Read Target Silverclaw for Free Online Page A

them faster at ground level?”
    “Checking current traffic conditions… Negative, a direct route at altitude will be quickest. Heavy traffic means the car is travelling slowly, and should continue to do so for approximately fourteen minutes. If you can carry me and fly at your maximum speed, and Widow matches it, we will make visual contact with the vehicle in eleven minutes, twenty seconds.”
    “Logged,” came the reply from both Hercules and Widow.
    Widow fired a micro-thin web-line at a nearby office block and zipped along it at high speed. Hercules increased power to his motor circuits, tilted his wings forward slightly and shot off in a straight line, heading north-west.

    “All this data is heating up my central processors,” said Morph. “Switching the laptop’s internal fan on.”
    The centipede’s gelatinous body was squashed to a thickness of only 0.9 millimetres. He was squeezed inside Sir Godfrey Kite’s computer, below the hard drive and the motherboard. Tiny probes ran from between his antennae to the components around him. The computer’s fan whirred into life, sending cooling air currents all around Morph.
    “That’s better,” said Morph. “Processing Ministry of Defence records … personal calendar and scheduling information … personnel data… Using mainframe at SWARM HQ for additional cross-referencing…”
    “What have you come up with?” asked Chopper, who was currently concealed behind a ceiling light inside Number 10 Downing Street.
    “To begin with,” said Morph, “there’s a small discrepancy in the logs covering personnel movements last night. Sir Godfrey Kite is listed as entering this building twice yesterday, but leaving only once. Normally, we could dismissthat as simple human error, but under the circumstances, it’s almost certainly significant. It may indicate that Sir Godfrey was replaced less than twelve hours before we detected his android duplicate.”
    “That’s good news,” said Chopper. “See if you can establish his movements and actions since then.”
    “Logged.”
    Suddenly, Sirena signalled from the House of Commons. “Two more androids detected!”
    “Location?” said Chopper.
    “They’ve just entered the Ministry of Defence.”
    “Morph, can you ID them?”
    “Checking…” said Morph. “Yes, computer logs and security cameras show them both to be officials working for Sir Godfrey Kite. One of them is his personal secretary, Colin Havelock. The other is Miranda Knowles, in charge of the ministry’s budget.”
    “Hive 1 to SWARM HQ,” said Chopper.
    Queen Bee was online immediately and Chopper brought her up to date.
    “So now we know that six people with regularaccess to government buildings have been replaced by androids,” said Queen Bee. “And we don’t know of any unusual or criminal actions they’ve carried out so far?”
    “Negative,” said Chopper. “Morph is analyzing the Ministry of Defence’s confidential files now.”
    “The androids appear to be waiting,” said Queen Bee thoughtfully.
    “For the World Leaders’ Security Conference?” said Chopper.
    “Yes,” said Queen Bee. “Simon and Professor Miller have been checking the robotics angle. If the people behind the androids are getting scientific help, they’re not getting it from any of the world’s leading researchers. The professor says there have been nine notable experts across the globe capable of producing these androids in the past five years. Right now, seven are safely accounted for, one has been unwell for many months and one died a couple of years ago. It looks like the androids’ controllers are better technicians than we thought. Keep me informed. Queen Bee out.”
    There was a beep on the network.
    “Morph,” said Chopper. “Anything more yet?”
    “I may not be as fast as Nero at data processing,” said Morph, “but I think I’ve isolated exactly the information we’re looking for. I’ve found several suspicious consignments of