Freelancer

by Jake Lingwall

  “Good, you’re awake.”

  Kari recognized the voice from the monitoring system.

  “Yeah, thanks for the nap,” she said as she rubbed her head.

  “My name is Udarh, and I am the head security engineer for this facility. I am here to review your security code to see if it’s something I want to implement. If it fails to pass my inspection, then the next time you hack into the Internet, you will be removed from this facility.” He talked as if he were reading a transcript.

  I can only imagine what pleasantries “removed from this facility” might entail.

  “It won’t disappoint you, Udarh. I wrote this for a client a year or so ago, and it took me four months to complete. It’s the best code I’ve ever written.”

  “Why wasn’t this handed over to us before?”

  “It’s hard to remember things when your head gets repeatedly smashed.” Kari continued to rub the swelling bruise on her head. Udarh stared at her. She continued. “You didn’t ask. But really it’s because I figured I could hack your system to get the news once or twice before I got in trouble. I didn’t want to lose that chance.”

  Udarh nodded his understanding; he seemed to approve of the logic in her explanation. “Shall we get started with our review, then?” he asked eagerly.

  “Sure, step back inside my mind,” Kari said. Udarh looked excited. Kari appreciated that; she was working with someone who would respect the quality of the code she had written, not just the outcome. That was a rare treat for a creative. “You’re going to love this.

  “Incredible,” Udarh said. “Absolutely incredible.”

  Kari laughed. “So, no more questions for me?”

  “None at all,” Udarh said. “I’ve never seen anything like this. Four months, you said?”

  “Yes, four months of work, not counting school and my family vacation,” Kari responded. She liked Udarh. The past six hours had flown by while she’d showed him her security code. He’d consumed it like a child eating his birthday cake—a little overzealously. Every question, doubt, and concern that Kari had answered seemed to thrill him a little more. If she hadn’t been giving him the software for free, she was confident he would have purchased it for any price she named.

  “Whom did you say you sold this to?” Udarh asked.

  “I have no idea. Most of my clients like their anonymity,” Kari said.

  “And you didn’t just hack them to find out?”

  “Professional courtesy, if you will,” Kari responded with a smile.

  “Well, I hope they paid you handsomely for it,” he said.

  “They sure did. They even gave me a tip!” Kari said with another laugh. Udarh joined her for a moment as they laughed together. It was the closest thing to friendship that Kari had found in a long time.

  “Thank you for showing this to me,” Udarh said after recovering from his laughter. “I will review it over the next several days before making a final decision on how we will use it going forward. Until then, unfortunately, if you try to access the Internet, they will have to use that shock stick on your poor head again.”

  Udarh’s gratitude was apparent. It’s nice to find someone who can appreciate my artwork. Kari acknowledged her agreement, and Udarh and the enforcement officer left her alone in her cell once again.

  Kari immediately checked to see if the news reports she had downloaded were still accessible to her. They had been deleted, as she had anticipated. She opened her development environment and began to work at a lightning-fast pace. She moved fast so that no monitoring agent would be able to keep up. Between valid actions, she would import a hidden, cached copy of the news reports she downloaded and would disperse it into her code manuals to read later. Anyone monitoring her would have to be very attentive to realize what she was doing.

  Udarh is a good guy, but if he’s the best they have, I like my chances.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  From what Kari could gather, the outside world was collapsing. The trade embargos by both sides had sent the world economy into a free fall. Civil war had broken out among the states in earnest. For the moment, however, both sides had agreed to minimize human involvement, calling it a “higher form of war.” Kari thought it sounded like a race to see which side could deplete the other’s resources first. She didn’t have too many details, but she didn’t think the Middle States could win such a contest.

  Kari figured it would be hard to find any facts online, even if she hadn’t dispersed the news into technical documentation and spread it out in an unrecognizable fashion. News sites were simply a way to sell people what they wanted to hear. Most reports hinted that the Middle States had been having a surprising amount of success despite their much-smaller population and limited access to the outside world. Kari usually liked to piece together the news from firsthand accounts on the networks, but that was tricky and time consuming; therefore, during her brief time on the Internet, she had gone after the media reports instead.

  This explains why Henderson is so demanding. The Middle States are winning, or at least doing better than expected, and he wants something from me to change the tide of the war. Could it even really be considered a war at this point? It seems more like the drone competition we had in class, except the winner gets to decide how much public policy the Middle States get to make.

  The whole situation felt a bit ridiculous to Kari; she was almost glad she couldn’t read more about it. I’ll add that to my best-things-about-prison list.

  “You’ve been reading more documentation recently,” said a familiar monitoring voice, but it wasn’t Udarh’s.

  “I’m trying to understand if what I’m going to attempt to build is even technically possible,” Kari replied. Maybe they’re paying better attention than I thought. Either way, what I said is the truth.

  Kari flipped from the documentation and back to her development environment. She hadn’t started working yet on the game changer that Henderson was looking for because she still wasn’t sure if it were possible. If I can build this, it’d be too much power for the government to have, but what other choice do I have?

  Kari opened her designs and code for the latest version of her drones. She would be using them as the base for her new project. She enacted a few high-level changes, the first of which was tripling the size of the battery. The new features she had planned would require even more energy than the stingers. The upgraded battery required the drones to have a more powerful motor and larger turbines in order to give them the same degree of agility that they had previously.

  Kari didn’t love the added form factor, but she didn’t see any way around it. After inspecting the exterior design for another moment, she increased the motor and turbines again. The new weapon she was going to install on the drones was going to add significant weight. She would have to sacrifice some of the agility if she wanted to keep the new drones in the same size class as her last ones.

  Kari debated whether to make the drones bigger to make her job easier or to put in more work to create them in the way she believed to be best. It was a common argument she had with herself, even though deep down she always knew the inevitable outcome. She would take more time and build them to be how she wanted rather than provide a solution she didn’t feel was fully finished. In her experience, clients preferred quality to timeliness, even if they complained bitterly about missed deadlines.

  Hours later, Kari’s door opened, and Henderson entered with a tray of food. Kari exited her development environment and mentally prepared herself for whatever conversation she was about to have. She took one look at Henderson and decided to close all the screens she had open and shut down all her connections. It’s going to take all my concentration to keep myself from trying to rip his throat out.

  Henderson was the enemy. Kari had tried to give him the same pass she’d given the other people in the prison. They were just doing their jobs and following orders, but she didn’t believe that was the case with Henderson. The way he always wore
an arrogant smile and strutted in out of her room like he owned the place clearly displayed an amount of enthusiasm and enjoyment for enslaving her, which led her to believe he was more in control than he admitted. Henderson is the reason I’m here, and he’s the reason my parents are locked away.

  Henderson reached out and handed her the tray of tempting food, a large chicken-salad sandwich, a bowl of fresh fruit, fries and a cookie. Kari wasn’t sure if Henderson had been lucky guessing what she wanted for lunch or if it was something he had observed while he watched her last year. His stressed anger from the other day was gone; his over-the-top friendliness and empathy were back.

  “I thought you could use some refreshment,” he said.

  “Thank you.” Kari accepted the tray of food. “Although, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure my time here isn’t better spent creating some food printers capable of printing decent food.” Kari winced to sell her joke. Henderson laughed a little too hard. Kari wanted to lash out at him even more. Focus. The more he trusts you, the better it will be for Mom and Dad.

  “Don’t worry, I brought this from the outside world,” Henderson said. “I wanted to apologize for the other day. I was under a lot of stress, and I unfairly took it out on you. Can you forgive me?”

  Kari wasn’t sure she could say anything that was the least-bit sincere, so she looked at him and nodded thoughtfully.

  “I understand if it takes some time to rebuild our relationship,” he said. His face was tight now, as if what he was saying were really bothering him. “But I’m committed to repairing the damage I’ve done.”

  Kari felt sick. Do you have any real emotions? Any decency?

  “No, really, it’s fine,” she said, hoping it sounded half as sincere as every word Henderson had spoken.

  “Thank you. But I’m still going to go the extra mile until I feel like I have made it up to you.”

  Great, start by leaving me alone forever. Oh, and letting my parents out of the prison you’ve locked them away in would be good, too. Kari tried to smile and took a bite of the sandwich that he had given her. Too much mayo.

  “So, from what I have seen, you’ve been trying extra hard at work these past few days,” Henderson said.

  “Just trying to make my deadlines,” Kari said. If I’m too nice, he won’t believe anything I say. Henderson smiled at that.

  “What is it exactly that you are working on?” Henderson’s voice was a little too excited to sell the passing interest he tried so hard to portray.

  So that’s it! Of course. What he’s after is power. That’s what excites him, and that’s why he’s so interested in me. He thinks I’m going to make him more powerful by giving him new weapons.

  Kari’s mind raced through the implications of her new understanding of her foe. Now that I know the problem, I can find a solution. If there’s one thing I do, it’s solving problems. For the first time since before she had tried to assault the enforcement officers who had been arresting her mother, Kari felt like she was in control.

  “Kari?”

  “Oh. Sorry.” Kari laughed sincerely this time. “I had a breakthrough on one of the problems I’ve been trying to solve.”

  “Great! And what problem is that?”

  You.

  “About how my newest drones are going to work,” Kari said.

  “These drones are going to be the game changer we need?” Henderson asked.

  “If I can pull off what I’m trying to do, they will be. In fact, they just might be able to solve all our problems,” Kari said excitedly.

  “Excellent!” Henderson’s face beamed. “So, what is it about them that will make them a game changer?”

  Too greedy, Henderson, you should know better. But I guess the chance to have a little more power makes you lose your edge.

  “I thought you’ve been monitoring what I’ve been doing,” Kari said.

  “I’m afraid you overestimate me if you think I can understand what you’re doing.” Henderson laughed. “I only admire art; I’m afraid I haven’t the slightest on how to create it myself.”

  “Well, good, it’ll be a surprise, then,” Kari said. Henderson’s demeanor changed noticeably for the worse.

  “I trust you,” he said. “I simply wouldn’t want you to work so hard on something that won’t meet our requirements.”

  Kari kept herself from laughing. “Marshal Henderson, you made it clear I was never supposed to disappoint you again. I promise you, what I’m building will more than make up for the past few weeks.” She watched closely as Henderson absorbed the good news. “In fact, take your expectations and double them.”

  Kari was curious to see his reaction. He smiled widely. Very greedy.

  “I already have high expectations, Kari,” he said.

  “Good,” Kari said confidently as she took another bite of her sandwich.

  “Excellent. All that work I put in to get you here is finally going to pay off,” Henderson said. “We’re going to do great things together, Miss Tahe.”

  Kari felt chills run down her spine as she tried to smile.

  “Well, I’ll let you get back to work,” Henderson said before leaving her alone in her prison cell again.

  All the hard work you put in to get me here? What does that mean? I thought the only thing you did was arrest me when I broke the law.

  Unless you knew I was going to break the law.

  Kari threw her sandwich down on her tray and punched her bed.

  You knew I was never going to work for you willingly, so you needed a way to force me to work for you! You’d been watching me for a year and never found anything concrete to use as leverage, but you saw your opportunity with David’s family and then used that as an excuse to arrest my parents so you’d have all the you’d ever need! That’s why the police were so heavily armed when they came to arrest David’s family. You wanted a big show, a fight you knew I could win to prove to people that I could be valuable. And this is why you arrested my parents the second I tried to defend David’s family. You were just waiting for your chance. And if you were waiting for my parents, you were probably waiting for David’s family on the other side of the field as well. Kari rolled over on her bed, and her body started to shake with rage.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Yes, I know, you said that already,” Udarh said through his monitoring connection. “But my opinion remains. If the code or designs cannot be maintained or improved upon by other engineers, the design’s value decreases inherently.”

  “Henderson gave me two weeks to deliver brilliance, Udarh,” Kari said. “We both know that is absolutely no time for development.” That was true. If a client had demanded such a tight schedule from her, Kari would have walked away, no matter the price they were willing to pay. It was simply disrespectful. I wonder if da Vinci or Jobs ever had to deliver a project from scratch in two weeks. I doubt it. Actually . . . Kari added that to her list of things to look up once she had access to the Internet again.

  “I understand; however, as the project stands now, it would be essentially unusable to anyone but you,” Udarh said. It was exactly what Kari wanted to hear.

  “I would love to take time to make this more accessible to other developers, but I’m not going to be able to do that and make the deadline.” Kari sighed. “Udarh, I’ve been killing myself over this. You know that; you’ve been watching.”

  “I know, I know. I’m not saying you aren’t trying, it’s just—”

  Kari didn’t let him finish. “I’ll be lucky to get this in a workable state within the next few days without refactoring the code. Until we can convince Henderson to remove the deadline, I’m afraid I don’t have a choice but to continue.” It’s a good thing I have plenty of practice making up excuses.

  It was Udarh’s turn to sigh. He was going to lose this argument, even though he was right. If he’s a developer, he’s used to it.

  “Like I said, I agree with you,” Kari said. “I’d love to refactor the code. Maybe if yo
u go to Henderson and tell him we both believe this is really important, he might extend the deadline long enough for me to fit a refactor in.”

  “I know what he’ll say already.” Udarh sounded resigned.

  “Always the same story, isn’t it?” Kari said. She liked Udarh. More importantly, though, she needed him to trust her as much as possible.

  “Perhaps I’ll try to secure time immediately after the first deliverable for us to work through the code together,” Udarh said.

  “I’ll voice the same opinion to Henderson. Hopefully, with both of us pushing him on it, we’ll get some time to go through it together.”

  “Very good. I look forward to learning exactly how you do what you do,” Udarh said. He then left her alone in her own mind again—that is, as alone as she could be while still being monitored.

  Kari closed everything down and focused her attention on her cell room. She stood up and started to pace. It was the only way she had to decompress and to free her mind for a few minutes. The past week had gone by too quickly. There’s still too much to do. I didn’t realize writing code in a way no one else would understand would be so difficult. All the tools she typically used in her development environment were rather well suited to writing readable code; thus, she’d been writing a good portion of the code by hand.

  She enjoyed writing the code directly. It allowed her to have a little more control, but it was also much, much slower. If she hadn’t been working on the concept in her mind for days before being arrested, she could never have been so close to finishing. She was getting closer, but she had only three days left to finish the project, and it was starting to weigh on her.