‘I wasn’t expecting it to get wet,’ Charlie said. ‘I even checked the weather forecast. I’m sorry.’
‘Is there any way to get it working again?’ Lux said.
There was a short pause.
‘No.’
Slink let out a huff of annoyance and started trying to free himself. It was a slow job because the exoskeleton was fighting him, making sharp, erratic movements.
Jack looked up and down the face of the building. There was no other way for Slink to escape. The only possible route was via a window cleaners’ cradle, but he would still have to climb up to it. And that would be impossible without the exoskeleton because it was two storeys above him and the wind was far too strong – he’d be torn from the building.
Jack looked at Slink again – he’d now managed to free one arm and was wrestling with the straps on the other.
‘Look, Jack.’ Lux pointed.
At the base of the building, policemen and women were pouring out of the main entrance.
A fire engine pulled up and Jack could hear the distant siren of a second one on its way.
Several fire fighters jumped out, ran around the building and looked up at the smoke pouring from the hole in the window.
Jack refocused on the office. Slink was lying on the floor. He finally managed to wriggle out of the exoskeleton and jumped to his feet.
‘Try the other door,’ Jack said.
Holding his arm up, shielding his face from the fire, Slink hurried back to Chief Whitaker’s office and over to the door to the corridor. ‘It’s locked.’
‘Any way to break it down?’
‘No.’ Slink rushed to the open window again. ‘I’m climbing.’
‘No, Slink!’ Lux said. ‘You’ll fall.’
‘Wait.’ Jack’s eyes snapped up to the window cleaners’ cradle. It was suspended under a swinging arm. ‘Charlie, you see that platform above Slink?’
‘Yes.’
‘Any way to get it down to him?’
‘Not that I can think of.’
Slink looked up. ‘I’m going.’
Before Jack could stop him, Slink pulled himself out of the window and started to climb.
Jack glanced down – one of the firemen had spotted him and was now pointing.
Several firemen hurried into the building.
Slink made agonisingly slow progress and the next few minutes passed in anxious silence.
Jack glanced back at the laundry van and swung the telescope across the road. ‘OK, Wren. There’s nothing more you guys can do. Get out.’
The lights came back on in the shop.
Wren unlocked the door and looked down at the shopkeeper. ‘I really am sorry.’ She tossed a set of keys on to the floor, exited the shop, then hurried across the road and climbed into the laundry van.
The van drove off and disappeared around the corner.
Jack returned his attention to the police building.
Slink had managed to make it up to the next storey.
‘Be careful, Slink,’ Jack said.
‘Aren’t I always?’
‘No, not so much.’
The wind tugged at his clothes, but somehow Slink managed to hold on. He hauled himself up a few extra centimetres, keeping his body as flat against the building as possible.
Jack winced. It wouldn’t take much for Slink to fall. He could hardly bear to watch and turned the telescope towards the office window.
The door suddenly burst open and a funnel of water erupted into the room.
A minute later, the fire was out and firemen were moving through the office. One of them stepped cautiously to the window and peered out. Then he looked up and spotted Slink. He waved over one of his companions and they both looked up at him, confusion on their faces.
Slink glanced down and gave them a thumbs-up. ‘All right?’ he called.
One of the firemen held out his arms and beckoned Slink back to the window.
Slink shook his head. ‘Nah, I’m OK here, mate.’ He looked up at the cradle and continued to climb towards it.
The fireman pulled off his breather mask and shouted at him, but Slink ignored the guy and kept climbing.
Finally, Slink managed to grab hold of the bottom of the cradle and he hauled himself up.
Jack let out a huge breath.
Slink pressed a button on the cradle and it edged up the side of the building.
The fireman stared up at him, dumbfounded. Then he shouted again, pulled back and waved his arms about in frustration as he spoke with two of his colleagues.
When Slink reached the top, he leapt from the cradle and on to the roof.
‘He’s amazing,’ Lux said in obvious awe.
‘You need to be quick, Slink,’ Jack said, looking back at the office as two of the firemen left the room. ‘They’re on their way up to you.’
Slink adjusted his hood and bandana, making sure his face was hidden from all the cameras on the roof.
Jack looked at the base of the building – police officers were gathered in small groups a safe distance away.
Had any of them spotted Slink too? Once the firemen told them about him, how long would it be before they locked down the building and started a search?
‘Jack?’
He looked up.
Slink was standing by the exit door on the roof.
‘Yeah?’
‘If those men are on their way up here, where exactly do I go?’
Lux pulled the laptop close and concentrated on Slink’s camera view. ‘Slink, go through the exit,’ she said.
‘You sure?’
‘Yes.’ Lux glanced at Jack. ‘Trust me.’
‘OK.’ Slink opened the door and entered the stairwell. He peered over the railing. ‘I can hear them – they’re two floors below and coming up,’ he whispered.
‘Get to the next level,’ Lux said.
Slink hurried down the stairs, clearing four or five at a time. He reached the door to the next floor, threw it open and hurried inside.
‘It’s no good – I think they saw me. Which way do I go now?’
Lux took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She muttered under her breath before her eyes snapped open again. ‘Third door on the right.’
Slink turned and sprinted down the hallway.
He opened the door she’d said, stepped inside and closed it behind him, just as the door to the stairwell banged open.
‘He went this way,’ a voice called.
‘Turn around,’ Lux whispered into her microphone. ‘It’s the door to your left.’
Slink went inside.
He was now standing in a bathroom.
Slink spun on the spot.
There were no doors or windows.
‘Err, Lux?’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
There was a loud BANG.
Slink wheeled around and locked the bathroom door.
The handle rattled.
‘Hey, kid, c’mon out of there.’
Jack looked at Lux. She had her eyes closed. ‘What are you doing?’
Lux held up her hand – ‘Trying to remember the layout of the building’ – and squeezed her eyes tighter. ‘OK.’ She opened her eyes again. ‘Slink. Air vent. Near the floor.’
Slink knelt down, grabbed the air vent grille and pulled it away from the wall. He then lay on his stomach and slithered into the opening head first.
Slink scrambled along on his belly until he reached a T-junction. ‘Which way?’ he whispered.
There was a cracking sound.
Obviously the firemen had broken into the bathroom.
‘Hey, what are you doing?’
Slink looked back.
One of the men’s faces peered into the air vent. He reached for Slink. ‘Get out of there.’
‘Lux?’ Slink shouted, kicking out at the man’s hands.
‘Wait . . . left. Go left.’
Slink spun his body and twisted around the corner, away from the fireman.
&nbs
p; He then crawled forward a few more metres until he reached another tunnel that went straight down.
Slink peered over the edge.
‘That’s a long drop,’ he whispered. ‘At least twenty metres.’
‘Can you make it?’ Jack said.
There was a short pause, then Slink said, ‘Of course.’
He moved forward, managed to turn his body in the narrow space and started to lower himself down.
Jack glanced at Lux, and when he looked back at the screen again, Slink was already halfway to the bottom, bracing his feet either side and stepping down.
He stopped. ‘Lux?’
‘Yeah?’
‘There’s a huge fan.’ He looked down.
Sure enough, directly below his feet was a set of spinning blades.
‘It’s OK,’ Lux said. ‘Keep going.’
‘Are you sure?’ Jack whispered to her.
She nodded, keeping her eyes on the laptop screen.
Slink hesitated a moment, then continued down.
When he was a metre from the fan, Lux said, ‘Stop there.’
Slink stopped, and the noise from the fan drowned out his words.
‘Turn to your right,’ Lux said.
To Jack’s relief, Slink could hear her and did as asked.
‘OK,’ Lux said. ‘Shove the wall in front of you as hard as you can.’
Slink said something, but Jack couldn’t make it out.
Slink then shifted his weight, put both of his hands on the metal wall in front of him and shoved.
Suddenly the wall gave way and Slink tumbled through the hole.
He landed on a lino floor, jumped to his feet and looked around.
He was in a small square room lined with shelves.
‘Where am I?’ he said.
‘Maintenance room,’ Lux said. ‘That was an access panel to the air conditioning.’
Slink turned around, crept to the door and peered into the hallway. ‘Empty,’ he whispered.
‘Go right,’ Lux said. ‘Exit door at the end.’
Slink followed her instructions, went through the door, down several flights of steps, along two more corridors and a narrow hallway and finally stopped at a carved wooden door.
‘OK,’ Lux said, taking a breath. ‘On the other side of that is the main foyer.’
Slink opened the door a few centimetres and peered out.
There were five firemen and three police officers standing in a group, chatting and talking into their radios.
‘Is there another way out?’ Jack asked.
Lux shook her head. ‘It’s the only way.’
Without further hesitation, Slink slipped through the door and into the foyer.
With his back pressed against the wall, he silently edged his way towards the glass entrance door, not taking his eyes off the group.
One of the police officers turned and spoke into his radio. ‘Say that again?’
Slink froze.
‘He’s gotta be up there somewhere. Try the next floor.’ The cop turned back to the group.
Slink continued along the wall, reached the entrance and pushed it open.
He’d just stepped through when someone shouted, ‘Hey!’
Slink turned and sprinted around the corner.
Two policemen ran after him, but Slink was way too fast for them. He vaulted a wall, ran across the road and vanished down an alleyway between two buildings.
Jack grinned at Lux. ‘That was amazing.’
She smiled back at him. ‘Thanks.’
They slid the telescope back into his bag, packed the laptop and silently moved from the edge of the roof.
• • •
Back at Serene’s loft, everyone dropped into the chairs and sofas.
‘That better have been worth all the hassle,’ Charlie said.
Jack unzipped his bag and pulled out the laptop. ‘It was.’ He handed it to Charlie.
She unfolded it and her eyes scanned down the email. The further she got through it, the more confused she looked. But by the time she’d reached the end, she was smiling.
‘What is it?’ Wren said.
‘It’s an email to several other divisions within the NYPD and the Port Authority,’ Jack said. ‘Apparently our friend Chief Whitaker has told them all there’s an FBI training exercise being carried out on North Brother Island.’
‘But it’s a bird sanctuary!’ Lux said. ‘It’s off limits to the public anyway.’
‘Yes,’ Jack said, ‘but the surrounding waterway isn’t. It’s regularly patrolled. The Chief has told the police and Port Authority to steer well clear of it.’
Lux nodded. ‘And you think he’s lying about the FBI training?’
‘No doubt about it.’ Jack looked between them all. ‘North Brother Island must be where Hector is hiding.’
‘Where is the island?’ Wren asked.
‘It’s on the East River,’ Drake said, leaning against the wall.
‘Yeah,’ Lux said. ‘And it’s full of abandoned buildings. There’s nothing there.’
‘Which makes it the perfect place for Hector to hide.’ Jack frowned. ‘We’ll need to do a recon mission. Is there some way to take a look at the place?’
‘No problem,’ Drake said, striding to the spiral staircase. ‘Give me a couple of hours.’
Jack gestured for Slink to follow him to the office. ‘I’ve got a job for you too.’
• • •
After catching a bare twenty minutes of sleep, Jack, Charlie, Lux, Slink and Wren were standing on a wooden dock on the East River.
Jack heard a distant rumble of a boat’s engine. He squinted into the darkness and could just make out its outline against the water.
He tensed. ‘Wait.’ As the boat came closer, he saw its markings. ‘Cops.’
Jack went to run, but Lux grabbed his arm. ‘Relax,’ she said. ‘This is our ride.’
Jack stared at the police boat as it glided towards them, cutting a wave through the black water. ‘Our ride?’
Lux smiled and nodded. ‘Look.’
As the boat pulled alongside the dock, Jack could make out the driver – it was Drake.
‘Nice boat,’ Lux said to him, as if this were an everyday occurrence.
Drake idled the engine. ‘Jump aboard.’
‘Did he nick this?’ Jack said into Lux’s ear.
She shrugged. ‘Borrowed.’
Jack thought that stealing a police boat was probably the dumbest thing anyone had ever done.
Charlie, Slink, Wren and Lux leapt on board.
Jack hesitated and thought about it a moment, but quickly came to the conclusion that they didn’t have much choice. He glanced around, then followed the others.
‘Next stop, North Brother Island.’ Drake looked over his shoulder and reversed the boat along the dock, then turned and opened the throttle.
Charlie raised her voice above the roar of the engine. ‘How long will it take us to get there?’ she asked Drake.
‘Twenty minutes.’ He gestured to the police radio mounted in the dash. ‘I’m listening out for them. I’ll know if any of them are near.’
Jack sat next to Lux.
‘What’s the plan?’ she said.
‘Recon,’ Jack said. ‘Gather intelligence, then get back to the loft and plan a mission.’
‘How many missions have you done?’
Jack stared at the lights on the shoreline as they sped past. ‘Hundreds.’
• • •
Drake eased up on the throttle as North Brother Island loomed out of the darkness. It was crammed with trees.
Drake glanced back at the others. ‘What do you want me to do?’
Jack got up and stood next to him. ‘Can you just circle around it?’
Charlie unzipped her backpack and removed a military drone. It had four rotor blades and several tiny cameras. She switched it on. ‘Obi?’
‘I’ve got it,’ Obi said in their ears. ‘The signal’s clear.’
The next few minutes passed in eerie silence.
Drake kept his distance from the shoreline and the boat glided in a long arc.
As they circled, a large brick building several storeys high came into view. It was just visible among the trees, overgrown with vines.
To the right of the building were the remains of a pontoon, but there was no safe place to land the boat.
So far there was no sign of life – no lights, no movement, no other boats, nothing.
‘Are you sure someone’s here?’ Drake said as they continued around the island.
‘Hector’s there all right,’ Jack muttered under his breath.
He knew it.
A few more minutes passed as they continued their tour and occasionally they’d glimpse another ruined building among the trees.
Slink let out a huge breath. ‘This. Is. Boring.’
Jack kept his eyes on the island and ignored him. He still couldn’t see any signs of current human habitation.
Suddenly Obi said, ‘Guys, it’s found something.’
Jack glanced at Charlie. ‘The drone?’
‘Yeah. There’s a camera mounted on the outside of one of those abandoned buildings. I’ve logged the position and now I’m sending the drone to search for more.’
Jack glanced at the others as if to say, I told you so.
A few minutes later and Obi spoke again. ‘Drone has finished its sweep of the island. It’s gathered basic point data. There are seven cameras and a few laser trips.’
‘Any sign of where Hector is?’ Jack said.
‘No. The wires to all of the security features are well hidden. Can’t see where they lead to and I don’t want to risk sending the drone into any of the buildings. We might lose it.’
‘OK,’ Jack said. ‘Do another sweep of the island, just in case there are any more cameras.’
‘Will do.’
‘What’s point data?’ Wren asked.
Jack turned to her. ‘The drone has used a laser to measure and mark every building, tree, camera and laser trip on the island. It’s so we can build a 3D map when we get back to the loft.’
Drake pointed at a small beach as it came into view. ‘Want me to land there, Jack?’
‘No. Please keep going.’
‘Wait,’ Slink said, exasperated. ‘Come on, Jack. Let me go check it out. It’s no use just sitting here. Every minute we waste is another minute Hector could be setting up hackers and stealing secret documents.’
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