Huntress Clan Saga Complete Series Boxed Set: Books 1-6

by Jamie Davis

“I’m not sure. Give me some time. I’ll come up with something.”

  “What we need is to know is the specific moment they’re operating their VR system,” Taylor said. “That would alert us to a pending attack, and we’d have a chance to stop them. I’ve been able to track usage over time, but not specific spikes when they’re online. I’d have to be very close to the building or even inside and on their network to detect that.”

  “How are we supposed to do that?” Clark asked. “We can’t camp out near the building and hope we get lucky. They’ve got too much security for that. Plus, they must have gotten a good look at Quinn and me during our scuffle with the shifters.”

  Taylor twirled a curl and said, “It would be easy if we could install a tracking worm in their system. Too bad you two can’t go back and get inside.”

  Clark smiled for the first time since they’d returned to the farmhouse. “What would it take to install that tracking thing? Would it take long?”

  “It’s a worm, and no, it wouldn’t take long, not if we could get access to the central server drives. I wouldn’t need direct access. If we could slip a corrupted signal booster near one of their network hubs, I could hack in. Once through their firewall, I could install the worm in about ten seconds. I could show you how to do it. It’s easy.”

  “I’m not going to do anything,” Clark replied. “You are.”

  “What?” Quinn asked. “We nearly got killed trying to sneak in there. There’s no way Taylor would survive.”

  “Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, Quinn.”

  “I do not doubt you and your skills, but they’re skills with the computer stuff, not fighting angry shifters and demon-possessed people. You’ve got no magical protection at all.”

  Miranda jumped in. “Wait a minute and think about this. Maybe Clark’s on to something here. Perhaps her lack of magic and any supernatural connection is a bonus. She wouldn’t trigger any safeguards they might have in place, and there are dozens of businesses in that building. They can’t keep their employees and customers from coming in during normal business hours.”

  “So, we just send Taylor in there in broad daylight?”

  “It might be the safest time to go,” Miranda explained. “She’d be just another mundane among hundreds coming and going.”

  Clark looked at Taylor. “Would you be able to hold up while you go inside? It wouldn’t be completely without risk, but we must find out what they’re up to and when they’re sending out slayers into the city.”

  Taylor nodded. “I can do it. Like I said, all I need is a few seconds alone near one of their communications nodes.”

  “But how do we get her inside without arousing suspicion?” Quinn asked. “She can get into the building, posing as a customer or employee of another business. That doesn’t get her into this brokerage place, though.”

  Clark thought for a few seconds and suggested, “Maybe she could pose as one of their employees.”

  Miranda shook her head. “No, the company isn’t large enough that they wouldn’t notice someone who didn’t belong wandering around.”

  “Not if they were expecting someone new.” Taylor turned and headed back into the dining room, sitting down behind the row of monitors on the table. She tapped a few things into the keyboard and smiled. “I’ll just get them to hire me.”

  “Just for the day?” Quinn asked as she and the others followed Taylor into the dining room.

  “Look,” Taylor said, pointing at the right screen. “They’ve got a request on a job board for a filing temp. One or two days of work and they’re paying a few dollars more than minimum wage. I can create a fake account on this temp site and apply for them to hire me for that short-term gig.”

  “You’d have to stay the whole two days and do the actual work,” Clark said. “You up for that?”

  “Sure, I could use the extra time to snoop around and see what else I can turn up.”

  “You don’t want to draw attention to yourself,” Quinn said. “Remember, it’s possible that some of the VirSync people might recognize you.”

  “Not if I pull a “Clark Kent” and go for the nerd disguise. I’ve got those fake glasses I got for my Halloween costume last year. And if I dress for business instead of my usual awesome fashion sense, I’ll bet no one will pay me any attention at all. I’ll just be another office drone.”

  Quinn didn’t like it. Taylor took a huge chance offering to do this, and she’d have no backup. If she got into trouble, she’d have to get herself out of it without any help from them.

  “You sure you’re up to it?” Quinn asked.

  “I can do this. I promise.”

  Quinn glanced at Clark. He seemed almost eager, leaning forward with a gleam in his eye as if he had the target of a hunt in sight. He nodded and said, “Apply for the job and get that wormy thing ready.”

  Taylor tapped a few more keys to complete her profile and clicked a screen button on the temp site. “Done. They haven’t gotten any other replies to the job post, so I suspect I’ll get a call tomorrow to come in. Plenty of time to rig a small signal booster that’ll let me hack their internal system.”

  Miranda yawned. It started a chain reaction with the others, and Quinn laughed. “I’m going to bed. I’ve had enough excitement for tonight.”

  Taylor got up. “I’ll work on the tech and check on the job first thing in the morning. Fingers crossed.”

  Quinn kept the reservations she had to herself. Taylor seemed to have made up her mind, and Clark said they needed a way to track down the slayers sooner rather than later. He was right. She just hoped her friend didn’t end up hurt or worse because of it.

  Taylor rose first the next day, partially due to the excitement she felt surrounding this opportunity to do more than sit and work at her computer. She slipped on a sweatshirt over her t-shirt and headed down to check on things. It was unlikely she’d get an answer so quickly on her fake job profile, but there was always a chance some manager was an early riser and checked the job board.

  She started the coffee maker and then walked into the dining room and tapped on her space bar to wake up her system. After leaning over the table and typing in her admin password, she waited while the computer woke up.

  A notification popped up in the corner of the center screen. Taylor smiled. She bounced on the balls of her feet as she clicked on it and waited for the job site to load.

  The answer showed up at the top of the messages for “Jeanne Swift,” the fake name on the account she used to apply for the job.

  Ms. Swift, thank you for your interest in the filing job. Please respond with your earliest availability to begin. Pending your success at the initial interview, we’d like you to start immediately.

  Taylor tapped on the accept button. A window popped up for her to answer.

  I’m available immediately. Please email with the address and information for the interview and job.

  She straightened up and returned to the kitchen to get some coffee. She had a lot to do to get ready for the interview. First up was to pick the perfect outfit. She had to look the part of a young professional eager for a job. It wouldn’t do to appear as the rogue shadow-hacker she pictured when she thought of herself.

  Taylor poured some coffee and headed back up to her room. She hadn’t been able to get much in the way of new clothes since they’d gone on the run, but she’d managed to pick up a few things.

  Her phone buzzed with a message before she got all the way upstairs. A quick glance brought a smile to her face. She was in. They wanted her there the next morning at 9 AM.

  She had one day to build the signal booster and get herself presentable. She was now Jeanne Swift, office professional.

  Chapter Eleven

  It was sunny the next day when Taylor got out of the car a few blocks from the office building. They’d all decided it would be best if it looked like she was walking from the light rail stop. It would match the fake apartment address in Timonium she’d given them. />
  “We’ll be close by if you get into trouble,” Quinn said, leaning out the passenger window as Taylor straightened her skirt to keep it from riding up after she got out.

  “I’ll be fine. I’ll text when I’m on the way back out this afternoon. Pick me up back here by the rail stop?”

  Quinn nodded. “We’ll be here. Good luck.”

  Taylor smiled. “Relax. I’ve got this.” She turned and started down the sidewalk to the corner where she waited with a horde of other cubicle warriors heading to their ordinary jobs in drab offices somewhere nearby. Of course, they weren’t about to help save the world like she was.

  The bounce in her step buoyed her spirits, and she had a huge grin on her face when she arrived at the office building. She walked into the lobby and checked the board on the wall listing all the businesses with their floors and suite numbers.

  Handon Services, LLC, was on the eleventh and twelfth floors. It looked like they had both levels to themselves. She checked her phone, reviewing the email she’d received from someone named Zelda. It directed her to head to room 1104 on the eleventh floor for her interview.

  Taking a deep breath, Taylor headed for the bank of elevators in time to catch the next one as the doors opened. She stepped inside with the three other people waiting there and ended up near the back of the car. She asked the man standing by the panel of buttons if he could push eleven for her.

  He turned and smiled at her, “You have an appointment with Handon Services?”

  Taylor couldn’t find her voice for a second. The man by the panel was Myles Hickman, head of VirSync and evil cult leader. He looked different somehow, grayer hair and a few more lines on his face and brow, but it was definitely him.

  She straightened her glasses and said. “Uh, yeah. I’m hoping to land a temp job I applied for. They were looking for a file person for a few days. It’s not exactly what I’m looking for, but I’m hoping it might turn into more than that. First things first, though, you know, right?”

  Taylor resisted rolling her eyes at the way she just yammered on when she was nervous. She had to calm herself. She’d only met Mr. Hickman once back at VirSync, and she doubted he would remember her from among the dozens of VR candidates who’d been present that day.

  Except he did recognize her, sort of.

  “Do I know you? You look familiar.”

  “I don’t think so. I’m new in town. I came in from Philly a week ago, which is why I haven’t gotten a full-time gig yet. I don’t suppose you know anyone up there I could talk to about something more long-term?”

  Taylor pulled her hand away from her face. She kept fiddling with her glasses, which were an integral part of her disguise. Quinn would never let her live it down if this didn’t work because she took her glasses off and someone recognized her.

  Of course, if it didn’t work, Taylor might not be around to worry about it.

  “As a matter of fact, I’m very close to the CEO, Mr. Handon. I’m heading up to his office on twelve. If you give me your name, I’ll make sure to mention the astute young woman I met on the way up this morning.”

  Her hand shot out to shake hands as she said, “Jeanne. Jeanne Swift, sir.”

  “Myles Hickman.” He took her hand in his and shook it in a firm but not too tight grip.

  The elevator chimed, signaling it had arrived on the eleventh floor.

  “Thank you, Mr. Hickman. I hope we get the chance to meet again. I think this is my floor. I have to hurry to get to my interview on time.”

  “Best wishes to you, and good luck with the interview.”

  Taylor nodded her thanks again. She hurried away from the elevators down the hallway as she looked for her room. Thankfully, she had turned the right way and spotted 1104 on a sign beside one of the many doors lining the corridor. Below the number, the sign read, “Human Resources.”

  Taylor turned the knob and stepped inside.

  She’d entered a small waiting area with four chairs and an open door on the far side.

  A dark-skinned woman of about thirty-five sat behind a desk in the next room and smiled when she saw Taylor. “You must be Jeanne, am I right?”

  “Yeah, that’s me.”

  The woman got up and rushed to the outer room. “Thank you for coming in so quickly. This interview shouldn’t take too long. As soon as I do a final check of your information, I’m sure we can get you to work and earning a little something your first day. Sound good?”

  Taylor nodded and returned the woman’s smile. “So, the interview is…”

  “Oh, it’s really just a formality to make sure we don’t hire a serial killer or someone out to steal corporate secrets. You don’t look like you’ll be a problem in any case.”

  “I’m Zelda Kane. I head up the human resources department here at Handon. Oh, who am I kidding? I AM the human resources department, so let’s just sit and chat for a bit, and then I’ll check your application one last time. I’m sure you’ll be able to start before lunch.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Kane. I’m happy to hear you think I’ll work out. I could really use the job.”

  “We all need a good job; that’s the best part of what I do. And call me Zelda. I insist.”

  “Okay, Zelda. Should we sit out here or in your office?”

  The woman pointed behind her at the doorway and laughed. “That tiny space hardly deserves to be called an office. Besides, I prefer to walk and talk. That way, I get my steps in.” She tapped the exercise watch on her wrist with one hand. “Follow me and interrupt me if you have any questions.”

  Taylor nodded and followed the woman out the door and back down the hallway to the elevator. Zelda pulled open a door just across from the bank of elevators and held it for Taylor.

  “Come in here and see the nerve center for things here at Handon Services.”

  The next room was huge; it must’ve taken up most of one side of the whole floor. Inside were rows of low cubicles with dozens of people all talking at once on identical headsets. A set of large flatscreen monitors filled the far wall with numbers and letters scrolling across them in patterns denoting the various international and domestic stock markets.

  “This is the call center where our associates reach out to potential investors and secure their trust, and eventually their money.”

  She and Zelda walked among the cubicles, and Taylor noticed right away something was off. None of the people talking on the headsets paid any attention to either of them. Surely someone would be curious about the newcomer. Some of the guys and even a few of the girls should be checking her out given the way Taylor knew she looked, but nothing—not so much as a peek or sideways glance, as far as she could tell.

  If she were doing a monotonous job like making phone calls to random strangers, she’d take every opportunity she could for distraction.

  Weird.

  “They all seem so, uh, focused.”

  “Who, them? Yes, well, that’s normal here. It’s because their jobs might depend on the next sale they make. They’re the stock and bond traders, and that’s a tough job to break into. Mr. Handon personally interviews each of them before sending them down here to work. He puts tremendous pressure on them. He believes they must be molded in a crucible of fire so they can match up to the big brokerages on Wall Street.”

  “Their jobs are on the line?”

  Zelda shook her head, flicking a hand dismissively as she walked along the row of cubicles. “Only the one with the lowest sales each month is fired. It’s for the best, really. If they can’t sell more stocks or bonds than the next trader, they’re not cut out for this type of work. We lose a trader each week. They’re sent up to Mr. Handon to explain their failure, and we don’t see them down here again. He just sends them home. I’ve offered to send them an exit survey, but Mr. Handon says not to bother.”

  Taylor glanced over her shoulder at the traders as Zelda led her down a long hallway. She didn’t care what kind of job it was; somebody should have looked.r />
  It reminded her of the way Quinn described the effect of the spells VirSync had used against them. She couldn’t remember it, of course, because the magic had worked on her. Maybe some sort of magic was at work here, too. She wished there was a way for her to be sure. If only she could cast a simple detection spell. Of course, that was why it was her sneaking in here and not someone else. She didn’t have any magic of her own to be detected.

  Taylor turned to the front as Zelda led them past a row of eight doors with hasps and padlocks on them. Taylor pointed at them and said, “Is that where they keep all the money or something?”

  “Oh, no. All the money here is handled electronically. No, those rooms are for a friend of Mr. Handon’s who needed some extra office space for a special project. They come in here at night when everyone is gone and do some sort of high-tech computer work in there. Nothing for us to worry about. Your area is just up ahead here.”

  Taylor looked ahead and saw a room with rows of filing cabinets lining the walls. In the center was a long table with four chairs on each side.

  “This’ll be where you’ll set up for the next few days. We are in the process of digitizing all our older files. Start at that filing cabinet over there. Pull out the files one at a time and run their contents through the scanner system in the corner. Make sure there are no staples or paperclips. Once the scanning is done for that file, type the file’s identifier number from the label into the scanner interface and hit enter. Then put the file back and do the next one.”

  “That’s it? The interview’s over?”

  “That’s it. You seem like such a nice girl. Do this for a few days. If it you get the work done in a timely fashion, we’ll see about hiring you for an extended period. There’s a lot that needs doing here. I’ll come back at lunchtime with some paperwork for you to fill out. In the meantime, the directions and checklist for your work are all here on the table. The scanner is pretty complex and has a lot of functions you’ll never use. Just use the manual system and scan things by hand. I’ll see you in a few hours.”