By: Michael Till
Cardinal Carter Catholic High School

The sun was painting the sky shades of pink and gold as James Walker slowly backed his Porsche into his garage. It was early evening, and James was tired but not exhausted, looking forward to seeing his family.  He pressed the button on his remote, and the garage door slowly slid down, locking with a satisfying clunk. James walked up a winding stone path to the front door of his house, a well kept place with grey stone walls and a healthy green lawn in front of it. Upon opening the door, James shivered. There was something wrong here.

“Michael? Terry? Susannah?” he called. Something was amiss. By now his kids would have come bounding down the hall, like always, and his wife would have come too, kissing him on the cheek and telling him dinner was almost ready. A silence engulfed the house. James strode in further, looking around, hoping desperately that they were just playing a joke on him. He entered the family room, and started. A laptop and projector had been set up, throwing a bright blue light over the far wall. Examining the laptop, he saw that there was a video player on the screen, with the words “Play me” scrolling across the window. He clicked the play triangle, and at once the video started, the projector putting it on the wall. James sank into one of the leather couches and watched.

On the screen there was a man seated in a leather arm chair, the kind you’d expect to see in some big executive’s office. The man was completely bald, and, judging by the deep wrinkles cutting into his face, in his late fifties, early sixties. He wore a superior, arrogant look that made James dislike him almost at once. When he spoke, it was with a small accent, slightly Russian. What he said changed James’ outright dislike to hate.

“Mister Walker, if you are watching this, it means my useless staff has actually done something right for once. You see, I have a slight problem, my friend.”

I am not your friend, thought James. You have taken what is dearest to me and you’ll pay I swear. The man continued, and James stopped his mental rant to listen.

“I am the head of a weapons manufacturer, and a rival company of mine, Tillcorp, has just developed something that could put me out of business. It is a dangerous material, ten times more volatile than nitroglycerin. This substance, a compound made from mercury and a dangerous radioactive byproduct of nuclear fission, will render all other weapons obsolete. Despite its poisonous components, it isn’t toxic, and the uses for it are only limited by your imagination.”

James looked on in horror, and a fine sweat broke out on his brow.

“You are no doubt wondering how you come into all of this. Well, Mister Walker, it is because you are the best thief in the country.”

James shook his head vigorously, as if the man could see. “I’m not a thief anymore,” he muttered. “I gave up that life a long time ago”

 As if the man had heard, he smiled, showing perfect white teeth.

“Yes, you may have retired, but once a thief always a thief. You have certain-shall we say-talents that make you ideal for this job. Now, if you steal this compound, and destroy the blue prints for it, the reward will be your family’s lives.”

Looking up at the man on the screen with pure hate, James realized he had no choice. But he also knew he couldn’t let such a dangerous substance fall into this man’s hands either. As he was thinking this, the man’s message was coming to a close.

“More detailed instructions can be found on the disc in the envelope. Once you retrieve the substance, bring it to the top of my building. The address is also on the disc. Good luck, Mister Walker. Remember, your family’s lives hang in the balance.” The screen went black. James sat there, his head in his hands.

James knew he had to act quickly, or that man might harm his family. James dashed down the stairs, to the basement, where a home theatre was set up. He slid back a small panel on the wall, and pressed the button. At once, the 60 inch television rotated 360 degrees and revealed a rack lined with several types of pistols, suction pads, night vision goggles, a couple of weighted throwing knives, lengths of steel cable, grapple hooks, and a collapsible glider. James smiled, walked forward, and suited up.

 According to the information on the disc, the Tillcorp building was located downtown, around twenty minutes from James’ home. James recalled that there was a hotel located opposite, the building, about four stories shorter. He drove there, and twenty minutes later he was locking up his Porsche in the safety of the hotel’s underground parking garage. James jogged up to the lobby, entering through the double doors. The lobby was beautiful, all marble, with a fountain raised in the middle. Striding through with his head down, James headed to the elevators, and took one to the top floor. Once there, he found the staff elevator, and took it to the roof.

The night air was freezing, made even colder by gusting wind at this height. Wasting no time, James unclipped a magnetic grapple hook from his belt, and aimed at the space just above the 15th floor window. He fired, stepping back a bit with the recoil, but his aim was true nonetheless. It struck, and James quickly anchored it. Once the wire was taut, James hooked on a metal device, which he gripped tightly with both hands, and then slid down the line.

Just as he was crossing, the wind picked up, and he was slammed against the window. He hung there, limp for a moment, then as the shock wore off, he reached into his pack and drew out a small vial. James grimaced as he opened it, as a strong, unpleasant odour wafted up to his nose. He dribbled a small amount on the window, which at once hissed and sputtered. The liquid melted through the glass as easily as a hot knife through butter, leaving a hole just large enough for James to squeeze through.

 Luckily for him, the room he had chosen was an employee’s office, and there was a computer terminal at the desk. James fired up the computer, and used it to hack into the company’s secret files. The project labeled Weapon M matched the man’s description, and it was located in the basement level. Beautiful, thought James.

Strangely, getting to the basement was easy. There were few security guards, and only a small number of cameras. James made it to the ground floor without meeting anyone, and then found the elevator to the basement.

There it was, sitting on a rectangular column, a small glass tube filled with some silvery black substance. James reached forward, and then stopped. He pulled on his goggles, flicking the dial until red beams suddenly sprung in front of him. Pulling out a small curved mirror, he placed it in one of the beams paths, and put his arm through the gap. His fingers closed on the tube, and then he was gone, lost into the shadows.

James made quick time to his “employer’s” complex. Once inside, he was escorted to the elevator by two gorillas in Armani suits. The elevator door opened, and James heard a scream, followed by a raw throated yell. He saw Michael and Terry, and his wife Susannah running toward him. He grabbed them all in a hug, overjoyed that they were safe. Then a cold voice spoke from the shadows.

“Ah, Mister Walker. So glad you could come!”

James turned, and saw the man from the video, the man who had kidnapped his family. A roar seemed to be slowly filling his head, blocking out all thought. James forced himself to calm down, not without a little effort.

“I trust you have the item I requested?” asked the man. James looked away, instead walking to the window. A couple of floors down was a large balcony, and swimming pool, obviously the man’s private residence. Seeing the pool, James had an idea. It was dangerous, sure, but so was handing this “Weapon M” to a madman.

“I have it,” said James, “but you sure as hell aren’t getting it.”

The man’s grin widened. “But Mister Walker,” he said calmly, “You don’t have a choice.”

“Oh yeah?” replied James, and tossed the metal tube into the air. The man screamed, and the two guards ran forward to catch it. Meanwhile, James had grabbed his family and run towards the window. They crashed through into the night, as there was a huge explosion behind them.

Somehow James’ plan worked, and the pool broke their fall. They exited the building and James drove them home, still ecstatic they were alive.

© Copyright 2008