the office.

"Yes, sir," George said breathlessly, jumping up.

"Full of beans, huh," the man said, holding out a hand for a shake. "I'm Denis King, your mission controller. Come with me, young man."

The office looked well-used, with files stacked all over the place and cracks in the leather of the chair behind the desk. Denis offered George a seat before sliding a mission briefing across the table to him.

"Just routine, you'll have looked at similar stuff in training," Denis said, logging onto his computer. "You'll be heading off just before lunchtime if you accept it, but in my experience, young lads like you always do accept."

George just nodded, unable to think of a situation where he might turn the mission down as he pulled the briefing towards him and opened it up.

**CLASSIFIED**

MISSION BRIEFING FOR GEORGE KNIGHT

THIS DOCUMENT IS PROTECTED WITH A RADIO

FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION TAG.

ANY ATTEMPT TO REMOVE IT FROM THE MISSION

PREPARATION BUILDING WILL SET OFF AN ALARM.

DO NOT PHOTOCOPY OR MAKE NOTES.

The UK Rail Network

There are more than 2500 railway stations in the UK, and on any day there are over 20,000 train journeys between them. Keeping all of these trains running on time without accidents is a difficult task and even minor disruption can lead to large delays further down the line. As such, rail companies are keen to keep their trains running no matter what.

Birmingham New Street

Birmingham New Street station is the main station serving the city of Birmingham and many other passengers use it to make connections, especially between trains on the West Coast Main Line and London or the east coast. The layout of the station means that while the platforms are spacious, the concourses are often busy and it can be difficult to navigate at peak periods.