cold water on his face and took slow, deep breaths to try and get hold of himself.
When he got back down to the kitchen, John looked concerned. Lhate up??
Rervous,?James confessed.
Hou know the rules,?John said. Hou can pull out of this mission at any time and you wont be punished.?
It was true that James wouldnt be punished. It was also true that if he bailed on a critical mission at this stage and ruined it, nobody would ever offer him a spot on another one. Het spend the rest of his time at CHERUB doing routine surveillance, break-ins and security checks. James wasnt prepared to throw away all the effort het put into training and missions, because het woken up with a touch of nerves.
Cont sweat it,?James said, trying to sound cool. Once the mission starts, I wont have time to worry.?
Marvin took the boys through to the living-room, while John and Lauren stacked the dishwasher. Marvin told them to strip everything off, including watches and jewellery. They replaced their socks, T-shirts and underpants with prison issue. The underwear smelled of disinfectant, but the stains and rips were an uncomfortable reminder of previous occupants.
The baggy orange overalls they wore on the outside were designed for high visibility, so that a prisoner who escaped in transit could be easily seen. Two suits with Omaha State Prison printed on them had been shipped in especially for the occasion. In addition, James and Dave had to pull on fluorescent yellow bibs, like the ones kids wear in football training. They had DANGER: ESCAPE RISK printed on them in huge letters. The only normal clothes the boys were allowed were their trainers.
Hou wont get any toilet breaks once these are on,?Marvin explained, jangling the chains.
James and Dave both dashed upstairs and took a piss. When they got down, Marvin had the two sets of shackles laid out on the carpet.
He put James?on first. James winced as Marvin clamped the bracelets around his ankles.
Coes it have to be so tight??
ite supposed to bite the skin so the bracelet cant move,?Marvin explained. Tomeone would ask questions if I fitted them on loose ?Hands front.?
Marvin squeezed cold metal cuffs on to James?wrists. A length of chain linked the ankle bracelets to the handcuffs, preventing James from raising his hands any higher than his waist.
Take a stroll around the room while I fix up Dave,?Marvin said. Loving around in those things takes some getting used to.?
*
The individual holding cells at the Phoenix courthouse were barely one pace wide by three long. The only facilities were a drinking fountain and a filthy steel toilet bowl. James had passed more than a dozen of these sweltering little cages on the way to his own and, judging by the shouts and screams passing in all directions, there were hundreds more.
James and Dave were supposed to have gone into court first thing that morning, but something caused a hold-up and James had lost track of time. Inmates werent allowed watches and there were no windows. James guessed it was between twelve and one when a cling-film-wrapped sandwich and bottle of no-brand cola got passed through the bars, but that had been several hours ago.
Rose, James,?a womane voice shouted.
The stocky female guard stood by the bars outside the tiny cell holding a clipboard. She had a red face and a torrent of sweat drizzling out of her hair. James scrambled up from the floor. He still had the ankle bracelets on, but his handcuffs had been released on arrival.
Cuffs,?the hack said sharply.
James picked the handcuffs attached to his ankle chains off the floor and put them on a small metal shelf in the barred door.
Come on,?she said crossly, Lrists.?
James realised he was supposed to post his hands through the slot so the hack could fix the cuffs on. She squeezed them a notch further than Marvin Teller had done: tight enough that the tendons in his wrist hurt every time he moved his fingers.
Lhate the dirty look in aid of, kid??
They walked past two rows of the tiny cells and up six flights of stairs to the second floor of the courthouse. This level was air-conditioned and James was pleased to catch sight of Dave waiting outside the courtroom.
Lhat was the hold-up??James asked.
Dave shrugged. ć…™ike theyt tell us.?
The hack knocked on the courtroom door and waited a few seconds, before the boys were ushered in. James had expected a grand setting, with loads of people in the room and wood panelling, like you see