Ark Angel

demanded.
    Alex came to a halt—he had no choice—and he felt Steel Watch bump into him. There was no longer any distance between them.
    “I said—what’s your problem?”
    Alex said nothing. He had been instructed not to talk. Instead he twisted his face into a sneer of amusement, mocking the man who stood in front of him.
    It worked. The supporter swore at him and lashed out with his right fist. Alex ducked. The fist flew past his head and slammed into the throat of Steel Watch, who had been standing right behind him. The gun went off. The bullet hit the Stratford East supporter in the arm, spinning him round. Panic erupted. Suddenly everyone was screaming and running, aware that somebody had been shot but not knowing who had fired.
    The two policemen charged in through the gates. Behind them a third policeman appeared on horseback.
    The horse whinnied and began to push through the scattering crowd.
    The Stratford East supporter was sitting on the ground, clasping his injured arm. Alex felt sorry for him, but he wasn’t going to hang around. The instant the gun had been fired, he had darted away, diving into the crowd, weaving left and right, hoping Steel Watch wouldn’t have a chance to shoot again.
    He had timed it perfectly. Steel Watch didn’t dare try another shot. There were already too many people between him and Alex. And he couldn’t bring out the gun without drawing attention to himself. There were police everywhere. There was nothing more he could do.

    Alex ran on, past the Chelsea shop and on towards the entrance where the car had dropped him before the match. Tamara Knight was standing there. She was looking alarmed, and Alex wondered if she had heard the shot. Then he realized she was staring at him. She could tell from his face that something was wrong.
    “Alex? What is it?” she demanded.
    “Get help!” he exclaimed. “Call the police. Whatever.” He took a deep breath. “You’ve got to send someone to the changing rooms. Adam Wright. I think he’s in trouble.”
    “What? What are you talking about?”
    “Force Three.” It was too complicated to explain. Drevin’s personal assistant was looking at him as if he were deranged. Where was he meant to begin? “Just trust me,” he begged. “You need to get security over to the changing rooms. Please! Believe me…”
    Tamara gazed at him for a few more seconds, summing him up. She didn’t look as if she believed him. But then she nodded. “All right, then. There’s a steward inside.” She turned and hurried back into the west stand.

    But it was already too late.
    The three men had left the changing room. Adam Wright was on his own. He fingered the new medallion they had given him. He had more than a dozen of them—in gold and platinum. He’d always liked medallions, even when he was a boy growing up in Essex. He thought they suited him.
    It was strange, though. Receiving a gift after a game like that. Adam Wright thought about the missed penalty as he went over to the showers. However you looked at it, he wasn’t having a good season. Maybe it was time to think about another transfer. He had to be careful. If his game began to slip, he might lose some of his advertising and sponsorship deals. And if that happened, how would he pay for his next Ferrari?
    He dropped his towel. Glimpsing himself in a mirror, he smiled. He had a perfect body and he liked the way the new medallion lay against his chest. He was looking forward to showing it to Cayenne.
    He turned the shower on full. Hot water blasted down. He stepped into the spray and water battered his neck and shoulders. He turned round.
    The men who had given Adam Wright the medallion had told him that it was made of caesium. What they hadn’t told him was that caesium is an alkali metal found in group one of the periodic table. It does not occur naturally. It has only one electron in its outer shell. And, like all alkali metals, it reacts extremely violently when exposed to water. The medallion had been given a coating of wax to protect it from the atmosphere, but the wax was now melting in the shower.
    Adam Wright knew there was something wrong when he felt an intense burning. For a moment, he thought the water was too hot. Then he looked down and, to his astonishment, he saw a brilliant flame bursting out in front of him. He opened his mouth to scream, and at that moment the caesium medallion exploded. The scream died in his throat. With the water rushing down, he fell