Thankfully, the flight was smooth and on time. Finn had rented a car in advance, so once we landed in Boston we were able to quickly pick up the rental car and head out to Dr. Gu’s place, using the handy-dandy GPS system.
I put on my sunglasses. “You rented a convertible?”
“Cars are my weakness. No point in spending time in a car if you aren’t going to be comfortable.”
“But it’s November and we’re in Boston. So, what’s the point of a convertible?”
“It’s a bloody lot of fun to drive.”
“And, you look good in it, too.”
He laughed. “I may deserve that, but I won’t apologize for it.”
“No apology necessary.” I sighed, easing back into the plush leather seat. “I think I’m getting spoiled.”
We listened to the jazz station on the way to Dr. Gu’s house and before long we arrived at a neatly kept two-story brownstone. A car was parked in the driveway, which I assumed meant Gu was home.
Finn rang the bell and after a minute, a distinguished-looking Asian man opened the door. He wore tan slacks and a white shirt with a dark brown cardigan sweater. His trimmed beard held more than a hint of gray, but I noticed his eyes sparkled with interest.
“You must be Mr. Shaughnessy and Ms. Carmichael.” He ushered us inside.
“Yes,” Finn answered. “Thanks for seeing us on such short notice.”
We followed him into a study completely lined with bookshelves. A gorgeous oak desk stood as the room centerpiece. Dr. Gu had lit a fire in the hearth and motioned for Finn and I to sit on a comfortable brown leather couch with burgundy pillows.
He pointed to a tray that held a blue-and-white teapot and three cups and saucers. “Can I offer you some tea?”
“Thank you,” I said and Finn also agreed to have some. Dr. Gu poured while I looked around.
Finn picked up his cup and took a sip. “We appreciate you having us. As I mentioned on the phone, we’re looking for a young man by the name of Darren Greening. He went missing about two weeks ago. We’re worried something may have happened to him.”
Dr. Gu leaned forward and put a spoonful of sugar in his tea. “I see. Why, pray tell, do you think I might know anything about his disappearance? Was he one of my students?”
“He attended your class on nanomechanics when you were a guest lecturer at Georgetown University several years ago. He was friends with the son of one of your old classmates from Johns Hopkins—Gene Hart.”
“Ah. Gene Hart. Yes, his son named Michael passed away in a car accident not too long ago if I remember correctly. Horrible tragedy.”
“We’re not so sure it was an accident,” I said. “That’s why we’re worried about Darren. He and Michael were working on some pretty radical energy-replacement nanotechnology.”
“Hmm…is that so? Still, I’m afraid my connection to Darren Greening seems pretty tenuous.”
I opted for the element of surprise. “Do you belong to STRUT?”
I saw the shock in his eyes, but he hid it quickly. “I assume you are referring to the Society for the Responsible Use of Technology?”
“Yes.”
“I am a member.”
“Do you ever use the chat room?”
“Occasionally.”
“Do you have a call name?”
“I actually have more than one.”
Finn fell silent, letting me take charge of the conversation and for once, I was glad. I realized it had come down to whether or not Dr. Gu would trust me, and I hoped he would.
“Would RawMode be one of those call names?”
“And if I said yes?”
“Then I’d tell you I’m CryptHead.”
He laughed. “So I thought. You are clever, Ms. Carmichael. How did you find me?”
“I hacked in to your profile in the STRUT chat room.”
“I assure you, there is no useful information there.”
“True. But I managed to trace your internet provider.”
“Ah, good thinking.”
I shrugged. “It was more interesting to me that I traced Grok to this ID as well.”
“Fascinating. I take it you assume I know Grok as more than someone in a chat room.”
“He used your provider at this exact location. I’d say it’s a reasonable assumption.”
He paused for a moment, setting down his teacup with great care onto his saucer. “He knew you’d find him.”
I held my breath, feeling Finn tense beside me. “Darren?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know where he is?”
“Yes.”
When he didn’t extrapolate, I asked, “Here? In your house?”
Dr. Gu shook his head. “No. Darren is not that careless. He wants to see you, Ms. Carmichael. That’s why he left a trail. I personally thought it too obscure, but now I see I was wrong. He was right about you.”
“I hope you mean that in a good way.”
He smiled. “Indeed, I do.”
I leaned back on the sofa and lifted my hands. “Okay, so what now?”
“Now you meet Darren.”
“How?”
Dr. Gu held up a small black cell phone and I looked at it in surprise. “Go outside to your car. In approximately three minutes, Darren will call you with instructions.”
I exchanged a long glance with Finn and then reached over and took the phone. Finn and I stood up.
Dr. Gu shook his head at Finn. “I’m sorry, but Ms. Carmichael must go alone.”
“No,” said Finn.
“But Mr. Shaughnessy is my partner. He’s the owner of X-Corp. He’s been in on this case from the beginning. If Darren can trust me, he can trust Finn.”
“I’m sorry. You must go alone. That’s the deal.”
I glanced at Finn who had the darkest scowl on his face I’d ever seen. After a moment, he pulled the car key out of his pocket and handed it to me, frowning. “I don’t like this.”
“I’ll be fine. I know how to drive a stick shift.”
“Lexi, it’s not the car I’m worried about.”
“Right.” My insides warmed. “Well, don’t worry. It’s just Darren. I can handle him.”
“I still don’t like it.”
“Unfortunately, it can’t be helped.” I reached over and shook Dr. Gu’s hand. “I hope I can help Darren.”
“I do, too.” He motioned Finn back to the couch. “I’m sorry it has to be like this, Mr. Shaughnessy, but it really is the safest way.”
Finn muttered something in what I think was Gaelic, but I decided not to ask for a translation because I was pretty sure it wasn’t polite.
Instead, I walked out to the BMW, started the engine and waited. Three minutes later, the phone rang.
“Darren?” I said, flipping the phone open.
“Lexi?”
“Jeez. What the hell is going on? Where are you?”
“I need you to get me to safety without being followed.”
I turned in the seat of the car and looked out the window. I saw nothing out of place. “Do you think I’m being followed?”
“It’s a likely possibility.”
“You do realize you’re paranoid.”
“Absolutely,” he said with conviction. “It’s kept me alive this long. Hope it keeps me breathing a little bit longer.”
“Okay. What’s the plan?”
He rattled off instructions and for the next forty minutes, I traveled around Cambridge, sat in parking lots and made so many right turns my head was spinning. Finally, Darren had me park the car and go into a bookstore. Once inside, I quickly exited out the back and made an immediate left that led into an unmarked building. I was mathematically certain there was no way in God’s green earth anyone could have followed me.
It turned out the building was an apartment complex and I was told to climb six flights of stairs to room 603. When I got there I lifted my hand to knock when the door opened and someone pulled me inside, slamming the door shut
and bolting it.
“Darren,” I said. “Jeez, don’t worry. No one followed me.”
He turned from the door and I realized he looked like hell. From his photo, I knew he’d been geeky thin, but now he was pale, gaunt and haunted.
“I knew you’d find me.”
I don’t know what possessed me, but I walked over to him and gave him a hug. He collapsed in an emotional heap, sobbing on my shoulder. I patted him awkwardly on the back for a few minutes until he was able to compose himself. After that, we went to sit down together on an old sofa. The scarred coffee table was covered with books, papers and a fancy laptop, most likely the missing one from his apartment.
After a moment, I said, “Well, it’s nice to finally meet you.”
He fumbled for something in his pocket and pulled out a tissue. “Yeah, it’s nice.” He wiped his eyes. “Michael used to talk about you.”
“Really?” I said, surprised.
“He did. Said you were a prime hacker.”
“Well, I used to be, but I’m reformed. Except that I had to reengage to find you. You do realize that you caused me to fall off the wagon.”
“I’m sorry about that. But I knew you’d find me.”
“I’m glad I did. The treasure box helped. The postcard from Mars, the Martian code name Grok, it clicked for me.”
He gave a watery smile. “You found the box and made the STRUT connection. I knew you would. I only hoped it wasn’t too obvious.”
“Obvious? Jeez, Darren, you’re lucky I figured it out.”
“I’m certain luck had nothing to do with it.”
I sighed. “Well, even the Mars to Mars connection might not have been enough. Thankfully, Rudy remembered you played GURPS Robots.”
He looked up, surprised. “Rudy from the Lighthouse Cyber Café?”
“Yeah. He mentioned you were a king of the game or something. I checked it out and hypothesized you were the MasterNano, since you’ve played for so many years. On a hunch, I traced the ID. For the first trace, the originating ID for the account was to a location in the Dulles, Virginia area—your neck of the woods. But when I ran a second trace from the last time you played, two days ago, it led here to Cambridge. That corresponded coincidentally with Grok’s location from the STRUT account. After that, Dr. Gu’s address was just one more hack away.”
“Smart girl.”
“Incredibly lucky girl. It was unbelievably risky putting GU front and center. Everyone, myself included, assumed you meant Georgetown University.”
“It’s all been a big risk. But you’re here, so it paid off.”
I couldn’t argue with that. “So, any chance you’re finally going to clue me in on what’s going on?”
Darren rubbed his pale cheeks with his hands and leaned back on the cushions. “I’m in a shitload of trouble.”
“You don’t have to understate the obvious with me.”
“I’m alone.”
“Not now, you’re not.”
He shook his head. “I mean, I’m alone in what I must do. You of all people understand what it’s like to be different, to stand on the outside of the norm of society.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Well, after my folks died, I’d never felt more isolated. Then I met Michael at Georgetown. He became my best friend, my only friend, a kindred spirit. His dad took me under his wing as well. I became happy again and that’s when I made my biggest scientific advances. Michael had this amazing head for figures and business, but even better, he also understood the science of what I was doing. We were a perfect match to get Flow off the ground. We just needed some cash to get started.”
“Michael’s dad provided the start-up capital.”
“It was an amazing time, Lexi. Until then, everything had been theoretical. At last we had the chance to put our ideas to the test. But as our research and experiments grew and became wildly successful, we had to expand. We needed more money and staff to continue.”
“Enter Niles and company,” I said.
“The match seemed good at first. Things were fine until several months ago when Michael and I informed the board that we were at the earliest seven to ten years away for a working prototype. To our surprise, Niles was furious.”
Darren closed his eyes. “Neither one of us understood why he was so angry about our progress. After all, we were light years ahead of any other corporation on an operational prototype. It didn’t compute. So, Michael decided to do some investigating of his own. He hacked into Flow’s computer system and subsequently Niles’s account and that’s when he discovered the company was in serious debt. Niles had apparently led our investors to believe that my energy-replacement prototype was just three to five years out. He needed that prototype soon or we were sunk financially. Both of us were stunned he made such rash promises to investors without even consulting us.”
I held up a hand. “Why couldn’t Niles just tell the investors the truth? The work you’re doing, Darren, well, it’s breathtaking in scope. If it works, it will be a scientific breakthrough on a scale the world has never known. For heaven’s sake, you could single-handedly save the planet from pollution or eradicate hunger. Why wouldn’t the investors be willing to wait a few more years?”
“Money. It’s all about money, Lexi. Even if the prototype works, nanotechnology is inherently unstable. It’s more than likely the manufacturing process will encounter unforeseen issues that will make it another ten years or longer before anything can be produced on a mass scale. Twenty years or longer is a significant wait to see any cash flow.”
“But the science is sound.”
“Yes, the science is sound. I assure you, I know what I’m doing and what needs to be done. Perhaps it’s a gift or a curse, but for some reason, I’m the one destined to present this technology to the world. It will be fruitful…if I live long enough to finish it.”
“You’re truly in fear for your life?”
Darren nodded. “Michael’s death was not an accident. He was murdered.”
“You’re not the only one who suspects this. We did our own checking and the accident seems suspicious. The government agrees.”
He looked up in surprise. “The government?”
“Yes. They are looking for you, too, Darren. They’ve caught wind of the progress of your research and are naturally interested.”
“We have a spy at Flow. He’s been reporting on my progress. I don’t know if he’s reporting on me to another company or to the government, but Flow itself is no longer secure.”
I rolled my neck, trying to loosen the tension knot that had formed there. “Let me guess. You suspect Evan Chang is that spy.”
Darren gasped. “How did you know?”
“A hunch. He was visibly nervous talking to me when I interviewed him about you. Besides, it makes sense. He replaced Michael and would have the best understanding, not to mention access, of where you were with the research and development.”
“He seemed solid as a scientist, but I didn’t trust him.”
“You trusted no one,” I pointed out.
“Except for you and Dr. Gu.”
“Okay. But that still doesn’t explain why you are in fear for your life. Industrial or even government espionage is one thing, murder is another. Why would someone murder Michael or you? You’re the key to this entire technology—a walking gold mine—despite the fact that it could take years. Besides, Flow’s investors took out a twenty-five million dollar insurance policy to protect you as an intelligence asset. Okay, they may get the twenty-five million if you were to die in a so-called accident, but that’s a drop in the bucket in terms of their initial investment not to mention the billions, maybe even trillions, they stand to make if they’d stay with you for the duration. I just don’t get it.”
Darren leaned forward, clasping his hands between his knees. “Lexi, the investors aren’t protecting me and they weren’t protecting Michael. They never were. It’s all a front. Michael and I…we were sold to the highes
t bidder.”
“Excuse me?”
“Think about it. How many oil-rich countries in the world would pay millions or even billions to stop this technology?”
“Every single one of them. Your work is a serious threat to their livelihood.” I paused for a moment, thinking it over. “You mean to say Flow agreed to or is actually a partner in a plan to assassinate you?”
“In a way. My death would have to look like an accident, just like Michael’s.”
“Unthinkable.”
“I assure you, it’s my reality. As it stands, there have been numerous technical and industrial malfunctions at the lab these past few months. Seeing as how I am pretty much the only one who understands the science of the process in its entirety, I’m also the only one who notices the small imperfections and have managed to avoid any unfortunate accidents. But my work and the lab have been tampered with on numerous occasions, certainly in the hope that I will be killed or seriously harmed.”
“Well, that points to Chang as more than just an industrial spy. He’s the only one with the science to be able to create such an accident.”
“Perhaps. Then again, I don’t know who frequents the lab when I’m not there.”
I rubbed my temples with my fingertips. “How can you be sure any of this is really true? Not that I don’t believe it, it’s just easy to get sucked into the paranoia of the moment when under severe stress.”
He paused for a moment, turning his serious brown eyes on me. “When Michael hacked into Niles’s account he discovered that an oil-rich company was setting up a company in the U.S. in order to launder and provide funds for Niles that would pay for the hits. That company turned out to be NanoLab.”
“Flow’s manufacturing company. Why didn’t you take this to the authorities?”
“Michael hacked in to Niles’s account. None of what we discovered would be admissible in court. Besides, we didn’t know who to trust. We didn’t know how deep Niles’s tentacles ran.
“In fact, we were still trying to figure out what to do when Michael was killed. We hadn’t realized the threat was so immediate. For the few months following Michael’s death, I was a mess. I barely functioned. They could have easily murdered me then, but they probably needed to wait a decent time before offing me as well. I suppose it would have been highly suspicious if both of us were killed in a matter of weeks.”
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