Josh Boyle - Aged 12
With kinetic action creating a swift, energetic pace, larger-than-life characters filling out the city, and a maze of twists keeping the reader forever on their toes, ‘Office 33’ is an engaging introduction into an exciting cyber-thriller! The element of suspense is developed quickly within the first paragraph of the story and there is a real level of maturity in the subject matter chosen. We loved the description of the boss leaving a ‘trail of terror wherever he went', and we'd love to know what happens next in the story! We didn’t see the twist coming at all. We felt this works particularly well in today’s society, where the threat of hacking is on the rise. Well done!
The Mystery at Office 33
It started as a normal Monday for Shaun. That morning, he walked into the gargantuan skyscraper, waiting for the London Stock Exchange to open. On his desk were three screens, as large as TVs, filled with confusing graphs and figures. The room seemed unusually quiet; normally, the tapping of keys and ringing of phones was enough to drive anyone to insanity. Today, the silence brought with it a sense of dread.
“Mondays, eh?” Shaun asked, trying to lighten the mood. Shaun checked the computer in front of him. The whole index had crashed through the wood floors beneath, and with them had gone the £30000 bonus he needed to buy his son a new car.
Suddenly, a large figure burst through the lift doors. It was the Boss – the formidable owner of Office 33. He left a trail of terror wherever he went, and his mood went up and down with the market.
“What’s going on? This market has been mauled by bears!” he bellowed to the room. Everyone heard him, but nobody spoke.
“And why is James late for work? Shaun! You two are brothers, aren’t you?”
Reluctantly, Shaun stood up and stuttered, “Yes, Boss.”
Before he could hurriedly sit down again, the Boss asked, “Where is your brother, then? James was supposed to arrive ages ago!”
“He’s taking his annual leave, Boss.”
“With no notice?! And suddenly this happens? Sometimes I really don’t like this job...” The Boss stormed out of the room. Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Shaun went back to work. Every good trader knew that if the market crashed, it was a great time to buy, so he clicked the button to purchase thousands of trackers. However, a peculiar alert showed up on all three screens, on a sinister red background.
* TRADEBLOCKER HAS DECLINED THIS TRANSACTION. REMOVAL FEE IS £1,000,000. *
Ransomware, Shaun realised. We’ve been hacked with ransomware! Shaun, with a heavy heart, left his chair and stepped into the lift to the thirtieth floor; the top office. This, he knew, was one of the emergencies under which the Boss has said that this was allowed. When the lift finally stopped, Shaun was shocked to see the Boss staring at him angrily, right in front of the door.
“Shaun! I just realised – yesterday, I give you the passwords to the head computer, today we get hit with this ‘Tradeblocker’ nonsense and the market tanks! What do you have to say for yourself, hacker?” Sirens grew louder and louder outside. “That’ll be the Met. They’ll be investigating the matter further. Enjoy the slammer!” With the press of a button, the lift was sent plummeting straight to the ground floor. Shaun knew that he had to run. He needed time. He needed to get home. Reaching into his pocket for his Oyster card, he ran into the tube station and boarded the train home. He crossed his fingers, hoping that the train was fast that day. He was going to ask James for help, since had once studied law before beginning stock trading.
When Shaun finally arrived home, he saw that the police were somehow still following him. The boss knows my address! he realised. He must have sent them this way!
When he walked in, a yelp could be heard from upstairs. Thinking that his brother was hurt, Shaun ran into James’ bedroom and saw a control screen.
“What are you doing?” Shaun asked, as James was frantically pressing buttons to shut down the computer. Shaun ran over and saw what was on the screen. TRADEBLOCKER.COM.
“You… you’re a hacker, you nearly landed me in jail, and you’re stealing from the London Stock Exchange! You vile criminal!” he shouted, at a volume that would cause Boss to beam with pride.
The door to the house clattered to the floor, and the police, along with the Boss, walked into the room. Before they could speak, Shaun said with tears in his eyes,
“I’m innocent! I found who did it! My own brother hacked the LSE!”
A policewoman in a dark, bulletproof vest strode towards the screen.
“Well, well, well. It seems that he did indeed hack the computers. We at the Metropolitan police will search for clues. If you, Shaun, are telling the truth, then we can put this hacker behind bars… we’ve heard of other incidents over in Birmingham regarding this exact malware. James, you’re going into custody. Shaun, you can stay home, but we’ll need you to answer some questions.”