“I need to set about memorizing the numbers so I can start breaking the code,” I reported after getting the full set.
“Anything I can do to help?” Taylor asked.
“Just keep me company while I do it,” I said with a smile. “Taylor, tell me about how you made Ezra’s coat.”
She went on excitedly telling me about the coat while Ezra sharpened a knife. I had gone at it alone before and found that without those two around, it was harder to concentrate on things. It was like having a picture of your family on your desk to remind you of why you go to work every day. I enjoyed the sound of Taylor’s voice and her enthusiasm for the most innocent and virtuous things, making something warm for her friend to wear for instance.
“Are you even listening to me?” she said giving me her signature poke to my ribs.
“Yes. Ballistic nylon and some oddly appropriate t-shirts found in Tullia’s sizable stash made for a very good morning,” I replied.
She continued telling me about how Ezra succumbed to actually having a color as part of his wardrobe. She also told me how much she liked Tullia and wanted to be friends. I hoped at the time that could be a reality for Taylor, and all of us. That we could eventually be rich with friends and have others to rely on the same way they could rely on us.
The code made me think I had underestimated Dr. Madmar’s capacity for treachery and, for lack of a better word, evil. Matthias had done his best to warn us about the sort of man we were dealing with. Even knowing what he’d done already, it did little to prepare us for the scope and magnitude of his ambition or the depths he would sink to that end.
“I think I’ve got it figured out,” I said standing up right in the middle of Taylor telling me about how she wants to find an old vinyl couch to make a new bag out of.
“What? That was fast,” Taylor said, somewhat irritated at the interruption.
“Yeah. It’s not a good thing. It’s almost like a code I would use, or even create,” I said feeling suddenly very paranoid.
“Oh,” Taylor said looking worriedly at Ezra.
The code instructed me how to access my own safe at an office with my name on it within Uroboros Financials. We’d been there once before after finding what looked like my empty mansion. It looked as though I would have to return and, on a more personal level, confront whoever I was before losing my memories.
I handed the information to Tullia who used the code to radio in for permission to land at a private airport. A few minutes later, Port Montaigne came into view. It did not seem to have changed at all, with the glittering hundred plus story towers of uptown built over the darkness of the multi-tiered downtown area with both adjoining the expansive port district.
Commercial aircraft flew in the sky near us as I watched ships reach port. Looking out to the horizon there were few other lights as the sun began to set, and there were armed guards on almost every rooftop. The private air strip was almost completely dark save for a few small transports being prepped and security vehicles marked “Alphadein” that patrolled the razor wire fences.
We armed ourselves as best we could, handing everyone at least a handgun. Taylor just slipped hers into her bag and stood behind me as the cargo ramp slowly descended. Standing on the tarmac was a man dressed as a chauffeur, his hand clasped behind his back.
“Welcome back, Mr. Uroboros. Your usual transport is waiting for you,” the man said nodding to me.
“I need to get to Uroboros Financials. Are we cleared to fly soon?” I asked.
“You can fly any time you want , sir. Any time,” the man replied.
“What is plan?” Truman asked.
“Ezra, Taylor, and I should go. The rest of you should stay and be prepped to leave in case things go bad. I’ll call you if there’s a problem or we need picked up. We’ll get the package and get back without endangering you if we can,” I explained.
“How will you call us?” Dragos asked.
“I’ll just use my mobile. The grid and associated networks are up here, at least in town,” I said checking my mobile.
“I just got used to not having to carry mine. Guess I’ll have to find it,” Tullia laughed.
“Here, this is my number,” Dragos said, writing it on Taylor’s hand with a pen.
“We’re ready then,” I said turning to the driver.
We followed him across the tarmac to a waiting transport. It was large and sleek, painted white with numerous large tinted glass ports along the side. Armed security guards wearing Alphadein uniforms nodded to us as we approached then stepped into a ground vehicle and departed.
“You sure about this?” Ezra asked.
“I know we thought we could play this out on our own terms, but seeing the code written that way changes everything. The only one who could have written it is me. Likewise, I’m the only one who could have cracked it without having a bot farm working overtime for twenty years for the same result,” I explained.
“This sort of implies that one of your other clones is working with Madmar. I think it’s been on all our minds, but we haven’t really discussed it,” Taylor said.
“I guess we should,” I said. I grasped Taylor’s hand as she ascended that last few steps into the transport.
“Definitely, and... oh, hey, this thing has a hot tub,” Ezra said pointing to the aft compartment.
The transport was lavish. It had every modern amenity and looked like it was used to entertain clients and similar. It had real leather seats, a full bar, multiple video output screens, and enough room for two couples to sleep. It was whisper quiet, startling us a little as it began to ascend from the ground.
“We’ll be there in about twenty minutes, sir,” the driver’s voice intoned over the audio system.
“I can’t believe they let me keep my rifle,” Ezra commented as he grabbed a leather couch for himself.
“We’ve been away for weeks,” Taylor said as she made a handprint on one of the video output screens. “Who knows what’s normal around here anymore?”
I found myself a seat and waited. They city seemed brighter somehow, even looking out tinted windows. I tried to clear my mind and think more about the code I’d memorized in case there was something about it I had missed, some detail I had overlooked.
I thought back to the Uroboros Financial building when we visited it last. There was code hidden in the geometry of every fixture, wall, and hallway. It could have been that the location of the information we’re supposed to pick up in the building, was significant somehow. The whole affair was a puzzle complex enough I couldn’t unravel it. Like the code itself, it seemed something only I might be able to do.
In the midst of contemplating my own mighty hubris, I watched Taylor and Ezra gaze out the window at the city. A month ago, the sight would have infected them with childlike wonderment. Now, they both just seemed to revel in being home. I knew how they felt, even if I only had a few precious memories of Port Montaigne.
The transport landed on the same platform I’d landed the RV weeks ago. The only sound was the metal steps falling into place outside the hatch moments before it slid open. Ezra stepped out first, holding his rifle down at his side, ready to bring it up if necessary but there was no one there to meet us. The pilot stepped onto the windy platform with us to make sure we got off okay.
“Wait for you here, sir?” he asked.
“Yeah, but go ahead and power down. We might be awhile,” I replied.
He nodded and stepped back inside. Ezra walked ahead of us pulling the hood on his coat up to better obscure his features. Taylor walked beside me on the walkway until we reached the elevator.
“Looks like it did last time we were here,” Ezra commented as I entered the code for the lift.
“Don’t be deceived. Everything is different,” I remarked already feeling
uneasy.
We took the lift to the top floor where the executive offices were and stepped out into the hallway. Everything on this floor was different, the offices completely rearranged, all dark except the one at the end of the hall. We walked forward until we crossed the threshold into a lavishly furnished office with my name etched into a polished nickel placard.
There was a large desk and a standing conference table. It all felt very much like something I would want in my dream office. It had a certain familiarity to it as well, even though I was certain it had been put together and arranged only a few weeks ago. You could still faintly smell the fresh paint on the walls.
“Nice office,” I said to the man sitting at the desk turned away from us.
“I’m not really that surprised you like it,” a familiar voice replied.
The man turned and stood up. He was me, in almost every respect except that he had managed to find the time to get a manicure in lately. He was dressed in an expensive three-piece suit. His hair was long, well past his shoulders indicating he wasn’t one of my more recent clones.
“Holy...” Taylor whispered, grabbing my arm.
“I’m sorry for the theatrics in getting you back here, but I’m afraid it was necessary,” my double said, clasping his hands together.
“What have you done? How is it that Port Montaigne isn’t dark like the rest of the world?” I asked.
“What have I done? Oh dear. I haven’t done anything except what you, Vance Uroboros, asked me to,” he replied with a slight smile.
Ezra pushed his hood back and looked back at me. I shook my head. For the moment, I felt we needed to hear this guy out.
“I believe what you’re looking for is contained within this file. Once you have possession, you’ll probably have already figured out where to deliver it,” my double said pulling a file folder from a desk drawer.
He held it up for me to take. I walked over to where he stood and went to grasp it. He held it just out of my grasp for a moment and shook his head.
“Oh, by the way, Miss Taylor will have to remain as my guest until you’ve done the job,” he said smiling wickedly, in a way I could never see myself.
“No deal,” I replied and turned to go.
“Ezra’s tribe and your friends at our private airfield are also counting on our compliance,” he said a little louder, making sure I heard him.
“Our compliance?” I said looking back over my shoulder.
“Absolutely. If Maurice is to do his part, we must do ours. Even if you don’t remember the arrangement, it doesn’t nullify our duty to comply,” my double explained patiently.
“I’ve got some questions about that,” I replied angrily.
I don’t know why, but his wanting to separate me from Taylor really pissed me off. I had to stretch the conversation out, even if I had no intention of doing what he wanted. I needed to know if I was the villain or the good guy in this story. Worse, I think part of me thought I still needed to choose.
“Your questions can wait. This delivery is... time sensitive,” my double replied waving the file at me.
“Why does Taylor have to stay with you?” I asked walking up to him.
“She’s just a thing, Uroboros,” he sneered. “I want to play with her. Don’t worry, I’ll return her in relatively the same condition and with a full tank.”
I was done at that point, completely gone. I grabbed the gun out from my waistband and brought the barrel around hard on his jaw. He went down on the ground and I started stomping him. Ezra pulled me back just short of stomping him to death.
“Someone came back a little more ruthless. That’s good,” my double said spitting out a couple of teeth.
He stood and leaned heavily on the desk, rasping as he clutched at his bruised ribs. I leveled the gun at him even though Ezra was trying to pull me away. I wanted him dead. Dead. I was filled with a terrible remorse that I might have been that guy before losing my memories. If that was true, I wanted that part of me dead and buried.
“Silverstein! Don’t!” Taylor cried out grabbing my arm.
I looked down at her. I felt such a profound sadness at that moment that it was all I could do but fall to my knees and weep while she held me. I didn’t want to be the monster that blacked out the world, the sort of monster that would think Taylor was just a thing to be passed around.
Ezra grabbed the file from the table and opened it, keeping one eye on my double. It was a lengthy file full of floor plans and schedules. Whatever it was we were to steal, it wouldn’t be easy to get.
“I guess I’m lucky our friends were here,” my double said half laughing, half choking.
“They’re my friends. I don’t know who you are. You aren’t me, and I am definitely not you,” I growled as I lunging for him again.
Ezra and Taylor held me at bay, but just barely.
“We need him alive for now, don’t you think?” Ezra pleaded.
“Right. I’m not going to call you Vance. I think I’ll call you Richard, or Dick for short. So, you want Taylor to stay with you?” I asked, calmly putting the pistol back in my waistband.
“Oh yes,” he said wiping blood from his face onto his sleeve and licking his lips.
“Awesome. That’s how it’s going to be, because you’re staying with me,” I said grabbing Dick.
“What?” Taylor said giving me a hurt look.
“This asshole is coming with us. Ezra bring the file,” I said throwing him over the desk.
I frisked him and grabbed his mobile and his wallet, then tossed them both on the desk. I asked Taylor to check his clothes for bugs and similar. She put her hands on his suit jacket and closed her eyes.
“Cufflinks,” she whispered.
Ezra took his cufflinks and stepped on them, an audible pop following the destruction of each one. I grabbed Dick by the arm and dragged him out of the office to the lift, Taylor and Ezra following along behind me. I was already worn pretty thin by the time we got there.
When we got into the lift I entered a code and pressed a button for the eighty-eighth floor. Dick chuckled slightly, but more or less behaved himself except for a few lascivious looks in Taylor’s direction. I kept telling myself he wasn’t me, not the real me.
“Dick’s freaking me out,” Taylor said grabbing my arm.
“Me, too,” I replied. “You should have let me throw him out a window.”
“The night isn’t over, and we’re still plenty high,” Ezra said, not a hint that he was joking in his voice.
The doors to the lift opened and ahead was a short foyer with thick industrial glass separating us from a brightly lit security office and beyond that, a vast server farm. Dick struggled slightly, but Ezra punched him, harder than I probably would have. He dry heaved and staggered out of the elevator ahead of us.
I wasn’t leaving here without answers. I didn’t trust Dick to give them to me without lying. If there was anything I’d learned about him so far, he was not someone I could trust.
I looked around at the geometry of the room. Almost everything in here was a ninety degree angle or close. Only a few things in here lacked symmetry. I composed the numbers relative to the inconsistencies and arranged them based on what I observed going left to right, or clockwise depending on whether there were radii involved.
I entered the code and the large glass doors slid to the side allowing us to step into a drab concrete security zone clearly marked with yellow tape. There was no one sitting at the security desk. I turned to Dick and placed the barrel of the handgun under his chin.
“No one sitting at the security desk, even at night? Is that normal?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t think so,” he replied.
He seemed genuinely baffled, like he’d expected something else to happen when
we reached the eighty-eighth floor. All things considered, I was for anything that Dick didn’t like. I turned from him and walked to the security doors between us and the server farm and entered the code. The doors hesitated but opened, rolling to the side slowly.
We walked to the back, past rows and rows of servers to the back where a single terminal languished at a desk with a gray office chair sitting just in front. I sat down and began rapidly bypassing the security countermeasures by studying inconsistencies in the font and the kerning of what little text was on the screen. Again, it was the tiny stuff no one would notice or probably think of building a code from, but me.
It was as if I predicted accurately I’d be trying to access this terminal tonight sometime in the past and made prior arrangements to that end.
“I don’t suppose you can just fund the Central Global Government and turn the lights back on from here?” Taylor asked.
“No. Hopefully I can see what Uroboros Financials has been up to recently,” I replied.
Edicts and funding to clear and revitalize the downtown area had already gone out. Alphadein, a subsidiary, or Uroboros Financials had been employed to make the area ready for the construction. The collectors we’d seen before, the disappearances, and the fleecing of the masses made sense. One couldn’t simply defund a place possessed of such abject poverty, you’d have to clear the people out by more brutal methods.
Every fixture of the CGG in Port Montaigne had been shut down and Uroboros Financials had assumed the title over all major municipalities using emergency powers voted in by the city council and signed into law by the old mayor. Every one of those people moved to the same upscale neighborhood where my mansion was located shortly thereafter. All the properties were subsidized by Uroboros Financial.
“This is heavy. It’s not all bad news, but it doesn’t exactly cast me in the best light either,” I remarked taking a short break from staring at the screen.
Uroboros Saga Book 2 Page 18
