Day of Vengeance Read Online Free Page B

another few training hours to go. Paying for it is another matter, though.”
    “I’m sure VIGIL will loan you some cash, you know, for services rendered,” Jack said, smiling.
    Angus looked up and waved his spoon in the air. “You know what, that is a VERY good idea. We should be paid. After all, VIGIL can’t possibly have any problem with cash…”
    “No problem at all… if they get a bit short, they can just time travel to the vaults of the Bank of England and pick up a gold bar or two…”
    Angus gazed into space, contemplating the exciting possibilities that time travel might offer for financial remuneration. “Imagine that… sometimes I think our Revisionist friends might have the right idea…”
    “Sadly, I don’t think they’re in it for money… they have other reasons… like changing the world.”
    Angus turned back from the toast, sat down and started to slurp his soup.
    “That’s gross by the way,” Jack said.
    “Efficient though. Mind you, I’ll tell you something,” Angus wiped his mouth. “I like how VIGIL keep coming up with cool stuff…”
    “They haven’t got a choice… the Revisionists are still out there… they never found Pendelshape. In theory they could strike again. VIGIL need to keep on their toes; keep innovating.”
    “Right.” Angus did not seem interested in Jack’s point. “Like, have you checked out the new iPhone thing they’ve dished out to us all?” Angus pulled an iPhone from his pocket and started to slide his finger around on the screen. “So it looks like a normal iPhone and it’s a mobile with apps and stuff, but then you put in the special code and it turns all VIGIL and you can access all these cool VIGIL apps…”
    Jack rolled his eyes, “Yes – I was in the same training session… and remember, it’s not just for cool apps, it’s for VIGIL to keep an eye on us – security, tracking where we are – and for access to the history archives. It has an amazing amount of detail – even technical stuff on inventions…” Jack pulled out his own VIGIL iPhone. “See – here’s mine…”
    “Oh God – the toast!” Angus exclaimed.
    Smoke billowed from the toaster by the window. Angus raced over to mount a rescue attempt… but all that was left were two lumps of charcoal.
    “Great.”
    “Hello, what’s this?”
    Jack was peering at his iPhone screen. “I’ve got a message.”
    “First time for everything, Jack.”
    “Funny. Probably Mum hassling me.”
    Jack tapped the screen.
    But it wasn’t his mum and Jack’s heart missed a beat when he read the message:
    JACK – GET TO SAFETY. VIGIL IS ABOUT TO BE ATTACKED. AM ALSO WARNING VIGIL COMMAND. DAD.

Big Air
    Jack nudged Angus and flashed the text in front of him. The colour drained from Angus’s face. Jack looked up from the iPhone and it was right at that point that he noticed something strange in the smoky kitchen air. A thin beam of red light traced a line from the window to the wall at the back of the kitchen. It was only visible where it caught the smoke in the air. Jack’s eye followed the beam of light to where it formed a tiny red dot which danced on the wall opposite.
    “Look. What’s…?”
    But Angus had already grabbed him and was manhandling him to the floor. “Down!”
    Jack and Angus hit the ground just as the first round from the sniper rifle shattered the kitchen window and embedded itself in the wall opposite.
    “Someone’s shooting at us from the woods…”
    “I’ve got another message.”
    EMERGENCY MESSAGE FROM VIGIL: CODE RED. ALL VIGIL PERSONNEL TO ADOPT EMERGENCY PROTOCOL AND REPORT TO VIGIL COMMAND. REMOTE SECURITY DETAILS MAY HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED.
    Angus held up his phone.
    “I’ve got the same one. We might be without security…”
    “That means trouble.”
    Suddenly, a second piece of mortar dislodged from the wall. They hadn’t even heard the shot.
    “It’s coming from over there. Maybe if we can go out through the side door… to the