by D. B. Goodin
The bartender looked conflicted for a moment.
“You’re supposed to be twenty-one to sit at the bar, but since your birthday is so close, I will let you have some lunch, but no drinking.”
“Fine, just a club sandwich and a ginger ale, please,” Vedrana said.
The bartender left without acknowledging her order.
“Don’t worry about Joe,” her target said, “he’s a good guy. He got busted a few years ago for allowing underaged drinking.”
“Thanks for saying something, I don’t have time to wait for a table. I need to get back to work,” Vedrana said.
“Haven’t I seen you here before?”
“Yes, I come in with my girlfriends, but today I’m alone.”
“My name is Ambrose. It is good to make your acquaintance.”
“My name is Gwenneth,” Vedrana said.
“What a lovely name. I noticed you are not from around here. What brings you to our corner of the world?”
“I have an interview scheduled with a man at the power plant. I’m hoping to secure an internship.”
“I work there as an operator. Right now I’m a level two, but I’m up for a promotion to level three soon. Who are you meeting with at the plant?”
Vedrana pulled out her smartphone and pretended to pull up an email. She felt Ambrose’s gaze.
“I’m meeting with Cole Lewis.”
“I know Cole, he’s real smart. He went to the University of Michigan and graduated with honors.”
“I’m attending the University of Pittsburgh, about an hour's drive from here.”
Moments later, the bartender placed the most disgusting club sandwich Vedrana had ever seen in front of her. The fries were dripping with grease. About halfway into the meal, Vedrana moved the plate then emptied the contents of her bag on the bar.
“Where is it?” Vedrana said in a frantic voice.
“What’s the matter?” Ambrose asked.
“My resume and project are missing.”
“I’m sure Cole has that in electronic format.”
“My resume, yes, but he doesn’t have my project. I was hoping to impress him with it. I’ve done so much work in the field, and now it’s gone.”
“Is there a way I can help?” Ambrose said.
“I have the project and resume on this flash drive. Is there a copy shop nearby?” Vedrana said as she removed the drive from her purse.
“I don’t think so . . . But tell you what. I’ll take it to my office, then print it out for you. What time is your appointment?”
“At two p.m.”
He looked at his watch.
“Plenty of time,” he said. “I’m going to leave now—meet me in the parking lot of the plant in an hour?”
Vedrana gave Ambrose a prolonged hug. She pressed her body against his and said, “Thank you.”
Ambrose froze at the sudden contact.
An hour later, Vedrana pulled up the Ohio Valley Nuclear Reactor. She checked in at the guard shack, got her visitor badge, and then proceeded to the guest parking area. A few moments later, she noticed Ambrose leaving the facility with some papers in hand.
“Ambrose!” Vedrana said.
“I printed both files, but a bunch of extra stuff printed with the project file. It looked like random characters, so I recycled them. Let me know if the pages are intact.”
She leafed through the papers. He watched her every move.
“It’s all here—thanks, Ambrose.”
She gave him another hug.
“Hey,” he said, “maybe we can grab a drink sometime, if . . . you want.”
I have him now!
“I would like that,” she replied. “See you around, Ambrose.”
He smiled, then walked back into the facility.
Chapter 20
April ran down the streets of Brooklyn looking for a local hospital, clinic, or some place that could help Jet. There was not a hospital in sight and her external communication system was damaged preventing access to her mapping interface. Moments later she spotted an animal clinic; she noticed a sign that said the surgeon was on staff and barged in.
“I need a doctor,” April said.
The receptionist glanced at Jet with the knife sticking out of her back.
“What happened? Come back here,” the receptionist said.
Delta followed the woman into the back of the animal hospital. Dogs barked at the intrusion. She laid Jet on a metal table.
“She needs help,” April said, pointing to the knife.
Moments later, an older man came into the room and examined Jet. Jet’s shirt was wet, and blood oozed out of her.
“We need to stop the bleeding, but she needs a proper hospital. We run an animal clinic. There is little I can do for her here,” the doctor said.
Another woman in her early twenties entered the room with fresh towels and started preparing a tray on wheels. April watched as the woman laid out several surgical instruments.
“Help her, doctor, I don’t want her to die,” April pleaded with the veterinarian.
A hand squeezed April’s shoulder. It was the receptionist.
“You need to give the doctor space,” she told April. “He cannot operate with you hovering over him like that. Besides, you need to give a statement to the police.”
“Police?” April said in a frightened voice.
“Yes, you were involved in a crime, and the police need to take a statement so they can find the person responsible.”
“You will not call the police. The doctor is going to help my friend, and then we are going to leave,” Delta said in a menacing tone.
The receptionist’s eyes widened. She looked as if she’d seen a ghost.
“I’m scared,” April said as the tears flowed.
The receptionist gave April a tissue, but still looked like she thought April was going to attack her.
“I just got her back, and I can’t lose her,” April cried.
“It’s okay, Dr. Maxwell is taking care of her. I won’t let anything happen to her,” the receptionist said while looking longingly at the phone.
Nigel opened his eyes to a beautiful woman. Melissa was holding something wet against his forehead.
“Welcome back,” she said. “I was worried you got hit a little too hard.”
“Jet!” Nigel said as he shot up and scanned the ruined office.
“She’s been injured, April took her . . .”
Nigel looked at Melissa, her eyes glistening with tears.
She’s even more beautiful when she’s upset, he thought, then stopped himself. What? Why am I having these thoughts? That cyborg hit me a little too hard. Need to find Jet.
“Let’s go!” he said.
Nigel tried standing, but lost his footing and fell on top of Melissa. He lingered there for a long moment as something stirred deep within him. He loved Jet, but he also had a deep and sudden lust for Melissa.
I think she feels it too.
Melissa confirmed his thoughts by kissing him on the lips. He surprised himself by kissing her back.
“I’ve wanted to do that since that night at Tage Manor,” Melissa said.
A noise emitted from the entrance to the room, Nigel stiffened as he saw Nozomi staring at them.
How long has she been observing us?
“Touching. I can’t leave you alone with anyone, Nigel. You are a dog,” Nozomi said, grinning. She picked him up by the scruff of his neck. “On your feet, soldier. Someone is here to see you.”
Melissa reached out for Nigel, but Nozomi pushed her to the floor. “I’ll deal with you later.”
“She stabbed Jet,” Melissa blurted to Nigel.
Nigel froze. “Why?” Nigel’s eyes filled with tears.
“Stop being weak, I just cut the chain to the ball dangling from your neck. Now you’d better come with me if you have any chance of seeing her again—boy!”
Nigel hesitated; Nozomi handcuffed him, then gave a shove. Nigel stumbled,
but she kept pushing until Nigel was out of the lab building. Nigel looked around. They were in a small parking lot. He could see a busy street through an abandoned lot about two or three blocks away. A moment later a van pulled up and the side door opened. He looked inside and couldn’t believe his eyes. Rick Watson was dressed in black and holding out a hand.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Nigel said.
“Hey, Nige, I suggest you come peacefully. Noz here is stronger than she looks. And twice as flexible,” Rick said, laughing.
Nigel gave Rick a look of utter contempt.
That bastard makes me sick!
“I bet you are wondering where your girlfriend is. Have a peek,” Rick said as he held out an oversized phone.
Nigel snatched the phone. He couldn’t believe what he was looking at. Based on the angle of what appeared to be traffic camera footage, April was carrying Jet into some kind of animal hospital. The video switched to a black-and-white security video of inside the animal hospital. Nigel couldn’t hear anything, but saw Jet being taken into a back room.
“It looks like an animal doctor is going to take a knife out of your girlfriend’s back. I’m sure that’s a tricky procedure. One wrong move, and then she could bleed to death.”
“I can barely see her face in the video,” Nigel replied.
“You’re not the only hacker we know, Nigel. I suggest you decide quickly if you want to help her,” Rick said.
Nigel clenched his jaw and threw the phone at Rick. His father ducked just in time.
“My employer has many doctors. He will ensure she is taken care of. That procedure looks tricky and probably requires a blood transfusion. What is the vet going to do? Get blood from one of the dogs?”
“Help her,” Nigel said.
“Get in,” Rick said.
Nigel froze, but he couldn’t seem to decide. Nozomi got close and whispered into his ear, “Get in before I finish the job.”
Nozomi shoved Nigel into the van, then shut the outside door. The van jumped into motion. Nigel nearly fell over.
“Is she not joining us?” Nigel asked.
“Noz?” Rick said. “Nope. She will want to take her pound of flesh from the Mason girl. Besides, she’s helped enough. We need your computer skills more.”
“She better not hurt Melissa.”
“Whoa, now that’s my boy! How many girlfriends do you have?” Rick said, chuckling.
Nigel flushed, as his right hand formed into a tight ball.
“I’m just kidding, lighten up, Nige.”
Nigel rocked in his seat as the van sped on the streets of Brooklyn faster than was safe. He couldn’t believe how quickly the situation had changed. His heart ached at the thought of Jet not getting the proper medical attention. Rick picked up the phone and dialed a number.
“We got him. You can pick up the girl now,” Rick said as he disconnected the line.
I hope I don’t regret this. Hold on, Jet, I’m coming.
The van changed direction and started heading back into the city.
About thirty minutes later, Nigel found himself atop one of New York’s newer skyscrapers, watching a helicopter land. Most boys would enjoy taking a helicopter ride with their father. Nigel could only think of reaching Jet.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“You’re needed in Newport,” Rick replied. “Once our business is complete, then we will send you to your girlfriend.”
“If she’s hurt, then you will be sorry. I don’t care if you are my father. I will end you!” Nigel said.
Rick helped Nigel get into the helicopter and took a seat next to his son.
Two hours later, the helicopter landed on an older hotel that possessed some historical significance in the Newport area. Rick rushed Nigel to Mr. Chen’s parlor doubled as a conference room. The room fell silent as the duo entered. Nigel remembered Dahlia and Mr. Tage, but he didn’t know who the others were.
“Can I get these removed?” Nigel said, raising his bound hands.
Mr. Chen approached Nigel and gave him an appraising look. “Of course, my apologies for any mistreatment you may have experienced. Are you hungry? Can we get you anything?”
“You need some hacking done. I provide that, and I’m free to go—right?”
“Of course, you’re not a prisoner. You’re just helping out your dear old dad’s employer. We will even take you back to New York. I just need a day’s worth of your time.”
“Let’s get on with it, then.”
“I will provide you a computer and a place to work. If you’re hungry—”
“If it’s all the same to you, I just want to get started,” Nigel said.
“Very well, your father will show you to your workstation.”
Nigel followed his father to the elevator. As the doors opened, a woman taller than him was exiting the elevator. He watched her exit the elevator and head toward the lobby.
“Nigel, are you coming?” Rick said.
Nigel snapped out of it and joined his father in the elevator.
“She’s beautiful, I know. Just remember what’s at stake, son.”
What’s wrong with me? Nigel wondered.
As soon as the elevator opened, two men who resembled sumo wrestlers in black leather approached the elevator to greet Nigel.
“Chen instructed me to get a place for the kid to work. Got anything a teenaged boy would like?”
One of the sumo wrestlers removed a picture of some awful-looking flowers opposite the elevator, revealing an electronic safe. He put his index finger on a sensor and then opened the safe. He tossed Rick a key with an oversized keyring.
“Put him in there,” the sumo wrestler said.
Rick led Nigel to Room 1313. Other than the old furnishings, the room had many modern features. A gigantic flat-screen adorned the largest wall. A desk, bed, and chair were the only furnishings.
“I will bring you a computer soon. Wait here until then,” Rick said as he left.
Nigel turned on the flat-screen. A menu appeared with a picture of the hotel. A message appeared below:
Welcome to the VIP floor. As a distinguished guest, you have access to many of the hotel’s facilities. We invite you to take advantage of the VIP lounge.
A moment later the door opened. Rick was juggling several boxes, trying not to drop anything. He placed them on the bed.
“Mr. Chen has the latest in computer hardware. Let us know if you need anything,” Rick said as he left Nigel.
Nigel tore into the boxes and inventoried the equipment.
Let’s see if any of this is usable.
Nigel turned on the laptop and inspected the contents. The laptop contained High Tower OS (HTOS). Usually when setting up a new computer, a welcome screen with instructions appeared; he was greeted with the graphical user interface of the OS instead. He checked the system for any additional profiles that might give him a clue as to who had used the computer previously. The system was bare.
Someone has used this before. I should find out what was on it.
Nigel rebooted the computer, then held down the “Control” and “R” keys to bring up the computer’s recovery mode. Nigel found the recovery option and was presented with a new menu:
Please select the partition you would like to recover.
Drive 0 Partition 1: Recovery
Drive 0 Partition 2: SYSTEM
Drive 0 Partition 3: OEM Reserved
Drive 0 Partition 4: DRV Reserved
Drive 0 Partition 5: PrimaryHT-OS
Drive 0 Partition 6: SYS_RECOVERY
Nigel selected Drive 0 Partition 5 and selected the recovery option. The following menu appeared:
High Tower OS Setup:
This partition may contain important files or other data you may need. Restoring will destroy its contents. Would you like to proceed?
Nigel clicked the “Yes” button.
The system seemed to take a very long time to complete the restoration process, but he
was happy a recovery partition was still intact. The existence of the recovery partition told him data was automatically saved during a routine system snapshot; Nigel knew from experience the OS had this enabled by default. Except for the gusts of wind outside, the room was quiet. He noticed a door leading to another room.
An adjoining room?
Nigel decided to check if it was unlocked. It wasn’t, but he could hear some mumbling, like someone was speaking into a microphone. He pressed his ears against the door—nothing! He tried using the built-in microphone on the laptop to try and pick up the mumbling from the other side of the wall, but it didn’t work. After some further examination of the laptop, it appeared someone had cracked open the laptop case.
The microphone on this laptop is damaged. I need a smartphone.
He picked up the phone mounted on the wall next to the bed.
“How can I help you, Mr. Watson?” a man’s voice said.
“Send Rick up, I have a request.”
Rick will provide a smartphone without a SIM card to prevent me from calling someone. That’s fine because I just need the smartphone.
Moments later, a loud rapping noise brought Nigel out of his thoughts. He answered the door.
A woman a few years older than him greeted him. She was dressed completely in black and was several inches taller than Nigel. Her skintight black leather outfit displayed ample cleavage, which he found himself staring at like a young kid in a candy store.
“Can I help you with something?” the woman said in a thick Eastern European accent.
Nigel flushed. “Sorry—I was expecting someone else.”
This is the woman I saw exiting the elevator earlier.
“I was told you needed something. If that is false, I will leave.”
She’s direct and to the point, and . . . she looks annoyed. I better watch what I say.
“I need a smartphone,” he said.
The woman gave him a disapproving look but didn’t answer.
“I need it to enable the multifactor authentication I’ll need to download the hacker tools to the laptop,” he explained.
The woman left without another word.
