For official purposes, these children do not exist. But saddening moments do in this series.
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Series 1
The Recruit
Class A
Maximum Security
- James's guilt after his reckless driving nearly got Lauren seriously hurt, or in a worst case scenario, killed, as well as potentially threaten the integrity of the mission. Two books ago, he was worried at what Uncle Ron would do to her when she was adopted, and his fears came to pass with Lauren being abused. Now, James has come to realise that it was only him that could have caused the worst possible kind of injury for his own sister, if it weren't for luck. Hell, the title for this chapter is called "Regret".He considered saying sorry, but an apology didn't seem to properly reflect the gravity of what he'd done.
The Killing
- James's breakup with Kerry. Not the actual event, but the consequences afterwards. He vents his anger by punching a young kid who had already suffered from his grandmother's death and a police accusation claiming that he was responsible for his grandmother's death. He is forbidden to go to a holiday hostel for the summer. He is forced to clean up the mission preparation room for three months, every night. And finally, his friends, even his sister, end up rejecting and refusing to speak to him after and because of the incident. All this is just saddening to watch for James.
Divine Madness
- The moment when Dana realises that Eve left early from the boat on a dinghy, possibly intending to destroy the LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) oil tanker herself. Despite the fact that Eve is part of the Survivors and that it was Dana's mission to take down the Survivor group she was going with, she still feels anxiety and sadness for the worst to happen to Eve. This line says it best, when she has dispatched the group and picked up by an Australian coastguard vessel:Dana: It’s not your fault, it’s... my foot really hurts, and I’m tired and Eve... Eve isn’t really a bad person, you know. She’s only fifteen. It was just the lot she got in with.
- Even worse is Eve's fate in the epilogue (refer to "Epilogues" folder).
Man vs. Beast
The Fall
Mad Dogs
- Gabrielle getting brutally stabbed by a teenage gangster in the field. While she does get better, it is touch and go for a long while whether she will survive. When other CHERUB agents gather around the campus chapel for a vigil, we see a small wall of the names of agents - children - who have died in the field. It's a gut-punch reminder that for all the fun the life of a child secret agent sounds, the good guys don't always win.
- Mr Large breaking down after Zara fires him. Granted, he's had this coming for a long time and he definitely deserved it, but he's a former agent himself, and CHERUB has been his life for decades. He's effectively being cast out of his adoptive family. Bearing that in mind, it's hard not to feel sorry for him.
The Sleepwalker
- The second and fourth chapters depict a plane crash from a seemingly random victim (Angus) inside, where he ends up dying along with his sister (Megan), mother, and grandmother. The next chapter ends up revealing that they were Mac's relatives. His reaction was not good: he completely broke down from these news, and needed to be taken to campus due to his emotional state.
- Even worse, before the plane crash, Angus writes a message to his father and knots it in a plastic bag, for it's recovery after the incident in which he knows he cannot survive. The contents of this message is not revealed until the final chapter, where Lauren reads it:
Dear Dad,
It looks like the end. I wanted to write to say that I love you and everyone else.
The plane is going to crash. Megan is upset but Mum is cuddling her. Grandma has her eyes closed and she keeps kissing her cross.
I really wish I’d got to be older than eleven, but I hope we meet some day in heaven.
At least I won’t get in trouble with Mr Williams on Tuesday because I forgot to do my history project (ha ha!).
Love u lots,
Angus McAfferty
9 September 2007- To add more salt to the wound, Megan decides to draw a picture of New York and package it away like her brother. She never got to finish her picture.
The General
- Gabrielle's reaction to finding out that Michael had an affair with Dana. She immediately screams at him for cheating on her, and she even smashes her palm on Michael's nose. Immediately after that, she falls onto a rugby referee's arms, sobbing.
- As well as James's and Dana's breakup. It's the exact opposite situation of Gabrielle's and Michael's breakup. No shouting, no slaps or fights, just the two of them exchanging soft, but bitter comments all while they pick up their personal items from their rooms. At one point, James also lampshades the urge to end up in a typical breakup argument, but his lack of energy has robbed him of the ability to do so.
- At one point, James runs into Mac and asks how he's doing. He's doing better than he was in The Sleepwalker, but he's still grieving the loss of his wife, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. The only person who could be said to have it worse is his son, who lost his mother, wife and children.
Brigands M.C.
Shadow Wave
Series 2
People's Republic
Guardian Angel
Black Friday
- Yosef Kazakov's death.
Lone Wolf
New Guard
Epilogues
Despite these extra pieces of content bringing satisfaction for the wrongdoers, there are still entries that prove that not everyone has a happy ending.
Divine Madness
- Eve's attempt to blow up the LNG oil tanker by herself was All for Nothing, as she died and washed up on an Indonesian island.
The Sleepwalker
- Fahim's mother's body has still not been found at all, despite the heavy vibes throughout the novel that seem to indicate that Fahim's father killed her.
