Code Flicker

by Marlin Seigman

  “Yes, sir,” Johnson said.

  Evgeny gave a nod.

  “First, let us discuss the weapons transferred during the hijacking,” Mr. Craig said, turning to Evgeny. “Did your client find them suitable?”

  “Yes, they were pleased,” Evgeny said.

  Mr. Craig turned to Johnson. “I would like you to maintain a thorough surveillance of them. It does make me slightly nervous that the LTL would want so much firepower. They have become more radicalized in recent years, and the last thing we need is Luddite terrorists creating too much havoc. A small amount is good for business, but too much gets the public in a panic.”

  “Yes, sir. My sources indicate that they are planning something large scale, but I believe we will be able to steer them in the right direction,” Johnson said.

  “Excellent. We need to make sure they hit our competitors and not us.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “Now, about the other items in the hijacking.”

  Evgeny shifted in his seat.

  Mr. Craig continued. “There is still the issue of the items Mr. Li diverted in route back to us. The agreement was that the SRS would be given five percent of the technology for distribution as payment for the hijacking, as well as a percentage of the income from selling the code at street level. We have held up our end of the bargain, and by diverting those goods, the SRS has not.” He set his drink on the desk and stared at Evgeny.

  Evgeny waited, seemingly unsure if Mr. Craig was finished. Johnson did not trust the Russian, and he found mild pleasure in seeing him squirm.

  Finally, Evgeny said, “Yes, as you have said, Mr. Li diverted the goods. We are still tracking them down. I have discovered that Mr. Li was more loyal to his Triad than to the SRS. He had been diverting credits and resources from the SRS for some time.”

  “Perhaps I should have Johnson look into it for you. As I have said, he is quite good at what he does,” Mr. Craig offered.

  Johnson enjoyed that.

  “I believe we are close,” Evgeny said.

  Mr. Craig nodded. “You can see my concern. There is the possibility Mr. Li had already gotten the items out of the country before his demise. That would not do.”

  “No,” Evgeny said in agreement.

  “Mr. Tal, what you must understand is this, you are allowed to operate in this city, in this country, because of us. If we wanted to shut you down, we could do so in a very short time. We allow you to survive because it benefits us. If your continued existence no longer benefits us or hinders us, you will no longer continue to exist. Mr. Li discovered that. Do you think the mishap on the parking garage was just a case of a trigger happy goon? It is no accident that Mr. Li was a fatality. We have had men in your organization for some time. It was unfortunate others were hurt in that incident, but a point had to be made.”

  Mr. Craig paused, allowing Evgeny the time to absorb this new information. Johnson took a drink, keeping an eye on the Russian. He looked a shade paler than he had a moment before.

  “That being said, I look forward to your report on the missing technology,” Mr. Craig continued. “You can give your glass to the secretary on the way out.”

  Evgeny stood, making sure to take his glass. “Yes, sir,” he said and turned to go.

  With Evgeny out of the room, Mr. Craig said, “About our other project.”

  “Yes, sir. I met with Mr. Quince yesterday, and he and his team are generating a new plan.”

  “And our timetable?”

  “Everything is still within the parameters.”

  “Excellent. I look forward to hearing more.”

  Johnson pushed his chair back to go.

  “One more thing, Johnson.”

  “Sir?”

  “I would like an honest assessment. Do you think we can trust the Russian?”

  “For a time.”

  “You will be sure to inform me when his time is up?”

  “Of course, sir.”

  Chapter 40

  Jacob knew there was little chance Slade would help them. He didn’t want to help when Gomez was alive, and Jacob doubted he had a change of heart after Gomez’s death, but he had to try. Having a man in security on the inside increased the chances of any plan working, so he hacked Gomez’s phone to get Slade’s contact information. Slade surprised him and agreed to meet without much of an argument.

  Kat insisted she come along. She thought she might be able to pull some weight with Slade since they were in Berlin together. Maybe she could give him a “do it for Gomez” line. Jacob agreed. Besides, he got the feeling Slade didn’t like him when they met before, and Kat’s presence might act as a buffer for that dislike.

  Slade wanted to meet in a place more public than DeSoto’s during off-hours, so they met at Commie Cup. Jacob was fine with that. A public meeting would keep everything civil, and Commie Cup was secure from surveillance.

  Slade was waiting for them when they got there. The scowl that came across his face when they walked in said all that Jacob needed to know. He almost told Kat to forget about it, but before he could get the words out, she sat down next to Slade.

  “It’s been a while,” she said.

  “It has. I’m sorry to hear about Gomez. He was a good man and a damn good soldier. I always knew he had my back.”

  “He was, and he did,” Kat said.

  “So,” Slade said, “why did you want to talk to me?”

  “We wanted to know if you were still in with us on the job we talked about,” Jacob said.

  Slade shook his head. “I was doing that as a favor to Gomez. I owed him. I don’t owe you. Either one of you. I know you were in Berlin Kat, but let’s face it, we were never tight, and you weren’t in the field with us. I do appreciate the move of you coming here. I guess I would have tried the same thing.”

  “Then why did you come if you have no intention of helping?” Kat asked.

  This question caught him off guard. He started to answer, stopped, then said, “I’m not sure. I guess part of me wants to know what happened to Gomez. What kind of shit are you into that got him killed?”

  “I don’t see a point to tell you anything if you aren’t still in. It just wouldn’t be a smart move,” Jacob said.

  Slade looked Jacob up and down. “I guess you’re not as stupid as you look,” he said.

  “We’re done here, Kat. This is a waste of time,” Jacob said, gesturing in Slade’s direction.

  “Hold on,” Kat said, putting her hand on Jacob’s shoulder. “Look, Slade, I know we don’t mean shit to you. I get it. Gomez saved your ass more than once, and you were going to be a part of this as a favor to him. You still can. I know he’s dead, but you can help us to honor his memory. You can do that.”

  Slade looked out the window. Kat and Jacob said nothing. Finally, he turned back to them and said, “I can’t. I have too much to lose. And now that I know Gomez got killed working on whatever you’ve got going, I know there’s no way in hell I want to get mixed up in it. Not when I’ve got a kid to take care of. If anyone other than Gomez had asked me in the first place, I would have told them to go fuck themselves. I’m going to be nice and not tell you to go fuck yourselves, but I’m sure you get the point.”

  “Yeah, we get the point,” Jacob said. He stood and started for the door. “Come on Kat, we’ve got things to get done.”

  “It was good to see you again. Take care of that kid,” Kat said.

  Chapter 41

  “I guess I don’t blame him,” Jacob said.

  “No, I don’t either,” Kat said.

  For the first time since the East Texas fires started, the sky was clear. The dispute between the two CEOs had finally ended, and the companies banded together to employ fire suppression and smoke dispersion nanotech. Shortly afterward, the companies ran a huge PR campaign praising the firefighting efforts of the joint venture, painting them as the saviors of the Piney Woods of East Texas. The public loved the campaign and seemed to forget how the fires started in t
he first place, and the stock of both companies went through the roof. Jacob didn’t care, either way, he was just glad to see the sun again and to have a reason other than facial recognition surveillance to wear his sunglasses.

  “Have you noticed anyone tailing you lately?” Kat asked.

  Jacob shook his head. “None. As soon as I told Johnson we were still doing the job, the tails disappeared. Maybe they just wanted to send a message.”

  “Maybe Slade was right. This is some deep shit we’ve walked into. If it is NirvanaWare we’re working for, this job could be seen as an act of corporate war.”

  “Corporate espionage, at least.”

  “Which could lead to war. How long has it been since the last one? Ten, fifteen years?”

  “Something like that.”

  “If we screw up, we could start another one.”

  Jacob hadn’t thought about that. If it was NirvanaWare behind Johnson, and Jacob felt sure about that, and they got caught, Your Better Life would go to war. A war between two of the largest corporations in the world would have far-reaching repercussions. The last corporate war caused a global recession, and that was a fight over dominance in the sportswear industry. Two large pharma-tech companies with investments across all market sectors facing off could start a global economic meltdown.

  “We won’t screw up,” Jacob said.

  “We need a solid plan first. It seems like we keep getting bugs. If I was superstitious, I’d be worried.”

  “I think we have a solid plan and a solid team. We just have to time it right. Now we don’t have to worry about Slade being on duty, only Xia, so him bailing on us makes it simpler, in a way.”

  Kat laughed. “When did you become so damn optimistic?”

  “I finally watched both National Treasure movies.”

  Kat acted stunned. “You did?”

  “Yeah. Sandy’s been after me to watch them forever. So we did a few days ago. I don’t know why I never watched them before. You know, everything works out. Isn’t that why you guys have the Twelve Stations in every church? Those movies are the most uplifting, optimistic films ever made.”

  “Well, I think so. I also get the feeling you’re bullshitting me.”

  Chapter 42

  Over the next few days, Jacob fleshed out details of the plan and ran them by the others. Time was running out because Xia’s research team would be conducting the Q-Chip tests on the following Wednesday. Each element of the plan looked to be in place, except one. Two-Step still hadn’t fully tested the modified flippers. In theory, they would slow down the quantum processor running the closed network at Your Better Life. That was the theory. Two-Step tested one on a standard computer, his program forcing the computer to send data through the phone. It worked, and the speed of the computer slowed to a crawl, but the speed of a quantum processor may be able to compensate, or even overload the phone. They just didn’t know.

  “If we don’t slow down that closed network, I may not be able to crack it in time. I just don’t want to go in hoping it’ll work and it doesn’t,” Jacob said for what felt like the tenth time that day.

  “Well, we don’t have a computer to test it on. Are you sure you won’t be able to get past it without slowing it down?”

  “I just don’t know, I’ve never gone up against something that fast by myself. I’m sure I could, but I have no idea how long it would take.”

  “Without slowing it down, it might be impossible in the amount of time we’ll have. Or you’ll have. I’ll be doing something else,” Two-Step said.

  Jacob rubbed the back of his neck and stretched. “Are you still up for it? You’re going to be the one taking the chip out of the building.”

  Two-Step nodded. “I can do it. I understand why Gomez didn’t want me to be a part of this. I know it’s dangerous, but it feels good to have people who, well, who appreciate what I can do.”

  “Gomez appreciated your abilities. He just wanted to keep you safe,” Jacob said.

  “I know. And I know he appreciated my work. He gave me free rein to experiment on almost anything. I would’ve never come up with that idea for the flippers if he hadn’t trusted me enough to let me have fun with all of this stuff.” He gestured at the piles of electronics littered around the room. “I just hope I get to keep playing around with this stuff. I mean, we don’t know what’s going to happen to the store.”

  “We will soon. Let’s not worry about that right now, we have more pressing issues,” Jacob said.

  “Anyone back there?” Xia's voice came from the front of the store.

  “Yeah, come on back,” Jacob called.

  Xia came in, looking tired. She took her backpack off and plopped down in a chair.

  “God, what a day,” she said. “They’re changing the Q-Chip test schedule, and my team is getting pounded with data and code rewrites.”

  “Changing the schedule?” Jacob asked. He didn’t like the sound of that. He felt Wednesday was too soon, any time before that would put more pressure on the team.

  “Don’t worry, we still have the tests on Wednesday, but they’ve made some changes. All of the test subjects will have to report on Tuesday morning and stay until Thursday morning. They’ve decided a full twenty-four hours of observation before and after implanting the new chips is necessary.”

  “So, I’m going to have to spend the night?” Two-Step asked.

  “You are. And I am. I’m part of the observation team, so I have to be there.”

  Jacob let out a forced sigh. “That puts another wrinkle in our plans.”

  “I know. We just have to get some things done sooner,” Xia said.

  “So where are they going to make me sleep? Like a hospital bed or something?” Two-Step asked.

  Xia gave him a questioning look.

  “What?” he said. “I don’t like hospitals.”

  “I think it’s more like a barracks with several beds. At least the room the test takes place is. There are some other rooms, but I’m not sure if you will get to spend the night in them,” Xia said.

  “Besides, have you ever been to a hospital? I thought you were born at home,” Jacob said.

  Two-Step looked hurt. “I can still not like hospitals. Maybe even more since I haven’t been in one.”

  “Whatever. Xia, is this going to interfere in getting the chip out?”

  “I don’t think so. It should still work. The plan to get him out doesn’t change.”

  Behind them, the bank of security monitors cycled through images of The Galleria. Images of the second level came on the screens, and something, or someone, caught Jacob’s eye.

  “What the hell are they doing here?” he said, going to the security monitors.

  Xia and Two-Step turned their attention to the monitors. Jacob tapped at the controls and froze the image in the lower corner.

  “That’s Yuri and Chen,” he said, pointing to the pair. Both of the men were dressed much like they had been every other time Jacob had seen them, but now they each had a backpack. He unfroze the image. They were out of the camera’s range. He worked the controls of the system, trying to find the SRS men again.

  “You think they are here for us?” Xia asked.

  “Who are Yuri and Chen?” Two-Step asked.

  “SRS,” Xia said.

  Two-Step stiffened.

  Jacob found them again. “They’re walking away from us, but where are they going?”

  “That’s in the direction of the old Saks,” Two-Step said.

  “The Saks? The Steamers? What would they want with them?”

  “Maybe they’re doing business with them,” Xia said.

  Two-Step shook his head. “I don’t know. Steamers don’t usually mess with people like the SRS. But maybe.”

  Jacob continued to work the controls, following Yuri and Chen making their way to the old Saks Fifth Avenue. “Two-Step, find the cameras in front of Saks. See if anyone is waiting for them.”

  Two-Step moved to one end of the control pane
l and began searching. “We really need to make a list of all of the cameras. It would make stuff like this a lot easier.”

  “I’ll put that on the list of things to do,” Jacob said.

  “Here,” Two-Step said. He pointed to the image of a Steamer standing outside the second-floor entrance to Saks. He paced and occasionally glanced down the hall.

  “That has to be who their meeting,” Jacob said. He glanced at Yuri and Chen as they walked across a screen. “They’re close,” he said.

  The Steamer stopped pacing and leaned against the wall, trying to look relaxed. Yuri and Chen walked up to him. Yuri shook the Steamer’s cybernetic hand, and the three of them began a conversation.

  “I wish we could hear them. I want to know what they are talking about,” Two-Step said.

  “I don’t need to hear them to know what they’re talking about. He’s going to push code for them,” Jacob said.

  “How do you know?” Xia asked.

  Jacob looked at her, his expression saying, “Really, you have to ask?”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she said.

  After a short conversation, Yuri and Chen handed their backpacks to the Steamer. He put one over each shoulder and nodded. Yuri and Chen turned and walked away. The Steamer stood for a few moments more, then went into Saks.

  “Are you going to follow them back this way?” Two-Step asked.

  “No, I’m sure they’re leaving the building, and we have other things to worry about,” Jacob said.