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  Award-winning books from Sophie McKenzie

  GIRL, MISSING

  Winner Richard and Judy Best Kids’ Books 2007 12+

  Winner of the Red House Children’s Book Award 2007 12+

  Winner of the Manchester Children’s Book Award 2008

  Winner of the Bolton Children’s Book Award

  Winner of the Grampian Children’s Book Award 2008

  Winner of the John Lewis Solihull Book Award 2008

  Winner of the Lewisham Children’s Book Award

  Winner of the 2008 Sakura Medal

  SIX STEPS TO A GIRL

  Winner of the Manchester Children’s Book Award 2009

  BLOOD TIES

  Overall winner of the Red House Children’s Book Award 2009

  Winner of the Leeds Book Award 2009 age 11–14 category

  Winner of the Spellbinding Award 2009

  Winner of the Lancashire Children’s Book Award 2009

  Winner of the Portsmouth Book Award 2009 (Longer Novel section)

  Winner of the Staffordshire Children’s Book Award 2009

  Winner of the Southern Schools Book Award 2010

  Winner of the RED Book Award 2010

  Winner of the Warwickshire Secondary Book Award 2010

  Winner of the Grampian Children’s Book Award 2010

  Winner of the North East Teenage Book Award 2010

  THE MEDUSA PROJECT: THE SET-UP

  Winner of the Portsmouth Book Award 2010

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: With thanks to Lou and Lily Kuenzler

  First published in Great Britain in 2011 by Simon and Schuster UK Ltd,

  A CBS COMPANY

  Copyright © 2011 Sophie McKenzie

  This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.

  No reproduction without permission.

  All rights reserved.

  The right of Sophie McKenzie to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988.

  Simon & Schuster UK Ltd

  1st Floor, 222 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8HB

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book

  is available from the British Library.

  ISBN: 978-1-84738-528-4

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-84738-893-3

  Typeset by Hewer Text UK Ltd, Edinburgh

  Printed in the UK by CPI Cox & Wyman, Reading RGI 8EX

  www.simonandschuster.co.uk

  www.sophiemckenziebooks.com

  www.themedusaproject.co.uk

  To Dana

  ‘Synthetic life has been created in the laboratory in a feat of ingenuity that pushes the boundaries of humanity’s ability to manipulate the natural world.

  Craig Venter, the biologist who led the effort to map the human genome, said yesterday that the first cell controlled entirely by man-made genetic instructions had been produced.’

  The Times, 21st May 2010

  Fourteen years ago, scientist William Fox implanted four babies with the Medusa gene – a gene for psychic abilities. Now dead, his experiment left a legacy: four teenagers – Nico, Ketty, Ed and William’s own daughter, Dylan – who have each developed their own distinct and special skill.

  Brought together by government agent, Geri Paterson, the four make up the Medusa Project – a secret, government-funded, crime-fighting force.

  After a disastrous spell in a training camp in Spain, the four have returned home to England with a changed understanding about their work and a new agenda . . .

  1: Out of the woods

  According to Ed’s map-reading, we were over halfway through the woods and had almost reached our destination. But Ed was insisting we waited.

  ‘We can sooo make it to the rendezvous in two minutes,’ I whispered. ‘Three max. And there’s no one here. Nothing. Listen.’

  Ed folded his arms and listened. It had been raining for most of the hour it had taken us to reach this point, but the pattering drops had stopped now and the forest was totally silent.

  I shivered in the cold, damp air.

  ‘Hear that?’ I said. ‘Nothing.’

  ‘We have to wait,’ Ed whispered.

  ‘Why?’ I snapped. ‘There are no sounds. No movements. There’s no one here. We’re safe to move on.’

  ‘Nico says to wait,’ Ed said stubbornly. ‘He says it’s not safe.’

  I rolled my eyes. Ed was such a doofus.

  ‘Why should Nico know any better than me?’ I argued.

  Ed rubbed his forehead. His sandy hair stuck up in damp tufts, still wet from the earlier rain. ‘Come on, Dylan,’ he pleaded. ‘That’s the mission.’

  I sighed and leaned back against the nearest tree. Technically, Ed was right. The four of us were on a Medusa mission to find and capture a fugitive hiding out in a hut in the woods.

  Nico and Ketty were about half a mile to the west of us. We’d spread out in order to make less noise – and to be able to monitor more of the forest as we travelled.

  We each had a job to do. Ketty’s role was to bring on visions of the near future so we could avoid any potential dangers. She was trying to stay open to her visions the whole time, so Nico was letting Ed mind-read him remotely and passing on what she saw.

  It was all kind of a stretch, in my opinion. Ed wasn’t very experienced at remote telepathy while Ketty’s supposed ability to see into the future was ludicrously unreliable.

  ‘Look, Chino Boy,’ I said. ‘Ketty can barely control that freaky mind thing she does. It’s real flaky. Half the time she can’t see anything at all.’

  ‘She’s got a lot more in control of it since Africa,’ Ed hissed.

  I groaned. Ed was totally unreasonable where Ketty was concerned. Nico was the one actually dating her, but Ed so had feelings for her.

  It was written all over his face.

  ‘Well, whatever Ketty’s seeing right now, we can’t be sure that it’s accurate,’ I argued.

  Ed folded his arms. ‘I’ll contact them again,’ he said. ‘See if there’s any development. Okay?’

  He turned slightly away from me and focused into the middle distance, trying to reach Nico through remote telepathy.

  I shook my head. A few weeks ago I’d have had no problem persuading Ed to do what I wanted. Back when I met him, he was shy and gawky and hated his mind-reading abilities. Since then he’d had some real bad experiences. Most recently, we’d run up against this dictator guy in North Africa. Ed had tried to stand up to him and a girl he liked ended up being shot. All that would have been bad enough, but Ed expected the head of Medusa – Geri Paterson – to go after the man who’d killed the girl. Geri had refused, saying small stuff like that wasn’t the government’s priority.

  Anyway, Ed got all worked up about it. And now he’s insisting we pick our own missions.

  Whatever. Who cares where we go or what we do? I love my ability – and any chance to use it.

  Ed blinked, his connection with Nico presumably ending.

  ‘What did Nico say?’ I asked.

  Ed took a few deep breaths.

  ‘Jesus, Ed,’ I snapped. ‘I’ve known continents move faster than you.’

  ‘Ketty and Nico both say to carry on waiting,’ Ed insisted.

  ‘But we’ve already waited for hours.’

  At that moment it started raining. Ed shuffled sideways, under the shelter of the nearest tree. I didn’t need to take shelter, of course. My Medusa ability means I can create a protective force field around myself whenever I want. It’s like an energy around my skin.
Great for stopping glass from cutting me and sticks from beating me – but also awesome for keeping my hair sleek and my make-up from running when it’s raining.

  Go ahead. Say I’m superficial. I couldn’t care less.

  ‘Did you at least find out what the danger is? Why we’re supposed to wait?’ I said.

  Ed shrugged.

  ‘So Nico and Ketty don’t know.’ I sighed. ‘Don’t you think they’re being overcautious?’

  Ed looked me in the eye. It kind of freaks me out when he does that. I mean, I’m not use to it. He didn’t used to be able to make eye contact without mind-reading the person he was looking at, but now he’s got all Mr Control about everything.

  ‘No,’ he said. ‘They’re not being overcautious.’

  As he spoke, the rain grew heavier. I was having to focus hard now to stop my hair and clothes from getting wet. It struck me that if we were attacked and I had to concentrate on something other than my hair, it was going to get soaked.

  The thought just about tipped me over the edge.

  ‘Well, I’m not freakin’ waiting any longer,’ I snapped. ‘The weather is totally gross and I can see the path up to the hut. There’s nobody hiding in the trees. We’d be able to see and hear them – and there are way too many bushes and trees further out for any snipers to catch us.’

  ‘I don’t—’

  ‘Oh, do what you want,’ I snarled. ‘I’m going.’ And, without waiting for a response, I jogged off.

  It was good to be running after standing still in the damp air for so long. I was still focusing on keeping the rain off me. I was aware of my ponytail flapping from side to side. I trod lightly along the earth path, my sneakers making hardly any sound. I kept my ears open in case there was – after all – an ambush, but as I’d expected, nothing was hiding out here.

  Ed crashed up beside me.

  ‘This is all wrong, Dylan,’ he said, his voice tense. ‘You’re supposed to be protecting me. Not running off.’

  ‘It’s fine,’ I said. ‘You’re okay, aren’t you?’

  ‘Yes, but—’

  I pointed up ahead. There was the hut. We had less than thirty metres to go until we reached it – and safety.

  ‘Let’s get inside, then you can contact the others and tell them to join us,’ I said.

  I sped up, leaving Ed muttering behind me. We were almost there. Looking around carefully, I stepped off the path, my feet crunching softly across the damp twigs. Still no sign of anyone or anything among the trees. I waited for Ed. He panted up beside me, looking cross.

  At that moment the rain stopped. Grateful for the opportunity to relax my guard, I let go of the force field surrounding my hair.

  Crash. With a thump, a man in a ski mask dropped out of the tree immediately ahead. He fired as he fell.

  Bang.

  I looked down, shocked, at the red stain on my front.

  As I looked up, the man pointed his weapon at Ed and fired again.

  ‘Bang,’ he said. ‘You’re dead.’

  2: Accusations

  The man grinned, then raised his radio to his lips. ‘Mamba and Sidewinder are down, ma’am.’

  Ed glared at me. I groaned, running my finger across the red paint that now splattered my chest. From the hut up ahead, Geri Paterson emerged.

  Her thin lips were pursed tightly together.

  The training mission had failed. Big-style.

  And they were all going to blame me.

  I turned on my heel and walked away.

  ‘Dylan!’ Geri shouted. ‘Come back!’

  I kept walking.

  Next second the guy with the ski mask and the paint gun thundered up behind me and grabbed my arm, pulling me round. I considered resisting – using my force field to repel him – but what was the point?

  ‘Come on, Dylan, I got you fair and square.’ The guy tugged off his ski mask. It was Jez, our muscle-bound trainer, his face flushed with triumph. ‘The least you can do is face the music.’

  Whatever.

  I let Jez lead me over to the hut. Ed was standing outside with Geri Paterson.

  Neither of them were smiling.

  ‘This is simply not good enough, is it, Dylan?’ Geri said. Despite the fact that we were outside in a forest, Geri was still dressed like she was about to speak at a conference – in a dark blue Prada suit and heels. At least the woman had style, albeit a middle-aged version. She frowned, eyebrows raised, waiting for me to reply. ‘Well? What do you have to say for yourself?’

  ‘Everyone wanted to wait to approach the hut,’ I said. ‘But that was all based on one of Ketty’s visions and we all know how unreliable they are.’

  ‘So you thought you’d take matters into your own hands?’ Geri shook her head and the pointy ends of her blonde bob jabbed at her chin.

  I shrugged.

  ‘I don’t know why you’re surprised.’ Nico appeared through a gap in the trees, Ketty at his side. ‘Dylan always thinks she knows best.’

  I rolled my eyes. ‘And you don’t, I suppose?’

  ‘But I saw Jez leaping out of that tree in my vision,’ Ketty blurted out. ‘Ed knew I had. I wanted you to wait until Nico and I got there. Nico could have dealt with him while we got Ed to the hut.’

  I turned to Ed. ‘Why didn’t you say any of that? You made Ketty’s vision sound real vague.’

  ‘You need to trust us,’ Ed said simply.

  There was a pause. A soft rain began pattering gently on the ground.

  I looked down. Truth is I have a bit of an issue with trust. Only idiots trust each other.

  Why didn’t anyone else understand that?

  Geri cleared her throat. ‘Ed, I don’t think withholding information from a team member is the best way to build trust.’

  I shot a grateful look at her. I’ve always got along better with Geri than the others have. She’s hard-edged, for sure – and hugely ambitious. But at least she understands how the real world works.

  ‘Don’t blame Ed for this,’ Nico snapped. ‘It’s not his fault if Dylan’s a complete princess.’

  I squared up to him. Nico’s tall – and extremely good-looking, with dark hair and eyes and smooth, olive skin. But none of that intimidates me.

  ‘What did you call me?’

  ‘A princess,’ Nico said, ‘with a selfish psychic ability and an arrogant attitude that stops you from trusting anyone el—’

  ‘I do trust you,’ I snapped back. ‘I trust you and your girlfriend to make stupid decisions and give stupid advice.’

  ‘Dylan,’ Ed said plaintively. ‘That’s not fair.’

  ‘How dare you speak to us like that?’ Nico said through gritted teeth. He seethed with fury. ‘You’ve got no right to diss what we do. You’re supposed to be in this team with us.’

  Ketty put a restraining hand on his arm.

  For some reason that gesture made me angrier than everything else put together.

  ‘In this team with you? Don’t make me laugh!’ I shouted. ‘I own this team. It was my dad who created the Medusa gene . . . remember? Who put it inside you . . . and he died a hero protecting—’

  ‘He died in an accident!’ Nico shouted back. ‘You’re just the same as the rest of us.’

  I glared at him, a terrible wave of misery rising inside me at this angry reference to my dad’s death.

  I forced the tears back. No way was I showing Nico he’d upset me.

  ‘That’s enough, both of you,’ Geri said firmly. ‘At least I hope this experience has proved to you all you’re in no way ready to be choosing your own missions. I mean, it’s obvious you’re not yet able to work as a team.’

  ‘Why don’t we just leave Dylan out of our next mission?’ Ketty said.

  ‘Fine with me,’ Nico added.

  They looked at Ed.

  ‘My point is that you shouldn’t be acting independently at all,’ Geri went on. ‘Surely you can all see that?’

  Ed coughed. ‘Actually, I don’t,’ he said. ‘And w
hile I agree that Dylan’s a bit of a loose cannon . . .’ He turned to Nico and Ketty. ‘We’ll need her for the mission I’ve found.’

  I sniffed. ‘Do I get a say in this?’

  Ed looked at me.

  Whoosh.

  In an instant he was inside my head.

  He’s done that a couple of times before, but I’ll never get used to it. You can feel his presence, even when he’s not pushing to find anything out.

  Right now he was darting in and out of my thoughts, preventing me from moving. Panicking, my thoughts shrieked out: What the hell are you doing? Get out!

  Ed carried out zooming around my head. I couldn’t tell what he was seeing . . . somehow he was blocking me from knowing what he was looking at.

  Stop!

  With another whoosh he was gone.

  I turned on him, furious. ‘What was that for?’

  ‘I just wanted to know something,’ Ed said.

  ‘What?’

  ‘It doesn’t matter.’ Ed looked around at the others. ‘So you’re definitely up for the mission?’

  Nico and Ketty nodded.

  Something shrank inside me. He’d already talked to them about it. They already knew what the mission involved.

  And nobody had said anything to me.

  ‘I’ve told you several times already, Ed,’ Geri insisted. ‘The mission isn’t safe. And your performance today confirms that you can’t be relied on to work independently. I don’t want the four of you to do it.’

  Great. Even Geri knew about the mission.

  ‘What about her?’ Ketty said, ignoring Geri and pointing at me.

  ‘Yeah, do we really have to bring her along?’ Nico snarled.

  ‘I’m afraid we can’t do the mission without her,’ Ed said. ‘If she’ll come, that is?’ He smiled. ‘You will come, won’t you, Dylan?’

  All three of them looked at me expectantly.

  I gazed at each of them in turn.

  I guess if I was a different person I would have found it easy to smile and say I’d be glad to join them . . . that I was pleased to be needed and included . . .

  But that’s not my way.

  ‘Sure I’ll come,’ I said, narrowing my eyes. ‘The three of you wouldn’t last five minutes without me.’