There was a raised metal platform set off side of the cells, where the duty guard sat. Each of the suites had a closed circuit camera installed, feeding back to a bank of monitors on the platform. There was also a main control panel. The suites had digital locks that could be opened singly or all at once from the panel. The benefit of the panel was that you didn’t need a code – you just flipped a switch and all the doors unlocked at once.
Being assigned to guard duty was boring. Danny had done it a time or two, but there’d never been anyone in the cells. It was different now. The cells were full, some of them with more than one person. Danny couldn’t hear them, but he could feel them, feel their fear, their resignation. He didn’t like it. It only solidified the choice he’d made.
As he crossed the floor towards the platform, Danny saw that the loading bay doors at the rear of the warehouse were closing. He could hear trucks moving out. He climbed the stairs and said, “We get a delivery?”
Hattersley turned in his chair. “Danny, matey. Come to join me in my purgatory?”
“Figured you could use some company. What’s with the trucks?”
Hattersley indicated the monitors. “They were taking out the first load of overflow.”
“Where are they going?” Danny asked, leaning over Hattersley’s chair. He spotted Ro immediately. She wasn’t the only one in her cell – there was a young man there as well. Some DedSec punk, he figured.
“Wandsworth. Nine Elms Docks.” Hattersley put his hands on top of his head and leaned back in his chair. “Remember all those fucking barges Albion bought about three months ago? Somebody decided to turn them into mobile bases – drones, gun emplacements and custody suites in the holds.”
“Why?”
“Safer, innit?” Hattersley shrugged. “Faulkner – or somebody higher up the chain – wants the suites cleared.”
Danny paused. “They’re expecting more prisoners?”
“That’s the word.” Hattersley looked at him. “Me, I figure it’s got to do with that TOAN conference today. Lots of protests. Lots of unwashed wankers looking to get arrested.”
Danny grunted and let his hand slip towards his sidearm. He didn’t want to shoot Hattersley, but he might have no choice. The thought of it churned in his gut. “When’s your shift end?”
Hattersley checked his Optik. “Ten minutes, give or take. Why?”
“Because that means we’ve got ten minutes until someone notices you opened all the cells,” Danny said, raising his sidearm and pressing it to the back of Hattersley’s head.
Hattersley stiffened. “Danny? Mate, what are you playing at?”
“Open. The. Cells,” Danny repeated, softly.
“You can’t do this, man,” Hattersley said, not looking at him.
“My sister, yeah? Got no choice. Open the cells.”
“You won’t shoot me…?”
Danny paused. “No. I won’t.” He stepped back. Hattersley turned, a look of relief on his face. Danny slid behind him as he rose, and brought the solid weight of his pistol down on the back of Hattersley’s head. The other man crumpled silently. Danny looked down at him for a moment, and then stooped, took both his sidearm and his Optik. It only took a few moments to unlock all the cells. He was down the steps and at Ro’s cell a moment later, Hattersley’s assault rifle in hand. He hauled it open. “Right. Time to go.”
“Danny?” Ro sat up, and so did her cell-mate. “What are you doing?” his sister asked.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m getting you out.”
“You’ll get in deep shit.”
“And?”
“They might shoot you.”
Danny stopped and looked at her. “I say again – and?”
She gave a crooked smile. “Just checking. Bruv.” She looked at her cell-mate. “You coming?”
The kid stood. “What about the others?”
“I’ve unlocked all the cells,” Danny said, looking him up and down. “You’re the one they got yesterday over near Canary Wharf, aren’t you?”
“Er yeah, that’s me. Olly.”
“Danny.” Danny looked at his sister. “Ro, help me get the other doors open. We’ve only got a few minutes. We need to get everybody out, and to the APVs.” He looked at Olly again. “DedSec, right? Means you know computers and that?”
Olly frowned. “Yeah?”
“Merry Christmas.” Danny tossed him Hattersley’s Optik. The lad caught it with a dawning look of glee. “Think you can make use of this?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Good.” Danny joined Ro in opening the cells. “Everyone out, we don’t have much time.” There weren’t many left – a dozen. Not all of them were DedSec. “Right, people! This is a prison break.” He ignored the barrage of questions, the suspicious looks, and said, “If you want to come, follow us, or stay here – don’t matter to me.”
“Where are we going?” Ro asked.
“APVs at the back. We get one of them moving, we can get out of here.” He gestured. “Everyone follow me. Be quick. We’ve only got a few minutes at most…”
An alarm began to blare. Danny turned.
“Scratch that. Let’s go!”
It took Olly a few moments to crack the encryption on the Optik and download his customised app suite. By the time he was up and running again, alarms were going off. He looked at Ro. “Your brother isn’t exactly the stealthy sort, is he?”
“Danny’s more of a door kicker.” She looked at her brother. He was up ahead, leading the way. “This is your plan? We run?”
“Technically, we’re driving,” Danny called back. “The APVs are just up ahead. We just need to – shit!” He leapt back as shots pinged off the metal grating around them. People dropped flat, yelling or screaming. Half-crouched, Danny swung his weapon around and up, returning fire. At first Olly couldn’t tell what he was shooting at. Then he heard the tell-tale whine of motors.
The bulky shape of a riot drone hurtled by overhead. As it sped along, it dropped smoke canisters. Coloured haze filled the air, making it all but impossible to see. People were coughing, crouched against the sides of the corridor. Through blurring vision, Olly recognised one of
