“By which time Grimwood will have gone underground,” Teller growls. “This is getting us nowhere. For God’s sake, Stradford, we all know it’s your decision. Make a call.”
Stradford Brunner stands tall. “I’ll make my decision when I’m good and ready, Farlan. And I’ll remind you that your presence here is a courtesy to Agrippine. You are not a member of this faculty, nor do you have a seat on the board.”
Teller sits back in his chair and folds his arms across his chest. “Duly noted, Stradford. But I need no reminders. The same can’t be said for your principal, who seems to need a nudge in the right direction.”
Cameron’s eyes flash with annoyance. He points at Teller and scowls, but Angela cuts in. “For goodness sake! This isn’t a schoolyard. I know I shouldn’t be surprised after all these years, but we need a logical discussion, not a series of petty arguments.”
Brunner holds up his hands for calm. “OK. Here’s the deal. Stewart, for the time being, we need to keep this as low key as we can, so Eileen Barber is out. And as the situation stands, I will not negotiate over the involvement of other staff. So, on your own, and with the full backing of the board, and with all the resources of Agrippine at your disposal, can you come up with a plan that will catch the attacker, whoever he may be, without exposing the students and staff to an unacceptable level of risk?”
Stewart looks at Teller. “I’ll have the full cooperation of Agrippine? Full clearance in every part of all their virtual environments?”
Teller nods. “I guarantee it. You’ll have the same access as our top-flight developers.”
“All right,” Stewart says. “I’ll do it. I’ll find the culprit. And with Angela’s help, we’ll ensure that the students are as safe as possible.”
“Thank you,” Brunner says. “Angela, you’ve heard Stewart’s assessment. Are you satisfied?”
Angela frowns and looks at Stewart. “Yes. So long as I’m kept in the loop. But if anything changes, I want to know immediately.”
Brunner turns to Cameron. “How about you?”
Cameron shifts in his seat. “I’m not convinced. I want to go on the record to voice my concerns.”
Teller lets out a hollow laugh. “Are you kidding me? There is no record—not for any of this. And there will never be a record.”
“All right,” Cameron snaps. “I’ll go along with it. But I want you all to remember that I think it’s a bad idea. And if anyone gets hurt, I won’t be held responsible.”
“There’s no danger of that,” Teller sneers. “No one could ever imagine you being responsible for anything.”
“Enough!” Brunner shouts. “We are all of us in this thing up to our goddamned necks. If it goes wrong, we’ll all pay the price. So you’d all better make damned sure that it goes right. Do I make myself clear? And that goes double for you, Stewart—you’ll be the one on the front line.”
Stewart nods. “Understood.”
“Then this meeting is at an end,” Brunner says. “I’ll have all the data sent through to you, Stewart. Farlan will deliver on his promise of full system access. And in the meantime, you’re to liaise with Angela and formulate a strategy. You’ll present your ideas to me by this time tomorrow.”
“I should sit in on that meeting,” Cameron says.
“No,” Brunner says. “I want you to carry on as normal. You are the public face of this center. You’ll welcome the new students and make sure their induction runs like clockwork. You’ll let Stewart handle the operations—that’s his job.”
The blood rises to Cameron’s face. “So I’m not to be trusted, is that it?”
Brunner shrugs. “That’s not it at all. But I need you to look calm and confident, so the less you know about the operation, the easier that will be. Understand?”
Cameron shakes his head and looks away.
“There’s one more thing,” Angela says. “If the situation changes, and if anything happens that could endanger the students, anything at all, I’ll pull the plug on the whole thing. I’ll go to the board if necessary. And I won’t accept this on any other terms.”
Brunner smiles. “Absolutely, Angela. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
CHAPTER 8
SANJAY LEANS AGAINST THE WALL of a battered brick building and peers around the corner, scanning the street beyond. This VR scenario is based on an old version of Unlimited Combat, and the mission map is a simple grid of streets. She’s standing at an intersection of two main roads, and the sightlines are good. That’s why she chose this place; when Rhombus arrives, she’ll see him long before he’ll be able to see her.
She checks her Personal Defense Weapon and makes a tiny alteration to the adjustable stock. The PDW is small in her hands after the elegant heft of her sniper rifle, but it’s an Elite Assault Corporation gun, based on the old MP7A1, and its fire rate is beyond anything Rhombus might be bringing to the party. It’s a custom model too. Every aspect of the weapon’s design, including its ammunition, can be modified, and Sanjay has been thorough in setting the gun up. Very thorough indeed. It’s perfect, she thinks. Almost too good to be true. But she’s tested the weapon often enough. She can rely on it one hundred percent.
A warning message appears on her UI, and she watches carefully as a handful of red dots dart across her target indicator. Has Rhombus brought backup? Sanjay holds her breath, waiting. No. When she follows the targets, it’s clear that they represent other players having a skirmish of their own, circling around each other, vying for position. The rattle of automatic gunfire echoes along the empty street. That’s good. She’s set this scenario up to include a little background activity; it will reassure Rhombus and make him think everything is normal. She wants him off his guard from the moment he logs on. She takes a breath and forces herself to relax. She needs to keep an edge, but if she lets herself get wound too tight, she could easily blow the whole thing. She checks the time in her UI. Rhombus is late. Maybe he won’t show. Maybe he’s trying to do a number on her.
“No way,” she murmurs. “He won’t try anything—he must know I’d never let him get away with it.”
A hiss of static in her earpiece breaks into her thoughts. And then a whisper, low and urgent: “Sanjay? I’m at the rendezvous point. Where are you?”
Sanjay pulls up the map in her UI and zooms out until she finds him. “No, you’re not at the RP, you idiot,” she snaps. “Head two blocks south, and I’ll pick you up from there.”
“What? I followed the link you sent, and this is where I wound up.”
“That was deliberate,” Sanjay says slowly. “If you used the link properly, you’ll have some coordinates in your UI. I thought you’d figure it out. I guess I was wrong.”
There’s a pause, then Sanjay hears Rhombus muttering under his breath.
“Relax, Rhombus,” she says. “I need to make sure you’re not being followed, OK? I’ll watch your back as you come toward me. It’s just a precaution, that’s all.”
“If you wanted to keep this quiet, why the hell did you pick a public game? We should’ve met in a secure area. This is ridiculous. We could run into anyone here.”
“We’re hiding in plain sight,” Sanjay says. “We’re just a couple of people playing a game, right?”
“Whatever. I’ve got the coordinates and I’m heading south now. I’ll be there in a second.”
Sanjay leans back against the wall. And she waits. This is too easy, she thinks. Far too easy. She lets her mind drift, running through the moves she can make, the subtle strategies she can use to get the better of Rhombus. And then there he is, a red dot rolling across her target indicator. And it’s time. Time to make her move.
“The hell with it,” she murmurs. “I’m just not in the mood.” She counts off the seconds, waiting until Rhombus is within a few yards of her position, then she swings around the corner and brings up her weapon, sighting through the scope, her finger already squeezing tight on the trigger.
The weapon kicks back against her s
houlder and sends out a spray of specially modified rounds.
Rhombus is an easy target. He’s walking alone down the center of the street, his rifle lowered, and Sanjay’s rounds hit home, raking across his legs, punching tattered holes in the man’s combat pants. For a fraction of a second Sanjay registers the horrified expression on her target’s face, and then he’s down, rolling on the concrete. Sanjay bursts into action, pounding across the street, closing in on Rhombus. He sees her and lifts his rifle, his arms shaking with the effort, but he’s too late. Sanjay stands over him, and without hesitation, she kicks the weapon from his hands.
“Shit!” Rhombus yells. “I’m hit! My legs!”
“Save it, Rhombus. Save it for someone who gives a damn.”
Rhombus stares up at her, then his eyes lose focus as he concentrates on his UI. “My damned medikit doesn’t work,” he mutters. “What the hell is wrong with it?”
“Forget about that,” Sanjay says. “You can log off soon.”
“No. It’s got to work. I’m in agony here.”
Sanjay lifts her combat boot and delivers a sharp kick to Rhombus’s ribs.
“Jesus Christ!” he yells. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I told you to forget about your medikit,” Sanjay snaps, and there’s an edge of cold steel in her voice that demands attention. “Forget about your whole damned inventory—you’ve got nothing that’ll help you now.”
Rhombus lies very still. “You! You’ve blocked my medikit somehow. I don’t know how, but you did it.” He grinds his teeth together and pulls himself up into a sitting position. “What the hell is this about, Sanjay? What kind of crazy bullshit are you trying to pull?”
“Just listen to me,” Sanjay says. “Listen carefully, answer my questions, and then you can go. Once you log off, you’ll be fine.”
“The hell with that,” Rhombus growls. “I’m logging off right now, then you’ll never see me again, and you’ll never get your hands on that mod.” He gives her a grim smile. “You’ve blown it, Sanjay. You’re finished.”
Sanjay chuckles under her breath. “Go ahead. Just try it.”
Rhombus narrows his eyes. “You’re goddamned crazy, you know that?” He stares into the middle distance as he focuses on his UI. His brow furrows as he concentrates, then he lets out a roar of frustration. He puts his hands on the ground and pushes himself up, trying to stand. He growls against the agony as his legs take his weight. But before he can struggle to his feet, Sanjay calmly kicks his arm out from under him. Rhombus cries out and topples over, landing heavily on his side.
“I told you to listen,” Sanjay says. “If you do what I tell you, you’ll be fine. But if you keep up with this macho bullshit, I’m going to leave you for dead. Do you understand?”
“Why can’t I log off? What have you done?” Rhombus grimaces and rolls onto his back, looking up at his persecutor, his eyes clouded in pain. “You can’t get away with this, not in a public game.”
Sanjay pouts. “And yet, here we are. Ain’t that a bitch?”
“It’s that goddamned link you sent me,” Rhombus mutters. “I knew there was something wrong when I saw the encryption.”
“You tried to crack it?”
“Of course I did,” Rhombus says. “And I knew, right then, something was wrong.” He closes his eyes. “Goddammit! I should’ve listened to myself.”
Sanjay tilts her head to one side. “But you figured I was harmless, right? You figured I was just a girl.”
Rhombus opens his eyes, and when he looks up at her, Sanjay smiles. I’ve got you now, she thinks. You’ll do whatever I want you to. But she doesn’t say a word. Let him ask, she tells herself. Let him beg.
“All right,” Rhombus says. “I get it. This isn’t a public game, it’s a scenario you set up to draw me in. And I walked right in with my eyes open. You got me.” He shakes his head as if dismayed at his own stupidity. “Let’s get this over with. Tell me what you want and we’ll make a deal.”
“That’s better,” Sanjay says. “And you’re right—this is my scenario and it’s completely isolated from any other system. No one can find you here, and the link I sent you was only good for one time, so there’s no way anyone can come and help you. This is my territory, my world, and whatever I say goes.”
A staccato burst of gunfire rolls down the street and Rhombus raises his eyebrows. “You sure about that, Sanjay? Sounds like we got company. Sounds like you made a mistake.”
Sanjay smiles. “Just part of the scenario. They’re not real. I didn’t want you thinking it was too quiet and getting all jumpy.”
Rhombus looks down at the ground and curses quietly.
“OK, let’s get down to business,” Sanjay says. “You know I want the AGILE mod, and I want to know where you got it. But first, I want to know who you really are.”
Rhombus lets out a snort of contempt, but he doesn’t look up. “You’re a goddamned amateur. You have absolutely no idea what you’re getting into.”
“Maybe not, but I’m about to find out.”
Rhombus looks up at her, and the glint of defiance is back in his eyes. “Forget it, Sanjay. We had an agreement before, but you’ve blown it. And you know what? If you’d played along, you’d have got the goddamned mod. That was always the plan. But not now. There’s no way she’ll trust you after this.”
“She? Who are you dealing with, Rhombus? Who’s your contact?”
“I don’t know her real name, you idiot! She’s too smart for that.”
“Then how do you know she’s really a woman?”
Rhombus gives her a look, his eyes filled with malice. “I just know. Like I know she’s a player. And I don’t mean she’s some dumb game-head. She’s someone high up, someone who knows how to get things done. And she has access like you’ve never seen. She can get to anyone at any time and she can do any damned thing she wants. So you’d better watch out because, after today, she’ll be coming for you. And when she does, you won’t know a damned thing about it. You won’t even suspect. And then it’ll be too late.” He gives her a sad smile. “You’re screwed, Sanjay. And me too. We’re both as good as dead.”
Sanjay hesitates, drawn in by the pitiable sorrow in Rhombus’s eyes. He isn’t lying; he believes every word he’s saying. But is he correct in his assumptions or just deluded?
She looks down at Rhombus and her mind fills with questions: Who’s pulling the strings here? Could it be someone at Agrippine? Or is it more likely to be someone in the Trust? And how did Rhombus get dragged into all this? Was he just unlucky, or is there some other factor—something she’s not seeing?
She blinks, breaking eye contact with Rhombus, and brings her thoughts back to the task at hand; she doesn’t have time for pointless speculation. Rhombus knows more than he’s saying. He’s trying to throw up a smokescreen, and it’s time to put the pressure on him. She looks him in the eye. “How’s the pain? Getting worse?”
Rhombus shakes his head. “I can’t…it’s all numb.” He touches his thigh. “My legs…I can’t feel my legs.” He grunts and tries to move, but although his legs tremble and quiver, he can’t lift his feet from the ground. “Oh shit!” He looks up at Sanjay, his eyes round with fear. “What did you do?”
“The slugs didn’t go through your legs, they’re still in there. And they’re doing what I designed them to do.”
“What? You’re bullshitting me. You’re not that smart.”
Sanjay purses her lips. “Are you done under-estimating me yet? Have you still not understood that I’ve beaten you? What do I have to do to prove it to you, you moron?”
Rhombus’s eyes flash with anger, but then he winces and looks down at his hands, spreading his fingers wide. “Wait! My fingers. I…I can’t feel them.”
“It’s moving faster than I thought,” Sanjay says. “Listen, there’s a payload of code moving through your avatar right now. Soon, you won’t be able to move, won’t be able to speak. And back in the real world, you won’t
be doing so good. You’ll get dehydrated, and I won’t lie to you, there’s a risk that when the code affects your neural patterns, you’ll go into a coma.”
Rhombus bares his teeth and takes a heavy breath. “I’ll get you the mod, Sanjay. I’ll steal it if I have to. I’ll do anything. Just let me get out of here.”
“I can get you out, but only if you tell me who you are and where you’re plugged in. I need to know that first, all right?”
Rhombus hesitates. “Marcus. I’m Marcus Holst.”
“Marcus? Oh my God! I know you—you’re in the Beta Program.” Sanjay moves her lips silently for a second. Why is Marcus acting like a two-bit hacker and peddling illegal mods? In real life, he’s doing so well: a star student, a top-flight cybersecurity student, a member of the Beta Program. Why would he risk it all for a few credits?
Sanjay purses her lips. There’s so much she needs to find out. But not now. There are so many small details to deal with, the big questions will have to wait. “All right, Marcus. Tell me where you are. Are you using a chair? Are you in one of the labs?”
Marcus shakes his head slowly. “No. I’ll never tell you. I can’t trust you. You could do anything to me in real life.”
“Marcus, I could do anything to you right here, right now. But all I want to know is where you are. I need that assurance, all right? I can’t have you coming after me. So you have to tell me exactly where you are, and you need to tell me now before it’s too late.”
“No, Sanjay. That’s just not going to happen. And I…I won’t get you the mod either. I’m done with this bullshit. You might as well forget it. I won’t help you. I’ve done too much already.”
Sanjay squats down on her haunches and studies her victim’s face. “Marcus, you’re getting cold. I can see you shivering. That’s the code working its way through your avatar. And I set this scenario up real tight. I had you from the second you followed that link. You’re integrated all the way. So when the code gets to your chest, in real life, your heart is going to slow down. Then you won’t be able to breathe properly. And finally, when the code hits your neural pathways, you’re going to slip away, bit by bit. As every second passes, a tiny piece of your mind will fade away.” She pauses, watching the fear blossom in Marcus’s eyes. Then she leans closer and lowers her voice to a whisper, her voice warm and gentle, almost seductive. “And I’m very much afraid, Marcus, that if we don’t get you out of here in time, we might not be able to bring you back. You’ll be gone, Marcus. Gone for good.”
The Trust (The Downlode Heroes Book 2) Page 8