Alex Scarrow - TimeRiders 03 - The Doomsday Code

Praise for TimeRiders :

A thriller full of spectacular effects Guardian

Insanely exciting, nail-biting stuff Independent on Sunday

This is a novel that is as addictive as any computer game

Waterstones Books Quarterly

Promises to be a big hit Irish News

A thrilling adventure that hurtles across time and place at

breakneck speed Lovereading4kids.co.uk

Plenty of fast-paced action this is a real page-turner

WriteAway.org.uk

A great read that will appeal to both boys and girls

youll find this book addictive! redhouse.co.uk

Contender for best science fiction book of the year

an absolute winner Flipside

ALEX SCARROW used to be a graphic artist, then he decided to be a computer games designer. Finally, he grew up and became an author. He has written a number of successful thrillers and several screenplays, but its YA fiction that has allowed him to really have fun with the ideas and concepts he was playing around with when designing games.

He lives in Norwich with his son, Jacob, his wife, Frances, and two very fat rats.

Books by Alex Scarrow

TimeRiders

TimeRiders: Day of the Predator

TimeRiders: The Doomsday Code

Sign up to become a TimeRider at:

www.time-riders.co.uk

ALEX SCARROW

PUFFIN

PUFFIN BOOKS

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL , England

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd)

Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd)

Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110 017, India

Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd)

Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL , England

puffinbooks.com

First published 2011

Text copyright Alex Scarrow, 2011

All rights reserved

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-0-141-96464-5

To my nieces and nephews here we go (big breath and in order of age) Leona, James, Nathan, Abigail, Tom, Aaron, Naomi, Joe, Nick and Connor. Future TimeRiders?

The Voynich Manuscript is a very real document written in an unidentifiable language that dates from the Middle Ages.

Despite numerous attempts by code-breakers and computer decryption software, the manuscripts code has yet to be broken.

The source of the Robin Hood legend remains a mystery.

The true identity of the Sheriff of Nottingham at the time of King Richards return from the crusades is uncertain.

So, ladies and gentlemen, said the man, this is what you all came to see. In just a moment Im going to step inside that Faraday cage and disappear.

Right, so he IS just another fruitcake . Anna Lopez shook her head. Thats all I need .

Her eyes met one or two of the other members of the small audience, journalists like her. She recognized a few faces: a reporter who covered science and environment issues for one of the Euro News digi-stations; a science editor for a Stamford-based technology e-periodical. Theyd all received the small vanilla-coloured invitation card last week with just a few words of explanation printed on it. An invitation to come down to a place called Larkhams Gallery to witness the demonstration of a technology that is going to change the lives of every man, woman and child on this troubled planet.

Anna Lopez sighed. The world could sure do with a bit of good news.

Larkhams Gallery sounded nice. Like a nice little boutique gallery where thered hopefully be wine and nice little savoury things on silver trays being offered around. Instead they were sitting on three rows of uncomfortable plastic school chairs in a grim-looking warehouse with a fizzing strip light overhead and the echoing tap tap tap of rainwater dripping through somewhere.

The cage itself takes the charge and will distribute it evenly around me, creating a space big enough for me to

To what? Make you vanish? called out someone from the row behind. My kid can do that trick with his old Chuckle Cheese magic set.

Someone snorted coffee into their styrofoam cup.

No, said the man on the stage. Anna had forgotten his name again. She looked down at the scribbled notes on her T-Pad.

Waldstein. Even the name sounded corny.

No! he snapped, silencing a ripple of laughter. This isnt a party trick!

Anna raised her hand. Mr Waldstein?

Uhh yes?

You say youre going to vanish ?

Waldstein nodded. I will be transported elsewhere for a period of no more than a minute.

Uh-huh, transported . She nodded. Where, exactly?

He grinned, pushing frizzy coils of salt-and-pepper-coloured hair out of his face to reveal eyes as wide as a childs behind the glint of his glasses. Another moment in time, he announced theatrically.

Behind her she heard a chair scrape the cold concrete floor and someone mutter, Idiot, and the receding clack of footsteps. Either side of her she could hear and see the other journalists shuffle awkwardly.

Time? The poor deluded old fool seemed to be talking about time travel. She decided he was clearly in need of some sort of help; perhaps he needed to be in a place with padded mint-green walls and soothing music. Other chairs began to scrape noisily. It looked like this madmans pitiful little charade was over already. She almost felt sorry for him.

Dont go! Waldstein shouted. Please! Stop right there! The footsteps stopped. Ill show you right now!

Anna watched him huddle over a wobbly picnic table on his makeshift stage of stacked wooden pallets. He tapped the keys of a battered and beaten old laptop. Beneath the table was something that looked like a copper boiler, cables snaking in one end and out the other and over towards a tall wire cage. She heard the low hum of power surging inside the copper device, and the lights in the warehouse began to dim. It was then that it occurred to her the fools little contraption was drawing mains electricity.

Oh my God, hes going to fry himself. Right here. Right in front of us!

Waldstein stepped smartly over the cables and opened the door of the wire cage. Just you watch!

She stood up. Mr Waldstein, I think you should

Waldstein stepped inside and slammed the cage shut with a loud clang that echoed around the warehouse. The humming was growing louder. Ladies and gentlemen! Waldsteins voice rose to a shout over the noise. Youre about to witness the very first journey through time!