S.T.I.N.K.B.O.M.B. (30 page)

As he left, Harvey Newman made a point of accidentally swinging his rucksack into the back of Archie’s head.

‘Oops! Sorry, Buzz,’ he laughed.

‘Seeya, Hardly,’ Archie mumbled, straightening his glasses. He went out into the corridor and jogged to catch up with Barney. Waiting until everyone else had pushed past them and
they were alone, he whispered, ‘I thought we weren’t ever supposed to mention anything about our mission – especially not the names of anyone involved.’

‘I know,’ Barney replied coolly. ‘That was just a little anti-intelligence psychology back there.’

‘Oh right,’ Archie smirked. ‘Because it sort of looked like you accidentally blurted out a load of details from a top-secret assignment?’

‘That’s exactly how it was
meant
to appear,’ Barney said mysteriously, adding through the corner of his mouth, ‘but I think it’s safe to say we threw them
off our scent.’

‘Oh, I agree,’ Archie smiled. ‘I don’t think anyone even smells a rat – let alone a STINKBOMB.’

Name:
 
Archie Hunt

S.T.I.N.K.B.O.M.B. codename:
 Agent Yankee

Age:
 12

Appearance:
 Brown messy hair, glasses

Hobbies:
 Flying, reading, swimming

Favourite food:
 Pizza, milkshake

Personality:
 Clever, single-minded and loyal. Becomes competitive when his ability is challenged or doubted.

Special skills:
 Talented (secret) pilot, capable of flying Dragonfly jet aircraft in challenging circumstances.

Most likely to say:
 ‘I’m not exactly one of the in-crowd. I don’t play football and I have a slightly nerdy obsession with aeroplanes.’

Name: Barney Jones

S.T.I.N.K.B.O.M.B. codename:
 Agent Zulu

Age:
 12

Appearance:
 Blue eyes, blond curls, stocky (i.e. tubby) build

Hobbies:
 Reading (anything to do with spies), watching TV (anything to do with spies) and going to the cinema (anything to do with spies)

Favourite food:
 Cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, sausages, pizza (all with chips, please), ice-cream, sponge and custard, Banoffee pie, trifle, Mars, Twix, Bounty,
Snickers, Maltesers, Monster Munch

Personality:
 Energetic and enthusiastic. Has the potential to become overexcited in the field.

Special skills:
 In-depth knowledge of spy fiction (see Hobbies), which may provide on-the-money intel on Odious Masterminds’ secret lairs. Must try and limit his
use of spy jargon to occasions when he actually understands what he is saying.

Most likely to say:
 ‘All units, we have a code yellow – the badger has entered the stingray’s cave.’

‘Are you going to finish those chips?’

Name: Gemma Croft

S.T.I.N.K.B.O.M.B. codename:
 Agent X-ray

Age:
 14

Appearance:
 Blue eyes, often rolled, straight dark hair with asymmetric fringe

Hobbies:
 Shopping, Facebooking, listening to music, reading (esp. Twilight novels)

Favourite food:
 Tuna salad

Personality:
 A sullen and often cynical facade masks a strong team ethic and motivation. Is naturally suspicious of strangers/newcomers, who will have to work hard to
earn her respect.

Special skills:
 Mathematically gifted. Exceptional knowledge of computer technology – able to gain access to any website or mainframe.

Typical quotes:
 ‘Keep your voice down, motormouth.’

‘Whatever.’

Name: Helen Highwater

S.T.I.N.K.B.O.M.B. codename:
 I.C. (Initiative Commander)

Age:
 Claims to be 49 (official records show her to be 53).

Appearance:
 Brunette, angular bob. Grey, cold eyes.

Interests:
 Theatre, Renaissance art, the symphonies of Beethoven and Brahms. (NB Although she claims to detest the insipid emptiness of pop music, colleagues report
that she is often overheard singing the songs of Westlife and JLS to herself.)

Favourite food:
 Indonesian-French fusion