The electronic response was instant.
JJ: What the hell?
EB: Jimmy, what the hell are you doing?
Time stood still as he waited for the sudden realisation to hit them.
JJ: Eli, we’ve got a breach!
The screen went momentarily blank then quickly returned into view, the background coloured with a reddish tinge found in an old photographic development workshop accompanied by the deafening noise of an air raid alarm.
“Strap in boys,” said Toby. “This is going to get rough.”
“Ready, bro,” snapped Johnno. “Bring it on.”
“Just remember bro, there’s no pause or reset button in this game. This is the real thing.”
No sooner had the words escaped his mouth then faceless, human-like shapes appeared at the far end of the 3D picture on Johnno’s screen. Matt spotted the connected mobile phone, Johnno’s fingers pressing against the plus and minus buttons as though using a games console. Light streams leapt towards the onrushing mass, cutting them down in swathes.
“Is this cool or what?” yelled Johnno.
“No mistakes, bro. We can’t afford mistakes.”
Still the steady stream of electronic invaders fell, cut down by the ferocity of Johnno’s unerring and magnetic accuracy. Matt switched his attention to the vault where the download bar crawled along with the urgency of a meandering snail.
“How much longer do you need?”
“Hard to tell,” said Toby.
“Shit!” said Will, as the image of the files on screen began to waver and flicker.
“They’re shutting down the networks. Scroll up the list. There’s eight left. Pick the strongest signal,” said Toby.
Will was ahead of him, re-establishing the connection to restore the image of the vault. The progress of the download bar barely moved.
“Why is it taking so long?” asked Matt.
“They’re opening and shutting multiple files, trying to use up memory capacity. It slows down the system.”
“Is there anything you can do?”
“I’ll need to think about it.”
“Then think, man.”
Toby closed his eyes and his body stilled into a trance-like state as though he’d drifted into a deep slumber, increasing Matt’s anxiety with each elapsing second the techno genius remained motionless. Another glance at Johnno’s screen and he saw the approaching images continue to dissolve.
“This is unreal,” said Matt. “Everything comes down to a computer game.”
“Computer simulation,” laughed Johnno “Welcome to the modern world, grandpa.”
The vault screen shivered and flickered again, prompting Will to respond to the new assault on the networks.
“Seven left,” he said. “How are we doing?”
The download bar hadn’t moved, neither had Toby.
“Six,” said Will. “It’s not going to take them long.”
Toby stirred into life and began to frantically hammer at the keyboard.
“I’m reducing your ammo sack, bro.” he called. “It’s the only way to free up some capacity for the download, so you’re not allowed to miss.”
“With you all the way, bro,” was the reply.
The numbers of intruders increased in flow, and continued to fall, the mesmerising sight capturing Matt’s attention as the story unfolded minute after minute. The download bar on Toby’s screen picked up speed and accelerated. They were on the move. Touch wood, they’d soon be in the clear.
“Magazine’s getting down, bro,” shouted Johnno.
“Control and F3, bro,” replied Toby. “You’ve got seven left before you’re out.”
“I’m on it.”
In a flurry of hand movements the almost empty ammo sack had been replenished.
“Five,” said Will.
“How long?” asked an increasingly animated Matt.
Toby hunched his shoulders.
“Four,” said Will. “And one of them isn’t exactly strong.”
A sudden horde of grey humanoids burst towards the vault door making Johnno jump in his seat, the movements of his fingers becoming ever more frantic.
“Matt, I’m down on ammo and can’t stop.”
For a fleeting moment he couldn’t recall the sequence, one deep breath and he punched in control and F3.
“Three,” said Will.
“Toby?” said Matt.
“Nearly, nearly there.”
How Johnno managed to maintain concentration against the onslaught Matt could only wonder. Still they surged into the enclosed confines of the vault reception area and still he shot them down. And then, abruptly, they stopped.
“Whoa,” said Johnno. “Where have they gone? Are they giving up?”
Toby leant over. He noticed what looked like bright lights surrounding the main entrance.
“Why have they stopped?” asked Matt.
“They’re massing, waiting.”
“Waiting for what?”
“Me,” said Toby.
“As pretty as you are bro I’m usually first in line.”
“This isn’t your average system,” said Toby. “It’s designed to interpret users as living matter, converting their presence into physical entities.”
“Hence the avatar?” said Matt.
“Yes. And that’s where the information is going. So if they’re unable to prevent the download the next best thing would be to stop it leaving the vault.”
“How?” asked Matt.
“The lights are like acetylene torches, cutting through the wall to create a bigger opening and allow larger numbers of sentinels through the main door. They’re banking on sheer weight of numbers to overpower Johnno and get to me.”
“Could you handle it, Johnno?” asked Matt.
“No,” he answered after a pause. “There’d be too many, even for me.”
“If I can’t get out the download is useless,” said Toby.
“How long, before they’re ready?”
The lights around the door suddenly disappeared.
“There’s your answer,” said Toby.
Matt cursed in frustration as a message appeared on screen.
EB: You’ve been real cute, Durham. But you’re running out of signal strength and running out of time. If the server failure doesn’t get you then the sentinels will. I could say it’s been a pleasure, but …
“Download complete,” sighed Toby.
“Last signal coming up,” said Will.
“We’re out of options,” said Johnno.
There had to be something.
“Is there another way out?” he asked.
“Only if there’s another set of codes you haven’t told us about,” said Toby.
His mind began to race with panic.
“More firepower,” suggested Lily. “You need extra guns. Toby, your mobile’s identical to Johnno’s, connect them up and give it to Will. He can be your second gun.”
“Could it work?” asked Matt.
Toby shrugged, more in surprise than uncertainty. Lily lost patience, snatching away Toby’s phone to make the necessary connection and reveal a second virtual weapon on the screen.
“That’s brilliant,” said Matt, stunned by the simplicity of her innovation.
“I’ve capable of more than just scrounging.”
He leaned over the keyboard and began to type.
You’re making one hell of an assumption, Eli.
Matt noticed one of the two remaining set of initials burst into colour.
“That’s Charlie Jessop,” said Toby. “He is involved.”
CJ: Gotcha!
“What kind of language is that for the Vice President of the USA to be using?” said Johnno.
Not yet you haven’t, typed in Matt.
“Go,” he said.
Will and Johnno stepped forward from the vault door to allow Toby to emerge. Immediately the hordes of sentinels surged forward en masse, a tidal wave of venomous ferocity. Tob
y slipped in behind the others and made for the exit, his retreat covered by the frantic efforts of his friends to keep the advancing tide at bay. With each virtual stride towards safety the enemy closed on their prey.
“Last signal is going down,” yelled Lily.
“Matt, press control and F4 to jettison some ammo sacks,” ordered Toby.
“But they need them to cover your escape.”
“I need to get out. Which is more important?”
The question didn’t need answering. Matt responded and the signal brightened.
“You’ve got three sacks between you. Is it enough?”
“It’ll have to be,” said Johnno.
“Where am I headed to?” asked an animated Toby.
“Just as before,” said Matt. “Find the picture with the full moon.”
“I can’t see it.”
“It’s there.”
“I can’t see it!”
“It’s there, Toby. Keep looking.”
Beads of perspiration covered the younger man’s brow as he searched for the exit.
“I felt an impact,” said Toby. “Something’s got me.”
Will manoeuvred a hundred and eighty degrees to bring up the image of the fleeing shape.
“One of the original sentinels,” said Will. “They must be back online.”
A beam of light shot through the dark corridor and speared into the villain, loosening its hold. Will located the second and took it down, and then the image of his weapon on the screen pitched violently to the left.
“I’m hit!”
“Can you still operate?”
“Not freely.”
He turned again, into the rapidly advancing hordes. They were nearer, much nearer. Johnno did his best to meet the onslaught but was unable to slow the relentless tide. Again the image of Will’s weapon lurched to the side.
“I’m hit. I’m down!” he said.
“It’s all on you, bro,” said Toby.
“Not for much longer. Get out, bro.”
“Have you found the image?” Matt asked urgently.
“I still can’t see it.”
Johnno rocked in his seat, as though he’d received a blow to the head.
“Shit, I’m going down fast, bro. Find the frigging exit!”
The horde swarmed all over Johnno’s fallen virtual entity, almost to within touching distance of the fleeing Toby.
“The signal,” said Lily. “It’s weakening.”
“Toby!” yelled Matt.
“I can’t see it!”
Mouths agape, the two downed shooters watched in horror as the evil masses closed. Matt’s eyes scanned the corridor’s surrounds. It had to be here.
“There,” he shouted, pointing the way.
Toby’s avatar lunged towards freedom, the enemy close at heel.
“I can almost smell the bastards,” said Johnno.
“Matt. I’m not going to make it.”
“Yes you are Toby.”
“They’re closing too fast. I can’t make it!”
He was in front of the image. Matt punched the sequence of keys, unable to breathe. The horde had arrived, right behind Toby, right next to him.
“Too late,” groaned Toby.
Shafts of light appeared, speared out from the bottom of the screen into the horde, blowing the nearest away from their prey. Matt glanced aside and saw Lily feverishly manipulating her mobile in a desperate attempt to save the day.
“Get out, now,” she yelled.
If he didn’t know better, Matt would have sworn Toby’s virtual entity shivered in fright at the order and leapt forward into the exit. As it did the screen went blank.
“Signal’s gone,” said Will.
Breathlessly they waited in silence, expecting something to happen, something to tell them whether they’d succeeded or failed. Nothing happened.
“Did we get out?” asked Matt.
“Can’t be sure,” answered Toby.
“There must be some way of checking.”
“The whole machine has shut down.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’ve no idea. Could be the signal went before we got out, could be we made it but the machine’s bust.”
“Start it up,” said Matt.
Toby’s finger hovered over the restart button, loitered for seconds on end in anguished anticipation of what they might discover. It dropped, pressed, and the laptop started to whir into life.
“Lily, bring security back on line,” said Matt.
She obeyed, rapidly returning her attention to the screen the rest were focussed on. The screensaver powered into view, Toby’s fingers lightly fluttering over the keyboard.
“Did we get it?” asked Matt.
Silence, deafening and ghostly, invaded the atmosphere like approaching death.
“Did we get it?”
The laptop hummed, searching its memory. One minute, then two, three passed quickly.
“We got it,” said Toby.
The celebratory roar of success sang out from the lodge and echoed down the mountain. Anyone within fifty miles would surely have heard them jigging in delight.
“You were fantastic guys,” he said. “Is this a freaking team or what? And as for you, Lily Carter, next time tell us you’re going to save the day at the last minute. We were on the verge of suffering collective heart failure.”
“Typical guys,” she said, in mock disparagement. “When push comes to shove it needs a woman to save the day.”
And she was right. Thankfully, Lily had rescued them at the end. Of all the broads in all the …
“Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together,” said an exuberant Johnno.
“We’re a team, not the A team,” said Matt.
“And we’re a team with problems,” said Lily, “We’ve got perimeter contact.”
“Probably a nosey rabbit or some other form of wildlife,” he replied, cautiously.
Lily spun the laptop full circle, the night vision images on screen clear for all to see.
“Since when has wildlife learned to stand on two feet and carry weapons?” she said.
Chapter Thirty Four
Chase