The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2600 by Angharad Copyright© 2015 Angharad

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This is a work of fiction any mention of real people, places or institutions is purely coincidental and does not imply that they are as suggested in the story.
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Against everyone’s advice the next morning Allie and I drove to London. I drove at my insistence leaving Allie to ride shotgun, which I thought gave her greater opportunity to spot any potential attackers. I didn’t know why I drove, because I hate driving in London. It was bad enough in Portsmouth or Southampton. The only reason I could think was that I needed to assert control over something. It was my car—I drove. Silly, childish and possibly lethal, but I drove, using sat-nav to get us there.

Allie knew her way around and suggested the odd shortcut when the traffic became heavier. We left at six to try and avoid some of it—in London on a weekday, it’s impossible. We arrived at eight and I used the underground car park and my reserved space—yeah with status comes perks—yippee.

Allie shadowed me as we walked to the lift from the car park, then on her advice we went up the stairs—after sitting so long in the car, the exercise was more beneficial. Stairs are apparently easier to defend—this paranoia stuff was really annoying me. In a lift cabin, there is no escape possible. It made sense in some ways but we were in a tall building with loads of people around us—no one would try anything here, surely not. Allie reminded me that Simon had disappeared from here less than twenty four hours earlier. I stopped protesting and continued climbing the twenty floors to my office.

When we got there I was puffing like a steam engine and extremely hot and bothered. Allie looked cool and collected. I think my body was telling me something or trying to. Sammi saw us emerge from the stair case and she shrieked and hugged me—a little tighter than my heaving lungs enjoyed. She’d stayed at the flat and had an escort to and fro from the police. There was no word on Simon or his whereabouts.

“Can you pick up anything, Mummy?” asked Sammi and Allie’s eyes widened at the epithet. “Oh, I’m adopted, I fell out with my family while at university, Cathy took me in and helped to sort out my issues, Dad—Simon, that is, supported what Mum said and did and I’ve never looked back. The bank has been a brilliant employer...”

“It must help to be part of the family who own it,” quipped Allie.

“Yeah,” said Sammi blushing.

Having recovered my breath, I was able to offer my two penn’orth. “It’s true that Si gave Sammi a chance to work here but she’s repaid the favour many times over and is an expert on cyber protection. Some days it’s only her skills who keep out the hackers and fraudsters.” Sammi blushed as I spoke but Allie nodded her understanding and apologised if she’d sounded impertinent. We told her no offence was taken.

“Are you getting anything, Mummy?” asked Sammi and Allie looked curious. “Mum can sometimes tune into us—it’s saved us several times.”

Allie nodded, “Intuition can be life saving.” Sammi nodded enthusiastically. “It can also cause you to do stupid things when you mistake it.”

“Mistake it?” Now it was Sammi’s turn to be perplexed.

“Yeah, wishful thinking.”

Sammi nodded, so I presume she understood, I know I did.

“He’s alive.” I knew that, it wasn’t wish fulfilment, he was alive.

“Get any bearing?” asked Sammi.

“Make us a cuppa, darling and I’ll try and tune into him.” I began to centre down and asked Simon and the blue energy to let me know where he was. I also asked the energy to heal and protect him.

Sammi provided drinks while I scanned the area. I felt he was close by but that was all I got and told her.

“How d’you do that?” asked Allie, “Produce the blue light?”

“I don’t produce it, the universe does. It allows me to work with it.”

“Come on, if you produce it you must control it.”

“I don’t as it only does what I want when it agrees with me.”

“What? But you’re the sentient being here—just demand what you want, surely it’s obliged to comply?”

I shook my head, “You don’t understand.”

“What’s there to understand?”

I stood up from my chair and she rose from the settee she’d been sitting on. I tossed a ball of energy to her and she flew backwards onto the settee again, landing with a bump. “How the hell did you do that?”

“You tell me.”

“You’ve got a taser,” she said quickly. Sammi laughed as she’d seen it done before. She’d even seen Trish throw one and knock Julie over.

“Did you see any leads?”

“No, you’re good.”

“Want another?”

“Don’t tell me, it’ll knock my socks off.”

“If you wish.” This time I requested the energy to do just that before lobbing it towards her. She flew backwards and her shoes went the other way, coming to rest against a desk across the office. Her socks were in her shoes.

“Jeezuz,” was all she said before picking herself up and after collecting her footwear pulled it back on.

“He’s in this building,” I said suddenly gaining an insight as the blue light exploded in Allie’s face.

“But they searched it,” protested Sammi.

“Did they?” I suddenly got a strong signal as I pressed the button to the lift.

“The stairs are safer,” advised Allie.

“You can use them then, I’m taking the lift.” So saying as the doors opened I went to step in but Allie pulled me to one side.

“If there was a gunman in there you’d be dead.”

“I knew there wasn’t.”

“How can you know that?”

“Intuition.”

“Sorry, but I don’t believe you.”

“Tough.” I stepped into the lift and she darted in behind me closely followed by Sammi.

“What happens if we have a cyber attack while you’re with us?”

“My software will keep them out for an hour at least.”

“Your software?”

“She writes her own,” I boasted as we headed up to the penthouse and Henry’s office.

“Do you?” asked Allie.

“’Fraid so,” admitted Sammi.

“You’re too pretty to be a geek.”

“Geeks come in all shapes and sizes; we don’t all wear anoraks. Mum wears those when she goes dormouse hunting.”

“Anorak!” I exclaimed loudly, “That’s a top of the range Barbour.”

“Yeah—so?” cheeked Sammi and I pretended to slap her as the doors opened and Henry stood before us.

“Ah, my favourite daughter in law,” he said embracing me affectionately. “My spies told me you were in today, I thought you might be.” I looked at him and his expression was one of worry. “No word, I’m afraid.”

“He’s here somewhere,” I asserted.

“Where? They searched everywhere.”

“Where were you when it happened?” I asked Henry.

“With me,” offered Sam, “we’d had a surge in attacks and I keep Gramps informed when we do. It peaked just before Dad went miss... You don’t think they were connected?”

“And what about your staff?” I indicated the two women sitting at computers.

“Jean came down with some reports we’d just received about attacks on Barclays and HSBC. Carol, where were you when Simon vanished?” he called to the blonde haired woman sitting closer to us.

“You asked me to sort those files for you; so I was in your office doing that I think.”

“So no one was watching the stairs?” I asked.

“The security people with their close circuit stuff, why?”

“Did the police search out there?”

“No, the door up there was locked.”

“So a locked door meant it hadn’t been used?”

“I suppose so.”

“Give me your keys,” I asked him holding out my hand and he reached in his pocket and gave them too me. I walked to the door to his suite and locked the door. I then unlocked it and walked through locking it on the other side as I went. On my return he looked totally abashed.

Using his keys I unlocked the door to the roof. “What’s up there?”

“No idea, never been up there.”

“Perhaps I should go first,” said Allie pushing past me.

We followed her into the bright but cool morning sunshine. There were foot prints in the dusty tarmac which weatherproofed the roof. We followed them towards the door which presumably led to the air conditioning unit and water tank. None of us had said a word since opening the door. A pigeon flew up almost under Allie’s nose. She froze but didn’t otherwise react. I’d have shrieked my head off.