‘This is a plan of the school building,’ Hector said. They all looked hard at it. The main buildings were shaped like a ‘C’. Hector pointed out the furthest away line of buildings. ‘This is the main teaching block,’ he said. ‘We believe it’s deserted. We’re calling it Block Red. The biggest room in the building is here.’ He pointed to a large room on the south side of the school. ‘This is the dining hall. It also doubles as a gym. There is a stage for plays at the east end, and it adjoins the kitchen at the west end. This is Block Green. Adjoining the north-west corner here is a toilet and shower block. Block Blue. To the best of our knowledge, the terrorists are holding the hostages in Block Green, the dining hall. Is everything clear so far?’

The recruits nodded.

‘There are long windows along each side of Block Green,’ Hector continued. ‘These are covered with blinds. However, we have special optics available which allow us to see shadows through these blinds. At any one time, there appear to be three or four adults standing by them. From the shape of their shadows, it looks like they’re armed. So you need to infiltrate Block Green.’

‘How are we supposed to do that?’ Lukas asked. ‘Walk up and knock on the door?’

The plans showed a main entrance to Block Green on the south side, from the playground. The railings that surrounded the school were marked on the plan. They formed a neat rectangle.

‘We’re here,’ Hector said, pointing to the railings on the plan. ‘The main entrance to the school is here, on the south-west corner. There’s also a goods entrance here, behind this administrative building – Block Yellow. We’ve identified that as your best entrance. We have a nano drone up above it that tells us it’s unmanned.’ He pointed to one of the laptops, which showed clear aerial footage of a metal gate wide enough for a van to enter. The gate was closed and there was nobody in the vicinity.

‘That doesn’t make sense,’ Max said.

Hector gave him a sharp look. ‘Go on,’ he said.

‘Why is it so easy to get in? Why isn’t there a gunman covering the entrance?’

‘We don’t know,’ Hector said quietly. ‘I guess we’ll find out.’ He cleared his throat. ‘We’ll get that gate open for you. You’ll need to move behind Block Yellow then head straight into the teaching block. Follow the corridor that leads along the west side of the school and enter the toilet block by this entrance here.’

‘How do we know the doors will be unlocked?’ Abby asked.