The Whisper of Stars

by Nick Jones

  ‘Have you been to the vault before, Ms Savoretti?’ Losevsky asked, striding the black vinyl floor towards another doorway in the distance.

  ‘No, never,’ Jen answered, taking in the scale.

  ‘This is one of nineteen data halls,’ he explained, brightening up. ‘Most of the world’s conversations are stored here.’ He turned to her and smirked. ‘Bet there’s interesting stuff in here, eh?’

  Jen looked back at him. He was clearly excited to be showing a girl around. She understood that, but she needed to be careful. She didn’t want to make a connection, and especially didn’t want to be remembered.

  ‘Level four is…?’ She didn’t break a smile.

  Losevsky’s face dropped a little. ‘This way.’

  ‘Okay, you’re passing through the last of the level two areas.’ It was Nathan’s voice in her ear again. ‘He’s right, you know. There are nineteen of those data rooms, 25,000 square feet each.’

  ‘You’re a geek,’ Jen said, quietly.

  Losevsky turned and looked confused. Jen looked the other way until he started walking again.

  ‘I admit it. It’s true.’ Nathan’s smile was obvious. ‘Right, you’re going to take a lift and then more security. Levels three and four. You’ll need to do your persuade thing and hope your ID holds up. You work for Synergy, one of the companies on their list of approved suppliers. It should be okay.’

  Losevsky didn’t speak again until they approached the security gate.

  ‘I can’t go any further than this.’ His voice was flatter than before.

  Jen thanked him and smiled. He returned the gesture happily, like a puppy. She watched him go. He seemed to have regained some of the spring in his step.

  Nice kid.

  Jen decided not to think about the trouble he would be in soon. She turned and faced the next corridor in the underground maze. It was smaller than the others, a long tube-like structure, around 30 metres long, with a separate clear section in the centre like a glass room, with four guards, two either side. The nearest two were eyeing her closely, the farthest two were sitting on plastic chairs. It was obvious they didn’t get a lot of traffic down here.

  ‘It’s a scanning chamber,’ Nathan explained. ‘You step in, they scan you, let you out if you’re cleared. Those doors could withstand a huge blast, you know, wouldn’t even knock a hair out of place on any of those guards.’

  ‘Thanks for the info.’

  Jen approached and connected with the first two guards. She needed to ensure they would allow her into the airlock. They frisked her and only stopped momentarily to check her bag. The other two guards beyond the scanner were up now. A large screen displayed the outline of her body as she entered the chamber. Once inside, the clear doors sealed with a rush of air and deep thumping sound, popping her ears. Machinery kicked into gear. Through the clear wall she could see the guards on the far side processing her scan, which would of course show discrepancies. Jen switched her focus to them, releasing the guards from the entrance.

  Something felt different immediately.

  Of the two guards, the one on her right was going to be a problem. She knew it straight away. He looked up and frowned at her, fighting, reminding her of the agent in the car park when she had first met Nathan. Jen was surprised by how long ago that felt. Mac had still been alive. It felt like a different life.

  Jen concentrated. The ‘problem’ guard explained to his colleague that Jen was carrying unauthorised equipment. She closed her eyes.

  Don’t panic. Stay calm.

  She felt her heart swelling against her chest and her lungs being squeezed as if under pressure. This fatigue appeared to be cumulative and dependent on the target’s ability to fight the Histeridae. Jen was inside their minds and seeing with their eyes now. She could see herself standing in the chamber, eyes closed, and the screen with the offending objects highlighted in red. To her right a large red button, a panic button… which was begging to be pressed. The ‘problem’ guard wanted to hit that alarm. This woman isn’t authorised, he was shouting in his mind. Something’s wrong!

  Jen pushed the breath from her lungs and concentrated. The guard’s name was Andrei Shulga and he was very strong-minded. Always had been.

  < Andrei, there’s nothing wrong, > she told him, guiding his thoughts. She went deeper, to a place beyond suggestion, a place where she could become his thoughts. It felt like diving into the ocean and the water was darker here.

  < This woman isn’t here to do any harm. She is a technician and has full clearance. >

  She turned Andrei’s head toward his colleague, who looked confused and worried.

  ‘Are you okay, Andrei?’ the guard asked, his voice sounding slow. He was speaking Russian but Jen could understand him somehow, the Histeridae working at a deeper level of her brain, deeper than language.

  Andrei Shulga finally spoke.

  ‘I thought something was wrong, but it’s fine,’ he said and felt better as the words left him. Andrei knew that if he said something, then he meant it, he didn’t waste his breath otherwise. He worked the situation through in his mind again, unaware that it was Jen planting the seeds and controlling the outcome.

  The storm and the lack of staff are making me twitchy, Andrei thought. Yes, that’s it. It’s fine. It’s all fine.

  ‘She’s clear,’ he said confidently.

  Time returned to normal. Jen stepped from the chamber and nodded at them both. She asked for directions. In Russian. With the route explained, she continued past them. Although her locks of red hair were pushed under a black cap and she hadn’t worn makeup for days, the guards watched her a little longer than they would most technicians.

  It was quieter down here, the kind of silence that only exists deep under the earth. Even the machines were quiet, tucked away inside sealed rooms, the place deserted. Five minutes went by and she didn’t see anyone.

  ‘Not far now,’ Nathan said suddenly, making her jump.

  Not far. Owen Powell had been drowning down here. A dream created by Jen with one purpose: reveal where Baden kept their secrets. Chamber 457B held the answers – Jen was sure of it – and she was close.

  ‘Nice work, by the way,’ Nathan said.

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘When did you learn to speak Russian?’

  Jen shrugged. ‘Until today, I didn’t know I could.’

  Chapter 48

  ‘You’re close now.’ Nathan watched the small red dot move across his screen. ‘You should see the chamber just up ahead.’

  The large, cavernous server rooms and manned security checks were way behind them now. Nathan was relieved. There was only so much he could do if they raised the alarm. Since then he had watched her dot move through what seemed like miles on his three-dimensional blueprint. The final assembly was still incomplete in places, chunks of rooms and corridors missing or sketchy, but it wouldn’t matter – her route was clear.

  ‘There’s a door.’ Jen’s voice was calm but accusing.

  Nathan beamed the blueprint into the room. It appeared, its glowing lines reaching up to the ceiling and out to the walls. He stepped into the projection and began exploring, zooming into the tunnel and looking for clues. The map was cobbled together from millions of sources, each one assigned and colour-coded, a kaleidoscopic depiction of weeks of work. He positioned himself in her exact location, bringing the map to almost life-sized. There, right in front of him, was a missing section of wall.

  He frowned. The assembly was incomplete.

  ‘Nathan?’

  ‘I don’t see the door,’ he replied.

  ‘I can assure you, it’s here. Big, solid and locked.’

  Nathan spun the map again, looking for alternatives. There wasn’t another obvious way through.

  She spoke again. ‘Can you open it from there?’

  ‘I’m going to try,’ he said, doubt buzzing through him. ‘I’m sorry. I must have old data for that area.’

  There was a pause. ‘Listen,
Nathan. You’ve done really well getting us this far. Just do what you can.’

  Jen looked at the door. Solid steel. Next to it was a flat, red scanner. There was no way she was getting through. Nathan needed to get it open. He’d messed up once before when they had broken into Powell’s house, missing an alert and putting her in serious danger. She wasn’t angry at him – she meant what she’d said, he had done well – but this wasn’t good. Even if they made it though, what about her escape route? What if they hit a dead end again? She looked back down the corridor, miles of white vinyl flooring and doorways stretching far into the distance, and prayed she wouldn’t have to go back.

  ‘Did it work?’ Nathan asked.

  Jen’s heart sank and then the door clicked open loudly.

  ‘Never doubted you,’ Jen said, laughing. ‘Not for a second.’

  Ahead were more corridors with large black numbers stenciled above doorways. It was a welcome sight and finally an indication of progress. They started at 400. Jen jogged, heart pounding, until Nathan’s voice told her to stop. She looked up.

  457B.

  Red light. Drowning.

  She shuddered at the memory and entered Powell’s code into the keypad next to the door. The day he had become CEO of Baden Corporation. She closed her eyes and hoped. When she opened them again, there was a green light.

  She stepped through the doorway and into a glass tunnel, suspended above a limestone chamber of servers – at least ten white rack units – each with an attached monitor. At the far end of the walkway was a circular room and a console.

  She walked, boots squeaking against the polished surface, breaking the otherwise perfect silence. ‘I’m inside now.’

  ‘Right, you need to attach the device within a few feet of the screen.’ Nathan said, clearly trying to stay calm.

  This is it, she thought. I’ve done my part, got us into the chamber as promised. Now it’s your turn.

  Jen looked down through the tinted green floor and spotted armed guards, three in total, plus a droid, patrolling the server room below. One of the guards nodded but didn’t smile. The scene reminded her of something she had watched as a child. A cartoon about a man inside the belly of a whale. She felt like that man, and if someone lit a fire, all hell would break loose. She stood at the console, which was comprised of a voice board, mind interface and three holographic feedback screens. She grabbed a chair, sat and slid herself up to the desk.

  ‘Right, look busy,’ Nathan suggested.

  Jen attached a small device to the underside of the steel console. It gripped the surface and immediately went to work. For a few seconds she held her breath. If Nathan told her it wasn’t working, then all this could be for nothing. All of it. Jen glanced down to see a guard watching her. Look busy? How the hell am I supposed to do that? She nodded, forcing herself not to smile.

  When Nathan’s voice returned, he was excited.

  ‘I can see the server,’ he said, almost shouting. ‘Jen, I can see it all.’

  ‘Okay, good.’ She spoke deliberately, lifting her hands in a gesture that suggested to the guards below that the people back at base were giving her a hard time. ‘I will sit here and look busy. Just be quick, okay?’

  ‘Search algorithm is running,’ Nathan whispered. ‘We’re going to be okay.’

  Jen told him he was doing well, but her mind was elsewhere, trying to figure out how to ask him a question, one that had been burning since leaving England. She’d assured herself there was no point raising it before now. What if they hadn’t made it this far? They could have had an argument for no reason.

  ‘Nathan,’ she asked quietly, wringing her hands.

  ‘Hmmm?’

  ‘I need you to do something else.’

  ‘Sorry? What?’

  ‘You need to do something else while we’re here.’

  ‘Yes, I heard that bit,’ he said, briskly. ‘What do you need? Pizza?’

  He was jovial, trying to keep her relaxed. He’s good at this, Jen thought, better than expected. He’d managed to keep his cool in situations where she’d seen lesser men crumble.

  She swallowed and said clearly, ‘I need you to search for someone. A man named Conrad Fowler.’

  ‘I’m sorry, what?’ Nathan shouted, incredulous. ‘Who the hell is he?’

  ‘He’s on a witness protection programme. You’ll need to do a wider search.’

  Jen explained the deal she’d made with Lynch, knowing immediately it had been a mistake not to tell him. She tried to persuade him that it had been their only chance to get to Russia, that Conrad Fowler was a bad man, that it was a good trade, but as she talked she felt more and more empty, embarrassed by her secrecy.

  ‘So, we find this guy, give Lynch the details and then what?’ Nathan hissed. ‘Fowler is tracked down and killed, along with a few others, probably.’

  Jen remained silent.

  ‘Brilliant.’ Nathan’s optimism seemed to have left him entirely. ‘Now I’m a fucking hit-man, too. Sentencing some guy to death. Nice, Jen, thanks a lot. What happened to teamwork? Sharing? In this together?’

  You’re right. I’m a bitch.

  There was a long pause broken by Nathan’s voice, horribly monotone and stripped of feeling. ‘If we have time – and I have no idea how long this is going to take – then maybe, maybe I’ll do it.’ He sighed loudly. ‘You should have told me.’

  ‘You’re right,’ Jen replied. ‘No more excuses. I’m sorry.’

  There, deep in the Shiryaevo Vault, buried under tonnes of limestone, Jennifer Logan felt something she hadn’t for a long time: a genuine, personal connection. She wanted to tell him that she really was sorry – and that, perhaps more importantly, that she cared about him.

  * * *

  Victor Reyland’s sleep was interrupted by his neural comms tugging at his consciousness, lifting him out of his selected dream. He was annoyed until he noticed the caller’s name.

  < Zido Zitagi. >

  Reyland cleared his throat and answered.

  ‘Were you asleep?’ Zitagi asked.

  ‘I was.’ He tapped the light next to his bed and checked the time. 2.05am. ‘This better be good.’

  ‘It is. We’ve found her.’

  ‘Logan?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes, Sir.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘Samara, Russia. Picked up her image on a mind sweep, local trapper in the Zhiguli Mountain Range. She got caught in a storm, took shelter.’

  Victor Reyland was fully awake now and calculating options. ‘Shiryaevo? The Vault?’

  ‘Yes, Sir. She’s already there.’

  ‘If she lets loose with the Histeridae in that Vault, we could have a serious situation on our hands. Governments and major corps pay good money for their data to be secure.’

  ‘I know, Sir, I understand.’

  ‘We can’t afford an incident, Zitagi.’

  ‘I understand,’ she said again.

  ‘What the hell does she think she’s going to achieve? That place is impenetrable.’ He paused a beat. ‘Even with that device. There’s no way she’s getting anything.’ It was a statement and somehow also a question.

  ‘We have her trapped.’ Zitagi said. ‘We can contain her, bring her in and –’

  ‘She’s inside?’ he interrupted. ‘You’re sure?’

  ‘Yes. Posing as a technician.’

  ‘Alright.’ Reyland composed himself.

  ‘Sir, what are the risks?’ Zitagi asked. ‘If she did manage to steal something and escape, what secrets do we have down there?’

  Reyland frowned. He could sometimes forget there was so much she didn’t know. He often thought it was a strange game they were made to play.

  ‘Zitagi,’ he said, his mind made up. ‘Authorise a strike team. Even if she does find something, make sure she doesn’t leave with it.’ Reyland sighed. ‘Are you sure this blocker of yours is going to work?’

  ‘Absolutely. She won’t stand a chance.’

  ‘Keep
me informed,’ Reyland said and hung up.

  Finding a way to block the Histeridae had cost the lives of three people. That in itself didn’t concern Zido. What did was her inability to test the newly developed technology. She was confident it would work, but the only way to truly know was to go up against Logan.

  Her sighting had been confirmed seven hours ago. Zitagi hadn’t waited for approval. She immediately began preparing everything, hoping Reyland would authorise her initiative. Her strike team were assembled in readiness. It would take them fifteen minutes to reach the vault.

  She looked around the busy command centre at the team of operators initiating the mission, her mission. A central screen displayed a team of soldiers running towards two combat helicopters. Reyland had decided Zitagi was ready for bigger things and the recovery of the Histeridae would validate his decision. She would take it back and Jennifer Logan would be dead. Failure wasn’t anywhere near her mind.

  You’re trapped, Logan, Zitagi thought and smiled, her tongue flicking across her dry lips.

  Trapped like a rat.

  Chapter 49

  Nathan was nearly done. He’d found Conrad Fowler too but wasn’t going to tell Jen that. He was still seething at her extra request. He pulled his eyes away from the screen and blinked, gazing around the bare hotel room. A packed case was placed in the centre, bathed in the tangerine glow of the collective heaters. He would finish here, pick her up and they would head to the safe house. There they would wait two weeks for things to die down, for security to become lax. He rubbed his face and turned back to the screen. It was flashing. Multiple alerts.

  ‘Shit,’ he said, dropping all thoughts of planning, of success.

  ‘What?’ Jen asked.

  ‘Shit, shit shit.’ His voice was accelerating. ‘No!’

  ‘Talk to me, Nathan. What is it?’

  ‘You need to get out of there.’ He swallowed, his throat clicking loudly. ‘They’ve initiated a silent lockdown, a manual shutdown of the main frame. All doors, exits, and systems.’ He tapped ferociously. ‘I’ve got 60 seconds max before they lock me out.’