Anything But Ordinary

by Kody Thomas

  "That's great that you were able to get things turned around." Olivia said.

  "Yeah, I just wish Trevor didn't die trying to turn his life around. David and I helped him get into the drug guy’s office and get the files on that flash drive. I should have made him come here to figure it out but he was confident he could do it. Plus he wanted to be with you." she nodded at Olivia.

  Olivia didn’t have much time to think that over. David yelled from the other room, “Get in here everyone. The moment of truth has arrived.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  We all rushed to David’s side. He said he was finishing up and should have it in one minute. “Should we call the police now?” I asked.

  “Let’s wait to see exactly what is on there before we do that, just to make sure.” Charlie answered. We watched as the lock screen dissolved away. We all stood motionless as we stared at the computer screen. There were hundreds of files, all of them named with different people’s names.

  “Let’s take these bastards down.” Olivia said. She pulled out her phone and started to dial 9-1-1.

  David backed out of the file. Then a screen came up asking for a password. David typed the password again. Password declined.

  “Did you mistype it?” Charlie asked him.

  He typed it again with the same result. Then a timer came on the screen and started counting down from thirty seconds. Olivia hung up just as the 9-1-1 operator answered. “What the hell is going on?” She asked.

  There was panic in David’s voice, “I don’t know. It looks like it is trying to self destruct. I don’t know what to do. I won’t be able hack this in the ten seconds.”

  We watched helplessly as the time ran out. Nothing happened. “Wow, that was,” I stopped instantly as the files started to disappear one by one. David starting clicking furiously but nothing was happening.

  “Stop it!” Olivia yelled at David.

  “I’m trying. I don’t know what is going on.” David said.

  I watched blankly, knowing there was no hope. Charlie seemed to have the same thought because she just took a few steps back, sat on the edge of the bed and put her head in her hands. Olivia just kept shouting at David. I knew she knew there was no hope but was just in denial. Then they stopped arguing as the final file deleted away. Our lifeline, gone in a flash.

  “That was our last hope. We are finished.” Olivia said bleakly. “Trevor died trying to save me and gave me the key to saving myself and I still am going to let them get me.

  “I don’t know what happened. I’ve never seen this before. I am so sorry guys.” David said

  “They had to have had it setup that if the files were on another computer there was a second password to protect them from this situation. I bet you could have solved this one much easier than the first one. It wouldn’t need that much protection since you only get thirty seconds.” Charlie said.

  “David, could you figure out the password now even though the files are gone.” I asked.

  “I probably could. I think I could go in and find out what it was and how to get through it.” he said.

  “Figure it out.” I said determinedly. “Charlie, I know we have been a big burden but I need some more help.”

  “What is it?” She said, obviously still down.

  “I want you to help me go in like Trevor and get those files.” I said.

  “What? There is no way I’m going to let you go in there and risk your life. We have almost died the first time. Let’s just try and go to the police.” Olivia said.

  “There is no way that will work. We have no evidence. They won’t be able to bring any of those guys in and that will put our families in danger if they know we went to the police. We have got to put these guys away. We can do this. Charlie and David can help us. They have done it once before and we have already shown we are a good team. We can do this Olivia. You are going to have to be brave and be a part of this too.” I said, hoping I sounded inspirational. I definitely wasn’t as confident as I was trying to portray but it seemed to be working. Everyone seemed to be believing that we had a chance. And that is all we needed. A chance.

  Chapter Seventeen

  David worked on the computer while Charlie went through the logistics of our plan and what we needed to do to be successful. When they went the first time, it was at night when everything was shut down. I brought up the point that they will probably have more security now. We talked over what we could do to get around the security guards. We didn’t really have much of an idea until Olivia said, “We don’t go in at night. We go in while people are there. I will cause a distraction and then Jake goes into the office and gets the computer online for you and David.”

  “I can’t let you go in their Olivia, they know you.” I said.

  “They don’t all know me, plus I can make it hard to recognize me. There is no other way for this to work. I got you into this mess. I am going to help you get us out.” Olivia said.

  “I don’t like it." I said.

  “It doesn’t matter if you don’t like, Jake. Olivia is right. This is going to be the only way we are going to be able to do this. I want to get these guys. This is how is it going to go down.” and then Charlie went into her plan. “We will use some communication devices so we can stay in touch. We will take David’s van so he can set up from there and get ready to intercept the files. I will walk you guys through the building. We were able to get blueprints last time. We can also get into their system and turn off the security alarms so Jake can get in the office and unlock the computer. All we need is a distraction to get the kingpin, Ivan, away from his office.”

  “He always goes outside around 10:30 to make a deal. How about as soon as he goes out, I pull the fire alarm. He will obviously head to the office once he realizes what’s going on but with all the chaos, Jake should have enough time to get in and out of there.” Olivia said.

  “That should work.” Charlie said. She headed to her room and came back with something in her hand. “Here you go, you will need these.”

  “I’m guessing this is a taser.” I said hesitantly.

  “Yeah, you will need that. I can guarantee there will be a guard at the office. A gun would be too loud. This should keep him out long enough for you to take care of business.” Charlie said. I was happy a gun would be too loud. I had never thought about shooting a gun.

  “Is this the key to the office?” I said very confused.

  “No that is a skeleton key. Should open any lock. I told you I was a troublemaker as a kid. That is one of my favorite tools. Can be very handy.” Charlie said with a smile.

  After we finished ironing out the details, Charlie went and checked on David. Olivia and I sat at the kitchen table. Charlie had made a frozen pizza for us all to snack on but neither Olivia or I had much of an appetite. I nibbled some but my nerves were getting the best of me this time.

  “Do you think we can pull this off?” Olivia asked me while playing with her food.

  “I really do. I trust you with my life. You will be awesome and I care about you too much not to get the job done in there. I am just glad we have these two to help us because I know nothing about computers.” I answered.

  “Yeah,” Olivia said, “Charlie seems confident that she can knock out those alarms. That will give us a fighting chance.

  “We got this Olivia.” I took her hand and looked her in the eye. “We will walk out of there together and take these bastards down. They have ruined enough lives. Trevor may have lost his life, but think of all the people just like him that he will have helped get their lives back.”

  She squeezed my hand and we just sat quietly holding hands for a few moments until Charlie and David came out of his room. “David did it. He has the password for the the second lock screen. And he will bring his own program to copy the files right away onto his computer so no other security measures will kick in.” Charlie explained.

  “Thank you David. You rock my man.” I said shaking his hand.

&nbs
p; “I do what I can. But I wouldn’t thank me until after we get you out of that place in one whole piece.” David said not helping me feel better about the situation.  Ivan's headquarters was a bar close to downtown St. Louis. Olivia had been there only the one time with Trevor so she didn't know the place very well. She brought her laptop, pulled up the blueprints, and we came up with a point of attack. In the back of the bar there was an unmarked door that led to the back hallway where Ivan's office was. From what Trevor had told Charlie, there would be a guard at this door and a guard at the office door.

  "We will have to make a distraction to get past the first guard. We can't let him suspect anything is wrong." I said.

  "Well, maybe I can keep his attention long enough for you to sneak past." Olivia offered.

  "No. You will need to be able to follow Ivan into the alley so you know when to set off the alarm. I will go in with Jake and be the distraction." Charlie said.

  "Come on Charlie. Don't be stupid. They don't even know who you are. You are putting your life at risk for no reason. Don't do it." David pleaded.

  "He's right. This is our battle. Not yours." Olivia said.

  "I guess everyone is forgetting Trevor was my brother. I want to take these guys down more than anyone. I'm doing this." Charlie said with finality. I appreciated her dedication but was pretty sure I wanted to take these guys down just as much as her. I did value my life.

  "Okay. Well you will get to enjoy taking Ivan down from the inside." I said smiling at her. We decided we would get there around ten to get setup. It was 9 now so we had thirty minutes before we needed to leave.

  David and Charlie went to David's room to get his laptop and other equipment he needed. Olivia and I stayed in the kitchen. We studied the blueprints together to try and memorize any escape routes we might need.

  "Olivia." I said and she looked at me. " I should have told you this a long time ago. I don't know why it's taken me three years to finally say this but I,"

  I was stopped as she put her finger to my lips. "Not now. Give me something to look forward to when we get out of there." she said.

  "Okay." I said putting my head back into the blueprints.

  "But Jake," I looked up. "I feel the exact same way."

  My head raced a little bit with those words. The moment ended abruptly when David asked for me to come help him move some equipment to his van.

  I carried some equipment out to his van. It was an ordinary red van, except for the inside. there were two seats built into the wall. There was also a table built into the wall. He definitely seemed like a world class hacker. He grabbed the equipment out of my hands and said we would be ready to go in five minutes, once he gets everything in place.

  I went inside and let the ladies know we were ready to go. Charlie grabbed the taser and skeleton key while Olivia grabbed the blueprints. I carried out the bag of clothing and makeup. Charlie had a wig that Olivia would wear to help disguise herself and would wear some makeup to disguise her face.

  We all got into the van. I sat in the back with David. Charlie drove while Olivia rode shotgun. It was a very quiet and tense drive. Everyone just thought about what they had to do so that the four of us left alive. I wasn't very comfortable in the back but I barely noticed as I completely focused on the task at hand. We arrived around 10. Charlie parked on the side of a road fairly close to the bar. Closer than I would have liked, but we had to be close enough that David could hack their Internet connection.

  Once I got into Ivan's office, I would unlock the computer which would allow David to access the files. At least that was his hope.

  "How's it going big boy?" Charlie asked, turning towards the back to look at him.

  "Almost there. Olivia, you should start getting ready." he said.

  Olivia put on the black wig. In a dark area like the bar, it should do the trick. She then used plenty of black makeup to capture a Gothic look. I definitely preferred the real Olivia. She put a clip on nose ring and asked, “How do I look?”

  “Not my favorite look, but should do the trick tonight.” I said.

  “I’m set to go everyone. Let’s rock and roll.” David said comfortably from his chair in the van.

  “Alright everyone put these in your ears. They are our way of communicating with each other.” Charlie said. We tested them out and everyone was able to hear each other. “Are you sure you don’t want to come inside? It’s going to be a lot of fun.” Charlie said sarcastically to David.

  “I have a good view from right here. You kids have fun though.” David said.

  “I always do.” Charlie said with a smirk. “Let’s do this thing you two.”

  “I’m ready.” Olivia said pulling at her wig one last time.

  “Same here. I am already picturing sitting in a courtroom watching these dudes get sentenced.” I said adjusting the Cardinals hat I was wearing to try and conceal my face.

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We need to do everything perfect and a lot of luck.” Charlie said. “Alright Olivia you head in. We will follow in a few minutes. Remember to pull at 10:30 exactly. Is everyone at 10:17 right now?” We all nodded. “Good luck Olivia.”

  “Thanks. See you all on the other side.” Olivia said as she got out of the van and headed towards the bar. She walked right in and everything seemed to be going according to plan. At 10:22, Charlie and I got out and walked inside together. It was Saturday night and you could tell by the bar. It was packed. It seemed like it was almost wall to wall with people.There was a band in the back playing some rock music. It was a group of four guys and one girl, the girl being the vocalist. They were playing loud and you barely hear anything else. The bar area was set off to the left. There were tables and restrooms off to the right. There was a dance floor in the middle that was jam packed. And the only thing I cared about, the door that led to back room along back left wall.

  A night like tonight is the perfect cover for them to do business. It is so loud and crazy no one would notice anything suspicious going on. Charlie and I headed towards the back where the doorway to the backroom was. We were right that there would be a guard. He was trying not to look like a guard. But every time someone came near the door, he moved towards it and always stayed around it.

  “Okay, we have to get going. How are you going to distract him. I asked.

  “I haven’t actually figured that part out yet. Just be ready for when I do.” she said. That answer should have made me panic, but something about this girl made me realize she didn’t accept failure. It was 10:27 though and we had to move.

  “Are you guys in?” Olivia asked through the earpiece.

  “We are about to be.” Charlie answered. She made her way towards the guard. She had a devilish smile on her face. She walked straight up to him and he tried to stop her. There was going to be no stopping her. She got close to him and started to whisper in his ear. He was starting to smile when all of a sudden his face turned to shock and agony. Her knee was just leaving his privates as she had kneed him as hard as I could ever imagine. She continued to hug him so no one knew what was going on. She brought her right hand down and motioned me to go ahead. I slowly worked my way to the door and tried to casually to get in without anyone noticing that I was going back there. I looked at my watch and saw it was 10:29.

  “Is Ivan in place?” I asked Olivia.

  “No. Trevor said he is always here at this time. I don’t know where he is. I think we should abandon the plan. We don’t know where he is?” She said starting to panic.

  “No. We go on with the plan. Let’s give him another minute and then you just pull the alarm no matter what.” Charlie said. “We’ve come too far to give up.”

  “I agree with Charlie.” I whispered having to be quiet with the guard about 50 feet away from me. “I’m in position. Once you pull it, I will take this guard down and we will be in business. “You ready David?”

  “I’m ready. Just get that computer unlocked and I will hack the damn thing.” David rep
lied.

  “Alright. Fifteen seconds and then I’m going to pull. He still isn’t here. Be careful you two. He could be anywhere.” Olivia said.

  “He better hope he isn’t around here because if I see him, he will pay for my brother’s death.” Charlie said angrily.

  “Five, four, three, two, one. Showtime.” Olivia said. Then the fire alarms starting ringing everywhere. The guard by Ivan’s office door started to look around. I had to act fast while he was distracted. He started walking toward the other end of the hall. I ran after him knowing I didn’t have to be quiet because of the fire alarm. I got about five feet away and shot him with the taser. He went down with a loud thud and continued to twitch. I did not hang around long knowing I didn’t have much time. I pulled out the skeleton key, put it in and after some maneuvering heard the door click. I was in.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I walked into the office and stopped momentarily to take it in. The desk was straight ahead and looked to be made of red mahogany. The walls were covered with pictures of Russia. Guess Ivan missed home. There was a bookshelf to the left that had hundreds of books and I could tell most of them were Russian. I raced over to the desk and sat down. The computer was in standby mode thankfully because I don’t think I would have had time to turn it on. The fire alarm continued to blare and I heard some noises outside as there were a lot of people moving trying to get out of the building. “David I’m at the computer.” There was a muffle in our ears. “What was that?”

  “I don’t know but let’s get this going. You ready for the password?” David asked.

  “Yeah, give it to me.” He read the long and complicated password slowly. He finished with @ - 7. I was just about to type in the 7 when I heard the last thing in the world I wanted to hear, a Russian.