I am so sorry this chapter has taken so long! I had something unexpected happen irl causing me to lose my mojo for a bit. Things have finally settled so I'll try and update more frequently again now.
John's slender fingers danced across the keyboard. After twenty minutes of struggling on the computer, he'd finally managed to hack into his teacher's account and was now looking for the security cameras. He knew they were available on the system somewhere, it was just a question of locating them. Pausing momentarily in thought, John gently tapped his index finger on the side of the keyboard. He was trying not to clog up his brain with worried thoughts about his brothers.
He needed to stay focused.
It's not like Scott and Virgil are relying on me or anything. came an unhelpful thought.
A stream of data rolled down the computer screen and John scanned it closely, eyes burning under the strain of the bright window. A large gasp broke out of his throat when he found what he needed. After inputting a few more calculations, several black and white closed-circuit television screens popped up onto the computer.
Letting out a sigh of relief and leaning back on his chair, John leant back into the computer screen to see if he could see anything important. He flicked from the outside cameras to the corridor cameras and office cameras. Everywhere was empty. Empty and silent. He flicked through some of the upper room cameras and gasped when he caught sight of a rogue man holding a large rifle walking down one of the corridors. The man seemed to be wearing a black ski mask and outfit. John frowned and clicked on the second corridor camera as the man left his line of sight to find nothing. He then moved onto the cafeteria camera and was almost blown away by how crowded the room was. There were students everywhere. Seeing the gunmen standing around them, John came to a quick conclusion.
They were being held hostage.
"Oh smeg." John exhaled deeply. This meant he was the only person who had a chance of saving them.
Wonderful.
Daunted by his responsibility, John sighed. He snapped himself out of his growing panic and examined the students to find his siblings, not finding them. If Scott and Virgil were there, they were out of shot. Getting an idea, John rummaged around in his bag before pulling out his earphones. He plugged them into the audio jack and fully turned up the volume, seeing if the cameras recorded sound. Despite being turned all the way up, the audio was very faint. He watched carefully as the lead gunman spoke to the cohort, apparently waggling his gun around to intimidate them. John could see he was upsetting the students. He went to zoom the image but accidently knocked it, switching the cameras around. The image changed, morphing into a bird's eye view of the sports hall.
John's eyes widened. He could see Scott. He recognized his brother instantly among the sea of other students. His older brother had been herded against the wall with his fellow classmates. Their hands were behind their backs but thankfully all were unharmed. He zoomed in the image to see the unconscious teachers. He gulped, regretting thinking too soon. John focused the image on his brother. Scott looked bored, if anything. John felt his mouth crawl up into a small smile. It was just like Scott to remain unbothered by a freaking terrorist attack. He was so brave.
"Feeling brave, aren't we, kiddos?"
John jumped violently. This camera had audio! He turned down the volume as not to invoke another heart attack.
"So I ask again. Where is Scott Carpenter Tracy?"
John's heart stopped. It took him a moment to recover before he was able to bring himself to look at the screen again. Why were they looking for Scott?
It hit him hard.
They were the sons of a billionaire.
"Oh my god."
John reeled in shock. That meant they'd be after Virgil. And HIM. They were after him!
Trying not to make any sudden movements that would give his position away, John gently sank back into his chair, keeping as still as possible. What was he supposed to do now? What COULD he do? He was as trapped as his brothers were! He bit his lip and hovered his hand over the computer mouse, gently clicking it so it returned the image to the cafeteria. He needed to find Virgil. He had to know he was safe.
John watched the silent screen for a while. Nothing seemed to be happening until the students in the front row appeared disturbed by something off-screen, the gunman charging towards the commotion. John's heart somersaulted in his chest. He couldn't see what was happening. He needed to know!
After a few moments he received his answer.
The blonde could only watch on in horror as the gunman walked back into the frame of the camera shot, dragging a struggling teenager.
It was Virgil.