Nightrise

quickly learned that in Los Angeles, nobody ever walked anywhere.
    And yet there were at least a thousand people inside. Jamie tried to imagine what it must be like to work on the twentieth floor of a skyscraper with your own office and a personal assistant and a paycheck every two weeks. Ordinary life. There had been a time when this had been his dream, all that he wanted.
    To have a job. Holidays. Promotions. He had looked at the office buildings in Reno with a sort of envy.
    He could barely read and write. This sort of life would always be beyond his reach.
    Once, he had said as much to Scott. But Scott had laughed at him.
    "I don't want to work in one of those places, Jamie. You go in young, you come out old. And you don't notice what's happened in between."

    "I thought you wanted to be Bill Gates."
    "That's right. I don't want to work for anyone. Just like him."
    Scott. Where was he now? Jamie quickly scanned the building, trying to feel for any sign of his brother's presence behind the monotonous rows of windows. There was nothing.
    He opened the car door and felt the warm, heavy air rush into him. "Don't worry about me," he said. "I'll be fine."
    "I'd much rather come in with you," Alicia said.
    "Then we'd have twice as much chance of being stopped." He got out of the car, then turned around and leaned back in. "Give me ten minutes. Then make the call."
    "Make sure you're there, Jamie. The timing has to be exactly right."
    He tapped his wrist. He was wearing a cheap watch. Scott had bought it for him on their thirteenth birthday. "I'll be there."
    He took a large envelope off the dashboard and got out. One last glance at Alicia and he closed the door behind him.
    As he crossed the street, he was suddenly nervous. The revolving doors ahead of him looked like a trap.
    When they turned around, they would swallow him. Was he so sure that they would let him out again?
    What exactly was he walking into? He knew almost nothing about the Nightrise Corporation, but even its name gave him pause for thought. It employed a man called Colton Banes, and Banes had been there when Scott was taken. They were looking for kids like him. And now he was just walking in, delivering himself to them.
    It's the middle of the day. We're in L.A. Nothing bad can happen.
    But why not? Who really knew what went on in every street, or even in the building next door? It suddenly struck Jamie that even the brightest sunlight could hide many dark and ugly secrets.
    He had reached the other side of the street. Briefly, he glanced back, just checking that Alicia was still there, that she hadn't driven off. He saw her raise a hand, reassuring him. Once again, he felt a spurt of annoyance. Why was he being so cowardly? He was the one who had thought up this plan. It was the only way to find Scott and if it had been the other way around, if he had been the one who had been kidnapped, Scott wouldn't even have hesitated.

    He slapped his hand against the revolving door and pushed. The door turned. He was in.
    The lobby was a black box that stretched the entire length of the building. The walls were black granite, the floor black marble. The furniture — there was a low glass table and four chairs — was black too.
    One wall had a water feature. Streams of water trickled down endlessly, disappearing into a sort of trough. Otherwise there was no decoration. Two burly black men in black suits stood guard, watching anyone who came in. One of them walked over to him.
    "Yeah?"
    Jamie lifted the envelope. "I've got a package for Colton Banes. He's with Nightrise."
    The guard looked at him quizzically. 'You're a bit young to be working in dispatch."
    "I'm doing a week's work experience."
    The guard nodded. If it had been anyone older, he would have been more suspicious. But it was just a kid. And the envelope was clearly labeled. "It's the forty-fifth floor," he said — and swiped his own security card to activate the elevator.
    Jamie stepped in and waited for the doors to close. He felt his stomach shrink as the elevator moved silently up. He glanced at his watch. Only a couple of minutes had passed since he left the car and he was sure he still had plenty of time. However, the elevator stopped a couple of times before it reached his floor. People got in and got out. Another whole minute had ticked away before he finally arrived.
    The forty-fifth floor. He stepped out.
    It was all very ordinary, after all. What had he been expecting? A wide corridor ran