Invasion

by Jon S. Lewis

  “Welcome, everyone,” Mr. Liang said, stretching his arms wide. His theatrics reminded Colt of the ringmaster at a circus, but it was his job to make sure that anyone who visited the facility left feeling enthusiastic about the Trident Biotech brand.

  “Inside your gift bag you should find a visitor’s badge,” he said. “If you would be so kind, we would appreciate it if you would clip it to your shirt or your belt. As you would imagine, there are quite a few secrets locked behind these doors, so we have to take stringent security measures to protect them. Your badge will make sure that our security teams will recognize you as VIP guests instead of corporate spies.”

  Mr. Liang forced a laugh that went on just a little too long before clapping his hands together. “Oh, and I forgot to mention it, but we don’t allow cell phones, cameras, or any other type of recording device. You’ll be able to check them in at the security station when we first walk in, and they’ll be returned once we’re finished. Now please follow me, and we’ll begin our tour.”

  “Sure, Trident can watch us, but we can’t watch them.”

  Danielle ignored him as she took a small device out of her purse, walked over, and slipped it into a pouch on the photographer’s unzipped bag. The security team would have to let him take all of his equipment inside, or they weren’t going to get the shot for the paper.

  The entrance to the building was stunning. There were marble walls that stretched thirty feet into the air, with a waterfall that fell into an infinity pool. Off to the right was some kind of an art gallery with paintings that could rival the world’s most prestigious museums. There were pieces from Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Norman Rockwell, as well as local artists from Arizona.

  “They like to flaunt their money, don’t they?” Colt said out of the corner of his mouth.

  Danielle didn’t appear to hear him. She was distracted as she watched the security guard look through the photographer’s bag. He opened the main compartment and carefully removed two of the lenses before replacing them.

  “It’s mostly just batteries and such,” the photographer said.

  The guard unzipped the pouch containing her device.

  : : CHAPTER 44 : :

  The guard zipped the pouch shut and let the photographer through.

  Colt watched Danielle breathe again.

  “You probably already know that Trident Biotech is the global leader in developing new therapies for grievous illnesses, as well as for victims of paralysis and amputees,” Mr. Liang said. “We strive to improve the quality of life for patients around the world.”

  “By turning them into remote control assassins,” Colt whispered, earning a laugh from Danielle.

  “Stop that,” she said, slapping him on the shoulder. “We don’t want to stand out.”

  For their first stop they were taken to an amphitheater where they watched a promotional video about Trident Biotech. They learned about everything from advances in cancer research to their partnership with Trident Robotics.

  The companies were working together to develop prosthetic limbs that not only afforded amputees the ability to walk or hold a pencil once more, but outperformed organic limbs in both strength and dexterity while still offering the sensation of touch.

  The video also mentioned how Trident Biotech was pioneering a new future where humans would no longer suffer from things like epileptic seizures, Parkinson’s disease, or even paralysis.

  “All for the low, low price of your soul,” Colt said.

  “Would you stop?”

  As the video ended, Mr. Liang walked up the steps and onto a small stage. “Now before we begin, are there any questions?”

  “Don’t you dare,” Danielle said as Colt started to raise his hand.

  Mr. Liang sidestepped a question about the rumors that Trident Biotech was involved in human cloning experiments, but he was happy to answer questions about salary expectations for research scientists, as well as their corporate commitment to the ethical use of animals in research.

  After a tour of the grounds, the students were taken to the offices of Trident Biotech’s president, Aldrich Koenig, for a photo op. The front room was opulent, with wood paneling polished to a bright shine and a stone fireplace that looked as though it had never been used. The room was large enough to hold the visitors from Chandler High with plenty of room to spare.

  A woman with long blonde hair pulled tightly back into a ponytail sat at a desk near the far wall. She wore stylish glasses with red frames, and she stood as the students entered the room.

  “This is Gretchen Roth,” Mr. Liang said as he escorted Mrs. Barnum over to the woman’s desk. “She’s Aldrich Koenig’s executive assistant.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Roth.”

  “The pleasure is all ours. And please, call me Gretchen.”

  “Well, Gretchen,” Mrs. Barnum said. “I’d like you to meet Ellie Salazar from the Arizona Republic.”

  “Wonderful. Mr. Koenig is on a conference call right now, but he should be finished in a few minutes,” Gretchen said. “I wanted to tell you that he’s very impressed with the progress of your academy. When he heard that the students would be here today, he wanted to make sure that he greeted them personally.”

  “Great,” Ellie said. “Where would you like to take the picture?”

  “I think over here would be nice,” Gretchen said as she led Ellie and the photographer to the opposite wall.

  “I’m willing to bet that she has access to just about everything that Koenig does,” Danielle said as she leaned over so only Colt could hear. “This is our chance.”

  “How are you going to get her credential?”

  “Watch and learn.”

  Danielle walked across the room as Gretchen handed her aunt a business card. Danielle placed herself between them and stuck out her hand. “Hi, I’m Danielle Salazar, Ellie’s niece.”

  Gretchen frowned at first, but she recovered quickly and accepted Danielle’s hand. “It’s very pleasant meeting you.”

  “I wanted to personally thank you and Mr. Koenig for the grant that you gave our school. I’ve been interested in human therapeutics and biotechnology for as long as I can remember. My grandpa was a double amputee.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  “He was a prisoner of war in a Nazi camp, and they didn’t give him any medical attention,” Danielle said. “Luckily he survived, but the frostbite was so bad that they had to cut off his feet and halfway up his shins. He died when I was little, but I still want to develop something that would have allowed him to walk again.”

  “We’ve made quite a few advancements in our prosthetics department; it’s a shame he wasn’t able to benefit from it,” Gretchen said. “But we’re always looking for bright young minds. I’m so glad you were able to join us today.”

  “Thank you.”

  Danielle turned to walk away, though not before reaching into her aunt’s purse to take Gretchen’s business card. Then she walked over to where the photographer was setting up his equipment.

  “My parents bought me a new camera for my birthday, but I’m not sure I like the lens that came with it. I really enjoy landscapes—especially in the desert with all the cacti silhouetted against the setting sun—but I never seem to get a wide enough shot. Do you have any recommendations?”

  As the photographer discussed some of his favorite models, Danielle looked curiously at his bag. “Do you mind if I look at yours? I promise I’ll be careful.”

  The photographer paused. Then he shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

  Danielle bent down to take one of the lenses from his bag. She held it up as though investigating for potential flaws. When she saw that the photographer was back working on the lighting, she reached down and unzipped the small pouch where she had hidden her device. She slipped it into her pocket and walked back over to where Colt was standing.

  “Listen to me, because we aren’t going to have much time before Koenig gets here.”


  “Okay,” Colt said.

  “I want you to go find a phone, then you need to call the cell phone number on this card. You have to make her think that whatever you’re talking about is really important. Can you handle that?”

  “Where am I supposed to find a phone?”

  “You’re smart,” she said. “Improvise.”

  Colt looked down at the card and then back to Danielle. “Just call this number?”

  “Yes, but you need to keep her on the line. Can you handle that?”

  He nodded and walked over to Mr. Liang. “Do you think I could use the rest room?”

  “Why, of course,” Mr. Liang said. “It’s out that door and then down the hall to the right.”

  “Thanks.”

  Colt headed down the hall, praying that there were no hidden cameras. There were a few offices, but the doors were closed, and Colt could hear people talking inside. He found the rest room, but kept going. Then, at the end of the hall to the left, he found an empty conference room. There was a water pitcher with beads of sweat sitting in the middle of the table, and dirty glassware near most of the chairs that sat askew.

  Colt figured that whoever met there had been gone for a while, and it didn’t look like they were coming back. There was a phone in the middle of the table that looked like something out of a science fiction movie. It was triangular in shape, with a speaker on top—not what he needed. Then he saw a second phone on a small table next to a leather chair in the corner. He picked it up and dialed 9.

  It worked. He got a dial tone and proceeded to call the number on the business card. It rang once . . . then twice. After the third ring, someone picked up.

  : : CHAPTER 45 : :

  Excuse me,” Gretchen said. “I should take this call.”

  Danielle watched Gretchen walk away from the conversation with Ellie and back toward her desk, cell phone to her ear. She appeared to be confused, which wasn’t surprising. Danielle had no idea what Colt was talking about, but she hoped he could keep Gretchen on the phone long enough for this to work.

  She counted to thirty and reached into her pocket to pull out what looked like a garage door opener. The device was covered in black casing, with two small lights sitting between a pair of small antennas that sat at the top.

  When Danielle flipped a switch, the red light started to flash before going solid. As though on cue, Gretchen kept repeating “hello,” then she hung up the phone. Gretchen tried to reconnect the call, but she clearly couldn’t get any reception. Danielle watched as Gretchen pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

  “Cell phones can be such a pain,” Danielle said as she walked over to where the personal assistant was standing. “I have that same phone, and it used to drop calls all the time. Did you know there’s a patch that will fix it?”

  “No, I guess I didn’t,” Gretchen said. “I haven’t had too many problems, but I can’t afford a dropped call if I’m on the line with Mr. Koenig. He can be a bit impatient.”

  “It only takes a minute to fix,” Danielle said. “I’ll show you where you can download the patch if you’d like.”

  Gretchen looked over at the door to Mr. Koenig’s office, but it was still closed. “You wouldn’t mind?”

  “Of course not. I just need the connection cable to plug your phone into the computer, and I’ll have it back to you before you know it.”

  “That’s very kind.”

  Gretchen walked Danielle over to her desk where she reached into one of the drawers and pulled out a length of black cable. “I think this is the one.”

  “That looks like it.”

  Danielle sat down in Gretchen’s chair and wiggled her mouse to wake the computer up. The monitor flared to life, showing a log-in screen with the Trident Biotech logo. “Oh, I’ll just need you to log in so I can get to the Internet.”

  “Of course.”

  Danielle swiveled the chair away from the computer in dramatic fashion to show that she wasn’t going to try and steal Gretchen’s username and password.

  “That should do it,” Gretchen said.

  “Perfect.” Danielle reached around and plugged the cord into the tower of Gretchen’s computer, but what Gretchen didn’t see was that Danielle had slid her flash drive into her hand, and she plugged it into a second USB port.

  “Now to plug the other end into your phone,” Danielle said, and she did just that. “Believe it or not, that was the hard part.”

  Gretchen smiled, but she wasn’t leaving. There was no way Danielle was going to be able to upload the virus with Koenig’s assistant standing there. Then she had an idea.

  “Oh, could you do me a favor?” Danielle asked. “I think I left my purse over by the door. I have the URL that we need written down on a business card.”

  “By the door, you say?”

  Danielle nodded, and Gretchen went off to fetch the purse . . . which was still on the bus.

  Her first order of business was to gauge what kind of admittance Gretchen had been given on the servers, and thankfully her hunch had been right. Gretchen appeared to have access to everything that Koenig did, including restricted files. Danielle went to work, uploading the virus into the servers. Then she downloaded a new ringtone so that it looked like she had done something.

  “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t find your purse. What does it look like?”

  “Oh, it doesn’t matter,” Danielle said, handing Gretchen her phone before removing the cord and her flash drive from the back of the computer tower. “I found the website and downloaded it for you. You’re all ready to go.”

  “Are we training a new assistant?”

  Danielle looked up to see a man with the most striking blue eyes that she had ever seen. He was tall, with short blond hair combed to the side, and brilliantly white teeth.

  “Mr. Koenig,” Gretchen said, “I’d like you to meet Danielle Salazar, but I’m afraid she has bigger aspirations than being an assistant. She’s going to spearhead the next generation of prosthetics.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Danielle said, standing up to offer her hand. She was trying to compose herself, but it wasn’t easy. Behind Koenig stood a man that she assumed was his bodyguard. He was easily six and a half feet tall, and like Koenig, he was wearing a tailored suit, but it couldn’t hide his broad chest and wide shoulders. His eyes were hard as he caught Danielle’s stare. She had seen him before—he was the man who was driving the Mercedes that nearly ran her off the road.

  “Do I know you from somewhere?” Koenig asked. His accent was slight, but definitely German.

  Danielle looked to Gretchen and then back to Mr. Koenig. “I don’t think so.”

  “You have a familiar face.” Koenig paused as though accessing his memories. “Either way, it’s nice to meet you, Danielle.”

  “I believe we’re ready to take that picture for the newspaper, Mr. Koenig,” Gretchen said.

  “Very good,” he said. “Danielle, if you’ll excuse me.”

  “Of course.”

  Gretchen pointed to her cell phone and then mouthed the words thank you before following Mr. Koenig to where the photographer was waiting. The bodyguard hesitated, his eyes not straying from Danielle.

  “Okay now, everyone,” Mr. Liang said as he walked into the line of sight between Danielle and the bodyguard, breaking the tension. “We’re just about ready for the picture. I’m going to need everyone over here.”

  As the bodyguard followed Koenig back across the room, Danielle closed her eyes and exhaled.

  After the photo with Mr. Koenig, the students and their chaperones were taken to a test facility where they were able to see some of the robot prosthetics in action. When that was over, it was time to head back to school. The students turned in their badges, retrieved their cell phones from the security station, and climbed on the buses. They were back in time for the lunch period, where they found Oz waiting impatiently at their usual table.

  “You’re sure that was the guy?” Oz asked. He hadn�
�t touched a thing on his plate, which was unusual to say the least.

  “I think so,” Danielle said. “I was kind of busy weaving in and out of traffic, so I didn’t get the greatest look, but if it wasn’t Koenig’s bodyguard, then it was somebody who looked like him. I mean, it’s not like there are a bunch of blond giants walking around.”

  “And you think he recognized you?”

  “I’m not sure. I thought so, but he didn’t follow me out the building or anything. Somehow I think Koenig knew who I was, though. He said that I looked familiar.”

  “He probably put the hit on you,” Oz said.

  “Maybe I’m just paranoid.”

  “Did he see you uploading the virus?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Oz looked to the left and then to the right before leaning forward. “You said that there was some kind of alien driving that car, but only for a second, right?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I think so, but I was so freaked out that it could have been my subconscious playing tricks on me.”

  “Or Koenig’s bodyguard is one of the Thule.”

  “You think so?” Colt asked.

  “Why not?” Oz said. “There aren’t that many left, and most of the remaining Thule are supposed to work at Trident. Rumor has it their entire board is made up of Thule.”

  “By the way,” Colt said, dipping an onion ring into a pool of ketchup before he turned to Danielle. “Where did you get a cell phone scrambler?”

  “In my Christmas stocking,” Danielle said.

  “Is it legal?”

  “You’ll have to ask Santa.”

  “So when will we know if your big plan worked?” Oz asked.

  Danielle felt her cell phone vibrate, and she looked at the display and smiled. “We’re in.”

  “Remind me not to leave anything on my computer that I don’t want you to see,” Colt said.

  “Too late. I hacked your laptop months ago.”

  “Seriously?”