Counterstrike

by Peter Jay Black

  Jack nodded again. ‘Deadly serious.’

  Talya licked her lips. ‘Let me get this straight, Jack – if I get this done, and I owe people favours, you know what that means, yeah?’

  ‘Like I said in the note – I’m going to owe one to you too.’

  ‘Big style,’ Talya agreed. ‘Like, y’know, the biggest favour ever.’

  ‘I don’t want the others to know or get involved,’ Jack said. ‘This is between you and me.’

  ‘What?’ Talya said, a grin returning to her face. ‘Your –’ she gestured speech marks with her fingers – ‘ “family”?’

  ‘Right. They can’t know about this.’

  ‘But they’ll find out,’ Talya said. ‘Eventually.’

  Jack sighed. ‘I know, and I’ll take care of that when it happens. Can you do it?’ he said, nodding at the piece of paper.

  ‘Course.’

  ‘So we have a deal?’

  Talya spat on her hand and held it out. ‘Course.’

  They shook, then Jack stood to leave.

  ‘Jack?’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘If I do this for you and you back out of your end of the deal, I’m gonna take each one of your little Urban Outlaw mates and Skin here will skin them alive. Literally.’

  Skin snorted several times. ‘Skin. Skin alive. Good one, Persephone.’

  ‘Shut up.’ Talya’s narrowed eyes locked on Jack. ‘I mean it, Jack. I’ll turn that little one – Wren, isn’t it? – I’ll turn her into a footstool.’

  Jack nodded at the note. ‘You do that for me, I’ll help you with whatever you want. You have my word.’

  Talya waved him off. ‘See ya.’

  As Jack walked back down the bus stairs, his phone beeped. He slipped it out of his pocket and looked at the display.

  It was a message from Noble, saying he was ready and could meet Jack at his warehouse.

  ‘Who’s that?’ Skin said. ‘That your girlfriend? Is it that Charlie girl? You got any pictures of her? She’s a pretty one.’

  Jack ignored him and walked as quickly as he could across the warehouse and back outside. As he strode down the road, Skin called after him, ‘Oi, Jack. Please mess this up. Pretty please. I’d really enjoy cutting your friends to pieces.’

  Jack kept marching and it was at that exact moment that he regretted his decision.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Jack stood on the London Docklands in front of a large Georgian brick warehouse. He knocked on the front door and glanced up. Hidden in a moulding above the frame was a pinhole camera. Jack gave it a wave.

  A few seconds later there was a buzzing sound. The lock disengaged and he stepped through. On the other side was an open space filled with old cars, motorbikes and bicycles.

  There was a Harley Davidson, a racing bike, an Aston Martin, a VW camper, and an old Model T parked next to a modern Formula One car.

  Jack wondered how long it would be before Noble took the Formula One car for a spin around the block. Charlie had asked him quite a few times to take her with him, but he always pointed out that it only had one seat. ‘No passengers.’

  Charlie would always look disappointed.

  Noble wasn’t stupid when it came to the law, he knew where its limits were, but – just like the Outlaws – he enjoyed bending it every so often. And that’s what made him the best adult they knew.

  Jack’s eyes drifted to an ice-cream van parked in a corner and he remembered its secret compartments and how Noble had smuggled the Outlaws to France, in a mission to prove that Obi’s uncle had tricked him and his sister out of their inheritance.

  Jack walked over to the far wall and got into a lift.

  The entire first floor was crammed full of objects old and new – everything from marble statues, clocks and Tiffany lamps to games consoles, radios, televisions and laptops. In all, there were thousands of objects, stacked head high, with narrow walkways between the piles.

  Straight ahead was a metre-tall display filled with fossils, dinosaur bones and claws. Above it a sign read, ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’.

  Jack couldn’t help but smile. The warehouse was a second home to the Outlaws and he loved to come here and browse among Noble’s weird collection.

  ‘Hello?’ he called.

  ‘Over here.’

  Jack turned on the spot. ‘Where?’

  ‘Main aisle, right, then second left.’

  Jack walked down the widest gap between the stacks of objects, careful not to knock anything over and, following Noble’s instructions, he came to a clearing that hadn’t been there the last time he’d visited. In the middle was a large wooden desk with wood panels and intricate carvings.

  ‘Resolute desk,’ Noble said, looking up and noticing Jack’s expression. ‘It’s an exact replica of the US president’s desk in the White House. A gift from Serene.’

  On the desk Noble had placed three 32-inch flat screens and behind him was a stack of clear computer cases, all glowing with blue and green neon LEDs. Fans whirred and hard-drive lights flickered.

  ‘What do you think?’ Noble said, sitting behind the desk. ‘Spared no expense.’

  Jack nodded. ‘I can see that.’ He dreaded to think how much a set-up like that cost. ‘What’s it for?’ Though he didn’t really need to ask that. He’d already guessed – Noble was obviously planning on hacking something or someone. ‘You’ve got another job?’

  Noble was a freelance consultant – a ‘white hat’. Well, most of the time. He’d hack into secure systems, find weaknesses and then report back to the companies with recommendations on how they could improve their security.

  ‘I’m on a job for Rindine.’

  Rindine was a special kind of online bank based in Switzerland. Their computer systems were the most advanced and secure in the world. In fact, because of that, they got millions of hacking attempts thrown at them every month. Not one had ever been successful.

  Jack was so impressed by Rindine’s level of security – not to mention the complete anonymity – that he’d opened an account there for the Outlaws.

  He pulled up a chair and sat down. ‘What’s going on with them then?’

  ‘They were hacked.’

  Jack’s jaw dropped. ‘Are you kidding?’

  ‘No. According to Rindine, someone was looking for a specific account.’ Noble cleared his throat. ‘It was your account.’

  Jack couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The Outlaws’ account? ‘Someone was trying to steal money from us?’

  ‘Yes.’ Noble held up a piece of paper with a sixteen-digit code. ‘This is your account number, isn’t it?’

  Jack squinted and his blood ran cold. ‘Yeah, that’s it.’ He leant back in his chair, confused. ‘But how did you know it was our account?’

  Noble set the piece of paper down. ‘A process of elimination. The only hacking attempt in Rindine’s entire history to ever get close, and they go straight for one account. The hacker had access to billions of pounds, yet they ignore all that and focus on just that one.’ He interlaced his fingers.

  ‘Hector,’ Jack said.

  There was no one else it could be.

  ‘Yes. Hector.’

  Jack groaned in realisation. ‘He used the modified virus program, didn’t he?’

  Noble nodded. ‘I think he was trying to cripple you in more ways than one.’ He glanced at the screen in front of him. ‘According to the date of the hack, it was just before your trip to America. Hector was trying to slow you down or – better yet – stop you from following him altogether.’

  ‘But how did he know what account to go after?’ Jack said. ‘They’re supposed to be anonymous.’

  Noble turned the left-hand screen to face Jack. On the display was a balance sheet. It showed various transactions, but the biggest one was a deposit of one million, one thousand pounds, immediately followed by a withdrawal of one million.

  Jack squeezed his eyes shut.

  So, that’s how Hector had found the
right account – he’d looked for that specific amount of money. The one million and one thousand pounds was the exact figure the Outlaws had taken from Hector’s father – Benito del Sarto. Jack had transferred all but a thousand pounds to a children’s hospital.

  He opened his eyes and stared at Noble.

  Hector would never leave them alone.

  Jack thought back over everything that had happened – the stupid war with Hector that refused to end – and he felt sick of it.

  ‘Are you OK?’ Noble asked.

  Jack sighed. ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘Well then,’ Noble sat back, ‘in your text you said you have a challenge for me?’

  ‘Yeah.’ Jack shook himself back to the present moment and handed Noble his phone.

  Noble looked at the display. ‘Number plates?’

  ‘I need to link them to their owners.’

  A flicker of a frown crossed Noble’s face. ‘You could’ve done that, Jack. Your skills are easily –’

  ‘I know,’ Jack said. ‘That’s not the challenging part though.’

  One of Noble’s eyebrows rose. ‘I’m intrigued.’ He put the phone next to the keyboard and set to work. In just a few minutes he was into the relevant database and was gathering the information they needed.

  Jack was impressed by the hardware – normally it would take ten times as long to hack into the vehicle and driver database, but this Rindine-sponsored set-up made short work of it.

  ‘Right,’ Noble said, sitting back. ‘We have the names and addresses. It seems all these people live in London.’

  Jack took a deep breath. ‘Now for the hard part,’ he said. ‘I’m pretty sure that the Facility is run by a division of the government and those cars belong to their employees. So I need to know each person’s job title and their level of security clearance.’

  Noble blinked. ‘Ah.’

  ‘Exactly,’ Jack said. ‘We’ve got no way of knowing what access they have otherwise. We need to pick a target with the highest job level.’

  Noble’s eyes drifted to the main screen. ‘That is going to be a problem.’

  ‘How much of a problem? We’re running out of time.’

  Noble’s gaze remained locked on the display in front of him. ‘Well, we can’t do it from here. As you know, the government are on an isolated system. No way to hack into them directly any more.’

  Jack’s heart lurched. ‘But we can still do it, right?’

  Noble pursed his lips. ‘Yes.’

  • • •

  An hour later Jack and Noble were standing across the road from a glass-fronted building that was five storeys high, topped with concrete.

  Jack looked up and could just make out Slink running across the rooftop. As far as Jack could tell, no one else had spotted him, but he tensed, wishing Slink wasn’t so reckless.

  ‘Hey, Noble,’ Wren said, beaming as she walked up with Obi.

  He gave her a quick hug. ‘How’ve you been?’

  ‘Good, thanks.’

  Noble looked at Obi. ‘Nice to see you outside for a change. Needed some vitamin D?’

  Obi made an annoyed huffing sound and looked at Jack. ‘Why am I here?’ He dropped a duffel bag at Jack’s feet. ‘Don’t tell me it was just to bring that stuff.’

  ‘No,’ Jack said, picking the bag up. He unzipped a side pocket, pulled out an earpiece and slipped it in. ‘Do you remember New York? Hector’s apartment building?’

  Obi nodded. ‘I remember.’

  ‘Well, I need you to go with Wren this time.’ Jack looked back at the glass building and ran through the plan in his head.

  He just hoped he wasn’t missing something.

  • • •

  Ten minutes later, Obi and Wren were striding towards the building, hand in hand.

  Noble and Jack followed, wearing red jackets and caps and carrying several bunches of flowers each.

  Obi and Wren entered the building while Jack and Noble stopped short.

  Jack pressed a finger to his ear and whispered into his headset, ‘Slink, are you into their control room yet?’

  ‘Yeah,’ came the cool reply. ‘Their security is rubbish. I’m using Charlie’s device now. Give me a minute.’

  Jack counted to ten, then pushed through the glass doors and went inside.

  On the left-hand side of the foyer was the reception desk. When Jack and Noble reached it, Obi was already having a very animated discussion with the receptionist,

  ‘– can’t just not let her in,’ Obi was saying, indicating Wren, who was hopping on the spot. ‘She’s bursting.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ the receptionist said in a calm tone, ‘I’m not authorised to allow you in even just to use the bathroom.’

  Jack stood next to the reception desk and glanced over at the barriers at the far end of the foyer.

  ‘Oh, come on, lady,’ Obi said, his voice growing louder. ‘She’ll be real quick.’

  ‘Yeah, I will,’ Wren said, crossing her legs and screwing up her face. ‘I promise.’

  The receptionist’s cheeks flushed. ‘As I said, I –’

  ‘Flower delivery,’ Noble said, raising his voice above the din.

  The receptionist glanced at him, then at Jack. ‘I’ll be with you in a minute.’ She turned back to Obi and Wren. ‘Please, you must leave.’

  ‘No,’ Obi said, speaking even louder. ‘We’re not going until my sister has used the loo.’

  ‘Excuse me,’ Noble called. ‘Flower delivery for Janine.’

  ‘Look,’ Obi said, his voice sounding even more determined, ‘let her use the bog, will ya? She’ll be, like, a couple of minutes max.’

  The receptionist stuttered. ‘I – I just can’t let you –’

  ‘Please,’ Wren screeched. ‘I’m busting.’ She started to wail and moan.

  ‘Hey,’ Jack shouted at the receptionist. ‘We ain’t got all day.’ He held up the flowers. ‘We’ve got other deliveries to do.’

  The flustered receptionist nodded at the guard by the barriers to let Jack and Noble through.

  ‘Thank you,’ Noble said.

  A woman in a dark suit came out of a side door and walked over to the reception desk. ‘What’s the problem here?’ she said.

  ‘My sister needs to pee,’ Obi said.

  Wren nodded. ‘I’m desperate.’

  The woman smiled at her. ‘Come on, dear. I’ll show you where the bathroom is.’

  ‘Cheers.’ Wren poked her tongue out at the receptionist as she set off with the woman and Obi followed.

  The guard waved Jack and Noble through the barriers and the metal detector archway.

  Jack held his breath as he and Noble stepped through, but the archway didn’t beep. Slink had obviously done a good job of deactivating them.

  The woman in the dark suit led Obi and Wren to the toilets beyond the waiting area.

  Jack pressed the button on the lift. Obi glanced over his shoulder and winked at them. Jack tipped his cap.

  The lift doors opened and Jack and Noble stepped inside.

  ‘That was surprisingly easy,’ Jack muttered, examining the elevator keypad.

  ‘Yes,’ Noble said. ‘But that’s why we’re here – rather than at a government building. Their security isn’t tight. It’s a weak link in their armour.’

  Jack pressed a button and the doors closed.

  Noble was right – they’d chosen this building because on the fourth floor was a company called Devonhouse.

  Devonhouse was a network firm with huge, well known clients. They liked to keep some of their clients a secret however – like the various branches of the government.

  The lift doors dinged and opened.

  Jack and Noble set off down a corridor, carrying the flowers in front of them to partly obscure their faces from any cameras.

  Jack whistled, trying to look casual as a man bustled past them with a stack of papers, but he didn’t glance twice in their direction.

  They found an office door on the right
, opened it and peered inside.

  A man seated at a desk looked up.

  ‘Sorry,’ Jack said. ‘Wrong room.’ And he backed out.

  A few doors down, they tried again. This office was empty, so they slipped inside.

  The room was bare apart from a desk and chair against the wall. Jack set the bunches of flowers down, reached inside them, and pulled out a homemade micro-computer.

  Noble sat next to him, reached under his jacket and took out a bundle of cables and a black box. He connected several cables to the back of the computer and handed Jack the other ends.

  Jack fixed them to the box and in turn to the computer and fired it up.

  After running a quick diagnostic, Jack glanced at Noble and cracked his fingers. Then he opened a command prompt and started to type.

  He hacked into the government system and navigated to the staff folders. He scanned through them and found one called ‘Abrams’. That had to be a reference to the oil refinery.

  Jack opened the folder and revealed hundreds of staff files, which, as expected, were all encrypted. So he brought up his custom decryption program and dragged the top file across.

  Jack kept his gaze on the display, and as the code scrolled down the screen his mind wandered to Charlie and then to the deal he’d done with Talya. Jack’s chest tightened – he still wasn’t sure he’d done the right thing. In fact, now he was really starting to regret it.

  He thought about going to see Talya once they were done here and calling it off. Perhaps she would see sense and allow him to –

  There was a beeping sound and a red box flashed up on the screen:

  DECRYPTION COMPLETE

  Jack opened the file and a name appeared at the top of the document – Kerry Stewart – along with her job title – Office Admin – her passcode and her level of security clearance. There was no reference to the Facility.

  Noble handed him the list of names he’d gathered from the number plates and Jack scanned down them.

  There was no Kerry Stewart.

  Jack swore under his breath, grabbed the next file and set the decryption program running again.