Mind Trace

by McCaghren, Holly

  With a budding hope, Garrett immediately began to make arrangements.

  Chapter 5

  It was late, and Alice stretched out on her bed, deeply inhaling the scent of the sheets. They smelled vaguely of lavender, the lavender scented detergent her mother had always used. She pushed back the thoughts of her mother and pulled the blankets up further.

  Alice felt a great sense of accomplishment.

  I have a solid plan in place. I traced the email to the president of Cyberconn. He's making arrangements to prevent EngineerCorp from retaliating against me... All told, a pretty productive day.

  I just hope Garrett Wiggins can be trusted.

  Once she discovered his name, she found herself recalling an entire file on his life, which had conveniently existed somewhere on the EngineerCorp network. Reviewing the pictures in her mind, she couldn't help but notice he was quite attractive. Not in the dark and mysterious way that Eric was, but in a courteous, yet reserved kind of way.

  His record was clean; if you could judge a person from their background, Garrett seemed like he was a decent man. She desperately prayed he was the sort that could be depended on.

  Not that I have a lot of options.

  Alice sighed. Her brain had been buzzing with all the things that had happened in the past few days. Sleep seemed as far away from her as did a solution to her problems. However, after closing her eyes for a few moments, the fatigue took over and she was unconscious.

  She slept fitfully that night, tossing and turning with dreams of people chasing her, desperately running, but never quite running fast enough to get away. Somewhere in her dreams, Eric was looming over her, asking all sorts of questions for which she had no answers. Then, she was with her parents at the lake house, enjoying a lovely afternoon on the porch of the house. Her parents suddenly disappeared, and she was left alone. A sharp, white-hot pain burned in her hand, and Alice jolted awake.

  Mom? Dad?

  She looked around, not remembering where she was at first. She looked down at her hand again, still faintly throbbing from the memory of her dream, and reality returned to her. The clock on the bedside table read 6:17am.

  Ugh. There will be no more sleep for me after those dreams.

  Giving in to the inevitable, she dressed and went into the kitchen to make some coffee. Pouring herself a cup, she considered how difficult it was going to be to wait for Garrett's response.

  I have to find something to do today, to keep my mind off everything, until I hear from him.

  There has to be something around here...

  She traced the rough edges of books along the bookshelf in the living room as she sipped her pleasantly warm coffee. Alice had already read most of the titles there, with the exception of a few of the less interesting ones. At the end of the bookshelf, her eyes fell on the closet door.

  I don't even remember what we kept in there.

  After a moment's hesitation, she pulled open the door and peered inside.

  There were several dusty shelves lining each wall in the closet. On one of the shelves, she noticed a box with her name on it. Hoisting it down, she glanced inside to see an assortment of computer parts, random hardware, and her first soldering set.

  Alice smiled at the memory, how happy she was when her parents had given it to her, how they had repeatedly cautioned her to be careful with it...

  Life had been so much simpler then.

  If only my greatest worry now was getting third degree burns from my soldering iron…

  As she continued to sort through the box, her mind took over and began systematically listing all of the different things that she could create with those parts.

  Well, why not? Let's see what my computer brain will make of this.

  Alice lugged the box to the dining room, and scattered its contents on the table. She also pulled out a pad and pen from a drawer in the kitchen and began making rough sketches for a design as the iron heated up.

  Alice was not sure what she was designing at first, only that her mind found it was the most appropriate thing to make, given the circumstances and supplies available. When she was done, she glanced down at the sketch.

  What could that possibly do? It looks like some sort of keycard device.

  As she continued to stare at it, her mind graciously answered.

  When placed near an EngineerCorp security terminal, the device will scan all transmissions going to and from the terminal to determine the normal activity in that network. It will then open up a communications channel disguised as a "normal" radio signal, and transmit it to a preprogrammed target device. Essentially, it will allow someone to hack into a security system unnoticed.

  The concept would certainly come in handy if her future continued in the direction it was going. Alice hoped she would never have a cause to hack into EngineerCorp's security mainframe, mostly because that would mean she was close enough to do so.

  Combining parts from a wireless router/adapter, hard drives and optical drives, she was able to create the device. When she was finished building and programming, she held out the crude credit card-shaped device.

  Okay, now what? Add this to my repertoire of fun conversation starters?

  Alice laughed as she looked around. The dining room looked like a disaster zone, with metallic parts strewn casually about everywhere. Not wanting to clean it up, she pushed her chair back, intending to take a break, knocking down the cardboard box from the edge of the table in the process. A stack of papers flew everywhere.

  As she bent over to pick them up, something caught her eye. It was a sealed and addressed letter from her mom, with a post-it stuck to the front that said, "Buy more stamps."

  Alice smiled. Her mom always had a hard time remembering things. The letter was dated a few months before the accident, during the last trip her parents had taken there. Alice had still been in college at the time.

  She turned over the envelope and opened it with a shaking hand.

  Hey Alice!

  I know you've been so busy lately, being so close to graduation, but I just wanted to send you a quick little note to tell you how proud of you we are. You have so many things to offer the world, and we know you will go on to do great things. People may doubt you and your abilities because you are so young, but don't let them hold you back. You can do anything you set your mind to! We will always be here for you, sweetheart.

  Love you,

  Mom and Dad

  Alice pressed her eyes shut with the memory and a single tear dropped onto the hand that still held the letter. She wiped away her eyes and stared at the wood grains in the floor, trying to ignore the knot of emotion that formed in her throat.

  Her parents had done so much for her, always encouraging her, standing beside her, no matter what. Then, they had been taken away from her, far too soon.

  I will make them proud of me. A strange twist of fate gives me superhuman abilities and the chance of a lifetime. Fine. But no mere man is going to take my freedom away from me, no matter how powerful he might seem. I will conquer this and be worthy of the confidence they had in me.

  She straightened up in her chair, feeling encouraged by her resolutions. Although she could not make immediate plans until she heard back from Garrett, she decided not to waste any more time waiting. Taking out the pen and paper again, she began making more designs.

  She found her mind beginning to wander as she sketched, and it centered itself on her encounter with Eric.

  Sure, he might have limitless resources and a brilliant mind…but he is only a man. He can be outwitted and defeated. I won't let myself be intimidated by some grand monopoly's figurehead.

  I just wish I knew what I should do next...

  ***

  It had been a stressful night. Eric dozed off and on, but sleep was doing its best to remain a stranger to him. After several hours of struggling, he gave up and returned to his office.

  Might as well get some work done.

  Eric absently flipped a pen between
his fingers as he reviewed Alice's file. So far, her location had not been determined. The few security cameras in Asheville, mainly traffic cameras, had only shown her driving out of town, heading west. From there, her path had dropped off, presumably because she had ventured into a rural area, void of any conventional way to track her route.

  He was a patient man. Alice could not hide herself forever, and eventually she would drop her guard long enough for them to find her. He glanced over the pictures that had been confiscated from her house.

  She is attractive. I wouldn't notice her on first glance, but something about the way intelligence peeks out from behind those dark eyes makes her seem…mysterious.

  What are you hiding in there, Alice?

  His eyes came to rest on the photo she had taken with her parents in front of a lake. Something caught his attention in the top corner of the picture, the vague outline of what appeared to be a cabin. There was no mention of any such property in the files on his desk.

  Eric brought up a video chat on his computer and called the head investigator for the case.

  The video brought up an image of a man leaning precariously back in his desk chair. When he noticed the window on his screen, he jumped in surprise, almost falling over.

  Eric held up the picture and asked him, "Do we know where this picture was taken?"

  The man glanced at the photo, eyebrows furrowing. "No, sir… That information did not seem relevant at the time."

  Eric frowned, took a deep breath, and replied, "Everything is relevant until this woman is found. Get me all the information you can find on this picture, especially on that house. Call me the moment you have any news."

  He abruptly signed off the chat, leaving the man staring dumbfounded at his computer screen.

  Is it too much to ask for a little competency? It should not be this difficult to find a single girl. Sure, she's no ordinary girl, but are we not the largest corporation on the planet?

  Eric did not expect a response from his team for a while so he stood up, stretched, and began to pace back and forth beside his desk. It was a habit that he indulged from time to time when he needed to clear his head.

  He looked around his office. It was austere in its decor, with only a few items adorning the walls. It was simple, leaving nothing to interfere with his work.

  On the back and left sides of the room, bookshelves lined the walls, filled from top to bottom with an impressive collection of books. More than a few of those books Eric himself had written, some dissertation or another he felt compelled to expound upon.

  In the center of the room was a grand mahogany desk. Most of it was concealed by an array of four large LCD monitors, connected to his computer. Two of them sat on the desk itself, the other two were raised above them on sleek, black stands. Aside from a few files and technical journals, the rest of his desk was immaculate.

  Unknown to all but a select few, a small door was concealed within the shelves that lined the back wall. It was opened by a small, keyless entry remote that Eric carried on his keychain. It led to his private elevator, which granted access to the secret subterranean levels of EngineerCorp. Most of the company's operations were carried out in the aboveground portion of campus; only the most sensitive and valuable projects were kept in the sublevels.

  As with his private elevator, the underground levels were only accessed by an elite group of personnel, security, and Eric's own Special Operations teams.

  Occasionally, some of the projects that were handled in the sublevels were of a "questionable" nature. Lines were crossed and judgment became subjective, but ultimately, the good of the general population was all that mattered to him.

  I can't be bothered by petty rules and regulations. The only reason we thrive in this industry is because I'm not afraid to do what is necessary. The public doesn't care. All they care about is that we can deliver what we promise. They are prisoners to their dependencies on our inventions and innovations.

  Eric stood, basking in the feeling, reflecting on how much EngineerCorp had done…how much he had done. He marveled at the sense of accomplishment he felt, knowing his role in single-handedly shaping a new and better world.

  Lost in his reverie, he was rudely interrupted by a buzzing from his desk, signaling an incoming video call.

  The small, jittery man spoke excitedly, "Sir! We have made a breakthrough! The photograph, the one with the girl and her parents…it…it's…"

  Eric, slightly annoyed, interrupted, "Slow down; I can hardly understand you."

  The analyst replied, "Sorry, sir… What I meant to say was that we have been researching the possible locations where the photo could have been taken. We made little progress until one of the techs was able to find some old property tax records for a cabin on the southern part of Lake Nantahala. We called the county seat there and found that there was a cabin that has been in the McArthur family for some time. The property deed is now in the name of an Alice McArthur. I’ve taken the liberty of transferring the address and all other pertinent data to your computer."

  "Excellent. Continue your research and spare no efforts. This situation must be contained as quickly and efficiently as possible," Eric reminded him.

  He signed off the chat before the analyst had a chance to respond.

  Eric dialed a number on his phone and, after one short ring, a husky voice answered, "Sir?"

  It was Grant, the leader of his Alpha Special Operations team. Grant had been working for EngineerCorp since the beginning. He was brought in for his experience as a Navy SEAL. In his mid-forties, Grant had a reputation for being quick, efficient, and discrete: attributes that Eric highly esteemed.

  Eric had seven Special Operations teams. He had plenty of others at his disposal, but the Special Ops teams were the elite, highly efficient men that he could entrust with the most critical tasks.

  "Prepare your team to conduct reconnaissance and an extraction."

  As always, Grant didn't ask questions, and simply told Eric he could have everything ready within the hour. For this assignment, they would require a helicopter because of the remote location of the target. Also, it was critical to act before the target had a chance to relocate.

  He smiled in spite of himself.

  Things are already starting to turn around.

  ***

  Alice finished eating lunch, and checked her email once more. Feelings of worry gnawed at her resolve as she saw that Garrett still had not responded. For some reason, she felt an increasing sense of dread. Perhaps it was the eerie quiet of the cabin, a quiet that she was unaccustomed to.

  No matter what the reason is, I have to get out of here... I can't shake the feeling that it's not safe anymore.

  The other part of her mind chided in, providing a convenient assessment.

  There's a fifty-four percent risk of being found and that figure exponentially increases over the next twenty-four hours.

  Alice gave a wry smile.

  Gee, thanks... I guess it doesn't really matter what I decide; there will be a high level of risk with everything now.

  Until Garrett made his arrangements and the data was safely in the hands of the FBI, she was vulnerable.

  She packed up the few things that she had brought with her, stuffing them back into her bag. Stopping at the dining table, she bent down to pick up the security transmitter that she created, along with her drawings.

  Did I really make this? I still can't believe...

  Focus, Alice. There's no time for that now. Time to leave.

  Alice tucked the drawings into her bag and went outside to load up her bike. It was parked beneath the carport that lay next to the cabin.

  The carport was not much more than a roof that sat upon four columns, with one wall at the back of the structure, and two half walls on each side, near the back.

  As she was closing the side cargo compartment on her Ducati, a deep, velvety voice spoke behind her.

  "Going somewhere, Alice?"

  She spun around
so fast that she tripped over the wheel on her bike and fell down onto gravel. As fast as she could manage, she stood up and found herself backed against the opposite sidewall under the carport.

  It's him!

  Eric stood there, on the edge of the opposite wall. He was dressed in a perfectly fitted, expensive-looking suit, leaning casually against the wall as if he had every right to be there. A smirk teased the corner of his lips, and his eyes glittered menacingly down at her. She quickly glanced around, trying to assess her chances of escape. She didn't see anyone else around, but she had to assume that there were others, currently hiding out of view.

  How did this happen? I should have known better. I should have been prepared! What am I going to do? I have to stall him until I figure out a plan.

  "Wha-what are you doing here?" she finally managed to ask him.

  Eric smiled; a confident look on his face.

  "Alice, dear. Let us not feign ignorance. You know very well why I am here. You took something from me, and I want it back. It's really quite simple."

  "How could I possibly have anything that you want? I don't even know who you are!"

  "Oh, I think you know exactly who I am. That is irrelevant though, because I know for a fact that you gained unlawful access to a large amount of data that did not belong to you. You are going to take a little trip with me, so we can discuss all of this in great detail."

  He paused, and then turned his head, glancing behind him, mouth opening as if to speak. She saw four men dressed in black tactical uniforms seemingly materialize, fanning out behind Eric.

  You have to be kidding!

  Alice looked around, rapidly calculating the best possible route of escape.

  Now or never.

  Without hesitating, she bolted around the edge of the carport, running as fast as she could in the direction of the forest surrounding the cabin.

  She heard Eric's voice behind her. "Alice, be reasonable! You can't expect to escape."