Free Noble Conflict by Malorie Blackman Page A

a—’
    ‘Message to go online? Yeah, I know. I just got the notification too ’cause this is the node that launched the search. Some of your bots are still active from last night.’
    Kaspar’s heart, not to mention his stomach, plummeted. ‘Please tell me you’re joking.’ He saw his career evaporating like dry ice on a hotplate. ‘Stop them. Now. Please. If I use one more processor cycle Voss will murder me.’
    ‘You have to log in and do it as you initiated the search,’ said Mac. ‘If I use my code to stop them, it’ll be automatically reported.’
    Kaspar practically shoved Mac to one side in his effort to get to the screen to key in his Guardian passcode. An alert message flashed up but he was too panicked to read it properly.
    ‘What are they doing? No, don’t tell me. I don’t care what they’re doing. Just stop them.’
    Mac quickly scanned the report. Her eyes narrowed. ‘One of the things you asked about last night was odd patterns of computer usage.’
    ‘Oh, hell! Did we just report ourselves?’
    ‘No, not us. The bots have uncovered an unauthorized computer access.’
    ‘When did it happen?’
    ‘It’s happening right now. This is a real-time report. That’s what the alert we just got was about.’
    ‘Really? Where’s this going down?’ frowned Kaspar.
    Mac pointed at the screen. ‘Terminal one, level one, Sluice Control, Kehone A?’
    Kaspar leaned in closer and read the summary. ‘It says that place is fully automated and it isn’t scheduled to have a regular maintenance inspection for  . . . another three weeks.’
    ‘Maybe there was a problem?’ offered Mac.
    ‘No, look. Operational effectiveness is at one hundred per cent and no alarms have been flagged since  . . . two years ago.’ An icy chill crept along Kaspar’s back.
    ‘Kehone A? Where have I heard that name before?’ said Mac.
    Kaspar was already running for the door. If he didn’t do something – and fast – there would be a major catastrophe. He shouted back over his shoulder to Mac as he ran, ‘Kehone Reservoir is where all our drinking water comes from!’

12
    Kaspar ran like he’d never run before.
    ‘4518 Wilding to Central. Send units to level one of Kehone A Sluice Control. We have an unauthorized computer access in progress.’
    ‘Roger that, 4518.’
    Kaspar wasn’t quite sure how he wanted this to turn out. If he was right, then there was a potentially devastating terrorist attack in progress on a hugely important target. Sabotage of the sluice gates could cause both droughts and flooding to a wide area. Worse than that, if terrorists were to introduce some bio-toxic agent into the water supply, there would be casualties on a massive scale.
    On the other hand, if he was wrong  . . . What would Voss do to him if he’d sparked a major alert for no reason? Kaspar shook his head. He couldn’t worry about that now. How would he feel if something terrible happened because he’d been too cowardly to do anything about it? Besides, he was positive he was right. Almost positive. There was unauthorized activity happening at the reservoir, he’d seen that much for himself. So what elsecould it be but a group of Insurgents, no doubt carrying out some deadly mission?
    ‘Kaspar, you’re doing the right thing,’ he told himself as Guardians came on the Link, reporting their proximity to Kehone.
    ‘361 Tilkian to Central. Responding to Kehone A. I’m less than five minutes out.’ Wow! Guardian Tilkian himself was responding. Now there was a Guardian whose reputation preceded him. Guardian Tilkian was head of the Special Support Group – elite Guardians whose responsibilities included acting as bodyguards to the High Council – what they liked to call ‘close personal protection’. Kaspar’s heart sank. If he was wrong, then with Tilkian present the High Council would inevitably hear about it. His hands suddenly felt clammy and beads of sweat were breaking out all over his forehead and