Agent 21: Codebreaker: Book 3 by Chris Ryan Page B

into those too when they’re operational.’ He pinched the area between his eyes. ‘But it’s a big hospital,’ he said. ‘If we don’t get it evacuated in time . . .’ His voice trailed off.
    ‘We should help with the evacuation,’ Gabs said.
    Michael and Raf nodded. ‘Zak,’ Raf said. ‘Stay here.’
    ‘I want to come. I can help.’
    Gabs shook her head. ‘No way, sweetie,’ she said. She reached out and brushed his cheek with the back of her hand. ‘You’ve done enough. Now you need to stay safe.’
    ‘But—’
    ‘It’s an order,’ Michael said abruptly. ‘We don’t have time to argue.’ He looked at the other two. ‘Let’s go,’ he said.
    Seconds later, Zak was alone apart from the surveillance operator.
    He paced the inside of the van impatiently. He felt useless, stuck there in the middle of it all and yet unable to do a thing.
    ‘If you’re going to pace, pace outside,’ said the surveillance guy. Zak cast him a black look, but the man wasn’t paying any attention to him – he had eyes only for his screens. The noises outside continued to blare. Zak had heard the chopper rise off the ground, but it sounded like it was still circling above the hospital and he looked outside to check. There it was – a great black beast keeping watch over this chaotic scene.
    The bomb-disposal guys were now heading into the hospital. The sniffer dogs were behind them, pulling frantically at their leads. They showed no sign of fear – the dogs were clearly well trained to deal with situations like this – and when their handlers let them go, they scampered into the entrance. The hospital staff were still wheeling out the beds of sick children. Zak looked around. To his west, the River Thames with the Houses of Parliament on the other side. Closer at hand, paramedics tending to the terrified young patients, and armed troops barking at members of the public to stay back.
    Was the bomber watching, Zak wondered? Was he waiting for the moment to strike that would cause the most harm?
    One of the soldiers caught his eye and gave him a confused look. Zak had no ID, nothing to say he was permitted inside the cordon, so he quickly stepped back into the van. Out of sight, out of mind. He hoped.
    He looked at the screens. The images of the hospital’s interior were sinister – being silent, they gave no soundtrack to the chaos within. Zak had a bizarre recollection of watching Big Brother on TV. While the contestants had been sleeping, the cameras had shown silent, empty corridors. The CCTV in the upper levels of the hospital looked similar, but every few seconds the screen was filled with a moving bed and drip stand or, on one occasion, a nurse carrying a small bundle that could only be a sick baby. Zak could barely watch. He turned his attention to one of the other screens.
    ‘Dog’s going crazy,’ the surveillance guy said. He was right. One of the German Shepherds looked as though he was chasing his tail. ‘Happens sometimes. They get spooked. They’re trained to give certain signals if they find something, but that one’s a waste of space. Dogs’ home for him. What you doing here anyway, son?’
    ‘Just along for the ride,’ Zak breathed. He couldn’t take his eyes off the German Shepherd. Something wasn’t quite right. ‘Where’s that dog?’
    ‘Ground floor,’ said the surveillance guy. ‘Corridor on the north side.’
    ‘Can you zoom in on it?’
    ‘What is this? Pets’ corner?’
    ‘ Can you?’
    The surveillance guy gave him a slightly confused look, then shrugged and turned a dial on the VT equipment in front of him. The CCTV camera focused in on the German Shepherd. Zak peered more closely at it. Even in this grainy image he could see that the dog’s eyes were bright, its ears sharp. It stopped suddenly, and although Zak couldn’t hear it, he could see the dog bark as its handler surveyed the area, clearly looking for a place where a bomb could be hidden. But it was just an