Mind Trace

by McCaghren, Holly

  "I suppose…if it will mean your cooperation, we can find a way to arrange that."

  Did that really just work?

  He continued to speak, but more to himself than her. "We would, of course, have permanent surveillance on him at all times and he could never try to communicate with you or come within a hundred miles of any EngineerCorp facility. He must also never try to sabotage our work here in any way. If he disagreed with or violated any of these conditions, we would have to resort to our original plan. If that can be arranged, would that be sufficient to gain your cooperation?"

  He must really, really want my help.

  Alice thought about it for a moment before answering. "Yes…but, could I be the one to ask him?"

  He looked at her skeptically. "I will give you five minutes to speak with him. If you cannot convince him to agree wholeheartedly to this plan, he is not going anywhere, ever. This is more than generous for both of you."

  More generous than I thought you were capable of…

  She briefly nodded, and he replied, "Give me a few minutes to make arrangements."

  He stepped out again and began speaking with the guards outside. When the door shut, she was left alone with her thoughts.

  I hope this works.

  Chapter 15

  Half an hour later, the door opened again, and a blindfolded man was thrust inside. It shut behind him as he furiously worked to remove his eye covering.

  "Where am I? You…!"

  As he struggled, he tripped over the desk chair, falling to the ground. He finally pulled off the blindfold and looked around, wildly.

  Is that really him?

  Alice watched him from the corner of the room, unsure of what to do. As he turned to look at her, she immediately noticed the black eye and felt an overwhelming sense of relief. It had to be Garrett.

  The past few days combined with extreme exhaustion had removed any restraint she might otherwise have. She ran to him, knelt and hugged him fiercely.

  "Garrett!"

  Confused and still trying to get his bearings, he pulled her back to get a better look.

  "Alice! Hey, be careful with the eye there…"

  When he saw that it was indeed, Alice, the joy on his face was unmistakable. The joy lasted only a moment before subsiding to confusion.

  "Alice, what is going on here? Why did they bring me here?"

  Alice withdrew, moving to sit on her bed. Garrett got up to join her, rubbing his ankle where he tripped.

  Now, the hard part…

  "You're not going to like this, Garrett, but it was the only way. I don't have much time to talk. Eric said he would only give us a few minutes, so you're going to have to listen carefully."

  "What is it?" Garrett looked concerned.

  Alice tried to remain calm and composed. It was vitally important that Garrett accept her plan and he was unlikely to do so if she was acting hysterical and unstable.

  She took a deep breath and continued. "He is obviously never going to agree to let me go. You, on the other hand… you are only a minor threat to him, mostly because of me."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "If you will agree to these conditions, he will release you. From this point forward, you will be under constant surveillance and you cannot attempt to ever contact me again. In addition, you cannot come within 100 miles of any EngineerCorp facility, or try to interfere with them in any way. If you will agree to those terms, he will allow you to leave."

  Garrett looked at her suspiciously. "Why would he ever agree to such a thing?"

  "If I agree to cooperate with him, he will let you go."

  "If you agree to what? Alice, what are you talking about? You can't be serious."

  Her exhaustion put an uncharacteristic edge in her voice. "Garrett, please. This is the only way. You can't do anything for me or yourself if you're trapped in here! If you are ever to make anything of Cyberconn, you'll have to overhaul your security and find the person that's been letting Gabriel in, but after you've done that…"

  Garrett interrupted her, quickly losing his own composure. "Alice! Listen to yourself! None of that even matters if you're not there!"

  "What?"

  Alice stopped and looked up into his face. He visibly calmed himself and reached out to lay his hand on hers. "I can't do this to you, Alice. My freedom isn't worth this… Nothing is."

  That wasn't part of the plan.

  She suddenly found herself conflicted, part of her wanting to reassure him, to do anything just to make him laugh again, all the while keenly aware of how warm his hand felt on hers.

  "I won't really be helping him, Garrett. I'll put up a good show, but I won't let him have anything worthwhile. I just have to build up his trust long enough to figure out how to escape. I can't focus on that if I'm worried that my decisions here will affect their treatment of you. You're better off away from here."

  "There has to be a better way. I'll think of something!"

  "Garrett, there's no time. This is it. We have less than thirty seconds left before they come back for you. So, stop worrying about me; you know I can take care of myself."

  The turmoil was evident on Garrett's face. He could not decide if he should agree with Alice, or tell her she was completely insane for volunteering to help the enemy in exchange for the freedom of a man she hardly knew. In the end, he knew what she said was the most logical course, but he hated himself for agreeing to it.

  "Thirteen seconds…"

  "Alice, I think this is crazy. But, if this is what you want me to do… then, I'll do it. Just get yourself out of here! And I'll do everything in my power to get you back!"

  With that, Garrett swept her into his arms again, and squeezed her until she found it hard to breathe. Just as the five minutes were up, she heard the door cruelly open and he released her. Eric entered the room with two other men.

  Was that really five minutes? It can't be over yet.

  "What will it be, Garrett?"

  Garrett glared at Eric and icily responded, "I have agreed to the terms of the arrangement."

  Eric glanced at Alice, as if to verify. She nodded briskly, trying not to look as helpless as she felt.

  "I guess it pays to have good friends, doesn't it, Garrett?" Eric smirked before gesturing to his men.

  They came up to Garrett and secured his arms behind his stiff frame before escorting him out. As he was leaving, he gave one last look over his shoulder at Alice. On his face, she saw a multitude of emotions: anger, regret, remorse, and sorrow. He gave a weak smile, and then he was gone.

  Eric grinned as he left the room, clearly quite pleased with the outcome of events.

  Alone again, Alice sank back slowly onto her bed.

  What have I gotten myself into?

  ***

  After giving Alice a day and a half to acclimate, Eric commenced with his plans.

  No need to rush things. She's not going anywhere.

  He began by taking her on a tour of the underground complex. It did him no good, he reasoned, to keep her from seeing it. She already knew enough about the layout to find her way around. Moreover, it gave her the impression that he was choosing to trust her, since she offered her cooperation. That was important if he was going to find out what secrets she was hiding beneath her quiet facade.

  The subterranean levels encompassed a massive amount of space, so a complete tour would be impractical. He showed her enough areas to take up the expanse of an entire afternoon, including the most impressive areas. She mostly said nothing, only responding with small, noncommittal sounds when prompted.

  Sometimes though, despite her best efforts, she could not hide her interest. It was obvious that she had a passion for technology, and Eric hoped to use that to win her over.

  There were so many questions that he wanted answers to, especially on the subject of her mind. He had to find a way to get the information he required, without causing her undue alarm. He could not read her mind, although that would have been idea
l, but perhaps if he could come up with a way to monitor her brain activity and see the responses to different stimuli, it would give him something to work with.

  Eric studied her as she was examining one of the massive server rooms on their tour. Her eyes, hidden behind her dark-framed glasses, were alight with fascination.

  Her glasses! It's perfect. If I can get my engineers to design a wireless scanner that they could hide within the frame, I can get what I want, and she'd be none the wiser.

  He made sure his teams got all of the relevant information they needed and put them to work immediately.

  Retrofitting her frames was simple. It was only a matter of adding some sedatives to her dinner one night, and then replacing them while she slept.

  An ingenious plan.

  A mere sixteen hours later, the system was successfully in place. They began analyzing the data almost immediately.

  It was astounding to see behind the scenes of her brain. Despite her cool demeanor, her mind was constantly working in overdrive. When Alice was presented with any kind of new information, her brain exploded with activity, none of which could be ascertained by her outward expressions.

  As with her preliminary scans from before, they confirmed that she was using nearly all of her brain simultaneously when processing information.

  What does this do for her? How did she manage to acquire this kind of ability? Was she born with it, or did something happen to her that caused this phenomenon?

  The questions churned inside Eric's mind. They had not fully explored her family history, which also had the potential to cast some light onto the situation. In the back of his mind, Eric still held onto the impossible explanation that the burns on her hand somehow contributed to the unique and unthinkably intelligent girl before him. But he was not quite ready to accept that explanation. He would need far more proof before he could be compelled to believe such an idea.

  She had been there less than three days, but already Eric was finding himself becoming infatuated with her. The idea that someone could possess such abilities fascinated him. He considered himself superior to others, but if someone had ever existed who could equal him, Alice was fast becoming a worthy candidate. Eric would never confess that to anyone, but it did present him with an overwhelming need to learn everything he could about her.

  Eric decided it was time to see her in action. He had the perfect project for her. The Department of Defense recently approached him with the task of designing hovercraft technology for armored vehicles. It would benefit them greatly, eliminating the need for mine detection and similar precautions in combat zones.

  There were many aspects to a project like this that made it extremely difficult…one of which was finding or creating a power source with the capability of allowing vehicles of that magnitude to hover above the ground. It would have to be compact, non-volatile and use low amounts of fuel. It was no easy feat.

  Surely, the humanitarian part of Alice will see the value in making such a project to come to life. And it gives me the perfect chance to see what she is really capable of.

  Allowing her to work also meant giving her a workspace. He needed to set something up for her, preferably on the floor where her cell was, so he could limit her range of movement. Less area to travel meant less of a chance for her to find some flaw in their security to exploit.

  Which reminds me, I need to have the maintenance elevator reprogrammed to no longer stop on that floor. I can't have a repeat of her last escape...

  He had a fair amount of work to arrange, but he didn't mind. Things were beginning to unfold quite fortuitously.

  ***

  Alice woke up with a start. She was disoriented at first, not recognizing her surroundings. Then, she remembered where she was and the unpleasant situation she was in.

  She sighed and closed her eyes again. Her internal clock informed her that it was 6:41am on Sunday, the fourth day of her entrapment.

  Has it already been four days? This place is starting to get to me. Four days, and I haven't found a decent way to escape. I have to try harder. Maybe today Eric will give me something to work with.

  When Eric came for her later, he described some of his visions for the future, showing her the projects that she would soon be working on.

  In spite of her desire not to get involved, she could not help herself. She saw prototypes and designs for things she had only thought possible in her dreams. The collective amount of intelligence and resources was truly amazing. Alice also knew that the small portion she was being shown was only a sample of the things that were worked on within EngineerCorp. It was a shame that the unlimited potential contained inside the walls of Eric's domain was overseen by someone who had lost touch with his conscience.

  Alice wondered what the world would have been like if Garrett had not been ruined, but instead was allowed to accomplish what he set out to do. It would be a completely different place if he, and the countless others smothered by EngineerCorp, had been allowed to succeed.

  That evening, as Eric was escorting her back to her room, he mentioned casually, "Tomorrow, Alice, you will begin to live up to your end of our arrangement. I've arranged for the construction of your own personal lab, so you can work without being interrupted or bothered by anyone else."

  More like I could work without meeting anyone who could potentially help me escape…

  But, I'll take it.

  It was one step closer to her being able to free herself. With access to equipment and other tools, perhaps she could devise some way to remove her ankle restraint. It would not be that simple, of course. She would be watched at all times, she was sure of that.

  They were back at her room now and Eric opened the door to let her enter.

  "Sleep well, Alice."

  Easier said than done.

  ***

  Her mind informed her that it was Monday, not that it mattered. Time had lost its meaning since she'd arrived at EngineerCorp.

  After completing her sad routine of getting dressed, showering and eating whatever breakfast they brought, she waited for Eric to come for her.

  It had been over a week since her life was turned upside down. She looked absently down at her hand and saw that the burns were healing quite nicely, but they were going to leave a substantial scar. It was kind of a jagged line, two and a half inches long across the base of her right palm.

  It seems odd to be healed so much already. Maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought.

  Mesmerized as she was by her thoughts, Alice did not hear the door open. It was only after she experienced a creepy sense of being watched that she decided to look up and found Eric staring at her. Startled, she jumped back, almost knocking over the chair she was occupying.

  Eric did not laugh or seem amused, but instead asked, "How is your hand?"

  Taken aback by his sudden concern, she looked at him suspiciously. "It's fine…much better now."

  "I can get someone to look at it if you want."

  What does it matter to him if I'm comfortable? I'm a prisoner! He's probably just worried it will distract me from working…

  Alice kept her misgivings to herself. Instead, she merely replied, "That won't be necessary."

  "Suit yourself. If you're ready, your new workspace awaits." He stood back to allow her to pass.

  In the hallway, she was met with the somber face of two guards. She turned around to Eric again, who placidly smiled and led her in the opposite direction, guards following. When they stopped at a door, Alice could not help but notice that the room had once been a large conference room. It was hastily retrofitted with a small keypad entry.

  As the door slid open, Alice was shocked to see the contents. The amount of work that must have been done in such a short time was amazing. While she guessed the room only had standard conference room furniture before, now sophisticated instruments lined the walls. In the center of the room was a group of six workstations, each with a different set of tools or equipment. A computer sat on one of the
stations, next to a pad of engineering paper and a jar of pencils. They seemed rather out of place in such a high-tech room.

  Eric saw where her gaze fell and commented, "I noticed you like to sketch your designs."

  I don't know if I should be worried or glad that he's gone to so much trouble.

  She raised her eyebrows at him, but chose not to respond.

  "This is your own personal lab. You should find everything you could possibly need here, but if there is anything lacking, let me know and I will see what can be done. The details of the current project are in the folder on the desk."

  He walked around, running his hand along one of the table's surfaces. "This goes without saying…but there is no network access in this room, nor access to any outside system. There are security cameras dispersed throughout the area and your progress will be monitored very closely. No equipment leaves this room for any reason, and you will pass through a scanner each day before you leave.

  "Guards will be posted outside the door at all times. If you need to reach me, you may alert the guards through the intercom button near the door. Keep in mind that leaving this room before you are authorized will activate the security device on your ankle. Oh, and through the door to your left you will find the restroom facilities. Any questions?"

  Alice frowned, feeling compelled to remind him, "I'm not sure what you think I'm capable of, but I can assure you that I'm no Einstein. I'll try to do what you ask of me, but there is no guarantee that I can. It's not like I have a PhD or any formal education regarding any of these subjects…" She trailed off, looking helplessly around.

  "I'm sure you will manage. I'm counting on it."

  Eric turned and exited the lab, leaving her alone in the massive workspace.

  Frustrated, Alice sat down at the desk where the file lay. It would be more complicated now, she knew. She would have to work convincingly without really accomplishing anything, while secretly devising a plan to escape.

  Alice consulted the other part of her brain for help, opening the file in front of her to make it appear as though she were reading it.