Counterstrike

by Peter Jay Black

  He glanced at Noble.

  Noble crossed his arms and sighed.

  Obviously he was thinking the same thing as Jack – this would take forever.

  They didn’t have that long.

  A minute later and the program’s red box flashed up again:

  DECRYPTION COMPLETE

  Jack opened the file, but that name didn’t match any on the list either.

  The computer beeped fifteen more times before Jack finally opened a decrypted file with the name ‘John Grant.’ John was the third name from the bottom of the number-plate list.

  Jack checked John’s level of clearance. Like the rest of them so far, it was level one and his job title was Office Admin.

  He sighed. Even this mission was proving difficult and Jack wished something would just go smoothly for a change.

  ‘Well?’ Noble whispered.

  ‘No good,’ Jack muttered. ‘By the looks of it, this bloke can only get us down one level.’ He was about to drag the next file to his decryption program, when there was a banging sound and voices.

  Jack froze.

  Noble silently stood up and edged to the door. He pressed his ear to it and grabbed the handle.

  The voices grew louder. Jack leant across the desk and took hold of the wires that connected to the back the computer.

  Noble held up a hand, stopping him.

  The people in the hallway walked past. There was the sound of another door opening and closing and everything fell silent again.

  Noble looked over at Jack and whispered, ‘I suggest we hurry.’

  Jack nodded and dragged another file across to be decrypted.

  The next few minutes passed in anxious silence.

  Jack opened file after file, but none of them matched the names on their list.

  He groaned to himself. This was infuriating.

  There was another sound of footfalls and chatter.

  Jack turned to look at Noble.

  Noble pressed his ear against the door and listened. He glanced at his watch. ‘It’s the staff returning from lunch.’

  Jack looked at the time on the screen. Had it really taken them that long? They’d expected to be in and out in under ten minutes, not almost an hour.

  There were more voices from the hall.

  Noble stepped from the door. ‘Time’s up. We need to go.’

  Jack considered planting a secret way into the main server that they could use from the bunker, but then he decided against it – chances were, with this level of security, they’d be discovered.

  Swearing under his breath, Jack unplugged the micro-computer and cables and slipped them under his jacket.

  The door opened and a woman in her mid-forties stood there, frowning at the two of them. ‘What are you doing?’

  Noble glanced at the name plaque on the door. ‘Ann Briant?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Flower delivery for you.’ Noble nodded at the bunches of flowers on her desk.

  The woman looked confused. ‘For me?’

  Jack pulled the list of names from his pocket and glanced down it, pretending to read. ‘Says right here – Ann Briant.’

  Before Ann had time to respond, Jack and Noble stepped around her, marched down the hallway and got into a lift.

  As the doors closed and it descended, Jack said, ‘I hope she doesn’t suspect something.’

  ‘Oh, there’s no doubt she suspects something,’ Noble said. ‘But she’ll have to work hard to find out what it is we were doing in there.’

  Jack nodded. He wasn’t worried – he’d left no trace of what they were up to.

  Downstairs, Jack and Noble walked back through the barriers and across the foyer.

  Once outside, Jack whispered into his microphone, ‘Reactivate their security, Slink, and get back down here.’

  ‘OK.’

  As Jack and Noble walked down the road, Obi and Wren joined them.

  ‘Any problems?’ Jack asked them.

  Obi shook his head.

  ‘Good.’

  A few buildings down, they stopped and waited. Jack brought Obi and Wren up to speed with what had happened – that he’d only found one name from their list and the fact that John Grant also only had level-one clearance.

  ‘What happens now?’ Obi asked.

  Jack considered this a moment, then said, ‘It means, even if we manage to get his fingerprints and card, we’re still only going to be able to get down to the first floor of the Facility. From there on –’

  ‘We’ll have to get through the other levels on our own,’ Wren finished.

  ‘Yeah,’ Jack said, finding it hard not to sound despondent. ‘And we’ve only got three days before Hector goes in.’

  Slink jogged up to them. ‘Now what?’ he said.

  ‘Now?’ Jack said. ‘Well, now I need to quickly think about our next move.’ He looked at Noble. ‘There’s something else I’d like help with too.’

  ‘Name it, dear boy.’

  Jack glanced about. ‘Let’s keep moving.’ As they walked, he kept his voice hushed. ‘On the 3D plan of the Facility, there’s a mystery room. We need to know what’s in there.’

  Noble looked thoughtful a moment and then said, ‘Leave it with me.’

  CHAPTER SIX

  Back at the bunker, Jack stood by Obi’s chair and watched the recording of the oil refinery and the workers coming and going.

  ‘That’s his car,’ Obi said, pointing at a black one parked next to the Facility building.

  ‘That’s the guy I found?’ Jack asked him. ‘John Grant?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  Jack consulted the list on one of the other screens. Thanks to the driver database Noble had hacked, they knew John Grant’s address – at least at one time – only problem was, Obi had checked and the building had been demolished and a supermarket was now in its place. John Grant had obviously not updated his licence or car-registration details.

  Their only hope was to wait for Grant to finish his shift, and then Obi would try to follow him on the cameras.

  ‘Any idea what time he started?’ Jack asked.

  ‘About five hours ago,’ Obi said.

  ‘So –’ Jack looked at the clock on the display – ‘if he’s got a normal eight-hour shift, that still leaves three hours to go before he heads home.’

  Jack started pacing as he thought of Hector. What was his plan to get into the Facility? Cloud had said that Hector was recruiting a team. What were they going to do? Shoot their way through?

  The airlock door slid open and Slink and Wren came in.

  ‘How’s Charlie?’ Jack asked them.

  ‘She’s fine,’ Wren said. ‘We took her some supplies.’

  Slink and Wren then proceeded to remove twenty lunch boxes from the cupboards.

  Jack couldn’t help but smile at them. ‘The Pack?’ he asked.

  Wren glanced up. ‘We thought we could all do with a break.’

  Jack wasn’t so sure about that – they needed as much time as possible to sort out the Facility mission.

  He looked at the display and the image of John Grant’s car. Although, if Obi was right, they did have a few hours spare, and Jack had to admit he could do with taking his mind off the Facility for a while. Perhaps a break might help him clear his head.

  Obi seemed to be reading his mind. ‘It’s OK, Jack,’ he said. ‘I’ll tell you the moment I see anything happen.’

  ‘Can we go?’ Wren asked.

  Jack hesitated, then nodded. ‘Sure.’

  ‘Well, in that case,’ Slink said, slapping his hands together, ‘we can also go see Raze and Wilf after the Pack.’

  Wren beamed.

  Wilf was one of Slink’s mates. He was a bit younger and kind of like his protégé. Whenever Slink had time to spare, he’d teach Wilf free-running, parkour and climbing.

  ‘OK,’ Jack said, ‘let’s go RAKing.’

  Wren bounced with excitement and stuffed the lunch boxes into backpacks.

 
; • • •

  Jack, Slink and Wren walked up the driveway of a large red-brick building in Pinner, Harrow.

  Wren knocked softly on the front door, and a minute later a woman answered.

  She had white hair and wore a floral-patterned apron. She grinned at Wren, the wrinkles on her face scrunching. ‘Hello, Jenny.’

  Wren beamed. ‘Hi, Mrs Row.’

  Mrs Row looked at Jack and Slink. ‘It’s been too long.’

  ‘Sorry about that,’ Jack said. ‘We’ve been really busy.’

  Mrs Row looked past them. ‘Charlie?’

  ‘She couldn’t make it today,’ Jack said.

  ‘Don’t stand on ceremony.’ Mrs Row moved aside. ‘Come in.’

  The three Outlaws stepped into a wide hallway with wooden floorboards.

  The kitchen door at the far end stood open and an elderly man walked through. His face lit up when he saw who the visitors were. ‘’Ello, you three.’ He had a southwest accent.

  ‘Hey, Mr Row,’ Slink said.

  Mrs Row walked to a sliding door and grabbed the handle. She looked at Wren. ‘Are you ready?’

  Wren took a deep breath, then hunched down and nodded.

  Jack and Slink prepared themselves too.

  ‘Here goes.’ Mrs Row whistled, then opened the door.

  Suddenly twenty dogs of all shapes and sizes came bounding through, barrelling into Jack, Slink and Wren.

  They had trouble staying upright as the excited pack jumped up at them, barking and trying to lick their faces and hands.

  Wren fell to the floor, giggling like crazy, as a German shepherd nibbled her ears and a Yorkie leapt on to her chest, yapping and wagging his tail so hard it looked as if he might take off like a helicopter.

  Jack knelt, trying to make a fuss of every dog as they ran excitedly between the Outlaws, unsure who would give them the most love and affection.

  • • •

  Five minutes later, and after the Pack had finally calmed down, Jack, Slink and Wren went into the kitchen.

  Mrs Row made them cups of tea, while her husband helped the Outlaws take out the lunch boxes and set them on the table.

  Some of the dogs sat patiently, while others kept trying to jump up for a better look.

  ‘Wait a minute, Joshua,’ Wren said to a particularly exuberant Jack Russell as it leapt on to a chair next to her.

  Inside each lunch box, Slink and Wren had packed a dog toy, several chews, a small packet of chicken-flavoured dog treats and four pouches of dog food.

  ‘I’ll get their bowls,’ Mr Row said.

  Jack sat at the table and started opening packets.

  Mr and Mrs Row didn’t have much money, despite their house being in an affluent area. Mr Row had been a dentist, but had had to retire early after having a stroke.

  Mrs Row had been a vet for over forty years and had spent most of her salary helping animals. The pair of them had always been dog lovers.

  So the Rows often took in strays found wandering around London. They’d bath them, cut their fur, feed them up and then try and find them new homes.

  The twenty dogs that they had at the moment were a mixture of ones that they couldn’t find loving homes for, were in the process of bringing back to full health or were just too fond of to let go.

  Mr and Mrs Row struggled to afford to keep the house, but they didn’t want to move because the huge garden was perfect for the dogs.

  So the Outlaws sent money whenever they could, helped them rehome dogs from time to time and delivered these lunch boxes on a regular basis.

  Jack looked down at his feet. George – a Pekinese – was lying across them. George peered up at him with large black eyes. His face looked as if he’d run at a wall and forgotten to stop in time.

  George was Jack’s favourite of all. He leant down and scratched him behind the ears. George let out a few grunts and sniffs, which was his way of saying he approved.

  When all the bowls were filled, Mr Row, Slink and Wren set them down on the floor.

  Mrs Row clicked her fingers and each dog sat.

  No matter how many times Jack saw that happen, he was always impressed.

  Mrs Row then held up a finger. ‘Wait . . . ’ She glanced back at Wren.

  Wren nodded.

  ‘OK,’ Mrs Row said, stepping aside and gesturing.

  The dogs excitedly ran to their bowls and started wolfing down the food.

  The Maltese – Maggie – stopped for a second and looked up at Wren with what Jack thought could’ve been a smile, as if she was saying, ‘Thank you.’

  Wren beamed at them all. ‘Don’t eat too fast – you’ll get indigestion.’

  ‘Ha!’ said Mr Row, sitting at the table next to Jack. ‘If I ever see one of these fellas eating slowly, I know something’s wrong with ’em.’

  • • •

  Two hours later, Jack, Slink and Wren were standing in Warner Road on the Heyday Estate, south of the river.

  The whole area had been under development for the past ten years. Lots of old blocks of flats had been knocked down, to be replaced by high-rises and offices. But several parts were still years away from being redeveloped. And it was outside one of these empty lots that the three Outlaws waited.

  The site was sandwiched between two tower blocks that were still being constructed, and a high fence obscured the land beyond.

  Slink glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then pulled back a fence panel and the three of them slipped through.

  On the other side they were greeted by Raze – a skinny kid wearing a hoodie – and a short boy, Slink’s protégé, Wilf.

  Raze sniffed. ‘All right?’

  Jack nodded and looked around. ‘What’s the deal then?’

  ‘Cherub did some research and she reckons they’re not going to build anything here for at least another two years.’

  Cherub was another of the Outlaws friends’ and was really handy when it came to hacking the council’s planning department.

  Slink rubbed his hands together. ‘Two years is loads of time. How long will it take to build?’

  ‘A few days, I reckon,’ Raze said. ‘We’ve got a lot of people who wanna help us.’

  The plan was to use the vacant plot of land to build a free-running and skate park.

  ‘We’ve sorted out the building materials too.’ Wilf gestured to a corner of the plot, where several stacks of plywood, timber and scaffolding sat head high. ‘My dad’s bringing more later.’

  ‘Your dad?’ Wren said, shocked.

  Wilf grinned. ‘Yeah, he’s cool with it, don’t worry.’ He winked. ‘Dad’s just the delivery driver for all the stuff we need.’

  Jack turned to Raze. ‘What do you want us to do?’

  ‘There’s one problem we haven’t solved yet.’ Raze glanced at Wilf. ‘Show ’em.’

  Wilf gestured to the buildings on either side.

  Jack frowned for a moment, then he understood. ‘The workmen will see you making it.’

  Raze nodded. ‘They’ll call the cops and stop us.’

  ‘Can’t you get more helpers?’ Jack asked. ‘Do it on a weekend?’

  Raze shook his head. ‘Don’t want too many people down here. We’ve got the construction all planned out, and everyone knows their job.’

  Jack couldn’t help but be impressed. He looked up at the buildings on either side. ‘So you need three clear days?’

  ‘What about doing it on a bank holiday?’ Wren asked.

  ‘That’s ages away,’ Wilf said.

  ‘Tomorrow’s Tuesday,’ Jack said, thinking aloud, ‘so if we could keep the workers in both buildings away until Friday –’

  ‘Then when they get back here it’ll be too late,’ Wilf said.

  ‘What’s stopping them knocking it down after you’ve built it?’ Wren asked.

  Raze sniffed. ‘Like to see them try. We’ll have people here twenty-four hours a day. Any sign of trouble and there’ll be a hundred kids here in a heartbeat. They
’ll remove it eventually, but we can all have fun in the meantime.’

  Jack took a breath and glanced around the empty lot, then up at the buildings again.

  He frowned.

  How to get the workers to stay away?

  ‘I’ve already had an idea,’ Slink said.

  Jack looked at him. ‘You have?’

  ‘Yep. When Raze first told me. And it’s a pretty freakin epic plan actually.’

  ‘What’s your idea?’

  ‘Well, they’re fitting the inside of the building, right? Plastering walls and whatnot. So . . . ’ Slink slipped off his backpack and pulled out two black cylinders, twenty centimetres long, by a few wide.

  Jack stared at them a moment, then he understood. ‘That’s clever.’

  ‘It’ll work?’ Slink asked.

  ‘Can’t see why not.’

  Slink then explained his plan to the rest of the group. When he was done, he scratched his chin. ‘All we need is a couple of parkour experts.’ He pursed his lips. ‘Now where do you suppose we could find them?’

  Wilf grinned.

  • • •

  Five minutes later, Slink was scrambling up the scaffolding of the right-hand building and Wilf the left-hand one.

  Wren stared up, open-mouthed. ‘They are actually racing each other, aren’t they?’

  ‘Looks like it,’ Raze said. ‘My money’s on Slink though.’

  Sure enough, a few minutes later, Slink reached the top of his building and gave Wilf a little wave.

  Soon after, Wilf pulled himself to the top and bowed in appreciation to Slink.

  Jack pressed a finger to his ear. ‘Right, Slink, you know what to do.’

  Slink and Wilf held up a cylinder each, then disappeared from view.

  The cylinders were Charlie’s EMP Snakes. Slink and Wilf were now hiding them at the top of each building near the power cables.

  The EMP Snakes would send out random jolts of electricity, tripping fuses.

  It would take the electricians ages to find them.

  Well, hopefully more than a few days.

  Finally Slink and Wilf clambered back down the buildings and joined the group.

  ‘That should do it,’ Slink said. ‘No electricity, no lights. No lights, no workers able to see what they’re doing inside. No workers, no trouble.’

  ‘What about generators?’ Raze asked.

  ‘If they hook up generators,’ Jack said, ‘the EMP Snakes will knock them out too.’