Even though the Swamper warlord had finally decided to come out of the shadows, Edgard was confident that he posed little or no threat to his corporate empire. As far as he was concerned, Vespasien was just another grimy Swamper with no real power and too much ego who couldn’t do anything besides brag and threaten.
He raised the glass to his lips and took another sip. Didn’t the Swampers ever learn? For the past twenty years he had dealt with them and their vigilantes. And in all that time not one of them had realized that there were other, far more effective ways of control besides force of arms and terrorism. Subtle ways such as blackmail and political assassinations. Those were the things he really feared. But blackmailers had a way of disappearing; and Edgard was certain that Leon Vespasien would be no exception.
“Excuse me, Mr. Edgard.” Alex said.
“Yes, Alex?”
“Well, sir … I’m afraid I have a bit of bad news.”
“Just say it, Alex. The sooner you get it over with the better.”
“Well, Mr. Edgard, sir. There has been another security breach.”
“What? Where? How? Answer me Alex!” he shouted, nearly spilling his drink as he hurried to his desk’s holo-monitor.
“A security breach. In Research Building 3’s sub-level four laboratory.”
“Luna’s lab,” Edgard muttered. “Show me what’s going on in there now, Alex.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Edgard.”
Saul sank into his chair and watched his monitor while Alex cycled through the Unitech security feeds. The blur of images finally stopped on a live video feed showing Luna McKelly staring intently at the monitor in her lab, scrolling through restricted information.
Edgard felt his pulse begin to quicken.
She was seeing secrets that could not, under any circumstances, come to light.
“How did this happen, Alex?” he snapped.
“I am unsure … I believe her personal AI unit accessed a previously unknown subroutine in my data stream, and was then able to access the files in question via that route. A back door, so to speak.”
“Just like what happened with those two techs,” Edgard growled under his breath. “I thought we fixed all the ‘back doors.’”
“Apparently, we missed one.”
“Yeah? I think that’s pretty obvious now! You’re absolutely useless, Alex! Jack was an idiot to invent something as inherently defective as you are. If you weren’t built into everything, I would have dismantled you twenty years ago.”
“I do apologize, Mr. Edgard. But need I remind you that if it weren’t for your frequent interference with my mainframe, I would still be operating at peak efficiency.”
Edgard rubbed his forehead with a shaking hand. “We’ve got to clean up this mess. And we’ve got to clean it up now.”
“Shall I make the usual calls, Mr. Edgard?”
Saul nodded. “Yes. Call the men; have them detain Miss McKelly until I arrive. Tell them to go to the usual spot. I’ll meet them there. Maybe I can talk some sense into her.”
“I will get on it right away, sir.”
“Oh, and Alex. You’d better deactivate the cameras inside Research Building 3 and in all of the nearby parking lots. File a report saying the cameras were out of order since yesterday, and schedule a repair for tomorrow morning. Make it look as if the problem has been going on for a while and that we were already taking care of it—just in case anyone starts getting suspicious.”
“I will do what I can, Mr. Edgard. Do be sure to drive safely tonight, sir. There is a severe storm moving down into our vicinity. And I expect that the roads will be quite hazardous.”
Saul sat and watched the monitor for a few more minutes before finally rising to his feet. As much as he hated silencing a woman as young and as beautiful as Luna, she knew too much for him to simply let her go. The things she knew now could destroy him and his company if the public ever found out. And that was something he simply could not allow.
Chapter 23
“Search complete, Miss Luna. Importing results now.” Ada said, as several dozen file icons popped onto the screen. “Do you require anything else?”
“Not right now. Thanks,” Luna replied, selecting the first file with her finger. However, instead of accessing the work records of Frank Travis, she instead found herself staring blankly at a manifesto detailing an under-the-table shipment of surface-to-air-missiles sent to an unnamed recipient somewhere in New Oklahoma City.
“Ada … ” she said slowly, opening the next file, “what exactly did you search for?”
“My search parameters were the same as before, Miss Luna. All information on Mr. Raúl Sanchez and Mr. Frank Travis. As you specified.”
“Strange … ” she muttered to herself, ignoring the tiny voice in the back of her head telling her to forget the whole thing and get out.
She opened another file. And another. And another. …
It seemed that none of the records she’d uncovered had anything to do with either Frank Travis or Raúl Sanchez. Instead, each was filled with overwhelming evidence of blatant corruption inside Unitech, ranging from the development and distribution of illegal weapons to bribery and political intrigue.
At the end of her search was an extensive collection of security recordings she found tucked away in an unmarked folder near the bottom of the list. Each of the recordings had been categorized in order of date, with the oldest footage appearing first.
She hesitated, then slowly moved a trembling hand over the holographic screen and tapped the first video in the list. A moment later the screen filled with a security recording showing the hallway outside Jack Anderson’s office.
She leaned closer and scrutinized the time stamp in the bottom left-hand corner: February the 28th, 2099. 10:45 PM.
February the 28th, 2099…oh no! No! she thought, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach. That was the night Mr. Anderson was murdered!
Even as the horrifying realization dawned on her, the shadowy figure of a man appeared on camera and moved swiftly to the office’s door. A few seconds later a single gunshot echoed through the deserted hallway.
She flinched and covered her mouth, fighting back a scream as the reality of what she had just seen set in. She’d witnessed the murder of Jack Anderson: one of the greatest minds of the twenty-first century.
Once again the murderer appeared on screen She leaned closer and held her breath, watching intently as the man slipped his nickel-plated weapon back under his coat, checked to make sure the coast was clear, then hurried down the hall—straight toward the camera.
Luna's hand shot up and paused the video just before the man could disappear off camera. Trying to calm her racing heart, she whispered, “Ada, enlarge image and enhance the screen resolution to compensate. Make it as clear as you can.”
At Luna’s command, Ada zoomed in on the image of the murderer and began the slow process of smoothing out the blurry image. Slowly, megapixel by megapixel, the identity of Jack’s killer was finally revealed.
Saul Edgard.
This … this can’t be. … Luna thought, starring at the freeze-frame image of Mr. Edgard in horrified disbelief.
All her life Mr. Edgard and Unitech had stood as dual symbols of world-unification and peace. “Helping mankind in the fight for survival.” That was their motto. Yet here was proof that Edgard was nothing more than a power-hungry puppeteer who’d murdered Unitech’s founder in order to satisfy his own, twisted agenda.
“Ada, download everything and get back to the headset. We’re getting out of here!”
“Of course, Miss Luna. Beginning download now.”
Luna chewed her bottom lip and waited anxiously while Ada downloaded the incriminating records.
Just when she was beginning to truly panic, the blue light on the all-purpose device blinked on. The download was complete.
Finally!
She snatched up the headset, pushed out of the chair, and made for the exit. Once through the airlock, she slipped the headset over
her ear and activated the holographic dialing display.
Her eyes flitted across the translucent screen, jumping from number to number as the sound of her pounding feet and labored breathing reverberated off the hallway. Her eyes selected the last numeral in the Security Agency’s number and then darted to the ‘call’ button.
Luna pressed the device closer to her ear and listened. The phone rang, once, twice, three times. Was anyone even in the security office this late at night?
Just when she was about to hit re-dial, there was a click, followed by the sound of a woman’s voice. “Hello, you’ve reached Unitech Security. How may I help you?”
“Oh, thank God!” Luna wheezed, skidding to a stop in front of the elevator. “Listen carefully! My name is Luna McKelly. I’m on sub-level four in Research Building 3. I need to speak with Mr. Landers immediately!”
“I’m sorry, miss. But Mr. Landers has gone home for the evening. Can I put you through to someone else instead?”
“No, you can’t!” Luna screamed, punching the elevator’s up button. “Listen, I just stumbled across some important information and I need to …”
“What sort of information are you talking about?” The woman on the other line asked, her voice sounding concerned.
“I can’t say over the phone,” Luna replied, stepping into the elevator. “All you need to know is that it is extremely important that I speak to Mr. Landers as soon as possible. My life could be in danger here!”
“I understand, miss. I’ll try to contact him. Stay right where you are—I’ll send a team out to pick you up. Find a safe place and wait for us to come and get you. Got it?”
“Okay …” Luna said, trying to sound brave. “I’ll be waiting. … Please hurry.”
“Don’t worry, miss. We’ll be there before you know it.”
I sure hope so … Luna thought, as she slipped the headset back into her pocket. She was still terrified of what could happen if she were found out. But she took some comfort in knowing that help was on the way.
The lift continued to rise, and soon she was hurrying through the main lobby. She jogged through the deserted room on wobbly legs, past the statue of Jack Anderson to the front door—pausing for a moment to catch her breath before pushing through them into the brisk night beyond.
She shivered and pulled her coat around her. In the distance bright flashes of lightning illuminated the billowing underside of a massive storm bearing down from the north. Out of habit, she glanced up at the glistening rain barrier, and wondered if its aging shields would be enough.
She decided she would play it safe and wait in her car until the agents showed up. After all, it was warm, dry, and a whole lot safer sitting inside her car than it was standing out on the front steps.
Luna looked around one more time just to make sure that she really was alone, then plunged her frozen hands into her pockets and dashed across the dimly lit parking lot.
She hurried over to the BMW, unlocked the door, then quickly slid into the driver’s seat. Her lungs ached from exertion, but as the doors eased closed behind her she felt that she could again breathe easy. She was safe. At least for the time being.
She started the car and had just turned on the heater when two black Mercedes turned into the parking lot and pulled up beside the BMW.
Fearfully she pressed herself farther back into the seat, watching as several men wearing dark suits piled out of the cars.
The agents.
She allowed herself to breathe again and quickly unlocked the doors.
“Are you Miss McKelly?” one of the suit-clad men asked as she climbed out of her vehicle.
Luna nodded, and forced a smile. “That’s me. You guys sure got here fast … I was afraid I’d have to wait for a least five minutes before—”
She never saw what hit her. All she knew for certain was that something hard had connected with the back of her skull and she was now on the ground clutching her head as a steady trickle of blood seeped through her fingers.
Groggily, she pushed herself onto her side and looked around for her assailant. There, standing around her, were the agents.
Why are they just standing there?
She groaned and screwed her eyes shut, the world around her transforming into a dizzying pinwheel of light and shadow.
“She’s still conscious. You’d better whack her again,” one of the men said, and Luna felt as though her heart had stopped. The agents. They were the ones who’d attacked her!
Frantically she tried to stand, but her muscles failed her and she crashed down onto the asphalt, raking her face against the unforgiving surface. A strong hand reached down, grabbed her roughly by the arm, and yanked her over onto her back.
“Why are you doing this?” she moaned, staring up with tear-filled eyes at her attackers.
The only answer she received was a fist to the jaw, which sent her mind spiraling off into unconsciousness.
Chapter 24
When Luna finally regained consciousness she immediately wished she hadn’t. Before she’d even had time to wonder what had happened to her, she’d doubled over and vomited all over her lap. Both of her hands were bound behind her back with plastic ties, so she couldn’t do anything about the stomach acid running down her chin and into the deep scrapes crisscrossing the right side of her face.
She hissed, clenched her bloodless hands into fists, and rocked forward, breathing heavily while she waited for the searing pain to stop. Her head felt as if it were going to explode.
Finally, the pain coursing through her battered face faded into a dull throb, allowing her to think clearly again.
So far, all she’d been able to gather was that she was in a cold, damp room with only a thin sliver of light sneaking in under what she assumed was a door.
Carefully she straightened up as best she could and ran her hands over the concrete floor until she felt the wall behind her. She then slowly scooted along the floor until she found the wall immediately to her right. Repeating this process three more times allowed her to locate all four walls. Through a series of quick calculations, she estimated the size of her prison to be about fourteen feet wide by twelve feet long: most likely a supply closet.
She began to listen to see if she could determine the location of her kidnappers. Slowly her ears began to attune themselves to the sounds drifting through the building: The whirr of machinery. The rumbling of distant thunder. The heavy patter of rain striking against the roof …
Rain striking the roof? That could only mean that they’d taken her somewhere outside the barrier shields! For a moment she felt panic gnawing at her chest, but she forced herself to remain calm as she continued to listen.
A few moments later her ears found what they had been searching for: There—hidden under the background noise—were the voices of her captors.
“Do you think she’s awake yet?” The first muffled voice asked.
“I don’t know. I thought I heard something moving around in there. Maybe we should check again—just to make sure she’s still alive.”
Luna froze. No … no, don’t come in here. Stay outside. Give me a chance to think of something.
“Orders are orders,” the first man replied, sounding restless.
“Right, the orders … The orders said that he would already be here by the time we brought her in. It’s been more than an hour and he still hasn’t shown up. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting awfully tired of sitting around waiting for Mr. Edgard to show. I mean, why can’t we just get on with it already?”
Suddenly, her ears detected another sound—the sound of a car pulling up just outside her prison’s walls. She listened, her whole body trembling with dread as one of the agents she’d been eavesdropping on walked across the floor and greeted her employer.
She heard Edgard say, “So let’s get down to business. Where’s Miss McKelly?”
“She’s tied up in the back.”
“Good. I take it you searched her?”
; “Yes, sir.”
“And did you find anything?”
“Yes, sir. Everything we found is over there on the table.”
“Excellent. Has she said anything, yet?”
“I don’t believe so, sir. As far as we know, she’s still out cold.”
“Okay, let’s go see how our guest is doing.”
Luna panicked as the sound of their footsteps drew closer. She drew back into the corner as Edgard opened the door.
This is it. I’m going to die, she thought, staring with terror at the looming figures walking steadily toward her, fully expecting to feel a bullet tearing through her chest at any moment.
But instead of shooting her, Edgard knelt beside her and began to gently wipe her swollen face with one of his monogrammed handkerchiefs. “Well Miss McKelly, it looks like you’ve gotten yourself into quite a bit of trouble this time.” He spoke in a carefully friendly tone. “I sure hope these men didn’t hurt you too badly.”
Luna flinched, and despite her best efforts, she began to cry uncontrollably.
“What do you want, Saul?” she managed to squeak between sobs. “What’s with the whole nice-guy act? Why don’t you just kill me now and get it over with?”
“What do you mean? I don’t want to kill you. I just want to talk about what you … discovered. I know it was an accident. It wasn’t your intention to stumble into my personal files. And I completely understand that these things happen,” he said with a wry smile. “So, I was hoping we could … come to an agreement. One that would benefit us both.”
Luna bit her lip. She knew what he wanted—He wanted to pay her off. Keep her quiet. Just as he’d done with others who were too important to kill.
“Why would you want to make a deal with me? I’m not valuable to you.”
Edgard continued to smile. “It has nothing to do with that, Luna. You see, despite what you may think, I’m not in the habit of killing anyone, particularly women. I’ve found that it’s much easier to—how do I say this? —provide them with all the disposable income they could ever want or need.”
Rain Saga Page 14