Chapter 2

The Connors sat down on the bed, Derek stayed by the door. Cameron sat down on the chair in front of the computer.

"The password was a combination of the sisters middle names and a birth date. Possibly of their first pet dog. The middle names I got from Cheri's Facebook page." She explained.

"Cool, and the dogs birth date?" John asked enthusiastically. He could learn a trick here, and wanted to learn how she had hacked in.

"I tried them all. It took a long time."

Sarah patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Cool!" she mocked.

Cameron continued. "Cheri's sister, Alice, was kidnapped some months ago. The kidnappers were blackmailing her father to change the companies direction how they directed."

"And this research would be what exactly?" Sarah felt that crawling dread forming in her stomach. She smiled at John to reassure him, though his eyes were fixed on the screen, as Cameron scrolled down the email trail.

"They used to research motors and activators, and apply them in robots for the mining industry, used in hazardous environments. Now they are building robots that can be security guards. Robots that can have offensive capability. The last email was some time back. Perhaps they have achieved their objective."

Derek had seen enough. He knew what was coming next. "I'll go get ready."

Guns, he thought, lots of guns. When you go on a trip with the Connors, you can never have too many guns.

Sarah stood up. "Derek and I will scout the place today, tonight we hit it. You two, school. And stay clear of Cheri, we don't want to raise any suspicions."

John glanced up from the PC. He was concerned for the sisters. If his mother was able to destroy the factory, there would be no need to keep the girl.

"Aren't we going to rescue the sister? She needs our help." He said.

Sarah felt troubled by this. "First the institute, then we get the girl. If we get the girl first, the father will be warned, and we have to take the factory by surprise."

Cameron swivelled towards them. "The father must be killed. With such knowledge he is a priority target."

Sarah turned to her and said very slowly and calmly. "No one needs to be killed." Then more brightly. "Now, school you two."

With a triumphant tone John turned from the PC and announced. "I've traced the emails source. It came from a PC with this IP address. The ISP records will give us the street address. A quick search says it's near here."

"School!"

"I'll text it to you later then mom"

"Now!"

------

It took over an hour to drive to the institute. The last mile passed a small lake, then rough rocky terrain into foothills. It was surrounded by a barbed wire fence, with lightening symbol plaques every 20 yards along it. There was a guard at the gate, looking down the road toward them. Face impassive behind aviator shades.

Derek turned to Sarah. "So you have a plan here?" The first words he had said for a while.

"I use my charm on the guard, and we scout around. Find out what we need for coming back later."

They pulled up to the gate, and were approached by the guard. Sarah flashed her best waitress smile.

"Hi, I'm here for the secretary vacancy?"

The guard looked into the car. Derek tried to look inconspicuous, whilst surreptitiously checking out the defences.

"No vacancies. Where do you hear of it?"

"I overheard two people talking in the diner on the way out of town. I thought I'd have a look."

This seemed safe, the guard could not check into this story. The guards gaze wandered over the car, inside and out. Then turned back to her.

"You are driving a new Dodge Ram, and you are looking for a secretary job?" Sarah returned his steady gaze with what she hoped was a friendly grin. The guard continued "There are no vacancies here. Leave."

That sounded final. Any further stalling would lead to too much suspicion.

"I must have the wrong place, Sorry to trouble you, we will be on our way."

She reversed, turned, and pulled away.

"Nice plan. Did you see the guards?" Derek said, His face less than happy as he looked at her.

"Yes, two at the gate, two at the building entrance. If he is worried about attacks from the kidnappers, he would take precautions."

Derek grimaced. "The ones near the building had 50 cal Barrett's. We use that calibre to take down the older series, even triple 8s at close range."

He paused to let that sink in. Then added. "Why do they have guns like that?"

Troubled by this, Sarah glanced at him, then back to the road as she drove them back to town.

------

It was safe to use the schools PCs to do searches. As long as he remembered to wipe the cache and history. Cameron would remind him, she never forgot.

"Got it, text mom this address will you Cam."

John had spotted Cheri passing the room and wanted to speak to her again.

"No. You may reveal our plan."

Cameron blocked his exit from the window seat, one hand tapping the phone, the other held his shoulder down. Just for a few seconds, but long enough for the opportunity to be lost.

John sighed in frustration, "Thanks a lot." He said sarcastically.

"You're welcome." She said, his tone of voice apparently wasted on her.

"We need to be at maths class in twelve minutes. You have time to eat this." Cameron held out a Snickers bar.

John took it, baffled by her motives.

"Morris gave it to me. I don't know why. You have not eaten since breakfast. You need to keep your strength up. You need to be prepared for unexpected eventualities. The wrapper is unopened. There are no puncture marks in it."

John grinned at that. "I think Morris fancies you. That's why he gave you the chocolate. People do that when they care about others. Well, seems he does anyway."

Cameron just gave him the stare.

"Eleven minutes."

------

The phone beeped with an incoming message.

"It's John." Derek said. "He has an address for us."

"Nearby?"

"Not far, lets go there. You're thinking that if we can get the girl, we can bargain to meet the dad?"

"Yep, make him an offer he can't refuse."

"You know he will call the cops right? We're both still wanted fugitives."

Sarah smiled at this, and replied. "If he calls the cops, then we know this is not skynet, so we cut and run. No cops, means it is skynet." The smile faded, "Then we cut and burn."

------

The two figures, a rough looking muscular man with killer eyes, and a lean brunette approached the apartment block and went inside. They went up a flight of stairs, checked the numbers, and found the flat they wanted. The man stood to one side, out of view of the peep-hole, while the woman rapped on the door.

"Yeah?" The voice from the other side was gruff and suspicious.

Sarah smiled seductively and fluttered her eyes. "I'm from the agency, Leroy sent me. Said you could use some fun."

A pause, then the voice came back hesitantly. "I don't know no Leroy. You got the wrong flat, go away."

Derek sighed, and muttering under his breath, took a step back, then slammed his shoulder into the door. The wooden frame splintered around the deadlock and chain. The door flung back on it's hinges, cracking into the occupant, who fell back into the room. Sarah closed the door behind them as they entered the room. Wedging it with a chair.

A few minutes of searching later Derek called out. "Here's his PC. And it's been left logged into an email account. Could not be easier. " He scanned the emails, without finding what he was looking for. He turned to Sarah and shook his head.

Sarah looked at the man, average height, mid 40s, very scared, and looking lost sitting on the floor.

"You got a search warrant?" He stuttered.

Sarah smiled. "I don't think you understand. We're not cops. We're here to find where the girl is. And we are not going to leave until you tell us what you know."

She bent down closer to his face. "And if it turns out you don't know where she is? Well, you wont be telling the cops anything. I can promise you that."

Derek said. "We could call. You-know. Thing. Then he'd talk."

Sarah was suddenly angry, and in a steely voice. "I don't need that bitch. He will talk."

She grabbed the man by the chin, raised his face to hers. She pulled out the lock knife and flicked it open. Held the point just below his eye. And gently pressed.

"Won't you."

And in that moment he realised that he was going to tell them everything.

------

John was looking through the notices on the board. Would his mother let him join football practice or something? He needed some kind of sport, already he could tell he was losing the muscles and fitness he had built up before. Throwing ball with Derek was good fun, when he was not too busy. Maybe mom would let him if Cameron was there to shield him. Yeah right! Soccer, judo. He would sound her out, she had to give in to something.

A pretty blonde girl had approached them, John turned to face here, but she was looking at Cameron.

"Say, Hi there. I'm Abbi from the cheerleaders. What s your name? We are holding trials next Thursday, we need some more, and you do kind of look the part, want to give it a go? Have you done any sort of gymnastics? Or dancing? You've got the face and build for it. And. Well......"

Her voice tailed off as Cameron gazed back at her. The hazel-brown eyes, boring into her.

"My name is Cameron. No. No. Yes."

"Err, right... So next Thursday then? Maybe... Cya later." She gave a nervous giggle, smiled and moved away quickly.

"I think we may need to work on a few things." John said helpfully.

"I would not make a good cheerleader."

"That's not what I meant. But we'd better get going, don't want to worry mom."

------

To John's surprise, his mom was with Derek in the car when they left the school.

"So how did it go?" John asked.

Sarah turned to them. "Well, the institute may be tougher than we thought. But we know where the girl is, getting her out should be easy enough. We do that later tonight, it does not open till later. For now we go home, eat and get ready. Might be a late night for you, lucky tomorrow's not a school day."

"Where we going to?" John asked.

Sarah explained. "The man we spoke to was contacted by email and phone. He was paid to kidnap the girl, which he did, not being told why. He held onto her for several weeks. When he got concerned that he may be caught, he sold her on to a gang. Getting paid twice for one job."

"So what's the plan?" John asked.

"We get the girl back. Then hand her over, her father will be grateful. We explain we are bounty hunters, and he will pay us. That will get us close to him, so we can find out what he's up to, and if it is dangerous we can stop him." Sarah shifted her gaze to Cameron. "He will be reasonable, there is no need for us to hurt him." Cameron stared back in that unsettling manner.

Derek pulled the car out, and they headed off down the road.