Free Agent 21 by Chris Ryan Page A

a human being looks like, so if I was observing you, I could easily recognize a full human shape. If you crouch down, though, or hide part of your body, my eyes would be less likely to pick you out.
    ‘After shape, there’s shadow. If you’re hiding, you need to be aware of where your shadow is falling, otherwise it’s a giveaway. Another giveaway is your silhouette. If you stand against a plain background, like the sky or a field, I’d be able to see you much more easily than if the background is uneven. Make sense?’
    Zak smiled at her. ‘All I want to know,’ he said, ‘is why you’re trying to find me in the first place.’
    ‘Pay attention to this, sweetie. It’s important.’
    ‘Sorry. Shape, shadow, silhouette. Got that.’
    ‘Next thing is surface. If an object’s surface is different to its surroundings, it’ll stand out. Shiny things are the worst – if they catch the sunlight, they can be seen from miles. And spacing is really important.’
    ‘What do you mean.’
    Gabs pointed up ahead. ‘See the boulders in that field?’
    Zak looked. They were dotted all around. ‘Yeah, I see them.’
    ‘They’re all randomly spaced. Nature’s like that. Nothing is even. Remember that if you’re trying to melt into the background. Last thing: movement. Youmight be so well camouflaged that I could be staring straight at you and not know you’re there. But the second you move . . . it’s bye-bye.’
    Gabs’s turn of phrase made him feel uneasy.
    ‘I wish I’d known all this when Michael was following me back in London,’ he said.
    ‘I’m not sure it would have done much good,’ Gabs replied. ‘Michael can find just about anybody, even if they don’t want to be seen.’
    ‘Is he that good?’ Zak asked.
    ‘He’s the best,’ said Gabs, and there was no doubt in her voice.
    They walked for a bit in silence.
    ‘Gabs?’ Zak said after a bit. Something had been bothering him and he didn’t quite know how to say it.
    ‘Yeah?’
    ‘You know these operations I’m supposed to be training for? Nobody’s told me what they are. You know, what to expect.’
    ‘That’s because we don’t know yet. Me and Raf, anyway.’
    ‘What about Michael? Does he know?’
    ‘Maybe. He wouldn’t tell us if he did.’
    They walked some more.
    ‘I’m scared,’ Zak admitted.
    ‘Good,’ said Gabs. She didn’t say it in a mean way; her voice was quite gentle.
    ‘What do you mean, good?’
    ‘Fear is an important emotion, Zak. You can’t stop it, but if you can admit you’re scared, that’s the first step to controlling it. And if you can’t control your fear, it can get in the way of you making the right decisions. A bit of fear is good. It keeps you alert. Trust me – in our line of work you don’t want to get blasé.’
    ‘I just wish I knew what our line of work was.’
    ‘You will, Zak. When you’re ready. There’s still a lot for you to learn.’
    Zak frowned. ‘You know what scares me most of all?’
    ‘What’s that, sweetie?’
    ‘Michael calls me Agent 21. But he wouldn’t tell me what happened to Agents 1 to 20. I can’t help thinking they must be . . . you know . . .
dead
.’
    Gabs looked at him seriously for a moment. ‘Would it help you to meet some of them?’ she asked.
    Zak nodded mutely.
    ‘All right then.’ She held out her hand. ‘Agent 17, pleased to meet you.’
    Zak blinked. ‘You mean . . .
you’re
. . .’
    ‘Of course. And Raf is my predecessor, Agent 16. But to be honest, we prefer “Gabs” and “Raf”. It’s so much more personal, don’t you think? Really, sweetie, you shouldn’t look so surprised. What do you think they do with us when we’ve outgrown our usefulness?’She winked. ‘Find us a nice quiet little job in a garden centre somewhere? Come on, it’s getting cold. Let’s run back. Morse code this afternoon.’ And without waiting for an answer, she started jogging.
    It rained for the rest of the day. Zak was glad they were inside, even if