What was Charlie playing at?
They didn’t have time for an argument.
‘It’s not just Proteus we have to destroy, it’s the servers too. We need to fry the hardware from the inside.’
Jack thought for a moment. She was right. The servers were already filled with thousands of secret documents.
His mind raced.
What if they – Of course. ‘My USB drive,’ he said. They needed to attract the virus and plant it in the servers. Once it was in, it would overload their processors, and Charlie could finish off Proteus once and for all.
‘Hold on.’ Jack took a breath and looked around the corner. Monday had Jack’s USB stick and he was nowhere to be seen. He pulled back again. ‘Where’s Monday? My memory stick is in his pocket.’
‘On it,’ Slink said.
Jack glanced up to see Slink climbing the rope and back on to the roof crossbeams.
Slink looked around for a moment, then froze. ‘He’s behind you, Jack. Coming your way.’
Jack spun round.
‘No,’ Slink said. ‘Wait. He’s walking back to the centre.’
Jack looked around the corner and, sure enough, Monday appeared from one of the other aisles and walked over to Del Sarto.
‘Well?’ Del Sarto said to him.
‘The other two guards are taken care of.’
Del Sarto cocked an eyebrow. ‘What did you do?’
‘They went to the arms room for more ammo. I barricaded the door. They’re stuck in there.’
Del Sarto smiled. ‘Good.’ He turned and shouted. ‘Cloud, how long?’
‘Ten minutes,’ came her reply.
Del Sarto scowled and glanced at his watch again.
Jack pulled back and pressed a finger to his ear. ‘We’ve got to get the USB drive from Monday, save Wren, and then get to Cloud and that laptop.’
‘Is that all?’ Charlie said.
‘On it,’ Slink said.
Jack looked up.
Slink was tying the loose end of the rope around his waist.
‘Er, Slink,’ Charlie said, ‘what exactly are you doing?’
Slink shimmied along the beam. ‘Get ready to run in there, Jack.’ He lined himself up with the centre of the chamber and, before Jack had time to stop him, Slink launched himself into the air.
For a second he seemed to hang motionless, then he fell and the rope snapped taut. He flew in a swinging arc, pushing his legs out in front of his body.
Monday turned, but it was too late. Slink slammed into him and sent him stumbling backward. Monday hit one of the server cabinets, there was a shower of sparks, and he crumpled to the floor, groaning, his eyes rolling in his head.
Del Sarto scooped up Wren and hurried down the opposite aisle.
Jack sprinted into the centre, put his hand into Monday’s jacket pocket and removed the USB drive. He looked up as Charlie knelt and unclipped the gun from Monday’s belt.
Jack’s eyes went wide. ‘What are you doing with that?’
‘Better we have it than them.’
Jack tossed her the USB drive. ‘I’m going after Del Sarto. You sort out Cloud, and use her laptop to attract the virus.’ Jack watched Obi as he fitted Charlie’s explosives to the coolant tanks. He turned to Slink. ‘Tie him up,’ he said, waving a finger at Monday.
Jack stood and started to stride away.
‘Wait up,’ Slink called after him. ‘I can help.’
Jack ground his teeth, ‘I got this,’ and marched after Del Sarto.
He followed the aisle between the servers and reached an intersection.
Jack heard Wren’s muffled cries, so he ran left, then rounded the corner.
Del Sarto was dragging Wren to the door that led back to the offices.
‘Let go of her.’
Del Sarto spun around, grabbed Wren by the neck and pulled her close. ‘Call off your friends and help me get what I want.’
Jack shook his head. ‘Can’t do that.’
‘I’m not going to give you a choice.’ He squeezed Wren’s throat and she winced. Del Sarto stared at Jack with cold, dead eyes. ‘I’m about to discover the location of your hideout.’
Jack stared back at him, defiant. ‘No, you’re not.’
There was no way Wren would give it up.
‘I assure you, boy, I am.’ Del Sarto took a deep pull of air and – much to Jack’s confusion – removed a smart phone from his pocket. He looked at the display. ‘It seems the trace is complete. Let’s see. Oh.’ He looked at Jack. ‘A pizza shop? Can’t be. So, I assume that means it’s underground. I’d say, somewhere near the abandoned Badbury platform?’ He inclined his head. ‘Correct?’
Jack’s stomach sank.
How could he know that?
Del Sarto continued, ‘What is it? Some kind of hidden bunker?’
Jack remained frozen on the spot.
This wasn’t happening.
Del Sarto seemed to sense he’d got Jack’s full attention. ‘Would you like to know how I found it?’
Jack did want to know.
He had to know.
‘The camera,’ Del Sarto said, glancing up at the ceiling. ‘The wireless camera you’ve been using to watch this place.’
Jack shut his eyes. He’d underestimated Del Sarto’s technical capabilities.
‘Cloud followed the phone here, and when we discovered your wireless camera, it was relatively easy for her to set an app running to trace the signal back to your hideout.’ He slid the phone back into his pocket. ‘I must remember to give that woman a pay rise.’
Jack’s whole world felt as though it was coming apart.
‘Tell you what I’ll do,’ Del Sarto said, sliding his gun from the holster and holding it to Wren’s head. ‘I can’t promise I won’t destroy your home, but I’ll exchange this one for Proteus.’
Wren squeezed her eyes closed.
There was a loud whirring sound as the server fans sped up.
‘Hear that?’ Jack said. ‘It means my friend has taken out Cloud and the servers are about to blow.’ He forced a smile. ‘It’s over. You’ve lost.’
Del Sarto frowned and his grip loosened for a moment.
Wren seized her chance. Twisting her body, she broke free and stamped on his foot with all her strength.
Del Sarto shouted in pain and let go of her.
Without hesitating, Jack ran forward and rugby tackled him. They both slammed into a server cabinet, buckling the thin metal door.
Wren kicked the gun out of Del Sarto’s hand and it skidded across the floor, vanishing under the cabinets.
Del Sarto shoved Jack off him and roared.
Jack stumbled backwards and fell to the floor.
A hissing sound came from the server cabinets.
Del Sarto rose to his feet and looked enraged. ‘What have you done?’ He took a step forward, fists balled.
Wren pounced on him and sank her teeth into his arm.
Del Sarto yelled out in pain.
Jack scrambled to his feet and kicked Del Sarto as hard as he could in the stomach.
Del Sarto doubled up in pain and dropped to his knees.
Shots rang out.
Jack turned back. ‘Guys?’
Del Sarto tried to get to his feet but Wren shoved him. He fell forward, his face hitting a cabinet. Blood exploded from his nose and he slid to the floor, moaning.
‘Guys??’ Jack shouted.
Where were they?
The servers made a deafening noise as their fans tried to battle the heat the processors were giving off.
Jack imagined the virus passing through the systems and causing havoc.
There was a loud bang from the centre of the chamber, followed by more gunshots.
Charlie and Slink sprinted from one of the aisles, with a wheezing Obi bringing up the rear.
‘Consider Proteus destroyed,’ Charlie said, throwing Monday’s gun away.
Jack glanced up as smoke rose into the air. ‘What did you do
?’
‘She shot the coolant tanks.’ Slink grinned. ‘It was epic.’
A huge popping sound made them all duck.
‘The explosives will do the rest,’ Charlie said. ‘We’ve got sixty seconds to get out of here.’
None of them needed telling twice, and they sprinted past the offices, threw open the main door and ran up the steps.
They reached the corridor and more explosions rumbled through the building.
Jack looked back in time to see flames erupt up the stairs. ‘Run,’ he shouted.
They scrambled towards the door but the ceiling caved in, blocking their escape route.
Wren screamed.
‘This way.’ Jack shouldered open the door to his right.
The explosions grew louder as they ran across the stage.
A huge eruption shook the ground and almost knocked them off their feet.
They leapt off the stage and sprinted up the left-hand aisle, clawing, tripping, desperate to get out of there as fast as they could.
Jack glanced back and watched in horror as a huge chunk of the ceiling fell into the building and crashed through the wooden stage.
‘Go, go, go,’ he shouted, shoving the others towards the main doors.
As they ran, a crack in the floor opened and chased them towards the exit, as if trying to outsprint them.
A huge chasm burst open and flames ripped through the hole, setting seats on fire.
Obi and Slink shouldered the doors open and the five of them tumbled into the foyer.
The ground shook again.
Plaster cracked and fell from the ceiling and walls, covering them in a cloud of dust.
They scrambled to their feet, burst into the open air, and ran up the road, away from the theatre, towards Oxford Street.
At the end of the road, the five of them stopped and bent over double, catching their breaths.
They turned back and watched, open-mouthed, as a huge mushroom cloud erupted into the sky.
The remaining walls of the theatre crumpled in on themselves, dragging scaffolding, plastic sheeting and tiles with them.
Passers-by gasped and screamed as more explosions tore through the building and shook the pavement.
Charlie leant into Jack’s ear. ‘What have we just done?’
Jack couldn’t answer her, and he wondered exactly what the government had kept in that ammo room Monday had mentioned.
Judging by the destruction, World War Three in a box.
Charlie nudged Jack’s arm and pointed to the alleyway next to the café. The roller door was up and four of the seven guards had managed to escape.
Two of the guards had their guns drawn and were shoving a charred-looking Monday, Connor and Cloud away from the building. When they were a safe distance, they turned back, aghast. Another loud bang made them all jump.
Thick smoke bellowed into the darkened sky and ash rained from above.
The guards kept their guns pointed at Connor, Monday and Cloud, while they watched the fire destroy what they were supposed to protect.
They probably wouldn’t have a job tomorrow.
‘Anyone there?’ It was Noble.
Jack cupped a hand over the microphone on his headset. ‘Noble?’
‘Thank God,’ Noble said. ‘What’s going on? I haven’t been able to make contact with you.’
Jack stared at the building, unsure what to say. ‘We’ll tell you when we get back to the bunker.’
Fire engines drew up. The firemen tried their best to tackle the blaze but it was useless. The flames engulfed the remains of the theatre, and all they could do was stop it spreading to the other buildings.
Police sirens added to the cacophony of noise.
‘I suggest you get out of there,’ Noble said.
The Outlaws pulled their hoods up, and as they made their way through the crowd of horrified onlookers, Jack glanced back and watched the fire. He thought of Del Sarto. Had he got out? Was he inside burning to death?
He shuddered at the gruesome thought.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A week later, Jack was sitting on the sofa, staring blankly at the TV. The theatre fire had only received a brief mention on the news channels the next day. There was no clue that the world’s most advanced computer had just been destroyed.
The one thing that Jack now realised was that there would be another Proteus. It was only a matter of time. The future was coming, and no one could stop it.
He wondered if the next Proteus would force people to wake up to the reality of the digital age.
No one’s anonymous.
No one’s untraceable.
No one’s safe.
Jack also wondered what had happened to Del Sarto. Was he alive? There was no mention of them pulling any bodies from the charred remains of the theatre.
Charlie moved in front of the TV. ‘Are we going?’
Jack stood and looked at Wren. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement. ‘Come on then,’ and they strode to the door.
Wren turned back to Slink and Obi. ‘Are you two coming?’
Both of them were concentrating on the computer screen and Slink gave her a dismissive wave. ‘Tell us about it when you get back.’
Jack looked at Charlie and winced.
She reflected his expression, then straightened her face. She hit the button, the door hissed aside, and they strode through the airlock.
An hour later, Jack, Charlie and Wren stood across the road from the old man’s bungalow. At first, Jack had looked around to make sure they were in the right place because the once dilapidated house was now clean and bright. The exterior walls had been rendered and painted, the windows replaced with new double-glazing. The garden had been tidied and the lawn was surrounded by borders filled with flowers. The once graffiti-covered fence had been replaced with a new one.
Wide-eyed, Wren looked up at Jack and Charlie. ‘That letter, and three hundred pounds, did that?’
Jack heard voices coming from the back garden. They crossed the road and peered over the fence. Around twenty people stood in the back garden, all laughing and chatting. One man stood over a barbecue and the smell of steak, burgers and sausages wafted through the air.
The old man who owned the bungalow was sat in a deck chair, chatting to a woman in a pink dress. He was smiling, probably for the first time in years.
‘Hey.’
The three of them jumped and spun around. A girl, in her late teens, stood holding a ketchup bottle.
‘You Mr Jones’s grandkids?’
Jack remembered the old guy was called Mr Jones and shrugged.
‘What’s going on?’ Charlie said.
The girl smiled and held up the ketchup. ‘Barbecue.’
‘No,’ Charlie said, gesturing to the house, ‘I mean -’
‘Who fixed it?’
Jack, Charlie and Wren nodded.
‘Someone anonymous gave Mr Hancock three hundred pounds to do some repairs. When he told other people about it, well,’ she smiled, ‘it kind of snowballed. Everyone got involved, even the local paper wrote about it, and all these donations started coming in.’
Wren looked like she was going to cry.
‘Chloe?’ a woman’s voice called from the other side of the fence.
‘Coming.’ The girl nodded to the garden. ‘You’re welcome to come. We have plenty of food.’ She hurried down the side path.
For a moment, Jack, Charlie and Wren stared at each other.
In a million years, Jack hadn’t expected this. But they couldn’t go to the party. They had something else to do.
As they walked away, Jack thought that maybe there was hope for the world yet.
‘Where are we going now?’ Wren said.
Charlie glanced at Jack. ‘You’ll see.’
• • •
The three of them sat on a bench in Battersea Park.
The sun was high, the sky a crystal-clear blue, and children’s laughter filled the air
.
They sat opposite a play area filled with swings, slides, sandpits and parents chatting in groups as they kept one eye on their kids.
‘What are we doing here?’ Wren said.
Charlie looked at her watch for the tenth time.
‘Are you sure?’ Jack whispered.
Charlie opened her mouth to answer, then nodded to the other side of the play area.
A man in his early thirties, with short blond hair, opened the gate and ushered in a small boy of around three or four. The boy clutched a plastic digger. He ran to the sandpit and started playing with the other kids, while his dad leant against the fence and watched.
‘That’s him?’ Jack said, still hushed.
Charlie nodded.
‘He looks like a decent guy.’
‘He is.’ Charlie turned to Wren and cleared her throat. ‘We have something to tell you.’ She reached out and took Wren’s hands in hers.
Wren glanced at Jack. ‘OK.’
Charlie looked away for a moment, took a deep breath, then refocused on Wren. ‘We found your dad.’
Wren’s face dropped and she pulled her hands away.
Charlie said, ‘Do you want to meet him?’
For a long while Wren stared at Charlie. Jack thought she wasn’t going to respond at all but, after a while, Wren lifted her chin and said, ‘No.’
Charlie seemed taken aback. ‘Why not?’
Wren looked down and picked at her fingers as she spoke. ‘I never stop thinking about him. I wonder what he looks like, where he lives, what he does –’ Wren’s voice cracked. She took a moment to compose herself, then continued. ‘Do I have brothers and sisters? Does he think of me? Does he miss me?’
‘But,’ Charlie said in a soft voice, ‘you can find all those things out for yourself.’
Wren kept her eyes lowered. ‘I can’t forgive him yet.’
‘Can’t forgive him for what?’
Wren swallowed. ‘For leaving. For not coming back to rescue me.’
Charlie glanced at Jack, then back to Wren. ‘He’s been trying to find you. He wants to see you.’
Wren said in a small voice, ‘I don’t think I can take it again, the pain.’ She looked away, and a tear rolled down her cheek. ‘You’re my family.’
Charlie stroked Wren’s hair. ‘But you have a chance at a real life,’ she said. ‘You can be happy, if you want to be.’ Charlie took a deep breath. ‘Will you at least think about it?’
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