CHERUB: The Syndicate

19: Business

Any lingering doubts at ASIS over whether Zach was planning to move into the drugs trade were squashed on the first of February when dock workers flooded into the travel agency to send their pay packets home. It was the busiest day of the month for Katie and this was no exception. She had found it difficult to keep track of everything that she heard, but the summary was that someone was leaning on the dockers to stop them from bringing drugs from certain suppliers into the country. Katie was sure it was the Syndicate and the documents from Zach's hard drive backed this up.

"By restricting the supply of drugs from other gangs, he'll push their prices up and make it easier to compete," she explained to George once she got home that evening. "It's basic economics, but it'll have a huge effect if he pulls it off."

George thought that his side of the mission was effectively over and he'd decided against visiting Riley after school in favour of making a couple of drug deliveries to pick up extra cash. "I suppose, but it's only a matter of time until ASIS move in and arrest him, so it probably won't happen."

Katie, as the senior agent on the mission, had much more experience than George and didn't mind reminding him of it. "You should be focusing on Riley still, you never know what you'll find out."

"What's the point? I've been seeing the guy nearly every day since September and the most I've heard from him about his dad's business is the occasional moan about him being away on a trip," George replied, lying full-stretch on the sofa. "I doubt if he even knows that Zach's a criminal."

Before he could lift an arm to defend himself Katie had grabbed him by the ear and hauled him to his feet.

"You listen to me, Brian," she hissed, releasing his ear. "If you don't want to do your job, I have no problem letting ASIS know so they can send you home. You're not here to make money and sit on your arse, you're here to infiltrate the Syndicate."

George angrily rubbed his ear and blinked back some rogue tears. "You didn't have to pull so bloody hard," he moaned. "I just don't see what else there is for me to do."

"You said yourself that Riley occasionally complains about his dad being away. Why not probe a little and see if he's got any big upcoming trips or whether Riley knows where he's always going to?" Katie said, tutting and shaking her head. "I've worked a double shift today listening to hairy blokes complaining about women and cracking sexist gags, so you can damn well do what you're told on your side of the mission."

Stunned, George wondered how his peaceful evening had turned into an argument, but he knew Katie had a violent temper when she was pushed too far so he just sulked and said nothing.

To avoid her wrath, he got himself invited to Riley's after school the next day, although he expected to be in for an afternoon of getting beaten on the PlayStation without any interesting information about the mission. He knew he was supposed to steer the conversation towards Zach's business trips, but he was still angry at Katie for shouting at him and he decided to prove himself right by not finding out anything important.

It was a hot day so they bunked off afternoon lessons and decided to cool off in the garden and make use of a couple of high-powered water pistols. George was much fitter than Riley so he found it easier to carry them with a full tank and took advantage, blasting his friend from long range until Riley ran out of water, then moving in for a short range soaking. The water pistols were seriously cool and could fire straight from more than forty feet, which meant that instead of getting bored after fifteen minutes like kids usually did in water fights, they only dried off and went back inside after an hour of running around.

Riley went off to find his mum so he could ask for a towel and change of clothes for George. Having not spent very much time outside Riley's bedroom, George found the large ground floor of the house difficult to navigate. When he found the kitchen, he made a mental note of some of the stuff pinned to the fridge, but it was mostly rubbish like old shopping lists.