Hard and Fast

by Raven Scott

  The cousins sipped their tea in silence for a few moments.

  “So what’s going on at work? Why do you have to go in so early?” Noelle finally asked. She was always uncomfortable with silence.

  Alex stood up from the table and walked back into the kitchen with her empty cup.

  “We’re taking the race car up to the track for road tests. But I have to do some work before that,” she explained.

  “Wow, I can’t believe you’ve finally built the hybrid car, Alex,” Noelle replied as she followed Alex and added her mug to the full dishwasher. “I remember when you first told me about the idea, and now it’s real.”

  Alex couldn’t believe it either. Two and a half years later, she was finally testing a new, high-performance electric drive motor. As an automotive engineer, it was a dream come true and a career-building moment. Most of her former classmates who wanted research and development work had joined one of the big car manufacturers. They were still proving themselves in various departments, waiting for the chance to contribute to new designs. Even then, they were often assigned to small components, tweaking or updating pre-existing technology. It was really the only path available for new graduates, and the one Alex had also anticipated on completion of her degree.

  That was until she took a co-op role with Magnus Motorsports in her senior year at the University of Waterloo. It was a small shop that designed and built custom components for high-performance sports cars. She had spent four months that spring doing every menial task, from lunch runs to cleaning everything in the shop. By the end of the first week, Alex was in love with the industry. Then, after demonstrating obsessive dedication to her job, she managed to secure a permanent position as a junior engineer that started right after her final exams.

  Now, almost five years later, Magnus was a rising force in motorsport racing, with products ranging from small components to end-to-end customizations. Alex was their lead design engineer and they were about to start the testing phase of her latest prototype, the Cicada hybrid.

  The Cicada hybrid was high-output dual-powered technology that could revolutionize the auto industry and would make or break her career. The early projections, based solely on the design schematics and very conservative estimates, suggested her design could outperform almost anything like it in the marketplace today. As a woman, and still very young compared to others in automotive engineering and design, Alex could not afford to under-deliver on the projected capabilities. If the Cicada failed relative to the expectations, she would be laughed out of her field, doomed to perform oil changes at Walmart for the rest of her life.

  But Noelle didn’t know all of that. Her cousin really didn’t understand Alex’s job beyond the drawing of intricate pictures of machinery, building prototypes, and the supervision of the final construction. The rest was highly confidential to those other than her boss, Marco; one outside consultant; and a small group of investors. Not even her team knew the details of the Cicada project to this point. But that would all change tomorrow.

  “I won’t be around much this week either,” Alex added once the kitchen was clean. “So don’t make any dinner for me.”

  “But you’re still going to Kate’s shower on Friday, right?” asked Noelle.

  Kate Nguyen was her friend, Shawn’s fiancée, and the bride-to-be for their wedding on Saturday. Alex was the best woman for the ceremony.

  “Yeah, I should be there. I’m staying with Shawn at the hotel that night anyway,” Alex confirmed.

  Her cousin raised her eyebrows, clearly expressing her disapproval.

  “Really, Noelle, it’s the twenty-first century. I can sleep in the same room with Shawn without having sex with him the night before he gets married,” scoffed Alex. “He’s been my best friend since ninth grade. If we were at all interested in each other, I’m pretty sure something would have happened by now.”

  It was an old debate, and one Alex really had no interest in having over and over. There was no way to convince most of the women she knew that a man and a woman really could only be friends.

  “I didn’t say anything,” Noelle retorted, but her mouth was still twisted with disapproval. “Anyway, I picked something out for you from the gift registry. I figured you’d forget to buy her something.”

  Alex had forgotten. She gave Noelle a guilty and grateful grin.

  “I know, I know, I’m the best girlfriend in the world,” her cousin added while rolling her eyes.

  “Thanks, babe,” Alex told her with light punch to the arm on her way out of the kitchen. “I owe you.”

  “Yeah, you do. One hundred and twenty dollars to be exact.”

  “’K, I’ll send it to you tomorrow. Good night.”

  Upstairs in her bedroom, Alex dressed for bed in an oversized Indy 500 T-shirt. It was the only thing left from her last relationship. While brushing her teeth in front of the bathroom mirror, she thought through all the things that needed to be done at work in the coming week. Not the least of which was a very extensive systems security review.

  There were many projects similar to hers currently in the works all over the world. But her development of hybrid fuel technology with high-performance output was the most advanced that they knew of. Marco was concerned that any leaks about Alex’s design and the Cicada schematics could destroy their efforts to be first to market. As a small Canadian player in the global arena, they couldn’t afford to lose that advantage. Every effort had to be made to keep their information secure, including new information security protocols and a full audit and document cleanup. Everything related to the new engine had to be filed within one secure server on the network or destroyed.

  There was a lot of tedious, time-consuming work and it needed to be done before they started a very aggressive testing schedule this week. Which meant tomorrow would be hectic and intense. The official product launch was two months away, but if there were any delays to the initial testing timeline, it could put her team behind schedule.

  With all that could go wrong in the coming week, it was possible that Alex would not be able to attend Kate’s bridal shower Friday evening. That didn’t bother her too much. She was only going out of obligation to Shawn and so Noelle wouldn’t have to attend alone. Worst-case scenario, Alex could apologize afterward with a gift in hand, thanks to Noelle’s foresight.

  Satisfied with her backup plan, Alex climbed into bed and turned off the night-light. She took a deep breath and tried to let sleep take over. But other thoughts interrupted. The plans for the upcoming weekend meant she would be back at the Metropolitan Hotel Friday night, then all day Saturday for Shawn’s wedding. That led her mind back to earlier in the evening, when she sat down to rest her feet and found herself in front of the most beautiful man she’d ever seen up close.

  Lucas. With the sexy eyes, smooth cinnamon skin, and panty-wetting smile. Never mind those lips. And that kiss. That kiss had sent shock waves through her legs and left her wanting more.

  Alex shifted under the sheets, trying to get comfortable on her stomach. She took another deep breath and blew it out slowly. Sleep came swiftly, as did the shadowy dreams of a strong embrace against a tall, lean, lithe body.

  The next morning, she was up and out the door in thirty minutes, dressed in her standard black yoga pants, Ferrari logo-ed T-shirt under a warm spring jacket, and thick socks in work boots. The Magnus Motorsports shop was located in an industrial area of downtown Toronto. She was the first in, other than Oliver Poulton, the overnight security guard.

  “Morning, Alex,” stated Oliver as she entered the lobby at the front of the building, her hands filled with two large cups of coffee. The walls were lined with framed Magnus car parts, design drawings, and custom race cars.

  “Hey, Oli,” she replied with a bright smile. “I brought you a treat. Caramel white mochaccino with whipped cream and chocolate slivers.”

  Oliver beamed at her as his round, pale face flushed with pleasure.

  “Sounds yummy. You’re a lifesaver,
” he declared as he stood from behind the reception desk and took one of the cups from her. “I was just about to make a fresh pot in the kitchen, but this is way better.”

  “Well now I’ve saved you the trouble,” she quipped with a grin. “See you later.”

  Alex went through the hallway that led to the business offices. Hers was the last room on the left, right next to the large body shop at the rear of the building and across from one of the meeting rooms. It was a small office, dominated by a big desk in front of a bank of windows covered in vinyl blinds, with a view of the parking lot. Inside, she placed her purse and black coffee on her desk, then hung up her coat and stepped into one of several gray overalls hanging in the closet, all stitched with the Magnus logo along the right shoulder. Sitting behind her large desk, she turned on the powerful computer and the three HD screens that lined up on the surface. While they booted up, she took her iPad out of her purse and opened the notes and action plan from her meeting with Marco on Friday afternoon.

  Last week, someone had tried to hack into their computer systems. There was no sign that they had accessed anything critical yet. But according to the security consultants, the attack was very sophisticated and aggressive, and after something more valuable and specific than their library of patented designs. As a result, Magnus was implementing a new network protocol with very specific data storage and backup criteria. The security consultant would be in their office this week to complete the implementation.

  There was no question that the Cicada design was the target of this attack. From the moment she had outlined her idea to Marco almost three years ago, they both knew its success was dependent on a high level of confidentiality. Even her team was kept in the dark through the design and build of the prototype. Each engineer was assigned a component of the engine, based on tweaks to current patents, but only Alex worked on the electric motor schematics. And she had hired an external physicist to provide newly developed technology in rechargeable lithium-ion battery power. It was the key component in what made her hybrid different from anything known today.

  Alex had also worked alone over the last six months to put the prototype together and run it through the engine-testing equipment after hours. Today, they would start the road tests before more fine-tuning and detailed calibrations. It was time to bring her team into the fold and document every step of the process. And the risk of a security breach was now exponentially higher. It was now mid-April, and any leaks about the strengths or weaknesses of the Cicada design could sabotage their official launch, scheduled in June.

  So Alex only had a little time through the day to finish organizing her classified files before the Magnus computer network went on lockdown.

  CHAPTER 3

  Lucas arrived at Magnus Motorsports at about eight thirty on Monday morning. The eight-thousand-square-foot design and fabrication shop was in a one-story building of an industrial plaza. There were seven custom sports cars parked in the front, and several more in the back parking lot, in various stages of customization and repair. While the company was making its name in racing components, the bread and butter of the business was the tuning, repair, and maintenance of high-end sports cars. Of the twenty-one employees, nine were mechanics licensed to work on everything from Audi to Lamborghini to Porsche, and everything in between. Six design engineers worked on the large library of Magnus-patented components, and another three had been hired within the last year to join the Cicada team, led by the lead engineer, Alex Cotts.

  Lucas was very familiar with the organization structure at Magnus. Nine months ago, he had designed a new, highly secure computer and network system for the company, with the sole purpose to protect all the Magnus designs and intellectual property. The most sensitive of which was their high-output hybrid-engine fuel design, though it was still a concept at the time. He set up role-based permissions with very specific access perimeters for each employee based on the job requirements. Then, Fortis sent Raymond Bloom to Toronto for several weeks to implement the system, working with several local, highly recommended consultants.

  With post-implementation network administration and support, the Magnus case was a relatively simple assignment, compared to most of the security work that Fortis managed. Or it was, until last week when someone went through a lot of trouble to try hacking their system.

  “Mr. Johnson?”

  Lucas turned to the woman walking toward him the moment he stepped into the front entrance of the shop. She was short and full-bodied, wearing casual cotton slacks and a light sweater. Her hand was extended in greeting.

  “I’m Norma Stavros, Marco’s office manager.”

  He shook her hand firmly and flashed a disarming smile. Her grip strength almost matched his.

  “Nice to meet you, Norma.”

  “Marco’s running late at another appointment, but he should be here in about an hour,” she explained as she turned to walk through the main showroom. “He’s asked me to set you up with a space where you can work.”

  “Okay, thanks. Can you also show me to your server room?” Lucas asked.

  “Sure, it’s near the entrance to the auto shop.” She opened another set of doors at the other end of the large space, leading to a long hallway with offices and meeting rooms running along its length. “Would you like some coffee or anything?”

  “No, I’m good, thanks.”

  Norma turned into the first doorway on the left, a small conference room with a round table, four chairs, and a phone on top. There was a large whiteboard mounted on the side wall.

  “You can use this room for as long as you need,” she told him.

  Lucas set his laptop bag on the table and removed his cell phone from the inside pocket of his blazer, then slipped it off to hang it over one of the chair backs. He unzipped the leather bag and pulled out an iPad and a few network cords.

  “Ready whenever you are,” he told her.

  She smiled and led the way down the hallway and through another exit at the end. Before they went through, Lucas glanced into the auto shop through the glass wall that ran the full length of the hallway. There were five men working on several high-end cars at one end of the large space. Another three were standing around a big contraption, watching a readout on a computer screen, while a fourth appeared to be crouched low behind the machine. All wore full-cover gray overalls.

  “Is Alex Cotts in there?” he asked Norma, who was waiting patiently in the doorway.

  “Yeah, in front of the motor-testing machine,” she replied.

  Lucas nodded, then followed Norma through to a locked door with a touch-screen access panel. She entered the eight-digit numerical code and led him to a small equipment room, with the compact stack of high-storage servers, and other network and electrical equipment.

  “It’s not very fancy, I’m afraid,” she stated wryly as they both looked around the dusty space. “No one has access but Marco and I, and neither of us know what anything is.”

  “No worries,” Lucas assured her. “Everything important is well protected.”

  “I’ll take your word for it,” she laughed. “Let me know if you need anything else. My desk is just beside the showroom, and I’ll have Marco call you when he arrives.”

  “Thanks,” he replied with a grateful smile. Then he got to work.

  An hour later, he was back in the small meeting room, on a call with Evan DaCosta.

  “What are we looking at?” Evan asked, referring to the expanding scope of the Magnus assignment.

  “I haven’t met with Passante yet. But from what we know already, I sent Passante a new mission outline for an on-site security detail in addition to the systems lockdown, until the official launch of their product,” Lucas stated.

  “When’s the launch?”

  “I’ll confirm this morning, but their plan was for mid-June.”

  “Eight to nine weeks,” Evan estimated. “Who do you want?”

  Fortis had eleven field agents with a wide variety of specialized and
military training.

  “I’m thinking of Ned, Lance, and Michael,” Lucas suggested.

  Michael Thorpe was from the FBI, and Ned and Lance were already familiar with the mission from the assignment in Chicago on Friday. All three were highly skilled in physical security detail and close contact combat.

  “What about the network? Raymond is working with Sam and me on a couple of other projects, but we could free him up if needed.”

  There was a knock at the meeting room door. Lucas turned to find Marco Passante standing in the entrance.

  “I’ll call you and Sam this evening and we’ll finalize the team,” Lucas told Evan before they ended the call.

  He then walked forward to meet his client.

  “Lucas Johnson? I’m Marco.” He was a slim man in his midforties, about five feet ten inches tall with a full head of long curly hair and a goatee. “Sorry to interrupt your call, but I wanted to let you know I’m available to meet whenever you are.”

  “No worries, I was wrapping up anyway,” Lucas replied smoothly as they shook hands. The two men had spoken many times by phone and video chats over the last eight months, but this was their first meeting face-to-face.

  “Thanks for coming into town to meet so quickly. I hope Norma was helpful is getting you settled,” Marco stated.

  “She was great. I got access to everything I need so far,” Lucas told him.

  “Good, good. Everything in order?”

  “All’s good with your on-site systems, based on the strategy we implemented last year,” replied Lucas. “We can modify as required, if you agree to the proposal we sent you on Friday.”

  A cell phone rang, and both men looked at their devices. It was for Marco.

  “Sorry, it’s Alex,” he told Lucas before accepting the call. “Hey, how are you guys making out?”

  Marco walked back and forth as he listened to the response.