Escaping the Cradle - Part 30

Escaping the Cradle

by Karen Page

Part 30

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Part 30
DATE:FC+125

Liam had been working very late in the office, packing up some of the equipment into packing boxes. He wasn't used to the physical strain he'd been put through. Mental gymnastics were more his thing. Feeling too weary to go the two minutes to his house, he made sure the discussion area and lab were secure and crept upstairs to use one of the two bedrooms. They were rarely used, and more often it was just Jenny if Becky was working late. They were transporting the last of the things in the morning. Why use a van when you could send them via the interdimensional tunnel.

A noise woke him. He didn't know what it was. Thinking it was the wind, he went to settle down but heard something downstairs like someone had dropped something. It wasn't much, but it jolted him awake. His heart started racing stronger than it was when he defended his thesis.

He took his phone. There was no signal and the CCTV cameras were down. That wasn't good. He normally had signal, so he presumed they were blocking it.

'Don't panic,' he said to himself, taking a few slow and deep breaths. After mercenaries had attacked the factory and they'd hidden in Wales, Luke had told him not to panic in an emergency. Panic clouds your thoughts.

When he'd regained a bit of self-control, he wondered how else he could see what was going on below. He checked the experiment cameras. They'd either not known about them or not thought about them. The image wasn't clear, but it confirmed they had intruders. At least two of them.

This was one heck of a wake-up. The adrenaline was working its magic. He couldn't call anybody. But could he do anything. He was a scientist, not a security guard.

A video from his youth came to mind. He'd been studying in America and one of the courses covered what to do in an active shooter situation. The chance of that happening in the UK was so remote, he'd forgotten all about it. Until now. Now that memory was front and centre. Stay calm. If you couldn't get out, hide and stay calm. Never approach them. Never try to reason with them. They were likely to shoot you to escape and not negotiate.

'Breathe,' he told himself. 'Breathe.'

They weren't far from the setup they'd been using to send items to the new building. Some items were large, so they'd put a plastic cover on the ceiling and put a temporary one down when needed on the floor. It was targeted from the ceiling, so was contained without the side parts. The thought of transporting them somewhere crept into his mind. But could he do it. He had what he needed on his phone, but where could he send them? The plastic cover wasn't down, but that might not matter. If it took the floorboard, it took it.

The river was just behind the building. He could just drop them in there. Too cruel. They might drown, and he didn't think he'd be able to live with himself. There was the panic room in Becky's house, but that opened from the inside. They'd escape. He also wasn't sure of the coordinates.

Gradually, the two intruders inched towards the area. They didn't seem in a hurry, and were checking as much as they could, taking photographs as they went.

With little time left, he set the coordinates of the storage annex. It was empty, locked and shielded. He set the entry height to two meters. They'd come down on the concrete with a bit of a bang. A swift mental calculation of impact speed, he changed the height to one meter. He wanted to stop them, not cause major damage. They should come out with a separation angle, so shouldn't bump into each other.

One of them got into the right area, but that was no good. He couldn't send one without the other. It would spook them. His finger hovered over the activate button, but they moved out.

The proverb 'patience is a virtue' was apt. Liam waited and a few minutes later both of them were within the area. Not seeing anybody else, he pressed the button, and they disappeared.

The phone signal didn't come back on, so there was still jamming. Were there more of them? Were they waiting downstairs, or outside?

'Think!' he chided himself. With no wireless signal, and no phone signal, the only thing left would be Ethernet. There was a USB to Ethernet adapter in Ashleigh's office. He knew it stayed there for when she had her laptop. With some of the experiments, they wanted Wi-Fi off, so she always had Ethernet available.

Carefully, he got off the bed. There was a small creak, and he froze. Nothing. Slowly he crept across the floor. He hoped he didn't see anybody, as he only had his boxers on.

The door wasn't too much of an issue. It was well maintained and didn't squeak as he gently pried it open. He scarpered across the landing and got to Ashleigh's office. The door was open, and he could see light filtering in. He ducked down so not to be seen and made his way almost at a crawl to the desk.

He jammed the adapter into his phone. Three long seconds later, he had a connection. He sent an email to Evan, Becky, Ashleigh and Henry telling them the building was under attack and to stay where they were. He forwarded it to Luke, not knowing if that would do any good. Finally, he dialled 999. Thank goodness for VOIP.

"What service do you require?" asked the operator.

"Police," Liam responded, barely above a whisper.

"Connecting you."

"Police. What is the nature of your emergency?"

"I'm at the office. Two people have broken in. They're jamming phones."

"What is your name and location?"

"What was The Anchor pub in Epney. My name is Liam Mann."

"Are they still there?"

"I think so. My mobile phone is still jammed."

"We've recorded the details. Officers will attend as soon as possible."

What? This sounded like someone wasn't coming immediately.

"I don't know if it's because I'm a witness for Counter Terrorism," added Liam. "I was interviewed by DC Raj Singh.

There was a pause, then "Officers are on their way."

"Thank you," breathed Liam.

"Stay on the line if it's safe. You don't need to talk, but we are here if you need us. Can you move to somewhere hidden?"

"I'm under a desk. I needed Ethernet since mobile is jammed."

"Well done. Stay there. Keep your phone screen down, so the light doesn't give you away."

'Sensible idea,' mused Liam, and turned his phone upside down.

Waiting was the story of his life. As a scientist he often had to wait to see if an experiment worked. He had to be patient in his thought processes and not jump to conclusions. There was often different solutions, and it was finding the most elegant. But this waiting wasn't like that. He was under a desk, not knowing if there were more people out there. He didn't even know if he'd been successful in targeting the annex for the transport. They could be out there too.

A squeak of the old stairs brought him back to now. Then another. It sounded a bit higher. Liam wanted to tell the police operator, but he didn't want to talk.

Blue flashing lights started to play on the wall. The police were approaching. The footsteps on the stairs were sudden but were going down. Whoever had been coming up had gone.

"Police are nearly here," said Liam. "There was someone on the stairs, but they ran down."

"Stay where you are."

Two shots filled the air. "Shots fired," said Liam.

"Armed units are a few minutes behind. Stay calm."

Liam decided it was a good time to practice his stay‑calm breathing technique. Another two shots put paid to that. His heart was hammering in his chest.

"The police are about to enter the building. Where are you?"

"Upstairs. There are two bedrooms upstairs. I was asleep when they broke in. I'm in the office also upstairs."

"Understood. Do you have a mobile signal now?"

Liam turned over his phone. "Yes."

"Three people jumped into a boat at the other side of the river wall. They are gone. Stay where you are until you are verified."

He switched off the "Do Not Disturb" that had activated, and his phone provided him with a stream of notifications. He saw messages from all his local colleagues, asking if he was okay.

"Liam, two officers are coming up the stairs. They will call your name when they see an office. He will shine his torch towards himself so you can see his badge number. Let me know what it is."

Liam waited, peering carefully at the door while trying to stay hidden. He heard them go into a bedroom. They weren't rushing. He presumed they were checking each room in turn to make sure there was nobody else there.

While he waited, he sent a message to his colleagues saying the police were there and he was waiting to be checked. A figure in the doorway made him jump. He'd been expecting it, but it still set him breathing heavily again.

"Liam Mann?" called the police officer.

Liam peeped and saw the police officer. He relayed the badge number and was told it was valid.

"Thank you," said Liam. "Thank you so much."

"Our pleasure. Good luck," she said, and ended the call

"I'm Liam Mann," Liam said, his voice shaking slightly. He now wanted to cry, which to him seemed really strange. He'd not cried during the attack but now wanted to.

Liam came out, glad the police officer was male. "I need to get dressed."

"Upstairs is secure," the officer said. "Go get some clothes on. We will accompany you out."

Once dressed and feeling a little less embarrassed, he found the police officer waiting, "Was anybody hurt? I heard gunshots when you turned up."

"No. I'm sure they could have hurt us, but they were more concerned about causing a distraction and getting away."

When they got downstairs, Liam gasped. The car park had a single police car in it. Its window was smashed and there was a bullet hole in the rear door. Police were putting up a tape cordon around the scene. Outside that, there were at least ten vehicles, and a police van. Even a dead body in the basement hadn't caused this much traffic. He was escorted over a taped path to beyond the quarantined zone. He was still in a cordoned off area, reserved for the police, but he wasn't in the area the crime happened.

"Are you the owner of this property?" the officer asked.

"I'm a part owner of the company which owns this property," clarified Liam.

An older man came across, and the officer moved to one side for a quick chat. The older man then came to see Liam.

"I'm Inspector Johnson. I'd like to ask you a few questions about what happened."

The name rang a bell, and then it came to Liam. "Were you the Inspector Johnson who helped on the kidnapping of Jenny Head?"

"Yes," he said cautiously.

"Becky Head, Jenny's ma, is one of the co-owners of this building."

"I see. That probably explains a few things."

What it explained wasn't clear to Liam. "I might have something for you," said Liam. "I managed to transport two of the people who were snooping in the office."

"Transport them?"

"Via a tunnel. Like we do with the ship. If it worked right, they should be in the workshop annex."

Inspector Johnson smiled and turned around. He yelled. "Hopkins, Singer, Thomas and Hoyles."

Four police officers, two of them armed with what Liam thought looked like really nasty weapons, approached.

"We might have some action for you. Apparently, there are two that might be locked in the annex. They might be armed."

Liam produced a bunch of keys and found the right one. It was taken. "I take it I'm not allowed back in?"

"It's a crime scene. You need to stay safe. We train for this."

Liam moved a bit along the taped area so he could see what happened. There was a narrow area where he could see the entrance to the annex. It wasn't an instant open the door and go in. They prepared. A lighting unit was brought across, so when they opened up, they would be able to see. A huddle took place between those taking part where they confirmed what each person was going to do. This wasn't a cowboy outfit. They knew what they were doing and would do it with as much control and planning as possible.

With the two firearm officers in position and others surrounding the exits, the door was opened.

"Armed police," yelled one of them, the sound carrying over the still night air. "Down on your knees."

It took a few minutes before they came out, handcuffed. Both were limping, but they carried themselves with their heads held high.

"That's Monica," said Liam when he saw them. He didn't recognise the man. "She posed as a CAA officer. Counter Terrorism are looking for them."

"Really?" asked the inspector, slightly bemused.

"Really. You said Counter Terrorism were coming."

"And here we are," said a man, coming from down the road. He was accompanied by DC Raj Singh.

There was a groan. "Hey Steve."

"This is Liam Mann. He works here. I interviewed him on Sunday. Liam, this is DI Steve Johnson."

"One of the people just caught is Monica Peterson. One of the fake CAA officers," said Liam.

Raj quickly updated them, and DI Johnson grinned. "London's going to love this."

"From the technology used here tonight, I don't think they're just corporate spies," said Inspector Johnson. "Their jamming was wide ranging. And some of the items found on the two are worth more than I'd get paid in a lifetime. There are some bits on the floor where they were beamed into. If that was from a fall, or they tried to destroy evidence, I don't know."

Liam was interviewed for another hour by DC Raj Singh. He was so tired, he thought he would fall asleep on his feet.

"So, what now?" Liam asked when all the questioning had finished.

"Forensics are going to go through your lab for evidence."

"No. There's too many confidential items in there."

"It isn't going to be local SOCO's. This is now in the realms of terrorism, and a specialist team will be here in a few hours. They are trained to not photograph sensitive documents or equipment. We just need to do our job, Mr Mann. We need to nail these people."

"That's Dr Mann," snapped Liam. "Sorry, I'm a bit tired."

"As long as you are wearing a forensics suit, you can supervise. In fact, it would be helpful."

"I'm dead on my feet," admitted Liam. "I need to get some sleep. If I get Ashleigh to supervise, would you be okay with that? I think you know her from Jenny's rescue."

"As long as it's not Laura Taylor, then I'll survive," said DI Johnson and for the first time since the episode began, Liam gave a small chuckle.

A van had slowly made its way up the narrow country lane. Slowed down by the many hurriedly parked police vehicles. It stopped at the edge of the cordon and a couple of people got out.

"You've got to be kidding," said one. "I thought this place sounded familiar. I hope they don’t have another freezer to remove."

The sky had started to lighten. The first signs of dawn were upon them. The sun would start peeking over the horizon and the next day would begin. Liam needed his sleep, and decided Ashleigh might not be too grouchy if he rung her.

The phone was answered before the second ring.

"Liam. Are you okay?"

"Tired. I know it's early, but can you take over for a bit? Forensics have to go through the building. Can you supervise that? You'll need to wear one of those white suits."

"I've been watching for the last hour but will need someone to let me through the cordon."

Liam relayed and Raj went to find her. It didn't take long, and she had the joy of scooting under the tape. It didn't seem to be as flexible as seen in the TV shows. When she got there, she took one look at Liam and asked, "Do you still need him?"

"Sorry?" asked Raj.

"He's been up half the night in a very trying situation. He's exhausted."

"He's told us all he needed to," said Raj. "And you can help when the CTU forensic team arrives?"

"Yes."

"Then sure," Raj agreed, and then turned to Liam. "Do you live far?"

"Just a short walk."

"It's going to be a few days going through the outside and inside. You won't be able to go in until then."

When he got home, he stumbled up the stairs and into his bedroom. He just lay down, not having the energy to even undress. Yet he couldn't settle. The thought of what had happened kept dancing in his mind.

He just started to fall asleep when his mobile phone rang. He leaned across and grabbed it. "Hello?"

"Liam. It's Laura."

"Hi," Liam responded, amazed.

"I've just heard what happened. Are you okay?"

At that Liam almost broke down. Wow, Laura ringing just like that. Nothing about the project. Just wanting to make sure he was okay.

"I'm safe," he responded.

"Good. I'm sure you've had a trying night and must be shattered. Because of you and your quick thinking, they've got two of them. Good job. Don't sleep in the office again, it's not safe. Now get some sleep."

And with very few extra words, she was gone but Liam felt better. As he lay down, the tears started. Ashleigh was waiting for him to ask for help, and Laura just rang to make sure he was okay. In a world of bitterness, some people just cared.