Free Four Degrees More by Malcolm Rose Page B

want an audience for my little game. I’d be in deep trouble if someone spotted me. I carried on creeping through the estate.
    I found what I wanted about half a mile further on. Thanks to a broken light bulb or whatever, one floodlight wasn’t working. Below it, the wire fence was in the dark. It wasn’t completely black, but that was okay because I had to see what I was doing. Hoping that any CCTV cameras wouldn’t be able to make me out in the shadows, I dashed across the road and up the sloping verge. Kneeling by the fence, I grasped the wire-cutters in a sweaty right hand. I was about to snip the first diamond-shape when it struck me that the fence could be electrified.
    No. Surely not. I’d never seen signs warning people to keep their dogs and babies away.
    Squeezing the handle, the cutters made a satisfying click as the wire at the bottom snapped. And I wasn’t electrocuted. Far from stopping my heart, my vandalism was making it pound like crazy. Great stuff.
    Another few seconds and two more snips. I reckoned I’d have to clip away for a minute before I could make a gap big enough to crawl through. I was concentrating on what I was doing, but I was also listening for cars, voices or alarms going off. There was nothing.
    I wasn’t going to chop out a complete hole. That wouldn’t have been clever. I just needed to cut enough to bend the wire back to make a door. Then, after I’d got through, I could fold it back into place. Anyone passing would’ve probably seen a hole but I doubted that they’d notice a slit.
    When I thought I’d cut far enough upfrom the ground, I started going across. Only a few more snips and I’d be able to bend the netting inwards. But I wasn’t quick enough.
    I don’t know exactly what told me – maybe a footstep, or the sound of a breath – but I knew someone was behind me. Spinning round, I saw two men. They didn’t look like security or police. No uniform.
    The one on the right looked familiar. He whispered, ‘That’s not a good idea right now.’
    ‘What?’ I exclaimed.
    ‘Keep your voice down. Come on. Come with us.’
    ‘What?’ I repeated, this time in a hush.
    ‘Forget what you’re about to do.’
    ‘You’ve got to be – Who are you?’
    ‘WHOOP.’
    ‘What?’ I said for the third time, gettingup off my knees and holding the wire-cutters out like a knife.
    The man sighed impatiently. ‘It stands for We Have Only One Planet. We’re the people who run the GreenWatch website.’
    ‘How did you know I was – ’
    Interrupting, he said, ‘We were protesting at the power plant when you did your bit of graffiti. Ever since, we’ve been … keeping an eye on you.’
    ‘Following me!’ Lowering my voice again, I muttered, ‘You’re the bloke on the bike.’
    ‘My name’s Robin.’ He glanced up and down the road. ‘It’s time to go.’
    ‘Are you going to bundle me into the back of a car?’
    Robin smiled.
    ‘We wouldn’t be very green if we went around in cars kidnapping people, would we? We just want you to come and have achat with Beth.’
    ‘Beth?’
    He nodded.
    ‘We admire what you’re doing here, but it’s just a prank really.’
    ‘How do you know what I’m going to do?’
    ‘Look. We’re planning something much bigger, and what you’re doing will mess it up. There’s a good time to use your hole in the fence, but it’s not now. Come and talk to Beth.’
    At last, the second man spoke.
    ‘This way,’ he said quietly, turning his back and making for downtown.

THREE
    The Mirror: Environment Minister reveals green plans
    GreenWatch website: Four degrees more

    It turned out that Bethany Morris-Steward was WHOOP’s chief activist. The green queen. She looked like a university student. Perhaps she was. Dressed in denim, she wasthin with tangled, brown hair and glasses. She spoke quickly and passionately about the environment, like she was in a rush. She reminded me of a clock that had been wound up too much. Her hands were