by T. J. Mines
A different motion zooms in on the underground structure. The tunnel is visible now. The camp at the end of the tunnel on the second level and the first level storage facility are indicated with icons. Xabier taps the storage icon. A detailed listing of everything stored pops up.
"Wow," Ismael exclaims, "that's fancy."
"I know," Xabier agrees, "and they did the same for all of our stores. They know exactly what we have available. Like they did an inventory of our storage. Let me show you."
Xabier zooms out and moves the map to the farm building in the city center. He taps on the farm symbol and another list pops up. On it are all the foods stored in the farm, with indications of the daily production and consumption. On top of the list is a date.
"Is that the last time they updated the list?" Ismael asks.
"It is. These values are calculated using data from the farm's storage system itself. We don't have it ourselves, but these guys made it."
"How did they get the data?"
"That was the hard part to figure out," Xabier says and walks over to his portable computer. He opens a screen with multiple lines of code on it. Ismael doesn't understand one bit of it.
"As you can see here," Xabier starts to explain, "they have an import system where they can access a remote system to get all the raw data from the city's systems. It gets consumed as one bit data dump, then separated into specific databases and local files. For each list they recalculate the dynamic values and the updates from the planning department are rendered into the display you see here."
Ismael takes a step back to take in what he just heard.
"So you mean they had someone on the inside to give them all this information?" Ismael says.
"Yes they did," Xabier nods, "and not just anybody. This person must be connected to the central system. And that's either us or the city council."
"Did you trace it?" Ismael asks.
"Yes," Xabier says.
"And?" Ismael looks at Xabier who hesitates, "is it us?"
"No, it's the council."
"Okay, that's kind of a relief. What now?"
"Now you have to find who in the council is responsible for this," Xabier says, "What did you find in the documents?"
"Hmm," Ismael digs through his memories of what he read thus far. He saw some references to a government official that could be interpreted as a council member. In connection to that he read something about a loyal subject.
"Who on the council is originally from Al Bari?" Ismael asks.
"Let me get the data," Xabier responds and starts typing on his portable device. A list of all the council members pop up. He adjusts some filters and one council member remains: Quint Seif.
Quint is sitting at his desk when a knock on his office door startles him.
"Come," he shouts and the door opens. One of his aides enters.
"Sir," the aide starts, "you wanted to know the results from the research on the parking garage incident as soon as possible."
"Yes," Quint says, "go on. And close the door."
"Well," the aide continues, "I've put a tap on the tech conducting the digital investigation and can see what he does on his computers, both the portable as the stationary ones."
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, uhm," the aide hesitates, "you came up."
"I did?" Quint's face turns into a thundercloud, "explain."
The aide takes a step back and bumps into the closed door.
"At first he was looking at the map and some lists of supplies."
"Why did I come up?" Quint interrupts.
"Oh, uhm. He opened a list of all council members," the aide says.
"So I was on that list. Big deal."
"But he applied a filter that left only you."
Quint stands and leans onto his desk.
"What filter?" he asks, daring the aide to answer.
"Your birthplace, sir." The aide opens the door and runs out, leaving the door ajar.
"Fuck!" Quint yells. He walks to the door and closes it. He hoped he couldn't be linked to the attack but the Al Bari military staff has never been good at hiding stuff. The stupid scouts revealed themselves, even when he supplied the exact duty roster for the guards. Then, in the discovery of the parking garage, they put too much faith on the equipment they brought instead of training their people to do a good job. He read the reports. He knows what went wrong. It's a good thing most of the command for that operation choose to fight to the death. He would've had no remorse killing them himself after what they did.
But now he was linked to the attack, even if it was just some tech guy calling up his name after looking at the data at hand.He's not been implicated yet, but if that tech starts talking he could be facing accusations of treason. He can't ever become the mayor if that happens, even if he convinces everybody in town he has had noting to do with it. He needs a way out.
First he calls home to ready his vehicles for a quick getaway. Then he calls the Captain.
"Captain!" he starts into his handset, "how are you, old friend?"
"Hello Councilman," the Captain replies, "I'm fine. How can I help you?"
"Well, I have something to discuss with you, if you have the time."
"I was on my way to the research wing but Ismael and Xabier can continue without me," the Captain says.
"Good, could you come by my office right away?"
"No problem, Councilman, I'll be there in half an hour."
Quint places his handset on the desk and stares at the door. The Captain mentioned Ismael and Xabier. Ismael is that guy who shot the scouts and found the underground parking garage. He's also the one who insisted on doing the research alone with the Captain and one tech, leaving all others out of the loop. Xabier must be the tech his aide hacked. Quint suspects the tech won't be the one connecting the digital data to him. It must've been the paper trail in combination with what the tech showed Ismael. Quint decides to take out either one or both, depending on the answers the Captain will give him.
Again a knock on the door but this time it opens immediately after. The Captain steps in.
"You wanted to see me?" he says.
"Yes, please, close the door," Quint says, "Please sit down."
The Captain takes a seat in one of the leather chairs facing Quint's desk. The chairs are lower than usual, making the Captain look up at the Councilman.
"So, Councilman, what's up?"
"I need to ask you some questions about the research you're doing," Quint starts.
"Just this morning I gave my full report to you and the rest of the council," the Captain says.
"It's about something I cannot ask in front of the other council members."
The Captain raises his eyebrows.
"It's about a spy on the research team," Quint starts, "and I didn't want the others to worry before my suspicions are verified."
The Captain sits up and slides to the edge of his seat.
"Before I say who I suspect, let me ask you some specific questions," Quint says, "Did you speak to the guard and tech doing the research with you after your report to us?"
"No, I went for lunch first," the Captain answers. His brow starts to get wet.
"Good," Quint continues, "In your report of the investigation you mentioned one of the guards, Ismael, found an Al Bari note on one of the scouts?"
The Captain nods, not sure where Quint is going.
"And the tech, did he in one way or another, discover anything?"
"Not that I know of," the Captain answers, "Ismael is the one connecting the dots in most investigations. Granted, he's a bit quick to come to conclusions some times, but he hasn't been wrong yet."
"Has he made any assumptions in this investigation that you can't verify with physical proof?"
"He has, but we're looking for that proof now before we jump to any conclusion."
"Has he made any accusations yet?"
"Yes," the Captain thinks about the moment in the camp site where Ismael was sure it was Al Bari that se
t up the whole operation.
"Then I'm sure," Quint says. He stands up and walks around his desk. He puts his hand on the Captain's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, old friend," Quint says, "Ismael is a spy for Al Bari."
"No he's not!" the Captain defends Ismael.
"Yes he is. Look at the facts. He found the note with the Al Bari seal, he says he knows it's Al Bari that set up the dig site and he is preventing anyone else but you and his friend the tech to join in on the investigation. He is pointing you in the direction of Al Bari, whether it's true or not."
"I see," the Captain says, "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to arrest him and put him up for a public trial."
"A public trial?" The Captain knows that those always end in conviction and a harsh punishment. For treason it's instant death. He wants to know for sure that Ismael is playing him before he can arrest him.
"I know you don't see the facts as clearly as I do," Quint says, squeezing the Captain's shoulder, "but trust me, it's true. Furthermore, you know I can issue the order myself if you won't. But it's best if it comes from you yourself."
Quint leans over his desk and turns around his terminal to face the Captain.
"Here, I've put the order in for you. You just have to send it."
The Captain looks at the screen. It's logged in under his name and the order to arrest Ismael by any means necessary is ready to be send. He hovers his hand over the keys.
"Go on," Quint says, nudging the Captain towards the send button. The Captain continues the motion and sends the order.
Xabier comes rushing in the room where Ismael is reading.
"Ismael, what have you done?" he shouts.
Ismael looks up from the memo in his hands.
"What do you mean?" Ismael asks.
"What did you to get yourself arrested?"
"Arrested? What the hell are you talking about?" Ismael puts the memo down.
"Here, look at this," Xabier says as he shoves his wrist communicator under Ismael's nose. On it there is a message flashing red with a high priority order. It says to arrest him, by any means necessary. Ismael looks up at Xabier.
"You're joking, right?" he asks.
"Why would I joke about this?" Xabier says.
"I don't know," Ismael looks at his own communicator. It's blank. He taps a few buttons. Nothing happens. He logs out and enters his credentials again. A warning pops up saying he's locked out.
"What the fuck?" Ismael says. He tries again to no avail. He looks at Xabier.
"What did I do to get arrested? Nothing! Unless… Xabier, is it possible someone could've seen we looked at the list of councilmen?"
"No way," Xabier says as he shakes his head, "for that to happen someone needed to hack me, and no one can hack me!"
"Are you sure?" Ismael asks.
"Yes I'm sure, I'll prove it to you." Xabier runs out of the room and returns moments later with his portable computer. He slams it on the table and starts typing. In rapid succession screens open and close showing Ismael nothing more than codes lines and numbers. Xabier stops at a screen full of ones and zeros. For sets of 8 numbers are highlighted in red. Xabier swears out loud and swipes the device from the table. It cracks on the hard floor and electronics spill from it.
"I've been hacked," Xabier says, "they saw me filtering the list."
"Then why am I being targeted?"
"Because they know I'm just a dumb tech too stupid to notice I was hacked and you are the smart detective kind of person who can actually accuse Quint of being the spy from Al Bari." Xabier sits down at the table and puts his head in his hands. He starts pulling his hair muttering how stupid he's been.
"You're not stupid, it could've happened to anyone," Ismael says as he comforts Xabier, "Anyway, I'm the target now."
Xabier looks up at Ismael.
"You're right," Xabier says, "I'm so so sorry!"
"Don't beat yourself up over this, I'm not blaming you. I do need to come up with a plan to stay out of Quint's hands."
Ismael starts pacing around the room to think. He is now the main target for all of the guards in Du Bois. Most of those know him well and he is well liked. But there are some that think he's a brat and wise ass. These guards will be ruthless if they find him, glad that they have something to make them feel better than Ismael. Seeing as there is still no one in here but him and Xabier Ismael knows the security for the research wing is not compromised. He's safe here for now, until the Captain arrives. And he will arrest Ismael, his duty says so. It's his account that issued the order. Ismael needs to find a way out.
"Xabier, can you call up the schematics for this wing on the projector?"
Xabier looks up, his eyes red and drops of tears on the table. He snorts.
"I can, but they probably hacked the projector too."
"Then can you unhack it?"
"That's not a word," Xabier says, "but yes, I can."
They both walk to the projector room. Xabier grabs a keyboard and starts typing again. The projection flickers a few times before he puts the input device down.
"They're out, lets zoom in," Xabier says.
Ismael mimics the motions he saw Xabier making earlier and zooms in on the part of town they're in. He finds the guards building and scrolls to the research wing. He zooms in even further. The individual rooms become clear. The wing is only accessible from the one door they've entered and left through during the investigation. Ismael lets out a big sigh.
"Wait!" Xabier says and joins Ismael at the table. His hands move over it and icons pop up. He taps a few and the outline of the rooms dim. Then a view is added to the schematics and ducting shows up. From the lab at the end of the hallway ventilation shafts snake through the building up and out to the roof.
"How big are those?" Ismael asks pointing at the shafts.
"Big enough, but cramped, I think," Xabier answers.
"It'll have to do," Ismael says, "thanks Xabier."
"It's the least I could do after that fuck up I made."
"Don't worry about it. Wipe any trace of this we just found and put the hack back in place. Make sure no-one suspects you of helping me. If the Captain comes just say you last saw me reading a memo."
Ismael leaves the room to grab his jacket. On his way to the lab he passes the room where Xabier is wiping their digital footsteps.
"Wait!" Xabier says again, "your communicator."
Ismael turns around and looks at it.
"What about it, I can't use it anymore."
"Yes you can," Xabier walks over and takes Ismael's arm. He connects a wire from his communicator to Ismael's. He pushes a few buttons and the communicator is logged in again.
"I still can't use it," Ismael says, "they'll know it's me."
"No they won't," Xabier says, "I put a blank account on it. I use it sometimes to look up stuff I can't."
Xabier looks away embarrassed.
"Thanks," Ismael says and gives Xabier a hug, "now clear the logs and protect yourself."
Xabier rolls his eyes.
"Already done," he says, "contact me if you need anything. I'll know it's you."
Ismael walks into the laboratory and goes straight to the ventilation grate. He pulls it open and climbs in. He closes the grate behind him to mask his entrance. The place is dark and cramped. He just fits. The first part is horizontal but where it joins with other shafts in this level it branches off upwards. He worms his way in and starts climbing. The narrow passage makes it easier to wedge himself in against slipping back down, but it's far from easy. He uses the small flashlight on his communicator to light his way. But his arms aren't always in front of him, keeping him in the dark for long moments as he climbs. After what seems like hours of climbing the shaft branches off left and right. He can't continue up. He chooses the left branch at random and rests for a moment. He looks at his communicator. It says only fifteen minutes have passed. The Captain should be in the research wing now. They're probably interrogatin
g Xabier now. It won't be long before they find the ventilation shafts. He must be out and into the city before that.
He continues on until he finds another shaft leading up. He follows that and finds it ends in another horizontal one. He repeats the process six more times when he sees light at the end of the shaft he's in. A grate bars his way. He tries to pry it open but it won't budge. He slams his fist against it to no avail except for a world of pain where the metal bar met his hand. He feels for his belt. The standard guard utility belt contains plenty of handy tools to get out of sticky situations. He feels for his knife and finds it. He pulls it out of it's sheath and sticks the point between the grate and the shaft wall. He wriggles it all around the edge. Dirt and rust rain down on him, on his hair, in his eyes. He puts his knife back and pushes again, blinking away the tears from the effort of staying wedged in at the top and the filth. He pushes again. This time it slides a bit. He puts more power behind it and it pops open. He climbs out onto the roof.
Ismael sits down a moment and just breathes. He rubs the dirt out of his eyes and looks around. It's still in the afternoon. His communicator says it's been three hours since the arrest had been issued. Until the sun sets he must keep out of view. Someone walking along the roof of the guards building is suspect at any time but he's very much visible to anyone right now. He decides not to go home. They'll be waiting there for him. All his friends work as guards so he can't trust them right now. His parents wouldn't know what to do and his sister just got a baby. He's not going to endanger them. Then he thinks of Meryam. She's smart and can defend herself if needs be. She also has friends she trusts. Maybe he can ask her to help him.
It takes him a while to get to the farm building unseen. Before he got down to street level he found some laundry hanging to dry. He grabbed a white hoody and put it on over his jacket. It's still wet but the added bulk makes him look fatter and with the hood up his face is obscured. He also grabbed a scarf to wrap around his mouth. It's chilly outside so it's not unusual for someone to wrap himself against the cold. It is wet though and the cold seeps into his face as he walks. Outside the farm building he lingers at a corner, pretending to look at a pamphlet he found on the ground. He's waiting for Meryam to finish working and exit the building. There's no way he can enter it without being spotted.
