Scarlet Angel

by C. A. Wilke

  Scarlett whistled.

  Dax leaned forward, putting his face close to the camera. “Those are the data cores. One of those is your target and contains the Hermes data.”

  “Excellent. Let’s get to work.”

  Chapter 41

  Intruder

  Despite the massive arsenals warriors and soldiers acquire, for all their deadly skills and impenetrable armors, they can always be felled by a softened heart.

  * * *

  Goosebumps formed on Scarlett’s arms as she stepped out of the small glass entry room and into the main data core chamber. A dozen air processors hung from the ceiling, filling the room with ice-cold air and a soft roar. The air they produced was fresh but left a flat taste on her tongue.

  Six massive pylons rose from the floor to the ceiling, their surfaces gleaming with polished steel and criss-crossed bars of blue light. “How much storage does each one of these hold?”

  Dax leaned forward, his face growing larger in the small square in Scarlett’s ARD. “Wow.”

  She scanned the room for any researchers working late but the room was clear. “Dax?”

  “Hmm? Oh, sorry. I just never thought I’d be this close to one of these.”

  Scarlett smirked. “You’re not.”

  “Huh? Oh, well... I just mean...” Dax forced a cough. “Anyway, the actual data storage is somewhere around a couple exabytes. But these machines are so much more than giant hard drives. Each one is capable of simulating a virtual city down to the molecular level.”

  “Ah.”

  “I mean, with just one of these, I could brute-force attack my way into any security system on the planet in under ten seconds.”

  “So how do I know which one has the Hermes data?” She walked down from the small landing onto the main floor. To her left and right sat two computer terminals linked to the first two data cores. Her ARD highlighted the individual pylons and the terminals but provided no helpful information.

  “That’s the tricky part.” Dax leaned back and started typing. “There’s no real way except to check them one by one.”

  “Then let’s get started.” She stepped up to the console to her left.

  “NO! Wait, don’t.” He reached out toward the webcam.

  Scarlett froze, her hand an inch from the touch screen interface.

  “Okay. We want to make sure we don’t trip any alarms that could lock the whole place down.”

  She pulled her hand back slowly. “Alright.”

  “Now, with one finger just touch the screen to wake the system up, but don’t do anything else.”

  Scarlett held up one finger in front of her face for Dax to see. With a deliberate motion, she touched the screen’s surface and pulled her hand away. The display came to life, displaying a handprint login screen.

  “Good, now use the—”

  She held up the nanocloth.

  “Yes, the nanocloth.”

  Scarlett draped the cloth over the touch screen and stepped back. Her gaze darted from shadow to shadow. Logic told her the room was safe and secure. It was the calm and quiet that unnerved her. She walked around the pylon Dax worked on but found nothing.

  “Dax, what’s the situation?”

  “I, uh... It’ll take a second. Almost got this one.”

  Her eyes darted back and forth. “No, I mean are there any alarms or anything? Any alerts that I can’t hear in this room?”

  “Nope, all’s clear. Why? Something wrong?”

  Scarlett shook her head. “Just a feeling. We need to move on.”

  “Alright then. I’m in, and... no. It’s not at this station. Let’s move to the next one.”

  At the next station she repeated the process and waited. She stood next to the pylon and tapped her foot to whatever music Dax was listening to.

  Motion near the entrance caught her attention. She looked up just in time to see three data core engineers in white clean-room suits file into the entry chamber, oblivious to the unconscious guard she left propped up next to the door.

  Six armed guards followed right behind the engineers. The second guard looked down and saw the body. His head snapped up. He shouted something and the other guards raised their weapons.

  Scarlett stepped back into the shadow. “Shit! Dax, gotta move. Now. I’ve got company.”

  “What!?” Dax’s eyes snapped to the webcam. “But... I have no record of Derrick coming planetside. Maybe they’re here for something else.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Just focus and get the data.” She pulled her plasma pistol and readied herself to take out the last guard.

  “Okay, just a second.”

  The guards secured the entrance to the data room while the engineers backed out. After the last engineer left, another man in a dark grey suit walked in. Scarlett’s breath caught in her chest; she felt as if someone had punched her in the gut.

  The suited man was like a lion stalking its prey; every step was calculated and intentional. In spite of his corporate appearance, he was as deadly as ever. “Neil,” she whispered.

  “Scar, go to the next one.” Dax stared directly into his webcam.

  Her eyes locked on Neil’s face. She didn’t hear Dax. She didn’t see the one of the guards point and draw his weapon. Neil was all that mattered.

  Neil reacted when she couldn’t. His gaze followed the guard’s finger right to her. He shoved the guard’s gun down, his mouth opened in a wordless scream.

  A shot pierced the hum of the fans. The guards turned to Neil, their faces twisted in anger and confusion. Neil pointed to the data core pylons and screamed something else. The guard yanked his arms free and holstered his gun.

  “Fuck!” Scarlett grabbed the nanocloth and fired three shots. The bolts of charged plasma shot out from the end of her weapon, slammed into the glass wall and exploded. She bolted to the next data core.

  Shouts of panic and screams of pain echoed in the core chamber. Neil’s voice rang out above the others. “Find her! I want her alive.”

  “You have to get outta there,” Dax yelled.

  She edged her way around the pylon and draped the nanocloth over the touchscreen. “Not without the data.”

  Scarlett leaned out from behind the pylon and fired two shots as cover fire. “Besides, there’s only one exit.” Two of the guards were missing.

  She stepped back and pressed herself against the cool metal. A boot scuffed the floor to her right. She turned and ducked just as a guard’s steel baton struck where her head had been. Scarlett rose up and punched the guard in the stomach with her gun, squeezing off a round.

  The guard’s back exploded. He fell to the floor, already dead.

  “It’s here. Downloading now.”

  Behind her, two more guards with batons sprinted toward her. She spun around and dropped the first one. The second guard ducked to the side.

  “Just a few more seconds.”

  An engineer tried to sneak up from the side. He reached for the nanocloth and Scarlett blew his hand away. He stumbled back, screaming.

  Another guard appeared behind her, already swinging his weapon. Scarlett stepped inside his attack and caught his wrist in her armpit. She slammed her forehead into the bridge of his nose and kicked him away.

  Scarlett swung around to pistol-whip her next opponent when her wrist stopped in midair. She looked up to see Neil’s hand gripping her arm.

  His eyes locked onto hers. The world around them froze. Memories of the care and affection those eyes held floated to the surface of her mind.

  “Hello Scarlett.” Neil’s voice was as flat and emotionless as his gaze.

  Scarlett’s heart broke. From the corner of her eye, she saw the fist coming at her. She knew she could have dodged it; she could have fought back. But something inside her refused to move.

  Stars exploded across her vision. Her glasses flew from her face and skittered across the floor. Scarlett collapsed. She pushed herself up onto one elbow and fought to stay conscious.

  It w
as a losing battle. Darkness crept in at the edges of everything. The voices of Neil and his remaining guards began to echo and fall away.

  She held on to Neil’s voice as she slipped into blackness. “Yes, Mr. Martins. We had an intruder in the data core but it’s taken care of. In fact, I have an interesting present for you. Yessir. We’ll see you shortly.”

  Chapter 42

  Trouble

  Sometimes our best intentions cause more harm than good.

  * * *

  Scarlett was in trouble, and Dax knew it. One second he was guiding her through the Universal Dynamics data core, and the next her audio and video feeds were gone. Now that she was facing off against Neil, she needed Dax’s help more than ever. First, he had to deal with his own situation.

  Dax sat for a long moment, staring at the lifeless array of computer screens. The only light illuminating his saferoom were the stark-white emergency fixtures on the wall behind him. Only a few minutes had passed since the room locked down, but the air was already starting to taste stale.

  The attack was unexpected. Dax had opened a complete access port through Scarlett’s nanocloth so he could hack the individual data core systems. He’d never imagined that gateway would be used to hack his own system.

  Now everything was dead, including him, if he didn’t find a way out. The problem was, there wasn’t one. The door was sealed airtight, the air processors were dead and there was no electricity. He was trapped.

  Dax shoved his chair back and stood. “I’m smart, I can figure this out.” He stormed over to the door and examined the cracks and seams.

  He scanned the room, looking for something he could use for leverage. “I mean, I built this place, right? I should be able to break out.” Only silence answered him.

  From the shelf nearby, he grabbed a circuit board from an old computer. He wedged it into the tiny space between the door and the wall and pushed. The door refused to move.

  Dax leaned against the board. He squeezed his eyes shut and pushed harder. Something shifted and he felt movement. Bit by bit he inched until... the board snapped.

  He fell forward, his head bouncing off the wall. Above, half of the circuit board was still wedged in the crack. The door had not moved.

  He rubbed his forehead. Of course the door didn’t move. I specifically chose a door that could not be pried open.

  He thought about taking the shelf apart and using one of the support pieces. They were flat and made of metal. But he knew it wouldn’t matter. There was no way to open the door without power, and he had no power.

  For the first time, Dax found himself in a situation he could not talk or hack his way out of.

  “This is it.” he stared at his Fortress of Solitude. The shelf to his right held enough food and water to last for several days. But without air, he would suffocate in less than a day. He’d designed his saferoom to be impenetrable. No way in. No way out.

  He picked up the shard of broken circuit board and stared at it. His frustration flashed into rage. He threw the board across the room.

  Dax leaned back against the cold, metal wall and cried.

  * * *

  Jules’s heart raced. She felt like she was watching the summer’s top blockbuster movie and stopped right at the climax. The problem was, this was real.

  Panic started to build in the back of her mind. She popped the plastic back off her commpad and took out the battery. She turned it over a few times in her hand. It was still warm. She was pretty sure it was not the problem. “C’mon, c’mon…”

  The rooftop gravel crunched under her feet. She looked up at the starless expanse of black. A breeze sent a chill through her and she pulled her coat on tighter.

  A bat squeaked as it flew by somewhere in the darkness. Jules looked around. After a moment, she shook her head and muttered to herself. “Stop it. You’re just being paranoid.” She reinserted the battery into her commpad and pressed the power button. Nothing.

  “Damn.” Jules stood and stretched.

  On the walk down to her apartment, she went over what she’d just witnessed. After hacking into Dax’s data feed with Scarlett, she watched as the two infiltrated the most secure research facility in the country. Then Scarlett was discovered. A couple minutes later, both the feed and Jules’ commpad went dead.

  She knew there were a couple possibilities why. One option was a localized electromagnetic pulse, targeted directly at her. Jules dismissed this option right away, since the building’s electronics would have been fried as well.

  Besides, if the people Scarlett was involved with knew Jules was watching, they would have just killed her. That’s a comforting thought.

  The second possibility was just as frightening. The second possibility meant that Scarlett had been caught, maybe even killed. The only way to find out for sure was to see Dax.

  Her panic grew. Jules grabbed her back-up commpad from her apartment and took an autobus to MakerMasters.

  It took nearly a half hour to get to the shop. The other autobus passengers kept eyeing her. She told herself it was just because her legs would not stop bouncing.

  Jules knew Scarlett had been spending a lot of time at MakerMasters. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but the face of a run-down warehouse building with a half-broken sign was not it.

  A small cowbell clanged overhead when she opened the door. Stepping inside, she wrinkled her nose at the smell of the musty air, burned plastic and stale pizza. Her gaze followed the long, narrow aisle of random parts and junk to the worktables at the back. There, she saw several people working and talking. “Can I help you?” The voice was equal parts annoyed and sleaze.

  To Jules’ left was a glass display case with a register on top. The case held random mechanical parts and tools. Behind it sat a young man with greasy black hair in a wheelchair.

  “I... uh... think I’m in the right place.”

  The man smiled. “I’ll say you are. I’m Mickey.” He leaned forward and reached out his hand. “And don’t worry, the chair is just temporary.”

  “Uh… Okay.” She shook Mickey’s hand and pulled her own back as quickly as she could. Jules forced herself not to wipe her hands on her pants. “I’m looking for Dax.”

  Mickey’s smile disappeared. “Are you shitting me?”

  “Uh, no.”

  “What the hell, man?! That’s twice now.”

  Jules looked around then back to Mickey. “Twice now what?”

  “Twice now that a hottie has come in here looking for that stub.” Mickey looked down and shook his head.

  Her eyes widened. “You… You think I’m a hottie?”

  “Can’t a guy like me get any random love?”

  “Wow. That’s… gross.”

  “Wait, that’s not what I…” His head snapped up.

  “You’re talking about Scarlett?”

  “Yeah, I’m talking about Scarlett.” Mickey slammed himself back into his chair. He scowled and rolled out from behind the counter. “Wait, you know Scarlett?”

  “Yeah, she’s why I’m here. I wanted to talk to Dax about her.”

  His eyes narrowed. “How do you know her? You’re not like, another badass chick who likes to kill people, are you?”

  Jules scoffed. “Me? No. I… I just make coffee.”

  “Huh?”

  “Well, okay. I program a little. I helped Scarlett find Dax. MakerMasters was the only real link to him, so that’s why she came here.”

  Mickey rolled back a foot and looked Jules up and down. “Dax isn’t here.”

  “I know that. But I need to know where he lives.”

  “Uh-uh.” He moved back behind the counter. “No— I got no idea. We don’t keep records of personal addresses and stuff.”

  “Mickey, right? Please. I’m desperate.”

  “How’d you…? Nope. Told you I don’t know.”

  Jules felt a lump rise in her throat and her hope slip away. “Please, Mickey. I think she’s in trouble.” Her voice cracked.

&nbs
p; He tilted his head and looked away. “Aw, c’mon. I... You...” His face relaxed and he closed his eyes for a moment. “Fine. Here.”

  Mickey grabbed a scrap of paper from behind the counter and scribbled an address. “But you better be careful. There are always two feds watching his apartment from the street.”

  “Really?” Jules took the paper and yanked open the door. “Thanks Mickey. You won’t regret it.”

  “I hope not.”

  Jules ran to the nearest stop and caught the bus across town. Nearing her destination, she got off and walked the last block. The neighborhood was nicer than she expected, nice enough that she wasn’t absolutely terrified to be walking alone at night.

  As she rounded the corner to his street, she saw the lone car across from Dax’s apartment. She glanced at the car from her peripheral vision. If there was anyone inside, she couldn’t tell. It was too dark.

  Jules walked straight for Dax’s building and ignored the car. Whether there was someone watching or not, she had to get in to see Dax.

  On the third floor she found Dax’s number. She knocked but no one answered. A quick glance down the hallway to make sure the coast was clear and she pulled out her commpad. Less than a minute later, the door was open.

  As the door swung wide, Jules was assaulted by the smell of garbage and very old pizza. A single overhead light cast the room in a yellowish hue. Scraps of old, dry pizza crust, fast food containers, and beer and soda cans lay everywhere. She made a mental note to stay off fast food for a while.

  Jules waded through the trash and called out for Dax. No one responded. She saw a couple rooms toward the back of the apartment and made her way there. One of the doors was open. She flipped on the light and immediately flipped it off again. If she thought the living room was bad, the bathroom was far worse.

  She turned to open the last door and found it unlocked. The door swung wide. Jules’ mouth opened wider. Behind the simple wooden bedroom door was a steel vault door. She looked around the apartment in disbelief.

  Jules was at a loss for words; she didn’t know what to think. With no other option, she reached her hand out and knocked.