by Hart, Gemma
I nodded and headed down the corridor to the left. At the end of the hall was a small but sleek office. Outside by the door hung the name plate, “Thomas Apple.”
I took in a deep breath. Time to do some acting.
I walked in to the office without knocking. Blythe, a short and portly man with a quickly growing bald spot, looked up in jerky surprise.
I also stopped in my tracks in pretend surprise. “Er…” I started, “I was looking for Mr. Apple.”
Blythe looked at me in confusion. “Apple? He’s out on leave,” he said automatically. He squinted at me. “Who are you?”
“Rich Lloyds,” I said, pulling out a faked ID card. “I’m here for the servicing appointment.”
Blythe frowned, his brow creased in confusion. “There’s no servicing appointment today,” he said. But there was already a tone of doubt in his voice. It was my job now to play up that doubt.
Blythe typed clumsily into his computer, presumably to look up the schedule for today.
“Well we got a call from Mr. Apple a few days back saying that he wanted to make sure we did an extra check this week,” I said, hitting the right note between confused and confident. “I guess he wanted someone to look in on the servers while he was out.”
Blythe’s frown deepened. “It doesn’t say on the schedule,” he murmured to himself. “But you’re saying Apple called you?”
I nodded, not wanting to say more. Only liars added details. I kept my mouth shut and looked at him, expectantly.
I could see Blythe sizing me up. I’m sure most of his technicians weren’t over six feet tall and too broad for the average uniform. But I kept my shoulders hunched and my face just slightly annoyed looking to show him my impatience at being kept from doing my job.
I saw his hand inching towards his phone. If he called to verify the appointment, the whole plan would fall apart at the seams. We had to rely on Blythe’s cluelessness and fearfulness of Thomas Apple to succeed.
I gave a frustrated sigh. “Mr. Apple usually doesn’t like for his servers to miss appointments,” I said in a throwaway tone as if speaking to myself. “He always gets so angry when they get missed.”
Blythe’s hand stopped. He pressed his lips in thought before nodding. Clearly not wanting to anger his boss by forgetting about a crucial service appointment, he waved a hand at me.
“Of course, of course,” he said. “We can’t miss a scheduled service. I’ll call the girl to give you the card.”
I waited till I was out in the hall to breathe out in relief.
“That was good acting, yeah?” Zeke said into my ear, impressed.
“Thanks,” I muttered dryly.
Now we had passed the first hurdle.
The security into the server room was tight. Air tight really.
Except for technicians, which was quite absurd.
Turn Tech was paranoid about giving disposable technicians biometric security access to the server room. After all, technicians came and went all the time. They didn’t want to risk having a former technician out there with the ability to enter the server room before they had time to wipe his data clean from their systems.
So instead, the techs go keycards from the front desk to swipe to enter the server room.
So easy.
I went back up to the front desk and the same receptionist I had spoken with me nodded and wordlessly handed me a keycard, having gotten a call from Blythe already approving my access.
I smiled and took the card and headed towards the large sleek door behind her.
The server room.
I swiped the card.
The sensor beeped twice and then the door made a swoosh sound as it unlocked. I pushed the heavy door in and entered a dim room that was filled with large black servers, all quietly humming and pulsating with the world’s security within its shells.
“Alright,” Zeke said quietly from my ear. “First you’re going to find server A-13. That one will give me access to the cameras. It should be on your left.”
I looked to my left and saw that each server had grey lettering on the side. I was standing next to A-27. I walked down the line till I found A-13. It was eerily hushed in the room with only the steady hum of the servers surrounding me.
“Alright,” I said. “I found it.”
“Put the drive in where I showed you,” Zeke said. “I should then get access within a minute.”
Zeke had shown me a drawing of what he assumed A-13 would look like. He had pointed out the slot where I needed to insert the drive that would allow him to hack into their camera system.
I knelt down and looked carefully at the overwhelming knot of cables and wires. But I found the spot Zeke had pointed out to me. Reaching into my utility belt, I pulled out the slim little drive and plugged it in.
“Got it,” I said quietly. I knew I was the only one in the room but I found myself speaking in whispers anyway.
“Wait for it,” Zeke said in my ear.
I paused, waiting.
In what was probably just a minute, I heard my pulse beat loudly and steadily in my ears. If we failed here, there was no other recourse. It wouldn’t matter if Copper was taken out then. Turn Tech would still possess the key.
And then I’d have nothing to bargain with for Halle.
“I’m in,” Zeke said.
I breathed out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
“Alright, now what you need to do is find the golden server,” Zeke said. “I’m betting it’ll be near the end of the room, yeah?”
There was no way we could know which server held the key code. That would clearly be the highest level secret within Turn Tech. But Zeke guessed that the ‘golden server’ would be towards the end of the room where it wouldn’t get too much heat spillover from the other servers.
The other identifying marker would be a double IEEE 1934 slot without any other cables connecting it to joined servers. Until a few days ago, none of those words would’ve made sense to me but thanks to a crash course from Zeke, I had a somewhat better understanding.
I headed towards the back of the room. The server markers began going down.
N-15, O-5, R-20.
Finally at the end of the room, the markers ended at T-13, the last server.
I went up and down the row for T servers and yet found none that matched the description Zeke had drawn out for me.
“All clear in the lobby,” Zeke updated me. There were no cameras in the server room since they could overheat and only a handful of people were allowed in, making them easy to monitor. Instead, they monitored by who entered and how long they stayed. I had a time limit. Most tech services lasted no more than twenty minutes unless something more detailed needed doing. Once I passed twenty minutes, someone would probably come in to check on me.
Zeke instead kept his eyes on the cameras that pointed out to the lobby and first floor.
“I don’t see the golden server,” I said, using Zeke’s nickname for the target server.
I searched again down the row of T servers.
Then, it caught my eye. In the dimness of the room, it had been hard to see. But behind T-13 was another slimmer server. I read the marker on its side—TT-1.
TT-1?
Turn Tech, probably.
The only double letter marker. It had to be it.
I knelt down and checked its side.
There it was! The double slot.
“I found it,” I whispered.
“Plug in the program,” Zeke answered. “It should upload within sixty seconds. Then you just need to wait it out for about ten minutes before leaving so you don’t arouse suspicion.”
I nodded even though I knew he couldn’t see me. I unhooked the largest pouch from my utility belt and pulled out a small tablet and cable. Plugging in the cable, I turned on the tablet and punched in the code to the spy program. Immediately the program launched and began to download itself onto the server.
“I’m reading 12% already,” Ze
ke said.
“Copy that,” I said, seeing the same thing on my screen.
I couldn’t believe how well this was going. Everything was flowing so smoothly. I’d be out of here within—
“Scheiße!” Zeke exclaimed in my ear.
“What?”
“Apple!” Zeke muttered. “He just walked in!”
“What!” I said in a loud whisper. “What the fuck is he doing here? I thought he was on a leave of absence!”
“He is!” Zeke said. I heard frantic tapping on a keyboard. “He’s not supposed to be in till the end of the week.”
I looked down at the screen. 68%.
“Where’s he going?” I asked. If he was heading towards his office, I was fucked. Blythe would immediately report the service appointment to seem like he was on top of the job. And unlike Blythe, Apple would know right away that there was no scheduled appointment.
“To his office,” Zeke said, his voice strained. “Fuck! Fuck! This is no good, Marco. Fuck!”
That was an understatement.
83%.
“I’m reading 83%,” I said, wanting to attack the first matter at hand.
“Copy,” Zeke said before adding hurriedly, “He just entered his office!”
92%.
“92%,” I said, my mind racing as I tried to think. If Apple finds out about an unauthorized service where the technician actually went in to the server room, he would no doubt search the place from top to bottom. Each of the servers would be tested and in no time would they find Zeke’s spy program.
“Copy,” Zeke said. “The camera can’t angle into the office, Marco. I only can see one of his legs.”
100%.
“100%, do you copy?” I whispered.
“100%, copy!” Zeke said.
I immediately pulled the cable free and packed everything back up into my belt.
“Don’t forget the camera drive!” Zeke reminded me.
That’s right. I headed back to A-13 for the drive but before I pulled it out, I paused.
Once I pulled the drive, Zeke would lose access to the cameras. I’d have no eyes above me to watch and warn me where Apple was.
“Where is he now?” I asked.
“He’s still in the office,” Zeke said. “Marco, if he catches what’s happened, you have forty feet between you and the nearest exit. But there are four security guards standing by the doors.”
“So basically, shit odds,” I said. Those security guards would be notified immediately.
“After I pull out the camera drive, how long will you still have access to the cameras?” I asked. “Is it instantaneous? Do you lose access as soon as I pull it?”
“I can’t say,” Zeke said with hesitation. “Maybe two to three minutes lag at most I’ll have. But it’ll take you at least five to get out. You need to hand back the keycard.”
I pulled out the keycard to have ready.
“Is he still in the office?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Zeke replied worriedly. “Why are they talking so much?”
Fuck, either way, the deed was done. Whether they find the program and strip it or not, I needed to get out of here. And fast.
Speed was crucial here.
“Okay, I’m pulling it,” I said. “Keep your eye on him till you lose signal.”
“Okay!” Zeke replied.
Quickly, I pulled out the drive, leaving no evidence of my being there.
I walked out the server room with a quick but not hurried step. With a smile, I handed the keycard back to the receptionist who took it with a nod.
“He’s coming out of the office!” Zeke whispered in my ear frantically. “Apple’s heading towards the lobby!”
I needed to get out of there fast but I couldn’t run. I couldn't call attention to myself like that. I walked briskly though.
“He’s about fifteen feet away!” Zeke whispered urgently.
There was a tour grouped around the nearest exits, smattered about making it impossible to effectively weave through them. I gritted my teeth and walked around. Any additional seconds added to my escape was dangerous.
“Ten feet!” Zeke counted down.
Almost there. Turn Tech was sizeable and the lobby was the grand entrance so of course it was large.
“Five!”
I was near the door. He couldn’t see my uniform. The minute Apple saw my uniform, he would know what was wrong. Or maybe he already did know? Blythe must’ve told him by now. Was that why he was walking to the front?
“Holy shit!” Zeke exploded in my ear. I nearly tripped at the volume of his voice. “Blythe’s just come out of the bathroom! He was in the bathroom! He must’ve gone in before we got camera access! Apple was in the office by himself!”
My heart raced. I was nearly at the door.
“I just lost camera,” Zeke said but there was a tone of great relief in his voice. “Apple was at the front gathering papers to leave and Blythe had just returned to his office from the bathroom. I think you’re clear, boss.”
And I walked out the door, breathing in a deep breath of relief and success.
Chapter Thirteen
Halle
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Tobias kept his eyes on the elevator doors as we descended. “Seeing you in the sitting room the other night, I realized you’re probably just a little too cooped up. There’s a library on the third floor. You might enjoy a little breather there.”
I definitely did not want any reminders of that night in the sitting room. His rough and powerful kiss had haunted me since that night. But more than that, it had been his torn and broken expression as he spoke of Elizabeth.
No matter the situation, it was hard to view him as the same calculating monster afterwards. He had had his heart broken in the most tragic and brutal way. It would be enough to alter anybody forever.
But I had seen that look of hope, that hungry wish for peace in those green eyes.
I shook my head. These thoughts were too much for me. I was already worried about Marco and Jamie. I couldn't also worry about Tobias as well.
“No?” he said, seeing my shake. “You don’t want to go to the library?”
“No I do,” I said quickly. Getting out of my room to go anywhere sounded like a relief. But getting to go outside of my floor? Even better.
The elevator doors opened.
The third floor was just as richly decorated as the sixth. With shining marble flooring and glittering chandeliers, it was hard to remember that the outside of the building looked like a decaying pile of bricks.
There were several rooms on this floor. I saw smoke coming out of one. So a smoking den. How very gentrified.
Several of the rooms were closed, the ornate doors shutting peeping eyes out. At the end of the floor were two grand double doors with gold handles.
Tobias opened the doors dramatically, revealing a large room with floor to ceiling shelves carrying an unimaginable amount of books. Who in the Black Saints would require such a library?
But I was too entranced to care. There were several cozy chairs with delicate side tables by them for you to stack your books. There were warm but not overly bright lights above and smaller lamps strategically placed around the room.
“This is impressive,” I said honestly.
Tobias actually looked quite pleased by my words. I realized he had hoped I would like the room.
I stepped in, enjoying the smell of pages and ink. No one else was in the library. I had the entire place to myself.
Tobias remained in the doorway. “Now,” he said slowly, “I have some business to attend elsewhere. I’d hate to spoil the mood for you here by posting guards to watch you.”
I froze in place. So far, I hadn’t experienced guards. Since the sixth floor was Tobias’s private floor, I had enjoyed the relative privacy and comfort of being on my own.
“Can you promise to remain here until I come find you?” Tobias asked.
I tried not to let the su
rprise show on my face.
The calculating, dangerous Enforcer was bargaining with me for my trust. Something had changed in him since our kiss. There was a subtle but definite earnestness in the way he spoke to me now, as if he was trying to ensure my happiness while still keeping me hostage.