Chapter 24

The crescent moon hung in the night sky like an all seeing eye. It was an ideal night. The little moonlight would help Dan with the task he needed to do but was still dark enough to mask the features of his face if seen.

Arriving at the warehouse he looks at his watch, the time was just after midnight. All the crew should be inside by now. This would be the point of no return. If any of the crew had second thoughts about the job, or had double-crossed him, it would show on their faces or in nervous twitches that people get when lying. When and only when he was satisfied about the crew will the job go ahead as planned.

Walking into the warehouse, he was relieved. Firstly, to see all the boys were there, secondly to see them all relaxed drinking coffee and eating biscuits.

Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he scours the face of every man in turn like a kestrel searching for its prey.

It only took him the time to empty his cup to be satisfied that nothing was of concern or seemingly out of place and decided to initiate the plan.

"Nice to see you all here relaxed and ready lads. This is how it's going to work. We have a few hours wait so get comfortable. If you have any questions since the other night, now is the time to ask"

No questions were brought forward so Dan continued.

"Ray, you and I need to go back to the man-hole near the bank"

"You are joking; I've still got the stench on me from the last time" he says screwing up his face

"Stop moaning, I'm going down again not you. Grab that box and take it to the car. I'll be with you in a minute"

With a huff, Ray picks up the box and shuffles to the car like a kid that has been told he can't have sweets.

"Saim, I need you to go to the telephone junction box at the end of the street from your firm"

"Erm okay, then what?"

"Take this"

Dan hands Saim the telephone for the diverter device.

"When you get there just press this button. It will turn it on and all incoming calls to the emergency phone will be diverted to this mobile"

"Sounds good, let's hope there are no other emergencies for them tonight"

"I don't really care, as long as I get the call that matters, that's all I'm concerned about"

"You want me to go now?"

"No rush, when you're ready. Then get yourself back here and wait with the others. I'm gonna be gone for an hour or so with Ray so see you all soon"

Heading slowly along the back roads, Ray turns into the last street to the manhole cover.

"Pull over just here" Dan motions with his hand

"Why, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just want to go through it with you. We haven't got the tent as it would look too out of place this time of the night so once I am down there you need to put the cover back on"

"Yeah okay"

"Have a wander around for fifteen minutes then come back. When I have finished I will tap on the cover. If you don't hear any tapping then come back every five minutes, you got that?"

"Fifteen minutes first then every five, got it"

Leaving the car out of sight one street away, they make their way around the corner. Walking up to the cover, they both stop and listen, searching the road for any signs of life.

The only sound that was audible was the wind whispering in lonely conversation. The deserted street seemed like a ghost town from an old horror movie.

Inserting the two poles into the cover they slowly, and as quietly as they could, lift and placed it on the ground. Step by step, once more, Dan descends into the dark cavern. His eyes water as the stench of human waste hits his senses again. Although, this time was not as bad as he knew what to expect from the last time. Balancing on the ladder, he turns to Ray.

"Pass me the box and close the cover," he whispers

"Okay, careful, you got it?"

"Got it"

"See you in fifteen or so"

Dan watches the last glint of moonlight disappear as the cover, lowered back over the hole, plunges him into complete blackness.

Flipping the switch on his torch, he takes a deep breath, and cautiously moves along the ledge. Feeling his way with his free hand, he approaches the bend in the pipe he was looking for. Placing the box on the ledge, he opens the lid. Moving a closed box to one side, he pulls out a plastic open back trailer taken from a Tonka toy lorry. Setting it down on the pipe he reaches for a harness made for a teacup dog. Adjusting the buckles and straps to make it as small as possible, he attaches it to the front of the trailer. Next, he takes out a small GPS device and with a piece of double-sided tape, sticks it to the inside of the trailer. Turning on his mobile, he activates the GPS app, pairs the device and resets the distance to zero.

Shining the torch onto his watch, he had already been there for nine minutes. With his whole body wanting to speed up, it took all his strength and concentration to hold back. The combination of nerves and excitement made his hands shake. Taking a few deep breaths, he knew he needed to be patient and steady for the next two items.

Reaching back into the box, he brings out a small remotely activated explosive device. It had to be small enough to fit into the trailer but also, big enough to do the job in hand. He just hoped his calculations were right or all the hard work would amount to nothing.