Andy McNab - Meltdown

Teddy's mouth was still gaping, but Will was redfaced with anger. 'How dare you! You can't just order us around, tell us what to do. We're… we're British subjects. We won't work for you!'

Kubara took a step closer to Will; he was so close that Will was forced to stagger back down into his chair.

'Oh, but you will… Will.' Kubara laughed at his own joke. He nodded slowly. 'You, I have just a little respect for. At least you try to fight. It's useless, but you try.' He looked at Teddy and sneered with distaste. 'Him? He is… nothing.'

He turned back to Will. 'You are both coming with me, to my new factory. It is in… ' He paused and smiled again. 'It is far away. There, you will work for me, preparing the laboratory and eventually producing Meltdown. You will show my people the formula and the manufacturing process. In the meantime, production will continue in England, until we have no further need of England-'

He broke off as his eyes were drawn once again to Teddy, who was surreptitiously reaching for something in his jacket pocket.

Kubara smiled. 'Trying to call your security, Teddy?' The smile vanished. 'Give me your phones, both of you. Now.'

Teddy looked at Will in dismay.

'You can't do that!' shouted Will.

'Don't make me have to ask our friend behind you to take them from you by force.'

Slowly, reluctantly, the twins handed over their phones. Kubara tucked them into his jacket pocket and then went back to his food.

When the match restarted, Barcelona again had most of the play, and after a few minutes of sustained pressure, their Portuguese midfielder, Deco, was brought down in the box.

'Penalty!' screamed Kubara – along with every Catalan in the Nou Camp.

The referee agreed. Deco put the ball on the spot and stroked it casually into the net. The stadium erupted: two-nil.

Kubara broke off his celebrations and seemed to be lost in thought for a few moments. Then he gestured to his bodyguard, who pulled out a mobile and speed-dialled a number.

Outside, Danny saw the Merc driver answer the call.

'Stand by! Stand by! That's the Merc driver on a mobile. Wait… That's jacket on.'

In the executive box, the bodyguard nodded to Kubara that everything was ready.

He turned to the twins and smiled. 'Don't look so worried, boys,' he said. 'I will look after you.'

Without warning, his smile disappeared and his voice took on a new menace. 'If you refuse, or try to resist in any way, I will kill one of you tonight.' He shrugged. 'It doesn't matter which one. You are both the same to me.'

The black limo pulled away from its parking space.

'Stand by! Stand by! That's the Merc mobile.'

Fergus could barely hear what was going on amid the noise of the crowd after the penalty. It was deafening. Everyone was standing, yelling and clapping, delighted that their team had scored another goal. He fought his way along the row of seats past the cheering supporters.

As he reached the end, he looked up towards the box and cursed. Kubara was making a move earlier than he'd anticipated. He paused to check that he could be heard over the noise of the crowd.

'Fergus foxtrot. Danny, you still have?'

'Danny has. Stop! Stop! Stop! That's the Merc static outside exit gate. Engine still running… He's on his mobile.'

'Roger that! If they leave now, there is no way I can get to you! Take them! Danny confirm!'

'Roger that!'

'Good! Deveraux, we need an air assist to take over from Danny with your team on board. We need to stick with the target at all costs – they could be going anywhere in Europe! Deveraux acknowledge!'

Deveraux was already on the phone to Dudley. 'Range, anywhere in Europe. And big enough to take my team and' – she almost spat out the last words – 'Watts and the boy.'

Fergus was still waiting.

'Deveraux acknowledge!'

'Dudley is arranging transport now.'

Fergus was still battling his way through the crowd, desperate to reach Danny so that they could take the Mercedes together. They would follow until Deveraux and her team were airborne and could pick them up.

'Roger that. We can't take Kubara yet. Not until we know where the DMP is back in the UK. We must co-ordinate both attacks or one side could warn off the other.'

Deveraux angrily hissed back her reply.

'I know that.'

She could see that Kubara was talking to his bodyguard. He was speaking very quietly – too quietly for the microphone in the TV set to pick up what was being said. As the bodyguard made his way back towards the rear of the box, the twins caught a glimpse of the Makarov semi-automatic pistol he was wearing beneath his jacket. They glanced at each other fearfully.

Kubara turned to them and smiled. 'You boys are OK, yes? You look forward to your trip?'

The twins said nothing and Kubara issued another stark warning. 'Remember, I need only one of you. If either of you attempts to run or call for help, I will kill one twin and do whatever else is necessary so that I can leave safely.' He glared at them. 'You understand that I am speaking the truth?'

Without waiting for an answer, he went out of the box and into the corridor, heading for the exit.

As they walked down the carpeted corridor, followed by the bodyguard, they heard another huge roar of delight erupting from the Nou Camp.

Kubara shook his head. 'A tragedy to miss such a match.' Danny had the trigger.

'Stand by! Stand by! That's the twins and Kubara and body-guard getting into the Merc. Wait… wait… That's now mobile towards the main. Deveraux, I'm gonna need some help around here. The tracker working?'

Danny's mobile was being tracked by Spanish intelligence and Deveraux's monitor would pinpoint Danny's position to within ten square metres.

'We have you. Just keep with the target.'

'Roger that. That's at the main and turning right, towards the roundabout.'

Danny made the right turn and fell into the traffic, two cars back.

'Target at the roundabout. Pass first option… pass second option… pass third. He's turning back!'

Fergus had finally made it out of the stadium and was heading towards Deveraux's office.

'That's anti-surveillance! Don't go with him!'

Danny took the third option and the Merc drove all the way around the circle of flowers and back in the direction it had come. But not for long.

'That's the Merc unsighted.'

As soon as the Merc driver was out of sight of the roundabout, he cut across the oncoming traffic and headed back the way he had come. Drivers hit their horns, jammed on their brakes, swore and shook their fists as he swerved his way through the traffic.

'Merc still unsighted. I'm checking.'

Danny spun the Corsa round the roundabout, looking down all the exit roads for the Mercedes.

'Danny has a possible. First option.'

He took the first turn and pushed forward through the traffic, trying to make out the black shape in the distance. Inside the Merc, the atmosphere was calmer, for Kubara at least, as the air con gently blew out cooling air. The bodyguard was in the front passenger seat and Kubara was in the back, sitting between the twins, his arms around them like the kindly uncle Will had imagined. He pulled them close. 'Don't worry about the driving,' he said. 'He's just making sure none of your friends are following.'

The twins looked at each other but said nothing. It seemed that the Bosnian knew everything.

Kubara turned to Teddy. 'Now, I want you to make some phone calls to your people in England. Let me find your phone for you.' He reached into his jacket pocket and brought out a mobile.

Teddy took it wordlessly and looked at Kubara for further instructions.

'Good boy. Call your people. Tell them we need a new consignment of Meltdown prepared. They will begin now, tonight; get your scientists to work together – I know they don't normally work like that-'