Coded

by Kayla Bainbridge

  Coded

  Kayla Bainbridge

  So many people made this dream of mine come true. My parents for giving me my first computer in high school. I spent so many late hours typing away on that giant beast. To my grandpa Claude Wrathall, for being the first one who read my book, and edited it. My husband John, and my kids for being my biggest advocates. I ignored them more than I should have. Finally, to Heather Wrathall for making such an awsome cover. Thank you everyone!

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 1

  A 0001

  The alarm started.

  “Not already,” Kennedy mourned as she quickly rose to shut it off before it had the chance to wake her roommate.

  Working at 4 a.m. was not ideal for a sophomore at college. But college wasn’t going to pay for itself. It was a janitorial job. Although it was not glorious, she enjoyed not having to think about her work. No one’s mind was awake that early.

  Sleep was precious, but so was being on time. That meant, to get out the door on time, Kennedy had to be organized. Wasted time was her biggest pet peeve. So, she saved time by doing little things throughout the day. She tried to walk quickly, mentally preparing several to-do lists, and packed for the day the night before.

  Every night she would place clothes out on her desk, pack her breakfast, and shower to optimize her sleep. A few extra minutes in bed for any student was monumental. This was college after all, and sleep was one thing no one ever got enough of.

  She walked into the bathroom and took a moment to look in the mirror. Her brown hair waved down to her shoulders. It was a little messy from sleeping on it. She brushed through it quickly to fix it. Her rich brown eyes had bags under them from falling asleep late. A short sleeve shirt clung to her slim body as she pulled a dark gray sweatshirt over her head. Freckles dotted her nose and over her cheeks, the rest of her skin was pale from the lack of sun in the winter months.

  Hurrying along, she went out to the living room like she always did and slipped on her shoes. Despite being only 5 feet 6 inches, her feet were unusually large. Pulling on her jacket and backpack, she walked out the door. Outside, the car was waiting, just like every other day. Kennedy’s boyfriend Cole had only been working as a janitor for a couple of weeks and offered to drive them. Kennedy was into her second semester on the job and enjoyed the ride instead of walking in the freezing cold.

  The two of them had been dating for a semester and a half. Overall, they got along and had fun, but never seemed to go much deeper than that. Kennedy had been the one who suggested that he applied to work the early job too. It was tough for her to go home early every night instead of spending it with Cole and friends. At least now, they both had to go to bed early. They had also lucked out and had both been assigned to work in the same building.

  Cole always picked her up four minutes early, just to make sure they had enough time to make it to work. The weather in Boise was relenting, and sometimes the road was slick. Kennedy didn't mind leaving early. Sometimes it meant that she could get a few extra minutes on her timecard.

  This morning, a light snow had fallen. Some people think that snow is beautiful and remarkable, but Kennedy was not one of those people. She walked frustratingly over the snow. Despite being April, the snow just kept coming. Sometimes she tried to look at the good aspects of the snow and cold, to try and improve her attitude. The snow helped the local farmers and helped to keep the summer fires at bay. This tactic wasn’t helping today. Cold was the worst.

  When Kennedy reached the car, her carefully prepared backpack was placed in the back seat, as she slipped into the front passenger seat. Cole had been kind enough to warm up the car for her, which made Kennedy smile. Reaching across she kissed Cole and buckled her seatbelt at the same time. Although Cole was a larger man, Kennedy had fallen for his piercing blue eyes, long brown hair, and almost childlike face. A sense of humor also had caught her curiosity and kept the relationship exciting.

  Despite a morning kiss, Cole was not a morning person. Sometimes this led to remarkably interesting conversations, but most of the time they rode in silence. Today was one of those days. Kennedy preferred the silence too.

  ∆∆∆

  “Are we ready to go?” asked Jordan as the van pulled into the parking lot.

  His eyes glanced around the van as he did a quick overview of his crew. There were four men sitting in the back, wearing black tactical uniforms. They looked like a typical SWAT team, but the bright yellow letters would not have said “SWAT”.

  Jordan had been preparing for this moment for over three months now. Being handpicked for this specific assignment, he had to run it perfectly. If he was successful, he was guaranteed a promotion. This thought helped him focus as they pulled up. He could have no doubts. This was his job, he had prepared, time to execute. That's all there was to it. A wave of adrenaline pulsed through his body in anticipation. All of those months of planning led up to this one moment.

  At fifty feet away, the van pulled to a halt, just as planned. The darkness of early morning worked perfectly as cover. The men slowly exited the van and glided silently against the building. Even with the lights overlooking the sidewalk, Jordan's confidence didn't falter. His men were ready for this. As they continued to move, they easily remained discrete.

  When the leader reached the designated door, Jordan signaled to the rest of the group to gather quickly. The man assigned to keep watch outside signaled he was set. Jordan nodded and he led the rest of his team to the door. Luckily, the apartment was on the bottom floor. Not only did this allow a quick getaway, but this floor was halfway underground and halfway at sidewalk level, it gave the team excellent cover.

  The leader reached for the door handle and was surprised to find it unlocked. Quickly, the men followed the leader as he silently entered the small apartment. None of the men, including Jordan had any heavy artillery, but did carry a few gadgets in case of any trouble. This allowed the men's hands to be free. As Jordan followed the last man inside, he closed the door to the apartment. He looked to his team and signaled them to continue. The lights illuminating the sidewalk outside lit the room, despite the blinds being shut. Perfect, Jordan thought as he walked further in.

  Jordan and the team knew that the target was living within this apartment but hadn't obtained a specific room. With six residents, Jordan previously decided to use a simple knock out gas in order to check each room with the least chance of waking the other occupants.

  One by one, each of the team members placed their gas masks on. They started with the back-left bedroom. Silently they opened the door and threw in a small ball. Gas escaped and filled the room. After letting the gas settle, and the occupants had a chance to breathe in the fumes, the team walked inside. Jordan took his position next to the first bed and quickly beamed a light in the face of the young girl. Jordan had studied the face of the target for three months now. Her face was engraved in his mind. The flash of light was all he needed. This wasn’t her. While he had checked that bed, another man had already checked the bed on the other side of the room. He shook his head; she wasn't in this room.

  The team quickly exited the room and prepared for the back-right room. With one quick motion the team leader threw another gas ball
from his pack into the middle of the second room. Impatiently, Jordan waited again for the gas to settle and watched for the sign from the team leader before moving into the room. The results of this room had been the same as the first. Jordan followed the team out of the second room and towards the last room. Jordan was getting nervous. Had he forgotten her face? No, there had been no resemblance at all. Was his team failing him?

  Entering the last room, Jordan hesitated. One of the beds was empty. Worry flushed his face as he quickly checked the last remaining occupant. The target was missing. While Jordan paced the room, fear and failure set in. The team waited for him. Time was slipping away when he suddenly stopped and looked at the alarm clock. Within a couple seconds Jordan realized the alarm had gone off half an hour ago. Where could anyone be at 4:30 in the morning? Jordan’s thoughts raced as his team exited the apartment and headed back to the van.

  Jordan rushed to the front seat and went over the file again. Right there on the top of the fourth page was all the information he needed. He couldn’t go back empty handed.

  Jordan told the driver the new location. His first mission wasn’t running as smoothly as he planned. Turning in his folder he looked at the picture yet again. There was something in her face that caught him. It wasn’t the confident smile, or the way her freckles danced across her nose, or the way her face welcomed you. But something that made her look different. Something he couldn’t explain.

  His thoughts went into overdrive as the van started to ascend to the designated building. Months of planning turned into minutes. He relied on his teams’ experience as they collaborated. Planning something so quickly placed his team in an extremely dangerous position. Get in the building, get the girl, get out. That didn’t seem too hard right? Who was he kidding, this was going to be a disaster.

  “Sir?” the team leader asked as the van parked in front of the building.

  “We will work our way from the north to the south. Half take the upstairs and half take the downstairs. Check each area and then clear it over the coms. Take your firearms but use extreme caution. We have no element of surprise, so just move quickly. Meet in the south lobby when you have completed your floor. Remember, this is the target,” he said, raising her picture.

  Jordan waited for them all to nod their heads before they got out of the van. Last out, Jordan mouthed a quick prayer that this would work.

  ∆∆∆

  Kennedy and Cole arrived at work five minutes early. Although Cole regretted not using those minutes to sleep, Kennedy was already thinking of that extra money on her paycheck.

  They had each been assigned to a different section of the building. Although everyone worked in pairs, Cole and Kennedy never seemed to be placed together. One member of the team vacuumed and the other would dust and take out trash. Normally, the pace of one person exceeded the other. This would separate the team and leave each other to themselves for the remainder of the shift any ways. Kennedy liked when this happened. She did like to talk to people and get to know her co-workers, but she liked being alone more. This time was hers. She learned to treasure these moments alone. Many times, she contemplated things she would otherwise never have thought of.

  This morning Kennedy had been assigned to vacuum the first-floor north side. She had already taken the vacuum and started her section. In the beginning she made sure she did an extra good job. This allowed her partner to get ahead, which left her alone. Kennedy had a system to her alone time. First, she went over her schedule, then homework, and then ideas for upcoming papers. She really felt a dedication to her study of psychology and loved to dig into it. Although, this often left her other classes in the background. This forced her to take days off from psychology, in order to catch up in her other classes.

  Reaching underneath another desk to get the far back corners, her thoughts instantly changed topics. Recently she had been thinking a lot about the relationship between herself and Cole. Kennedy had started to wonder if he was the best thing for her. Something didn’t seem right. She cared for Cole, but at the same time she struggled with his career choice, his goals in life, and reluctance to change. In her relationships she had always just gone with the flow. Letting him decide where the relationship went and how fast. Now she realized she was doing the same thing with Cole. Did she even love him? Without any other things pressing her, she let these thoughts consume her as she absentmindedly continued to vacuum.

  ∆∆∆

  Jordan and his team walked up to the designated building from the file. Putting his mistake behind, Jordan pulled himself together. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and walked to the building entrance, his team followed behind him.

  Opening one of the many doors at the entrance, Jordan realized how many new problems this was going to present. Right in the lobby, in front of the row doors stood the first employee. He saw them immediately. Instead of alerting anyone he watched in silent horror as the team leader approached him. The team leader acted quickly and knocked him out with the hilt of his gun, before the young man said anything. Two other members of the team then advanced, grabbed his body and hid him in a nearby closet.

  Ducking his team into the first door, he found himself in an office style room. There were about twenty cubicles and five offices that lined the back wall. It looked like all the doors stood open in the building, this allowed his team to move around easily. Once inside the first cove, Jordan stood dumb struck as he stared in front of him. There stood the girl they were searching for She was oblivious to their presence still. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, so it wouldn’t fall in her face as her thin graceful body swayed back and forth with the vacuum. She was lost in her thoughts. Half the time her eyes seemed to close and then open again, as if half asleep. Although she was just vacuuming the floor, he could sense there was more. What was she thinking?

  His team leader carefully leaned over and poked Jordan. He was startled. The team had already assembled behind him and were talking with one another. After a couple seconds Jordan was able to catch up and understood the concocted plan. The team leader nodded to Jordan to confirm the plan, as he raised a syringe from his pocket. This had been their back up plan at the apartment. Now it was going to work to their advantage. With slight hesitation, Jordan nodded and signaled his approval to his team leader.

  Two other members of the team guarded the entrance. The rest of the team, including Jordan watched the leader slowly make his way behind the unexpected target. Jordan cringed every time the girl turned towards the direction of the team leader. Jordan was nervous. This shocked him, he had never been so concerned with a mission. Did he feel sorry for her, or was he concerned about his career? Regardless, he couldn’t keep his eyes off either of them. The target continued to vacuum as his team lead slowly advanced through the cubicles.

  Suddenly Jordan heard several doors open, and a stampede of footsteps. Another group had entered the building. The team leader stopped his advance to wait out this unforeseen interruption.

  “Hello?” a man called very loudly from the hallway Jordan's man had just come from.

  The sound echoed through the open building and alerted the target.

  ∆∆∆

  Kennedy stopped the vacuum and walked towards the hallway. Someone in the hallway was shouting. Once out in the hall, Kennedy realized she was the first to reach the strangers. Dressed in suits, about a dozen men stood in the hallway, now all looking at Kennedy.

  “Can I help you?” Kennedy asked, keeping her distance from the group.

  One of the men stepped forward, separating himself from the rest of the group.

  “Yes,” the man paused for a moment. “I believe you are actually the one who can help us.”

  “Sure,” Kennedy replied hesitantly.

  “We are here to escort you to safety.”

  “What?” Kennedy asked, confused.

  Before the man could respond the hall turned into mass confusion. Ten men dressed in black military garb emerged from the of
fice block Kennedy had been working in. They were headed straight for Kennedy. The men in suits quickly pulled out their guns and started shooting at the unexpected guests.

  Kennedy instantly turned and ran down the lobby, escaping the grasp of the first men who had reached for her.

  “Help!” Kennedy yelled. She glanced behind her and saw two men dressed in black following her.

  Using the building to her advantage, Kennedy entered another block of offices to find two other co-workers looking bewildered.

  “Hide!” Kennedy ordered as she found a cubical to duck under.

  Two shots sounded, followed by the sound of two bodies hitting the floor. Kennedy pulled her knees up to her chest and tried to suppress tears.

  “Come out!” one of the men ordered.

  “Kennedy,” the other one pleaded more softly.

  Then the two men were quiet. Kennedy imagined the men looking silently around the office and realized she was going to have to make a break for it. Quietly she unwrapped her legs, and as calmly as possible glanced around the edge of the cubical. One of the men methodically investigated each cubicle. He was going to reach Kennedy in a matter of minutes. Taking another quick glance, Kennedy couldn't locate the other man she knew was in there.

  She dared to peek once more, and Kennedy still couldn't spot him. She couldn't risk it any longer, she had to escape. Silently, Kennedy counted to three and then stood up. A shriek escaped her as she realized the other man stood only two cubicles away. Bolting towards the second door that led to the hallway, Kennedy made it out of the office. The man was steps behind her.

  “Stop!” the man yelled.

  Kennedy ran unexpectedly into the two groups at war with each other. The whole lobby was dotted with the men in black, battling with the men in suits. Both shot at each other, bullets sounded everywhere.

  The man chasing her took advantage of her surprise and grabbed her wrist. Pain then exploded from her right shoulder.