‘Wait a minute,’ Jack said, ‘we also need to monitor all the CCTV in the area in case we have to get out fast.’
‘I’ll do it.’ Noble opened his eyes and stretched. ‘I’ll help where I can. It’s the least I can do.’
Obi stood in the circle and put his hand on the pile.
Jack looked at them all in turn. He knew he could never have wished for a better group of friends. They were also the best family he could ever ask for.
Slink shouted, ‘Urban Outlaws!’
They threw their hands up and roared.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
That evening, energised, Jack stood by the front door to the bunker. Obi had reported there was still no sign of Del Sarto. What had happened to him? Where was he?
Jack rifled through his backpack, checking he had all the supplies he needed, then zipped the bag up and looked around.
Slink was there with his own bag slung over his shoulder, eager to go.
Noble lifted himself into the command chair and flexed his fingers. ‘Now, let’s see what we have.’ He started clicking with the trackerball and scrolling through windows. Noble was back in his element.
Wren skipped over to them.
Jack laughed. She was dressed in black clothes like the others, but her backpack was bright pink and had a huge Hello Kitty emblazoned on the flap.
Slink shook his head.
‘What?’ Wren said, looking between the pair of them.
Slink pulled a black T-shirt from his backpack and tied it over Wren’s bag, covering all signs of the luminescent pink.
There was a huffing and puffing sound. Jack looked up to see Obi waddling over to them.
‘Charlie?’ Jack called.
‘Coming.’ Charlie strode into the main bunker and up to the group. ‘Shadow Bee is ready to go.’
‘Good.’ Jack looked over at Noble. ‘You ready too?’
‘I have several cameras up and running.’ He checked the monitor that showed an image of the interior of the chamber. ‘I count a total of seven guards. The workers have gone home.’
Jack turned to the door and hit the button.
• • •
The five of them stood by the bookshop across the road from the Winchester Theatre.
‘Remember the plan,’ Jack said. ‘Charlie and I will distract the guards long enough for Wren to steal one of their security cards. Then we’ll get them away from that door.’
Charlie and Wren nodded.
Jack said, ‘Noble?’
‘The area is quiet. You’re good to go.’
Jack clenched his fists. ‘Let’s do this,’ he said and they marched across the road.
Slink and Obi went through the front door. Jack and Charlie went down the alleyway. Wren hurried round the other side of the buildings, staying clear of the cameras.
At the end of the alley, Jack held up a hand and peered around the corner. The guards were different, but there were still two of them. Jack eyed the security cards on their belts and the swipe lock on the door.
He pulled back and looked at Charlie. ‘Ready?’
She took a breath. ‘Yep.’
As they walked around the corner, Charlie held a map of London in front of her and was reading from it.
‘What are you kids doing down here?’ one of the guards said in a curt tone.
Jack glanced at the lock.
‘I said,’ the guard stepped forward, ‘what are you doing here?’
‘We lost,’ Charlie said, in a foreign accent. ‘We look for, er, the Kristal Hotel.’
‘“Kristal”?’ The guard glanced at his companion, then fixed Charlie with a hard stare. ‘No hotel down here.’
‘But it say so in brochure.’ She slipped off her backpack, unzipped it and rummaged inside.
Good, the little-lost-tourist routine was working.
Wren appeared from the other side of the building and – keeping close to the wall – snuck up behind the other guard.
She reached out to his belt.
For a moment, Jack thought she was going for his gun, but was relieved when she unclipped his security card, as planned.
‘Get out of here,’ the guard said to Charlie, annoyed.
‘No wait, it here somewhere. I know this.’ Charlie continued rifling through her bag.
Jack watched Wren as she went to the door and swiped the card in the lock.
He gasped.
The guards looked at him.
Jack covered it with a cough and the guards continued to watch Charlie.
Jack looked back at Wren. She was now silently opening the door. He wanted to shout out, but he was powerless to stop her.
Wren turned back for a second, waved at him, then stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
Stunned, Jack tugged Charlie’s sleeve. ‘Let’s go.’ He couldn’t believe what Wren had just done. What was she up to?
‘Your boyfriend is right,’ the guard said, now looking very annoyed. ‘Go.’
Still oblivious to what had just happened, Charlie zipped her bag up and they started to walk away.
‘Don’t come back down here,’ the guard shouted after them.
As they rounded the corner, Jack quickly told Charlie what had just happened.
‘That’s your fault,’ she said.
‘Huh? How do you work that out?’
‘You should’ve let her get involved with more missions, then this wouldn’t have happened.’
Jack ignored her. They could argue later. ‘We need to find the others.’
They hurried to the front of the building and slipped inside.
When they reached the broom cupboard, Slink was already setting up their gear.
Obi was sat cross-legged on the floor, munching a sandwich. He looked up. ‘What are you two doing here?’
Jack explained what had just happened with Wren.
‘She’s nuts,’ Slink said, incredulous. ‘What’s she playing at?’
‘Maybe Wren thinks she can destroy Proteus on her own?’ Obi said.
Jack glanced at the modified netbook in front of Obi. Two joysticks were fitted either side of the mouse pad and an antenna was mounted behind the display. ‘Are you ready?’ he asked. ‘We have to hurry up before Wren triggers the alarms.’
Slink crouched next to the skylight, holding Shadow Bee. ‘Just about to go.’
Shadow Bee was a small radio-controlled helicopter, only a thousand times more advanced than anything you could buy in a toyshop. Charlie had spent months developing the stealth helicopter. It had matt black paintwork, an angled fuselage, and wide rotor blades.
When flying, Shadow Bee was almost silent. It only gave off a slight buzzing sound, like a bee. To top it off, Charlie had fitted a tiny high-resolution camera. Its image was now displayed on the netbook in front of Obi.
Charlie had done what Jack had asked her to do and fitted a small wooden rod below Shadow Bee’s camera. It wasn’t great, and it would take some precision flying, but it would do the job.
Jack squatted behind Obi and leant over his shoulder to watch.
Obi held each joystick lightly with his fingers. He took a deep breath and looked up at Jack. ‘Ready.’
Jack nodded at Slink. ‘OK.’
Slink leant over the skylight with Shadow Bee between his thumb and forefinger. He closed one eye, aiming at a gap in the lasers. ‘Dropping in five, four, three, two, now.’ He let go.
Jack watched the monitor as Shadow Bee tumbled towards the ground.
Obi hit the button to start the rotors.
Nothing happened.
Shadow Bee dropped past the roof beams.
Obi hit the button again and . . . nothing. ‘No, no, no.’
Jack spotted a pressure-sensitive mat directly below, and Shadow Bee kept falling. If it hit the mat, the alarms would sound.
There was one last chance. Obi hit the button and Shadow Bee sprang to life. He pulled back on the left joystick and Shadow Bee rotated, stopped and hovered a
few centimetres above the mat.
Obi let out a breath.
So did Jack, Slink and Charlie.
Obi took a moment to compose himself and get his bearings.
They had to get past the lasers, three heat-sensitive cameras and down the corridor to the guards’ break room. All without being spotted or triggering alarms. Not exactly impossible, but it would take a great deal of precision and concentration.
‘Take your time,’ Jack said to Obi in as reassuring a voice as he could manage.
After a minute, Obi set to work. Shadow Bee rose into the air a couple of metres and hovered at the edge of the server cabinets.
Slink pressed a pair of mini binoculars to his eyes. ‘Four guards in the break room.’ He looked left. ‘Three still by the ramp. They’re looking the other way.’
Obi turned Shadow Bee to the right. ‘Proceeding as planned,’ and pressed forward on the joystick.
First obstacle was a series of laser trips.
He went up and over the first, then down and under the next.
After that came two close together.
Shadow Bee hovered for a moment.
‘How does it look?’ Jack said to Slink.
‘Six centimetres up.’
Obi pulled back on one of the sticks and Shadow Bee rose.
‘Wait,’ Slink said, ‘too far. Down a bit.’
Obi lowered Shadow Bee a fraction.
‘Down. That’s it.’
Pressing lightly on one of the joysticks, Obi guided Shadow Bee forwards.
‘Slowly,’ Slink said. ‘Slow. Slow. Up a bit. OK.’ He lowered the binoculars. ‘First obstacle cleared.’ He smiled.
Jack nodded and quickly refocused on the display.
Obi flew Shadow Bee along the course they’d worked out previously. Two lefts, under a heat-sensitive camera, close to the wall. Right, past the power terminals, then left again, keeping low to the ground, avoiding two more lasers.
He stopped when Shadow Bee was at the end of the corridor that led to the security guards’ break room, and relaxed. ‘That wasn’t so –’
‘Wait.’ Slink leant forward, binoculars pressed to his face. ‘Oh, no.’
‘What?’ Jack said.
‘A camera. And it’s another heat-sensitive one by the look of it.’
Jack’s chest tightened. ‘Where?’
‘Your right, and up, near the corner.’
Obi turned Shadow Bee and tipped the nose up for a few seconds. Sure enough, there was a heat-sensitive camera. It didn’t cover the entire corridor, just the first couple of metres, but that was more than enough.
Slink lowered the binoculars. ‘You think that can pick up Shadow Bee?’
Jack thought for a moment. Charlie had coated the helicopter in a matt black finish but he had no idea if it disguised any heat given off by the motors.
He asked Charlie and she replied with, ‘Not sure. Depends how sensitive the camera is,’ which didn’t fill him with the greatest confidence.
‘Well,’ Jack said, resting a hand on Obi’s shoulder, ‘guess we don’t have a choice.’
Obi nudged the joystick and Shadow Bee edged forward.
Slink pressed the binoculars back to his eyes and froze, hardly breathing, as he watched.
Jack focused on the display. Obi was moving Shadow Bee as slowly as he could. Sweat trickled down his forehead and his hands started to shake.
Slink said, ‘I reckon you’ve got about a metre more before you’re clear.’
Jack held his breath, not wanting to even breathe on Obi. ‘Try to keep an equal pressure on the joysticks, and don’t make any sudden movements.’ He wondered what would happen if the camera detected them. Would an alarm sound? Would the guards rush out and lock the place down? Would they search the building until they found who was responsible? And, above all else, would they use those guns?
Jack shook himself.
‘Twenty centimetres,’ Slink said.
Obi’s whole arm now shook.
‘Ten centimetres . . .’
The shaking increased.
‘Almost there.’
Jack fought the urge to grab the joystick from Obi.
‘And . . . You’re clear.’
Obi released the joysticks and Shadow Bee hovered. He rubbed his arm.
Jack looked at the display. ‘No time to rest.’ Ahead, at the end of the corridor, between the toilets and the guards’ break room, was their target – the security terminal.
‘No way,’ Slink hissed.
Jack looked up at him. ‘What?’
‘Wren.’
‘Where?’
‘Come see.’
Jack glanced at the netbook display. Shadow Bee would be OK hovering for a moment. He scooted over to the skylight and peered into the underground chamber. Sure enough, Wren was at the other end in the office corridor. She crept along the hallway, opened an office door, peered around the corner and went inside.
‘What is she doing?’ Slink said.
‘Looking for Proteus.’
She was in the second from last office before the door to the main warehouse. Jack’s chest tightened. There was no security in the office hallway, but on the other side of the door to the main chamber was a pressure-sensitive mat.
‘She’s going to get us caught,’ Slink said.
‘She thinks she can destroy Proteus all by herself,’ Charlie said, scowling at Jack.
It was obvious she still blamed him for Wren’s rogue behaviour.
Wren came out of the office, closed the door and continued up the hallway, her head scanning from side to side.
Slink cupped his hands over his mouth and hissed, ‘Wren.’
Jack punched his arm. ‘They might have audio sensors.’ He glanced over at the guards, but they were playing cards and luckily none of them seemed to have heard it. Neither had the other three by the vans.
Jack watched as Wren continued down the hallway. If only he’d given her a headset.
‘Keep an eye on her.’ Jack slid behind Obi and looked at the netbook. ‘You have to be quick.’ For a few seconds he imagined Wren stepping on the mat and triggering the alarm.
Slink gripped the binoculars so hard his knuckles stretched white. ‘She’s going into the next office.’
That only left one more before she reached the main door to the chamber.
Obi pressed forward on Shadow Bee’s controls and the helicopter glided up the corridor.
Slink kept scanning between the offices at one end and Shadow Bee at the other.
Shadow Bee finally reached the security terminal and Jack’s initial assessment had been right – from this computer, you could shut down all the security in the building.
‘Oh, no.’ Jack’s heart sank.
The only problem was, to deactivate the security you needed a password.
The cursor blinked, waiting for input.
‘Obi,’ Slink whispered. ‘Hurry up. Wren’s just come out and gone into the last office.’
Obi stared at the screen. ‘It wants a password.’ He glanced up at Jack.
Slink lowered the binoculars. ‘You know it though, Jack, right?’
Jack shook his head. He had no idea.
Slink put the binoculars back to his face. ‘Obi. Guard.’
Obi turned Shadow Bee in time to see the break room door open and a guard step out. He cut the power and Shadow Bee fell to the carpet.
The guard’s feet moved past the camera.
Slink let out a puff of air. ‘He didn’t see it. He’s gone into the toilet.
Obi started up Shadow Bee and the little helicopter rose from the ground again, but now it moved slowly.
Jack looked at the power gauge.
The red bar indicated it was almost out of juice.
Obi pulled back on the joystick and Shadow Bee rose a few centimetres, dropped, then slowly rose again, a millimetre at a time.
‘What are you doing?’ Charlie said.
‘The battery’s almost de
ad.’
Jack glanced at Obi. Sweat poured from his forehead and into his eyes. ‘Stay still.’
Obi couldn’t risk letting go of the controls for even a nanosecond.
Jack wiped Obi’s brow with his sleeve.
‘Cheers.’
After what seemed an eternity, the security terminal screen filled Shadow Bee’s field of view again.
No time to waste – Obi had to hurry.
Jack pressed a finger to his ear. ‘Noble?’
Static crackled.
Jack tried again. ‘Noble?’
Still only static.
‘Wait,’ Charlie rifled through her bag and pulled out a cable attached to an antenna. She plugged it into Jack’s transmitter. ‘Try again.’
‘Noble?’
‘Hello?’
Jack let out a breath. ‘I need you to grab a list of popular passwords for this year.’
He heard Noble’s swift typing. ‘Got it.’
‘What’s top of the list?’
‘The most popular password is in fact “Password”.’
Jack nodded. Typical.
He looked at Obi. ‘Try it.’
Obi considered for a moment, then pushed forward.
Shadow Bee stuttered but he managed to guide the tip of the wooden rod to the keyboard. P . . . A . . . S . . . S . . . W . . . It was painful how slowly Shadow Bee moved between keys. O . . . R . . . D . . . Shadow Bee jerked back. Obi regained control and hit the Enter key.
Password denied. Two more attempts remaining.
Slink glanced over at the screen, his eyes wide and fearful.
‘Where’s Wren?’ Charlie said.
‘Still in the last office. Hopefully, she’s taking a nap.’
Jack asked Noble for the next most common password, then focused on the display.
Without hesitation, Obi glided Shadow Bee over the keyboard and started to type.
This one seemed a little easier but each second meant Shadow Bee’s controls became more and more sluggish, like it was flying through soup. Q . . . W . . . E . . . R . . . T . . . Y . . . Enter.
Password denied. One more attempt remaining.
‘No good,’ Jack said into his headset.
‘Guard.’
Obi cut Shadow Bee’s power and it dropped to the floor.
Once again, they watched as the guard’s polished shoes stepped past and, by some miracle, he still didn’t spot Shadow Bee on the carpet.
Urban Outlaws Page 16
