Blackout

by Peter Jay Black

  ‘Can you see it?’ Charlie whispered.

  Slink pointed at a crack in the stonework at just the place Jack had worked it out to be. ‘It’s a wireless camera,’ he whispered. ‘I can see the antenna.’

  Charlie leant over and handed him a small digital camera.

  ‘Can’t see how it’s getting its power though,’ Slink said.

  ‘It doesn’t matter.’ Charlie pulled a device with two antennae from her bag, put it on the ground and switched it on.

  ‘What’s that?’ Wren whispered.

  ‘Signal booster.’ Charlie opened her netbook and pressed a finger to her ear. ‘Obi, are you connected?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Now you should be able to stay in contact with us when we go in.’ She opened a window on the netbook and the display divided in two. On the left-hand side was the guard’s view from inside the security room. He was still playing a game on his phone, with his feet up on the desk, while the other guard read a book.

  Good, neither of them had noticed the camera on his cap.

  Slink got the digital pocket camera as close to the CCTV camera as he dared and, watching its angle, pressed the button and took a picture.

  He then passed the pocket camera back up to Charlie.

  Charlie checked the image against the feed from the guards’ room. She shook her head. ‘Angle’s off.’ She passed the camera back to Slink. ‘The centre line was OK though,’ she whispered. ‘Just need to aim it down a fraction.’

  ‘Remind me why we can’t just screen grab it from the guards’ camera view?’ Slink said, grunting and shifting his weight.

  ‘They’d notice a huge drop in the quality of the image,’ Charlie said. ‘We need a high-res picture to fool them.’

  Slink took a breath, raised the camera and took another picture. He handed it back to Charlie and she checked it against the security feed. The two images looked identical.

  Charlie quickly hooked up the camera to the netbook and uploaded the image Slink had taken. When it was done, she pulled a black cylinder, five centimetres long, with a button one end, from her pocket and connected it to the spare port on the netbook.

  Charlie uploaded the static image and checked it, before finally disconnecting the cylinder again and handing it to Slink. ‘Should be good to go.’

  Slink jammed the cylinder into the crack in the stonework above the CCTV camera.

  He pulled back for a moment.

  The cylinder was one of Charlie inventions. It had a powerful transmitter inside that would override the CCTV camera’s signal and replace it with the static image she’d just uploaded.

  The only problem was that once Slink activated it, there was likely to be a flicker on the guards’ monitor.

  Slink took a few deep pulls of air, preparing himself. ‘Tell me when,’ he said.

  Everyone watched the display on the netbook.

  The first guard was still playing on his phone and the second one was reading his book, but both monitors were clearly in their line of sight.

  Charlie went to give Slink the thumbs up but stopped herself. ‘Wait.’

  The first guard lowered his phone and glanced over the monitors, then he returned his attention to the game.

  ‘Now.’

  Slink reached up and flicked the switch on the cylinder. The monitor in front of the guards flickered as it changed images.

  Jack held his breath as the first guard’s phone lowered.

  For several long agonising seconds, he didn’t move, then the phone lifted back to his face.

  Jack relaxed. Charlie and Slink had done it.

  The image on the guards’ monitor was now just a static picture.

  Jack and Hector hauled Slink back above the tomb and stood up.

  ‘Phase one, complete,’ Charlie said, handing Jack the netbook. ‘Now for the next part.’ She looked at the others. ‘Let’s get in position.’

  They walked to the edge of the circular path. Jack, Slink and Hector made their way to the centre circle of grass under the cedar tree and lay down on their stomachs opposite the tomb, while Wren and Charlie went right and disappeared into the darkness.

  Jack watched the netbook display of the guard’s view. Now would be a perfect time for him to come outside for a cigarette, but that was hoping for too much.

  The seconds dragged like minutes, the minutes like hours, and still the guard didn’t move.

  Maybe he wasn’t a heavy smoker. Perhaps he’d only just had a cigarette. Or maybe he wasn’t going to have another?

  Twenty minutes later, the guard stood up and walked to the door.

  ‘We’re up,’ Jack whispered into his microphone. His pulse quickened. They only had one shot at this. One shot. It had to run perfectly.

  He looked up as the guard emerged from the tomb, glanced around, then pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit a cigarette.

  ‘Obi,’ Jack whispered into his mic. ‘Bring up the other cameras.’

  Two more views appeared on the netbook’s screen. One was from Wren’s shoulder cam and the other was from Charlie’s.

  ‘Go, Wren,’ Charlie whispered.

  Wren circled the tombs and, keeping low, crept around the corner, just far enough to see the guard.

  She scooped up a stone from the ground and tossed it at the tomb door.

  The guard spun, grabbed his torch, flicked it on and shone it in Wren’s direction, but she kept back in the shadows.

  The beam of the guard’s torch swept from left to right.

  Wren grabbed another stone and threw it.

  The guard’s eyes snapped in that direction and he took several steps away from the door, searching for the source of the noise.

  Charlie sneaked silently around the corner and darted into the tomb behind him.

  Wren stayed back, still hidden, out of reach of the guard’s torch as he continued to look around.

  Jack watched the view from Charlie’s shoulder cam as she hurried over to the keypad and pulled an exact replica of the keypad and camera she’d made. The only difference was her device was a fraction bigger.

  Charlie clipped the fake keypad over the top of the original and switched it on. It glowed blue and, as far as Jack could tell, there was no way you’d easily spot the difference.

  Charlie then pulled a smartphone out of her pocket and checked the screen. ‘No way,’ she muttered.

  ‘What?’ Jack said.

  ‘The camera on the modified keyboard isn’t working.’

  Obi brought up a new pop-up box on the netbook and, sure enough, it showed a black square where the image was supposed to be.

  Charlie stepped forward and switched the overlay device on and off again.

  From Wren’s camera view, the guard had now given up the search and was walking away from her, back towards the tomb’s entrance.

  Jack swore. ‘Charlie,’ he whispered. ‘The guard’s coming.’

  ‘I’m going as fast as I can,’ she hissed. Charlie tapped the side of the overlay but the camera image stayed black. ‘Stupid thing.’ Charlie lifted it off and checked the wires on the back. ‘It was working. I checked it like a million times.’

  Jack looked to his left. The guard was coming around the corner. ‘Not enough time, Charlie,’ he whispered into the mic. ‘Get out of there.’

  ‘Wait, I’ve almost got it.’ Charlie pushed a wire and the camera sprang to life.

  Jack could now see the image on the netbook screen.

  Charlie quickly slid the device back over the keypad and grabbed her bag from the floor.

  The guard’s torch beam bounced off the tomb door and Jack knew Charlie wouldn’t be able to get out unseen.

  Charlie had obviously realised this too because she was turning on the spot, searching for somewhere to hide.

  There were three coffins stacked on top of each other on the right and the same on the left. They were pushed right up against the wall so there was nowhere for her to hide behind them.

  Suddenly, He
ctor sprang to his feet and ran off.

  ‘Great,’ Jack whispered. ‘He’s just abandoned us.’

  Charlie squatted down in the corner of the tomb and switched off her torch, but it wouldn’t be enough. The guard would easily spot her. The best she could do was try to make a break for it.

  Jack cocked his head to the side and was about to tell her to get out of there when there was a snapping sound.

  Jack froze.

  So did the guard. He shone his torch at the cedar tree.

  Jack didn’t waste a second. ‘Get out of there, Charlie,’ he breathed.

  There was another snapping sound – this time further away – and the beam of the guard’s torch moved in the direction of the noise.

  Charlie peered around the door, then silently slipped out and ran the opposite way to the guard.

  From the guard’s camera view, Jack watched as he stepped inside the tomb and closed the door behind him.

  Hector reappeared.

  ‘That was you?’ Jack said.

  He nodded.

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘No problem.’

  The guard typed in the six-digit security code and leant into the camera. His eye filled the window on the netbook display.

  There was a short pause, then the LED turned green.

  The door slid aside and the guard walked down the steps.

  A minute later, Jack, Charlie, Hector, Slink and Wren were standing outside the door to the tomb.

  ‘Obi, keep us updated,’ Charlie whispered into her headset.

  ‘Will do. The guard is back in the room with the other one. All is quiet.’

  Charlie opened the door to the tomb and they went inside.

  She unclipped the overlay device she’d made and connected it to her smartphone. ‘I’m checking the code he typed first. It’s seven, seven, three, five, nine, two.’

  Jack typed in the numbers.

  Now for the really clever part.

  The camera in the overlay had captured an image of the guard’s eye. Charlie brought it up on her smartphone and held it in front of the keypad.

  The LED changed to green and the door slid open.

  ‘Hurry,’ Charlie said to the others, and they stepped on to the metal landing. She pointed up at the camera. It was panning from left to right, but didn’t reach the part they were standing on.

  Because the camera was moving, they couldn’t fix it with a static image and an alarm would sound if they tampered with the camera’s cables. So, Charlie had come up with a unique idea to solve the problem.

  She looked at Slink. ‘All yours.’

  Slink stepped on to the handrail and pulled himself up, using the pipes that ran along the ceiling. Hanging upside down, with his arms wrapped around the pipes in a bear hug, he inched his way along.

  Jack kept an eye on the guards’ door at the end of the corridor.

  Slink’s feet slipped and he hung by just his hands.

  One foot swung past the front of the camera.

  ‘I saw that on their monitor,’ Obi said.

  Charlie flinched. ‘Did the guards?’

  ‘No.’

  Jack shook his head.

  Charlie looked pale.

  Slink regained his grip and pulled his feet back up. He shimmied along the pipes, then pushed open a ceiling panel. With a quick glance down at the others, he hauled himself inside and vanished.

  After several seconds, he reappeared and gave them the OK signal: he’d found and severed the phone line, along with the main alarm. Now there was no way the guards could call for help.

  Slink lowered himself back to the pipes and continued to shimmy along them until he was directly above the camera mounted on the wall.

  Jack, Hector and Wren stayed back as Charlie reached into her bag and pulled out a telescopic rod. She extended it out to a metre or so and clipped a modified camera and projector to the end of it.

  While she checked it was on and working, Jack motioned for Hector to get ready. ‘You’re up.’

  Hector slipped off his backpack and removed his hoodie, revealing a long-sleeved white shirt underneath.

  Next, he took off his shoes and jeans. Beneath them he was wearing white jogging bottoms tucked into white socks. He pulled a pair of white gloves from his pocket and put them on too.

  Charlie stepped up on to the handrail and extended the device on the rod out to Slink.

  Slink reached, but couldn’t quite grab it. He shifted his weight, held on by one hand and tried again, but still couldn’t grasp it.

  Jack motioned for Charlie to step down. He unclipped the device from the rod, looked up at Slink and mouthed, ‘Ready?’

  Slink nodded.

  In one fluid movement, Jack tossed it up to him and Slink deftly caught it with his free hand.

  Jack turned and smiled at Charlie.

  She cocked an eyebrow at him.

  Slink clipped the modified device to the bracket directly above the CCTV camera.

  Charlie held up her smartphone and checked the display. The modified camera showed the exact same view of the corridor as the CCTV camera. Also, as it panned slowly left and right, the custom camera followed. They looked identical.

  Charlie recorded the video as it moved back and forth a few times, then looked at Hector. ‘Ready.’ She handed him a swipe card with a circuit board on the back and a transmitter.

  Hector slipped them into his pocket and pulled on a white balaclava. He was now dressed in white head-to-toe, like a strange negative image of a ninja. Except for his eyes, not a single part of him showed.

  Charlie pressed a button on her smartphone and the tiny projector above the camera came on. It transmitted a recorded image of the hallway and she adjusted it until it perfectly overlaid the real thing.

  ‘Looks aligned,’ Charlie said to Hector.

  Wren frowned. ‘I don’t get it. What’s the point of that?’

  ‘Watch,’ Charlie said.

  Hector reached the bottom of the stairs and, keeping his face to the wall, edged down the corridor.

  The CCTV camera swung in his direction and the image of the hallway was projected on to his body.

  Hector’s white clothes acted like a projector screen. From Jack’s vantage point, he could see Hector clearly, because the image didn’t line up, but from the guard’s point of view, Hector was invisible.

  ‘Can’t see him on the guard’s monitor,’ Obi said. ‘It’s brilliant, Charlie.’

  Charlie grinned.

  She’d made the micro projector device a year back, and had been itching to try it out ever since.

  Jack kept looking between the CCTV camera and to Hector edging up the corridor.

  Each step was slow and precise.

  And each second stretched to eternity.

  Jack, Charlie, Slink and Wren waited, keeping as still as statues, hardly daring to breath.

  Finally, Hector made it to the end of the corridor and turned to face the door. He pulled Charlie’s swipe card with the circuit board from his pocket and silently slipped it into the lock on the door.

  He stepped aside and waved his hand up and down.

  Charlie connected her phone via Bluetooth to the card. She pressed a few buttons and there was a click from the lock. ‘Got it,’ she said. ‘They ain’t getting out of there.’ She turned to the others. ‘Come on.’

  They hurried down the steps.

  Hector pulled off his balaclava and knocked on the door. ‘All right in there?’

  ‘What are you doing, you idiot?’ Jack said, storming over to him.

  The lock rattled and there were muffled shouts and banging.

  Jack threw his arms up. ‘Great, now they know we’re here.’

  ‘Why does it matter?’ Hector said.

  ‘Because the guards might have sat there for ages,’ Jack said, annoyed. ‘It was clean. Now they know we’re here and will try everything to get out.’ He shot Hector a contemptuous look and marched to the server room door. He opened it a
nd gestured them all inside.

  They now stood in front of the rows of server cabinets.

  ‘Nexus,’ Hector breathed, his eyes wide. He glanced at Jack. ‘I wish I had time to see it.’

  Jack strode over to the main terminal. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a USB drive. ‘I’ll transfer the virus to this.’

  ‘Is that the same program you used to put the virus into Proteus’s servers?’ Hector asked.

  Jack hesitated.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Hector said.

  Jack shook himself. ‘Nothing.’

  Hector turned to the server cabinets.

  Jack reached into his pocket, pulled out another USB pen stick and slid it into one of the sockets.

  He took a breath and set to work. He typed a quick program, checked the code, and straightened up. A progress bar moved quickly, filling up with red. ‘We’ll have the virus in less than a minute.’ He turned around.

  Hector was frowning at the server cabinets.

  Charlie noticed him. ‘Are you OK?’

  ‘I’ve been thinking,’ Hector said. ‘I bet they’ve copied the virus already.’ He glanced at the monitor and the progress bar, then back to the server cab­inets. ‘That’s what I would do if it was me. You know, just in case the virus escaped or something. I’d make sure there was a backup.’

  ‘How do you think they’ve done it?’ Charlie said.

  Hector pointed to a cluster of cabinets at the back of the room. ‘Look at the connections. Those look like backup servers. I reckon they’ve taken a clone of the Nexus, which will include the virus’s program. We need to destroy them.’

  Charlie looked at Jack. ‘He has a point.’

  Jack stared at Hector and didn’t respond.

  ‘First, we need to pull out the wires from the backup Nexus to the main Nexus,’ Hector said. ‘Then we can wipe the hard drives and destroy the copy.’

  ‘Ok,’ Jack said, eyeing him. ‘Let’s see what happens.’

  Charlie hurried over to the cabinets. ‘Open them all,’ she said.

  Jack, Slink and Wren opened the front of the cab­inets and Charlie started disconnecting wires.

  The main door slammed shut.

  ‘No,’ Slink shouted. He ran to the door and tried the handle. ‘It’s locked.’

  Understanding what had just happened, Jack casually walked between the cabinets and looked through the window. As he’d expected, he couldn’t see any guards but on the window ledge was a chewing gum wrapper folded into the shape of a crow.