Read Online Hostage by Chris Ryan - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Chris Ryan
Tags: General, Juvenile Nonfiction, Action & Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Environmental Conservation & Protection, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Science & Nature
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around the world, but he keeps his name well out of it.'
'What sort of schemes?' asked Paulo, handing Hex a plate of stew and a thickly buttered oatmeal biscuit.
'Sweatshops in Korea,' mumbled Hex around a mouthful of stew. 'Making clothes. Three women who tried to fight for better working conditions there were found drowned in a river. Sound familiar?'
Alex nodded grimly. 'What else?' he asked.
'There's a chemical factory in Mexico merrily sending all sorts of crud out into the environment but the locals are so scared, they daren't make a fuss. There's a dam-building project in India with rumours of bribery and corruption. There's a—'
'Hang on,' said Amber, sitting up sharply. 'Just re-wind a bit. The company building that dam. Does it have a name?'
Hex looked at his screen. 'Goliath something . . .'
'Enterprise,' finished Amber quietly. 'Goliath Enterprise.'
'How did you know that?' asked Hex.
'My mom and dad were trying to get that project stopped when they were killed. A whole bunch of local protestors died in a coach accident on the same day. We think they had managed to find evidence to prove the corruption rumours that were hanging around the project like a bad smell and they were about to go public when they were all killed. The police investigated Goliath Enterprise, but the so-called company directors were only front men. When the police tried to find the real power behind the company, they just kept coming up against a blank wall.'
Amber swallowed hard and looked around the firelit circle, then back to Hex. 'You know what, Hex?' she said, in a soft, trembling voice. 'I think you just found the guy who killed my parents.'
There was a moment of stunned silence. Hex watched Amber as the tears filled her eyes and spilled over on to her cheeks. His own eyes grew hard and determined, like chips of green ice. 'Right,' he said, picking up his palmtop. 'Let's get him.'
'How do we do that?' asked Paulo.
'We have the evidence,' said Hex, opening up his e-mail facility. 'The underwater camcorder's digital. It has firewire technology, which means I can download the images into my palmtop right now. Then I can send them to anyone, anywhere in the world.' Hex looked up at the others with his fingers poised over the keys. 'All we have to decide is who to e-mail first.'
'The local police,' said Alex. 'They can get out to the mine the fastest.'
'Or Papaluk's employers,' said Paulo. 'They are a multi-national agency. They will know what to do.'
'No-one,' said Amber. 'We tell no-one.' She looked at Li and the two girls shared a glance of total understanding. Amber nodded to Li, who turned to face the three boys. She had hardly spoken since the discovery of Papaluk's body, but her voice was hard and icy clear now.
'This is personal,' she said. 'We go in on our own.'
N INE
'We go in on our own?' repeated Paulo, in astonishment.
'Is there an echo round here?' said Amber, raising her eyebrows at Li.
Alex frowned. 'Listen, I understand how much you two want to get your revenge, but revenge is a bad basis for any operation.'
'It seems a pretty good basis to me,' said Li, staring at Alex with a cold fire in her eyes.
'What I mean is, if you're running on emotions, then you're not using your head. That's when things go wrong.'
'Look, it's not only revenge,' said Li, relenting a little. 'The thing is, once we tell the authorities, everything slows down. Any investigation has to be done officially. And by the time they manage to wade through all the paperwork and legal stuff to get access to the mine, you can be sure there will be absolutely no evidence of cyanide dumping or anything else. But if we go in quick, quiet and secret, then Usher Mining Corporation won't have time to clean up their act first.'
'C'mon, guys,' said Amber. 'This is why Alpha Force was set up! To do the stuff the authorities aren't allowed to do.'
'But we already have evidence!' cried Hex. 'The camcorder footage—'
'—does nothing to
'What sort of schemes?' asked Paulo, handing Hex a plate of stew and a thickly buttered oatmeal biscuit.
'Sweatshops in Korea,' mumbled Hex around a mouthful of stew. 'Making clothes. Three women who tried to fight for better working conditions there were found drowned in a river. Sound familiar?'
Alex nodded grimly. 'What else?' he asked.
'There's a chemical factory in Mexico merrily sending all sorts of crud out into the environment but the locals are so scared, they daren't make a fuss. There's a dam-building project in India with rumours of bribery and corruption. There's a—'
'Hang on,' said Amber, sitting up sharply. 'Just re-wind a bit. The company building that dam. Does it have a name?'
Hex looked at his screen. 'Goliath something . . .'
'Enterprise,' finished Amber quietly. 'Goliath Enterprise.'
'How did you know that?' asked Hex.
'My mom and dad were trying to get that project stopped when they were killed. A whole bunch of local protestors died in a coach accident on the same day. We think they had managed to find evidence to prove the corruption rumours that were hanging around the project like a bad smell and they were about to go public when they were all killed. The police investigated Goliath Enterprise, but the so-called company directors were only front men. When the police tried to find the real power behind the company, they just kept coming up against a blank wall.'
Amber swallowed hard and looked around the firelit circle, then back to Hex. 'You know what, Hex?' she said, in a soft, trembling voice. 'I think you just found the guy who killed my parents.'
There was a moment of stunned silence. Hex watched Amber as the tears filled her eyes and spilled over on to her cheeks. His own eyes grew hard and determined, like chips of green ice. 'Right,' he said, picking up his palmtop. 'Let's get him.'
'How do we do that?' asked Paulo.
'We have the evidence,' said Hex, opening up his e-mail facility. 'The underwater camcorder's digital. It has firewire technology, which means I can download the images into my palmtop right now. Then I can send them to anyone, anywhere in the world.' Hex looked up at the others with his fingers poised over the keys. 'All we have to decide is who to e-mail first.'
'The local police,' said Alex. 'They can get out to the mine the fastest.'
'Or Papaluk's employers,' said Paulo. 'They are a multi-national agency. They will know what to do.'
'No-one,' said Amber. 'We tell no-one.' She looked at Li and the two girls shared a glance of total understanding. Amber nodded to Li, who turned to face the three boys. She had hardly spoken since the discovery of Papaluk's body, but her voice was hard and icy clear now.
'This is personal,' she said. 'We go in on our own.'
N INE
'We go in on our own?' repeated Paulo, in astonishment.
'Is there an echo round here?' said Amber, raising her eyebrows at Li.
Alex frowned. 'Listen, I understand how much you two want to get your revenge, but revenge is a bad basis for any operation.'
'It seems a pretty good basis to me,' said Li, staring at Alex with a cold fire in her eyes.
'What I mean is, if you're running on emotions, then you're not using your head. That's when things go wrong.'
'Look, it's not only revenge,' said Li, relenting a little. 'The thing is, once we tell the authorities, everything slows down. Any investigation has to be done officially. And by the time they manage to wade through all the paperwork and legal stuff to get access to the mine, you can be sure there will be absolutely no evidence of cyanide dumping or anything else. But if we go in quick, quiet and secret, then Usher Mining Corporation won't have time to clean up their act first.'
'C'mon, guys,' said Amber. 'This is why Alpha Force was set up! To do the stuff the authorities aren't allowed to do.'
'But we already have evidence!' cried Hex. 'The camcorder footage—'
'—does nothing to
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