Joe Craig - Jimmy Coates - Target

Helen glanced across at him as if she knew that he was thinking about her. Jimmy forced a smile then turned away. What makes her right and dad wrong? he wondered. His father supported Hollingdale’s view that the public shouldn’t be allowed to vote because they weren’t qualified to know how to run the country. So what? That wasn’t hurting anybody, was it? And if the Prime Minister held on to power through force, well, how was that different to Helen being prepared to use force to get rid of him?

“You OK, Jimmy?” his mother asked suddenly, interrupting the drone of the motorway.

“Yeah, I think so,” he replied. He was going to leave it at that, but something was on his mind more than ever. “Mum,” he started. His voice croaked so he cleared his throat before going on. “If they’d examined me, what would they have found?”

Helen Coates didn’t divert her eyes from the road, but Jimmy could see that his question had affected her. “I’m not a scientist, Jimmy,” she said.

“But you are my mum.”

There was a long silence. Helen’s eyes flickered in the lights of the road. “I don’t understand it completely,” she said at last, “but I know that they programmed a special computer chip, and that chip controlled a laser – I think it was called a microlaser. The laser operated on a single strand of DNA, which eventually created you.” She glanced across at her son. Jimmy was engrossed.

“But was I a baby like everyone else?” he asked.

“You were a beautiful baby,” his mother said, smiling. “They put you in my womb, and they even implanted the computer chip into you when you were just an embryo so that nothing could go wrong while you were growing inside me.”

Jimmy tensed up again. There was a chip inside him? His mother noticed and gave a short laugh.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “The chip was completely absorbed into your body by the time you were born. That’s what guarantees you’re unique.”

They drove on in silence for a few more miles. Jimmy marvelled at the years of research that must have gone into him. He tingled with excitement at the thought of the world’s top scientists poring over his chemical make-up. But one thought still wouldn’t let his mind relax.

“When Mr Stovorsky was at the farm, he said there was another one of me.”

His mother took her time answering, clearly choosing every word carefully. “There’s only one you, but yes, there were two chips. There was another assassin. He would be two years older than you, but they don’t know where he is. He ran away from his home. He’s probably leading a normal life somewhere. I’m sorry you can’t do that too, Jimmy.”

“It’s OK, I suppose,” he replied, trying to work out how he felt.

“Jimmy,” his mother said hesitantly, “if I’d known…” she trailed off. Jimmy watched her.

“If you’d known what, Mum?” Jimmy asked.

“Nothing,” was the response. “It’s just that…things were different back then.”

“When?”

“When I agreed to be your mother.”

Jimmy tried to imagine his mother as a younger woman. He shuddered at the thought of her standing with Dr Higgins, Paduk and Hollingdale, acting as one of them. Couldn’t she have known then the whole thing would lead to trouble?

“Why did you do it?” Jimmy asked.

His mother took in a deep breath. “A lot of reasons,” she began, sounding distant, as if remembering was difficult – or painful. “It had to do with me and your father. It had to do with Georgie. She was a baby then. I suppose I thought that it would be a way for me to stay working for NJ7, but not really be working for them, do you see what I mean?”

Jimmy shook his head, but his mother wasn’t watching him.

“It was a way out. I thought it would give me eighteen years of a relatively normal life.”

“But what about me?” Jimmy whispered, unable to force out his proper voice.

“I knew that once you were eighteen you’d work for NJ7. But by then, with your programming fully developed, I thought you’d want that life.”

Jimmy couldn’t help himself. His brain vibrated with the words: / won’t have a choice.

Helen reached across and ruffled Jimmy’s hair. “I didn’t realise you’d be…you,” she added, trying a smile. Jimmy could see how sad she really was. He didn’t smile back.

More than an hour later Jimmy shuffled into the farmhouse, ready to fall into bed. But as soon as they opened the front door, Jimmy heard whispers in the kitchen. He looked up at his mother, who gave a weary sigh.

“Well I’m going to bed,” she whispered.

Jimmy smiled, totally exhausted, but desperate to share everything that had happened. In the kitchen, Felix, Eva and Georgie were sitting round the table.

“Jimmy!” exclaimed Felix, jumping to his feet. “What happened?”

Jimmy didn’t know where to start. “Ares Hollingdale is holding your parents at the French Embassy,” he blurted.

“And Chris and Saffron are going to bust them out?” Felix beamed, one big ball of energy.

“Something like that,” Jimmy laughed.

Felix grinned one of his unmistakable grins. Eva and Georgie didn’t look quite so happy. “At least someone will be getting out of prison,” Eva grumbled.

“Yeah,” Georgie added, “who’s going to rescue us?”

“What do you mean?” Jimmy asked.

“I mean that we’ve all been stuck in this house for days.” Jimmy’s sister toyed with a stale hunk of baguette. “It’s no wonder we can’t sleep – we don’t do anything all day.”

“At least we don’t have to go to school,” Felix chipped in with a bounce.

“So what?” Eva shrugged. “I’d rather go to school than be stuck in the middle of nowhere. I don’t even have my phone with me.”

Jimmy considered everything for a moment. He never liked it when Eva moaned, especially when Georgie started moaning with her, but she had a point. It did feel like being imprisoned.

“I’d rather be back with my parents,” Eva went on, “and they’re a pain. I bet they aren’t even looking for me.” Jimmy remembered Eva’s parents with a shudder of disgust. They were supporters of the undemocratic British Government.

Suddenly, Felix cut in. “Stop moaning,” he said quickly. “This is the best night ever.” Then his face suddenly changed, scrunched up in thought. “You’re right though. We’ve been stuck in the house long enough. If anybody’s coming for us, they would have come by now. Tomorrow I’ll persuade your mum to let us go out.”

“Whatever you say.” Jimmy shrugged and forced out a yawn. “Let’s convince Mum in the morning. You do the talking. I’ll watch.”

Miss Bennett followed the tunnels of NJ7 not to Downing Street, which was still being rebuilt, but to the deepest part of the complex. There, in a stark bunker, surrounded by three men in SAS uniform and another two in NJ7 suits, Ares Hollingdale was huddled over his desk. Opposite him, leafing through a dog-eared orange folder, was Ian Coates.

“Who’s there?” the Prime Minister panted when he heard his visitor enter. “An assassin! Security!”

The soldiers around him looked confused. They all recognised the Director of NJ7.

“It’s OK, Prime Minister!” shouted Ian Coates. “It’s Miss Bennett.”

“Ah yes, of course. Stand down, men, you’re dismissed. I know this woman.” Hollingdale’s eyes darted around the room as if every second something tapped him on the shoulder unexpectedly.

“Mitchell Glenthorne has been deployed, sir,” Miss Bennett announced once the room had emptied of security attendants.

“Don’t let that thing near me,” Hollingdale muttered. “I’ve seen what they’re capable of.”