The Prophecies Trilogy (Omnibus Edition): A Dystopian Adventure

by Linda Hawley

  I started with the indexes, visualizing compressing the zeros and ones together, until I saw them burst together in a brilliant flash of light. I imagined the light creating its own magnetic field that would jumble up each bit of information with random data. Doing this would not do any physical harm to the disk array, but as far as the actual information went, it would be utterly catastrophic and completely unrecoverable.

  This first step destroyed the indexes. I did the same for all the data files in the subdirectories. I followed that action with a cataclysmic destruction of the disk file control block. This was the gem that held the file permissions for the disk drive. I changed all permissions on the disk to read-only, which allowed me to erase the backup nodes before the database automatically tried to restore the corrupt data.

  I then moved into the second room, which held the backup storage array. This room, like the one before it, was small and enclosed in concrete, which made it fireproof and also protected it from most disasters.

  The data architect would have an exact copy of the RFID data on the storage array in this room. This redundant system gave the government 99.99 percent reliability that the RFID data would always be available. This was an online backup. I destroyed it just as I had the primary data system.

  This left one last place to go—the Canadian National Archives. They would have the tape copies there for offsite storage of all digital records for Canada.

  I visualized the directories saved on tape and, with a flash in my mind, jumbled all the data on the tapes.

  Coming out of the remote view, I immediately made the connection between the data bursting in flashes of magnetic light to watching the Fourth of July fireworks as a kid. I remembered all of us with our ooohs and ahhhs each time they burst.

  This was my own Canadian Independence Day. I hoped it worked.

  Chapter 27

  BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON

  The Year 2015

  I awoke in a daze. It was Monday morning.

  “Sinéad, give me the CNN news.”

  “Yesterday, President Obama gave a speech at the University of Washington about a new energy bill that he will present to Congress to greatly reduce our reliance on foreign oil…”

  Didn’t he say that in 2011? I thought, blinking myself awake.

  “…He also agreed to temporarily increase the quota for—”

  “Stop. Sinéad, give me the news for Canada.”

  “The new prime minister of Canada has announced that he will back a Family Care Plan to bring Canadians back to their liberal ideals. There is some breaking news also from British Columbia, but sources have yet to confirm it—”

  “Stop. Sinéad, tell me everything about the breaking news.”

  “The driver’s licensing offices have all closed their doors in B.C., giving the cause as a power disruption, but it has affected all driver’s licensing offices across the Province. Also, the Passport Canada offices closed their doors today, giving a power outage as the cause—”

  “Stop.”

  I bolted upright in my bed. Pulling the covers aside, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, stepping down onto the floor.

  “Woohoo!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

  Lulu charged in the bedroom, barking.

  “Woohoo, woohoo, woohoo!” I shouted. “Baby, you would have been proud of me,” I said aloud to Armond.

  Lulu barked some more.

  “That’s a gift for you, Shorty,” I said aloud to the Canadian candidate I’d tested.

  I was filled with unbridled elation. It was a victory for GOG, Shorty, and all Canadian citizens.

  Dashing into the kitchen, I grabbed some beef from the freezer, defrosted it in the microwave, and cooked it up for Lulu as a special treat. I made myself buttermilk waffles. We sat on the floor and had a party to celebrate the victory, basking in the joy of not only what I had done, but also what I was now capable of. Maybe I wasn’t just a weapon to the U.S. government. Maybe I was a weapon for the good of mankind, to help bring personal liberty back. Maybe I could be a force for good.

  “Ann, it’s eight forty-five,” Sinéad warned me.

  “Oh man—I gotta get ready for work,” I exclaimed, shooting up from the floor.

  At ten was an all-hands meeting with Bennett and department heads. After quickly showering, I headed to my closet to throw some clothes on.

  Delight enveloped me on my drive to work as I thought about my accomplishment.

  By nine thirty, I was at my desk—only a half hour late. Bennett agreed to my working flextime, so the time I arrived didn’t really matter. When I came down the 1910’s stairs, I noticed that Paul was not at his desk, nor was Edwin. Edwin had never been late (that I knew of) in the three years he’d worked at AlterHydro, so that was odd.

  After checking my voicemail and email, I grabbed a pen and paper and headed up to the meeting. Lulu stayed in her bed. As I came in the conference-room door, both Edwin and Paul followed me in, having just arrived.

  Remembering our closeness at my house, I couldn’t help but be happy. That combined with my remote-viewing achievement…it was almost hard for me to think straight. I sat down at the conference table, and Paul sat down next to me. I said hello to him, trying my best to keep our co-worker boundary.

  In the conference room stood an oblong table surrounded by ten chairs. The head of the table was open, and there was a laptop set up for a presentation. I said hello to all the department heads. Raymond sat on the other side of me, and I chitchatted with him.

  Bennett and his brother entered the room together. Bennett greeted everyone and gave me a nod and a smile.

  He definitely has a thing for me.

  I wanted to laugh out loud and say, “Not a chance,” but I just smiled back at him. His brother didn’t say a thing, except to nod at Paul and greet the person next to him.

  “Thanks everyone for being here on time,” Bennett started.

  As I tuned in to listen, Paul intimately pressed his knee to mine under the table. I took my booted foot and slowly smashed it against his shoe as hard as I could, intending to send him a message to knock it off at work. From the corner of my eye, I saw him wince and then smile. He got the message.

  Even though I had the live wire next to me, I was able to focus on Bennett’s presentation, answering questions that Bennett had about the technical manual and Brock’s confrontational questions about the manual’s completion schedule.

  My mind kept drifting back to the Canadian RFID destruction. It still blew my mind that I could remote view, changing reality. I was pondering this when Bennett asked a question. I realized everyone was looking at me.

  “What?” I asked, turning my head toward my boss.

  “You must not have heard me, Ann.”

  “I’m sorry, Bennett. I was working through something in the manual in my head.”

  Brock snickered.

  Jerk.

  “I asked whether the specs for the testing were back from China.”

  “Oh, yes, I just got them in email late last week. After I correct the English, it’ll be ready for Edwin.”

  “When will that be?”

  “I can move that project up and have it ready for him by tomorrow, if that’ll work.”

  “Great,” Bennett responded with a smile.

  I nodded.

  The meeting continued, and we finished up at eleven thirty, when Bennett said that he was treating us to pizza at La Fiamma.

  Mmm. I love their pizza with smoked salmon and roasted garlic.

  Bennett advised everyone to meet there at noon.

  Chapter 28

  BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON

  The Year 2015

  The doorbell rang at exactly seven p.m.

  I opened the door, and immediately a hand holding a bouquet of wildflowers slid through.

  “I’m sorry for…I’m sorry for the public affection,” Paul grinned, a little sheepishly.

  I had to laugh. “You’re forgiven,” I respo
nded.

  He gave me a big smile.

  “You’re easy,” he gushed, happy about my forgiveness.

  “I wasn’t really mad. I just wanted to let you know that when we’re at work, I need to focus on work, not you.”

  “My foot still hurts,” he said, feigning a limp.

  I smacked him playfully on the shoulder.

  “I gotta tell you, Paul, I really like it that you’re on time.”

  “Thank you. Did you love that pizza today, or what?” he asked, stepping inside.

  “Yes. I’m salivating right now, thinking of it.”

  “So, what are we eating tonight?” Paul asked.

  “Pizza.”

  “Pizza?” he asked.

  I tried not to laugh at his disappointed expression. “Just kidding…I was thinking about cooking up some steaks and asparagus on the grill, and I was going to make some sea scallops for appetizers. I thought we’d have a tossed salad with the steaks. How does that sound?”

  “Now I’m salivating,” he responded cheerfully. “What can I help you with?”

  “Are you a guy who grills?”

  “I was made to grill.”

  I laughed. I gave him the marinated steaks, tongs, and asparagus, and sent him to the back patio.

  “Sinéad, play a U2 mix.”

  “Isn’t Sinéad gonna be jealous you’re not playing her music?” he asked, calling over his shoulder.

  I chuckled. I never thought of that.

  Paul finished grilling, and I had the scallops and salad ready. We sat at the kitchen island to eat.

  “You must have heard about the chaos at the Canadian driver’s licensing offices,” Paul said.

  “I did. When I picked up the dinner ingredients at the Co-Op, my friend was telling me all about it. You must be thrilled about the news,” I said, prodding.

  “I am. For such a thing to happen is a…gift,” he stated sincerely.

  A gift.

  “Hmmm. I think you’re right.”

  Paul turned to me and looked directly into my eyes. “They want to meet you in Portland tomorrow morning at one in the afternoon,” he blurted out.

  I just looked back at him.

  Does he mean…

  My heart started to race. “Who wants to meet me?”

  “The parents.”

  “What? Who?” I asked, panicked that Paul wasn’t who I thought he was.

  Previously, I had always been contacted directly by GOG. They would usually leave a note for me in my house with a call-in number, or leave me a note in some other way.

  Is Paul government?

  “I know they don’t usually contact you like this. But this is an unusual event, as you know. Ann…I’ve known for a very long time.”

  “Known what?”

  “I saw you three years ago at the Gaslight Brasserie. I know about the meeting.”

  I could feel the heavy beating of my heart and wondered if Paul could hear it.

  “Who are you?” I said, moving slightly away from him.

  “It was my job that day—outer electronic security. I was parked outside the back of the restaurant with electronic equipment, jamming any possible peekers. I’m part of the organization, Ann.”

  “Tulips,” I said, challenging him with the code word, looking directly at him.

  I needed to know that he was really GOG.

  “Skagit,” he immediately replied, confirming the code word. “Now are you satisfied?” he asked, moving closer.

  “I am,” I said, embarrassed that I had doubted him. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” I asked quietly.

  “You already know the answer to that,” he said.

  In the organization, we were not supposed to voluntarily share our membership status with anyone, no matter how close they were. The only real way to know other members was to work on jobs together. That was the only way it was supposed to happen. Such cautions enhanced the likelihood that the organization would remain secret from the government, and it made penetration of GOG very difficult for outsiders.

  “So you’ve known for three years?” I asked, peering into his eyes.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s why you were at the Pan Pacific that weekend.”

  “Yes. I had a very slight feeling that you could be part of the organization. I mean, what’s the chance that we would both be a few blocks from the Gaslight Brasserie the day of the job? When we passed the restaurant during our walk, you looked at it as we passed, and I had a strong suspicion that you were there for the same reason I was.”

  I realized suddenly what this meant. No longer did I have to keep so many things about my life a secret. I could be who I was without being so guarded. Well…at least while I was in my house with Paul. What a relief. I could finally trust another person.

  “Would you like me to go with you to Portland? I’m assuming you’re going to take a personal day. I can do the same,” he eagerly asked.

  “That would be wonderful,” I said with a smile.

  “Your flight is already booked to Portland. You’re leaving on the nine ten a.m. flight from Bellingham, Alaska Air. Let me see if I can grab a seat on that flight.”

  “What time does the flight land in Oregon?”

  “Eleven fifty. It connects in Seattle.”

  “Sinéad, does the nine ten a.m. flight departing from Bellingham to Portland have one more seat?”

  “Yes. There are nine seats open on the Bellingham flight, and three open seats on the Seattle-to-Portland flight.”

  “Let me book it,” Paul interrupted as he pulled out his iPhone, looked up the flight, and booked the ticket as I watched his face. He was all business.

  “All done,” he announced with a smile.

  “Do you think anyone will suspect anything, with both of us gone on the same day?”

  “If you’re taking a personal day, I’ll call in sick. That way no one will suspect anything.”

  “That’s a good plan. You’d better start coughing.”

  “I’ll call in the morning—I’ll have worked up a sore throat by then. If I stay here till three a.m., I won’t need to work up a frog in my throat—I’ll have one from lack of sleep,” he joked, giving me a wink.

  As I watched his mouth move in that delicious way, with his eyes sparkling playfully, I felt my body respond.

  “What?” he asked with a curious expression.

  “You’re really something,” I said, smiling.

  He moved closer to me, until he was a couple of inches from my face. “You’re pretty terrific yourself,” he quietly responded. He looked into my eyes and then planted a juicy, lingering kiss on my lips.

  Chemistry, I thought as I enjoyed his mouth on mine, with the taste of lemonade—sweet and tart like that first kiss—enduring.

  He backed away slowly, opening his eyes to look at me again. “Wow. If that’s any indication of what’s to come, then…” he said, smiling wide.

  “What?” I asked, returning his smile.

  “Oh…nothing,” he said, adjusting himself in his seat. “There is something I want to know.”

  “What?”

  “I want to know how you did it,” he said, looking at me intensely.

  “Did what?”

  “You know what.”

  “Can’t I have any secrets?” I teased.

  “You can, just not that one. I am dying to know how you did the RFID hack. I want details.”

  I told him all about my remote-viewing success.

  “You know the offices in Canada have been closed all day?”

  “I know, isn’t it great? If they’re closed down, they can’t issue any more RFID licenses.”

  “They haven’t released anything to the press yet, so no one knows what’s happened. Hopefully tomorrow, in Portland, we’ll learn something from the inside about what you actually achieved.”

  “I can’t wait to find out,” I said, giddy. “Hey, you wanna take Lulu for a walk? It’s so pretty outside, and sunset will
be soon.”

  “Sure. Just give me a minute to finish this steak.”

  Chapter 29

  BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON

  The Year 2015

  Paul and I agreed to meet on the plane at the Bellingham terminal to avoid any suspicion that we were flying together. I dropped Lulu off at Aunt Saundra’s for the day. She and I had a very early breakfast together, visiting.

  While driving to the airport, I decided to call Bob. I had a particular question for him.

  “Hello?”

  “Well aren’t I a lucky girl to get you to answer your phone?” I teased.

  “I think the luck is mine,” Bob replied, sweet-talking me.

  “I have a question for you.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “The location. Why were they a target?”

  “The building was built with a full basement—unusual for that part of Shanghai, since it was prone to typhoon floods. We’d always watched it because of activity there.”

  “But why is it a target now?”

  “You should know the answer to that, Ann.”

  “You mean that what I originally saw was again taking place the day of my dream?” I said, remembering that the first time I remote viewed into the Bund Hotel, there was a meeting in the basement.

  Because of Yang Li’s loss of his soulmate, he built the basement so that the Chinese underground could fight against the establishment.

  “Presumably so. I don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing it’s very likely.”

  “I understand. Thank you, Bob.”

  “Ann?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Now I have something to ask you.”

  “What is it?” I asked, curious.

  “Have you been traveling recently, eh?” he asked with a Canadian interjection.

  “You know, it’s very rainy there,” I replied, unwilling to answer his question on an unsecured phone.

  “It certainly is,” he responded forcefully.

  “Was there anything else?” I asked, hoping that he wouldn’t press me.

  “Be careful. Ask yourself why I would be asking the question in the first place.”

  “Okay, Bob.”