It was three weeks before my 16th birthday that I finally had everything sorted. Joe Solomon, my father, was information without a face. He was the covert Operations teacher at Blackthrone. It was a school for boys who trained to kill. I was better.
There were times to be discrete, this was one of them. I had to travel light. I packed a simple black back pack. It held three days worth of clothes, food, water bottle, laptop, phone (4g enabled),fake documents (I would assume the identity of Carri Thompson), necessary toiletries and the blue prints of Blackthorne.
I left early Monday morning. Speed was my main priority. I had a 10hr ride ahead of me. Of the bikes I owned the BWM S 1000 was my favourite. The tri tone black, red and silver made this bike beautiful. I was wearing all black. I kicked the bike to life and sped out of the driveway, the morning sunrise breathtaking. I would be following the coast road all the way to Blackthrone.
After 10 hours I was exhausted. But I needed the cover of night. Basic training kicked in. Not going to lie the two Mother energy drinks I just downed were starting to kick in. Infiltration was methodical. Remember the steps. You stay alive.
Step one. Locate entry point: there was a weak stop in the side fence. No camera's in site. No motion detection equipment. Flood lights were turned off. This side was abandoned.
Step two: Once on premises scout. Identify cameras, buildings, always have an escape route! It was a kilometre run to the first building. Main use, gym. I finally make it to the main building. The blue prints identified class rooms, dorm rooms, kitchen and dining hall on the first three levels. The teacher's offices and bed rooms were located on the fourth. That's where I was heading.
I was glad I made the decision to leave the backpack behind. Traveling light made these missions easy. The stretch thick full length tights and figure hugging black t shirt allowed for several knives to be strapped to my body. I had four hidden in my combat boots, one strapped to each fore arm. Four strapped to each thigh. There was a decorative knife hidden in my hair, disguised as a clip, and two hidden in the waste of my pants, finally the last was in the nape of my back.
My plan? Find Joe Solomon's office and wait. I was an entry way in. A side exit that lead through the kitchen, up an old servant's corridor, through the dorm hallways and finally exiting a final staircase to the fourth floor. Hours spent examining the blue prints identified this as the safest entry point. I slipped in. The shadows hugging me, protection embracing me as I lightly made my way through the sleeping halls of Blackthrone.
So what changed my calculated plan? Night drills did.
WOOP WOOOP WOOOP WOOOP the alarm sounded through the hallways. Suddenly boys start running. I had already reached the level with the dorms. If I didn't move quickly I would be spotted. Right now I was truly going to put my thigh muscles to the test. I free climbed between an indentations of two walls. Pushing one foot opposite the next I was spread out like a frog. Thanking the common sense to bring thick grip shoes. Hidden in my corner above all the boys' heads I watched as the sleep deprived half dressed boys marched double pace out of their dorms.
His voice. I never knew it until that moment.
"MOVE MOVE MOVE"
"YES SIR" the boys chorused.
"GOODE FASTER. MOVE BOYS MOVE"
"YES SOLOMON SIR" was the shouted reply.
Solomon. I nearly dropped from my perch. Three months of looking, gathering information, hacking CIA and other agencies. I laid eyes on him. My father was 10m down the hallway yelling. In full teacher mode. My father. I froze.
Quickly the passage ways emptied. All the boys were lined in rows out the front of the main building. I watched from the shadows. Some were as young as 12 others nearly 18. And then his voice made my stomach drop.
"I has been detected that a student was out of bed after hours. Before the whole cohort is punished for misbehaviour I am giving the student the change to own up."
Had I been detected? What security system did they have installed that I could not detect anything? Solomon believed it was a student. I was safe for now.
"Sir" A small voice piped up" He looked to be around 16. "There is one student left inside and Sir they are on the bottom floor."
Shit, Fuck, bloody hell. This just repeated though my head. I was caught unaware. I could see Solomon's mind turning over.
"GOODE" he shouted. "Since you were the last out of bed your year shall track and retrieve the student still inside. I expect this within 10 minutes. Your time starts NOW"
What could I do? I ran. I was quick. The passage ways were dark. My blue prints were wrong. I made wrong turn after wrong turn. I could hear them clearing the floors as I ran. They knew I was on the upper levels. I didn't want to think of the punishment I would receive for breaking in to Blackthorne. I was a little afraid of the punishment 50 sleep deprived 16 yr old teenage boys would dish out. Something caught my eye. Solomon's office. J SOLOMON was printed clearly across the office door. I entered hoping for a window, a hiding place, anything.
"Last floor. Where can he be? Oi GOODE, think Jonas's system glitched?"
"No. Keep searching or its drills for us all." Another boys voice called out.
"Solomon's office? Would he dare?" Another voice shouted
"Up to you Grant. Check at your own risk." Deciding this was Goode who replied
"Narh Goode I'll leave that one for you" The guy named grant called out
"All floors are cleared. Nothing. Now what? Goode?"
"We run drills Grant." Was Goode's simple response.
I heard murmurs of dislike to this as the building emptied. I silently followed them part way down. I found a vantage point that allowed me to see Solomon. Goode's class returned to Solomon and waited for orderes. The other year groups were already running drills. Goode's group looked like they were going to get slaughtered. Solomon was shouting. Fuming, frothing at the mouth. He pointed towards the other groups and stormed inside. I just sat watching. Solomon was on the second floor, third floor, nearly in line with me.
"Hello Solomon" I stood up. He saw the shadows move
Taken aback Solomon stared as I moved towards the light. He saw me for the first time in many years.
"Abby was my mother. Matthew was my adoptive father. You are my biological father. I was the person who tripped the security system just now. I wished to see your face. To know what the other half of me looked like."
"Cameron?"
"Yes."
"You are trespassing on private property. "
"I am your daughter and that is all you have to say to me?"
"I cannot prove you are Cameron" He snarled advancing towards me. "I have been deceived before"
Always have an escape route. I leaped off the banister lading on the third floor. Rolled. He was in fast pursuit. The large double doors were my main focus. Run fast, run hard, make it to the fence. Home free. I was fast build for stamina. He had an army of teens.
"GOODE CATCH THAT GIRL"
Suddenly the 50 boys sent to search for me turned around Goode locking eyes with me. They were piercing, hard, calculating, such a depth of green. I had failed. There was no exit strategy. Solomon was advancing with the grace of a hardened killer from behind. The group of teen advancing from in front. I pulled out two knives flipping them so I held the still sheathed blade. I wasn't here to kill. Just escape. I was going to fight the oncoming wave of attackers.
Right arm out knock out blow to the temple. One down. Dodge right, left arm out hit to the stomach. Dodge left. Both arms out backwards hits into the kidneys, take three steps forwards. One hand grabs my arm. Using both feet I jump into a summersault over the person sending a backwards hit into the skull of my assailant. I realise my mistake. 10 down, the strongest are still standing. I was surrounded. I feel my arms being bound. Zip ties nearly cutting off circulation. I am marched inside, down a hall and into an intimidating room.
The walls were white, the floors hard wood timber but lying around the desks were tools and devices I recognised. There were generations and generations of torture devices littering the room. The boys dumped my in a chair. More zip ties. Wrists bound the arms of the chair. Ankles bound to the legs. I looked up and stared at my captors. They all looked annoyed, angry and ready to kill. Then Solomon walked in.
