surveillance.
A camera mounted on the building’s upper-left corner pointed straight at the back door. A novice would avoid the back door and break in the side window because of that camera. Wrong decision. Everything’s about illusion in this business. A mere breath, change in temperature, or slight touch on that window would immediately set off the alarm.
“Any other night I’d go in that window,” Wirenut whispered. “For the sheer challenge of it.”
“Don’t get sidetracked,” I warned. But I totally understood. Nothing felt more satisfying than cracking a system no one had ever broken. The only difference was I had to have a reason. Wirenut would do it just to do it.
He shook his head. “Not tonight.”
Twenty feet of warm night air separated us from the mounted camera. Wirenut pulled out a piece of bamboo. He rolled some putty, pushed it into the end of the bamboo, then peered downthe length. He sucked in a breath, held it to his lips, and blew.
The putty whistled through the air and splatted right on the camera lens.
My jaw dropped. Wow. “You need to teach me that.”
He grinned.
Pulling our hoods down over our faces, we sprinted from the cemetery through the museum’s backyard and halted at the rear door.
Wirenut peeled down the right-index-finger portion of his leather glove. Placing the tip of his finger on the steel door, he closed his eyes and counted.
His eyes shot open. “Water pulse,” he whispered.
I blinked. Water pulse?
“I didn’t expect that. Nobody’s ever penetrated a water-rigged security system. I’ve studied all about it. It came out after I joined the Specialists. Otherwise, I would’ve already tackled it and proven it faulty.”
Of course.
“Can you do it?” I had no doubt he could.
He rolled his eyes. “Please. Give me a second.”
Slowly, he rubbed his hands together. His gaze focused on nothing in particular as he drifted into deep thought.
“One wrong move, and the entire museum locks down. The building will flood with water stored in oversize pipes in the walls, trapping us and the display pieces. But the display items are protected. We’ll drown.”
We'll drown? Wait a minute…
“Pretty nifty security idea.”
I don’t think it’s too nifty we’re going to drown.
“Too bad I’ll have to be the first to prove it faulty.”
He’d better prove it faulty.
Wirenut reached for his tool pouch. “Okay, think. A building rigged with water will have 1009 proc-gauge wiring. Plastic-coated. It’ll be charged by aluminum cantver currents. The water and electricity will flow together, not against each other. Any sort of contact between the two will spark the release. So as long as there’s continuous motion of the two, the system will be fooled.”
He sounds like he knows what he’s doing.
“Let’s see.” He touched the tip of his finger to the door again and held it steady while he counted. He moved it up a fraction, held, counted. He slid it down, held, counted. “A five-second lead interrupts the inch intervals. Which means five-inch segments of black electrical tape, separated by five inches of space, connected by five thicknesses proc-gauge wire will do the trick.”
He winked at me. “No problem. What is it with the number five? The crown has five points, too.”
“They got a little theme going here.”
He took a roll of wire and electrical tape from his vest. He tore off segments of tape, stretched the wire across the door, and then secured the wire at exactly spaced intervals. As he smoothed down the last piece of tape, he gave me a confident nod.
A few seconds later, the door clicked, and Wirenut smiled.
Boy, he’s good.
He opened the door, we quickly scooted inside, and it closed behind us with a click.
He glanced back. “Wasn’t expecting that. Five seconds to get in before everything locks down.”
“Good thing we’re quick.”
He did his victory shoulder-roll dance, and I shook my head at his silliness.
“Okay,
A camera mounted on the building’s upper-left corner pointed straight at the back door. A novice would avoid the back door and break in the side window because of that camera. Wrong decision. Everything’s about illusion in this business. A mere breath, change in temperature, or slight touch on that window would immediately set off the alarm.
“Any other night I’d go in that window,” Wirenut whispered. “For the sheer challenge of it.”
“Don’t get sidetracked,” I warned. But I totally understood. Nothing felt more satisfying than cracking a system no one had ever broken. The only difference was I had to have a reason. Wirenut would do it just to do it.
He shook his head. “Not tonight.”
Twenty feet of warm night air separated us from the mounted camera. Wirenut pulled out a piece of bamboo. He rolled some putty, pushed it into the end of the bamboo, then peered downthe length. He sucked in a breath, held it to his lips, and blew.
The putty whistled through the air and splatted right on the camera lens.
My jaw dropped. Wow. “You need to teach me that.”
He grinned.
Pulling our hoods down over our faces, we sprinted from the cemetery through the museum’s backyard and halted at the rear door.
Wirenut peeled down the right-index-finger portion of his leather glove. Placing the tip of his finger on the steel door, he closed his eyes and counted.
His eyes shot open. “Water pulse,” he whispered.
I blinked. Water pulse?
“I didn’t expect that. Nobody’s ever penetrated a water-rigged security system. I’ve studied all about it. It came out after I joined the Specialists. Otherwise, I would’ve already tackled it and proven it faulty.”
Of course.
“Can you do it?” I had no doubt he could.
He rolled his eyes. “Please. Give me a second.”
Slowly, he rubbed his hands together. His gaze focused on nothing in particular as he drifted into deep thought.
“One wrong move, and the entire museum locks down. The building will flood with water stored in oversize pipes in the walls, trapping us and the display pieces. But the display items are protected. We’ll drown.”
We'll drown? Wait a minute…
“Pretty nifty security idea.”
I don’t think it’s too nifty we’re going to drown.
“Too bad I’ll have to be the first to prove it faulty.”
He’d better prove it faulty.
Wirenut reached for his tool pouch. “Okay, think. A building rigged with water will have 1009 proc-gauge wiring. Plastic-coated. It’ll be charged by aluminum cantver currents. The water and electricity will flow together, not against each other. Any sort of contact between the two will spark the release. So as long as there’s continuous motion of the two, the system will be fooled.”
He sounds like he knows what he’s doing.
“Let’s see.” He touched the tip of his finger to the door again and held it steady while he counted. He moved it up a fraction, held, counted. He slid it down, held, counted. “A five-second lead interrupts the inch intervals. Which means five-inch segments of black electrical tape, separated by five inches of space, connected by five thicknesses proc-gauge wire will do the trick.”
He winked at me. “No problem. What is it with the number five? The crown has five points, too.”
“They got a little theme going here.”
He took a roll of wire and electrical tape from his vest. He tore off segments of tape, stretched the wire across the door, and then secured the wire at exactly spaced intervals. As he smoothed down the last piece of tape, he gave me a confident nod.
A few seconds later, the door clicked, and Wirenut smiled.
Boy, he’s good.
He opened the door, we quickly scooted inside, and it closed behind us with a click.
He glanced back. “Wasn’t expecting that. Five seconds to get in before everything locks down.”
“Good thing we’re quick.”
He did his victory shoulder-roll dance, and I shook my head at his silliness.
“Okay,
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