Urban Outlaws (19 page)

Agent Monday stepped forward, reached into Jack’s coat pocket, and pulled out the USB stick. He examined it, then slid it into his own jacket pocket.

‘Who are you?’ Jack said.

Was Richard Hardy part of the government?

It made no sense.

Hardy turned to Connor. ‘The only thing I can say I like about these kids is they’re naive.’ He turned to Jack. ‘I am your employer.’

‘We don’t work for you,’ Charlie said.

‘Now, now, be fair,’
Hardy
said, glancing at her. ‘I paid you over a million pounds. I’d say that was a good wage for a bunch of delinquent kids,’ his eyes moved to Noble, ‘and an antique.’

Noble cocked an eyebrow at him.

Charlie frowned. ‘What are you on about?’

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. ‘He’s Del Sarto,’ Jack said.

The arms dealer they’d stolen the money from. Richard Hardy was just an alias.

Jack winced inside.

Del Sarto smiled. ‘One hundred points to Achilles. Allow me to elaborate for you, young lady.’ He paced back and forth in front of them. ‘When Professor Markov first told me about the quantum computer –’

‘He was real?’ Charlie said.

‘Oh, yes.’ Del Sarto patted her on the head as if she were a three-year-old. Charlie recoiled from him. ‘Yes, there really was a Professor Markov.’

He put emphasis on the word ‘was
’
, which made Jack feel uneasy.

Del Sarto
continued,
‘Professor Markov worked for the government, and he came to me with a problem.’ He glanced over at the technicians. ‘He’d designed this amazing quantum computer, said it was light years ahead of anything else on the planet.’ Del Sarto looked back at the three of them. ‘But the professor was afraid. Scared of the power he was unleashing. He was having second thoughts.’

‘I bet he was,’ Jack mumbled.

‘The professor asked me to use my resources and break into the facility. He wanted Proteus destroyed.’

‘But you stole it,’ Noble said.

Del Sarto resumed pacing, his lip curling into a snarl. ‘Professor Markov tricked me.’

‘Clever,’ Jack muttered. He looked at Charlie. She had a puzzled expression. ‘The professor used criminals to break in, but he knew they might not stick to their word and destroy Proteus.’ Jack looked at Del Sarto. ‘So, to be safe, he planted a custom virus to stop
you
from using the quantum computer for yourself.’

‘He played innocent for a while. As though he was as perplexed as we were.’ Del Sarto snarled. ‘But the joke was on him.’ He leant into Jack’s face. ‘When I worked out what Professor Markov had done . . .’ He ran a finger across his throat.

Jack ground his teeth and refused to show any emotion.

Del Sarto straightened up. ‘So, there I was, with a machine that didn’t work. Now, I couldn’t give up, I’d invested far too much time and money.’ He stared at Jack. ‘I had my own plans.’

‘To do what?’ Jack said. ‘Hold governments to ransom over the documents you steal?’

Del Sarto nodded, seeming to be impressed. ‘Very good, Achilles.’ He glanced at Charlie. ‘Can you imagine the potential? The
power
? I can sell any country’s secrets to the highest bidder.’ He puffed out his chest and gazed at the ceiling. ‘Then Proteus will help me start a global war. A war that I can provide arms for. For all sides.’ He looked back at them. ‘Think how much money that will make.’ His eyes moved to Jack and narrowed. ‘But I had a problem to solve first.’

‘The computer didn’t work,’ Jack said.

‘None of my own employees could fix it, and I couldn’t just pop an advert in the local newspaper.
Wanted. Skilled technician to remove virus from top-secret quantum computer.
’ Del Sarto
sighed dramatically. ‘So, what to do?
What to do?
’ He looked at the three of them.
‘I needed someone on the wrong side of the law.’ He tapped his temple with an index finger. ‘Now, where to find such a person?’ He clicked his fingers and pointed at Agent Cloud. ‘She told me about this “Achilles” – a hacker who could get past any security. Break through any firewall. But how to snare him?’ Del Sarto glanced at the others.
‘So, we released information about a fantastic quantum device.’

Jack looked at the machine in the other room. ‘Proteus.’

‘Alas, Achilles seemed more cautious than I’d anticipated. Proteus did not draw him in. I had to use a different kind of bait, so I invented Richard Hardy – money launderer – and planted a false trail on the hacker forums.’ He looked at them in turn. ‘Clever?’ None of them responded. Del Sarto
waved them off as if he didn’t care what they thought anyway.
‘Sure enough, Achilles took that bait. The temptation was too much.’ He stopped in front of Noble.

‘Now, imagine my surprise when I found out Achilles was a child. A mere boy with other little friends to help him.’ Del Sarto
stepped back and straightened his coat.
‘But, being a man of the modern era, I continued with my plan. I wanted to see your skills, Achilles, and I’ll admit you impressed me. The way you hacked into my account like that.’ He pursed his lips. ‘I decided to reveal the Proteus device to you and see what happened. You came along and removed the problem for me.’ Del Sarto snapped his fingers. ‘As easy as that. And I was happy to leave you alone, as long as Proteus was working.’

Jack nodded to Connor, Monday and Cloud. ‘Who are they?’

‘We’re freelance,’ Connor said. ‘The pay is better on this side.’

‘I bet it is,’ Noble said under his breath.

Connor shot him a look that said he’d like nothing better than to tear his throat out.

‘Sir?’ One of the security guards called from the other room. He pointed at a monitor. ‘We’ve got movement in the south-east corner of the estate.’

Connor strode over to the screen and squinted at it. He turned back to Del Sarto. ‘We’ll check it out.’ He gestured for the others to follow him.

Connor, Cloud and Monday marched from the room, weapons drawn.

‘So,’
Del Sarto
said, refocusing on Jack, ‘I have been kind enough to explain what has happened to you. Now I want something in return.’

‘What?’ Jack said. ‘You’ve got the program. You can trap the virus. What more do you want?’

Del Sarto took a deep breath, then said, ‘The location of your hideout.’

‘No way,’ Charlie said.

‘Why? Why do you want to know that?’ Jack asked.

‘So he can destroy any evidence you have,’ Noble said.

Del Sarto nodded. ‘Exactly right, old man.’

‘There’s no way we’re telling you where it is,’ Charlie said.

‘I’m afraid you don’t have much choice.’ Del Sarto glanced over at the guards. They were too busy with what they were doing and weren’t listening. Del Sarto reached behind his back and pulled a semi-automatic pistol from his belt. He held it up and examined it. ‘You know, this is my bestseller: lightweight, compact, polymer grip, twenty-round magazine. Impressive stopping power . . .’ He pointed it at Noble’s head and Charlie gasped. ‘I can’t allow any of you to live. I have a reputation to uphold.’ He said to Noble, ‘I’ll kill you first – you are no use to me.’ Del Sarto addressed Jack again. ‘
The location
.’

‘Do not tell him, Jack,’ Noble said.

‘Oh,’ Del Sarto said, ‘I think you
should
, Jack. I have no qualms about killing a washed-up hippy.’

Jack’s mind raced for a way out of this, but he couldn’t think of one. ‘I’ll tell you where the bunker is, if you agree to my conditions.’

Del Sarto glanced at him. ‘Conditions?’

‘Jack,’ Charlie struggled in her chair. ‘
No
.’

‘What choice do we have?’ he shot back.

‘None,’ Del Sarto said, pressing the gun to Noble’s forehead. ‘I’ll give you exactly five seconds. Five . . .’

Jack’s mind raced. He couldn’t say where the bunker was when he had no way of guaranteeing Del Sarto would let Obi, Slink and Wren go.

‘Four . . .’

He could give a fake location but Del Sarto’s men would quickly report back.

‘Three . . .’

If Jack begged, would he spare all of their lives? Somehow he doubted begging would have any effect.

Del Sarto’s finger tightened on the trigger. ‘Two . . .’

Noble squeezed his eyes shut.

One of the security guards broke the silence. ‘Sir.’

For a few seconds, no one moved and even the dust seemed to hang motionless in the air, like time had stopped.

‘
Sir
.’

Finally, the spell broke and Del Sarto let out an annoyed breath, then lowered the gun. ‘Sorry about this delay,’ he said to Noble, and turned around. ‘
What?
’

‘You have to see.’ The security guard pointed at the CCTV displays.

Del Sarto muttered under his breath and strode over to the bank of monitors. He stared at them a moment, then his eyes went wide. ‘How many?’

‘Hard to tell, sir. Looks to be around twenty or so.’

Del Sarto gestured to the security guards. ‘You come with me.’ As they marched from the room, Del Sarto barked at the technicians, ‘Lock it down.’

Jack caught a glimpse of the CCTV monitors and saw immediately what the security guards had noticed. Several men and women in dark suits, their guns drawn, were walking up the driveway, scanning the area around them.

So, government agents were on Del Sarto’s trail – they must be coming to claim their property back.

The technicians typed at their terminals. Steel shutters dropped over the door and archway, sealing them in with Proteus.

Now on their own in the other room, Jack looked at the shutter, then at Noble and Charlie. ‘We have to get out of here.’

‘Jack,’ Charlie said, ‘there’s a knife in my boot.’

He glanced at her feet. ‘Which one?’

‘Left.’

Jack rocked back and forth in his chair. Each time he moved further until he toppled backwards and crashed to the floor, sending a sharp pain through his back.

Jack winced and rolled the chair on to the side, facing away from Charlie.

Charlie shuffled her chair until her foot touched his hands.

Jack strained to lift her trouser leg over her boot, then he reached inside. With outstretched fingers, he managed to get hold of the handle of a small knife. He slid it from her boot, spun it in his hand, unfolded the blade, and started to saw at the plastic that bound his wrists.

It seemed to take forever, but finally he cut through and his hands sprang apart.

Jack rolled over, cut his feet free and stood up. He reached behind Charlie and released her bindings. Next, he freed Noble.

The three of them stood for a moment, trying to get a grip of the situation.

Jack ran his fingers over the steel shutter. ‘We’ve got to get through this and destroy Proteus.’

Muffled shouting came from outside.

‘There’s not enough time,’ Noble said.

They heard gunshots and then banging on the front door. Soon the government agents would have the house surrounded and if they caught Jack, Charlie and Noble, there’d be a whole lot of explaining to do and, more than likely, prison would follow.

Jack looked back at the steel shutter and swore. He glanced up at the ceiling. Where were the motors? If they severed the lines, this would release the shutters and they’d be able to lift them manually.

Charlie grabbed Jack’s hand. ‘Come on. Hurry.’

Jack cursed, then he, Charlie and Noble ran to the door near the corner of the room.

It was locked.

Jack jogged over to a window and pulled back the curtains – it was bricked up on the inside.

Noble marched to the far end of the room and turned back. ‘Looks like this is the only way out.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Wish me luck.’ He ran full pelt across the room.

Shoulder down, he slammed into the door. There was a loud cracking sound and he crashed through, taking the door frame with him.

Jack and Charlie stood stunned for a moment, then hurried out and helped Noble to his feet.

Noble winced and rubbed his shoulder. ‘Remind me to never do that again. I’m far too old.’

There were more gunshots and shouting.

‘Time to go,’ Jack said, and they ran down the hallway, through the kitchen, and out into the back garden.

‘Quick,’ Jack said, and he ducked behind a bush.

Noble and Charlie followed.

They peered over the hedge. The side of the house and driveway were full of men and women in suits and dark glasses. Several cars and vans had pulled up and more people were getting out.

Agents, guns drawn, ran to the back of the house.

Three more agents chased Del Sarto’s security guards and caught them before they reached the trees.