"It is considerably safer," he added.
"Time is running out," I argued. "We have to do this. Let's plan to go tonight."
Victor briefed me on all the security at Genitech, using a blueprint of the building. He explained that even the locks on the doors were part of an elaborate system-wide program, and that he knew how to override it. We planned to sneak into Sylvia's office and destroy the files on both Holmes and PE-145. I could search the network while I was there for duplicate files anywhere else. If we could find all the copies, we had a good chance of stopping her before she released the serum.
I said we, going along with Victor as we discussed the plan, but I had no intention of bringing him along. For all his threats to render me unconscious, he forgot (or perhaps didn't know) one small detail about me.
I knew where his off button was.
Chapter 11
Right before we were to leave, I hugged him for good luck. That's when I hit his off button, a spot on his back right between his shoulder blades. He collapsed in my arms, and I stumbled with the unexpected weight. I slowly lowered him to the couch.
"Sorry Victor, I can't lose you."
With Victor's notes about the security, I was fairly certain I could use my power to gain access. He mentioned a back entrance to the building that was less secure, so I started there. I wore a black hoodie and black yoga pants, as well as sunglasses. I looked more like a celebrity trying not to be noticed than a thief, but I thought it was enough to not be identified if their cameras caught a glimpse of me.
I placed my hand on the card reader and closed my eyes. The code base was simple, one I'd interfaced with before. I convinced the system I had full access to the building and overrode all the locks. Then I just walked right in.
Was I nervous? A little. But being able to overcome their security system so easily eased some of that tension. If that was the worst obstacle, this was going to be effortless.
Then I heard a voice in the distance. "I don't know, this stupid system is glitching again. What do you want me to do? All the damn locks are open now."
I crept down an adjacent hallway, away from the sound of the voice, which I imagined belonged to a security guard. One more hallway to go, to get to Sylvia's office.
"I'll call the company, maybe they can reset it," I heard in the distance. That didn't give me much time. I moved a little faster, but still quietly.
Her office was still unlocked, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Inside, her laptop was open, sitting in the corner as it was earlier in the day. I snuck over to it and placed my hand on the machine. I was able to log in immediately, and I started a file search for anything related to Holmes or PE-145, searching inside the files as well. It was taking some time; her laptop had a deceptively large 6 terabyte drive. I watched the search progress bar move from 50% to 75%, adding more and more files to the result set. It was nearly complete, then all I had to do was delete the results and search the network for good measure.
80%...90%...
"I had a feeling you'd be back."
My heart sank into my stomach at the sound of Sylvia's voice. Coming from the couch in the corner, which I totally forgot to check. The duffel bag I saw before, now it made sense. She was sleeping there.
"There's an intruder in my office, Carl," Sylvia spoke into some kind of communication device, like a walkie-talkie but more sophisticated.
"I'll be right there, Dr. Rhodes," was the immediate reply, in the same voice I'd heard earlier.
95%... I was almost there.
The sound of a gun cocking broke my concentration. "Step away from the laptop, Cass."
I did as instructed and raised my hands in the air.
She turned the lights on. "What were you hoping to accomplish, my dear? Do you think I don't have offsite backups?"
So many clients I'd had were lax in backup strategies, it was a possibility, even probable. "Most companies don't. You'd be surprised."
She laughed. "I'd think after so many people underestimated you, that you wouldn't in turn do it to me."
It was strange that she knew that about me. Or maybe she'd just assumed, after all, it was a universal problem with women in the IT field. "I had to try. What you're doing is wrong. And it will have devastating consequences."
"Spoken like an enhanced," she said, as she approached me. "Let me guess, you're a technomage? Is that why you kept trying to touch my laptop earlier? Why you were touching it just now?"
She was too perceptive for my comfort. I didn't answer, but I knew that didn't matter. She had me figured out.
"Why do you hate enhanced so much?" I asked.
"You're a threat, plain and simple." She touched her wedding band again. It wasn't a lie so much as an omission—there was more to it she wasn't saying.
The security guard bounded into the room.
"Call OCEI and get them to take this freak to headquarters," she said to the guard. "Let Joseph know. I have a feeling he'd be interested in her."
I would've begged her, but I knew it wouldn't do any good.
OCEI terrified me. And the only person, well, android, that could help, was rendered incapacitated. By me.
The black Chevy with tinted windows that pulled up was borderline cliché. No identifiable markings, but I guess I didn't expect to see an OCEI magnet on the side. I did half-expect to see men in black suits with dark sunglasses exit the car, but that didn't happen. Instead, a man and a woman in red jumpsuits came to collect me.
The woman spoke first, addressing my captor, the security guard Carl. "This is her?"
He nodded, releasing me to her and the other man.
"What is her power?" the woman asked.
Carl shrugged. "Dr. Rhodes said Joseph would want to see her."
"Do we need to sedate her?" the woman asked, speaking more slowly, as if to a child who didn't understand. She bound both of my wrists behind my back with a zip tie, and then secured a blindfold over my eyes.
A blindfold? Were they going to take me to a firing squad? My heart pounded in fear as I wondered what lie in store for me at the hands of these monsters.
"Carol, the man doesn't know," her partner said, sounding annoyed.
"Fine, then you sit back there with her. I'm not going to be responsible if she uses a power to get free."
"You know what you're doing is totally illegal," I said. Could I have been arrested for breaking in? Absolutely. But by the police, not some shady organization setup to eradicate enhanced.
"Shut the fuck up, mutant," the man said as he pushed me forward. I stumbled but regained my balance before I fell. Then he shoved me into the car's back seat, knocking my head on the frame. He entered on the opposite side, while the woman he called Carol got in the driver's seat.
"My friends know where I am, you'll never get away with this," I said.
The man punched me, a solid hit to my eye. It stung so bad my eyes watered, moistening the blindfold.
"I said, shut the fuck up!" He chuckled. "You spoiled little self-entitled pricks. Think you can just do or say anything."
"Christ, Tad, knock it off!" Carol said from the front seat. Maybe she actually had a conscience, caring about what happened to me. But then I dismissed that idea. Who could work for the OCEI and still have a soul?
"Why do you give a shit?" Tad replied. "Just another enhanced scumbag."
"You don't know what her power is, dipshit," Carol said. "Piss her off too much and you might find out."
"Fuck, Carol, do you even hear yourself? She would've already used her power to escape from rent-a-cop, not wait for us. God..."
"Whatever," Carol said, and cranked up the radio. Some heavy metal band sang about insanity and a prophecy. I had a feeling she didn't care what was on, as long as she didn't have to talk to Tad.
Tad shoved my hoodie down and took my sunglasses off. "Well, aren't you a pretty little thing?" he said, too quietly for Carol to hear.
I didn't respond, because all I had was sarcasm and abusive retorts. And I didn'
t want to get punched again.
He placed his hand on my leg and squeezed. "This is normally the part where you beg. Tell me I can have money, cars, anything I want." He leaned in close and whispered, "Anything."
I shuddered in revulsion at the heat of his breath on my ear. At his very proximity, and the threat he implied. What did I get myself into?
I had to remind myself that I was safe, at least from sexual assault. Only an idiot would knowingly risk sex with an enhanced, but physical assault? That was certainly option. And it seemed like this guy got off on causing others pain. But I couldn't show any weakness or fear, even if it did mean more pain.
"What good would begging do?" I said. " You've got your orders, right? Looks like I'm going to see the OCEI up close."
He laughed, a forced attempt at an evil cackle. "Yes, you will. I can't wait to see what they do to you. You are so fucked!" He slapped my leg hard, but then finally removed his hand from it.
I shut my eyes. In the back seat, I wasn't close enough to the car's computer to be able to touch it and communicate. I was trapped.
We arrived, and I was led inside a building that smelled dank, like it had been out of commission for too long. Tad removed my blindfold. There were few people around, save a couple of guards here and there. They led me down a long corridor, until we came to the holding cells, a series of large and small glass enclosed areas, filled with what I presumed were enhanced. Some cells had only one inhabitant, while others had ten or more, some of which were children.
Maybe Victor was right after all. We should've looked for Tyler. That was about the time I saw Tyler collapsed in one of the cells.
I gasped. What did they do to him? Is he still alive?
Tad shoved me into the same cell as Tyler, and I tripped over him, falling to the ground.
"Happy trails, rich bitch!" Tad yelled.
Carol rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.
I nudged Tyler. The calm I felt around him on previous occasions was subdued—still there but more subtle. I breathed a sigh of relief at seeing his chest rise and fall.
"Tyler?" I whispered, shaking his shoulders.
No response.
In the next cell over was only one man, laying on a bench. I guessed he was sleeping, but I wasn't sure. His long black hair reminded me of the bare-chested men seen on romance novels of old. I tapped on the glass, but he either didn't hear me or ignored me. Somehow, I got the feeling it was the latter.
I looked around, to see if there was a way to escape the cell. The glass was too thick to punch or kick through. No windows, and the vents were too small to climb through. Then I spotted the lock on the door. It was elaborate, and to my absolute delight, tech.
I placed my hand on the lock. The security system was the same one at Genitech, that I was easily able to bypass. Besides locks, there were a slew of cameras too, so I knew I'd have to escape quickly. I sent the command to open not only my cell, but all the cells in the room.
The sound of movement nearby drew my attention back to Tyler. His eyes slowly fluttered open. He squinted, in what appeared to be pain, as he sat upright.
"Damn, what did they do to you?" I whispered.
"What did they do to you? That's quite a shiner."
I forgot about Tad punching me, with all the anxiety of being kidnapped and imprisoned. The pain was still there, dulled. "It's nothing."
"When did you arrive?" he asked.
"Just now. Caught me at Genitech."
A hint of a smile appeared. "Me too. I underestimated Dr. Rhodes."
I helped him to his feet, and at first it seemed as if he were about to fall, still woozy. But then he steadied himself. The peaceful calm seemed to amplify.
"As interested as I am in this place and what they do here, I think we should leave," he said.
"I agree." I then opened the door to the cell for him. "After you."
His jaw dropped. "How did you do that?"
"Never mind that. They have cameras, so we need to move fast."
Our escape intrigued the other prisoners. "They're all open," I said to them, and demonstrated by opening the door to the cell next to ours. "You're free."
The dude with the long black hair grinned the scariest grin I'd ever seen. He nodded to me, I guessed in appreciation, I wasn't sure. I started to run to not only escape capture, but to get away from him as well.
"Come with me, I know the way." Tyler grabbed my hand, and that wonderful calm spread throughout me, balancing the fear I already felt. He led us down the hallway I'd entered through, and into a huge warehouse type room. I spotted the exit on the opposite wall.
We were about to reach the door, when Tad and some other guy stepped in front of us.
"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?" the other guy said.
Tyler looked at Tad, and then the other guy. "You recognize us as fellow OCEI. You're letting us by."
"Of course," Tad said, and he and the other guy stepped aside.
What the hell is going on here? Is it some kind of mind control?
There wasn't time to ask, we had to run. As we sprinted, the sound of a scream from within the compound forced me to look back. The door opened and out walked the guy from the adjacent cell. Was that blood on his hands?
Part of me wanted to help, and then part of me was okay with karma catching up with Tad. But whatever empathy I had for the guards disappeared at the thought of being captured again.
My lungs burned, but I pushed on, running as fast as I could. I looked back and didn't see either OCEI or the scary guy following us. We slipped into the woods nearby.
The thing about Jersey and its dense population is that even with forestry, a convenience store isn't more than a stone's throw away. We only had to run for a couple of minutes before the woods cleared and a road with a Wawa was in sight.
There were two cars in the parking lot, and one of them was a newer one, a sporty looking car that surely had a computer.
"We need a ride," I said to Tyler, as I touched the keypad lock on the car door. It made a clicking sound as it unlocked. "Get in."
"What the..." He had enough sense to just get in and not badger me with questions. Once inside, I placed my hand on the console. The code used by most cars was the same, so the command to start the vehicle was one I'd already knew, which yes, I learned after I lost the keys to my car. It fired up, right as the owner of the car exited the convenience store, a fact I deduced by the look of shock on his face.
"Hey! What the fuck are you doing in my car?"
I shifted it into reverse and slammed on the gas. He still gave chase, so I peeled out of there before he could reach the door.
"Grand Theft Auto, huh?" Tyler said. "I'm impressed."
"Don't be. This is the first time I've ever done anything illegal."
He laughed. "So, breaking into Genitech doesn't count?"
"I don't think so. Sylvia practically begged me to do it."
"No doubt, I've met her." He looked at me curiously. "What's the plan? The police will be looking for this car."
"I know. I figured we'd drive to a larger city and ditch it. Then we can grab a cab. No, a bus makes more sense, can't track that."
He nodded, and then let out a long exhale. "You want to talk about how you seem to be a lock and car whisperer?"
"Sure." There was no denying my power; ending up at the OCEI practically guaranteed I was enhanced anyway. "Then we can talk about how you're a guard whisperer."
"Fair enough. I can influence people. A sort of persuasion."
"Wow." It sounded like something out of a sci-fi fantasy movie. "That's a dangerous power."
"It is. I don't use it unless I have to."
I could sense he was telling the truth, though there was something he left unsaid. "Guess it's my turn. I can communicate with machines and computers."
"Seriously? That's so cool!"
I found his enthusiasm flattering. "My enhancement was communication-related."
"Can I ask you a serious question?"
I nodded, intrigued.
"Do you regret your parents’ actions, in making you enhanced?"
It was a serious question, and not one I'd ever really thought about. "No, I don't think so. It's part of who I am. I couldn't imagine living without it."
"I know what you mean. I do miss the days when the worst consequence of sex was STDs or pregnancy, though."
"Right?" I laughed. "Agreed, sex is much more complicated."
We arrived in Jersey City, and I parked the car a block away from the bus station. I locked it for good measure, but it was Jersey City. The owner would be damn lucky to get it back intact.
"No cash, right? I'm guessing you didn't bring your wallet to the break-in either."
He shook his head no.
I saw an ATM outside of a convenience store nearby. "Come on, I think I can get some."
It had been awhile since I'd tried this, but the last time it worked. I touched the machine and navigated to my account to make a withdrawal.
"Are you..." Tyler began. His eyes grew big as the machine dispensed cash. "Damn, you're like the best criminal I've ever met!"
"No, it's from my own account." I narrowed my eyes at him. "You really think I'm a criminal? I only stole the car because—"
"I'm just messing with you. You have to admit, though, your ability lends itself to criminality."
"I suppose it does." We walked the short distance to the bus station, where I purchased two tickets to Millburn for the next bus out.
"Thank you, I can pay you back when—" Tyler began.
"I don't think I'll miss that $5 dollars." I chuckled. "But thanks for offering."
The few people scattered about on bus 5247 looked beyond tired. Too tired to pay attention to Tyler and me.
"You know, I don't think I've ever ridden on a bus before," he said as we found a seat and sat.
"Is it everything you ever hoped it would be?" I smiled.
He glanced around. "Yeesss."
We rode in silence for most of the way. I continued to enjoy that surreal calm I felt around him, which made it impossible for the silence to be awkward. As the bus pulled up to our stop, I finally spoke. "I'm glad I found you. Even if it was under these circumstances."
Playing With Fire Page 119
