Hidden Depths

Chapter 28 - Roofscape

Rich had never been in the cab of a train before and, despite a lifelong disdain of train spotters, he could see how easy it would be to become obsessed with them.  Being in the cab of this particular train was like being on the deck of the Starship Enterprise.  The curved dashboard swept around an enormous driver's chair, and the digital heads-up display made Rich think that driving this train was as close as you could get to being a fighter pilot without leaving the ground.

'Always a pleasure to meet a new Brethren, brother,' said the driver as Rich sat down in the only other available chair.  'It's a real thrill when that big stone table first opens up, isn't it?' 

The driver had the same nostalgic look in his eye that Patrice had had when he'd dropped Rich off for his first day at Harrow. 

'I was never the same after I went down those steps,' he continued. 'I was so excited I couldn't sleep properly for a whole month.' 

Having stopped for a few seconds between stations, so Rich could hop the fence and climb aboard, the train was now accelerating back up to its top speed of a hundred and twenty miles per hour.

'Honestly, those were the most exhilarating days of my life,' said the driver wistfully. 

Rich thought about how he had spent most of the day fearing for his life and looked quizzically at the back of the man's head.

'Did you get involved in much...' said Rich, pausing to search for the correct phrase, '...direct action when you were at school?'

'It was different times back then, especially in Britain.  No, we had plenty of practice but really it was just like being a member of a really exciting secret club.'

As the train flew along the track, Rich wondered if these old boys knew the full extent of Mr Abdullah's militant approach to running the modern Brethren.  He didn't have long to ponder the issue though as, just as they reached full speed, the driver started applying the brakes.  They had travelled the six miles from the field near the military base to Wembley Stadium in under four minutes.

The train came to a gentle halt and, shouting 'Thanks for the lift,' Rich jumped straight from the door, ignoring the steps, to land with a crunch on the gravel below.  Very keen to avoid joining the fate of the flies he had seen splatted against the train's windscreen, he carefully checked both directions before sprinting across the tracks and vaulting the fence that lined the perimeter of a 1970s low rise block of flats.

Dropping to a crouch as he landed, Rich looked around to check that his arrival had gone unobserved.  A quick scan of the red brick balconies indicated that he did not appear to have been noticed.  He grabbed the small but heavy-duty bag, which was attached to his back by a single fat chest strap, and pulled it round to his stomach so he could access its contents without taking it off.   His new helmet was in the bag's quick access pocket and as soon as he put it on he could hear Control welcoming him.

'Any ideas which way?' he asked Khalid.

'Follow the fence line on your left then go firm at the end.' 

Rich did as instructed and crouched as he peered around the end of the fence.

'The entrance to the warehouse is on the other side of the factory in front of you.  It's diagonally across the building from where you are, so you'll need to walk all the way around it.'

'Nah, there's just no cover,' said Rich.  'It's overlooked on all sides.' 

He considered his options for a moment, before sprinting towards a car parked next to a shipping container by the entrance to the building ahead.  Without breaking his stride, Rich bound onto the bonnet then the roof of the car.  Using its suspension to act as a springboard, he then leapt up to grab the edge of the shipping container's roof.  Maintaining his momentum, he heaved himself up then pivoted on his right hand like a breakdancer.  Springing to his feet, he sprinted the couple of steps needed to cross the container before jumping so that he could haul himself up and onto the factory's saw-tooth roof.