Mr Hook's Big Black Box

Ferrari Delguessimo: The Russians

I curved my path to the right slightly, coming off the sloping field where students often had picnics in the summer, and onto the edge of Merryman Quad. The surface was rough concrete styled to look like a gravel courtyard, but it was easier to run on than the grass. At least there was less chance of me stumbling and twisting an ankle. Dwayne clearly didn't think like that, moving in a straight line across the grass. He was moving at a speed I'd consider a light jog, barely faster than walking, but he had around two hundred metres head start on us, so he'd have little trouble reaching the Mendeleev Building first. He ran straight to the closest doors, and dived inside with just a little twitch to wave his keycard in front of the sensor.

Behind him, a soldier caught the door and prevented it from closing. If we were any closer, we would probably have heard the solenoids buzzing angrily as they tried to re-engage the lock. A car had pulled up just feet behind Dwayne, stopped right in front of the entrance and he didn't seem to have seen them. Five men got out, swinging weapons onto their shoulders with businesslike efficiency as they rushed into the building. The car behind them was identical, though this one only carried four men and three rifles, the fourth having a navy-blue canvas bag on his shoulder which I assumed had to be some kind of heavy weapon. I slowed down imperceptibly, not wanting to be seen. But all they had been concerned with was getting into the building without attracting the attention of any of the students walking past on Chancellor's Way, around the other side of the building. They hadn't seen us yet, and were all inside less than twenty seconds after the first car's engine stopped.

I didn't hear any sounds of shouting or gunfire, so I could only assume that they didn't recognise Dwayne; they didn't know which society had the Box yet, and they hadn't thought to pursue him as he ran straight to the elevator. They'd pay attention to us if we came in through the main doors, though, so I turned left before coming close to the building. The field ran right alongside Mendeleev, fringed by a couple of trees. There was a café on the ground floor there, and some students had dragged cheap plastic seats out to a tiny clearing between the trees, so the fire exit was sometimes left ajar. It wouldn't be likely at this time of night, so I reasoned that it wouldn't be worth trying. I glanced up as I ran, and saw that one of the upstairs windows had been left fully open.

I'd like to think I was both naturally talented and well trained when it came to all kinds of athletics. I'd never expected the ultimate test of my skills to be a situation like this, but in a very real way this was what I'd been training for all my life. I planted one foot on a low-hanging branch and launched myself upwards, scrabbling to the window in five or six steps. A look back told me that Marco had caught up with me in the dash across the field, and only my climbing skill had made him fall back again. I was secretly impressed, there was the proof that he wasn't the one trick pony everybody seemed comfortable to assume.

We got inside and I moved as quietly as I could. The old science labs all had tiled floors, but there were hard-wearing carpets in the corridors outside, part of the plan to make the place seem less institutional and more welcoming. The one along this corridor would probably have lasted three years with the number of people walking across it every day, but it hadn't been replaced in five and was already threadbare. Still, it was enough to mute the sound of our footsteps. I headed to the main elevator bank. There weren't enough soldiers to do a thorough search of the building, they had nine men. Maybe there would be more coming in at the other doors, but we hadn't seen any sign of that. In all probability they were going to position themselves blocking the staircases, and then interrogate anyone coming in or out while a few people searched for the Box. But they would want to establish their perimeter first.

I estimated we'd been in the building about three minutes, so it would be nearly five since they came in through the main door. Either they were all still downstairs making sure they had the lay of the land, or they would be running up the stairs, two men on every landing to stop anyone else moving around inside. But to get upstairs already, they'd have to run and I didn't hear the sound of synchronised footfalls on the stairs, which were sure to resonate with every firm step. I knew I was gambling, but I couldn't let the Russians get to the Box after we had been made its custodians. That would be a personal failure, letting down all the people who had supported me. Letting down my family, and the LUSARS, and even my country in a way.