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Adam was preparing to leave. It had been a strange day after the meeting with Matt and then Joe’s outbursts. He felt like he needed some beers to help him unwind. He shrugged on his jacket and pushed his chair under his table but the castor caught on something on the floor. He looked down and noticed it was Joe’s wallet. He had the desk adjacent to Adam’s and in his haste, he must have let it fall out of his jacket. Adam had a quick look inside and it had all his credit cards, driving licence and his train ticket for this evening. Adam looked at the time. It was approaching 6 p.m. and Joe said his train was just before seven. Providing the traffic wasn’t too bad he should be able to get around to his house and reunite him with his wallet. He tried to phone him but the voicemail cut in immediately. Adam left a message and jogged along the corridor and out of the building towards his car.
***
Joe was in a rush as his bus back home had got stuck in traffic. He’d alighted a few stops earlier and had run back to his house. He’d quickly got changed but now in his anxious state he found himself just as hot and sweaty He’d noticed the call from Adam whilst he was collecting everything together but had ignored it as he was the last person he wanted to speak to just at that minute. He could listen to the message on the train.
Finally, he was ready to leave. He grabbed a can of coke from the fridge. Checked his rucksack for the umpteenth time, scanned his room and walked down the stairs and out on to the road. He had around twenty minutes to get to the station which should be ample.
He suddenly remembered he hadn’t checked he had his ticket. He reached into his pocket for his wallet and froze. Where was his wallet? He’d looked at it several times during the day but now he couldn’t find it. He was in turmoil. This could not be happening. He had no ticket and no money to buy another one. What could he do? His housemates hadn’t yet returned from work so there was no way of borrowing any money from them. He wondered whether there was any money in the kitchen. They each put in ten pounds a week to cover the cost of communal items for the house. He would have to raid that. His anger was now at fever pitch, despite all his checking he’d been careless. He found his key and went back towards the front door.
He heard a car horn beeping and automatically turned around to see who it was. He recognised the red Audi which had just pulled up outside his house. It was Adam who jumped out of the car and was waving something at him.
‘Hi, mate, you dropped your wallet! I’m so glad I caught you.’
‘Oh, thanks, Adam,’ said Joe, relieved and agitated at the same time. ‘That’s great. I’d just realised I’d left it at uni.’
‘Well, you wouldn’t have got very far without it,’ said Adam. ‘What time’s your train?’
‘Just before seven,’ said Joe beginning to walk down the road.
‘I’ll give you a lift. Come on, jump in!’
‘No, it’s OK, I’ll walk.’
‘You’re cutting it a bit fine. It’s no trouble. Don’t be silly, get in.’
Joe realised that he was making a fool of himself. He returned to the car and climbed in.
‘Put your bag on the back seat, you’ll have more room,’ said Adam.
‘It’s OK, I’m in now,’ said Joe and he fastened his seatbelt. The rucksack was to the side of his legs next to the door.
They set off and joined the stream of traffic making its way through the town centre. Just as they approached some traffic lights they changed to red and the car in front stopped.’
‘Shit, I thought he could have gone through then, these lights are a pain there’s always a long wait.’
It was a warm evening and as the car had been parked in the sun all day the air-conditioning hadn’t really had much of an effect on the internal temperature of the car. Adam began to smell something. It had the characteristic smell of solvent, acetone in particular.
‘Can you smell acetone?’ he asked Joe.
‘No, why?’
‘I can smell it really strongly. Did you spill some on your trainers?’
‘No, of course not, I can’t smell anything.’
Adam leant forward. ‘It’s coming from your rucksack! What have you got in there?’
A wave of fear washed over Joe. This was not what he had planned. Adam was glaring at him intensely. He could almost see the brain cells working inside his skull. What should he do? His plan was in tatters. He had failed miserably. He was sure that Adam was beginning to work out what was happening.
At the same instant, Adam’s brain was processing the information before him. There could be only one reason why someone would have a rucksack smelling of acetone. He thought about Joe’s feeble excuse about not bringing his things with him so he could go straight to the station. But was this really possible? Why on earth would Joe have a bomb? The situation was completely surreal. There must be some mistake.
Before he had a chance to say or think about anything else. Joe produced a knife.
‘Get out of the car! Now! Leave the keys and get out!’
The lights had changed. Horns were beeping. Adam obeyed and Joe slid over to the driver’s seat. He pulled away leaving Adam standing in the middle of the road unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Adam crossed the lanes of traffic to the safety of the pavement. He pulled out his mobile and dialled 999.
‘Police! My car has been hijacked by someone called Joe Blackstone. I think he’s got a bomb in his rucksack!’
‘Slow down sir. Please give me your name.’
‘Adam Newman. He’s driving through the centre of Persford in my car! He’s got a bomb! Did you hear me! You’ve got to stop him!’
‘What car is it?’
‘It’s a red Audi A1. Registration..er, hang on...’ Adam was in such a state he could hardly remember his own registration number. ‘It’s LK65 HJB, no wait it’s HBJ. Sorry, I’m in shock.’
The operator read back the details he’d given and Adam confirmed it was correct.
‘Where did he steal the car from you?’
‘At the traffic lights on London Road, I was heading to the station but he must be going somewhere else now. He went in the direction of Quayside I think but I can’t see him now.’
‘And you say he’s got a bomb in a rucksack?’
‘Yes, we work in a laboratory at the university. He would have had the means to take stuff from there for a bomb. I don’t understand why. But he’s got a rucksack and it stinks of solvent!’
‘I’ve alerted all units. We will phone you back. Stay where you are. We will need you to explain to them your suspicions. Please do not make any calls on your mobile. They will need to contact you.’
‘OK. Thanks.’
Adam felt sick. He didn’t care about his car but if Joe had really assembled a bomb and it was what he thought it was then he could really do some damage with it. He cursed himself. Why hadn’t he suspected him earlier? But what grounds did he have? Hindsight was a wonderful thing. Everything was a complete muddle in his head. He suddenly felt dizzy and staggered over to a bench on the pavement. Although he wasn’t religious he actually prayed that he could be intercepted before anyone got hurt.
**
Joe was driving erratically. He wasn’t used to the car and the seat was a bit too far back for him as Adam was taller. He hadn’t time to stop and adjust it though. He could already hear the sirens and he had no idea which way they might approach. His mission had been to target a mosque in the evening when the worshippers emerged from prayers at the end of Ramadan but now it wasn’t possible. There was no way he could get on a train. Besides the rucksack was too smelly and would be detected. What could he do? He was certain to be caught and then he would have failed. If he was going to be charged with terrorist offences then he would make sure he used his weapon on something.
He overtook a car and drove along the wrong side of the road towards some oncoming traffic. Horns blared and flashed their headlights at him but he continued. He mounted the pavement to get around some queuing traffic and clipped a litter bin. He ignored a red light and miraculously made it across the junction. He was fired up, running on adrenaline and determined that for once he would make his mark.
Joe thought about his life. He had always felt it had been mediocre. He had tried his best but he didn’t really seem to be shining in his chosen career. Everything he had achieved had been a struggle whereas other people had things handed to them on a plate. He had always lacked confidence. Stretching before him were years of the same mediocrity. His life felt pointless and his only motivation recently had been the comradeship he’d enjoyed with his like-minded friends he’d met online. For once he felt he’d had a purpose in life. He’d enjoyed the thrill of it and the praise they’d showered on him. He was useful to them and they appreciated him.
A thought occurred to him. There was a legitimate target much closer than London. Something like this would shake up sleepy Persford which enjoyed a privileged and cosy existence. The old MOD housing had been given to immigrants who had no right to be in the UK. They got benefits to live there whilst others struggled. Warrior had talked about this at length when they had met up.
‘Ha!’ he cried out. ‘I’ll teach you bastards!’
He turned on to Westway and headed out of the town towards the old barracks. Now he could really put his foot down and Adam’s car accelerated with ease. He touched seventy miles per hour as he overtook two cars then cut in front of one of them. He was only about a mile away now. Not long. His goal was in reach. He would pull up when he saw a group of people, throw the rucksack out of the car, drive a distance away and detonate it as instructed.
**
Adam had put his head between his knees and that had helped the blood pump back to his brain. A concerned passer-by, a middle-aged lady had stopped and asked if he was OK. She had kindly offered him a bottle of water from her bag and that had helped. They were chatting as a police car pulled up and he realised they were looking for him so he stood and said goodbye to the helpful member of the public.
‘Adam Newman?’ said the uniformed officer.
‘Yes.’
‘Are you OK sir? You look rather pale.’
‘I’m feeling a bit dizzy but someone gave me some water.’
‘We’d like you to come to the station and we’ll get someone to check you over. You might need treatment for shock. Also we will need you to speak to an officer from counter-terrorism.’
‘OK, of course, whatever you need me to do.’ Adam was ushered into the back of the police car.
‘Have you caught him yet?’ he asked anxiously.
‘Not yet, sir, but we have all units looking for him. He’ll have been spotted on traffic cameras. We’ll find him.’
‘I just wish I’d realised what he was planning.’
‘We will take a full statement from you, sir.’
The car pulled into the flow of traffic and Adam tried to steady his breathing.
**
Joe had now entered the old MOD site. He didn’t have long as he thought he had spotted a police car’s flashing lights in the distance as he turned off the main road. He passed some rows of houses but as it was early evening there weren’t that many people around. He drove around the winding roads looking for a suitable target. Towards the centre of the complex, he saw some larger buildings. Outside one was a sign saying Community Centre and to his delight, he saw a few people making their way towards it.
He felt like whooping with delight. This would have to do. It was nowhere near on the scale of the attack he had planned or more accurately had been planned for him by his masters but it was better than nothing. He pushed the button on the electric window on the driver’s door so he could lob the rucksack through it. He slowed his speed to around ten miles per hour and reached for the bomb. He pulled it but it was caught.
‘Shit, Fuck!’ he shouted trying to free it but one of the straps must have got jammed in the door when he got in outside his house. Adam had got out of the driver’s door and he had slid across so the passenger door had never been opened. He tried to lean across to open the door but he couldn’t reach. It was hopeless. What could he do?
By now the crowd outside the community centre had started to look around at the car which was travelling slowly. Fear spread over their faces. It was if they could sense something was awry. People began to back away. Joe realised he’d been spotted. Should he get out of the car and release the strap? He looked in his mirror in the direction of the sirens. Several police cars were approaching at speed. This was it. The showdown. There was only a split second to decide. Joe turned the car to face the building and pressed his foot flat to the floor. If he couldn’t use his bomb he could run over a couple of people.
The wheels on the car spun and it headed towards the building at speed. However, the group had already dispersed and the half dozen screaming people threw themselves to the ground. Some people were paralysed with fear and unable to react. The Audi hit them with speed, jettisoning them into the air and continuing on its path into the front of the wooden community centre.
The airbag inflated engulfing Joe who was momentarily stunned. Part of the wooden structure disintegrated and the door came to rest on the bonnet of the Audi. Police cars screeched to a halt and officers were alighting from their vehicles when there was an explosion. Joe’s bomb had detonated with the shock of the impact. The doors of the car blew open, glass shattered and sprayed over the prostrate figures. The interior of the car caught fire and the flames began to lick the outside of the metal body. Police stood stock still, speaking into their radios and summoning further assistance. They began to drag the petrified victims away to safety as the car’s petrol tank caught fire and exploded. Carnage lay all around and in the aftermath would come the grim task of assessing the full scale of the destruction. For the moment there was screaming and the roar of the flames. The fire from the explosion claimed its creator. Joe’s reign of terror had been short but deadly.
