quickly. ‘Whatever you told them, they told the people inside the laboratory.’
Millie racked her brains, and recreated the emails she had sent.
‘We didn’t say anything about a break-out,’ she said, hugely relieved.
‘Then you’re probably all right,’ said Jake. ‘Anyway, you weren’t serious about breaking in, were you?’
‘I was and I am,’ Millie said simply.
‘You’re kidding?’ Jake was astonished. He assumed she would have reconsidered her plan, now she knew how many co-conspirators she really had.
‘Are you going to help or not?’ she said testily.
‘I thought you said you had insider knowledge. You seemed to know what you were talking about.’
‘I do. I’ve cleaned every window and every door on the ground floor of that building and I know it pretty well. Max has been inside the building, right up in the labs on the top
floor, where the cats are. Now – are you in or out?’
Jake stood for a moment, trying to work out how his first attempt at a daring and illegal activity was being dictated by a kid and some bloke he couldn’t even see. It was stupid. He should
just leave them to it. But he really wanted to go home having achieved something in the real world, not just having sent out salvoes from a computer. Most of all, he really wanted those smug,
vicious losers to pay for tormenting harmless creatures. Suddenly, he had an unpleasant thought.
‘Hold on. How did Max get into the laboratory, if he’s not one of them?’
‘He isn’t one of them.’
‘How can I trust you? You didn’t even tell me you were twelve.’
‘It didn’t come up. Besides, we’re trusting
you
,’ Millie said sharply.
Jake looked a little abashed. ‘You could have said you were just a kid,’ he said, trying to regain the moral high ground.
Millie would have none of it. ‘So could you. If I prove to you that Max isn’t one of them, are you in?’
‘Yes.’
‘Come on, then.’ Millie scooped Max up from the ground and said,’Jake, meet Max. Max, meet Jake.’
‘Hello,’ said Max coolly.
Jake jumped backwards.
‘How are you doing—?’ he asked Millie, eyes wide.
‘You think I am some kind of . . .’ Max looked at Millie for the word.
‘Ventriloquist,’ she guessed.
‘Thank you,’ he said with perfect politeness. Then he turned to Jake and, in a far less polite tone, said, ‘You think I am some kind of ventriloquist’s dummy?’
Jake looked so shocked that Millie took pity on him.
‘Max escaped from the laboratory. This is what they’re doing in there – making cats talk. This is why we’ve got to rescue the rest.’
‘Why would they . . .?’
‘Do you ever finish sentences?’ Max asked irritably. He turned to Millie. ‘I have to say, you took it a lot better than this when we met.’
‘Why would they want to give voices to cats? We don’t know,’ Millie said, trying to answer the question she would have asked in Jake’s position. ‘That’s the
other thing we need to find out. Now, are you going to keep your side of the bargain?’
‘Yes,’ Jake breathed. ‘So long as that cat stops being mean to me.’
‘Max . . .’ warned Millie.
‘OK,’ sighed the cat. ‘It was too easy, anyway. It’s funnier being mean to you.’
Chapter Nineteen
‘So, let’s go through the plan again, just to make sure we all know what we’re doing,’ said Millie, as they pored over the map she had brought.
‘Jake, you’re going to be the decoy. Get up close to the building, catch the attention of the security blokes, run off, and try not to get caught. If you do get caught, say you’re
just mucking around, and do a bored teenager thing. OK?’
‘OK.’ Jake looked way too nervous to be bored, but Millie was hoping that the security men wouldn’t be picky.
‘Meanwhile, me and Max—’
‘Max and I,’ corrected the cat.
Millie gave him a hard stare, and then grinned.
‘Max and I,’ she repeated, ‘will run to the main doors. Ah. What’s going
Millie racked her brains, and recreated the emails she had sent.
‘We didn’t say anything about a break-out,’ she said, hugely relieved.
‘Then you’re probably all right,’ said Jake. ‘Anyway, you weren’t serious about breaking in, were you?’
‘I was and I am,’ Millie said simply.
‘You’re kidding?’ Jake was astonished. He assumed she would have reconsidered her plan, now she knew how many co-conspirators she really had.
‘Are you going to help or not?’ she said testily.
‘I thought you said you had insider knowledge. You seemed to know what you were talking about.’
‘I do. I’ve cleaned every window and every door on the ground floor of that building and I know it pretty well. Max has been inside the building, right up in the labs on the top
floor, where the cats are. Now – are you in or out?’
Jake stood for a moment, trying to work out how his first attempt at a daring and illegal activity was being dictated by a kid and some bloke he couldn’t even see. It was stupid. He should
just leave them to it. But he really wanted to go home having achieved something in the real world, not just having sent out salvoes from a computer. Most of all, he really wanted those smug,
vicious losers to pay for tormenting harmless creatures. Suddenly, he had an unpleasant thought.
‘Hold on. How did Max get into the laboratory, if he’s not one of them?’
‘He isn’t one of them.’
‘How can I trust you? You didn’t even tell me you were twelve.’
‘It didn’t come up. Besides, we’re trusting
you
,’ Millie said sharply.
Jake looked a little abashed. ‘You could have said you were just a kid,’ he said, trying to regain the moral high ground.
Millie would have none of it. ‘So could you. If I prove to you that Max isn’t one of them, are you in?’
‘Yes.’
‘Come on, then.’ Millie scooped Max up from the ground and said,’Jake, meet Max. Max, meet Jake.’
‘Hello,’ said Max coolly.
Jake jumped backwards.
‘How are you doing—?’ he asked Millie, eyes wide.
‘You think I am some kind of . . .’ Max looked at Millie for the word.
‘Ventriloquist,’ she guessed.
‘Thank you,’ he said with perfect politeness. Then he turned to Jake and, in a far less polite tone, said, ‘You think I am some kind of ventriloquist’s dummy?’
Jake looked so shocked that Millie took pity on him.
‘Max escaped from the laboratory. This is what they’re doing in there – making cats talk. This is why we’ve got to rescue the rest.’
‘Why would they . . .?’
‘Do you ever finish sentences?’ Max asked irritably. He turned to Millie. ‘I have to say, you took it a lot better than this when we met.’
‘Why would they want to give voices to cats? We don’t know,’ Millie said, trying to answer the question she would have asked in Jake’s position. ‘That’s the
other thing we need to find out. Now, are you going to keep your side of the bargain?’
‘Yes,’ Jake breathed. ‘So long as that cat stops being mean to me.’
‘Max . . .’ warned Millie.
‘OK,’ sighed the cat. ‘It was too easy, anyway. It’s funnier being mean to you.’
Chapter Nineteen
‘So, let’s go through the plan again, just to make sure we all know what we’re doing,’ said Millie, as they pored over the map she had brought.
‘Jake, you’re going to be the decoy. Get up close to the building, catch the attention of the security blokes, run off, and try not to get caught. If you do get caught, say you’re
just mucking around, and do a bored teenager thing. OK?’
‘OK.’ Jake looked way too nervous to be bored, but Millie was hoping that the security men wouldn’t be picky.
‘Meanwhile, me and Max—’
‘Max and I,’ corrected the cat.
Millie gave him a hard stare, and then grinned.
‘Max and I,’ she repeated, ‘will run to the main doors. Ah. What’s going
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