Episode 4
A few things would have to be made clear at this point, first and foremost the arrangement in the staffroom so vital to Kyioshi's, Ceri's and Ross's mission.
The staffroom was a simple rectangular shape, about the size of three tennis courts side by side. There were three rows of tables stretching from one end to the other, save for a break in the centre where a couple of sofas were placed for relaxation, and a small boardroom at the west end. Ms Lawrence's table (where the Language papers were), was at the far west side of the room, directly outside the boardroom. General Warrant's (he was retired, but still wanted them to call him so) desk, complete with camouflage tablecloth, was five tables down. All the teachers had various racks and shelves set up, nearly exploding with all the paperwork contained within.
The stealth suits which Ross and Ceri were both going to wear was made of black synthetic rubber, issued by whatever ministry it was that backed the Centauri. They were all kept in a hidden locker room under the roots of a great oak tree, old and gnarled and planted when the school was founded.
And so it was that at 7:oo pm sharp, Ceri got dressed into a dark t-shirt and baggy pants, about as casual as one could get. Ross wasn't in the dorm - he had left earlier to relieve his boredom. Ceri slid up his dorm window and got out onto the sill.
An old drain pipe led down from the roof, looking rusty, but still strong due to the steel support the Centauri had pushed the school to install. Subtly, of course. Ceri heard that it involved a prefect and falling.
Ceri slid down the pipe as fast as he could, and then made his way silently into the gardens that divided the staffroom from the dorms. The oak he was headed for swayed in the silver the moon painted over the garden.
"Ross, your part comes first. Sure you know exactly what to do?" Kyioshi asked quietly.
Ross yawned. "I'm not that lazy. Yeah, everything's fine."
"Okay," Kyioshi said, looking out at the lawn around them. "Me and Ceri will take off now. You must disable the cameras in exactly thirty seconds, because that's when we hit the range of the CCTV scopes. Exactly thirty seconds. This thing has to be timed to perfection, or our thirty minute window would be significantly reduced. Exactly thirty seconds. You must ... "
"Shut up and go." Ross snapped, already tapping away at the pocket PC.
Both Kyioshi and Ceri sprinted across the lawn, melting into the shadows of the building beyond.
"Thirty seconds, the idiots. I can do this with my eyes closed." Ross muttered. He knew his words were being transmitted to the other two's earpieces, but they couldn't reply because the corridors they were going through were prefect patrol ground.
Ross glanced at his watch. 16 seconds left. The progress bar hit 95% as CCTV screens started coming up. Ross bit his lip, alternating from the command interface to the windowed program. The required cameras weren't transmitted yet ...
There - cameras 12 and 16.
Ross tapped as fast as he could, issuing a command he had practiced since 3 in the afternoon, wasting time otherwise spent in the com labs.
"Yes!" he whispered. Now to get to someplace safe and watch over the action.
Just as that thought hit him, Ross looked up to see five prefects in dark clothes running to surround him.
Ceri's blog extract
*shakes head in embarrassment* Ross.
Next Episode
The staffroom was a simple rectangular shape, about the size of three tennis courts side by side. There were three rows of tables stretching from one end to the other, save for a break in the centre where a couple of sofas were placed for relaxation, and a small boardroom at the west end. Ms Lawrence's table (where the Language papers were), was at the far west side of the room, directly outside the boardroom. General Warrant's (he was retired, but still wanted them to call him so) desk, complete with camouflage tablecloth, was five tables down. All the teachers had various racks and shelves set up, nearly exploding with all the paperwork contained within.
The stealth suits which Ross and Ceri were both going to wear was made of black synthetic rubber, issued by whatever ministry it was that backed the Centauri. They were all kept in a hidden locker room under the roots of a great oak tree, old and gnarled and planted when the school was founded.
And so it was that at 7:oo pm sharp, Ceri got dressed into a dark t-shirt and baggy pants, about as casual as one could get. Ross wasn't in the dorm - he had left earlier to relieve his boredom. Ceri slid up his dorm window and got out onto the sill.
An old drain pipe led down from the roof, looking rusty, but still strong due to the steel support the Centauri had pushed the school to install. Subtly, of course. Ceri heard that it involved a prefect and falling.
Ceri slid down the pipe as fast as he could, and then made his way silently into the gardens that divided the staffroom from the dorms. The oak he was headed for swayed in the silver the moon painted over the garden.
*
Three black figures were under the shadow of a thick, low growing tree, sheltered from the moonlight bathing the lawn around them."Ross, your part comes first. Sure you know exactly what to do?" Kyioshi asked quietly.
Ross yawned. "I'm not that lazy. Yeah, everything's fine."
"Okay," Kyioshi said, looking out at the lawn around them. "Me and Ceri will take off now. You must disable the cameras in exactly thirty seconds, because that's when we hit the range of the CCTV scopes. Exactly thirty seconds. This thing has to be timed to perfection, or our thirty minute window would be significantly reduced. Exactly thirty seconds. You must ... "
"Shut up and go." Ross snapped, already tapping away at the pocket PC.
Both Kyioshi and Ceri sprinted across the lawn, melting into the shadows of the building beyond.
"Thirty seconds, the idiots. I can do this with my eyes closed." Ross muttered. He knew his words were being transmitted to the other two's earpieces, but they couldn't reply because the corridors they were going through were prefect patrol ground.
Activating device 12.00.01
Device activated
Accessing sever 01
Accessing server 02
Password confirmation required
Device 12.00.01 password confirmed
Ross activated the implant's software now, closing the password generator he had ran on the server. The pocket PC now read:Device activated
Accessing sever 01
Accessing server 02
Password confirmation required
Device 12.00.01 password confirmed
Loading system files
Followed by a progress bar.Ross glanced at his watch. 16 seconds left. The progress bar hit 95% as CCTV screens started coming up. Ross bit his lip, alternating from the command interface to the windowed program. The required cameras weren't transmitted yet ...
There - cameras 12 and 16.
Ross tapped as fast as he could, issuing a command he had practiced since 3 in the afternoon, wasting time otherwise spent in the com labs.
/run_recorder_rewind 5sec_loop
/run_command_device 012_016
The pocket PC relayed the command to the implant, taking a full second to convey the instructions to server code and looping both cameras. Toss checked his watch. Four seconds to go./run_command_device 012_016
"Yes!" he whispered. Now to get to someplace safe and watch over the action.
Just as that thought hit him, Ross looked up to see five prefects in dark clothes running to surround him.
Ceri's blog extract
*shakes head in embarrassment* Ross.
posted by Eli James at 9:46 pm
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