reception. So long as Conâs mesmerism bit worked, the doorman could spy the Moscow State Circus breaking into the penthouse and not bat an eye. That just left the buildingâs roaming security guard, but Con could take care of him one way or another while Patch and Motti got on with the job in hand.
âYou all right, Mot?â Patch asked quietly. âYou been kind of quiet lately.â
He didnât look round. âIâm fine.â
âWorried about Tye?â
âAnd about Coldhardt,â Motti admitted. âHe ainât exactly breaking his balls to get her back, is he? This swordâs all he cares about. Iâm thinking, what if it was one of us? How much do
any
of us count with him?â
Patch frowned. âHe cares about us! âCourse he does!â
âSure. Itâs all a nice, cosy game of happy families.â
At that moment, Con re-emerged and stuck her slender thumb up. Nervously, Patch followed Motti into the building to join her. All together they took thelift up to the top floor, where Patch took his lock-pick tools from out of his false eye.
âDo your thing,â said Con as the lift doors opened on to the penthouse approach. âThe guard is on the third floor, heâs working his way up. Iâll meet him on the fourth and talk him out of going any further.â
âGot it,â said Motti, and breezed off to study the door to the penthouse.
âTake care,â Con told them as the lift doors closed again.
âSo whatâve we got?â Patch asked.
âIâm guessing a sensor in the side of the door. If the door opens, the switch tells the alarm to prime itself. And when that happens weâve got, what, fifteen seconds tops to stop the alarms going.â Motti glanced behind him at the door to the penthouse opposite. âMaybe less if Bozo and Bozo through there stick their broken noses in.â
Patch was already working the lock, teasing the tumblers into turning his way. âSo itâs E-bomb time?â
âRisky, but we ainât got no choice.â Motti had taken a small metal drum about the size of his palm from his pocket. It emitted a powerful electro-magnetic pulse; enough high-powered microwaves to completely screw the electrics of anything in the area while leaving everything else intact. Trouble was, you couldnât really aim an E-bomb â they just went off and took out anything electronic within range. The one in Mottiâs hand was a titch, but it could still easily take out the whole top floor â not to mention their mobiles, the bit-buster, all their gadgets â¦
Patch got to work on the doorâs lock and wasrewarded just a few seconds later with a quiet click. His hand closed on the door handle. âReady?â
âLook out, alarm,â muttered Motti, priming the E-bomb. âGot ten gigawatts coming up your ass.â
Patch threw open the door, and Motti pushed through into the penthouse, activating the device. The alarm didnât make a sound â but the lights in the hallway clicked off in an instant. Patch checked his digital watch as he followed Motti inside. It was dead.
âRight,â said Motti softly, âletâs hope everyone else in the place thinks itâs just a power cut and waits nice and quietly inside for the juice to turn back on.â He pulled out a solar-powered torch and was soon pulling paintings off the living-room wall, looking for a hidden safe.
Patch produced his own torch and started searching the white and minimalist master bedroom. He had a quick poke around in the slatted wardrobes. âFound the safe!â he hissed. It was large. Easily large enough to hold a sword.
Motti was beside him in a second. âCan you crack it?â
âDial combination lock with key-change capability,â Patch muttered. âIn other words, if you wanna change the combination, you need a special key from the manufacturer.
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