Blackout (20 page)

‘Hey, guys?’ Obi said through the headset. ‘What’s going on?’

Jack didn’t respond. He was rooted to the spot, watching Charlie.

She ran her fingers around the portrait of the general, muttering to herself.

Jack heard a car door slam.

Charlie cursed and moved to a set of shelves. She lifted a few books and examined them before putting them back.

‘
Charlie
.’

She held up a hand. ‘Just a few seconds.’

Jack heard the distant sound of someone fumbling with a set of keys. ‘We don’t have a few seconds.’ He hurried over to the office door, closed and locked it, then turned back.

Charlie was now sitting behind the desk. She opened all the drawers on the left, before moving to the right-hand side. She then slid open the top drawer and ran her finger under the edge of the work surface. ‘Yes.’ There was a small click as she pressed a button. She slid open a hidden compartment. ‘Knew it.’

Jack stared, dumbfounded, as she lifted out a stack of papers and envelopes and started rifling through them.

The front door slammed. ‘
Who’s there
?’

‘Time’s up,’ Jack said.

Charlie continued flicking through the papers, scanning the titles.

There was the sound of running footsteps in the hallway.

Finally, Charlie opened a Manila envelope, scanned over the contents and stuffed it all under her jacket. She stood up.

The office door rattled.

‘Who’s in there? I’ve called the police.’

They ran to the window and Jack helped Charlie out.

The office door burst open and a tall man stood silhouetted in the light from the hall. He stepped into the room and Jack could see his face clearly now – it was twisted in rage. Jack recognised Obi’s uncle. His eyes locked on to Jack’s and he lunged forward, hands outstretched.

Jack spun clear and leapt out of the window.

Obi’s uncle roared.

Jack and Charlie sprinted down the path, across the lawn and through the side gate. They stayed close to the wall. When they got back to the road, the ice-cream van had gone.

Jack spun on the spot, searching for it. ‘Where are they?’

Charlie grabbed his shoulder and pointed. ‘
There
.’

The ice-cream van came screaming down the road towards them.

Jack stared. ‘What is Noble doing?’

Suddenly, the van veered off the road and hit the front gates at an angle, buckling them.

‘He’s gone crazy,’ Charlie said, open-mouthed.

‘No,’ Jack said. ‘Look.’ The van backed up. The iron gates to the driveway were bent and misshapen. ‘Now there’s no way for Obi’s uncle to chase us.’

‘Don’t be so sure,’ Charlie said, sprinting towards the van and gesturing over her shoulder.

Jack glanced back.

Obi’s uncle was running towards them. ‘Get back here,’ he shouted.

Jack spun around, ran over to the van and climbed in. ‘Hurry.’

Noble slammed the ice-cream van into first gear. ‘I thought I was buying us a little time. Seems I was wrong.’

Through the windscreen, Jack could see Obi’s uncle still running at them like a T. rex hunting its prey.

‘He looks determined,’ Slink said.

Jack glanced back at Obi. ‘Don’t let him see you.’

Obi ducked out of sight.

There was a loud thud and Jack turned back.

Obi’s uncle was spread-eagled across the van’s bonnet, foaming at the mouth and staring through the windscreen at them like a rabid animal.

Noble wrestled with the ice-cream van’s gear stick and reversed back up the road, but Obi’s uncle held on.

Charlie leant over and turned on the windscreen wipers. They swished back and forth, slapping Obi’s uncle in the face, but he still clung on. With each pass of the wiper, he looked even more annoyed.

If that was possible.

Noble slammed on the brakes, threw the van into first again and accelerated down the road with Obi’s uncle still clinging to the bonnet.

‘He doesn’t give up, does he?’ Charlie said.

‘I’ll get him off,’ Slink said, climbing out of the side window before Jack could stop him.

Jack looked out through the windscreen.

A few seconds later, a foot came down on Obi’s uncle’s hands.

He roared again, with what Jack assumed to be a mixture of pain and rage.

The foot came down again and Obi’s uncle tried to grab it, but he missed. The foot swung in from the left, hitting him in the temple.

Obi’s uncle screamed out in pain and his grip slipped.

Noble saw his chance. ‘Hold on Slink,’ he yelled out of the window, then yanked the steering wheel hard over.

Obi’s uncle slipped past the windscreen and vanished.

Jack glanced through the rear window and watched as he rolled down the road.

Obi’s uncle then got to his knees and shook a fist at them as they disappeared around the corner.

Wren shouted.

Jack spun around. ‘What?’

She pointed.

Slink was hanging upside down outside the open side window.

Jack and Charlie leapt over and grabbed him.

‘My trousers are caught on the ice-cream sign,’ Slink said. ‘Have you got me?’

Jack made sure he had a good grip on Slink’s belt. ‘I think so.’

Slink shifted his weight and rolled backward.

His foot sprang free and Jack and Charlie pulled him through the window.

They hit the floor, panting.

Slink grinned.

Charlie punched his arm.

When they were several kilometres from Chateau Gailan, Charlie removed the Manila envelope from under her jacket and handed it to Obi. ‘Is this what you wanted?’

Obi’s eyes went wide. With shaking fingers, he slid out the sheets of paper and scanned the pages.

Finally, he looked up at the others.

‘Well?’ Charlie said.

‘It’s Dad’s real will.’ Obi’s eyes welled up, but he didn’t cry. He looked at them all. ‘Thanks,’ he said, his voice cracking.

On the journey back through the Channel Tunnel, Obi remained silent. He held the Manila envelope in his hand and stared at it.

‘Well, come on then,’ Slink said eventually.

Obi looked up. ‘What?’

Slink rolled his eyes. ‘We travelled all that way. Nearly got caught – several times – and not to mention the fact that I’m going to have stiff muscles for a week. The least you could do is tell us what it says.’

Obi held the envelope out to Charlie.

‘You want me to read it?’ she said.

He nodded.

Charlie slid the paperwork out and cleared her throat. ‘The last will and testament of Mark Brian Harlington. I revoke all previous wills and codicils.’ Charlie glanced up at Obi, then continued to read. ‘I appoint as executor and trustee of my will Antony James Harlington.’ Her eyes skimmed down the page. ‘Your mum and dad also made him your legal guardian. Wait a minute . . .’ She looked up at Obi. ‘You were right – they left the business and all assets to you and your sister.’

‘How can that be right?’ Slink said. ‘He’s only a kid.’

Charlie continued to read. ‘It says here that Obi’s sister is supposed to run the business until Obi’s eighteen, then they share the responsibility.’

‘Read the bit about my uncle,’ Obi said in a flat tone.

Charlie read some more, then looked up. Her eyes were full of compassion. ‘He was left fifty thousand pounds and a Rolls Royce. He was never supposed to inherit anything else. You and your sister are the rightful heirs.’ She slid the will back into the envelope and handed it to Obi.

Obi stared down at it.

‘I suggest everyone returns to their hiding places,’ Noble said. ‘We’re nearly back in England.’

Noble drove off the train, followed the signs and they reached the last checkpoint. The bored man behind the glass glanced over Jack and Noble’s passports, then handed them back.

The barrier lifted and Noble went to pull forward but another border official stepped into their path, holding up his hand.

Noble leant out of the side window. ‘Is there a problem?’

The man’s eyes narrowed as he took in the dents and the scratches on the ice-cream van’s bonnet and bumper. With a stern expression, he pointed to the side, where two more men in border agency uniforms were waiting. ‘Pull over there please.’

Jack’s heart sank.

Noble edged the van forward.

Jack glanced at him. It was clear that Noble was considering making a break for it, but they’d never get away, especially in an ice-cream van.

Noble pulled up as instructed. The two men started walking around the van, checking underneath with mirrors on poles.

‘Nobody breathe,’ Noble hissed over his shoulder.

The first border official stood in front of the van, inspecting the dents. He then walked around to Noble’s window. ‘How did you get those?’

‘I came off the road avoiding a collision,’ Noble said. ‘Hit a tree.’

The man frowned. ‘Are you American, sir?’

‘Yes.’ Noble smiled at him. ‘Though I am now also a fully fledged citizen of the United Kingdom.’

The border official looked at the dents again.

Even Jack had to admit it appeared like they’d hit a lot more than just a tree.

The man held out his hand and said, ‘Passports, please.’

Noble gestured behind them. ‘We just showed them back there.’

The official’s eyes narrowed. ‘Passports.’

Noble sighed and handed them to him.

The man took a long time checking them over, his face close to each picture page as if trying to detect whether the passports were forgeries or not.

The men with mirrors were now on their second sweep around the van.

Jack’s stomach tightened. It was as if they knew Noble and Jack were hiding something.

Jack tried to relax and show no outward sign of his anxiety.

Finally, the border official handed the passports to Noble. ‘How long were you in France?’

‘Less than a day.’

‘What were you doing there?’

‘Sightseeing.’

‘What sights?’

‘We saw a chateau.’

‘A chateau? Which one?’

Noble looked puzzled. ‘I forget its name.’

The two men stopped and stood by the front of the van.

‘Nothing underneath. Do you want us to take a look inside?’

The first border official was looking distractedly into the distance. Jack followed his gaze to the barrier, where a bearded man in a white van was having an animated argument with the officer behind the window.

The border official glanced over at Jack, then into the back of the van, then waved Noble on and strode towards the commotion.

Noble threw the ice-cream van into first and drove away.

Jack peered through the rear window and let out a huge sigh. ‘That was too close.’

When they were far enough away, everyone climbed out of their hiding places and stretched.

‘I thought we were done for,’ Slink said.

Obi rubbed his neck. ‘I’m never doing that again.
Ever
.’

Wren grinned. ‘That was fun.’

Charlie’s phone beeped. She looked at the display, then at Jack.

‘Who’s that?’ Jack said.

‘Hector.’

‘Are you nuts?’ Jack said. ‘You gave him your number?’

‘What does Hector want?’ Wren said, shooting Jack a nasty look.

‘He wants to meet us,’ Charlie said, reading the message. ‘He says he’s found where the actual Nexus is. Where the government have hidden the servers.’ She looked up at Jack. ‘He thinks we can break into the Nexus directly.’

A few hours later, Jack was standing by the door to the bunker, checking his backpack of supplies. He made sure he had a couple of torches fully charged.

He still didn’t trust Hector and wouldn’t let him out of his sight, but if Hector was correct – this could be their best chance of getting the virus once and for all.

Charlie, Slink and Wren joined Jack, each with their own bags slung over their shoulders.

‘Hector’s sent us the coordinates,’ Obi called from his chair. ‘Relaying them to you, Jack.’

Jack looked at his phone as the map flashed up. ‘North London,’ he said to the others. According to the GPS it was a place he’d never been to before. He didn’t recognise the road name either: Swain’s Lane. He looked at the surrounding area. There seemed to be plenty of escape routes should something go wrong. Jack allowed this thought to reassure him a little. ‘Let’s go,’ he said to the others and they marched through the airlock corridor.