Blackout

by Peter Jay Black

Everyone but Jack laughed.

  Wren sat up straight and said, ‘Flapjack.’

  Jack looked at her. ‘Not you too.’

  ‘Ooh, ooh,’ Obi said. ‘Skyjack.’

  Charlie said, ‘Steeplejack.’

  Still laughing, Slink said, ‘Now the other way.’ He cleared his throat dramatically. ‘Jackdaw, jackknife, jackpot, jackhammer –’

  ‘Enough,’ Jack said. ‘Game over.’

  Slink scowled and muttered, ‘Jacka–’

  ‘Slink,’ Charlie said, stifling a laugh.

  Jack took a gulp of lemonade and stood up. He fished in his pocket, pulled out some money and tossed it on to the table. He looked at Hector, Slink and Wren. ‘You three wait here while Charlie and I go check out the bookshop.’ Wren and Slink started to protest, but Jack held up a hand, silen­cing them. ‘I need to see what we’ve got to work with, and if we get caught, we’ll need you three to bail us out.’

  Before the others could argue any further, Jack and Charlie hurried to the door, stepped outside, then jogged across the road and into the bookshop.

  The interior was lined floor-to-ceiling with oak shelves. Jack and Charlie made their way to the back where the shop suddenly opened up in an impressive gallery with tall windows and skylights.

  Jack glanced around. He thought Noble was right – the entrance to the Nexus access point wouldn’t be up here.

  ‘Come on,’ he whispered, and they hurried down a flight of stairs.

  The basement was also lined with oak bookshelves and there were no customers.

  ‘Cameras,’ Jack whispered, pulling up his hood and bandana, hiding his face.

  Charlie did the same and the two of them moved to the back wall. There was an emergency exit in the corner and no other rooms.

  Charlie glanced around. ‘You think it’s behind one of these shelves?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘But, how are we going to find it?’

  ‘Ventilation,’ Jack said.

  Charlie frowned. ‘Huh?’

  ‘The room must be ventilated, right? There has to be a flow of air?’

  ‘I guess so. Why?’

  Jack slipped off his backpack and pulled out a small bag of chalk powder that they used for climbing.

  He took a pinch of the powder and put it on to the palm of his right hand. He glanced around, then moved to a set of shelves. Jack gently blew across his palm, sending a puff of chalk into the air. The powder drifted to the floor.

  Jack took several steps sideways and repeated the process.

  There was still no discernible movement of air.

  He moved to the shelves next to the exit and blew another puff of chalk into the air. The powder started to drop and then gently drifted towards the edge of the bookshelves.

  ‘Got it,’ he whispered to Charlie. ‘It’s behind this block of shelves.’ He started touching the books, removed a couple and examined the wall behind them. ‘There’s got to be a trigger here somewhere.’ His eyes scanned the walls and ceiling, then he walked back to the far end of the shelves where he’d seen the movement of powder. There was a gap between the shelf and the corner of the wall but he couldn’t see a catch or handle of any kind.

  ‘Wait a minute,’ Charlie whispered. ‘Keep an eye out.’

  Jack glanced back – there were still no other customers down there.

  Charlie rummaged inside her backpack and pulled out a device the same size as a mobile phone. It had three lights on the front – one red, one orange, one green, a small display, a dial and several switches on the side.

  ‘What’s that?’ Jack whispered.

  ‘It does a few things, but I can use it to find power cables inside walls.’

  ‘Good thinking.’

  Charlie moved to the shelf and waved the cable detector slowly along the books. The light on the device stayed green.

  Finally, towards the top of the shelves, along the same side where Jack had found air movement, the cable detector’s red LED came on. ‘Wait a minute.’ Charlie turned a dial on the detector. ‘I’m setting this to transmit a radio pulse.’ After a moment examining the display, she turned the dial again and then whispered, ‘I thought so, there’s a radio receiver on the other side of this shelf. They must use some kind of transmitter to open the door.’

  ‘Coded?’ Jack said.

  ‘Yeah, but I think I can get it.’ She held the device above her head for a moment, then examined the display. Charlie memorised the number, pulled a key fob from her pocket and pressed the appro­­­priate numbers into a tiny pad.

  Finally, she stepped back. ‘OK, I’ve stored the radio code in this.’ She looked at him. ‘Shall we use it now?’

  Jack shook his head. ‘Too risky. We’ll come back tonight. Let’s go.’

  Back upstairs, they hurried through the bookshop and out on to the street.

  Hector, Slink and Wren were waiting for them.

  ‘What happened?’ Slink said as they walked away.

  Jack explained.

  ‘Are we going to break in?’ Hector said.

  Jack nodded. ‘Of course.’ His mind raced.

  ‘How exactly are we going to do that?’ Slink said.

  They turned down an alleyway between two buildings and stopped.

  Jack gritted his teeth with determination. ‘We have to go back when it’s dark.’ He looked at Charlie. ‘We need supplies. By the time you get to the bunker, I should have a plan.’ At least he hoped so.

  ‘I’ll be as quick as I can.’ Charlie pulled her bandana and hood up, and ran down the alleyway.

  When she was gone, Jack turned to Slink. ‘Go into the shop and keep an eye out.’

  ‘OK.’

  ‘Let us know if you see anyone suspicious.’

  Slink nodded, handed Jack the silver briefcase, winked at Hector, then hurried away.

  Jack set the case down by the wall and paced back and forth, thinking. After a minute, he pressed a finger to his ear. ‘Obi, can you show me the cameras around the bookshop?’

  There was a clicking sound as Obi worked a trackerball. ‘Transferring the images to you now.’

  Jack pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at the display. It showed four different CCTV camera views from around the area.

  Jack squinted. ‘Image three,’ he said. ‘The camera view from behind the bookshop. Is that on a motorised mount? Can you tilt the view up?’

  ‘No,’ Obi said. ‘Look at camera two.’

  Jack enlarged the image. It was from a camera further down the road. ‘Right. Got it.’

  The image panned and tilted until the bookshop came into view again.

  ‘Keep going,’ Jack said. ‘Show me the roof.’

  Obi tilted the view up and stopped. ‘That’s as far as it goes.’

  ‘That’s enough. Can you zoom in?’

  Obi did and Jack looked at the chimneys on the roofs either side of the bookshop.

  So far, so good.

  Jack paced, his mind ablaze.

  ‘What are you thinking?’ Hector said. ‘Can I help?’

  Jack stopped pacing and closed his eyes. He remembered the moment when he and Charlie had first walked into the bookshop.

  In his mind’s eye he could see every detail – how many steps it took to reach the stairs leading to the basement, the colour of the carpet, the bookshelves, the main gallery at the back of the shop.

  There had been a heat sensor above the stained-glass window in the end wall, and an old alarm on the wall in the main shop.

  Then Jack remembered the frosted-glass skylights. They were old-fashioned, not double-glazed, and they sat in wooden frames, coated with decades of paint.

  There were no catches, no way to open the skylights, but that didn’t matter. The fact that there was no way to open them from the inside was a bonus. It meant no alarms to trigger there. They just needed to take care of the heat sensor.

  Jack opened his eyes and smiled to himself.

  He looked at the time on his ph
one. They had one hour until the shop closed. Charlie needed to get back here quickly. The sooner they got in and out, the better. Jack typed a message to her, listing everything he needed Charlie to bring back from the bunker.

  When he was finished, Jack looked at Wren. ‘Do you feel like doing a recon mission?’

  She smiled.

  When Charlie came back to the alleyway, she was out of breath and it was twenty minutes past the bookshop’s closing time. Slink had already returned and reported that he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

  ‘Come on.’ Jack picked up the briefcase, and he, Charlie, Slink and Hector jogged from the alleyway and down the road.

  Outside the bookshop, Jack peered through the gaps in the steel shutters. The interior of the shop was dark. Good, the employees had gone home for the night.

  He glanced at the shutter over the door. His first thought had been right – it would draw too much attention to try to cut through it. And the alarm would sound before they could deactivate it.

  Wren hurried over to them. Her mission had been to check out the rear of the bookshop. She quickly explained that the back door was protected by an isolated CCTV camera.

  That meant there was no quick way through there either. So, Jack’s original plan was the only chance they had.

  Charlie gave a bag to Slink. ‘The supplies Jack said you’ll need.’

  Slink nodded and slipped it over his shoulders.

  Jack looked at Charlie, Wren and Hector. ‘You three wait here,’ he said. ‘Keep a lookout.’

  ‘I want to come with you,’ Hector said, stepping forward.

  ‘No,’ Jack said in a firm tone. ‘We’ll let you in once we get inside.’ He handed Charlie the briefcase and hurried around the corner with Slink.

  At the back of the building next door to the bookshop, Jack stood guard while Slink scaled the fence and climbed up using a drainpipe. When he reached the top, he motioned for Jack.

  Jack hesitated. He hated heights and climbing, but it needed them both on the roof. For a second, he considered swapping places with Charlie, but he wanted her to keep an eye on Hector.

  Jack took a deep breath, used some chalk to dry his hands, then hauled himself over the fence, grabbed the drainpipe and started to climb.

  By the time he got to the top, Jack’s legs and arms felt like they were on fire. He was breathing heavily and his heart was hammering in his chest.

  Slink shook his head. ‘You need to go to the gym or something.’

  Jack frowned at him, but was too knackered to argue.

  Once he’d caught his breath, Jack and Slink scaled the roof of the building, up and over to the bookshop.

  They examined the skylight. It was at an angle in the roof and shaped out of eight panes, rising to a peak – four on each side – and the glass was rough and bumpy.

  Jack wondered how old it was.

  Slink removed a diamond-edged cutter from the bag Charlie had given him, leant over and pressed it to the glass. The diamond tip made a scraping sound and juddered over the surface.

  ‘It’s not working,’ Slink whispered. ‘Glass is too uneven. It won’t cut properly.’

  Jack scanned the other panes of glass in the skylight. The one in the upper right-hand corner was smooth – a modern replacement. The only problem was Slink would have to climb over the others to get to it.

  Jack explained this to him in hurried whispers.

  Slink shrugged. ‘Guess there’s only one way to find out if the glass can hold my weight.’

  Jack grimaced at the thought. One false move and Slink would fall into the building. A sliced and diced twelve-year-old would not be a nice thing to have to clean up. Or explain.

  Before Jack could stop him, however, Slink lay flat against the lower panels and, with his legs and arms out wide to spread his weight, he slowly, carefully shimmied up the glass.

  He was almost at the top pane when there was a splintering sound.

  Slink froze.

  The pane of glass under him fractured into stars and lightning-shaped cracks.

  Slink looked at Jack, his eyes wide.

  CHAPTER NINE

  For a long minute, neither Jack nor Slink moved.

  ‘Ideas?’ Slink whispered.

  Jack shook his head.

  ‘Great.’ Slink composed himself, then edged sideways. The glass cracked again, but he managed to slide his weight off that pane and on to another one.

  Jack let out a breath.

  Slink continued to move his body up the glass, a millimetre at a time, until finally he reached the top. He pulled the diamond cutter from his pocket and scratched around the outer frame.

  ‘This one seems to be working,’ he whispered.

  Thank God for that.

  Slink used a suction cup, gave the glass a sharp tap and the pane popped out. He carefully lifted it to one side and set it down.

  Next, Slink pulled a coil of rope from the backpack, tied one end through his harness and threw the other to Jack.

  Jack hurried over to the chimneys on the other roof, tied the rope around one of them and tugged. He swore.

  Slink whispered, ‘What’s wrong?’

  Jack pointed at the chimney. From the camera view Obi had shown him, it had looked strong enough to hold their weight, but several bricks moved when Jack yanked the rope.

  He glanced around.

  This was not how the mission was supposed to go, but how could he have known there wouldn’t be any anchor points up here?

  That left only one alternative.

  With reluctance, Jack tied the rope around his own waist and braced his feet against the bottom frame of the skylight.

  He peered up. The rope would have to slide over the skylight’s frame. Was it strong enough to hold Slink’s weight?

  If the wood was rotten . . .

  Slink looked at him. ‘Are you sure about this?’

  Jack nodded. ‘There’s a heat sensor just at the corner of the skylight, above the stained-glass window. Use a dark pad.’

  Slink hesitated a moment, taking a few deep breaths, then pulled out a telescopic rod with a black piece of tape on the end. He was going to use this to block the sensor’s view. ‘Right,’ he said. ‘I’m ready.’ And he dropped through the skylight.

  Pain instantly tore through Jack’s arms and across his back muscles. He fought the urge to cry out. At any moment he expected to hear a popping sound as his shoulders dislocated.

  With a supreme effort of willpower, Jack cocked his head to one side and spoke through gritted teeth into the headset, ‘Slink?’

  ‘Blocking the heat sensor . . . OK, done. Contin­uing down.’

  Jack squeezed his eyes closed as the pain got worse. ‘You nearly there?’

  Please let him be nearly there.

  ‘A metre to go.’

  Jack shifted his weight.

  The pressure suddenly eased.

  ‘I’m down.’

  Jack opened his eyes and let out a huge breath. He lifted each leg until the burning stiffness abated, then circled his arms and shrugged his shoulders up and down.

  Finally recovered, Jack untied the rope from his waist. ‘Keep an eye out for other sensors. There’s an alarm in the main shop. Cut the power to that, then go and open the front door.’

  Jack scrambled across the rooftop, slid down the drainpipe and clambered over the fence. By the time he made it to the front of the bookshop, Slink had already deactivated the alarm, picked the lock and was now sliding the shutter up.

  He waved Charlie, Wren and Hector through.

  ‘Obi?’ Jack whispered into his microphone. ‘Is Outlaw World ready?’

  ‘Yes, and the secure phone line.’

  ‘Good. Keep an eye out.’

  ‘Always do.’

  Jack glanced up and down the street, then he stepped inside and switched on his torch.

  They moved to the back of the darkened bookshop and stood at the top of the stairs. ‘The remote,’ Jack whispered to Charli
e.

  She handed him the briefcase and pulled the key fob from her pocket.

  ‘Wait here,’ Jack said to Hector, Slink and Wren.

  ‘No way.’ Slink headed down the stairs. ‘I want to see this hidden Nexus place. It must be amazing.’

  ‘Me too.’ Wren hurried after him.

  Hector shoved past Jack and followed them down.

  Jack looked at Charlie and grumbled as they headed into the basement.

  At the back wall, Jack scanned the shelves for any signs of cameras. Spotting none, he nodded at Charlie. ‘Do it.’

  Charlie pressed the button on the key fob and the whole block of shelves moved out half a metre, then slid aside.

  Beyond was a metal door.

  Charlie shone her torch on the lock. ‘I’ve got this.’ She pulled out a set of picks and got to work.

  Suddenly, there was a click.

  Charlie straightened up, turned the handle and pulled.

  ‘No.’ Hector grabbed her arm. ‘Look.’ He pointed through crack in the door. ‘There’s an alarm.’

  Charlie frowned and shone her torch at it. ‘He’s right. I haven’t seen one of these before.’

  ‘It looks like a new Galloway Alarm.’ Hector pointed. ‘See that? A feather trigger with a secondary trembler.’ He glanced at her. ‘Open the door more than a few centimetres and it’ll set off the alarm.’

  ‘Any ideas how to get past it?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Charlie handed him her torch and stepped back. ‘Go for it.’

  Jack ground his teeth. ‘Don’t mess it up.’

  ‘I won’t.’ Hector turned to Charlie. ‘Have you got a long, flatheaded screwdriver?’

  Charlie pulled a wallet from her bag and unzipped it. Inside was a range of different screwdrivers.

  Before she had a chance, Hector reached over and slid one from its slot. ‘I’ll also need something sticky.’

  ‘Tape?’

  Hector glanced at the door, pulled a stick of chewing gum from his pocket, removed the paper and popped the gum into his mouth.

  As he chewed, Hector quickly folded the wrapper into the shape of an elephant and handed it to Wren.

  Her eyebrows lifted. ‘Thanks. That’s cool.’

  Hector looked at the others. ‘I need a five-pence piece.’

  Slink tossed him a coin.