The Legacy by Gemma Malley Page A

and she has the protection of the Underground.’
    ‘That’s right,’ Jude agreed.
    ‘So you think that it is a good idea, now, to muddy things, to distract her with thoughts of her parents?’
    Jude frowned. ‘But I –’
    ‘No buts, Jude. And now there is a lorry that requires tracking and I think it deserves all your focus.’
    ‘I am focused.’ Jude could feel his mouth fixed in an angry grimace. Did Pip not trust him at all?
    ‘No, Jude, you are not focused. If you were focused, you’d have noticed that the lorry has been stopped.’
    Jude’s eyes widened and he enlarged the SpyNet software screen, which was hijacking Pincent Pharma’s own CCTV system in order to track the progress of Pincent Pharma lorries now heading into an Underground ambush. ‘Shit!’ he said. The lorry was on its side in the middle of the road. One lone car swerved to avoid it, but kept on driving. ‘Shit! I’m sorry, I . . .’
    He turned to Pip, who smiled gently and pointed back at the screen. Jude nodded, swivelled round and watched as men dressed in khaki jumped out in front of the lorry, pulling out the driver, forcing the back open. Jude felt the familiar surge of adrenalin as he watched the scene unfold – David against Goliath, Good against Evil.
    The doors were open now and Jude’s eyes were on the driver who was on the ground, two men holding him down. He looked agitated, fearful – he was shouting something. The Underground men were dragging large boxes out of the lorry; they didn’t look like the usual boxes carrying Longevity drugs. Not that it mattered – they would be torched anyway, destroyed. The Underground would leave its message loud and clear on the side of the road.
    But as he watched the boxes being prised open Jude frowned, the lines between his eyes deepening. Something wasn’t right. The boxes weren’t cardboard, they were made of wood. The men were improvising, making tools from their guns in order to break into them. And then one was opened and Jude’s jaw dropped, and his hand moved towards his mouth, clamped over it, his eyes widening, his pulse quickening, a dark foreboding rising up within him.
    He looked up at Pip in alarm. ‘They’re not drugs,’ he said, watching bodies tumble out of the containers – dead bodies, black, shrivelled-up bodies. The men were jumping back as they took in the horror that lay in front of them. Some were running away, others were prodding the bodies to see if they were alive.
    ‘No,’ Pip agreed, his gaze fixed to the screen, his clear blue eyes clouded suddenly. ‘No, they’re not.’
    ‘They’re like the woman,’ Jude gasped, fear gripping at his chest like strong, icy hands.
    ‘The woman? She looked like that?’ Pip asked, his voice urgent and low.
    Jude nodded. ‘Exactly the same,’ he said breathlessly.
    Pip didn’t say anything; he just kept looking right ahead at the screen.
    ‘Pip?’ Jude turned to him anxiously. ‘What does this mean? What happened to them?’
    ‘A very good question,’ Pip said gravely.
    ‘It’s Pincent Pharma, isn’t it?’ Jude said through gritted teeth. ‘I’m going to upload this on to the Web. Tell the newsfeeds. People have to see this.’
    Pip turned to him, his eyes cloudy, and shook his head. ‘No, Jude. Now is not the time to act. Now is the time to wait.’
    ‘Wait? For what?’ Jude asked incredulously. ‘Stop pushing me away. I can help. We should be broadcasting this. We should be using this to let the world know that Pincent Pharma is corrupt, that it’s killing people! Let me be part of the fight, Pip. Please.’ He looked up hopefully, desperately, his eyes passionate, his fists clenched. And for a moment, he thought Pip was going to say yes; for a moment, Pip looked like he was really considering it.
    But then he felt himself crash down to earth as Pip shook his head. ‘A broadcast isn’t necessary or desirable, Jude. News of this will get out eventually, I assure you.’ He got up