Blackout (40 page)

'Christ, what have you done?' snapped Josh. 'Turn the lights back on.'

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'Are they treating you okay?' said Luke. 'Because if they're not, I'm going to make them pay.'

'No worse than usual,' said Josh. 'How the hell did you know where I was?'

'It took a bit of time,' Luke admitted. 'After I got back to my mum, we banked all that money we got from Porter Bell, then I figured we had to make sure that you were okay. So we decided we'd both come to London. I always wanted to see that place on the cover of the first Clash album. And she wanted to see Abbey Road.'

'Your mum is here?'

'Well, she's in the hotel. Probably gone out to score some dope by now.' Luke grinned. 'Anyway, it took me a few hours to hack into your outfit's system. They've got some pretty good firewalls in place. But I got through. Found out they were keeping you there, then that you were being thrown out today. So I figured that if I just waited here for a bit, I'd see you soon enough. Even in the darkness.'

'You kept a copy of the software, didn't you?'

'Well, you never know when you might need it. I reckoned that if they started messing about I'd just get in touch and tell them that I'd keep shutting their country down until they let you out.'

'Well, I'm out,' said Josh firmly. 'So turn the bloody power back on. Before they send the Army out to get us.'

Luke sighed. 'I kind of like it in the dark,' he said. 'It doesn't matter who you are, what you look like or how much money you have. In a blackout we're all the same. Equal.'

Josh stepped forwards. 'Just turn it back on.'

From his pocket, Luke pulled out a PDA. He pressed a button, then fired a signal. Standing next to Josh, he leaned over the side of Vauxhall Bridge. Behind them he could hear the wail of sirens, and the sound of some police officers starting to order people to move along.

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'Let there be light,' said Luke.

Up above, Josh could see the lights suddenly flooding across the city. Big Ben burst into life, and the London Eye started turning again. Cars screeched to a halt as traffic lights all across London turned red simultaneously.

'You know what?' said Josh. 'Maybe you're right. Perhaps it does look better with the lights out.'

Both of them laughed loudly.

'We make a pretty good team,' said Luke.

'What the hell makes you say that?' asked Josh.

Luke tapped his PDA. 'The wars of the future will be fought as much by boys like me equipped with gadgets like this as they will by men like you with your guns and knives.'

Josh stared down at the water. The lights were beaming out across the city, the sirens had stopped, and the traffic was returning to normal.

'Maybe you're right,' said Josh. 'A couple of kids like you could probably take out a battalion of men like me. No problem.'

The crowds were starting to pack the bridge as Luke stepped back. As Josh turned around, people were starting to press into the space between them, blocking Luke from view.

'You need me, man, you just get in touch.'

'How?' snapped Josh.

'Same record, man, that will show you the way,' said Luke, laughing. 'London Calling. But this time it's a bonus question.'

Josh looked into the crowd. 'Luke.,' he shouted. 'What the hell does that mean?'

But the crowd had already closed in. And Luke had slipped away.

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