by In Churl Yo
Zoah reached into her bag and pulled Heelo up close to her mouth. “Just like we planned,” she whispered before releasing the small drone into the sky.
“I don’t remember that thing being part of our plan,” said Nox.
“Not everyone’s privy to every plan,” she answered.
“Ah, then I’ll hold you to that later.”
“Keep moving,” Caleb said, prodding Nox’s shoulder.
After several flights down, they reached street level. The three gathered at the end of an alleyway while Nox checked the readouts on his visor. When he was satisfied that all was clear, they crossed the street and headed north.
“This is crazy. I feel so exposed out here,” said Zoah.
“As long as I keep hacking each security measure we encounter and mask our presence from all the various forms of electronic detection, we’re invisible,” Nox explained. “No one has ever infiltrated a protected Ceres city before—most of our strategic efforts are aimed at keeping people out. We don’t have much in place for those that somehow make it inside, at least in broad terms. Consider it our Achilles heel—the limitations of a small peacekeeping force fighting a loose, disorganized enemy.”
“If you say so,” she responded, “but something doesn’t feel right.”
Caleb grunted. “It’s too tidy—the sidewalks, benches, the plazas. There’s no litter or debris. Even the plants and grass have been trimmed and kept,” he said. “This was all built before the flu, and yet even after the world ended it still looks pretty much how it did back in its heyday.”
“It is quaint in that way, isn’t it?” Nox asked.
“But why?” Zoah said. “Why go to all the bother?”
“Ogden likes to keep a clean house. That and I think maybe he believes one day we’ll get to live like this again—the virus beaten and living life the way it was meant to be.”
Caleb looked at Nox. “How do we know our extinction isn’t how it was all meant to be? Who says humans were ever supposed to rule the world? Our track record hasn’t been stellar up to this point. Maybe mother nature decided a serious course correction was needed.”
“I don’t believe that,” said Zoah, “and neither do you.”
“Maybe,” Caleb said. “But it makes a good story.”
Nox raised his hand to get their attention and pointed ahead. “Time to put those game faces on. We’re here.”
“So, how do we get in?” Zoah asked, eyeing the tall Ceres corporate building, the most impressive in the city, half a block away. “I see guards in masks everywhere, even outside.”
“Follow me.”
They trailed Nox down a cross street, then approached the building from the rear. There, behind several large storage containers and a pony wall, was an unmarked door. “This is the discrete executive exit. Once included in the building’s original plans, it bypasses the lobby altogether and offers direct access to the upper floors,” Nox explained. “Only a handful of people know about it. I’ve made sure of that.”
“Convenient,” said Caleb. “But there’s no handle.”
“No handle, no door. You’d be surprised how many security people disregard it once they see there’s no obvious way to get the damn thing open.”
“But you’re going to tell us how, right?” ask Zoah.
He pointed past her, and she followed his finger to an inconspicuous metal vent cover just at eye level on a nearby wall. Zoah ran her hand along its edge, then smiled as she released a hidden latch and swung the grating open. A keypad lit up and a small display read “READY.” She bit her lip, then connected her cufflink cable to the panel and ran some code to hack the combination. A few seconds later, Zoah punched in the correct numeric sequence, unlocking the executive door.
Nox smiled. “I could have given you the key code.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” she responded with a grin.
The group entered a waiting elevator. As the car rose, Caleb un-holstered his weapon and checked to make sure a round was chambered and the safety was off. “If things go south in here, expect a hole where your chest used to be,” he said to Nox. “I’ve got the detonator set on a hair trigger.”
“Do try to not go around with guns blazing,” the man with white hair responded. “You’ll just make things worse for us. Put it away.”
Caleb secured his handgun as the elevator slowed and the doors opened. A fluorescent light flickered on overhead. A quick look around confirmed they were in a supply closet, the elevator doors hidden within a tall metal cabinet in the back. Nox found the exit and took a moment before turning the knob to whisper, “Casual, okay?”
They stepped out into an empty hallway.
Zoah recognized the sterile smell of filtered, recirculated air and felt a little claustrophobic, but to her relief it passed. Then a noise coming from the end of the corridor pulled her and the others toward the sounds to investigate.
A large open area greeted them, full of desks occupied by office workers engrossed in whatever projects were being displayed on their visors, their hands busy on virtual keyboards or moving various modules in space. The noise that brought them here was the sound of dozens of overlapping conversations happening in both voice-only and Virt communications. No one stopped what they were doing when the three of them stepped out of the entryway into the communal workspace. In fact, they were being ignored.
“Busy as bees,” said Nox.
“Bees make honey,” Caleb grunted.
They walked across the room, testing the waters for reaction, but made it through without any.
“Ogden’s on the top floor,” the white-haired man said, leading them to a bank of six elevators. He pushed the call button, and they waited for the next set of doors to open, signaling their ride was ready. Inside the car, Zoah discovered a problem right away.
“We’re in trouble. This thing needs a keycard,” she said, drawing a cable from her cufflink. “But I’m pretty sure if I can isolate the user data tree—”
Nox waved a plastic card in front of her face. Zoah eyed it for a moment, then grabbed it from his hand and inserted it into the panel. She pressed the button for the highest floor, and soon they were on their way.
“They used to play music in these to pass the time,” said Caleb.
“I wouldn’t know,” Nox replied.
Zoah looked around the elevator. “Music would be nice.”
When the doors slid open signaling their arrival at the penthouse level, a line of Gun barrels greeted them. Guards leveled assault rifles at their heads and stepped into the car to block their exit. Zoah and Caleb held their hands high while Nox leaned casually against the handrail behind them in the rear.
“Your weapons,” one of the security men said to Caleb who, after some quick calculations, handed over his pistol and rifle. “Your clearance,” the guard then demanded.
Zoah looked at her friend not knowing what to say. Caleb on the other hand knew exactly what he wanted to say but forced a smile out instead. He chanced a quick glance at his cufflink—if he had to go, at least he’d have the satisfaction of taking Nox with him. Caleb started inching his hand toward the detonation switch, hoping to hell he was wrong about what was coming next.
CHAPTER 21
“Tango, Hotel, X-ray, One, One, Tree, Eight,” the white-haired man recited.
“Sir,” the two sentries barked and lifted their guns.
“You boys were a little slow to the box, but I’ll overlook it this time,” Nox said, stepping through everyone in the elevator and out into the lobby. “Sara, you’re looking well.”
Ogden’s personal assistant stood nearby, her hands clasped together in front of her. She nodded to the guards and they stepped back to their normal positions. “And you look terrible,” Sara responded. “If it wasn’t for your hair we would have shot first and feigned asking questions later. He’s expecting you?”
“No,” said Nox.
“I see. And you will vouch for them?”
; He looked over at Caleb and Zoah before nodding. The assistant turned her back on them as she worked her cufflink. A minute later she waved a young woman over for a hushed conversation. Sara then faced the three of them and smiled. “I was able to get you some time, but you’ll have to visit DECON first—he won’t see you the way you are now. Follow this intern. She’ll get you sorted.”
As they walked down the hallway, Caleb leaned over to Nox and whispered, “My weapons?”
“Not allowed,” he answered. “You’ll get them back later.”
“I better. That’s my favorite long gun.”
The decontamination chamber was a large, plain room with smooth walls covered in small circles and alternating white glass panels. The intern administered an antigen test to each of them, and when the results came back negative, she relaxed and produced a wan smile before leaving. The door hissed closed behind her, and the room came alive with fluctuating intensities of UV light illuminating from the walls, ceiling and floor.
“How long is this going to take?” asked Zoah.
“A couple of minutes.” Nox was already lying down with his hands clasped behind his head and eyes closed.
Rubber nozzles emerged from the dozens of circles on the walls and began releasing gas into the room.
“Um, Nox?”
“It’s an antiviral aerosol, Ms. Lightsea. Just breathe normally.”
When the cycle completed, air circulators cleared the room and the intern reappeared, ushering them to a wash area where they could clean themselves up. A half hour later they stood in Ogden’s foyer, waiting to be called inside. Soon Sara emerged from the office’s double doors.
“He’s ready,” she announced.
Inside, a large bank of monitors lined the back wall, each screen filled with copious amounts of data streams and video feeds. There with his back turned to them behind a large glass-topped desk and taking it all in, sat Ceres Chief Executive Officer Theodore Ogden. Sara then closed the doors behind her as she left.
“You don’t call, you don’t write. I was beginning to think you were dead,” Ogden said without turning around.
“Yes, sir. I’m sorry about that, sir,” Nox said. Caleb did a double take at the white-haired man’s response. “There were a few…complications.”
“Water under the bridge,” he responded and spun his chair to face them. “You’re here now, and I see you’ve brought guests, just not the one I was expecting.”
“Expecting?” Caleb asked.
“Who are they?” said Ogden ignoring him.
“Associates of our intruder. They’ll help us catch our man in Busan, sir, but first it’s important for us to put our ducks in a row.”
Ogden scratched his chin. “I see,” he said. His fingers then began dancing on the virtual keyboard in front of him. Caleb ran across the office to stop him, but when he reached the CEO, Ogden already had his hands in the air.
“What’s happening? What did you do, Ogden?” Caleb pushed him away from the desk and held his wrist.
“Let the man go,” Nox said. “It’s already done.”
“Done? I don’t understand,” said Zoah.
“It’s quite simple, actually—I sealed the room,” Ogden explained. “One of the emergency protocols put in place by our esteemed head of security here.” He nodded toward the man with white hair.
“If you don’t think I’ll detonate that bomb, you’ve misjudged me. That’s going to be the last error you ever make,” said Caleb while reaching for the switch on his cufflink.
“Oh, I don’t doubt that you would,” Nox answered. “If you could. But you see, a level one defensive seal, besides locking all doors and outside communications, also includes a scattering field that renders your transmitter inoperative. One of a dozen contingencies you try to plan for—putting all those ducks in a row, if you get my meaning. Now please, have a seat.” The security man pulled a handgun from around his back and motioned with the barrel toward the chairs across the desk facing Ogden. If Caleb could have spit fire from his eyes, he would have already burned a hole through both men’s heads and left the room in ashes.
“Where’d you get that?” asked Zoah.
Nox ignored her and stood next to his employer, handing him the gun as they sat, then reached under the desk for a small metal box that he carried over to a nearby conference table.
“Sir, I didn’t bring these two here to simply flush out our corporate intruder,” he said while unbuttoning his shirt, revealing the ordinance taped to his chest. “They also have intel of a clandestine operation utilizing Ceres assets being run without executive knowledge or consent.”
“Impossible,” said Ogden. “Nothing happens without my say.”
The white-haired head nodded in agreement. Nox took a scalpel out and made a small incision on the tape’s silver backing. “That was my initial reaction as well,” he said. “But there is some compelling supporting data. I don’t suppose either of you would care to explain it to Mr. Ogden?”
Zoah and Caleb remained silent in their seats.
Nox took a small flathead screwdriver and worked it into the opening. “If I understand it, sir, several thousand deliveries have been made in the past decade—perhaps even longer—without any record logged in either trafficking or inventory control. It was as if they never happened.”
“Laughable. A fairy tale,” Ogden said.
“Nevertheless, these people have uncovered a sophisticated conspiracy that would never have been exposed unless we were actively looking for it.” Nox took a small aerosol can with a long, thin nozzle and sprayed it into the ordinance, then he took a moment for a deep breath to collect himself before hitting the bomb with his fist as hard as he could. He sat still for several seconds afterwards with his eyes closed, waiting.
“Well? Can we continue now?” asked Ogden.
“Right,” he said and ripped the bomb from his chest in a single move, discarding it over his shoulder. “Shall I pull up the data for you?”
The CEO nodded and watched as Nox threw the streaming information he held in his visor onto the large central monitor on the wall. Ogden gaped at what he was seeing. “How in the hell did the auditors miss this? All of these transactions?”
Handing the gun back to Nox, the Ceres chief used both hands to drill through the various spreadsheets, flipping through windows and data points as he searched. A few minutes later Ogden sat back in his chair in disbelief.
“Extraordinary,” he said.
“Sir?”
“They’re right,” Ogden answered. “It’s true. All of it.”
“Have you been able to determine why?”
He didn’t answer Nox and instead sat there with his hand to his chin deep in thought. “Mr. Ogden?” the man with white hair asked.
“Hm? Oh, the purpose remains unclear to me, but judging by the items being delivered—assuming these ID tags are authentic—it’s nothing good. In fact, I consider this collusion a threat more serious to mankind than perhaps even the Zombie Flu. And all right under my very nose—the hubris!”
Theirs or yours? Nox thought, then stepped behind Ogden and eyed the display in front of them. “What do we do, sir?”
“Here,” he said and pointed to a map on the screen. “This facility in New Mexico—that is where our answers lie. Records show nothing to indicate anything special about that site. You’ll have to go in to find out more.”
“Of course. And there isn’t anything else you can tell me? Anything at all?”
Ogden tilted his head toward his head of security. “If you’re trying to invoke what you deem a more appropriate emotional response, you’ll get none from me. Still, make no mistake—this revelation has me…annoyed, and that is more than enough to justify making a few dozen heads roll. Pray yours isn’t one of them, Nox. If I had any more insight into this secret operation, anything I could add to what little I’ve uncovered here, I would.”
“Sir, I believe you,” Nox replied, then hit the back of Ogden’s
head with the butt of his handgun, rendering him unconscious. The white-haired man turned to look at Zoah and Caleb and flashed them a smile.
“You’re a jerk,” Zoah said.
“I know,” Nox replied.
“I’d use another word,” said Caleb, who held out his hand until Nox spun the pistol around so he could take the man’s weapon by its handle. Caleb checked the gun before holstering it. “You said we’re sealed in here?”
“It was the only way to insure we wouldn’t be interrupted,” answered Nox. “No one except Ogden or I can override the lockout. Besides, I had to get rid of that damn bomb—it was making my chest itch. The problem now is that everyone in the building knows something’s wrong in here.”
“Terrific,” said Caleb. “Safe but trapped.”
“Ogden does have a private air pad above his office,” Nox offered.
“I think I have a terrible idea,” said Zoah.
“What’s one more?” Caleb sighed.
“We’ll have to break the seal,” she added, shrugging her shoulders, “so I can contact Heelo.”
“Once we do that, it will only be a matter of time before security forces break into here,” said Nox. “Besides, if you’re trying to repeat that little trick you pulled off in Taiwan, it won’t work. I may have enabled a certain lockout command while I was piloting the stealth drone here—your little toy can no longer access any of the ship’s control deck, so remote flying is out of the question now. And it seemed like such a good idea at the time...”
Zoah shook her head. “You have an override code, right?”
“That will only give you back manual control. It can only be entered from a keypad on the ship’s center console. Someone’s going to have to be in the cockpit to do it.”
“You’re a real piece of work,” said Caleb. “What about my rifle?”
“If they followed standard procedure, it should be in the security office storage locker. That’s behind the lobby on the ground floor.”
A loud banging on the office doors echoed across the room, and they all turned toward the sound. Nox waved it off. “Steel reinforced. They’ll have to do better if they want to breech it.”