by D. B. Goodin
“No, we couldn’t get in touch, but we left a message.”
Damn it. This complicates matters, Natasha thought.
“Ellen and Rick are not on the best of terms,” Natasha said.
Dr. Rogers nodded.
“Since Mrs. Watson isn’t responding, I need you to allow another, more specialized examination.”
“You have my authorization,” Natasha said.
As Dr. Rogers walked away, Natasha turned around in time to see Nigel go back into the room.
Rick Watson made it to the plane just before the forward door closed.
“You must be Mr. Watson. We’ve been waiting for you,” a flight attendant said.
Mr. Tage had booked Rick a first-class ticket, but someone was already in seat 4F.
“There must be a mistake. This is my seat,” Rick said to the passenger.
“I’m going to have to ask you to take your seat, sir,” another flight attendant said.
“Yes, this is my seat. This numbskull is in it,” Rick said, pointing at 4F.
The flight attendant looked at Rick’s ticket.
“This is a full-fare first-class ticket, sir. It means that if you are late, we have the option to reseat you. Follow me,” the flight attendant said.
He followed the flight attendant to the last row of the aircraft.
“Here’s a spot right here.”
The flight attendant pointed to an empty middle seat just in front of the back lavatory.
You’ve got to be kidding me!
“Now take your seat if you still want to fly today.”
Rick begrudgingly took the seat. About ten minutes into the flight, the captain had some announcements.
“Welcome to Trans Eastern Airways. It will be approximately two hours and forty-two minutes to EIA. There is a lot of chop, so I’m going to ask you to remain seated for most of this journey.”
The captain was right; it was a bumpy ride. No one came to offer Rick any drinks, food, or anything else. “I could use a drink,” he said to no one in particular.
“You and me both, brother. I brought my own supply,” said the large, older man seated next to him. He pulled out two small bottles of whiskey from his carry-on bag.
“You smuggled booze onto an airplane?”
“I have my ways. Sorry, no soda to mix it with. Bottoms up,” the man said as he downed the whiskey in one gulp. He passed the other bottle to Rick.
“Hello, everyone. This is your captain speaking. We need to divert due to a systems outage at EIA. We will be landing at Newport Regional instead.”
“That’s a three-hour drive from Newport—probably more in this mess,” Rick protested.
“Are you going to drink that?” the old man asked.
Rick shook his head, and then handed the small bottle back. The man consumed the whiskey faster than Rick thought was possible. The old man placed the small bottle in the seat back pocket in front of him, and then belched loudly.
Worst flight ever!
Natasha followed Nigel into Ellen’s room. He was back on his computer. Natasha didn’t want to keep the news about Ellen from him any longer than necessary. She decided it was best to get it all out at once. She hated keeping things from people she liked.
“We need to talk,” Natasha said.
Nigel looked up from his computer. He looked fatigued.
“I heard what the doctor said,” Nigel said.
Nigel’s robotic voice sounded different—almost apathetic. Natasha didn’t like what she was seeing. This was not the Nigel she knew.
“The doctor wants to run some additional tests, that’s all.”
“Is my mother brain-dead?” Nigel asked.
Natasha’s heart sank. She wasn’t expecting such a direct and frank question.
“No, there was brain wave activity from the test.”
Nigel didn’t look convinced. Natasha gave Nigel a hug, which he returned. The moment was broken when a loud rapping sound came from the door. Ralphie shot up, rubbed his eyes, and looked in the sound’s direction. They all did.
“Dad?” Ralphie said.
“I’m here to take you home.” It was Rick.
Natasha got up and walked over to Rick. During her background checks, she’d come across his file. He was a real piece of work. Leaving Ellen with two children, and behind on child support and alimony payments.
“What do you mean, ‘take them home?’” Natasha said.
“Ellen is in a coma. I’m the only blood relative these boys have,” Rick said.
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Nigel said.
Ralphie looked frightened, and his lower lip quivered. He looked like he was about to cry.
“You’re not taking these boys anywhere,” Natasha said.
“Or what? Shall I bring that nurse or Dr. Rogers into this conversation? Or what about the police?”
Natasha said nothing.
“Ellen and I were married for almost thirteen years, and she never even mentioned having a sister. Must have missed you at the wedding,” Rick said in a venomous tone.
Natasha’s eye’s widened, and she tensed for a moment, took a deep breath, stepped closer to Rick, and then whispered. “You’d better play along if you don’t want your brain matter splattered on this hospital wall. Who knows? It might cheer everyone up. I know I will be happier with one less scumbag to deal with!”
Rick shoved Natasha. She stumbled and tried regaining her balance.
“I know who you are!” Rick said.
Natasha felt the muscles in her neck tighten. She was ready. She wanted to take him out, but forced herself to take a long, deep breath.
“The boys could use some sleep, food, and rest. Take them home, and then I will check on them this afternoon,” Natasha said.
“You don’t understand. I’m taking them to my home in Florida.”
“How are you going to do that? Major highways are still closed, the airport has shut down, and the boys are a part of an active FBI investigation.”
Rick looked confused.
“Nigel reported a major hacking incident to the authorities—Agent Appleton from the FBI is investigating,” Natasha said.
As if on cue, Agent Appleton walked in with a bag of food and two coffees.
“Isn’t that right, Agent Appleton?” Natasha asked.
“Yes—Nigel is helping with an active investigation involving known hacker groups that we believe are attacking major infrastructure,” John said.
Rick looked unconvinced.
“Why do you want to take them away from their mother when she is fighting for her life?” John said.
“Wait, she’s—”
“In a coma.” Natasha interrupted Rick’s lame protest.
“I will let you take them home, but I expect you to stay in town—at least until the investigation is over. Also, you should see what your wife’s prognosis is, don’t you think?” John said.
“You say that you’re from the FBI, but have shown no proof. I demand to see some identification,” Rick demanded.
Oh shit! I hope John has something up his sleeve, Natasha thought.
John didn’t seem fazed by Rick’s challenge. He rummaged through his coat pocket, and then opened a leather folding wallet that contained official identification of the FBI. Natasha noticed that John had a well-placed finger on the expiration date.
Clever!
“Satisfied?” John said.
“Get your things. We’re getting out of here,” Rick said to the boys.
Ralphie started putting items in his backpack.
“I’m not going anywhere with you, Rick!” Nigel said in a hostile tone.
“Now, you’d better get your damn things. You’re coming with me!” Rick said.
“No, I’m not!” Nigel said, his voice modulator seeming to change. It sounded more like a robot than Nigel.
Rick walked over and grabbed Nigel by the collar. Nigel slapped his hand out of the way and raised his fist.
“I’m not going without Nige,” Ralphie said.
“Fine!” Rick said as he left.
A few minutes later, he came back with Dr. Rogers.
“These people are intruders, and my wife doesn’t have a sister,” Rick demanded.
Natasha had to think fast.
“You are a disgrace to my family. No wonder mother doesn’t acknowledge you,” Natasha said.
Dr. Rogers looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in the room. “You people have some family issues to deal with—”
“We will come to a resolution on our own, doctor. Sorry to have wasted your time. My brother-in-law only wants the best for his wife,” Natasha said as she winked to Rick.
That seemed to satisfy Dr. Rogers. He left without saying another word.
“What if we come to a compromise, Rick?” Natasha said.
“I’m listening!” Rick hissed back.
“Take Ralphie, and Nigel will stay with us for the time being. He doesn’t want to go with you, anyway.
Rick was silent for a long time.
“I don’t want to leave Nige,” Ralphie pleaded.
Nigel sat down and put an arm around his little brother.
“I want to go with Dad, but I’m worried, Nige . . .”
“What are you worried about?” Nigel asked.
“That I won’t see you again.”
Natasha put an arm around Ralphie.
“I will not let anything happen to your brother,” Natasha said.
“You promise?”
“Promise and hope to die!” Natasha said as she gave Ralphie a smile.
Rick led Ralphie out of the room.
It pained Nigel to watch Ralphie leave with Rick. His teeth ached. He realized that he was clenching his jaw.
“I hate that man!” Nigel spat.
“I have some news about the Taker,” John said, looking up from his phone.
“Is the FBI looking for him?” Nigel asked.
“After you provided the video footage, I sent it to a friend of mine in the FBI. He could gather additional evidence that the Taker was involved. The Smith family filed a missing person’s report on Josephine. We could verify your findings on the cameras at the coffee shop and the dock. Based on this evidence, my contact could generate a yellow notice from Interpol,” John explained.
“What’s a yellow notice?”
“It’s a global police report for a missing person. Since Interpol is an international organization, yellow notices gain a much higher visibility at an international level. So if they spot Josephine in a member country, the police will arrest anyone with her,” John said.
“Well, that’s something, but I will not stop looking for Jet,” Nigel said.
“There is something else going on. I know nothing about networks, but this seems like misdirection to me,” Natasha said.
“Based on Nigel and Jet’s network analysis, we could find a lead on a hacker. We believe he is one of the suspected network attackers,” John said.
“There’s more than one attacker?” Natasha asked.
“Based on preliminary evidence, there’s at least one more.”
“And . . . this is the part where you tell us who it is,” Natasha said.
“As you know, I was a member of the bureau’s high-tech crimes unit. People like the Taker often work with others to get the information they need. We knew he was working with someone, but we didn’t know who until now.”
“Who?” Nigel asked.
“We found an unencrypted mailbox on a cloud server. It only took a short while to find his accomplice. His name is Elmer Stephens; his Dark Web call sign is the ‘Photoist.’”
“I assume you will arrest this guy,” Nigel said.
“I was getting to that. We questioned Elmer and provided on basic identity information on the ‘Taker,’ but we already had this information,” John said.
Nigel put his hands over his face. He was so tired!
Chapter 10
April’s weakened state made even the simplest of tasks difficult. She enjoyed entering the virtual world of the Colossal Machine from her bedroom. With the help of her nurse, April put on her virtual reality goggles. She took pleasure in online VR activities, since her body was failing—but she tried not to think about it. Grandfather checked in on her almost every day, but he had a job to complete and wasn’t always available. Her mother was never present, and when she was, she seemed to scrutinize everything about April. It felt like her mother was examining her like a scientist would examine a rat in a cage.
At least I have my avatar in the Colossal Machine, April thought.
April logged into the game and entered the realm of the Colossal Machine. She was sitting in a chair in her anteroom. Each player had the power to decorate the interior of the microcosm to match whatever they wanted. April had fashioned her microcosm after her grandfather’s study, which she knew well.
She looked around her microcosm, scanning the room for changes. Although microcosms were supposed to be private areas, she was curious about how it all worked, so she researched the Colossal Machine whenever she could. April listened to podcasts and watched online videos during her many dialysis sessions. She was always learning.
She remembered that, in one podcast, someone had been talking about microcosm invasions. The developers had tried protecting players against such things, although it was not only an invasion into someone’s virtual space—it was a private area. Something was off inside April’s microcosm. Everything in the room seemed to be in its rightful place, but yet something felt wrong.
April examined everything in the room at least a few times. I must just be tired, April thought. She decided to leave the anteroom this time. She got up from the virtual chair and reached the door when she spotted something strange; it was subtle, but noticeable.
Is that a tear in the side of the microcosm? April noticed the edge of a picture frame containing a photo of her grandfather and her at the zoo. It was near the wall so she almost missed it from her seated position. The tear was glowing brighter on the right side than any other; if April moved, the effect would disappear. It was only visible when she was near the door. Maybe a spell would work to repair the microcosm? She opened her spell book. There were several blank pages for spells she hadn’t learned yet, but she had mastered all the lower-level spells. Her goal one day was to become a Magi, the most powerful magic user in the game.
Because the edge of the picture frame is bright, I wonder what would happen if I use a darkening spell on the frame, April wondered.
“Un-Dak-Por-Bet,” April said as she raised her arms to command the magic of the elements. Since this was a lower-level spell, it wouldn’t call attention to the Dark Denizens, and it didn’t need any reagents. She channeled the power of the darkness into the frame. The spell should have obfuscated the object she was casting on; instead, the room darkened. She had used darken spells a lot when she was new to the game . . . and this was a new development. The picture frame got brighter. Green light shone out of the tear and seemed to widen. April tried to use a “close fissure” spell. She said, “Un-Cras-Por-Cad.” However, instead of closing, the fissures ripped apart not only the picture frame, but the part of the wall, as well.
April noticed something moving in the ripped-open part. When she moved closer to get a better look, she screamed in horror. It was an eyeball—not one, but several, all clustered together and peering in. She backed away from the picture frame. The eyeballs separated. She could see a pair of hands peeling back the fissure, opening it, and then she could see a soft red glow in the darkness between the eyeballs. She tried to leave the anteroom of the microcosm, but the door wouldn’t open.
April tried pulling—hard. The doorknob came off in her hands. She could see a hole where the knob had been. She tried reattaching the knob, but black sludge poured out from the hole and started forming into something on
the floor. A few minutes later, she could see eyes in the black goo, and then a mouth with fangs!
Something is definitely wrong! The black goo stretched out, trying to reach her. She recoiled. She heard a sucking sound as she backed away. The black goo raced after her with lightning speed and grabbed at one of her hands, holding it tight. Her health meter was suddenly reduced by over 90 percent. She screamed as more black goo reached out for her remaining free hand. The goo seemed blinked, and then it began to speak.
“We are coming for you, my dear!”
April was screaming as the nurse disconnected the virtual reality interface. She was shaking.
“I think she is suffering some attack, get the doctor,” the nurse told her assistant.
Less than a minute later, a young doctor sedated her. Once she was stable, the doctor called Jeremiah.
Freeman logged into the Dark Maven forum. He was looking for additional mods for further Colossal Machine exploitation. The developers had patched the game after that nasty dragon attack. Perhaps that was a bit too much, Freeman chuckled. But if the community was in an uproar after that last attack, they won’t be too happy with my next move. Freeman thought.
Still, Freeman thought he should have been subtler; dragons were not supposed to be released until the full expansion this spring. Freeman didn’t want the Colossal Machine’s game player monitors to go after him anymore than they already had. He didn’t see any mods that he could use, and he was about to give up on the whole idea when he saw another, more interesting post from a founder member that read:
Need help from fellow Dark Maveners. For anyone interested in exploiting some code for a popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), contact me. All necessary mods provided. I will pay services in Digibit.
Freeman was interested in exploiting the MMORPGs. I wonder if someone is targeting the Colossal Machine. Freeman typed up a message and posted to the hacking forum, introduced himself by listing his many hacking achievements, including his most recent attacks on the Colossal Machine, and describing the attack with the dragon. He also included his hacker handle: FreemanRising. He also suspected that the operator of the Dark Maven boards would be online, since it was very early in Hawaii. With any luck, Freeman would have some time to collect on the bounty before school resumed the following Monday.