Shockwave

by Peter Jay Black

  Jack focused on the display and his finger landed on the Enter button.

  The app sent out a signal, looking for the tracer program, and he held his breath.

  Thirty seconds later, it returned a result.

  ‘Got it.’ Jack opened a command prompt and followed the route back to Trent’s personal network.

  It had several firewalls and programs monitoring traffic, but, one by one, Jack managed to override them all.

  There was a muffled thud, along with shouting.

  Charlie whirled around. ‘They’ve just found the locked door downstairs. They’ve realised we’re up here.’

  Jack continued to type, his fingers and subconscious working as one.

  Next came a loud crashing noise.

  ‘Quick, Jack,’ Charlie said. ‘They’ve broken through.’

  ‘I need another minute.’

  He concentrated on the last firewall.

  There were voices from the stairs.

  ‘You really don’t have a minute,’ Charlie hissed.

  Jack ignored her and willed his fingers to move as quickly as possible.

  There were footfalls now, growing louder.

  Charlie stepped to the door and locked it.

  ‘Find an alternative way out,’ Jack said, not taking his eyes off the netbook’s screen.

  He heard Charlie run to the back of the room and open another door.

  Jack’s fingers raced over the keyboard as he typed several commands and lines of code.

  The door handle rattled.

  Jack managed to get past the final firewall and he scanned Trent’s computer logs. He frowned. ‘Where is it?’ he said under his breath.

  Charlie returned. ‘What are you doing?’

  Someone banged on the door.

  Charlie grabbed Jack’s arm. ‘We need to go. Now.’

  Jack shrugged her off, and his eyes scanned the pages as his heart sank. ‘Oh no.’

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  Jack sat back. Trent had hidden his IP address, which meant they had no way to track down his house. Unless – a sudden thought struck him – the laptop itself showed a traceable IP. His fingers raced over the keyboard.

  ‘Bingo,’ Jack said. ‘Got it.’ He brought up a map, transferred the details and a blue dot appeared on the screen. He pointed. ‘That’s where Trent lives. We’ve got him.’ Jack looked at Charlie. ‘Did you find another way out of here?’

  ‘Yeah, I’ve found a way,’ Charlie said. ‘But you’re really not gonna like it.’

  Jack groaned when he saw the look on her face and he stood up. ‘What?’

  There was a loud bang as something heavy slammed into the door and the frame started to split.

  ‘Follow me,’ Charlie said.

  Jack disconnected the netbook and slipped it into his bag.

  Together, they stepped into a smaller room and Charlie pointed at an open hatch above their heads. There was a metal ladder leading up.

  A cold wind tore through the hatch and made Jack take an involuntary step backwards. ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. Do you know how high up we are?’

  There was another loud thud and the sound of more splitting wood.

  ‘Not kidding,’ Charlie said, racing up the ladder.

  Muttering several swear words to himself, Jack clambered after her.

  Once he was through, Charlie closed the hatch behind them, but there was no way to lock it from the outside.

  They were now standing on a circular balcony with satellite and microwave dishes mounted to steel beams. Jack dared not take in the view before them as his vertigo would probably bring him to his knees.

  ‘I’ve never seen London so dark,’ Charlie said. ‘There are hardly any lights on. No cars. No aeroplanes. Nothing. Jack, look at this – it’s amazing.’

  Jack kept his gaze firmly on his feet, pulled up his hood and coughed. ‘I’ll take your word for it.’

  A scraping sound came from the other side of the hatch.

  Charlie stepped to their right, ducked under a huge metal bracket and disappeared.

  ‘Charlie?’ Jack whispered.

  He glanced back at the hatch. No doubt someone would come up there soon to investigate – and, as much as Jack hated to admit it, Charlie was probably right to hide.

  Jack swallowed painfully as he looked at the metal beams and tried not to think about how high up they were. Why had Charlie picked a hiding place in such a terrifying –

  Another sound came from below. This one sounded closer.

  Jack glanced at the hatch one more time, regretting not finding somewhere else to hide down there where it was safe and warm. With huge reluctance, he ducked under the metal framework and popped up on the other side.

  He looked around, but couldn’t see Charlie.

  ‘Hey,’ her voice whispered.

  He followed the sound of Charlie’s voice. She was peering down from a platform above him.

  ‘How did you get up there?’ Jack asked.

  Charlie pointed at the metal framework that jutted out from the building.

  Jack shook his head. ‘No way.’

  There was the sound of the hatch banging open to their left, and Charlie ducked.

  ‘Here,’ she said, holding out a hand. ‘Quick.’

  Jack swore to himself, grabbed her hand for support and stepped up on to the metal beam.

  ‘Hurry,’ Charlie whispered. ‘They’re coming.’

  Jack moved to the next beam and Charlie helped pull him up on to the platform. He’d just got his feet out of the way in time when a deep voice spoke.

  ‘There must be someone up here. Both doors were locked from the inside.’

  ‘There could be another way out we’ve missed,’ a second voice said.

  ‘I told you,’ the first voice insisted. ‘This is the only way. That old bloke wasn’t alone.’

  Jack stayed as still as possible, refusing to let Noble’s sacrifice go to waste.

  There was the rustling sound of fabric as the men climbed under the metalwork beneath them.

  ‘There’s no one up here,’ the second voice said.

  ‘I’m not leaving until we’ve searched every inch of this place.’

  ‘Do what you want. I’m going back.’

  Jack heard one set of heavy boots head in the direction of the hatch. He listened, but couldn’t hear the other guy beneath them.

  He imagined the man’s narrowed eyes roaming over every nook and cranny, searching for any sign of intruders.

  Jack’s breath caught as he heard a heavy footstep on the frame below.

  Charlie nudged him and they silently edged back.

  A gloved hand appeared on the lip of the platform and Jack braced himself.

  They were done for.

  He looked about for an escape route, but they were trapped up there with nowhere to go.

  The man grunted as he lifted himself and the top of his police helmet appeared a few centimetres in front of Jack’s face.

  Suddenly, a radio crackled.

  ‘Now what?’ the police officer snarled. He adjusted his weight. ‘Go ahead.’

  A faint voice said, ‘The old man’s given them up.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘He’s taking us to the others now. They’ve already sneaked out of the tower and are hiding nearby.’

  There was a long pause, then the police officer said, ‘On my way.’

  The helmet lowered back down.

  Jack and Charlie let out simultaneous breaths and waited, listening as the man ducked under the framework and made his way down the hatch, closing it behind him.

  Jack swung around and lowered himself to the balcony below, then he helped Charlie.

  They crawled under the framework and hurried to the hatch.

  Charlie grabbed the edge of the hatch and tried to lift it, but it didn’t budge. ‘Oh no.’

  Jack stared down at her. ‘You have got to be kidding me this time.’

  Charlie grin
ned and opened the hatch. ‘Yep.’

  Jack clenched his teeth. ‘Really not funny, Charlie. In fact, you’re so far from funny that you’re a speck on the horizon.’

  Charlie descended the steps. ‘Just thought it would spice things up a little.’

  Jack rolled his eyes and followed her down. As they walked back through the server room, Jack stopped.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Charlie asked.

  ‘Just a sec.’ He went to the computer and grabbed a long network cable, then coiled it up and slipped it under his hoodie. ‘OK, let’s go.’

  They quietly stepped to the door.

  Charlie opened it a crack and peered out. ‘I think they’ve gone,’ she whispered.

  They crept into the hallway, down the stairs, through the other door and back on to the observation lounge.

  Charlie stopped at one of the windows and gasped.

  ‘What’s wrong now?’ Jack asked.

  She pointed.

  In the distance, several buildings were on fire and huge flames erupted from their roofs.

  Jack shook his head. ‘This is insane.’

  ‘We have to stop this madness,’ Charlie said.

  ‘I know,’ Jack replied. ‘We will.’ He took her arm. ‘Come on, we need to hurry.’

  As they got into the lift, Charlie said, ‘Where are we going?’

  ‘Back to the cavern to get the others. We’re going to need everyone’s help to break into Trent Myer’s house.’

  As they left the BT Tower, Jack thought of what was to come. One more step, and they’d finally know where Hector was. One more obstacle, and they’d be on the home stretch.

  An hour later, the five Outlaws were standing across the road from Trent Myer’s terraced house in Kensington.

  ‘I can see four cameras,’ Obi said. ‘And that’s just on the front of the building. Want me to check the back?’

  ‘The cameras aren’t a problem,’ Jack said, staring at the house.

  ‘Why not?’ Wren asked.

  He glanced at her. ‘Well, because of Hector, we’re all famous. It makes no difference if we’re caught on CCTV or not. Everyone knows who we are now anyway. No more hiding.’ Jack looked up and down the road.

  The fact that most people would know what the Outlaws looked like unnerved him. That was another thing Hector had taken from them – their anonymity.

  For a fleeting moment, Jack worried about their future. If they did survive this, what then? Where would they live? What would they do? But these were questions for another day. Right now, they all had to focus on one task at a time and try to stay alive for as long as possible.

  ‘What about the security alarm?’ Charlie pointed to a box high up on the front wall of Trent’s house.

  ‘That’s not really a problem either,’ Jack said.

  ‘Yeah, right,’ Slink said. ‘Like, who’d bother to come running if it went off? The police are a bit busy at the moment.’ He hacked up phlegm and spat into the road.

  Wren grimaced. ‘That’s disgusting.’

  ‘Better than it being in my lungs,’ Slink said. ‘Well, what’s left of them anyway.’

  ‘The alarm on Trent’s house won’t be on,’ Jack said, bringing the conversation back on track.

  ‘Why not?’ Obi asked.

  ‘Because Trent is home. I guarantee it.’

  Even though the house was in darkness, Jack just knew Trent would be in there. There was no way Trent would leave Cerberus unattended. But, if he wasn’t, that meant they’d lost and it would be game over.

  ‘OK,’ Slink said, rubbing his hands together. ‘How are we getting in then? By knocking on the front door?’

  Charlie held up Noble’s set of lock picks. ‘With these.’

  ‘He’ll see us doing that on the cameras though,’ Wren said.

  Jack nodded. ‘That’s what we’re counting on.’

  They all looked at him.

  Jack continued, ‘Think it through. Trent runs Cerberus. Cerberus is world renowned as a place for all sorts of criminals to contact each other.’

  ‘We’re not criminals,’ Wren said in a defensive tone.

  ‘We are in the eyes of the law,’ Charlie reminded her.

  ‘And,’ Jack continued, looking back at the house, ‘Trent probably won’t have any weapons to defend himself.’

  ‘Why not?’ Obi asked.

  ‘Because he must be under permanent police surveillance. He knows that his nose needs to remain clean at all times, and injuring intruders, whoever they are, isn’t going to keep the police on his side.’

  Jack glanced up as smoke bellowed into the sky from a building on fire several roads away. In the distance, he could hear shouting and alarms.

  ‘Wait a minute,’ Obi said. ‘What does Trent do if bad guys go after him? He doesn’t have weapons to stop them, so that means he must have another way to defend himself.’

  Jack gasped as he caught on. ‘Why didn’t I think of that sooner?’

  ‘Think of what?’ Charlie asked.

  ‘No weapons,’ Jack said. ‘But Trent still needs some sort of defence.’ He cleared his throat and winced. ‘So,’ he said in a hoarse voice, ‘Trent’s gotta have a panic room.’

  A panic room was a secret room that you could seal yourself inside safely in case of an emergency. It was a bit like a bank vault – once the door was closed, it was practically impossible to get through.

  ‘Really?’ Slink said.

  Jack nodded. ‘He must have. And I bet that if we walk up to his front door, he’ll see us on the cameras, realise who we are and hide inside it.’

  ‘And if we’re quick,’ Obi added, ‘he won’t have time to take his computer with him.’

  ‘Right,’ Charlie said, glancing between Jack and Obi. ‘And if Trent did call the cops, there’s no way they’d come – they’re way too busy right now. Which also means they wouldn’t have the resources to be watching him.’

  ‘We’ll still need to cut his phone line and internet,’ Jack said.

  ‘Easy.’ Charlie pointed at a green box further up the road. ‘I can get into that and do the job.’

  ‘What about his mobile phone?’ Obi asked.

  ‘The panic room will see to that,’ Jack said. ‘Trent won’t get a signal through all the steel and concrete.’ He nodded at Charlie to make a start.

  She jogged down the road and knelt in front of the green box. She picked the lock, opening it and exposing the wires. Charlie then waved to Jack.

  ‘We need to move fast,’ Jack said, holding up a hand and addressing Slink and Wren. ‘Charlie and I will break into Trent’s house. Meanwhile, you two go next door. Once Charlie’s done with Trent’s front door, she’ll pass the lock picks to you. Got it?’

  ‘You want us to break into the house next door?’ Slink asked, looking puzzled.

  ‘Yes. And I want you to find the nearest router or network port we can use.’ Jack unzipped his bag and pulled out the coil of network cable he’d taken from the server room in the BT Tower and gave it to Slink.

  Slink grinned. ‘Now I get it.’

  ‘I don’t,’ Wren said, frowning.

  ‘Charlie’s cutting the internet and phone to Trent’s house,’ Obi said. ‘And Jack needs a connection to use Trent’s ID to log into the Cerberus servers. We’ll use the neighbour’s, even if it’s slow at the moment.’

  ‘That won’t matter if I’m just looking at the logs,’ Jack said. ‘Right, Obi, can you go round the back of the house and make sure Trent doesn’t escape?’

  ‘Sure.’ Obi hurried off.

  Jack looked at Charlie and lowered his hand.

  She reached inside the green box, disconnected several wires, then straightened up and ran back to them.

  ‘Let’s move,’ Jack said, striding across the road.

  Jack and Charlie hurried up the path to Trent’s house, while Slink and Wren went next door.

  Charlie quickly set to work on the lock.

  Jack turned his face up to the
nearest CCTV camera and gave it a cold stare – hopefully Trent would be in full panic mode by now.

  The lock clicked and Charlie opened the front door.

  They’d been right – no alarms were activated.

  She tossed the lock picks over the railing to Slink.

  ‘You need to hurry,’ Jack urged him.

  ‘Oh, I’m all over this,’ Slink said, kneeling in front of the neighbour’s front door. ‘Don’t you worry about that.’

  Jack turned back to Trent’s door and took several deep breaths. ‘Ready?’ he asked Charlie.

  ‘Guess so.’

  Together, they entered the house and stood in the hallway.

  Jack’s jaw dropped.

  He could not believe what he was looking at.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Jack and Charlie stood, rooted to the spot, in the hallway to Trent Myer’s house. Jack was trying to get his head wrapped around what exactly he was looking at and, by the look on Charlie’s face, so was she.

  ‘Jack,’ she whispered after a moment. ‘Is all this what I think it is?’

  He nodded. ‘Yep.’

  They were standing in a large room that filled at least half of the ground floor of the house.

  Directly in front of them, and illuminated by spotlights, was a single chair. Only this chair was like nothing Jack had ever seen before. It had a high back and leather upholstery, and it was suspended beneath a large white frame that sat on the floor and swept behind and over it. The chair also had motors and gas struts, and looked like it could angle back for maximum comfort. Space-age mouldings and metal framework continued over the top of the chair like a futuristic scorpion’s tail, and mounted on the very tip were three large screens.

  It was an advanced computer station and must have cost thousands of pounds.

  Jack glanced at Charlie. ‘Have you ever seen anything like that before?’

  ‘No. Obi will freak out if he sees it,’ she said.

  Charlie was right – it made Obi’s modified dentist’s chair look like a piece of junk. Mind you, Obi would be in the market for an upgraded chair after his was destroyed along with the rest of the Outlaws’ bunker.