Four Degrees More Read Online Free

tanker and several vans were parked in front of me, and beyond them were the towers of oil, soon to be the most powerful fireworks the country had ever seen. But right now, the place was quiet and still.
    There was no way of hiding. I’d have to dash across, put the device at the base of one of the giant containers, set its timer, and hope that I wasn’t spotted. When thefirst tank exploded, it would tear holes in the other two and the whole lot would go up in flames. I’d have ten minutes to get away. No problem.
    Taking a deep breath, I sprinted for the gap between the petrol tanker and the works van parked behind it. A quick look around. A decision. I made for the closest storage tank. Kneeling beside it, I yanked my haversack off, ignoring the clammy shirt stuck horribly to my back.
    This was it. This was what the Cooler did. Just as Robin had shown me, I turned the timer to the ten-minute mark. I didn’t hang around. I just looked up once. The dull metallic tank was enormous, like a great big fat rocket, full of fuel waiting to be launched.
    The clock was ticking. The countdown had begun.

FIVE
    The Mirror: Oil refinery bombed
    The Guardian: Death at green protest

    Grinning to myself, I scrambled through the hole in the wire fence. Straightening up, I felt good. Really good. I’d done it! The Cooler had completed his most daring mission so far. With six minutes to spare.Taking a deep breath, I made the call to Beth.
    Even before she spoke, I could hear the background din of the protest. I didn’t wait for her to say anything.
    ‘It’s me,’ I almost shouted. ‘The Cooler. Mission complete!’
    ‘Brilliant. Well done. I’ll move everyone out.’
    I was more than surprised. There was a sudden sickly feeling in my stomach. ‘What do you mean? Why? It’s just going to be a big firework.’
    ‘Very big. You’ve lit the blue touch paper. Now we all stand well back.’
    I hesitated.
    ‘What are you saying? Where’s far enough back?’ I was beginning to panic. ‘What about the estate? Is that far enough away? Me and Keir live there.’
    ‘It’s too late, Leyton. You’ve done it. But just think how many lives you save down the line. A few casualties now, the planet saved for later. It’s a good deal.’
    ‘You conned me!’
    ‘It’s not like that, Leyton. Look, I’ll send Robin down. He’ll sort you out. But right now, I’ve got to pull everyone out.’
    Stunned, I stood there with a dead phone in my hand. I was shivering, not with cold, but with horror at what I’d done. Beth’s words had convinced me that the fireball would roast the whole area, including the housing estate. Not even the green cause was worth that sort of sacrifice. There’d be deaths. There could be hundreds, for all I knew. And there’d be horrible injuries.
    The Cooler had turned into a terrorist, after all.
    Belonging to the environmental grouphad given me a warm glow, but the feel-good factor had now gone. I didn’t want the same thing as the rest of the team any more. My strike against the oil refinery didn’t feel right. I felt nervous and cheated. And alone.
    I glanced at my watch by torchlight. Four and a half minutes to go. Was that enough time to undo what I’d done? I’d got out of the oil refinery in four minutes. I had to give it a try. I dropped the phone, ditched the backpack and threw myself to the ground. As fast as I could, I crawled back into the grounds of the factory. There was no time to hide and creep. I dashed back to the overhead pipe and ran along the path. The narrow way was more like a racetrack now.
    I still felt important – more important than ever – but everything had changed inan instant. I had to save lives instead of the planet.
    The noise of the protest at the main gates had faded, but all I could really hear were my own footsteps. And my heart hammering in my chest. Somewhere, a car engine revved up. I took no notice of it.
    Panting, I arrived at the road that ringed the storage