“And we won’t get caught?” Dylan said.
“No, durrrr. I’ll use my amazing powers of electricity to make sure no one knows we’re there. I bet I can even hack into the stock-taking system so the things we take aren’t reported as missing.”
“Stealing’s wrong.”
“Dylan! It’s only a bit of food and a few clothes and this is an emergency, it’s not like we’re doing it for profit.”
Scarlett could see Dylan was torn; he wanted to do the right thing and live his life on the straight and narrow, but he needed to learn that things weren’t as black and white as they used to be. Sometimes they needed to break the law in order to survive in this cruel, crazy world.
“Dylan, the rules have changed,” she said. “None of us want to steal or spend the night in a department store, but that is the only option life has given us at the moment; it’s the only chance we have for survival. If you ask me, I think that makes it OK. The people who are beating us at life right now are doing far worse things than pinching a loaf of bread and finding a bed for the night, trust me. We had it easy in London with Lucy’s house and money to comfort us, but here we have nothing. We have to change and compromise our morals to get by. The sooner we accept that, the better.”
Alex gave Scarlett a jokey round of applause.
“Hear, hear! I couldn’t have put it better myself. So am I teleporting us over there or what?”
Dylan nodded. “OK, do it.”
With another flash of light, Alex took them all to a side road near Kerridges across town. He opted for a quiet alley in the hope there’d be no one around, but instead they found themselves slap bang in the middle of a scuffle.
Three teenagers with knives were chasing a younger boy and they did not look like the type of people Scarlett fancied meeting down a dark alley. Luckily, they were so caught up in mugging the youngster, they hadn’t noticed the group at all. Scarlett thought about making a run for it, but she couldn’t leave the boy to fend the men off alone.
“Help,” he shouted as he ran towards them.
“Get back!” she yelled.
As he ducked out of the way, she sent his attackers flying backwards with a wave of her hand. Two more boys sauntered forward.
“You’re going to regret that,” one said as he cracked his knuckles. “No one messes with the M-Boyz.”
Not this lot again. Scarlett spotted a deserted motorbike to her left and threw it at them, knocking them to the ground.
“I think it’s time that you learned not to mess with us,” she said.
“We’ll get ya!” one shouted as he rolled around on the floor writhing in pain. “Our boss’ll kill ya for this.”
“Whatever,” Scarlett said before turning to the young boy. “Run,” she said. “And don’t tell anyone you saw me using those powers.”
“I won’t,” he said. “Thank you.”
He gave Scarlett a nod of respect, then scarpered off down the alley, his thudding footsteps echoing off the building walls as he ran. She stared after him as he went and wondered where or who he was speeding off to. He only looked around 13; he was far too young to be wandering the streets alone.
“Let’s get inside the shop,” Lucy said, interrupting Scarlett’s thoughts. “Curfew’s in five minutes and I don’t fancy being accosted by the police again.”
The fivesome made their way around to the store entrance, then walked casually inside, trying their best to look like they were everyday shoppers. Once inside the doors, they entered the busy cosmetics and fragrances department, which was full of pink and peach concession counters selling all kinds of beautiful, sweet-smelling delights.
“Pee-ew,” Alex said. “This place stinks of girls.”
Lucy laughed, then grabbed a tester bottle from a nearby counter and spritzed some perfume on her wrist. “I love it here.”
“Urgh. Why do they always stick this bit near the front so men have to traipse through on the way to our clothing section?”
“Maybe they’re trying to make you buy your girlfriends something,” Scarlett laughed as Lucy squirted a dash of perfume over her. “Woah, go easy Luce.”
“Oh come on, let’s have some fun for one minute. We’ll look a lot less suspicious if we act like normal teenagers anyway.”
“It is kind of nice,” Scarlett said reluctantly.
“Lucy, behave yourself,” Neelam said.
Dylan, who was looking even more serious than usual, gave the girls a withering look. “The store closes in an hour. How’s about we work our way a bit further into the building and plan exactly where and how we’re going to hide from security when they lock up? I have to be honest, I have no idea how we’re going to pull this off.”
“Don’t worry,” Scarlett said. She weaved her way further into the shop and beckoned her friends to follow her. “I have a plan.”
Chapter 10
An hour later, Dylan, Scarlett, Neelam, Alex and Lucy were hiding in the changing rooms on the first floor of Kerridges. They’d darted in there 50 minutes ago when they saw the attendant leave her post and had been waiting there patiently ever since. The five teenagers had listened to the final customers leave, the store staff head home and the cleaning ladies arrive to do their work. Now the sound of a trolley being pulled along was heading right in their direction.
“They’re coming our way,” Scarlett said. “Time to get us out of here, Alex.”
He teleported them up to the second floor, where they were hoping the cleaning and security staff would have already done their jobs and left. Scarlett’s plan was to hide on a lower floor while the cleaners tended to upstairs, then move up there once the coast was clear. She hoped her hunch was right and the second floor was safe to enter now.
“Here we go,” Alex said as he landed them in the middle of the formalwear department.
Scarlett looked around for signs of life. The lights had been switched off and everything was spick and span and in its rightful place on the hangers. The cleaners had definitely sorted this floor out already. Phew! The food hall, teen clothing and furniture section were all on this level, so they shouldn’t have to risk venturing anywhere else. They had everything they needed right here. Once Lucy had shot out a few lightning bolts to stop the security systems picking up their presence, they were safe to look around.
“Looks like the coast is clear,” she said. “I think two of us should go and find us something to eat. Fancy coming with me, Dylan?”
“Yeah, sure.” He turned to the other three and checked his watch. “We’ll see you back here in half an hour, at 7.30pm. Does that sound good to you?”
Neelam nodded. “Lucy, Alex and I will grab us all a change of clothes,” she said. “I’m sick of wearing these old things and it can’t hurt to alter our appearance for the benefit of the police either.”
“Shopping? Neelam, for once you are talking my language.” Lucy laughed.
Scarlett smiled as she watched Lucy’s face light up. She was impressed with the way her friend was handling Aaron being taken, so she allowed her a moment to get excited about one of her biggest passions: clothes.
“OK. We’ll see you here in a bit when we’ve hopefully found us something nice to eat. I’m starving.”
As the other three headed off towards the clothing section, she and Dylan made their way to the food hall. They soon reached the food market area, where Dylan started browsing the displays.
“Wow, this is fancy,” he said as he picked up an ornate jar of jam. He turned it over looking for a price before putting it back on the shelf in shock. “Sixty pounds! For jam? That’s plain crazy.”
“I don’t think they do an economy range in Kerridges, Dylan. We’re not paying, remember, so let’s find something to eat and get back to the others.”
Dylan turned his nose up at the shelf next to him with disapproval. “Most of it’s jars and tins. We can’t even open tins.”
Scarlett picked one up and turned it over in her hands, then stared around
at the rest of the food hall. “Hmmm… you’re right, There isn’t much of use here...” Then, just as she thought they were never going to catch a break, she spotted a café in the corner. It almost gleamed with promise like an oasis in the dry, hot desert.
“Hey, look, there’s a little café over there, I wonder if there’s any food out.”
“There might be,” Dylan said. “The one I used to work in would stock the fridges with sandwiches and cakes the night before.”
They dashed over to the restaurant, which was eerily empty with its chairs stacked on the tables, and made their way to a display fridge by the counter. There were three shelves full of packaged sandwiches and three more of fancy fizzy drinks, bottled water and upmarket juices made from weird fruit combinations.
“Bingo!”
Scarlett grabbed a sandwich and glanced around for something to hold enough food for five ravenous teenagers. She telekinetically flew over the serving counter, where she found a stash of paper bags and grabbed a few before heading back to where Dylan was eyeing up the food.
“These look amazing,” he said. “Look at this: cheese, chutney, pickle and ham. Mmmm. I haven’t had that in years. Ooh, there’s a nice salmon and cream cheese too.”
“Dylan, you don’t have to choose,” she said. “Just load these bags up with as many sandwiches as you can and we’ll be on our way.”
Scarlett grabbed five bags of crisps from a display on the counter and threw those in a bag, then took as many bottles of cola, orange juice and water as she could manage from the fridge.
“Ready?” she said.
“Yep.”
Dylan had rammed the bags so full that he was carrying them in his arms in case the handles broke.
“Didn’t take you long to embrace a life of crime and stealing.” She laughed.
“I’m hungry.”
As they made their way back towards the meeting point, Dylan stopped to look at a small electronics department tucked away to one side. He put the bags down and wandered over to eye up a laptop that was on display. He then circled the shelving unit with a thoughtful look on his face.
“What are you up to?” she asked.
“I’m going to take one of these for Lucy.”
“You’re going to steal a computer? You wouldn’t nick a bag of crisps earlier.”
“Yeah, well, as you said, the rules have changed. This will help Lucy find out a lot of useful information for us.”
“I have felt lost without her hacking skills…”
“Then we’re taking it.”
He gave her a wink, picked up the laptop box and sandwich bags, then continued on his way.
“Well, it’s good to see that some of what I said got through to you.”
“Nah, I never listen to you.” Dylan joked. “What you said made a lot of sense. I do need to start being less moralistic if we’re going to survive. What use is a leader who’s always moaning about how we’re breaking laws that don’t even matter anymore? I need to get tough.”
Scarlett grinned. She found this shift in Dylan’s personality rather attractive; it was good to see him having more confidence and courage in his convictions.
When the two of them reached the meeting point, the other three were already there. Neelam had changed into a clean pair of jeans, a new T-shirt and a fitted black jacket, Lucy was wearing neat, tailored trousers, a pretty top and a chic, cape-style winter coat and Alex had donned some black jeans, a grey T-shirt and a thin, black cardigan. He was carrying a new funnel-necked winter coat over his arm.
“Looking good, guys,” Scarlett said with a wolf whistle.
“We picked something for you too,” Lucy said. Her eyes were twinkling like she’d had fun for the first time in ages. “Did you find food?”
“Yes and lots of it,” Dylan said. “We have a special gift for you as well, Luce.”
“For me? Show me!”
“In a minute,” Alex said, interrupting. “I need a sit down first.” He took their hands and teleported them into the middle of a mocked-up living room, which consisted of pale blue sofas and a stylish oak coffee table. “Sorry to whisk you all over here like that.” He laughed as he collapsed into a comfy armchair. “I’m shattered.”
Lucy leapt onto one of the sofas. “This feels so good,” she said.
Neelam took a seat next to her, while Scarlett and Dylan sat on the sofa opposite.
“Here’s your gift,” Dylan said, reaching across the coffee table to hand the laptop to Lucy. “I thought it might come in useful.”
“A computer? Oh man, I’ve missed being able to hook up to one of these. She pulled it straight out of the box and switched it on using her powers. That was the advantage of being able to control electricity, you didn’t need to actually plug things in.
“Any chance you could do that to the TV over there?” Alex said.
But Lucy didn’t hear him, she was too busy furiously tapping away at the keyboard.
“Here’s the food,” Dylan said as he spread the packaged sandwiches out on the coffee table. “Help yourselves.”
“I got some drinks and crisps too,” Scarlett added. She placed her bags on the table.
“Excellent,” Alex said as he foraged through the sandwiches to find one he liked. “Cheese and onion. My favourite.”
“Here’s your clothes,” Neelam smiled. She picked up a carrier bag from by Lucy’s feet and handed them over to Scarlett. “I hope you like them.”
“Thanks,” Dylan said as he ripped a sandwich open.
Scarlett opened the bag to find a pair of faded black jeans, black leather gloves and a purple-and-grey striped T-shirt with long sleeves for her. “Cheers.”
“Lucy wanted to get you a fancy new jacket, but I know you love your leather bomber one.”
“Oh yeah. I’ll never get rid of this trusty old thing. I love the gloves too, they’ll keep me nice and warm.”
Scarlett dived back into the bag and pulled out Dylan’s new outfit, which was a pair of classic Levi 501s and a white T-shirt with long, black sleeves. There was also a black peacoat, which was much warmer than the jacket he currently owned.
“Nice,” he said between mouthfuls of food. He gave Neelam and Lucy a thumbs up. “Thanks, girls.”
“Oh my God,” Lucy suddenly said.
“What have you found?” Scarlett asked.
“I was looking into the workhouses and the whole thing is way bigger than we realised.”
“How so?” Dylan asked.
“Firstly, this document says the government are planning more than 100 of them across the country; some will be providing public services, generating electricity and the like, but many more will be benefitting businesses.”
“The government are providing companies with slaves?” Scarlett said. “That’s so wrong.”
“I know! There’s a list of brands that are interested in getting involved here and they include Shopper, Modern Girl, Cooper & Co, Quick Snax, Taylor & Sons, Amphion & Daedalus... The list goes on and on… it also mentions the National Allied Bank and we know they’re using slaves at the Irwell Tower, so the others might already have plans in place too.”
“Does it say anything about the Irwell Tower or Arndale Workhouse?” Neelam said.
Lucy nodded. “That’s where it gets even worse. The Irwell Tower is run by Alan Hipplewell.”
“The MP?”
“Yes. This says he’s a major shareholder in the company that built the tower and the National Allied Bank. That means he makes loads of money if those companies do well, right?”
Neelam smiled. “Yes, you’re learning.”
“So… isn’t it a bit dodgy that one of Goulden’s main men who serves in his…” Lucy paused as she tried to find the word she was looking for.
“Cabinet,” Dylan said. “He’s the MP for West Sussex and the Minister for Foreign Affairs as part of the cabinet.”
“That’s it! So, if this guy who’s part of Goulden’s cabinet is making money from
the National Allied Bank, then surely it stinks that the government are allowing said bank to run a workhouse and make money from the slaves. I’m guessing that by using workhouse staff, they’re saving millions in wage bills every year, which makes Hipplewell more money. There’s something fishy going on there, right?”
Dylan, Scarlett and Neelam looked at her in awe as she amazed them with her knowledge.
“I’m impressed,” Dylan laughed. “I thought you found economics and politics boring.”
“I do, but I listened to you lot going on about it so much that I thought I should start paying attention. It helps me to understand what Goulden is up to.”
“None of it makes sense to me,” Alex said.
“There could be all kind of corruption taking place here,” Dylan said. “The company might have given Goulden money to ensure they benefit from the workhouse scheme or Hipplewell might have forced the Bank’s involvement through so he profits for example.”
“Sort of makes sense,” Alex said, but he still appeared to be confused.
“Anyway, moving on…” Lucy said. “I then researched the Arndale Workhouse and found out that they’re making some pretty horrific things.” She paused as she looked at the group to make sure she had everyone’s attention.
“Like?” Scarlett asked.
“A variety of guns and bombs are mentioned and there’s reference to some top-secret super bombs too. We’re not talking about a few weapons here; 5,000 workers are creating hundreds of thousands of them every day.”
“What for? Why does this country need so many bombs and guns?” Neelam said.
“Why do you think,” Dylan replied, his face darkening with anger. “Goulden must be planning to start a war soon.”
“That’s what I thought,” Lucy said.
“Have you checked the news?”
“No.”
“Go to The Independent website, see if they have any updates about Goulden’s desire to go to war in the Middle East.”
Lucy tapped away on the keyboard, then scanned her eyes across the screen.
“OK, so there’s nothing new about the Middle East, but he has announced that he’s going to take action against Mendia.”
Out Of Time (Book 2): Heroes and Villains Page 8