The Bully Chip

by Glenn Wood

  Lucy thought hard. She might not be great on the computer but she was very good at assessing people. She guessed Lester would have set the password so she analysed what she knew about him. He was a mad twisted genius who was very proud of his inventions.

  Lucy tapped the words “bully chip” into the password bar. Her attempt was rejected.

  Lucy frowned. Two chances left. What else did she know about Lester? He was vain; he’d even named the school after himself.

  She typed “Sethel Stymer” into the password slot. Rejected.

  She cursed herself. “Too obvious, Lucy. Think.”

  One guess left.

  Lester was also obsessed with destroying Callum and of course, he was completely insane.

  Lucy typed “Die Callum”. The password was accepted. The server unlocked and revealed its secrets.

  She didn’t have enough time to go through all the information, so she selected the most interesting-looking files and emailed them to her home computer. Callum had given her the email address of his laptop and she copied the files to him as a backup.

  As the data transferred she noticed that one drive remained locked. She tried to open it but the system blocked her efforts. Nothing she attempted could unlock it.

  Lucy pulled up an overview of the system and located the computer that housed the mystery drive, reasoning that she might be able to open it manually from the unit itself. It was located in a room just down the corridor. She left the PC to finish transferring the files and slipped into the hallway.

  She soon found the room she was looking for. It was unlocked and quite different from the other offices. A large glass viewing window had been added to the wall by the door.

  Lucy felt nervous but couldn’t understand why. She hesitated then crept inside.

  It took a few moments for her vision to adjust to the light; it was darker than the corridor. Her vision gradually cleared and she could make out a bulky padded chair at one end of the room. A number of surgical machines sat nearby.

  A chill ran down Lucy’s spine.

  She recognised the area now. It was the room Lester had trapped her in when he inserted her chip. Bile rose in her throat as panic took over. She knew she had to get out of there quickly. The hard drive could keep its secrets. The door closed in front of her, slamming shut. Lucy heard the click of a lock engaging. The overhead light snapped on, momentarily blinding her.

  When her sight returned, she could see Lester standing outside the viewing window. Sophie stood beside him, her eyes glowing in the dim light. Lester watched Lucy with an impassive expression on his face, studying her the way an entomologist might look at a bug, just before dissecting it.

  Lucy’s attention was so fixed on Lester and Sophie that she didn’t notice Parson enter through a side door and creep up behind her.

  Fifteen

  Lucy had sketched a rough layout of the school for Callum and Jinx, and they followed her directions to the school dormitory where all the pupils slept.

  It was late and Callum was confident the students would all be in bed. Lucy had explained to him that having a bully chip in your brain makes you really tired, and that all the pupils went to sleep very early.

  The duo moved cautiously just the same, aware that if even one student spotted them, they’d be in big trouble.

  The accommodation was on the first floor above the teaching block, directly opposite the school offices. A grass quadrangle separated the buildings. Callum and Jinx went around to the back of the building to try the rear doors first.

  Callum studied Lucy’s map. “The dorm looks pretty basic,” he said to Jinx. “Lucy said that everyone sleeps in one large room, girls on one side, boys on the other.”

  Jinx was surprised. “Sounds like you don’t care too much about privacy when you’ve been chipped.”

  “I don’t think you care very much about anything at all,” muttered Callum.

  They got to the rear of the building with no difficulty, but the doors were locked.

  “We’ll go around to the front entrance, be better if we can get in there anyway, probably closer to the fire hoses,” whispered Callum. Jinx nodded and the two boys moved silently around the walls, staying in the shadows. Halfway round, Jinx suddenly signalled for Callum to stop. He pointed to a small hut off to their left.

  “That’s the shed where they keep the sports equipment,” the red-headed boy said quietly. “I saw it while I was getting my head mashed in a rugby scrum earlier today. Might be something useful in there.”

  Callum considered Jinx’s suggestion. They had lost all their equipment when they were captured and had no way of defending themselves, should they need to. “Okay, you check it out. I’ll keep watch.”

  Callum rolled to the cover of a nearby tree and parked the Thunderkit on an angle where he could see most of the dormitory block and the surrounding sports fields. The night was still and nothing moved, aside from the odd leaf tossed by a gentle breeze. He signalled for Jinx to make his move and then watched as the boy sidled over to the shed.

  It was ten long minutes before Jinx returned. Callum had been on the verge of going to look for him.

  “Sorry,” hissed Jinx. “But I had some bad luck in there.” He showed Callum a new bruise on the side of his head. “Stood on a rake, no real damage done – well, not to the rake anyway.”

  Callum nodded then noticed a small sports bag over his friend’s shoulder. He pointed to the bag. “You found something though?”

  Jinx threw the bag on the ground and opened it up.

  He withdrew a solid metal crowbar about three quarters of a metre in length. “Locks won’t be a problem any more.” He also took out a coil of rope, several small screwdrivers, a discus and finally a scratched but serviceable pump-activated water pistol. “I thought this would be a good backup if we have any trouble with the hoses.”

  Callum smiled at his friend. “Can’t hurt to have it. I saw an outdoor tap, back the way we came.”

  Jinx placed a screwdriver in his pocket, put the other items back in the bag and put it on Callum’s lap, then loped away to fill up the water pistol.

  When Jinx returned, he took a length of rope from the bag and threaded it through the handle of the water pistol. He tied the rope around his waist and carried the pistol on his hip like a gun slinger. Then they completed their journey to the entrance of the dorm.

  The front doors were also locked but Jinx’s crowbar made short work of the problem.

  Once inside, Callum and Jinx took an elevator to first floor. The elevator doors opened and the boys moved cautiously out.

  The dorm was unlit, but the windows didn’t have curtains and enough moonlight spilled in for them to see.

  The first thing Callum noticed was a huge red fire hose. He gave Jinx the thumbs up signal.

  They moved silently into the room, which was exactly as Lucy had described. Dozens of beds, filled with sleeping forms, lined both walls. The dorm was stuffy and smelled of sweat and foot odour. The air was thick with the sounds of people sleeping. Occasional grunts, snorts and snores punctuated the rhythmic beat of their collective breathing.

  A sign at the far end of the room caught Callum’s eye. He could just make out the writing – Fire Exit. His gaze dropped to the door and he saw a slash of red. There was a second fire hose at the other end of the room.

  Callum called Jinx close. “You take the second hose and we’ll soak ’em from both ends of the room at the same time. I’ll be in position by the time you get there, so hit the lights and the alarm when you’re ready to go.”

  Jinx nodded. Callum watched as his friend stole through the room, moving slowly so he didn’t wake any of the students.

  Halfway through the dorm Jinx stopped and crept over to one of the beds.

  Callum’s heart was in his mouth. What’s Jinx playing at? he thought. This is no time to go exploring.

  Moments later Jinx reappeared with a triumphant smile on his face. He held Sophie’s backpack in his
hand. Lester had obviously given the bag to one of his pupils earlier in the day and the bully had brought it back to his bedside.

  As Callum looked on, Jinx reached into the bag and withdrew a small object. The red-headed boy held it up for Callum to see. It was his kazoo! Callum could barely believe his eyes. Here they were, stuck in the middle of a room packed with the most evil bullies the world had ever seen, and Jinx was worried about a musical instrument. And not a very good one at that.

  Callum gave Jinx an impatient wave. He wanted to get on with the job.

  Jinx gave him an apologetic shrug, placed the kazoo in his pocket and carried on to the other end of the room, putting the bag on the floor by his feet.

  At his end of the dormitory, Callum removed the sports bag from his lap and slid it against the wall. He moved to the fire hose and began unrolling it from its reel. Once he had a good length unravelled, he turned on the tap, making sure the nozzle was twisted shut to control the water flow. He moved to the centre of the wall and braced his chair against the bricks. Callum could feel pressure building in the hose as the water backed up. He activated all of the Thunderkit’s brakes and readied himself.

  Down the opposite end of the room, Callum could see Jinx had also switched on his hose and closed the nozzle. Once the hose was ready, Jinx moved to the fire alarm. He wrapped a handkerchief around his hand, ready to break the glass. The boys’ eyes met, and Callum punched his left arm into the air. This was their signal to start the operation.

  Seconds later all hell broke loose. Jinx smashed the glass on the fire alarm, pulled down the activation lever and switched on the dorm lights. A siren wailed like a pack of howling dogs and the room suddenly became very bright.

  Confused, bleary-eyed students lurched from their beds and stumbled around the room.

  “Now,” bellowed Callum above the screaming siren.

  He twisted the hose nozzle and a powerful jet of water blew forth, like lava from an erupting volcano. The power of the blast almost tipped Callum out of his chair and the Thunderkit’s shocks rocked back under the pressure. He held on tightly as the hose bucked and then aimed the water at the bewildered students.

  At the other end of the hallway Jinx followed Callum’s lead. Callum saw that his friend had braced himself against the cover of the fire hose and a second torrent of water smashed into the startled students.

  With cries of surprise and rage a large number of pupils fell to the floor, twitching as their chips shorted out, but not everyone was caught in the initial burst. A group of unaffected pupils rushed at Jinx. The red-headed boy aimed low, taking out the legs of the running kids, then blasted their ears when they hit the floor. The water pistol on his hip bounced wildly as he moved the powerful hose back and forth.

  Before long the group had joined their comrades, convulsing on the ground, sparks shooting from their ears.

  Callum was having a tougher time. A clique of quick-thinking girls had grabbed a mattress from a nearby bed and was using it as a shield. They closed in on his position, the mattress soaking up every jet of water he sent at them.

  Callum knew he’d be overwhelmed if he didn’t act quickly. He closed the nozzle on the hose, letting the water back up, then he released the brakes on the Thunderkit. He spun around until he was facing the wall. Callum aimed the hose straight ahead and released the nozzle. The water thundered into the wall and propelled the Thunderkit backwards.

  Callum rocketed past the girls and before they could swing the mattress around, he sent a jet of water into the side of their heads. The girls dropped to the ground, their bodies shaking like the hands of a very old man.

  Callum was out of control now. The power of the water sent his wheelchair spinning and sliding across the slippery floor. His unpredictable trajectory made him an even more effective weapon. None of the remaining bullies could catch him and he dropped three more before he was able to regain control and steer himself back to his original position.

  The dormitory was filled with fallen, shaking bodies, pools of water and confused students whose chips had burned out.

  Six bullies with chips intact remained in Callum’s half of the dormitory, four boys and two girls. They stepped over the bodies of their fallen classmates and lined up in front of Callum. He watched their muscles tense as they prepared themselves for one last charge.

  Callum clicked the hose nozzle shut. He wanted full pressure to take out the final group.

  Jinx switched off his water. The stream from his hose wasn’t powerful enough to reach Callum’s group, and all the bullies near Jinx were down. He could see Callum had everything under control and he stood back to watch his friend finish the job.

  The remaining six bullies bellowed and charged at Callum, a wiry, brown-haired boy in the lead.

  Callum felt very calm. He had this. His mind clicked through the angles needed to take out all six bullies. He tightened his grip on the hose and released the nozzle.

  Three things happened.

  The fire alarm stopped wailing, a loud clank sounded from Callum’s right and the jet of water, which had recently surged from his hose, became a trickle.

  Callum jerked his head around to see what was going on. His blood froze. Lester, Cain and Parson stood beside the fire reel. Lester had his hand on the fire alarm lever, which was now in the off position. Lucy was with them, her hands bound behind her back and a gag on her mouth. With his free hand, Lester held the girl in front of him, displaying her to Callum like she was a prize he’d won at the Easter Show.

  The sight of the three thugs and Lucy was bad enough, but something worse was crouched on the floor in front of them – Sophie.

  She held a large fire axe in her hands and her eyes glowed purple.

  Callum realised why his water had failed. Sophie had hacked through his hosepipe. Water pumped onto the floor by her feet. She raised her head and growled; her condition had deteriorated. Her expression was blank, and Callum worried about what the chip was doing to her brain. It was obvious that the Sophie Callum knew didn’t live there any more.

  “Hold his chair,” commanded Lester.

  In his shock, Callum had forgotten about the remaining bullies. The wiry boy and a lanky blond girl reached him before he had a chance to react. They clung onto the left-hand side of the Thunderkit, clamping his main wheel so he couldn’t move. The other four bullies stood behind their companions, ready to step in if needed.

  Lester moved forwards. He surveyed the carnage in the dorm room, anger flashed across his face. “Quite a mess you’ve made here.”

  Callum met Lester’s gaze, determined to hold it. “We’ve only just started and we won’t stop until there’s nothing left of your sick school.” He forced himself to remain in control of his temper. Inside he was enraged at what Lester had done to Sophie and all the other kids, but he wouldn’t give the cruel man the satisfaction of seeing his anger and frustration.

  “Well,” growled Lester. “Since you’ve destroyed my property, it seems only fair that I demolish something of yours.”

  He swapped his attention to Jinx and yelled across the room. “And once we’ve finished here, we’re coming for you.” Lester addressed Sophie again. “Turn Callum’s wheelchair into scrap metal,” he hissed.

  Sophie nodded; she stood upright and raised the axe. A bead of water dripped from its wickedly sharp blade as she walked towards Callum.

  At the other end of the room, Jinx watched with dread. He had to act quickly. Undaunted by Lester’s threat, he dropped the fire hose and ripped the water pistol free from its rope holder. He raced across the room, dodging the bodies of recovering students.

  When he was halfway, Jinx checked his stride to leap over the body of a sobbing girl. The fallen student hadn’t seen him coming and she raised herself off the ground just as Jinx vaulted her. The girl’s shoulder collided with Jinx’s leading foot and tipped him off balance. Jinx fell in a sprawl, ploughing into the hard floor with a cry of pain and a spray of water. His legs flailed abo
ut wildly as he slid into another fallen student.

  Gasping for breath, Jinx pulled himself up onto his knees. He looked down to the other end of the room and realised he wasn’t going to get to Callum before Sophie did.

  “Callum, use this,” he screamed as he tore the water pistol from around his waist and hurled it to his friend.

  Almost every set of eyes in the room were on the water pistol as it tumbled end over end through the air, almost as if it was in slow motion. The only person who didn’t look was Sophie; her gaze was set firmly on Callum.

  She was close now.

  Sophie raised the axe above her head, ready to bring it down on the chair with all her strength. The girl didn’t care if Callum got in the way. She’d cut him too. It was what she’d been ordered to do.

  Jinx’s throw was true. The pistol fell straight into Callum’s outstretched hands. In a flash he pumped the water to maximum pressure and faced Sophie. He aimed the barrel at her left ear at close range and pulled the trigger. Water surged into the girl’s aural canal, flooding the recently inserted chip and short-circuiting it.

  Sophie dropped the axe. Her body shook with spasms and she collapsed onto the floor, the purple haze fading from her eyes.

  “Noooooo, no!” bellowed Lester, spittle flying from his lips.

  “Shoot him,” he shrieked at Parson. “Shoot the boy.”

  The dreadlocked man drew a sleek pistol from under his jacket and pointed the barrel at Callum’s head. At this range, he couldn’t miss.

  The bullies on the far side of Callum’s chair hit the floor.

  Sophie looked up. “Hit the blue button,” she croaked.

  Callum slammed his hand onto the button, just as Parson pulled the trigger twice.

  The Thunderkit blasted across the room as the compressed air booster Sophie had installed kicked into action. Unprepared for the sudden burst of acceleration, Callum was thrown backwards in his seat. He jammed on all his brakes to avoid slamming into several dazed pupils who lay sprawled in his path. The wheels locked and bumped across the floor; the Thunderkit thumping into the belly of one of the large girls who had bullied Sophie earlier in the day. Breath expelled from her lungs with a loud oooofff. Callum was safe – for the moment.