get a message to?'
'You know my needs,' said Pirroni. They could see on the screen that he looked irritated, and it came through in his voice. 'I want a car with a police escort and safe passage to a neutral territory. Have you got that for me?'
The negotiator's voice was patient. 'Some of the things you are asking for will take time. They're not directly within my power. I have to ask government officials. However, if you're prepared to be patient, I'm sure things will work out. I need you to bear with me so that this goes as smoothly as possible for everyone. Can you do that?'
Alex, sitting on the floor of the control room, had heard the question. He wished his thumbs could signal faster. The button was fiddly and he was in danger of turning a dot into a dash. He prayed Pirroni would keep talking so that he could transmit a meaningful message. Once he came back in he was bound to notice what Alex was doing. He clicked away on the button and prayed someone was receiving him.
Then he heard something he didn't want to hear: Pirroni said, 'Goodbye.'
12
A LONE IN THE D ARK
In the monitoring room the screens became steady again.
'They heard him come off the phone and had to stop,' said Murphy. He was looking down at the pad on which he'd scribbled Alex's message. 'But this doesn't make sense.'
The door to the lorry opened and the negotiator walked in. 'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I couldn't keep him.' He was grey-haired, in his fifties, and his face looked tired and haggard.
Murphy was shaking his head.
Sergeant Powell stood up. 'Leave that,' he told Murphy. 'Not many kids know Morse these days. I doubt they even knew we were picking anything up, much less that they intended it to make sense.'
'We can easily find out what his dad does, surely?' said Murphy.
Sergeant Powell thumped the desk. 'What we need is a way in past those cameras. That's what's going to save those kids, not answering twenty questions. Then if he starts shooting or makes a run for it, we can take him down. We'll send two snipers in as close as we can. We keep pushing the government to let us use force and stage an assault. The monitors are a big breakthrough. We can see if the kids are inside and safe.'
He turned to the negotiator. 'When we get the nod, you can call him on the phone. Tell him you're about to meet his demands, so he'll want to listen. We'll put some crackle on it to sound like the reception's bad. When he walks to the bottom of the steps and away from the kids to get better reception, we nail him. Unless anyone has any other ideas . . .'
Murphy nodded. 'He's going to have to come out soon. He's got no supplies.'
Amber looked at Paulo and Li. They weren't part of this discussion any more. She nodded towards the door, then got up. The others followed her out.
Outside it was dark. 'Look at this, guys,' said Amber. She turned her head towards the sky, where the tree canopy was silhouetted against the darkening sky. 'Is Hex still out in this?'
Paulo put a soothing hand on her arm. 'He's got his palmtop. He can use the GPS.'
They had sat down on the steps of the nearby field ambulance, but now Amber stood up again and started to pace. 'I can't keep still at a time like this. And fancy Alex sending a message that was rubbish.'
'I don't think he'd have sent a message that was rubbish,' said Paulo.
'Neither do I,' said Li firmly. 'He sent it after Pirroni asked the question about his father.'
'He may simply have been telling us not to say what his father really does - not to say he's in the SAS,' said Paulo.
'No, I think he was trying to say something,' said Li. 'If Pirroni doesn't get a satisfactory answer to his question, he will be suspicious of Alex. If the SAS get the all-clear to go in, that may not matter.'
'But if they don't,' said Amber, 'what does Alex do?'
The chorus of animals was dying down. The jungle was going to sleep. Hex was making progress but it was painfully slow. He was confident that he was clear of the cameras,
'You know my needs,' said Pirroni. They could see on the screen that he looked irritated, and it came through in his voice. 'I want a car with a police escort and safe passage to a neutral territory. Have you got that for me?'
The negotiator's voice was patient. 'Some of the things you are asking for will take time. They're not directly within my power. I have to ask government officials. However, if you're prepared to be patient, I'm sure things will work out. I need you to bear with me so that this goes as smoothly as possible for everyone. Can you do that?'
Alex, sitting on the floor of the control room, had heard the question. He wished his thumbs could signal faster. The button was fiddly and he was in danger of turning a dot into a dash. He prayed Pirroni would keep talking so that he could transmit a meaningful message. Once he came back in he was bound to notice what Alex was doing. He clicked away on the button and prayed someone was receiving him.
Then he heard something he didn't want to hear: Pirroni said, 'Goodbye.'
12
A LONE IN THE D ARK
In the monitoring room the screens became steady again.
'They heard him come off the phone and had to stop,' said Murphy. He was looking down at the pad on which he'd scribbled Alex's message. 'But this doesn't make sense.'
The door to the lorry opened and the negotiator walked in. 'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I couldn't keep him.' He was grey-haired, in his fifties, and his face looked tired and haggard.
Murphy was shaking his head.
Sergeant Powell stood up. 'Leave that,' he told Murphy. 'Not many kids know Morse these days. I doubt they even knew we were picking anything up, much less that they intended it to make sense.'
'We can easily find out what his dad does, surely?' said Murphy.
Sergeant Powell thumped the desk. 'What we need is a way in past those cameras. That's what's going to save those kids, not answering twenty questions. Then if he starts shooting or makes a run for it, we can take him down. We'll send two snipers in as close as we can. We keep pushing the government to let us use force and stage an assault. The monitors are a big breakthrough. We can see if the kids are inside and safe.'
He turned to the negotiator. 'When we get the nod, you can call him on the phone. Tell him you're about to meet his demands, so he'll want to listen. We'll put some crackle on it to sound like the reception's bad. When he walks to the bottom of the steps and away from the kids to get better reception, we nail him. Unless anyone has any other ideas . . .'
Murphy nodded. 'He's going to have to come out soon. He's got no supplies.'
Amber looked at Paulo and Li. They weren't part of this discussion any more. She nodded towards the door, then got up. The others followed her out.
Outside it was dark. 'Look at this, guys,' said Amber. She turned her head towards the sky, where the tree canopy was silhouetted against the darkening sky. 'Is Hex still out in this?'
Paulo put a soothing hand on her arm. 'He's got his palmtop. He can use the GPS.'
They had sat down on the steps of the nearby field ambulance, but now Amber stood up again and started to pace. 'I can't keep still at a time like this. And fancy Alex sending a message that was rubbish.'
'I don't think he'd have sent a message that was rubbish,' said Paulo.
'Neither do I,' said Li firmly. 'He sent it after Pirroni asked the question about his father.'
'He may simply have been telling us not to say what his father really does - not to say he's in the SAS,' said Paulo.
'No, I think he was trying to say something,' said Li. 'If Pirroni doesn't get a satisfactory answer to his question, he will be suspicious of Alex. If the SAS get the all-clear to go in, that may not matter.'
'But if they don't,' said Amber, 'what does Alex do?'
The chorus of animals was dying down. The jungle was going to sleep. Hex was making progress but it was painfully slow. He was confident that he was clear of the cameras,
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