The investigating officers had previously arrested Oliver for a number of minor crimes and picked him up when truanting from school. Knowing that Oliver was smart and had a tendency to invent elaborate lies, the officers logged his offer and followed procedure by forwarding it to MI5. However, nobody took the eleven-year-old’s claim seriously.

Oliver’s fourteen-year-old accomplice received a four-year sentence for the arson attack. Since Oliver was barely old enough to face criminal charges, he was sent for a detailed psychiatric evaluation, after which he was ordered to stay at a secure confinement facility. This would enable him to stay in his local area and carry on going to school, but ensure that he was closely monitored and subject to a strict curfew outside of school hours.

After four months of relatively good behaviour, Oliver has recently had his curfew and most other secure confinement conditions suspended.

THE ARREST

In July 2016, police arrested fifteen- and seventeen-year-old brothers in the Sandy Green area, acting on intelligence from MI5. The boys were linked to a series of armed petrol station robberies, the money from which was donated to a radical Islamic group.

When the teenagers’ bedrooms were searched, evidence was found that the boys had begun saving up to run away to North Africa and receive military training from a radical Islamic terror group. The boys are currently being held in custody, awaiting trial for the robberies.

When they were brought in for arrest, one officer on duty remembered that the younger boy had been caught truanting with Oliver Lakshmi the previous summer. This suggests the possibility that Oliver really might have some kind of information on radical Islamic groups.

MISSION PLAN

Daniel and Leon Sharma will move into the privately run Nurtrust Care Residence (NCR) in the Sandy Green area, with James Adams as mission controller. The twins’ role is to befriend Oliver Lakshmi and ascertain whether he has knowledge of Islamic terror groups, while simultaneously monitoring his behaviour to see if he will make a decent CHERUB recruit.

If information on radical Islamic groups is unearthed, an assessment will be made on whether to try and infiltrate the group, or to pass information on to the intelligence service and withdraw.

NOTE: ON THE 4TH DAY OF AUGUST 2016 THIS MISSION PLAN WAS PASSED UNANIMOUSLY BY THE CHERUB ETHICS COMMITTEE, ON CONDITION THAT ALL AGENTS UNDERSTAND THE FOLLOWING:

This mission has been classified MEDIUM RISK. All agents are reminded of their right to refuse to undertake this mission and to withdraw from it at any time.

9. ARRIVAL

James wanted to bring his motorbike, so he bent the under-age agents should only drive if they have to rule and let Leon and Daniel take a Focus ST with blacked-out windows from campus to Sandy Green.

James had rented a small flat above a Morrisons Local and had already been downstairs, sworn at the self-checkouts and made a brew by the time the twins tramped upstairs carrying some of his luggage.