They listened and waited.
***
“This is Officer Nick Foster,” said the voice on the address system. “The Dutchman Springs police have finished their search of the campus grounds and will be coming to each room in due course. Continue to shelter in place. It appears all of the assailants have been apprehended, but we’re not taking any chances. Stay put, and we’ll get to you soon.”
This was the fifth announcement in two hours. No one had moved from behind the desk. Brendan’s legs were cramped. The sobbing girl had nodded off for a while but was now awake. When finally a soft knock came at the door, she said, “Oh my god, it’s them.” She began hyperventilating.
From the door, a voice called, “This is Officer Glenn. I’m coming in.”
Brendan heard the jingle of keys, and then the door nudged the barricade. Officer Glenn identified himself again. Brendan recognized the guard as the one who had chased him that night at the science building. Brendan also saw a pair of teachers out in the hallway.
“It’s okay,” Brendan said to the others. “We can go.”
They cleared the stacked classroom furniture and let Officer Glenn in. He checked the room and all of its corners. He rousted another student from inside a cabinet. Brendan hadn’t even seen the boy hiding there, and was amazed that someone with such a large build could have squeezed into such a tight space.
They joined other students in the hall and were shepherded outside. The acrid smell of the smoke grenade lingered. Scattered backpacks, tablets, and water bottles still lay about where they had been dropped, but otherwise, Brendan didn’t see many signs of what had happened. No blood, no bullet holes, no bodies.
They were all taken to the gym. Several teachers were doing quick triage on each entering student to see if anyone needed care. There were a few bumps and bruises and plenty of frayed nerves. Everyone got a bottle of water. Small groups of students were talking, hugging, or looking confused. Brendan saw Vlad first, as the large boy was easy to spot in the crowd. The rest of the A.V. Club was with him.
“Hail, Cesar,” Poser said, but his face betrayed his somber mood. There came a muttering of greetings from the others and pats on Brendan’s shoulder. “You’re okay?”
Brendan nodded. “Locked myself up in a classroom. What’s the news?”
“They haven’t told us much,” Tina said. “I was in my dorm room when the shooting started, but I think that was our school security shooting it out with the bad guys. The dorm monitor told us to stay put. After an hour, they had everyone come down here.”
“It was crazy,” Poser said. “I saw security heading south towards the academics buildings with their weapons out. I didn’t see who they engaged. It didn’t make sense until we got here and were told about the attackers. “
“I was surprised finding out our guys even had guns,” Vlad said.
“You were watching too?” Brendan asked.
“Of course. From my room. I heard the screaming first, then a minute later our security is rushing across the courtyard. I had to know what was going on.”
“Did any of you think it might be a bad idea to put your face to a window when shots were fired?”
“I hid,” Soren said.
“You’re the smartest of us,” Tina said.
After a while the headmaster came into the gym. He went to one of the teachers first and they spoke for a moment, and then he moved among the students. He listened and spoke with each huddled group for a minute before moving on. As he approached the A.V. Club, he answered what at first looked like a phone, but then Brendan saw it was actually a radio. The headmaster’s face grew grave. He nodded and put the radio away.
“If I can get everyone’s attention,” he said. He wasn’t using any kind of amplification, but his voice carried well enough. The students quieted.
“I know you’re eager for news. What I can confirm is that four men entered campus and used tranquilizer dart guns on students and faculty. At least twenty students and two teachers were hit. The last report is that all are making a quick recovery. The men were all stopped and apprehended with the aid of the local police department. Our security team examined the surveillance footage, and we’ve searched the two academic buildings the men entered. We have a bomb unit on hand which Dutchman Springs police summoned from Bakersfield, and they are going over every inch of the buildings as well as the parking garage from where the men originated. So far, we have no evidence that they planted any kind of device, but we want to be certain.
“Unfortunately, we’re still having trouble with internet and phone service. We’re unable to reach your families for news from the outside. We’ve been told that the outage is some sort of national emergency, and that the various response agencies are working to resolve the situation. I know you want to talk to your families. We’re going to alert everyone as soon as we have any phone line open.”
“Who are they?” a senior asked.
“I wish we knew. We don’t have answers yet, just a lot of questions. I’d hate to speculate at this point. We’ve called in all of our off-duty security, and they will be working along with the police to keep the campus safe.”
“The police at least have their shortwave,” Vlad said in a low tone.
“We hope to resolve all these issues quickly, but I can’t make promises. I ask that you continue to demonstrate your maturity and cooperation with our staff and with the local police as necessary. The dorms, the gym, and the student restaurant are all at your disposal. The staff is here to help with anything you might need. If anyone has a prescription that needs to be filled, please let Nurse Dreyfus know and she will arrange for the pharmacy to deliver.”
Brendan looked around the crowded gym. He climbed a few steps up the bleachers, and then he saw the nurse. She was consoling the panicked girl that Brendan had sheltered with. He also saw Lucille. Henry stood near her, but Paul wasn’t in view. Lucille looked his way and saw him, but nothing registered on her face.
He paced the edges of the gym and then stepped outside for some air. A few others had the same idea.
“Quite the day,” a voice behind him said. It was Charlotte. She had her hoodie pulled up over her head.
“Why don’t I ever see you around?” he asked. “Are you even a student here?”
She offered a lopsided grin. “No, I just live under the bleachers and in the old abandoned tunnels that run beneath the school. I only come out to tinker in the electronics lab at midnight.”
“You get there earlier than that.”
“Only a stalker would know.” She studied the students standing around, keeping her eyes moving, as if afraid of being seen.
“Scary day,” Brendan said. “At least everyone is all right.”
“Everyone that you see.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean keep your wits about you. This isn’t over, and you’re in danger.”
“What kind of danger? What are you talking about? Who are you so afraid of?”
“We’ll talk later.”
“Oh, come on! You can’t say things like that and just brush me off. What did you mean that I’m in danger?”
Some of the nearby students were staring at Brendan. “Keep your voice down.” She walked to the front of the gym. He followed.
A stream of students began leaving the gym, heading up campus towards the dorms or the restaurant. Brendan was jostled by a few older students rushing past.
Tina grabbed him. “Hey! Who were you talking to?”
Brendan turned to introduce Charlotte, but she had turned around and was hurrying away towards the back of the gym. A pair of security guards had emerged with the crowd. Brendan ran to catch up with her. By the time he made it to the corner, she was nowhere in sight.
12. Scouting Mission
“I’m leaving,” Poser said. He stirred at a dollop of ketchup with a French fry.
“Me too,” Tina said. “My chauffer picks me up in our private helicopter in an hour.�
�
“I’m serious. I’m going to check on my family and see what’s going on. This getting no news is driving me crazy and then this attack? Somebody somewhere has a phone that works, either here in town or down the road.”
“How are you going to get out?” Brendan said. “Security is everywhere. They say the hyperloop is down. There’s cops out there; you can go ask one.”
“I’m not talking to them. And if the loop is down, I can hitch a ride. It won’t be the first time I’ve done that.”
“Sounds awfully risky,” Vlad said. “Why can’t you just wait?”
“Because just sitting here doing nothing is boring, okay? And I don’t like being told I can’t leave.”
Brendan did a shoulder check to see if anyone was close enough to listen. The student restaurant remained full even in the late evening after dinner service had ended. Emotions continued to run high after the attack as students tried to make sense of it. Many of the faculty were there, sitting and speaking with their students. Poser’s determination to call home comforted him. It meant Brendan wasn’t the only one who relied on regular parental contact.
“Can’t you just suck it up for another day and see what happens?” Tina asked. “There were armed men here shooting at us.”
“She’s right,” Brendan said. “This might not be over. I ran into that girl Charlotte from the lab. It was weird, but she said we were in danger.”
“Ooooh,” Poser said, making wavy motions with his fingers. “Look, it’s not that complicated what happened here. A group of kidnapped rich kids can bring a boatload of ransom. This school has its own insurance policy for just such contingencies. We have rich parents. Well, except for Brendan.”
Brendan made a sour face.
“Relax. It just means they’d throw you back after snatching you.”
“That’s a lot of speculation on their motive,” Tina said. “If they were bold enough to come here during the day to kidnap some of us, there’s probably more of them waiting for someone to do something like leave campus unattended.”
“Nah, I don’t think so,” said Poser. “If they had accomplices, they ran. I’m betting on them being stupid, judging by the fact they came here in the middle of the day and underestimated our security. We see it all the time with the villain supers. They don’t think through what they’re doing. If they did, they’d go into cybercrime, or politics.”
He got a “Ha!” out of Vlad. Brendan and Tina just stared.
“I’m flattered that you’re worried. But I know how to take care of myself, and hopefully I’ll be back by morning. I trust none of you will be going and snitching on me?” Poser pointed a finger and aimed it around at the group. The finger stopped on Brendan.
Brendan raised both hands half-heartedly. “I won’t tell anyone. But I think you’re an idiot.”
***
That evening, Brendan and Vlad messed with the radio and the antenna in Brendan’s dorm room. Brendan felt good about working on something. The violence and craziness of the day almost faded into the background. But he couldn’t stop worrying about Poser. He was a big boy, and the most likely outcome to his late-night jaunt was that he would return in the morning with nothing to tell. Perhaps he would hitch a ride to Bakersfield or somewhere else only to confirm that nothing could be done but wait.
“This should be working,” Vlad said. “We’ve checked everything over and over.”
They went over every inch of the radio again, examining each wire connection. Brendan tried three different batteries. Vlad checked them with a voltmeter, and they all read fully charged.
“We’ve got it right,” Brendan said. “Is it possible there’s no AM being broadcast?”
“Anything’s possible. But think about how many stations and transceivers there are. It’s hard to believe that they all got hacked. Possible? Sure. Likely? No.”
“Maybe the software the stations use got infected, some sort of zero-day vulnerability that is just now getting triggered. That would make whatever is happening in the outside world even bigger.”
“Humongous. And too unlikely of a scenario to take seriously. How many amateur stations are still out there? Surely one of them would be in receiving range.”
They went up to the roof and tried again with the antenna held high. Brendan removed the radio earphone in frustration and took a moment to look across at the other dorms. Most rooms were lit up. Everyone was still awake. The night above was clear, and the stars shined brightly. Brendan had never bothered sky watching, as the light pollution in New York City was bad enough that the number of visible objects at night was seldom above a few dozen. Here there were thousands, and he found himself drawn in.
“So this girl of yours…” Vlad said, breaking the silence.
“Said I was in danger. Not all of us here. That’s more specific than I like.”
“I don’t know who she is, but maybe she’s just trying to get under your skin. We know people that enjoy that kind of thing, don’t we?”
“She’s nothing like Lucille. I don’t pretend to know Charlotte, but that’s not what she meant.”
Vlad shrugged. “And when did our idiot leave?”
“An hour ago. He was going to try and sneak to the Bean for cover and go from there.”
“For what it’s worth, I hope he makes it. Getting some news would calm my nerves.”
“You never look nervous.”
“Come see me at gym class. Sweaty palms galore.”
The PA system kicked on. Announcements had been made every hour reminding students that they’d be informed when the television signal was back up, that the injured boys and girls were recovering, and that the investigation into the attack was ongoing. This last announcement told them nothing new except that this was the final one for the night. Then the headmaster encouraged everyone to get some sleep.
13. What Crime?
Brendan left the dorm early the next morning. The sun was not going to show itself for another hour, and the sky was a soft gray lined with a few white streamers of wispy clouds. Dew had settled on much of the landscaping. He could see his own breath. Only one other student was in sight, an upperclassman jogging by, heading towards the track or gym.
And then the guard appeared.
Brendan pretended not to notice that he was being followed. He hitched up his pack and walked faster, heading towards the science building. If it was still off-limits, the guard would stop him. If it was locked, Brendan could do a one-eighty and see how committed the guard was to keeping an eye on him. Brendan was surprised when he tugged on the front door and it opened. He headed down to the electronics lab, listening for the sound of the door behind him. But the guard didn’t come inside.
Once inside the lab, he made a show of setting up for the day’s class project that he and Vlad had already finished. The guard walked past outside the window. Brendan put his face to the glass and watched the guard continue walking until he was out of sight.
Then Brendan climbed out the window.
The campus attackers had come this direction from the parking garage. Were the police finished with their investigation already? He saw no yellow police tape or any other sign of a crime scene. The opposite side of the building had half a courtyard still closed where a bloodstain marked where one of the attackers had been shot, but nothing remained to indicate an extended investigation. Didn’t the police put little yellow numbers at each shot fired or outlines where people fell?
The white-and-gray parking structure was overgrown with tasteful greenery. Two levels were aboveground and three were below. A row of curbside electric charge stations was mostly full, with parked vehicles that looked like a line of eggs all plugged into the local power grid. A line of orange cones blocked the entrance into the garage.
Brendan had a choice: walk on casually and hope no one noticed, or go stealthy, which would indicate to anyone who spotted him that he knew he wasn’t supposed to be there. He opted for the casual approach. No one else was
around. He entered the garage and walked the ramps up to the top. All the cars were gone but for a few vehicles that were school-owned, as indicated by their stickers. Blinking lights flashed from below. He got down and crept to the outer edge of the garage for a look.
Another security guard stood next to an electric golf cart equipped with a light rack that pulsed orange. The cart had been parked across the turn-in for the garage. The guard put an e-cigarette to his mouth and exhaled a plume of vapor. A pair of locals were walking their dog along the green belt across the street. A cop car rolled up to the security guard, and a police officer got out. He said something into a radio clipped to his shoulder. Then the guard and the cop exchanged pleasantries. The cop leaned on his trunk. Brendan slowly ducked back down.
He walked across the top of the garage lot to the far corner, the spot farthest from the school. He took out his radio, connected the antenna, and turned it on. He inserted a single earphone and plugged it in.
No sounds came at first as he adjusted the frequency. He heard a burst of static, followed by words. A commercial. The jingle confused him at first, then comforted him. How far over the edge could the world be if it still advertised coffee? Then soda. Next came a few words for an insurance company. He tapped his fingers on the concrete barrier. Was there any content on this station? Finally came the music. The folk/country/pop tune seemed to go on and on. He adjusted the knob.
The next station he found was in Spanish, but at least there were live people talking about something. He caught a few words and pieced together the overall gist: a soccer game that was to be broadcast live would be delayed because of technical difficulties. The two hosts expanded on this, mentioning something about their sister station in San Salvador having its transmitter down. They promised running highlights as they got reports in via other sources. Then came commercials.
The Supervillain High Boxed Set: Books One - Three of the Supervillain High Series Page 10
