CHERUB: The Fall - Robert Muchamore Page 0,95

went up. ‘FOOD FIGHT!’

Less than two minutes had elapsed between Kerry throwing the first lump of trifle and the outbreak of war. By the time James had hauled himself off the floor, there were hundreds of items of food whizzing between tables. But he only got a brief look before Bethany threw an entire roast turkey dinner in his face.

As he frantically wiped the hot gravy off his new black T-shirt, James felt a baked potato hitting him in the back. He leaned down and – realising that he had no idea where it had come from – lobbed it the entire length of the dining-room where it thumped against one of the plasma screens.

As the kitchen staff yelled out for order, a gang of red-shirts took control of the dessert counter. They repeatedly sank their hands into the giant tubs of trifle and hurled it as hard as they could across the canteen.

Girls were screaming, Kerry had Dana pinned to a table, Rat was trying to pull Lauren and Bethany apart and a bunch of staff were yelling dire threats as they shielded themselves behind wooden trays. Every so often, James ducked when a particularly large piece of food came his way, but mostly he just watched in awe as total mayhem exploded around him.

He was living through a moment that people would talk about at CHERUB for years to come and it had all happened because of two girls fighting over him.

This was going to make him a legend.

EPILOGUE

James’ mission

Following the death of DENIS OBIDIN, VLADIMIR OBIDIN spent three weeks recovering in a private Moscow clinic. Upon his return to Aero City, he moved ruthlessly against members of his security team whom he suspected of betraying his brother. More than a dozen men were tortured and several ended up dead. The CIA were forced to abandon their Aero City mission.

After a brief feud with other family members, Vladimir took over his brother’s position at the head of the Obidins’ business empire. Denis Obidin’s widow was elected mayor of Aero City in early 2007. No other candidate dared to stand against her.

Six-year-old MARK OBIDIN is still reluctantly learning English and is expected to be sent to a British boarding school shortly after his eighth birthday.

The scandal surrounding LORD FREDERICK HILTON and his son SEBASTIAN HILTON M.P. broke three days after the food fight in the CHERUB dining-room. Lord Hilton was arrested whilst trying to flee aboard his private jet. Sebastian Hilton was arrested by his own protection officer on direct orders from the Prime Minister.

Due to the complexity of the evidence against the Hiltons, it is expected that they will not face trial until late 2007. Both men are currently on remand in Belmarsh high-security prison. They are also wanted for questioning by police in the United States, Russia and several European countries.

As the scandal surrounding the Hiltons unravelled, police arrested more than one hundred of their associates. The affair also led to the resignation of two cabinet ministers and the entire board of directors of Hilton Aerospace.

The man and woman who followed Ewart Asker were revealed to be KATE MULHROON and JOSEPH GOSLING-BELL. The pair were private investigators who had previously been employed by MI5. They were each charged with possession of illegal firearms and received seven-year prison sentences.

JASON McLOUD received three journalism awards for breaking the story of the Hilton scandal. He felt slightly guilty, because he had actually done little except receive an envelope. McLoud followed Madeline Cowell’s wishes and donated half of the fees for his stories and subsequent television appearances to SARAH THOMAS.

The CHERUB ethics committee conducted an investigation into the Aero City mission, after which it put in place a number of new rules to ensure the safety of CHERUB agents. The biggest change is that cherubs are no longer allowed to work overseas without the presence of a mission controller.

The report also criticised EWART and ZARA ASKER for keeping James Adams in the dark over the details of his investigation. In a stiffly worded rebuke the report said, ‘It is the duty of all CHERUB staff to ensure the welfare of CHERUB agents first and consider intelligence implications second. James Adams went through a traumatic experience in Russia and his wellbeing should have taken precedence over everything else.’

The report praised JAMES ADAMS’ conduct, although he was reminded that the ethics committee exists to help CHERUB agents who find themselves having difficulty with senior members of staff. He was criticised for stealing a pool car, but the report accepted that he had been under significant mental stress at the time and said that he did not deserve to be punished in any way.

Lauren’s mission

After being guaranteed full British citizenship, ANNA revealed that her surname was CHAIKA. JOHN JONES made some efforts to track down her baby brother GEORGY CHAIKA, but he was never found.

Anna now lives with adopted parents in Scotland. Her English has improved and she is doing well in school.

Twenty-eight forced sex workers were captured following the police raid on the brothel. Subsequent questioning uncovered details of three similar establishments. In total, more than one hundred girls aged between eleven and twenty-two were freed from sexual abuse and slavery.

Most of the girls returned willingly to families in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe. Twenty-six claimed to have no family ties and asked to remain in Britain. Despite the fact that the girls had been imprisoned for up to four years under savage conditions, only three underage girls were granted asylum. In line with government policy, the rest were treated as illegal immigrants and sent back to their own countries.

Human rights campaigners expressed concern that these girls are likely to be recaptured and enslaved once again.

KEITH and the bouncer knocked out by Lauren both spent time in hospital, but survived their injuries. They were tried along with ROMAN, ABBY, the receptionist and eleven other people arrested during subsequent police raids. Charged with kidnapping, human trafficking and prostitution offences, they received prison sentences ranging from eight to seventeen years.

Subsequent raids also led to charges being made against more than a dozen other individuals in what senior Customs and Excise officers described as: ‘A major breakthrough in the battle against human trafficking.’

Meanwhile back on campus …

After reviewing CCTV footage of the food fight, more than fifty cherubs received punishment laps and the loss of one month’s pocket money. Several children suffered minor burns, and in a special assembly, Zara Asker reminded everyone on campus that throwing hot food could have resulted in a serious injury. She added that much more severe punishments would be handed down if the incident was ever repeated.

The Askers’ dog, MEATBALL, has recovered fully from his throat operation, but doesn’t appear to have learned his lesson. He still eats absolutely anything.

NORMAN LARGE continues to improve following his heart bypass operation. Although a full recovery is possible, it is uncertain whether he will be able to return to his physically demanding role as a CHERUB training instructor.

Norman has said that he wishes to continue working for the organisation and Zara Asker has agreed to consider finding him another job on campus; pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing into his drunkenness on the night of his heart attack.

KEVIN SUMNER has begun basic training and is doing well. His fear of heights is greatly diminished, although he still gets the jitters sometimes.

BRUCE NORRIS suffered a complex leg fracture. He is recovering, but will be unable to train or go on missions for at least two months.

JAMES ADAMS and DANA SMITH are getting along OK. James is currently on page 415 of Lord Of The Rings and hasn’t had the heart to tell Dana that he thinks it’s boring.