Blackout

by Peter Jay Black

  He hoped not.

  If they did, he’d probably be locked up for the rest of his life.

  Jack glanced at the doors in the back of the car – there were no locks or handles on the inside.

  His hands were cuffed behind his back and the agents had removed his phone, headset and everything he had in his pockets.

  Jack lowered his head, closed his eyes and wondered what they were going to do with him. Where would they take him? A secret prison? Interrogation? Would they torture a fifteen-year-old boy?

  The driver’s door opened and someone got in.

  Jack looked up and gasped. ‘Slink,’ he said, glan­cing at the agents. They weren’t looking in their direction. ‘What are you doing here?’

  Slink grinned and put a finger to his lips. He looked at the keys in the ignition.

  ‘No,’ Jack said. ‘Don’t even think about it.’

  ‘It’s the quickest way.’

  ‘Not if we don’t want to be seen.’ Jack glanced through the rear window. Slink would have to reverse between three parked cars and turn around in a narrow driveway before they could escape. Jack looked forward again and tried to keep his voice casual. ‘You don’t know how to drive.’

  ‘I’ve seen it done though.’

  ‘Please, Slink, just get me out of here. OK?’

  Slink let out an annoyed breath. ‘Fine.’ He hit a button on the dash to unlock the doors and they clunked.

  Jack looked through the windscreen, but the agents hadn’t heard – they were still talking.

  Slink yanked the keys out of the ignition and examined them. ‘The key for the handcuffs isn’t on here.’

  ‘The agents must have it.’

  ‘Shall I get Wren and see if she can –’

  ‘No,’ Jack said. ‘Let’s just get out of here.’

  Slink quietly slipped out of the car and opened the rear-passenger door.

  Keeping his head low, Jack shimmied along the seat and got out.

  Slink bent down by the rear car tyre.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Jack whispered.

  Slink unscrewed the dust cap and jammed a small stone in the air valve. It hissed.

  Slink was about to do the same to the next car when an agent shouted, ‘Oi.’

  The other agents turned and spotted Slink and Jack.

  ‘Go,’ Jack shouted and, with his hands still cuffed behind his back, they ran down the road – the agents close behind.

  ‘Charlie,’ Slink yelled into his headset. ‘The plan needs a slight tweak.’

  Suddenly, she shot from the trees like a bullet. Charlie was wearing her Rollerblades and she sped past Jack and Slink.

  Jack glanced back and watched as she rammed into the first agent. He hit the road, hard, and another agent tripped over him.

  A third agent leapt clear and shouted. He went to grab a pistol from his belt but Charlie jabbed the stun gun into his back.

  The agent yelled in pain and tumbled forward.

  More agents ran from the main gate and headed straight for them.

  Charlie sped off down the road and disappeared around the corner.

  ‘Come on,’ Slink shouted, and pulled Jack through a side gate.

  They ran into a smaller graveyard and Slink helped Jack over a low wall. ‘Wait,’ he said, and they stayed close to the wall, hidden.

  A few minutes later, Charlie joined them. ‘They’re coming this way,’ she whispered. She handed Slink the wallet of picks and quickly took off her Rollerblades and slid them into her bag.

  Slink tried to pick the lock on Jack’s handcuffs. ‘I can’t do it,’ he whispered.

  ‘Give them here,’ Charlie said.

  In a few seconds, the handcuffs sprang open.

  Jack rubbed his wrists and peered over the wall. He caught a glimpse of one agent searching between the gravestones.

  He glanced around, then beckoned for Slink’s headset.

  Slink handed it to him.

  Jack slipped it on and whispered, ‘Obi?’

  ‘Here.’

  ‘Bring up a satellite map of the area. Guide us home, but keep us away from the main roads and security cameras.’

  The three of them stood and followed Obi’s instructions, through back gardens, down the side of houses and along winding paths.

  After an hour of this, they reached the nearest Tube station and Jack finally allowed himself to relax.

  Back at the bunker, sitting at the dining table for a debrief, Jack explained how Hector had tricked him with the Nexus servers.

  Charlie nodded thoughtfully. ‘He had us all fooled, Jack. You’re the only one who saw through him.’

  Jack was about to answer when Obi called him over.

  ‘You’d better come and look at this. It’s a private message to you with a video file attached.’

  Jack stood up and strode over to him.

  Obi pointed at the screen.

  It was an image of Hector and he looked angry.

  ‘Where’s this from?’ Jack said.

  ‘Cerberus forum.’

  Everyone gathered around Obi’s chair.

  Jack took a breath. Somehow, he knew Hector hadn’t sent him a ‘Congratulations for tricking me’ video message. ‘OK,’ he said, bracing himself. ‘Let’s see.’

  Obi pressed Play.

  ‘I have your friend,’ Hector said in a cold, flat tone. The camera panned round to reveal Noble with his hands and legs tied to a chair. His face was bruised, his lip bloody and his clothes were torn. Connor and Monday stood either side of him, arms crossed.

  ‘No,’ Charlie breathed.

  Jack felt his chest tighten and the world drop.

  The view moved back to Hector. ‘So, as you can see, I’m in control.’ He leant into the camera. ‘Bring the virus to the Shard.’ He moved closer, his eyes filling the entire screen. ‘No tricks, Jack, I mean it. I want to see all five of you standing in front of me. I’ll know if you try to fool me again.’ He paused, as if he could see through the camera and into Jack’s eyes. Finally, he leant back. ‘One hour.’ Hector glanced in Noble’s direction. ‘I’d advise you not to be late.’

  The display went dark.

  Jack stared at the screen. An hour? That wasn’t enough time. He glanced at the others. They looked pale.

  ‘Why does he want us to meet him at the Shard?’ Wren said.

  ‘Yeah,’ Obi said. ‘That makes no sense. Why somewhere so public?’

  ‘No one will be there at this time of night,’ Charlie said.

  Jack stepped back. ‘He knows there’s limited ways in and out of the place.’

  ‘Jack?’ Charlie said, her voice quiet.

  He looked at her.

  ‘You’ve got a plan, right?’

  Jack’s eyes moved to the clock on the screen. He had ten minutes to spare. He grabbed one of Obi’s keyboards and started to type.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  An hour later, Jack and the others were standing in the lift of the Shard. It was the tallest building in London: a huge spike of glass pointing straight into the sky.

  They kept their hoods up, their bandanas over their mouths and noses. Accompanying them were two beefy men wearing grey suits. Each had an unmistakable bulge under their jackets – a good indication they were armed.

  Where did the Del Sarto family find these henchmen? Was there a company you called or something? A hotline?

  Jack watched the floor numbers on the display increase. He hated heights, but Slink had wanted to climb the Shard ever since it was completed and had been disappointed when some protestors beat him to it.

  The lift stopped at the thirty-third floor and Hector’s minders motioned for the five of them to step out.

  ‘Why are we getting off here?’ Charlie said in Jack’s ear.

  ‘It’s as far as it goes,’ Jack whispered back. ‘We have to get in another lift to go higher.’ A prospect that made Jack’s stomach do a backflip.

  One of the men grabbed Jack’s shoulder. �
��Stop the chatter.’ And together they marched around the corner, where another man was waiting for them.

  This guy wasn’t so low-key. He held a rifle across his chest, ready.

  Hector’s minders pushed the five of them against the wall and patted them down. Next, one of the men waved a grey wand over their clothes, checking for metal objects.

  Finally, he stepped back. ‘They’re clean.’

  The men ushered Jack and the others into the next lift and they went up to floor sixty-eight.

  When they finally stepped out, they were greeted by a wall of glass. This was the Shard’s covered viewing deck and the cityscape before them was spectacular. Millions of lights sparkled in the darkness and a slight orange haze hung over the landscape.

  Jack stepped back and tried to remember if he’d told Hector he got vertigo. Was that why Hector had insisted they meet here? To intimidate him? Jack balled his fists and refused to show any fear.

  ‘Go.’ One of the men nudged Jack and the others around the corner to a flight of stairs leading up.

  When they reached the top, they found themselves in the upper viewing deck. It had no roof and the wind whistled over the tops of the glass walls.

  To the left stood Connor, Cloud, Monday and Hector.

  Behind them was Noble. His hands were tied behind his back, his face bloodied and bruised.

  Jack lowered his hood and bandana. ‘Are you OK?’

  ‘He’s fine,’ Connor said, stepping in front of Noble.

  ‘I wasn’t asking you,’ Jack said in a level tone. He looked at Noble.

  ‘No lasting damage,’ Noble said. ‘I’ll live.’

  ‘Don’t be so sure about that,’ Connor snarled. He looked as though he’d like to kill them all right there and then.

  Jack ignored him and kept his gaze on Noble. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said.

  ‘It’s not your fault.’

  ‘As touching as this is,’ Hector said, ‘we have work to do.’ He addressed one of his men. ‘Did you frisk them?’

  The man nodded. ‘Yes. Unarmed.’

  ‘Phones? Radios? Any kind of hidden trans­mitters?’

  He shook his head. ‘No communication devices.’

  ‘Good. Wait downstairs.’ As the three minders left, Hector looked at Jack. ‘Playing by the rules for once,’ he said. ‘That must be killing you.’ He glanced at the others – they still had their hoods and bandanas up. ‘Camera shy?’ he asked. ‘There really is no point.’

  None of them responded.

  Hector held out his hand to Jack. ‘The virus.’

  Jack fished in his pocket and pulled out the USB drive.

  Hector snatched it from him and handed it to Cloud. ‘Check it.’

  Cloud knelt down, unzipped her bag and pulled out a laptop. She plugged the USB drive in and set to work.

  ‘Why so quiet, Jack?’ Hector said.

  Jack kept his eyes on Cloud.

  ‘Jack,’ Hector shouted. ‘Answer me.’

  Jack looked at him. ‘What do you want me to say?’

  ‘That I’ve beaten you. That I’m the better hacker. I’m better than you.’ Hector’s eyes burned with intensity. ‘Admit it,’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘What’s it like to be outsmarted, Jack? I bet it burns you up, huh?’

  ‘It’s the virus,’ Cloud said finally.

  ‘Use the modified modem, transfer the virus directly to my server. And make sure it can’t escape.’

  Cloud plugged in the modem. ‘Transfer started.’ She looked up. ‘Sixty seconds and it should be done.’

  Hector eyed Jack. ‘Well,’ he said. ‘Now we have to deal with you and your –’ he glanced at the others – ‘gang.’

  Connor took a step forward. ‘That’s easily taken care of.’

  Hector kept his gaze on Jack and he smirked. ‘How would you do it?’

  ‘I’ll throw them over that.’ Connor pointed at the lowest part of the glass wall.

  ‘How high up are we?’ Hector said, as if he were genuinely interested.

  ‘Two hundred and forty-four metres,’ Connor said. ‘Give or take.’

  Hector’s eyebrows rose. ‘That would make quite a mess. Perhaps you could just put them in sealed bags and drop them into the Thames.’

  ‘What are you going to do with the virus?’ Wren said.

  ‘What am I going to do with it?’ Hector regarded her for a moment. ‘I’m going to finish what my dad started before you put him into a coma.’ He stepped towards Wren and his lip curled into a snarl. ‘After I’ve had you all killed, I’m going to steal every top-secret document I can, and sell them to the highest bidders.’

  ‘You’re crazy,’ Wren said.

  ‘No,’ Hector said in a low voice. ‘I’m at the beginning of a new era in the world’s history.’ He reached for Wren, but she flinched away from him.

  ‘The transfer is complete.’ Cloud closed the laptop, slid it back into her bag, stood up and handed Hector’s phone back to him.

  ‘Good. Well done.’ Hector gestured. ‘Time to go.’

  ‘You know what, Hector,’ Jack said. ‘You’ve made a big mistake.’

  ‘If you’re going to give me some lecture about how I shouldn’t use the virus to –’

  Jack raised a hand, cutting him off. ‘No,’ he said in a level tone. ‘That’s only one of your weaknesses – you assume.’

  Hector’s eyes narrowed. ‘Weaknesses?’

  Jack glanced around. ‘Another mistake is that you thought, by calling us here at short notice, that I wouldn’t have time to plan anything.’

  ‘You’re really bad at bluffing,’ Hector said. ‘I’m not going to listen to you, Jack.’

  ‘I didn’t have time to plan much,’ Jack said. ‘But . . . it was enough.’

  ‘Whatever it is you’re trying to do, it won’t work.’ A self-satisfied smirk spread across Hector’s lips again. ‘You haven’t got anything. No way out this time.’

  ‘Your next mistake is . . .’ Jack locked his gaze with Hector’s. ‘You should never trust your own eyes.’ He glanced at the others. ‘Raze.’

  Hector frowned at him. ‘What did you just say?’

  Jack turned to the group. ‘Raze?’

  ‘Oh, sorry.’ Raze lowered his bandana and hood. ‘All right, mate?’ He winked.

  Hector’s eyes widened. ‘Who are you?’

  Suddenly, a dark object dropped from above, behind Hector, Connor, Cloud and Monday.

  Slink was hanging upside down from a rope. He slipped a harness under Noble’s arms and around his chest, and the two of them rose silently into the air.

  Charlie’s rapid winch worked like a charm and it took all of Jack’s willpower not to give it away by looking up as they disappeared into the sky above.

  He let out a slow breath.

  Hector stepped forward and waved a finger at Raze. ‘Who is he?’

  Jack whistled the Urban Outlaws’ code: three musical notes – one short and low, one high, and the last a long mid-tone.

  There were three rapid high chirps in reply, which meant Noble was safe.

  Hector looked up and scowled. ‘What was that?’

  ‘Slink,’ Jack said. ‘Your next mistake is you should never take your eyes off the only leverage you have.’

  Hector spun around. ‘Where is he?’ He looked at Connor. ‘You idiot.’

  Connor looked up, but Slink and Noble were nowhere to be seen.

  ‘Hector,’ Jack said. ‘Focus.’

  Hector turned back, his face twisted in confusion and anger.

  Connor pointed at Charlie, Obi, Wren and Raze. ‘I’ll kill them all right here.’

  ‘No you won’t,’ Jack said.

  Connor slid a hand under his jacket. ‘Watch me.’

  Jack looked at Cloud. ‘Did you check the virus’s program?’ he asked her.

  She nodded.

  ‘No tricks,’ Hector said. ‘We have it. You can’t persuade us otherwise.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Jack said. ‘You do have t
he virus.’ He kept his focus on Cloud. ‘But did you notice the shell?’

  Hector glanced at her.

  Cloud pulled the laptop and modem from her bag and fired them up. After a moment, she said, ‘It’s encrypted.’

  ‘What?’ Hector said.

  ‘He’s put the virus in an encrypted shell.’ Cloud stared at Jack. ‘He’s written a program that surrounds it like a protective cloak.’

  ‘How did you not notice that?’ Hector snapped.

  Cloud looked at him and hesitated. ‘It – it was hidden,’ she said. ‘I didn’t see the file. Now it’s activated and sealed the virus.’ She glanced at Jack. ‘Without the password, it won’t run. It’s dead.’

  Hector’s eyes hardened. ‘Crack the password.’

  Cloud shook her head. ‘I can’t. Well, not quickly. Without the password, it would take me days just to –’

  Hector spun to Jack. ‘Give it to me.’ He stepped forward, his face inches from Jack’s. ‘Give me the password.’

  Jack refused to be intimidated. ‘You’re not getting it,’ he said, trying to keep his voice level and calm, though his insides were squirming. Not because of Hector’s threating behaviour, but because this was the crucial part of his plan.

  ‘Kill one of the others,’ Hector said to Connor. He stepped back. ‘Let’s see if that loosens his tongue.’

  ‘It won’t do any good,’ Jack said. ‘The password is random and linked to personal questions that only I know the answers to. It will be a combination of things, like “What was your mum’s maiden name? And your place of birth?” Take the first, second, fourth and seventh letter from the first answer and combine it with the third, fourth and sixth letters from the other.’ Jack shrugged. ‘I have no way of knowing what the shell program will ask for. There are thirty questions and thousands of combinations of letters.’

  Hector looked at Cloud. ‘Is he telling the truth?’

  She nodded. ‘And I can’t move the virus back from your server. It’s locked down.’ She sighed, closed the laptop and stood up. ‘We have to go to where it’s now stored.’

  Hector roared with annoyance.

  ‘I’m not going anywhere with you,’ Jack said, keeping his voice casual, ‘unless, you release these four.’ He pointed at the others.

  ‘No,’ Connor said to Hector. ‘End it here. Now.’