Agent Crew

Learning Spectrum speak

"Hugo Winter isn't a real person."

Clancy looked up at Hitch's blank face, and wondered what was really going on behind his hard eyes. Still, he didn't say anything. Just waited for Hitch to continue.

"It's a code," he finally elaborated. "Spectrum speak for the big boss. The one pulling all the strings. Don't know where it came from really." He shrugged. "Before my time, I guess."

For a second, Clancy didn't know how to proceed, then he grinned. "Before your time?" he repeated. "I didn't know that was possible."

At last, Hitch smiled. He shoved Clancy lightly in the shoulder and joked, "You've been spending too much time with Ruby."

Clancy decided to take this as a compliment.

He was about to try and (gently) coax more information out of Hitch. (Why was he scared of a person who didn't exist?) But as he opened his mouth to ask, he was cut off by three sharp beeps.

Serious once again, Hitch glanced down at his wrist, and swiped at his communicator.

"Blast it," he muttered, almost too low for Clancy to hear. Then he looked back up, meeting Clancy's eyes almost guiltily.

"Something's come up," he said. "I'm needed."

"Can't you just explain what's going on to LB?" asked Clancy. He knew that Spectrum did important stuff, but what could possibly be more important than finding Ruby? Or Mrs Digby, for that matter?

But Hitch was already shaking his head. "No can do," he said, a touch regretfully. "LB's AWOL, and I don't know what to make of her replacement."

Even a few months ago, Hitch would have baulked at sharing so much 'classified' information with Clancy, a civilian. Now though, Clancy got the feeling that Hitch trusted him. With the basic stuff, at least.

"AWOL?" he repeated, trying not to sound to nervous. He didn't like this. "Too many people are just disappearing," he muttered, completing his thoughts out loud.

Hitch nodded uneasily. "Yeah... Still," his voice suddenly took on a note of forced jollity as he clapped a hand on Clancy's shoulder, so hard that Clancy couldn't help but wince. "Don't want to jump to conclusions."

"Yeah," Clancy agreed half-heartedly. He very much wanted to jump to conclusions. And then panic. Lots of panicking. It wasn't that he didn't trust Hitch, but he couldn't help but think that the man had a habit of figuring everything out at the last second. Generally after Ruby had almost been killed.

"I'll call if I hear anything, okay?" said Hitch, as he made to leave. Clancy stood up with him, and followed him out into the hallway as Hitch opened the door.

A cold gust of air made Clancy's arms prickle, as Hitch paused half-way out the door.

"Don't do anything stupid," he warned, eyes stern as he looked Clancy up and down.

"Nothing stupid," squeaked Clancy. "Got it."

Seemingly satisfied, Hitch shut the door. Warmth rushed back into Clancy's arms, but the silence still made him feel like shivering.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard the Redfort's house so silent.

Which was why he wasn't entirely sure he didn't imagine the sound that came to his ears next. A scraping. Coming from the kitchen.

He strained his ears, and the sound was still there.

"Okay," Clancy muttered to himself. He jigged his arms up and down as he edged back towards the kitchen. "Be brave. Don't be stupid."

With this in mind, he flung the kitchen door open. And blinked.

A wet nose was pushed up against the window behind the kitchen counter. A wet nose attacked to the wet body of -

"Bug?" Clancy exclaimed. After a second longer of absorbing the shock, Clancy scrambled to open the back door. He peeked into the Redfort's back yard and whistled.

Bug came bounding past him a second later, and Clancy shut the door.

"How did you get out there?" Clancy asked, staring at the dog now dripping onto the tiled floor.

Bug tilted his head to the side, almost as if to say that he would answer if he could. Clancy sighed.

"I don't suppose you know where Ruby and Mrs Digby are?" Clancy asked. He felt a little silly talking to a dog, but there was something about Bug's eyes that made you believe he was capable of almost anything. And he had helped Clancy out before.

But Bug stayed in the centre of the kitchen, slowly dripping water, his head tilted slightly to the side as he contemplated Clancy.

"Oh brother," muttered Clancy, almost collapsing into one of the stools by the kitchen island. Hitch was busy, and his only other companion was a dog. A wet dog.

He was about to slump his head into the table for good measure, when something caught his eye. He stood back up.

Bug's collar was bulging slightly on the right side. The opposite side to the buckle, meaning that couldn't be causing it.

Clancy walked over to the dog and knelt down. He pushed his fingers into Bug's thick, grey fur, wincing slightly as his fingers were soaked.

Bug twitched a little, but otherwise stayed still. Clancy got the odd impression that he was being humoured.

By a dog.

This thought was knocked from his mind, however, when his fingers brushed against something hard. There was a clatter, as whatever he had dislodged rolled to the floor.

Clancy looked down to see a small, silver capsule, cylindrical in shape. It rattled to a stop next to his left shoe, and with inexplicably shaky hands, Clancy picked it up.

He ran his fingers down the smooth metal until they came to a groove, a gap. He twisted, and the top of the capsule came off in his hand, revealing a tightly rolled piece of paper.

As he dropped the lid in order to tip the paper out into his palm, Bug seemed to finally show an interest. He sniffed at the lid, before turning large eyes to the roll of paper now in Clancy's hand.

Fingers still shaking, Clancy unrolled the paper. The message written on the inside was in a spiky handwriting he thought he recognised.

It took him a moment before he realised. He'd seen this writing on a million lists, pinned up in this very kitchen. The handwriting was Mrs Digby's.

Really excited now (and, yes, really nervous), Clancy began to read.

I don't know who is reading this, but I told Bug to hang onto it until needed. I hope he understood. I'm heading out now, and hopefully I'll have everything straightened up in time for breakfast. If not, Penny Books may be a good place to start. Ask for the Hugo Winters. And make sure you read the contents page. Mrs D

So, Mrs Digby knew about Hugo Winter too. And she had gone out to sort things? Sort what?

Clancy felt his chest constrict as he realised that she hadn't come back. That she really was in trouble. No need to jump to conclusions any more.

He glanced back at the note, and in spite of is fear, he felt his curiosity burn. Who was Hugo Winter, really? A code, or something more sinister?

Bug watched calmly as Clancy wrestled with his conscience.

He could wait for Hitch. They could investigate this lead together. Clancy looked up into Bug's calm, blue eyes.

Or he could nip out, just quickly. Take Bug for a walk to the bookshop...

Taking a guard with him wasn't stupid, was it? It showed caution.

"Just a quick trip to the bookshop," Clancy muttered to Bug. Then, to himself, "Be brave. Don't be stupid."

Bug looked up at Clancy with his big eyes, and Clancy wondered if he was thinking of Ruby too.