Blackout (18 page)

‘Why not?’ Wren said as she, Slink and Charlie stepped into the airlock corridor.

‘Because,’ Jack said, joining them, ‘we’ve known Hector less than a day.’

‘He saved Slink’s life,’ Wren said. ‘Anyway, Charlie brought me here when she first met me. Right, Charlie?’

Charlie nodded.

‘Yeah, well, that’s different,’ Jack said. ‘You’re just a –’

Wren scowled. ‘Just a what?’

Jack hesitated, glanced at Charlie and sighed. ‘We can’t trust him, all right?’

Slink waved at the camera and typed the code into the keypad. The door slid open. ‘I say we vote on it.’

The others hurried after him.

‘Vote? Vote on what exactly?’

‘Whether we should let Hector be part of our group or not.’

Jack’s eyes widened at that. ‘We are
not
making him one of us. No way.’ This was getting out of hand – they’d only been discussing whether they should allow Hector to see the bunker. This was ridiculous.

‘We could use him,’ Wren said. ‘He’s got all sorts of skills.’

Slink strode over to Obi. ‘What do you think? Should we let Hector join the Urban Outlaws?’

Obi’s eyes wandered to the ceiling as he ­ considered this. Finally, he looked at Jack. ‘I’m not sure.’

‘Thank you,’ Jack said. ‘At least someone sees sense.’

‘
Obi
,’ Wren moaned.

‘What? He’s a stranger.’

‘No he’s not,’ Wren said. ‘A stranger is someone you’ve never met. We’ve already met Hector, haven’t we?’

Slink grinned. ‘Can’t argue with that.’

Obi pointed at the screens. ‘I can watch him for a while, if you like? See what he gets up to. And . . .’ He clicked the trackerball and brought up a window. ‘I’ve done that digging you asked me to do.’

Wren put her hands on her hips and looked at Jack. ‘You’ve been spying on Hector?’

‘Background check,’ Jack said.

‘Hector’s been going to Granger High for the past few years.’ Obi clicked and another window popped up. ‘See? His dad is a salesman and his mum died a few years ago.’

‘So, what else did you find out?’ Slink said. ‘Is Hector an axe murderer or something?’

‘No. He’s just a normal kid.’

‘He’s not normal,’ Wren said. ‘He’s really clever.’

Charlie looked at Jack. ‘That fits in with what he told us.’

‘Not you too,’ Jack said.

Charlie held her hands up. ‘Just saying.’

The next morning, Jack sat on one of the sofas in the lounge area of the bunker and thought about everything that had happened so far.

The government would now be in the process of dissecting the virus to see how it worked, and once they’d figured it out, they’d have the world’s best hacking tool at their disposal.

How long would it be before they worked out how to copy the virus? How long before they started stealing secrets and controlling the internet? No hacker would be safe, and neither would the Urban Outlaws. One false move and the government would track down the bunker.

Jack buried his head in his hands and his thoughts turned to Hector.

Was the reason that Jack was so wary of him because he was jealous of Hector? Did Jack see him as a threat? He had to admit it was impressive the way Hector had beaten them to the virus at the power station. The way he slipped past them all. And they could use someone with his skills on their team. A good all-rounder.

But Hector wasn’t
that
clever, Jack reminded himself. He did let the virus slip through his firewalls.

There was a screeching sound and Wren shot from the corridor, across the bunker, hit the sofa opposite Jack and went flying over the top of it.

Charlie ran into the room and glanced around. ‘Wren?’

A hand rose into the air.

Charlie hurried behind the sofa. ‘Are you OK?’ she said, helping Wren to her feet.

Wren wobbled and grabbed the back of the sofa for support.

‘What are you two doing?’ Jack said.

Wren edged her way around the sofa and pointed at her feet. She was wearing a pair of Rollerblades.

Slink sat at the dining table. He held up a piece of paper with a large number seven on it. ‘I would’ve given you eight out of ten,’ he said, ‘but I knocked off a point for the landing.’

‘Why are you showing her how to skate?’ Jack asked Charlie.

‘More like, “how to crash”,’ Obi said.

Slink snorted.

‘She’s just having a bit of fun after that last mission.’ Charlie looked at Jack. ‘I wouldn’t mind doing something fun myself, come to think of it.’

Jack nodded and stood up. ‘You’re right. And I have an idea for a mission we can
all
do.’ He turned around. ‘Obi?’

‘Yeah?’

‘Charlie says you’ve got the plans to another one of your old houses. Can we have a look?’

Obi’s eyes lit up. ‘Are you serious?’

‘Yeah, serious.’ Jack strode over to Obi’s chair.

Slink said to Obi, ‘Before we go through this again, are you sure there’s another will? Like,
really
,
really
positive?’

‘I know there is,’ Obi said with complete conviction. He brought up the architectural plans to the house on the main monitor.

Jack stared, stunned by what he was looking at. The house was actually a mansion with nine bedrooms, seven bathrooms, five reception rooms and two separate offices, all spread over three floors, including a basement. The house even had its own lift.

Jack glanced at the others – they had the same look of astonishment on their faces.

‘Hey, Obi,’ Slink said, his mouth still hanging open. ‘You actually lived there?’ He glanced around the bunker. ‘It makes this place look like a sh–’

‘
Shack
,’ Charlie interrupted.

‘Yeah,’ Slink said. ‘Exactly what I was going to say. “Shack.” Makes this place look like a shack.’ He winked at Wren and she grinned.

‘Wait a minute,’ Jack said, leaning into the screen and squinting at the bottom-right corner where the architect had written the name of the house. Jack stood straight and looked at Obi. ‘Where exactly is this?’

Obi glanced away and fiddled with his fingers.

‘Obi,’ Jack said. ‘Where is this house?’

Obi let out a breath. ‘France.’

‘Ha,’ Slink said, throwing his hands in the air. ‘That’s really brilliant. How are we supposed to get to France?’

Jack frowned at the plans. The mansion was called Chateau Gailan. ‘Whereabouts in France is it?’ he asked.

‘Around sixty kilometres from Calais.’

‘Oh, that’s all right then,’ Slink said. ‘I’ll just go get my passport.’ He walked away and stopped. ‘Wait a tick.’ He turned back. ‘I just remembered, I don’t actually
have
a passport.’

Jack started to pace back and forth, his mind searching for answers.

‘I don’t have a passport either,’ Wren said.

‘None of us do,’ Charlie said.

‘I have,’ Jack said.

Charlie frowned at him. ‘How come?’

‘You remember. A few years ago my class went on a school trip to Belgium.’

‘Well,’ Slink said, leaning against a pillar, ‘send us a postcard.’

‘I thought you were British,’ Wren said to Obi, looking confused.

‘It was my mum and dad’s summer house,’ Obi said.

‘Wow,’ Wren said. ‘That’s just the summer house?’

‘We lived in Windsor most of the time,’ Obi said. ‘Mum and Dad used the apartment in London for when they had to stay over for business meetings.’

‘Three houses?’ Wren muttered. ‘Who needs three houses?’

Obi shrugged and looked a little embarrassed. ‘I know there’s a good chance my dad would’ve had a copy of the will in France.’

Charlie looked at Jack. ‘Is there a way for us all to do this?’

A wry smile spread across his face. ‘There is one way.’

Slink groaned as he caught on to what Jack was planning. ‘I’ve got a feeling this is going to be a pain. Literally.’

Wren’s eyes lit up. ‘Are we really going to France? Really? I’ve never been to another country.’

Jack looked at Obi. ‘We’re
all
going.’ Next, he looked at Charlie. ‘Including Robbie.’

Four hours later, Jack was sitting in the passenger seat of a white and pink ice-cream van, watching the border security on the Calais side of the Channel go by.

No one stopped them or searched the van.

When they were a mile or so away from Chateau Gailan, Noble glanced in the rear-view mirror. ‘OK,’ he said. ‘I think it’s time to check on our passengers.’

Jack climbed out of his seat, walked to the back of the van and pulled a blind down, blocking the view of the people in the car behind.

He turned around. ‘It’s safe.’

The handle on the ice-cream machine clicked and the whole front of it swung open.

Slink stepped out and cricked his neck. ‘Are we in France yet?’

‘Yes.’

Slink breathed out a sigh of relief.

Next to the ice-cream machine, a tall cupboard door opened and Charlie climbed out. ‘That was fun . . .
Not
.’ She frowned. ‘Where’s Wren?’

Jack knelt down and slid open a door to the cupboard under the sink.

Wren was curled up inside, fast asleep.

Jack shook her and she stirred.

Finally, Wren clambered out to join the others.

Slink looked around. ‘I feel like we’re forgetting something.’ There was a muffled cry from the chest freezer. Slink sat on the lid. ‘Nah, maybe not. So, have we got anything to drink?’

Jack shoved Slink off the freezer and opened it.

A round face and two large eyes blinked up at him.

‘Get. Me. Out.’

‘Hey,’ Slink said. ‘It could’ve been worse – at least it wasn’t switched on.’

‘Not funny.’

With a lot of effort, Jack and Slink helped pull Obi out of the freezer.

He staggered and steadied himself. ‘I’m never getting back in there again.’

‘I hate to break it to you, mate,’ Jack said, ‘but we’ll have to do the same thing going home.’

Obi groaned.

It was getting dark by the time they finally found Chateau Gailan. It sat on a hill, surrounded by a high brick wall topped with metal spikes.

Noble pulled the ice-cream van off the main road and parked next to a small wooded area.

‘Right,’ Slink said to Jack. ‘Now what?’

Jack looked at Obi. ‘Where do you think the will is?’

‘In a safe, in my dad’s office.’

Charlie rolled her eyes. ‘Another safe?’

‘It’s OK,’ Obi said. ‘This one is old. It has one of those dials on it.’

‘Can you crack it?’ Jack asked Charlie.

‘Yeah, no problem.’

Jack turned back to Obi. ‘Tell us about the secur­ity.’

Obi peered out of the window at the mansion, as though he were recalling something deep in his past. After a minute, he turned back. ‘My dad’s office was at the back, far-right corner.’

Jack nodded, remembering the plans that he’d now committed to memory. ‘Are you sure your uncle won’t be here?’

‘Yes,’ Obi said. ‘I checked before we left the bunker – he was at the apartment in Hyde Park.’

‘OK,’ Jack said, looking out the window at the mansion. ‘Will there be anyone else around?’

Obi shook his head. ‘Don’t think so.’

‘We should scope the place out to be sure.’ Jack gestured to Obi and Charlie. ‘Time for Robbie.’

‘Ah, Robbie,’ Noble said with obvious fondness. ‘He has proven his worth so many times.’

Wren frowned at him. ‘Who?’

Obi slid a netbook from his bag. It had two joysticks and an antenna on the back. It was the same one Jack had used to control Shadow Bee – the remote-controlled stealth helicopter – on a previous mission.

Obi made sure the netbook was up and running, then looked at Charlie. ‘All set.’

Charlie reached into her bag. ‘Wren, meet Robbie.’ She pulled out a radio-controlled vehicle, eight centimetres high, twelve wide and twenty long. It had tank tracks either side and two tiny cameras mounted on the front that made it look as if it had a face.

Wren stared. She seemed unsure what to make of it. ‘
This
is Robbie?’

‘Yep.’ Charlie flicked on a switch and set Robbie down on the floor.

Everyone gathered around Obi.

He typed a few commands. ‘Connected.’

An image flickered on the netbook screen. It was Robbie’s view of the world – bathed in green night-vision.