Sample Translation of "SPY" by bestselling Thriller author Arno Strobel (Middle Grade, 12+) by Loewe Verlag

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 (ENTRANCE EXAM)

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It was on a Sunday a few days before his thirteenth birthday that Dominic’s life was

turned upside down. He was on his way to the climbing wall, and as he wandered along

Adamstrasse in Berlin’s Spandau district, he decided that today he’d have a go at the red

route. He’d never tried it before: it was twelve metres long, the second-hardest route on

the wall. For pros only.

…

9 10

He was just thinking about how he was going to deal with the overhang in the top third

of the route when a boy came pushing past him. He was dark-haired, and looked to be

about fourteen years old. He was walking briskly towards a girl with long blonde hair

who was sitting at a bus stop typing something on her phone.

Without realising, Dominic stopped in his tracks and watched the scene that was

unfolding before him. It had a strange clarity, like in a film where the most dramatic bit

happens in slow motion. The boy was already lifting his arm while he was still two steps

away from the girl. Then he took another step. His fingers opened, and a moment later

they closed around the smartphone and wrenched it out of the girl’s grasp. The girl’s

eyes widened in shock and she opened her mouth to yell, but the mugger had already

turned and was sprinting away.

Dominic was already some way along the road before he registered that he was chasing

after the mugger, who had a head start of about twenty metres and soon disappeared

around the corner into a side street. As Dominic willed his legs to work just a little bit

faster, he wondered what the hell he was doing. What if he did manage to catch up with

the mugger – what then? The guy was at least two years older than him and a lot bigger.

Perhaps Dominic should just ask him nicely to give the phone back – at least then there

was a chance he’d drop it from laughing so hard.

Dominic banished these thoughts from his mind as he reached the corner. He caught at a

traffic sign pole and swung himself into the side street. Then he scanned both

pavements and spotted the mugger on the other side of the road. The guy was quick: he

was even further ahead of Dominic now than before.

Okay. There was no way Dominic was giving up now. His athletic pride was at stake.

Without slowing his pace, he looked around for a short-cut. About two hundred metres

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SPY by Arno Strobel 1

ahead of him was a T-junction. The mugger had crossed over to the left-hand side of the

road, so presumably he was going to turn left when he got to the junction. Rather than

keep chasing him, Dominic had to try and cut him off somehow – and he already had an

idea how to do it.

He turned and carried on along the road a little further until he came to a building site

enclosed by a ramshackle hoarding fence. The derelict old building behind the fence had

been there as long as Dominic could remember. He’d often jumped the fence with his

friends, despite the numerous ‘No entry’ signs. A sign like that was no deterrent to

someone like Dominic. And neither was a big fence. He took a short run-up, leapt into

the air and flipped himself over the top of the fence. He started running again as soon as

his feet hit the ground, heading for the dingy building with its dark glassless windows.

To his right was an overgrown path with a patch of grass on the other side of it. And

beyond the grass was the street which – hopefully – the mugger was about to turn left

into.

Dominic reached the street a minute later. He stood there panting, looking in both

directions, and gave a start when he spotted the mugger just a few metres to his right.

His quarry also did a double take – clearly he hadn’t been expecting to see Dominic

again. But his shock only lasted a moment, then he whirled around and sprinted off in

the opposite direction. As he ran, something fell out of his jacket and floated to the

ground. A bit of paper, perhaps, or one of those loyalty cards you get given in all the

shops. Dominic slowed down, picked it up and slipped it into his trouser pocket as he

quickened his pace again. He might be able to use it later on to find out who the guy was.

There was about fifteen metres between them now, and slowly but surely the mugger

was edging further ahead. Dominic was never going to catch him at this rate. Although

he had no idea what he’d do if he did catch up with him.

Suddenly the thief veered off to the right and ran straight across the road. As Dominic

turned to check there were no cars coming, he tripped on a wonky paving stone,

stumbled and only just managed to stay on his feet. When he looked up again, the

mugger was gone. Vanished into thin air.

Dominic carefully scanned the row of houses: nothing. No side street, no footpath… just

an opening in the wall, a semi-circular arch that led into a little passageway. Too narrow

for a car, but wide enough for a bicycle or a motorbike. Or for someone on foot, looking

for somewhere to hide. Dominic approached cautiously, stopped at the archway and

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SPY by Arno Strobel 1

peered through. As far as he could tell, the passageway led into a courtyard surrounded

by multi-storey buildings.

He stepped back and looked around again. No, there was nowhere else the mugger

could have escaped or hidden – he must be somewhere in this courtyard. And that

meant Dominic was going to have to go in and face him alone.

What if the guy tried to beat him up? Dominic had never been in a fight – he’d probably

end up with a black eye before he even had time to swing a punch. But then he

remembered the girl’s horrified face when her phone had been stolen, and he found

himself stepping into the passageway. It wasn’t heroic – foolish, more like – but he’d

come too far now to just give up and go back. He trod gingerly as he entered the

passageway; the crunching of the gravel beneath his feet felt incredibly loud.

The courtyard wasn’t very big, perhaps fifteen metres by ten, and it was deserted. No

sign of the mugger, but plenty of signs of decay and dilapidation. There were deep

cracks in the tarmac, with weeds growing out of them as high as Dominic’s ankles. The

ground floor windows of the houses opposite him were bricked up, as was the only

door, which must once have been the back entrance to the building.

17 18

Just two metres from the door, a hopscotch board had been painted on the tarmac

in bright yellow paint. Unlike everything else here, it looked fresh. The hopscotch

board was in the shape of a cross and the squares were numbered from one to

seven.

Girls’ stuff, thought Dominic. He and his friends were into much more daring

games. But this empty courtyard would be no good for parkour – not enough

obstacles.

He went a little further into the courtyard and looked around. On this side too, the

ground floor windows were bricked up. It was pretty clear no-one lived here

anymore.

And more intriguing still was the fact that the thief seemed to have vanished into

thin air. There was nowhere he could have hidden, no door he could have opened,

no window he could have climbed through. So how had he escaped?

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Dominic scanned the courtyard again in frustration. It was pointless just standing

here like this, and he was late already. But on his way out of the courtyard he

remembered the card he’d picked up. Perhaps there was an address on it. With

trembling fingers Dominic pulled it out of his pocket and examined it. It was plain

white with no logo or name on, just the word SPRINGFIELD in block letters along

the top, and the numbers 2-4-2-3-6 printed underneath. The other side was blank.

Disappointed, he lowered the card and turned once more to look around the

courtyard. High walls, bricked-up windows and doors, and the tarmacked ground

with its cracks and kids’ hopscotch board.

But hang on a minute. SRINGFIELD… No, it couldn’t be. It had just occurred to him

that SPRINGFIELD was the literal translation of the German word Hupffeld, which

meant hopscotch board. But it was also the town in America where the Simpsons

lived. That must be what the card was referring to. Still, it was a bit of a

coincidence…

He looked at the card again. 2-4-2-3-6. Then he looked back at the painted

squares on the ground. From the starting point he’d have to jump over one square

to get to Two, then another to get to Four, then back again…

This was ridiculous. A boy of nearly thirteen playing hopscotch… What if

somebody saw him? He might as well just go the whole hog and stick a dummy in

his mouth. And yet… He stepped up to the hopscotch board, swung his arms back

and jumped onto the number Two square, then on to number Four, back to Two

and then to Three. And then came the last big jump to get to number Six. Dominic

made a perfect landing, straightened up and waited. For a couple of seconds

nothing happened – of course it didn’t, this hopscotch thing had been an

absolutely ridiculous idea. He was about to turn away in disappointment when he

heard a muffled grating sound. He held his breath.

Before his eyes, the door he’d thought was bricked up… it was moving. It retreated

a little way and then slid to one side, to reveal a yawning black hole.

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Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

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Dominic inched towards the doorway, then paused for a moment and screwed up his

eyes as if that would help him see into the darkness beyond. He turned and looked again

at the empty courtyard. It was no use. If the mugger had come into the courtyard – and

Dominic was sure he had – there was no other way he could have escaped. He must

have disappeared through this hidden entrance.

Perhaps Dominic was about to discover a stash of stolen goods?

…

Anyway, he’d followed the thief so far now that he was determined to see it through.

…

He heard a soft noise behind him, and spun around. What he saw made him groan. The

doorway had narrowed to a small slit and before Dominic could do anything, it closed

completely. He was trapped.

Brilliant – he’d screwed this one up and no mistake. Dominic Nader, the great thief-

catcher…

In the back of his mind he was wondering how the door could have closed so quickly

and so quietly, when it had opened so slowly and with such a lot of noise. But it didn’t

matter now. The main thing was to get out of this pitch-black hole before the

claustrophobia that was slowly overwhelming him got any worse.

…

The only way out he could see was a flight of stairs leading downwards.

Cautiously, he put one foot on the first step. It felt slippery. He felt along the rough wall

for something to hold onto, then brought his other foot onto the step. Another step, then

another… He counted as he went, but the flight of stairs felt like it was never going to

end. He’d already got to twenty-seven by the time he was finally able to make out the

shape of a narrow door. Only six more steps and he’d be there.

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The door seemed to be made of metal, and had no handle. Dominic laid a hand on its

smooth, cold surface and pushed, at which the door made a hissing sound and, to his

surprise, slid smoothly to one side. The light that poured from the doorway made him

squint and turn his head away. He stayed like that for a few moments before daring to

open his eyes. Either somebody had dimmed the light or his eyes had quickly adjusted

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to the brightness. In front of him was a sort of vaulted hall, split in two by a trench that

ran down the middle. Inside this trench was a vehicle like nothing Dominic had ever

seen before. It looked like a smaller version of an intercity train – black, about three

metres long and sharply streamlined at either end. The entire roof of the vehicle was

made of glass, and Dominic could see two leather seats inside, set one behind the other.

As he inched closer, he saw that there was a shiny metal rail running along the bottom

of the trench, which the strange vehicle was obviously attached to. The rail ran all the

way to the edge of the hall and then disappeared into a tunnel.

“Welcome, Dominic!”

The man’s voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, and cut through the silence

like a sharp knife. Dominic jumped, and looked around him in confusion. How did the

man on the microphone know his name? And how could he have known Dominic was

going to enter this underground cavern?

“Who… who are you?” Was that really his own voice? Right now it sounded more like a

little girl’s. There was no answer; instead, the glass roof of the strange vehicle lifted and

opened with a soft humming noise, leaving enough room for a passenger to climb in.

The inside of the cabin was dominated by a screen which took up the whole of the front

windscreen above the dashboard.

“Get in,” the voice said. It sounded more like an invitation than an order.

“Why? Where is this… thing going?”

There was no reply, but he hadn’t really expected one. Something very bizarre was

going on. Dominic couldn’t help thinking of his father, and all the adventures they’d had

together. That made up his mind for him. Without another moment’s hesitation he

swung himself into the seat and stared at the flickering screen. A few seconds later, the

roof slid shut over his head and locked into place with a soft click. And then several

things happened at once.

Either side of his shoulders, padded telescopic bars emerged from the seat, extended

across his chest and joined up with two other bars that had appeared from either side of

his thighs. The screen flickered into life, displaying the rail and the tunnel entrance

ahead of the vehicle, but with the tunnel brightly lit. It wasn’t illuminated in real life, as

Dominic could see from a quick glance round the edge of the screen.

In the bottom left-hand corner of the screen was a digital display saying 0.0 km/h, and

next to that 00:07:23. It looked like a digital clock.

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

Before Dominic could examine the screen any further, he felt a gentle pressure from the

padded bars against his chest. Then there was a small jolt, and suddenly the vehicle shot

into the tunnel at a speed that took Dominic’s breath away. The insanely fast

acceleration flung him against the back of his seat so hard he couldn’t move a muscle.

And yet the vehicle barely made a sound – just a scarcely audible hum. After a while, as

the cabin leaned slightly to the left to take a sweeping bend in the tunnel, Dominic found

he’d recovered sufficiently from his shock to take a closer look at the screen in front of

him.

The brightly lit wall of the tunnel shot past him at such a crazy speed that he started to

feel dizzy. But what was making him seriously question his own sanity was the

speedometer. It had just shown 856.3 km/h, then a moment later 871.7, and the number

was still climbing. The digital clock now read 00:05:43, and the seconds were counting

down.

964.2 km/h. Again the vehicle rounded a bend in the tunnel, this time leaning so far to

the right that it was almost horizontal. At 1000 km/h, the speedometer finally stopped

climbing. Dominic stared at the number in amazement. How was this ridiculous speed

even possible?

He looked left, then right, then tipped his head back as far as the seat would allow him.

Everywhere he looked he saw the same thing – pitch darkness – while the tunnel on the

screen was still illuminated. Perhaps it was being filmed with some kind of night vision

camera fixed to the front of the vehicle. So he carried on watching the screen, even

though there was nothing to see but brightly lit arched walls rushing past.

Dominic calculated that the vehicle must have covered a distance of about 80

kilometres, travelling for five minutes at 1000 km/h. If you added on a few kilometres

for accelerating and braking, their destination must be about 100 kilometres away from

where they’d started. So quite a way away from Berlin.

Just as Dominic had expected, when the clock reached 00:01:30 the measurement on

the speedometer suddenly started to drop. The vehicle was braking.

973.4… 945.6… Dominic’s fascination with the vehicle’s speed gave way to curiosity

about what was about to happen. Hopefully he’d get some answers to the questions that

had been whirling around his head ever since the voice had invited him to get in.

…

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

As the padded bars across his chest and thighs receded almost noiselessly, and the

screen in front of him went dark, the vehicle was suddenly flooded with bright light.

Dominic looked around, blinking, and saw that he was in a hall with a vaulted ceiling,

similar to the one he’d just left but a lot bigger. To his left, three more of the vehicles

were parked in the familiar trenches with rails. This hall seemed to be a sort of terminus

for them.

And there was one other difference between this place and the last: the man standing

impassively beside Dominic’s vehicle, pushing back the roof.

He was short, quite stocky, with close-cropped brown hair. A grey-flecked beard

covered most of his round cheeks. But the most striking thing about him was his steel-

blue eyes, which stared at Dominic as if the man could see right inside his head and read

his thoughts. His eyes didn’t match the rest of his appearance at all. Creepy was the first

word that sprang to Dominic’s mind. Things were getting weirder by the minute. Had he

somehow fetched up in the X-Men’s secret headquarters?

“Congratulations – you’re the second fastest this year.” Was that the same voice that had

told him to climb inside the vehicle?

“What?” asked Dominic, confused, pointing to the screen in front of him. “The second

fastest? In this… thing?”

“No.” The man rolled his eyes. “The test. You were the second fastest to pass the test.”

The test? Dominic didn’t understand a word, but before he could ask any more

questions, the man gestured towards the platform beside the vehicle. He was indicating

that Dominic should get out, but right now Dominic had absolutely no intention of doing

so. He actually felt safer inside this infernal machine – he felt as if he could just drive

away in it if he wanted to. If things got dangerous.

“I don’t know anything about any test. And how do you know my name?”

The man put his hands behind his back. “You can call me Herr Schmitt. And now please

get out.”

Herr Schmitt… sure. And my name is Luke Skywalker.

Dominic didn’t budge, and Herr Schmitt seemed in no hurry to move either – just

carried on staring at Dominic with that ‘I-know-what-you’re thinking’ expression.

When he could bear the man’s silent gaze no longer, Dominic folded his arms across his

chest. “I’m not getting out until you tell me how you know my name, and what I’m doing

here. And what’s this ‘test’ you’re on about?” Attack was the best form of defence.

Translation by Romy Fursland

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”You’ll find out everything you need to know, Dominic. But not here. So please get out

now.”

Dominic was torn. On the one hand he wished he could go back to the uneventful day

he’d been having, walking down the street on his way to the climbing wall, far from this

strange place and this… Herr Schmitt. But on the other hand, the chase and the thrilling

ride through the tunnel had intrigued him – he was desperate to know what all this was

about. And Schmitt knew his name. And he’d been the second best this year in the test,

whatever it was.

“In two minutes, the Black Arrow will set off again and return to the place you just came

from.” Schmitt’s voice was as calm and matter-of-fact as before. “If you haven’t got out

by that time it will take you back there. However, I strongly advise you not to go.”

When Dominic still didn’t respond, Schmitt added much more quietly: “Your father

wouldn’t expect you to.”

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Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

3 (STARTING SCHOOL)

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Dominic sat bolt upright, and the next moment he was on his feet.

“My father? What does my father have to do with this?”

Unmoved, Schmitt continued to point to the platform beside him. “Are you coming?”

With one bound, Dominic swung himself out of – what was this thing called again? Black

Arrow? – and stood facing Schmitt. “Now I get it. My father wouldn’t expect me to go

back… This is a special birthday surprise, isn’t it?” In his excitement he was speaking

much faster than usual. “I’m right, aren’t I? Go on, say something. Where’s my dad?”

Schmitt didn’t answer, but turned and walked away so that Dominic had no choice but

to follow him if he wanted to hear more.

…

“Take a seat.” Schmitt strode past Dominic, dropped into a seat behind the desk and

looked earnestly at him. “The girl with the phone, the boy who took it and who you

chased, the yard with the hopscotch board… That was your test. Congratulations again:

you passed with flying colours.”

“My test?”

“Yes.” Schmitt rolled his eyes and heaved a deep sigh. “You can’t imagine how difficult it

is. Most people don’t have the gumption to run after a mugger, and of those that do, half

can’t keep up for more than a couple of streets. Hardly anyone picks the card up, and

even of those that make it to the end, most just stand around looking puzzled and

eventually go home.”

Dominic still didn’t fully understand what Schmitt was talking about. He pushed his

chair forward nervously. “This is a game. A live action role play, right? Is this my

birthday surprise? Is my dad here?”

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Schmitt didn’t answer. He was typing something on a keyboard and staring

intently at the screen. “Dominic Nader,” he murmured. “Born on…” He looked past

the screen. “It’s your birthday in four days’ time.”

“Yes, and that’s why my dad arranged all this, right? We do stuff like this on my

birthday every year…”

“Mother died in childbirth,” Schmitt read on tonelessly, and Dominic fell silent.

“Grew up with foster parents, Peter and Elisabeth Kramer. Unremarkable at

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school.” Schmitt looked at Dominic again. “Have you noticed anything out of the

ordinary recently? Have you noticed any changes in yourself, things you’ve seen,

heard or felt that you didn’t before? Any sporting achievements you couldn’t

explain?”

“No, everything’s totally normal. But what’s all this about? What’s it got to do with

my mum? And where’s my dad?”

7 8

“Tell me about him.”

“What? Why do you want me to tell you about my dad? I thought you… This whole thing

was his idea, wasn’t it?

“Tell me what you know about him.”

Were his eyes deceiving him or was there something like kindness in Schmitt’s look?

Dominic didn’t have a clue what was going on. “But why? I…”

Schmitt raised his hand. “I know this must seem strange to you. But I need you to tell me

about your father. It’s important.”

Dominic took a deep breath. OK – if this was what it took for him to finally find out what

was going on around here…

“My dad is a diplomat. He travels all over the world attending conferences and meeting

important people. Politicians. He has discussions with them and helps keep the peace

between their countries. That’s why I only get to see him once a year. On my birthday.

We always meet in some exotic place, spend a week together and do something cool.

We’ve been skydiving in the States and deep-sea fishing in Hawaii. Last year we went to

Tibet, because… because that’s where my mum was from.” Dominic’s hand instinctively

went to his chest, where he wore a locket on a leather strap under his shirt. It had a

photo of his mother inside, the only photo he had of her. “Will that do?”

Schmitt nodded and leant back in his chair.

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“Yes, that’ll do.” Schmitt fixed Dominic with a long, penetrating look. “And now I’ll

tell you something in return. What you said about your father is only partly true.”

Translation by Romy Fursland

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“What?” Dominic leant forward in his chair in great agitation, but Schmitt

motioned him back. “Even your father himself didn’t tell you the whole story, and

with good reason. It’s true that he travels all over the world working to bring

about world peace. He works for the Foreign Office, but he doesn’t just attend

meetings and speak at conferences.”

After another pause of a few seconds, Schmitt went on in a conspiratorial tone:

“Your father is one of the Foreign Intelligence Service’s best people, Dominic. He

uses his many international contacts to gather important information for our

government from crisis zones all over the world. Over the years he’s built up a

dense network of contacts in North Korea and Chechnya, and some of the despotic

leaders in central and southern Africa are among his personal friends. In other

words: your father is one of the best secret agents this country’s got.”

Dominic stared at Schmitt as he tried to process what he’d just heard. He didn’t

know what to say. His dad, a secret agent? “But that’s…” he stuttered. “I’d like to…

I’m supposed to be getting picked up tomorrow to go and meet him. Wherever

we’re going this time. I’ll ask him then.”

Schmitt gave a heavy sigh. “You’re not being picked up tomorrow. We don’t know

all the circumstances yet, but… your dad won’t be able to come tomorrow.”

Dominic felt his heart skip a beat.

“It’s not true,” he cried. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Or – or you’re

lying. I want to go home now. Right now.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. This place is subject to the very highest level of

secrecy – only a few high-ranking people know about it. Or they think they know

about it, but I’m pretty sure they’d never be able to find it.” He leant forward and

his mouth curved into something resembling a smile, only it didn’t reach his eyes.

“It’s time for you to begin your training with us.”

…

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“We want to make you an offer, Dominic. As I’m sure you can imagine, we need the

best and most able people working in foreign intelligence. Which is why the

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

German government runs its own school for gifted new recruits. We take young

people who we think are particularly suitable for our missions, and train them up

in all the requisite areas to work in international intelligence: information

gathering, undercover investigations, weapons technology, hand-to-hand combat.

Now that you’ve passed your test, a career here at the Foreign Intelligence Service

– or another of the secret services – is yours for the taking. Your father was one of

our best graduates, and he always said how much he wanted you to train here too.

That’s why we got you to take your entrance exam today.”

Dominic couldn’t believe his ears. This had to be a joke. Of course it was a joke! Just

then, he was struck by a realisation that drove all other thoughts out of his mind.

“My dad did this, didn’t he? He staged all of this. This is my birthday present. A real-life

adventure game.”

“It’s true, it was your dad.”

…

“Could you sit back down? Please?”

Dominic sank back into his chair. His head was spinning.

“I’m going to explain a few very important things now,” said Schmitt, reclaiming

Dominic’s attention. “Are you ready?”

Dominic nodded. He was ready for anything that was part of this game his father

had created for him. A live action secret agent game. To think his dad had gone to

all this effort and expense. It was nuts.

“Good. I’m afraid what I just told you is true. We lost contact with your father a

few days ago. At this point in time we don’t know where he is.”

Okay. Dominic was happy to play along, and he was going to play his part well. He

opened his eyes wide, exaggerating a little. “But… what do you mean, he’s

disappeared without trace and we’ve lost contact with him?” He took a deep breath.

“Is he…?”

Schmitt shook his head. “We believe there’s a very good chance he’s still alive.”

Schmitt was a great actor: he had his role down to a T.

“But how do you know that, if he’s disappeared?”

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

“That’s classified.”

…

“So now you know why you’re here,” Schmitt went on. “I understand this is not an

easy situation for you, but believe me, you’re going to have to deal with this sort of

thing a lot in future.” He leant back in his chair, holding Dominic’s gaze. “There’s

one thing you need to know: whether or not you stay at this school is your

decision. The training you’ll get here is difficult and sometimes dangerous. But

you only get one chance to say yes. If you say no, you’ll never hear from us again.”

He paused for a moment. “But if you accept our offer, your decision will be

irrevocable.”

“Irrevocable? What does that mean?”

“It means you won’t be able to change your mind.”

Dominic thought about this for a minute. That last bit was a little too over-the-top to be

plausible, but never mind. The game was pretty cool, and he wanted to play his part

well.

…

“If you do decide to join our programme you’ll be a long way from your foster parents

and your friends, but after a while you’ll be allowed to contact them occasionally.”

“After how long?”

“That depends on how your skills develop, and your awareness of your new

responsibility. Usually after about three years.”

…

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“It’s time to make your decision.” Schmitt rose from his chair. “I’m going to take you into

another room now, and give you half an hour to think about your future.”

…

“I think that’s enough for him,” Mia remarked in a conversational tone, brushing a lock

of blonde hair out of her face. At their first encounter she’d looked shy and distressed –

there was no trace of that now. Now she was brisk and resolute. “You saw how quickly

he reacted,” she went on. “It was amazing. We’ve acted that little scene dozens of times,

but I’ve never seen anything like that. You’d barely got hold of the phone before he went

charging off in pursuit.”

Julian nodded and shot Dominic an admiring glance. “Yes, that’s true. I bet he’ll have his

alias within three years.”

“My alias? What does that mean?” Dominic wasn’t just pretending to be interested – he

was genuinely fascinated by how elaborate the whole thing was, and intrigued to find

out what was going to happen next.

“I reckon you’re about to find out.”

…

“Could you tell me a bit about the school? Is it really like Schmitt said…?”

“Of course we could.” Julian nodded to Mia and stood up. “But we’re not going to.

You have to make your decision based on the same information we all had.”

Yes, of course. This was probably the first level, and once he’d made his decision

he’d move up to the next one. Dominic wondered whether his dad was going to

show up soon.

As the pair of them reached the door, Julian turned back. “We might see each

other soon or we might never see each other again. But from what I know of you

so far, I think it’s safe to say see you later.” A moment later the door closed behind

them, and Dominic was alone.

29 30 31

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2

…

“Yes. Every new student gets tutors who show them around and explain to them how

everything works. Follow us.” So he had helpers. Very impressive…

Without waiting for a response from Dominic, the two girls did a perfectly synchronised

about-turn, so briskly that their pleated skirts flew out, and went marching off.

Not until he found himself trotting after the twins, Petra and Paula, did Dominic

really start to take in his surroundings. What he saw confused him all over again.

He was standing in the middle of a… funfair? Behind him, the cars of the rollercoaster

zoomed up and down rails that rose at least twenty metres into the air, and next to the

rollercoaster was a huge chair swing ride, spinning so fast that the riders’ hair streamed

out behind them in the wind. Between the two rides were sweet stalls, gambling stalls

and children’s games of skill. Above the hubbub he heard shrieks and laughter, and

somewhere nearby a little kid was crying. Just when he’d thought he had this game all

figured out, now he started to doubt himself. Surely all these people – kids, teenagers,

adults – couldn’t be actors in the role play? Or were most of them players in the game,

like he was? There was only one way to find out. He hurried on after Petra and Paula,

who were marching side by side – still perfectly in sync – past the rides and the stalls.

After a while the twins came to a stop and waited for Dominic to catch up with them.

“That’s the administrative building,” said the girl on his right (he couldn’t tell if it was

Petra or Paula) as she pointed to a low-rise building nearby.

Dominic scanned the rows of windows. Some way off, behind the building, he could see

one of those sheer drop rides, full of people, making its ascent.

“Our camouflage,” he heard Petra or Paula’s voice behind him. “Nobody would

ever suspect that this theme park belongs to the most secret location in Germany.

Hiding in plain sight.”

Of course. Dominic turned to the sisters and pointed to one of the rides. “That’s

part of a top-secret location?”

The girls rolled their eyes and looked at each other. “He doesn’t get it,” said one.

“No, he doesn’t get it,” the other agreed.

…

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

When the door opened again, Dominic’s jaw dropped; he couldn’t believe what he was

seeing. Never in a million years would he have guessed all this was down here under the

ground. It had been an understatement to say this adventure must have cost his dad an

arm and a leg. It must have cost an absolute fortune. No wonder he’d kept the game a

secret from Dominic until now. He wouldn’t have wanted him to know the whole thing

was staged from the start – then all this expense would have been wasted. And it made

it all the more impressive.

…

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2

…

“The moment of birth,” he whispered, his voice trembling. No doubt about it – poor old

Mr Müller had definitely lost the plot.

Nick watched calmly as the shiny band passed over his fingers and the back of his hand,

and reached his wrist without once touching his skin. Müller looked questioningly at

him, nodded and closed his eyes. Then he let go.

As Nick had expected, nothing happened. The bracelet just felt a bit cold.

…

“You can hear the voice of the CB…” Müller cleared his throat. “You can hear Bruno’s

voice. Can’t you?”

“Bruno?” Nick was baffled.

“That’s what you called your interface,” said Paula beside him, sounding as though she

was trying very hard not to laugh. “Remember?”

…

“My… interface?” Nick looked at his right wrist…

…

Müller’s hands appeared and started loosening the leather straps. “I’ve implanted a tiny

speaker behind your ear, which will enable you to hear your CBPI’s voice. I mean…

Bruno’s voice.”

…

“And how does this… this thing come off?”

…

Nick looked again at the shiny bracelet, this time with a certain fascination. If it really

could do all the things Mr Müller had said… Wow!

“Can I take it off?”

“No. Only we are able to do that, and we have to destroy it in order to remove it. Every

CBPI is created for a single host. Bruno is connected to your cells and nerves. Once

installed, he can only be removed by breaking the bracelet and rendering it unusable.

It’s for your own protection. The CBPI saves all your data and learns from it. Bruno now

knows you better than you know yourself. In this way we can make sure the data never

falls into the wrong hands.”

…

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

Dominic stood up and held his right arm angled slightly away from his body. “And now

he knows literally everything I say and do? I can’t switch him off?”

“As I was about to remind you: I’m listening,” protested Bruno, as the hint of a smile

flitted across Müller’s face.

“No, you can’t switch him off…”

…

“I downloaded the entire database when I was activated, and I am continually syncing

with it. I know everything that’s saved in the database, meaning I possess a body of

knowledge that is almost impossible for a human being to comprehend.” …

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2 3

They’d only gone a few metres when the girls, as if on command, came to an abrupt halt

and glanced at one another. Then everything went incredibly quickly. For a moment, at

least.

“Not now,” Paula exclaimed.

“Energy.” Petra, like her sister, still looked very tense. She kept looking around

nervously.

…

“What? What do you mean, energy?” Dominic asked, wondering whether the people

down here really did have superpowers thanks to some technological trick or other.

“When the time is right, you’ll find out everything you need to know,” said Paula firmly.

“Just tell me what you know,” Dominic pleaded. “I thought the two of you were here to

show me round and explain things to me. So do it. I want to get to the next level as

quickly as possible.”

“The next level?” Petra pursed her lips and Paula rolled her eyes. “I don’t know what

you’re talking about, but we have a serious problem right now, so please stop asking

silly questions and follow us.”

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2

…

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll find out all about it and you’ll learn to control it, just like us.

But you have to be patient. And more importantly, we have to go and see Headmaster

Bauer – right now. You have no idea what just happened.”

“But…”

…

“What you just experienced, that attack… you were probably the target.”

Dominic looked at the headmaster in astonishment. “Probably? The guy had me in a

headlock. He was pointing a gun at me.”

“Yes, I know. The site is being searched as we speak. I simply can’t understand how he

managed to get in. This is all very worrying. But as I said: we’re looking into it. Now let’s

talk about you. All of this has to do with your father.”

Aha. His dad must be about to enter the game at last. It was about time too. After all, this

was the only week in the year Dominic ever saw him.

“Where is he?”

Bauer nodded, as if the question had been part of his stage directions. “I think someone

else will be able to explain that better than I can.”

At that moment the door opened and a man came in. Dominic looked up at him, and

when he saw who it was his head started to spin.

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2 3

“Martin.” Dominic said the name in a whisper – it was all he could manage. Whenever

Dominic met up with his dad, Martin always came too. He was a colleague of his dad’s,

and a friend. He was always joking around, showing them magic tricks. The fact that

Martin was standing here in front of him with a serious look on his face must all be part

of the game, but it still made Dominic feel uneasy.

Martin came over to Dominic and put a hand on his shoulder. “Hello, Nick. Sorry we

have to meet again in such horrible circumstances.”

…

“Dominic.” Martin grabbed him by both shoulders and looked him in the eye. “I swear to

you, this isn’t a game. Your dad has disappeared, and we were afraid you were in danger

too. And what we’ve just seen has confirmed our suspicions.”

“But…”

“A man is seriously injured, Nick,” said Bauer gravely. “One of our security guards at the

funfair was knocked unconscious. We think the man who attacked you just now did it

when he broke in here. Even the fact that he knows about the facility…”

“But…” What do they mean, he’s disappeared without trace and we’ve lost contact with

him? Dominic took a deep breath. “Is he… dead?”

Bauer shook his head. “No, we’re fairly certain he’s alive.”

“And how do you know that? If he’s disappeared?”

“That’s classified.”

…

24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2 3

…

Headmaster Bauer nodded several times. “It must seem that way to you. You have

a very unusual ability: in stressful situations, your body produces and releases

around a hundred times as much adrenaline as other people. This means, among

other things, that your reaction times are extremely quick, so it feels to you as

though everything around you is happening in slow motion. But in fact it’s you

who are moving more quickly than everybody else, thanks to the high levels of

adrenaline in your body. Everything around you seems slower because you have

suddenly got much, much faster….”

…

“We’ve known ever since you were born that you inherited this ability from your

dad.”

“My dad has it too?”

Bauer nodded. Nick’s head was spinning even more now.

This explained so many of the situations he’d experienced with his dad. He’d always

seen him as some kind of superhero, and now it turned out he hadn’t been that far

wrong. And if Nick had this special ability too… He felt dizzy.

“That’s why your foster parents took you to see Dr Pfleger so often.”

Nick’s eyes widened. “You know him too?”

“Of course – he’s one of us. Ostensibly he’s a specialist in genetic diseases, but in reality

he monitors all the children we know of who have special abilities like yours. Those

tablets you’ve taken all your life, which you thought were for a potentially hereditary

disease – they were actually an antidote, an adrenaline blocker to suppress the

production of adrenaline in your body to a more or less normal level. You haven’t taken

them for a few days, have you?”

“No – the tablets went missing and my foster parents couldn’t get in touch with Dr

Pfleger.”

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

Again the headmaster nodded knowingly. “After your father disappeared, we

decided to take you on as a pupil immediately. To do so, it was necessary to

activate your latent abilities. One of our men went to your house to fetch the

tablets. Dr Pfleger was informed of the plan and went incommunicado.”

…

“Now that you’re here, you’ll learn how to use your special physical abilities in a

purposeful way.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ll teach you how to control the situations in which your body releases adrenaline,

and perhaps even to manufacture them yourself. One day you might be able to trigger

an adrenaline rush on demand, whether or not you’re actually in a stressful situation.”

…

“You’re very like your father. And not just in appearance.”

Nick gave the headmaster his hand. “Can I ask one more question?”

“Of course.”

“What would really happen if I decided later on that I wanted to leave?”

The headmaster replied without hesitation. “Then we’d have to arrange for you to lose

your memory, including the memory of certain people you are close to.”

…

Once he’d closed the door of the headmaster’s office behind him, Caroline flashed him a

smile, showing her oversized braces once more. “Well? How was it?”

…

“What’s your special ability?”

Her cheeks seemed to flush even redder, and she made a dismissive gesture. “Oh, it’s

nothing special. I guess I’m pretty good with numbers.”

He’d thought as much. “And the twins? Do they have a talent too?”

“You could say that. They can form a forcefield between them. Anyone who steps inside

it gets one hell of an electric shock.”

So that was what that weird shimmering thing had been all about. “Cool. “Well then… I

guess I’ll see you around.”

…

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1 2

His dad had disappeared, and Nick was going to be attending this school. He

possessed a special ability that could make him the quickest agent the Secret

Service had ever had. He would get his alias in three years, and not before. And

meanwhile, his dad had fallen into the hands of some shadowy organisation that

wanted to change the course of world history.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

Nick clenched his fists.

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Three years later…

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

13 (FIRST TEST IN THE FIELD)

1 2 3

“Today’s the day.” Headmaster Bauer’s gaze rested on Nick far too long for his liking.

Then he looked over at Jan who, like Nick, was standing with his hands behind his back

in front of the imposing desk. “Now’s your chance to show us what you’ve learned over

the last three years.”

7 8

… their first assignment in the field…

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2

Caroline strode on, imperturbable. “There’s another lift, but only a few people know

about it. You’ll come out right behind the fairground fence, which will give you a head

start over Jan.”

…

The man operating the ghost train has a bunch of keys with a special keyring. You need to

steal it from him without drawing attention to yourselves, he remembered Headmaster

Bauer saying. You’ll know which one it is when you see it.

…

The ghost train was no different from the ones Nick had been on himself as a ten or

eleven-year-old. Just a kid out with his foster parents. It felt so long ago… Suddenly

Nick’s pulse started to race. And not because he’d just spotted a puppet with vampire

fangs, a white face and a blood-smeared mouth dangling from the ceiling, but because

the last thing Bernstein had said was echoing in his mind: You will come back at the end

of the ride, won’t you, Nick? the man had said. He’d used his name, even though Nick was

quite sure he hadn’t told him it. So how could Bernstein have known? And if he already

knew Nick’s name… what else did he know about him?

…

Nick would have liked to jump straight out of the car and run back to Bernstein, to ask

him how he knew who he was, but he forced himself to stay in his seat. He mustn’t draw

attention to himself.

As the car finally emerged into the open air, after a seemingly endless parade of

shrieking plastic monsters, giant spiders and other spooky creatures, Nick couldn’t wait

any longer. Before his car had fully come to a stop, he leapt out and rushed straight over

to the little kiosk where a handful of people were stood waiting. They were waiting

because there was nobody behind the counter: the back door was wide open.

27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2 3

Nick looked all around him but he couldn’t see Bernstein anywhere. The man had been

so insistent that he come back after his ride, though.

…

Just as he was turning to leave, he heard a groan. It seemed to be coming from

somewhere below him, and the next time he heard it he realised that whoever it

was wasn’t just groaning, but also gasping out a name. “Nick.”

In one bound, Nick was on his hands and knees. He peered beneath the wooden

planks of the ghost train, which were raised about half a metre off the sandy

ground. The first thing he saw was Bernstein.

The man was lying on his back looking at him, his face contorted with pain.

“Nick…”

“Mr Bernstein,” Nick whispered. “What happened?” Only then did he notice the

metal handle of a knife sticking out of Bernstein’s chest. Blood was seeping from

his wound and trickling into the sand.

“Oh shit,” Nick exclaimed. “What…?”

“Nick.” The man’s voice sounded thin, and was so quiet now that Nick could hardly

hear him. “You have to… get away. Don’t go back. They’re… looking for you.”

Nick’s eyes widened. “What? Who?”

“Take this.” Bernstein moved his arm, drawing Nick’s attention to his open hand.

A key lay in his palm. As Nick struggled to make sense of it all, Bernstein moaned:

“Take it. Go to… Berlin… Station… Your father…” The man’s voice cracked, his

body arched once into the air, and then he lay still.

“Mr… Mr Bernstein?” Nick whispered, staring into the man’s inert face. For a

moment he didn’t understand. Then he heard the blood rushing in his ears, and

his heart started hammering so hard in his chest he was sure it must be visible

under his skin. Bernstein’s body lay still. No movement, no rise and fall of the

chest. No breath.

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

Dead.

It was the first time Nick had ever seen a dead person – and a murdered one at

that. It was horrific. And yet his thoughts were elsewhere.

Your father, Bernstein had said. His father… Nick stared at the key which still lay

in the dead man’s palm. He could clearly see the number 873 engraved on it.

Berlin, station… This must be the key to a left luggage locker.

…

As he straightened up again, a man and a woman came around the corner and stopped

abruptly when they saw Nick. Nick recognised the man who’d jostled him just after he’d

arrived at the fairground, with his companion. And they were standing less than ten

metres away.

“There he is!” the man cried, and came charging towards him.

Nick swore and spun around and, at the same moment, felt something like a hot stream

of lava shoot through his body. Adrenaline.

…

He’d been told to steal an insignificant keyring fitted with a microchip, as a test. And the

man he’d been told to steal it from had just been murdered, minutes after Nick had

spoken to him. He knew who Nick was, and he knew who his father was. Could there be

a connection? And then the key and the mention of a station in Berlin. And the warning

that he shouldn’t go back to school. That he was in danger – immediately confirmed by

the arrival of the man and the woman. And then Jan appearing on the scene… How did it

all fit together? And why was he being followed?

Nick could only think of one way to find out.

“Bruno, what’s the quickest way to get to Berlin?”

…

26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

16 (BERLIN)

1 2

…

873 was right at the end of the long row of lockers, at eye level. His heart pounding, Nick

put the key in the lock and turned it. Inside the locker was a scuffed black leather

briefcase.

…

Nick carefully prised it open, peered inside, and only just managed to suppress a

shocked yell. The first thing he saw was the softly gleaming butt of a pistol.

…

Nick laid the gun aside and turned back to the contents of the briefcase. An

extraordinary sight met his eyes.

One after the other, he pulled out a mobile phone, a charger, a bundle of euros

and a bundle of British banknotes. There was also a plane ticket to London and a

passport. Both were in the name of Marc Rücker. On the ID page of the passport

was a recent photo of Nick.

He gazed at it all in disbelief, his mind whirling. Who had left all this stuff in the

locker for him? And why? How could whoever it was have known Nick would ever

need all these things?

…

Martin! Why hadn’t he thought of it sooner? Martin had always been like an uncle to

him. It could only have been Martin. But the question was, what should Nick do next?

On a whim, he turned the briefcase upside down and shook it to make sure he hadn’t

missed anything, and sure enough a little card fell out.

He picked it up and looked at the printed side. It was the business card of a bookshop in

London’s Portobello Road.

…

“And where is this bookshop? Show me the card.”

Nick held his bracelet over the business card so Bruno could see it.

“London. Please tell me you’re not thinking of going to London.”

“No.”

“Good – at least you haven’t completely taken leave of your senses.”

“I mean no – I won’t tell you that,” Nick corrected him, and couldn’t help but grin. …

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2 3

London. This was getting crazier by the minute. But London did fit with the pile of

pound sterling in his lap. And the plane ticket was for a flight to London City

Airport at 11:50 the next morning. So whoever was helping him must want him to

travel to the English capital and visit this bookshop.

…

It was late afternoon by this time. He had a good eighteen hours till his flight, and he

was in Berlin again for the first time in about three years. He thought of his foster

parents. He’d missed them a lot at first. It had got easier as time had gone on, but now

that he was so close to where they lived…

…

A very strange feeling crept over Nick as he approached the house. He should have been

mentally preparing for what was about to happen, running through the story he’d have

to tell Elisabeth and Peter about where he’d been for the past three years – but all of a

sudden his mind had gone blank.

…

Before him stood a young woman he’d never seen before. She was looking at him

quizzically. “Er… hello,” he began, confused. “I’ve come to see the Kramers. Peter and

Elisabeth.”

“The Kramers? Ah, they must be the people who lived here before. Sorry, they moved

nearly three years ago.”

“Moved?” Nick’s confusion grew. “Moved where?”

“I don’t know, I’m afraid. We bought the house from an estate agent. We never knew the

previous owners.”

“You didn’t?”

…

“The estate agent said they’d had to leave Berlin very suddenly, and had gone to live

abroad.”

…

Where should he go now? Who else but his foster parents could he trust enough to…

Michael! His best friend.

…

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

He wondered how Michael would react when he turned up out of the blue?

…

Michael’s mum opened the door. She stared at Nick, her eyes wide. Then she clapped a

hand to her mouth.

“It can’t be,” she murmured into her hand, her voice barely audible. She lowered her

hand when she realised. “Dominic… Where have you sprung from?”

…

Michael looked at him, puzzled. “What is it?”

“I can’t.”

“Can’t what?”

“Lie to you.”

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Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2 3

“You mustn’t!” Bruno’s voice in Nick’s head had taken on a peremptory tone. “Don’t tell

him anything – he mustn’t find out about me. And whatever you do don’t mention the

school. You’d be breaking the Official Secrets Act. They’d expel you straight away.”

Nick ignored Bruno, took a deep breath and looked his friend in the eye. “What I’m

about to tell you – you can’t mention this to anyone else, ever, do you promise?”

…

Nick talked for at least half an hour. Michael didn’t interrupt him, just let out the

occasional “Oh, mate,” or “Sweet”.

“… Yeah, anyway, and now here I am, and I’ve just broken the Official Secrets Act.”

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

18 (LONDON)

1 2

…

Just before five that afternoon, Nick finally arrived at a gently sloping street lined with

colourful little shopfronts and houses on both sides. He passed an antique shop with a

dark red façade, then a charity shop with its brickwork painted bright blue, selling all

kinds of things nobody could possibly need. Then came the Highland Store, in whose

tiny shop window the owner had managed to display an even tinier tent, and then

another antique shop – the second of many on Portobello Road. There was an oddly

sweet smell in the air. After about a hundred metres Nick came at last to the window of

Barnes Bookstore, which reflected the glare of the setting sun so brightly that he had to

press his nose against the glass to see the displays inside.

…

What awaited him inside the shop? Did the owner know Nick was about to walk

through the door? And – perhaps the most important question of all – did he know

Nick’s dad?

…

17 18

“What can I do for you?” asked the man who’d just appeared in the doorway.

…

At first Nick didn’t really know what to say, but after a moment his training kicked in

and he regained his composure.

“I’m actually here to ask you the same thing,” he replied with a shrug. Hopefully the man

wouldn’t realise Nick looked a lot more nonchalant than he felt.

The man put his head on one side. “What do you mean? Are you looking for a job?”

“No.” Nick took the business card out of his pocket and held it out to him. “But I found

this in a locker. In Berlin.”

The bookseller took the card and examined it closely. Then he said: “Nick?”

So the man knew who he was. Had he been expecting him?

“Yes, that’s me.” Nick heard the agitation in his own voice and felt annoyed with himself.

“Can you tell me why…?”

“What’s your father’s name?” the man interrupted quietly.

“Ben. Ben Nader.”

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

Now the man held out a hand to him. “Welcome, Nick. My name is Bob Barnes.”

Bob strode past Nick to the front door of the shop, locked it and turned the sign in

the window from ‘OPEN’ to ‘CLOSED’. “Come on. We’ve got lots to talk about.”

…

“Can you tell me who left those things in the locker?” he burst out, at which Bob raised

both hands in a calming gesture.

“Which locker are you talking about, who gave you the key and why on earth aren’t you

at school?”

Nick’s heart sank. He’d been hoping to get some answers to his questions.

“Nick, whoever gave you that card was trying to lure you here. Please tell me exactly

what happened.”

…

“Now let me tell you something about your father.”

…

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Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

20 (MR DRAGO / A PROFILE OF THE ENEMY)

…

“How do you know my dad? Can you tell me that, at least?

“Yes, I can. We met on an assignment. I was with the SIS.”

Nick had learnt about all the major secret service organisations at school,

including the SIS, and he ran through the key facts in his head.

SIS: the British foreign intelligence agency, better known as MI6. Headquarters at

Vauxhall Cross on the bank of the River Thames.

“But you’ll probably be more interested in what your father was up to in the

months before he disappeared.”

Nick’s head was spinning. Was he about to find out, at long last, why his father had

disappeared?

“What was he up to?”

Now Bob leant forward a little. “He was on someone’s trail. Someone who sits at

the head of a global business empire. And I think your father has infiltrated this

man’s operations so he can carry on his investigation undercover.”

Nick’s heart beat faster and faster. “Whose operations? I mean… who is this man?”

Bob nodded as if he’d been expecting this question. “Have you ever heard of Victor

Drago?”

Nick thought hard, but he was pretty sure he’d never heard the name before. “No.”

“Drago is the owner of a multinational group of companies operating all over the

world. He owns telecommunications companies, newspapers, steel companies,

airlines… The list is endless. He’s not fussy. And anything that doesn’t already

belong to him is sure to be on his shopping list. He’s got a stake in almost every

major company in the world.”

Nick was feeling more surprised by the moment – how come he’d never heard of

this man? “Where’s he from?”

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

Bob sighed. “That’s the curious thing about Drago. Nobody knows. Nobody knows

where he’s from, or how old he is, or what he looks like. Nobody’s ever set eyes on

him. He’s like a ghost. A filthy rich ghost.”

Nick wondered frantically how this information might help him. “But being rich

and staying out of the public eye is not a crime. Why was my dad investigating

him?”

“We suspect that Drago, through his network of companies, is carrying out money

laundering on an industrial scale. We also think he’s involved in organised crime.

But up until just before his disappearance, Ben was also convinced that Drago had

something else in mind – something big, that could impact the entire planet. And

not in a good way.”

“And you think this man has something to do with my dad going missing?”

“I don’t think it. I know it.”

…

Bob pointed to the smartphone. “That was three years ago. Your father said he was

going to let them catch him and that he knew they wouldn’t kill him. He’d never have let

himself fall into Drago’s hands if he hadn’t been absolutely sure he’d have the chance to

escape. I don’t know what made him so sure or why he thought he was so valuable to

Drago, but anyway – that’s why I’m certain he’s still alive.”

…

For three years he’d known his dad was missing. And hadn’t Martin had also said back

then that he thought Ben Nader was still alive?

…

Now here was this Bob, himself a former secret agent and apparently a friend of his

father’s, saying he was convinced Nick’s dad wasn’t dead, but being held captive by this

Mr Drago.

…

“What? But my dad…”

Again Bob looked critically at Nick. After a moment he reached for a folder that was

lying on his desk, and held it out to him. “In here you’ll find everything you need to

know about Drago.”

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

…

“I have one more question… Who left those things in the locker in Berlin and why now,

three years after my dad disappeared?”

“I don’t know who helped you. I don’t even know whether or not it was a trap. After all,

a man has been killed.” Bob looked past Nick and stared into space for a moment. Then

his gaze rested on Nick again. “It also means the other side know more than we

thought.”

…

9 10

“My scanner is showing that someone’s been following you, always the same distance

behind you, since you left the building. A woman, by the looks of it.”

Nick looked around, as discreetly as possible.

“Where is she now?”

“No.”

“No? What do you mean?”

“It’s time to get up… Headmaster Bauer is waiting for you… your vital functions…

camouflage and deception… connection refused… no further information… connection

error…”

“Bruno?”

Silence. Nick lifted his arm and studied the CBPI. “Bruno, what’s wrong?” No answer.

Either Bruno had gone into standby mode or, for the first time ever, he was

malfunctioning.

…

24 25

Nick came to a little park. … He pulled the folder out of the bag, opened it up and

searched through it for any companies in Drago’s business empire that were based in

London. There were two. A firm that made computer chips and circuit boards, and a

music production company with its own recording studio.

Nick decided to pay the production company a visit.

…

31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

21 (BEGINNING OF THE ‘SEARCH FOR CLUES’)

1 2 3

…

“I chose Aspen Music Factory because I’m really keen to do an interview with Drago.

He’s the most elusive business mogul in the world, and I read somewhere that Aspen is

one of his companies. Can you put me in touch with him, Ian?”

Was Nick imagining things, or had something changed in Ian’s manner? Suddenly he

didn’t seem quite so laid-back.

“Where did you read that?”

…

Ian glanced at his watch and stood up. There was nothing left of the effusive friendliness

with which he’d greeted Nick. His face still wore a smile, but its boyishness was all gone.

It looked like the smile on a puppet. “Sorry, you must have made a mistake. I don’t know

any Mr Drago, and he’s certainly not my boss.”

…

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2 3

…

On the other hand, his first attempt at finding out about the mysterious Mr Drago had

failed miserably. And no-one had prepared him for the fact that his first mission would

begin with a murder. …

Nick remembered the message from his dad on Bob’s phone.

Frau Schneider, who taught ‘Encryption Techniques and Secret Codes’, had always

drummed it into them that nothing happens without a logical reason. And when there’s

no logical reason for something, then there’s something fishy about it.

At the time when Nick’s dad had recorded the message, he’d clearly been in a dangerous

situation. Perhaps a life-threatening situation. … Why had his father, at that critical

moment, phoned a former MI6 agent instead of his closest friend Martin?

Martin! Nick sat bolt upright. If he could only contact his dad’s friend, perhaps he might

get somewhere.

…

17 18

So, fact number one: his dad had been in a dangerous situation. So dangerous that

it had probably led to his disappearance. But he’d had just enough time to make a

phone call.

Fact number two: There was a man who not only knew exactly what Ben Nader

did for a living but whom he trusted absolutely. So much so that he would trust

him with the life of his only son. Martin.

Fact number three: And then there was a former British Secret Service agent, Bob,

who’d taken part in a handful of missions with Nick’s dad. That was it.

Fact number four: In said dangerous situation, Ben Nader – an experienced secret

agent – had called not his closest friend (who was also a secret agent) but another

colleague, and had left a weird-sounding message on his voicemail.

Conclusion: Either Nick’s dad hadn’t been able to get hold of Martin, or – and this

was more plausible, logically speaking – the story that Bob had told Nick was a

complete and utter lie. Because if his dad had been able to leave a voicemail

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

message for this Bob, he could have left one for Martin too. That would have been

logical.

But in that case, why had the things he’d found in the locker at Berlin Central

Station led him straight to London, and to Bob of all people?

…

Martin. He had to get in touch with him somehow, and he reckoned he knew how to do

it.

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Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2 3

Martin said nothing for a while. Then he cleared his throat. “Nick, you need to tell

me everything that’s happened. I’m serious – you’re in big trouble. I need to know

everything.”

Nick flopped down on the bed, relieved. Martin was the one person he could trust.

Once he’d told him what had happened, perhaps they could look for his dad

together. He leaned back on the bed and told Martin the whole story, from his ride

on the ghost train to his search for a hotel room. Martin was most alarmed by the

bit about the locker and the gun. Then he asked Nick where he was staying.

…

Nick put the phone down and closed his eyes. He was so glad he didn’t have to face this

situation alone anymore. And he was intrigued to hear what Martin had to tell him when

they met tomorrow morning. But something felt strange – he just couldn’t put his finger

on it.

…

A little while later, as he lay in bed, he decided to watch TV for a bit until he nodded off.

He flicked through all the channels but there was nothing on that looked even remotely

interesting. So he settled on an English news channel showing a report about the Crown

Jewels on display at the Tower of London. This year, apparently, they were going to be

exhibiting a very special crown which only got taken out of the vaults for a few hours

once every ten years. The stone at the centre of the crown, said the reporter, was made

from a very rare material whose complicated name Nick promptly forgot.

…

25 26

“Hey, James Bond.” Martin took a step towards Nick and gave him a bear hug.

“Good to see you.”

…

Martin laid a hand on his arm. “Come on, let’s go in. Then you can tell me again what Bob

Barnes told you.”

…

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

“We’ve suspected for some time that your dad was after Drago. Problem is, I’ve had to

be very discreet in my investigations so as not to put your dad in danger.”

Nick looked Martin in the eye. “So you think Mr Drago’s got my dad locked up

somewhere too? And what makes you think he’s still alive? He’s been gone three years.

Do you really think Mr Drago’s just been keeping him prisoner all this time? Why would

he do that?”

Martin looked down at his hands. “No-one’s ever managed to get as close to Drago as it

seems your dad did. There are two reasons I think he’s still alive. Firstly, it’s important

for Drago to find out exactly what your dad knows, how much he’s said, and to whom.

He won’t harm him until he gets that information, and your dad is skilled and resilient

enough not to give it to him. It’s his life insurance policy, so to speak. And secondly,

Drago now has one of Europe’s top secret agents in his power – he might be planning to

use him as collateral at some point, to swap him in exchange for something else he

wants.”

That made sense. And yet… “But he won’t just keep him prisoner forever.”

“No, and that’s why we’re going to get your dad out of there. Okay?” Martin held out his

hand for a fist bump.

“Yes, okay.” Nick bumped fists with Martin, and he stood up. “Let’s go.”

…

This time Nick was certain he saw someone flitting around the corner as they went

outside. And he also knew he’d be able to catch whoever it was.

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2

…

“Look, there’s the ambassador,” Martin interrupted Nick’s reverie. “Come on, I’ll

introduce you.”

…

“A pleasure to see you again, old friend.”

Martin nodded. “The pleasure is all mine. It’s been too long, as always.” He gestured

towards Nick. “Allow me to introduce Nick Nader, Ben Nader’s son.”

“Oh yes, of course. He’s very like his father.”

Nick couldn’t put his finger on what it was, but something about the ambassador’s smile

made him feel uneasy. Now Martin turned to Nick. “This is His Excellency Djuma

Bangala, the Ambassador for the Democratic Republic of Congo and a good friend of

mine.”

…

Nick knew the person standing in front of him. “Caroline?”

Her smile was arch. “Actually, my name’s Carol. My dad’s a Brit, it was his idea.”

“I… You look so different.”

“You’d better close your mouth, Nick.” Caroline… Carol glanced discreetly around the

room. “Otherwise people will think I’ve said something awful to you.”

She ushered him towards the wall. “Let’s go and stand over there, and I’ll tell you

everything.”

Nick went with her, feeling a little as though he was sleepwalking.

“So, long story short: when I found out there had been complications with your

intermediate exam, I followed you. I…”

“But how did you find me?”

Carol pointed to Nick’s wrist. “Bruno. I’ll explain it all in a minute. I managed to

locate you and I’ve been following you ever since you went to that bookshop.”

Nick’s eyes widened. “It was you the whole time?”

“Yes.”

“But why did you hide from me?” Before the words were out of his mouth, he

knew the answer. “Ah, I know. Because first you had to find out whether anyone Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

else was following me. That’s why you started by just observing me and seeing

where I went.”

…

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2

…

At last he had a lead that might help him find his dad. He didn’t want to sit around

waiting and laying meticulous plans at a time like this. Martin would know what to do.

And Nick was a little disappointed that Carol clearly felt the same way as Bruno. He’d

thought she was different. The new Carol, anyway.

…

“This will be your first joint mission. The ambassador said armed guards patrol the

premises twenty-four hours a day. To get into the building you have to distract them. I’ll

take care of that, since it’s the most dangerous part of the operation. The men are well-

trained and authorised to shoot. They won’t hesitate to use their weapons. I’d prefer me

to be their target. And in the meantime, you’ll be breaking into the building.”

…

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2

…

The door was flung open so suddenly that they both jumped.

…

5 6

“Well I never. Dominic Nader, and in evening dress, too,” he remarked in a

conversational tone, lowering himself into one of the empty chairs. His gaze settled on

Carol, took in her slightly soiled cocktail dress. “And who are you?”

“Wonderwoman,” she replied without missing a beat. The man smiled complacently.

“That smart mouth of yours isn’t going to last long.”

…

“Our computer interfaces expert will be here soon, to relieve you of your

electronic companion.” The man’s eyes went to the band on Nick’s wrist. “We

don’t want him passing on information that’s none of his business, do we?”

“It’s too late,” said Nick defiantly. “Br… My interface has already communicated

our location.”

Again that malicious grin spread across the man’s face. “Don’t you worry about

that – we know what we’re doing. The interface will be removed.”

…

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2 3

…

“Go, get out of here,” Carol called to Nick, thumping him on the shoulder.

“Fire alarm!” Bruno remarked.

…

“They’re otherwise engaged,” Carol panted. “I set off all their intruder and fire

alarms.”

…

What good had his three years of training done him – three years when he’d missed out

on everything boys of his age normally got to do? He was unable to find out anything

about his dad, or help Martin if those men really had got hold of him. And all that stuff

about his stupid ‘gift’. What good did it do him, if he couldn’t control it? It turned out he

was just a normal fifteen-year-old who’d been told he was something special.

A branch whipped across his face. His anger grew stronger and stronger, coursing like a

hot jet through his body. Suddenly, a burning pain shot through his calf and up his right

leg, and before he knew what was happening, the world began to freeze around him.

…

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

28 (FARBOLITE INFORMATION / PERPETRATORS)

1 2

…

Carol parked the car half on the pavement about fifty metres from the entrance to the

hotel, and stayed in the driver’s seat as Nick got out and went into the building.

The woman at Reception who’d given him the room the previous day recognised him

and smiled as he walked towards the lift.

“Marc Rücker?”

Nick stopped. “Yes?”

“Did you forget something?”

“Um… no. I was just going up to my room.”

The woman raised one eyebrow. “But your dad’s already been to collect your things.”

“What?” Nick turned back to the reception desk. “My dad? When?”

“Three hours ago.”

Three hours? Three hours ago they’d just arrived at the building in the woods with

Martin. How was that possible?”

…

“So whoever it was must have known you wouldn’t be back anytime soon.”

Nick pondered this. “It’s bad – my fake passport was in my room, and the folder Bob

Barnes gave me with the information about Victor Drago. If whoever has the folder

knew we were on our way to that building, and was already expecting us to show up

there…” He turned to Carol. “Oh shit, that’s it! They didn’t spot us on the security

cameras. They already knew we were coming. And there’s only one person who could

have told them: the Congolese ambassador, who else?”

…

25 26

A sheet of paper caught Nick’s eye – there were only three words on it,

handwritten, also in red ink. He grabbed it and studied it. The first word was

circled:

Farbolite!

Underneath, underlined twice, were the words: WHERE FROM???

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

Nick started. Farbolite… perhaps that was what the letters FT stood for on the technical

drawing of the satellite. He was also convinced he’d heard or read the word somewhere

before, and quite recently too.

“Three men with guns are coming along the corridor outside the door,” Bruno

remarked, for all the world as if he was reading the weather report.

“What?” Nick turned to Carol and saw at once that her interface had just told her exactly

the same thing.

“Shit, what should we…?” but before he could say any more, the door flew open with a

crash.

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Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

29 (PERPETRATORS)

1 2 3

The three men stormed into the room, yelling. Each of them had a gun trained on Carol

and Nick.

…

“So, kids,” the fat one snarled. “Now you can’t cause any more trouble with your clever

little toys, I’d like to know what you’re doing here.”

“Oh, don’t you already know?” Nick shot back belligerently. “I thought you knew

everything?”

“We know plenty. Like the fact that you’re Ben Nader’s son. And that you went AWOL

while you were supposed to be taking your intermediate exam, and that somebody

helped you. We know about the locker and what was in it.”

…

14 15

“You don’t get it, do you? You’ve poked your noses into something big. Too big for so-

called ‘super spies’. And a thousand times too big for a couple of kids like you.”

Nick’s stomach clenched. “What do you mean ‘super spies’? My dad?”

“Yes, I mean your dad. He should have left well alone three years ago, not gone poking

his nose into things he couldn’t hope to understand. Well, anyway.” He lowered his

head, looked at his shoes and said matter-of-factly: “He paid the price in the end.”

…

Nick couldn’t think clearly anymore – he was suddenly aware of noises from

outside. Someone must be coming along the corridor towards them. The big boss,

whoever he was.

“Oh!” said Bruno.

Nick and Carol looked expectantly towards the open door, and before Nick had

chance to wonder what Bruno was so shocked about, a figure appeared in the

doorway and strode into the room. Then he stopped and stood before them with

his legs apart.

In his right hand, the man was holding a knife. The light from the neon lamps

glanced ominously off its long blade.

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

“So… now I’d like you both to tell me everything you know.”

Nick’s jaw dropped, he stopped breathing, his limbs went numb. Suddenly he

couldn’t think or feel anything. He closed his mouth automatically, then his lips

formed a word, almost soundlessly, because his voice wasn’t working.

“Martin?”

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2

…

Martin! Every fibre of Nick’s being screamed at him that it couldn’t be true, that

Martin couldn’t really be one of them. And yet… not only was it the most logical

explanation for his sudden disappearance and the way he’d turned up at the

Music Factory, it also explained how everyone had known – in the building

outside the city as well as at the production company – that they were coming.

And who Nick was. It wasn’t the ambassador who’d told the criminals they were

onto them – it was Martin.

…

Nick couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it sooner. It would have spared him, and

particularly Carol, from a terrible ordeal. But then again, Martin would probably have

had some perfectly plausible explanation that Nick would’ve swallowed hook, line and

sinker. After all, back then he’d still seen Martin as his closest friend and protector.

Time you learned the world is not an adventure playground, he’d said.

…

17 18

Another thought made Nick groan. When his dad had disappeared, three years

ago… was it Martin who’d betrayed him? Given what Nick knew now, he had no

doubt about it.

If his dad was now dead, as the fat little man had hinted, then Martin was his

murderer. He’d betrayed him.

Martin the traitor! Martin, the traitor! Nick lunged forwards and grabbed a length

of metal piping.

Traitor!

…

27 28 29 30

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2 3

…

“And I screwed everything up and let Carol down.”

“You didn’t. But you will, if you give up now.”

Nick knew Bruno was right.

“So what do you think I should do?”

“Who was the one who first told you about Victor Drago?”

“Bob, the bookseller.”

“And who did your dad call when he was in trouble, instead of Martin?”

“Bob.”

“Ergo?”

“I’ll go to the bookshop.”

…

So he’d been wrong to suspect Bob. Bob wasn’t the untrustworthy one – it was Martin.

And his dad had known that when he was in trouble. That was why he’d called Bob and

not that bastard Martin…

His thoughts turned to Carol. He had to come up with a plan to free her from those

crooks.

…

21 22

When he reached the doorway and saw inside the office, he stopped in his tracks

and stared.

24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

32 (SOLUTION)

Bob was sitting in his office chair. His arms hung limply at his sides, his head was

tipped way back and his mouth was open as if he were asleep. But Nick’s eyes

were drawn to something else. In the centre of Bob’s forehead was a small hole,

edged by a ring of dark crusted blood.

Nick had to go closer to make sure the ex-agent really was dead. …

Drago’s men had got here before him. And no wonder – Nick himself had told

Martin about Bob. Martin had probably picked up the phone a few minutes later

and given the order for one of his hitmen to murder Bob.

…

Bob was the second man Nick had found dead in the space of a few days. He must

be getting hardened to it. This aspect of his work of an agent was one he could

really do without.

…

There was only one thing left to do. He had to search Bob’s desk and then… then

his clothes.

In the office doorway he paused for a moment, looking at the ex-agent’s

motionless body. “Come on: it’s for Carol and for Dad!” he told himself. “I can do

this.”

…

“So, back to Bob. He had a piece of paper in his pocket with the name of that stuff that

was also on the drawing.”

“Farbolite?”

“Yes. Can you find out what exactly it is? I get the feeling it’s important. And I also need

to hurry up and get Carol out of there.”

It was only a few seconds before Bruno spoke again.

As he listened to him Nick just kept walking, without a clue where he was going.

…

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

“Several leading scientists believe that the ore arrived on earth millions of years

ago, on a meteorite.”

“Crazy. People must pay a hell of a lot of money for it, if it’s so rare. Perhaps that’s

why Drago’s so interested in it.”

“I doubt that very much,” Bruno replied. “Mr Drago is one of the richest people in

the world. It wouldn’t…”

“Make any sense for him to be going after the ore just for the money,” Nick cut in.

“… If a small amount of it can really generate as much energy as 100 nuclear

power stations… Just imagine what you could do with all that.”

“And how powerful you’d be. Most people are always hungry for more power .”

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Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

33 (RESCUING CAROL)

1 2

…

“So: We’ll try and rescue Carol. And we should take a look at that diary in the museum. I

have a feeling it might be useful. If I can prove that Drago is planning something

disastrous, I’ll be able to find someone to help me rescue Carol. And maybe my dad, too.”

After a few moments he added: “If it’s not too late for him.”

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2

…

Nick lifted his head and couldn’t help but gasp.

… that this discovery could be the jewel in the crown of his career.

“No way,” he exclaimed.

The jewel in the crown! That was it! The report he’d seen on the TV in the hotel, about

the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London. The crown that was only brought out of the

vaults once every ten years. One of the precious stones set into the crown, which was

encased in unbreakable vacuum glass… farbolite.

…

“It makes total sense!” Nick could hardly contain himself. “Drago needs the stuff for his

satellites. He tries to get hold of it through the Congolese ambassador, but it doesn’t

work. And at the same time, a crown is on display containing probably the only stone in

existence outside of the restricted zone… They must be about to try and steal it.”

…

Nick headed for the entrance, but before he reached it Bruno called out “Stop!”

Nick stood still, alarmed. “What?”

“I’ve located signals from several CBPIs. And one of them is very close by, about fifty

metres away from you.”

Several CBPIs? That could only mean… “Shit,” Nick burst out as he recognised the

figure standing by the entrance watching the people go into the Tower. It was…

Jan.

“Damn it,” he exclaimed, looking around frantically for cover. He found a hiding

place behind a tree trunk, less than five metres away. He positioned himself so

that he could still see the entrance. “What’s he doing here?”

“I don’t know, but he’s not alone. I’ve identified Petra and Paula’s frequencies as

well, inside the building. And there’s a few other signals, but they’re being

distorted somehow. The structure of the distortion makes me think it’s being

used intentionally to make identification impossible.”

“What the hell are they all doing here? I’m not surprised to see Jan. I never trusted

him. But Petra and Paula? I can’t believe it. They must all be in it together.”

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

Nick tried to suppress his growing disappointment. There was no time for that

now.

“Then you’ll have to be extra careful,” Bruno warned. “Especially because of the

other signals. I’m afraid they might belong to Drago’s people.”

…

“Eight minutes to go,” Bruno announced. “Time’s running out. You should try and find

out which way they’re going to take the crown back to the vaults, and make a plan.”

…

He had a plan, and it was simple but effective. He was going to set off the alarm system.

That would cause the steel bars to come down around the glass case. Then the security

guards would evacuate everyone from the Tower, and the crown could be taken safely

back to the vaults.

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

35 (ATTACK ON THE CROWN)

1 2 3

…

Nick recognised the fat man from Music Factory, and Martin. Martin was looking

at him expressionlessly. “There you are. All that training wasn’t for nothing, then.

I knew you’d show up here. Just in time to witness an important stage in the new

dawn of mankind. I’m pleased to see you again.”

…

“The thing is…” Martin came towards Nick and stopped right in front of him.

“Unlike your father, I realised when it was smarter to switch sides.”

…

Martin took another step towards Nick, so that their faces were only centimetres apart.

“You have no idea what you’ve got yourself into.” His voice was sharp now. “Events are

in motion here that a kid like you can’t even comprehend. A few days from now there

will be a new world order. No more national borders, no more corrupt governments,

just one central leadership to oversee the rebuilding of the world…”

“Martin!”

…

Only now did Nick notice the weapons lying in one corner of the room, which the men

were now picking up. Machine pistols, stick grenades and… gas masks. Nick’s mind was

racing. What were they planning to do with those? …

22 23

The crown was behind bulletproof glass, but there was no doubt in Nick’s mind that

they’d thought of this and knew how to break the glass.

Once he’d armed himself, Martin came back to stand beside Nick and winked at him

conspiratorially. “Take it like a man. I’ll tell your dad how bravely you faced your death.”

…

Nick’s pulse was racing. If he didn’t think of something in the next few seconds, they

were going to get away with it. And it was becoming clearer and clearer to him after

what Martin had said: whatever Drago was planning to do with the farbolite, it would

affect the whole of the human race. He had to do something.

He glanced quickly around the room, searching desperately for somewhere to run to, or

anything he could use against the men. This didn’t escape Martin. “Forget it,” he called.

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

“You’ve got no chance.” I know, damn it, Nick wanted to scream at him in his rage. If

only he could leap. The fact that he still couldn’t manage to control his power made him

so angry it caused him almost physical pain. Pain? Leap?

He remembered what had happened in the woods, and later with the metal pipe. Both

times he’d leapt because he’d suddenly been in pain. Intense pain. …

Without warning he charged at Scarface, using the element of surprise to knock his gun

aside and punch the stunned man in the face. He pushed Nick away roughly, gave

himself a little shake, and grimaced. “That was a mistake.”

Like a baleful shadow the stock of the gun came hurtling towards Nick’s head. Nick

managed to dodge it and the gun only grazed him, but that was enough to send a

lightning bolt of pain through his face. …

A fraction of a second later, he leapt out of time.

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

36 (NICK TO THE RESCUE)

1 2 3

…

He lurched up the first step, then the second. The two rooms he needed to cross were

full of people, so he had to slow down to squeeze past the bodies that were standing

around like shop window dummies. Outside the room where the crown was, there were

already several people lying on the ground and others still in the process of collapsing.

Their bodies hung twisted and askew in the air. It was pretty surreal.

Nick could see Martin standing right in front of the glass case. He recognised him even

with his gas mask on. As he took a step towards the traitor, Nick dropped back into the

normal flow of time.

The next bit was going to be difficult, but there wasn’t a moment to lose. The smell of

gas filled his nostrils. Even as Martin turned to look at him, Nick was pulling on his gas

mask. …

There were five men he had to get past.

…

“Nick! I’ll…” cried Martin. “Shit! Let me go, now, or I swear I’ll kill you myself.”

…

“I’ll kill you,” Martin hissed at him, trying again to shuffle towards Nick with his cronies

in tow. But it was a hopeless task.

Nick ignored him, grabbed Martin’s gas mask and yanked it off his head. Martin

protested loudly, but only managed a few words before he slumped to the floor. He was

out cold. Nick moved quickly on to the next man’s mask.

Once he’d taken off all the gas masks and tossed them aside, he prepared himself for the

final stage of his plan. He just hoped it was going to work. He positioned himself beside

the glass case, focused his mind, and gave the glass a quick, hard shove. He only just

managed to snatch his hands away before the steel bars shot down from the ceiling to

form an impenetrable cage around the crown.

He’d done it! Nick turned to look at the chained men, the last of whom was struggling to

free himself with rapidly weakening limbs. His movements grew ever more sluggish and

feeble until finally he collapsed on top of the others and lay there, unconscious.

Exhausted, Nick leant against the bars. Whatever Drago had been planning, Nick had

averted it for now.

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

…

He still had to rescue Carol, but after what he’d just achieved he felt confident he

could do it. He just needed a bit of a breather, and then he’d…

“Stand up!” The voice made him jump. It was very muffled, and yet Nick could

have sworn he knew who it belonged to.

Slowly, he turned around. He couldn’t believe his eyes. There in front of him, with

a gas mask over his face and a pistol in his hand, stood a man he recognised even

though his face was covered. His figure, his posture, the way he moved – they were

all unmistakable. And so was the man’s voice, despite the mask. It was

Headmaster Bauer.

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Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel

1 2 3

It couldn’t be. Headmaster Bauer – one of them? That would mean that the whole

school…

…

With great difficulty Nick managed to get to his feet, and stood swaying in front of

Bauer.

“Why? Why are you doing this?”

Bauer glanced at the device he wore on his wrist, then pulled off his mask. The gas must

have dissipated by now.

“It’s nothing to do with you.” He let out a bark of a laugh. “I had such big plans for you.

You would have been a valuable member of the new world order, you would have

achieved great things… but no matter. Now let these men g…”

He got no further, because at that moment several things happened at once.

Two figures came darting past either side of Bauer, and immediately the

headmaster’s features grew blurry, as if someone had drawn a milky veil over

him. Everything around him appeared as if through a shimmering fog. It took Nick

a moment to realise what had happened, and it was even more surprising than

Bauer showing up here in the first place. Petra and Paula had crept up behind him

and generated their forcefield around him. Just in time, too, because Bauer had

recovered quickly from his shock and, in the blink of an eye, had fired his gun at

Nick. Nick saw the bullet smash into the forcefield and fall harmlessly to the floor.

He looked back at the headmaster just in time to see him slump forward like a

sack of potatoes and slither to the ground, where he lay motionless. From the spot

where Bauer had just been standing, somebody else was grinning at Nick.

Jan!

The forcefield disappeared, and a moment later the twins were flying towards Nick and

hugging him so hard he was almost knocked off his feet. After a few seconds the

nightmare was over and the girls let go of him.

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

“He can’t do it on his own yet,” remarked Paula, the one with the birthmark. Her face

was expressionless.

“No, he can’t do it yet,” Petra concurred.

Still stunned, Nick looked over at Jan, who was now walking slowly towards him.

“Jan. I… How did you… I mean, I thought you…” He couldn’t go on. Jan laughed, stopped

in front of Nick and held out his hand.

“Jan Hancke, junior agent with the German Foreign Intelligence Service, Internal

Auditing department, Top Secret branch.”

“The Foreign Intelligence Service?” Nick started to feel dizzy. “But I don’t

understand…”

“No, I can imagine. I’m a bit older than you think I am. I just look very young.

We’ve suspected for some time now that the school had been infiltrated by

Drago’s men. That’s why I was placed there undercover three and a half years

ago.”

“But you were always so…”

“Antisocial? That was for my own protection. I didn’t know who I could trust. I

wasn’t sure I could trust you either, for a long time. But then when we both had

our intermediate exam and I saw how you reacted, I knew you were one of the

good guys. After you ran away I went back to the school and carried on playing my

role.”

…

Nick swallowed his disappointment and looked over at the twins. “But how did you

know where I was?”

“It was quite simple. We followed Bauer. We’ve known for ages how to get out of the

school – Carol told us.”

“So you already knew about the laundry and the other lift?”

“Of course.”

Suddenly Nick clapped a hand to his forehead. “Carol! We have to…”

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

“It’s OK, I’m here,” came a voice from the doorway. Nick knew that voice. It was…

“Carol!” He couldn’t hide the emotion in his voice. Even as he ran towards her he

noticed that there were lots of people standing around her, some in civilian

clothes but most in army uniforms. Nick flew at Carol, wrapped his arms around

her and held her to him.

…

“Shit!” Nick cried. “Martin… He’s gone.”

“What?” Carol looked shocked. “How could he escape? With all these people here?

And he was tied up, wasn’t he?”

…

A search party was sent out immediately, but to no avail.

Martin had vanished.

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Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

38 (NICK PASSES HIS FIELD MISSION EXAM)

“Allow me to congratulate you on your first successful field mission.” Headmaster

Faber, a slim man in his mid-forties, leant forward and rested his arms on the

desk at which Bauer had sat so recently. …

“Thank you,” Nick replied. “But it wasn’t all that successful, really. Martin got

away.”

“True – but you did manage to stop him getting his hands on the farbolite.

Whatever he was planning to do with it.”

“And I still don’t know where my dad is.”

The headmaster nodded gravely. “Yes, that’s true. Regrettably. But I’m certain

he’s still alive.”

“That’s what everyone keeps telling me. But I don’t know how you can be so sure.”

“We believe Drago needs him.”

“Bu why? What does he want with my dad? … “Do you think Drago will try and…

turn him?”

Faber nodded. “It’s highly likely, but I don’t think for a second that he’ll succeed.”

…

“We’ll take care of that. But now we come to another matter. Agent-in-training Nick

Nader.” The headmaster’s voice had changed; it sounded official now, almost

ceremonial. “All our agents have aliases by which they are referred to in files, databases

and mission reports. The teachers are given their names by us, but as an agent you have

the right to choose your own alias. Have you done so?”

…

“SPY!” said Nick, without further ado.

An hour later, Nick sat with Carol, Jan, Petra and Paula on a bench nearby.

“Crazy.” Carol shook her head. “I can’t believe how many of Drago’s men had managed

to infiltrate the school. Bauer, Fischer, Blum… even some of the students.”

…

Translation by Romy Fursland

SPY by Arno Strobel 1

“What exactly were they intending to do with this farbolite?” asked Paula. Nick

shrugged. “I don’t know exactly, but it was something to do with the satellite.

Unfortunately, the satellite and all the blueprints for it have disappeared.” After a pause,

he added bitterly: “And so has Martin.”

Carol laid a hand on his arm. “It’s not over yet.”

“No. We’ll track him down, and then that traitor will get what’s coming to him.

And so will his boss, Drago.”

Jan nodded. “I’m in.”

“He’s in,” Paula remarked.

“Yes, apparently so,” Petra replied. “Are we in?”

“We are in.”

“We are.”

“And I’m in for sure.” Carol laid her hand out flat on the top of the bench. “Here’s

my hand on it.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Nick laid his hand on top of Carol’s. “And mine.”

Jan, Petra and Paula did the same.

“To us,” said Jan.

“TO US!” they chorused.

…

Preview of Book 2:

The mysterious Mr Drago has been thwarted. But not for long! Deep in the heart of Africa

is only farbolite mine on the planet. And when government officials from the world’s ten

biggest industrial nations meet at a luxury hotel in Kinshasa to discuss the distribution of

this valuable raw material, Drago strikes again. But he hasn’t reckoned with the Foreign

Intelligence Service’s most talented junior agent, Nick Nader: a.k.a. SPY.

Translation by Romy Fursland