Safer that way.
He had been working for hours, scanning and dissecting files, when he came across a strange email. The subject caught his eye. "Want to be a superhero?" Luke laughed silently.
Heck yeah. Who wouldn't? If I were Superman, I'd fly out of this dismal pit of despair and never look back.
He gave a wry smile as he dreamed of possibilities. Then, he shook his head, aware that it would never be more than a dream.
This email has an attachment. What is this? Encrypted? That's not normal protocol for spam. Could this be a lead?
Luke nervously chewed one of his nails, debating whether he should tell the team leader. He did not want to risk being ridiculed for pointing out useless information. On the other hand, if it was not useless…well, he certainly did not want to be responsible for withholding it. He made up his mind and hesitantly made his way to where the team leader was working.
Please don't be a false lead. I'm already in the doghouse.
The slightly balding, overweight man sat at his desk in the center of the small room. Cubicles fanned out around him, where other members of the team were busy working, analyzing the various volumes of information. He looked up at Luke when he approached and fixed him with a wary gaze.
"Do you have something of interest?" he asked in a monotone voice.
Luke handed the man the drive and briefly explained what he found. He rudely yanked the drive from Luke's outstretched hand and plugged it into his computer. As he looked over the drive's contents, the man's expression changed from annoyed to one of apt attention.
"Yes, this should definitely be of interest to Mr. Martin. Indeed…" he muttered excitedly to himself.
Luke hesitantly broke into the man's mumblings, "So, it's something useful?"
"Huh? Oh yes, you did well. I will inform Mr. Martin of your findings immediately." He picked up the phone on his desk and hurriedly punched in a phone number, dismissing Luke.
Well, that's something.
Luke frowned slightly and walked slowly back to his desk. He was grateful to have a well paying job, but sometimes he just did not understand the motivations or logic of anyone around him. He returned to his computer, letting his mind daydream once more.
***
Eric used his personal remote to call the elevator in his office. He chose the bottom level of the complex and leaned against the back wall of the elevator wall as it started its descent.
He just hung up the phone with one of the team leaders. The man had given him a trivial bit of information, but Eric had a feeling that it would amount to much more. There was one person who could immediately tell him what he needed to know, and that was Gabriel.
Gabriel worked in an office on Level Nine of the subterranean complex. It was beyond the areas that were accessible by normal staff, and with the exception of Grant, no one else had access to the area. It was completely undocumented. Both Gabriel and the mysterious division he represented simply did not exist, as far as anyone else was concerned.
Gabriel was Eric's secret weapon. Like any weapon, he was dangerous, both to the assailant and the victim. He owed his life to Eric and was now trapped in perpetual servitude. Fortunate for him, Gabriel possessed very useful and practical talents, so Eric put him to work in the sublevels.
Since Gabriel was imprisoned within the underground complex, he was able to work on sensitive projects without jeopardizing their security. Eric took precautions in spite of it, never giving him all the information, and cutting off his access from any other part of the complex.
The more that I keep from him, the more power I have over him. He must never be in a position to make demands of any kind.
Eric was pressed for time and this was a project that Gabriel would be happy to work on. For some reason, he was ecstatic when given the opportunity to sabotage or ruin reputations…or in this case, decryption of sensitive files. He would make short work of it.
I must not forget. I need his help in that other, trivial matter...
A few moments later, Eric faced the immovable steel door that marked the entrance to the restricted section of Level Nine. After an extensive security verification process, he was inside.
Eric entered into the spacious, high-tech bachelor pad that was Gabriel's permanent home. Since he never left the compound, Eric allowed him to furnish the area as he saw fit. The back rooms were his personal living quarters, including all the amenities of a basic apartment, plus more than sufficient entertainment and exercise. Eric knew that the arrangement was excessive, but since he had allowed Gabriel those concessions, his productivity had increased tenfold.
You can't argue with results.
Gabriel's workspace filled the area immediately inside the entrance. It was a massive space where dozens of monitors lined the walls, all filled with streaming content. In the middle of the room, multiple large monitors hung in a half-spherical formation, dwarfing a desk of the same shape. Seated at the desk, eyes darting rapidly between the many screens, as close as anyone could ever imagine to a criminal mastermind…was Gabriel.
He looked up as Eric approached him, smiling a devious little smile.
"Ooh, a personal visit from the Esteemed Leader! Must be serious."
Eric ignored the sarcasm, tossing the memory card to him.
"I'd like you to decrypt the attachment on that email."
Gabriel hungrily took the card and accessed the data. A queer, almost ominous look came into his eyes.
"You certainly do bring the best. This one, I'll do for free. What exactly are you looking for?"
"Any mention of someone named Alice McArthur."
Gabriel nodded and returned to his computer. Eric gazed around the room as the tapping of keys sounded in the silence. After a few minutes, Gabriel laughed menacingly and mumbled to himself.
"Oh, you make it too easy, far too easy, you know…"
He turned his chair around to face Eric. "This Alice character is asking that the recipient meet her in Concord, at a local hotel sometime after she gets off the train, which is scheduled to arrive late tonight."
Excellent.
Eric smiled. "Just as I thought. This gives us plenty of time to intercept this meeting. Is there anything else?"
Gabriel scrolled through the rest of the data, confirming that there was no other information. He looked at Eric, quizzically. "So, what do you want me for? You could have just as easily asked your analysts or engineers to handle this…it wasn't even difficult."
"I have other reasons for involving you, Gabriel. Reasons from which you and I will both benefit…"
Eric smiled cryptically while unnecessarily smoothing out his already pristine jacket.
Chapter 13
It was extremely late when Alice arrived in Concord. The train was delayed several times for unscheduled maintenance. She rested as much as she could, but she was nervous, stressed, and cramped inside the train.
Alice finally stepped off the train and stretched her slim frame. Hunger gnawed at her, but she was late and needed to get to the hotel to meet Garrett. They could find something for dinner after that. Besides, she was running precariously low on cash.
Alice stepped out into the night air from the station. It was a cold evening, and the wind blew ruthlessly on her face. She felt the icy blast through her thin clothing, waking her up and renewing her determination.
I can do this. Just have to make it there.
The hotel Alice chose was only a few blocks from the station. Even though it was late, it seemed to be a well-lit and relatively safe part of town, so she walked to the hotel. It was completely uneventful, save for her repeated wishing that she had acquired a jacket to wear somewhere in her travels.
The automatic doors of the hotel slid open as she stepped near them. Apparently, it was not yet late enough for the hotel to lock the door and she was grateful; it was much warmer inside.
Garrett would be waiting for her by now, if everything had gone according to plan. Alice had not allowed
herself to entertain any other possibility.
I wonder where he is?
She stepped into the lobby area near the front desk and peered around. Other than an elderly man who appeared to have passed out on one of the couches, there was no one. She must have looked confused and out of place, because a thickly accented, irritated voice interrupted her thoughts.
"May I help you?"
Alice looked up at the speaker. A middle-aged woman was working at the desk. Her hair was set in a frizzy bun on top of her head, and it was obvious that she did not want to be there.
"Um, I was looking for someone. Garrett Wiggins? Is he here, or did he leave a message?"
"Your name, please?"
How many people can be meeting a "Garrett Wiggins" at this hour?
"Alice…Alice McArthur."
"He's waiting in the lounge for you."
She added with disapproval, "You're late, you know."
With that, the woman turned back to her computer and paid no more attention to her.
He's here!
Alice felt relief and happiness flood her from head to toe. Forgetting her tiredness and exhaustion, she almost ran as she followed the signs to the lounge. She pulled open one of the large doors and desperately glanced around, searching for him.
He was seated near the bar at the front of the room, his back to her.
"Garrett!"
She was so relieved to see him sitting there that she ran to the front of the room, paying no attention to the shocked look on his face as he spun around. Without thinking, she reached out and embraced him. He was stiff beneath her touch and she paused, finally stepping back to look at him.
That's strange. Is he okay?
"I'm so glad you came. I almost thought you wouldn't. Well, I mean… you didn't have to come back for me… But I'm so glad you did. You're here!" Alice laughed, a strange sound in the quiet room.
Garrett was staring at her with an odd expression, silently observing her.
Alice continued, "What happened to you, anyway? Jeremy let you go?"
When Garrett finally spoke, he was hesitant. "Yeah, he let me go. Guess he still tried to look out for me after all. I should have known better … And you? You were quite fortunate to get away. How exactly did you manage that?"
"Oh, you know, I'm just lucky. Right place at the right time. They thought I was practically helpless, so that made it easier. I almost didn't make it. It was a close call!"
"I see."
Garrett was pensive, shaking his head. "Well, now that you're safe again, I guess it's time to discuss our next move."
He looked around in the empty room. "This is as good a place as any. Keep your voice down, just in case."
Alice nodded, lowering her voice. "I don't really know what to do just yet. I was thinking if we could just get away for a while, hide out somewhere safe… Then, we could regroup and come up with a better plan."
"I agree with you completely. We have to lay low for a while, and I have just the thing. It took me all day, and I called in every favor that I had. There's this great place that belongs to a friend of mine, in the middle of nowhere; we can hide out there for a while. Only thing is, it can only be reached by a small plane, given the lack of passable roads and all. That's what took so long, trying to find a way to fly there without being tracked.
"Anyway, I figured it all out. I have a friend, Charlie, who agreed to fly us up there on his private plane. We don't have to go through a traditional airport, so no need for plane tickets.
"Oh, and Charlie has no idea who you are. All he knows is that he's doing a favor for a friend."
Wow. I had no idea he was so well connected.
"Garrett, I'm speechless. Are you sure there's no way that anyone can trace us to him?"
"Nope! No record of any connection. It's an informal relationship. There is one catch though; we have to go immediately. We leave tonight, under cover of this darkness, and before anyone has a chance to trace us here.
"I took the liberty of getting a room here, so if Jeremy still has his people watching me, he will think I've landed here for the night. We can sneak out a back door and take a taxi. The airport is not far from here…what do you say?"
This is happening too fast. It doesn't feel right.
"Wow, that's…that's, um… much faster than I ever imagined. Are you sure, Garrett? Don't you think we should be more careful? Maybe take some more time to think it over?"
"Alice, 'just a little bit more time' is exactly what they need to track you down! You're not safe here, or anywhere near here. We have to act now, while we can still use time to our advantage!"
That doesn't seem like the Garrett I know. But, what do I really know about him? I can't help but feel uneasy.
He paused and seemed to calm down slightly. "I'm sorry, Alice. I just want you to be safe and the way things have been lately… I'll feel a lot better once we're miles away from all of this."
Alice sighed and looked up at him. He had a kind of wild look in his eyes that she had never seen before, and he seemed to be nervous.
He's just worried about me, that's all. If we are going to get out of here, we have to act now. There's no telling if we'll get this kind of opportunity again.
"Well, I guess we can't waste any more time. Let's go."
Garrett was visibly relieved. He stood up, giving her an awkward hug. He picked up the small bag he brought with him, put his arm around her, and they walked together from the room.
They travelled down a back hallway, leaving through a side door. Once they had travelled a few blocks, he paused, saying, "Alice, I'm going to call Charlie. He said there was someone from the airport that could pick us up."
He walked to a nearby payphone and made a quick phone call. The wind buffeted around her, making it impossible to hear his conversation.
After a few minutes, he returned, smiling. "The arrangements have been made. A car will arrive shortly." They stood waiting in a shadowed area beneath a small group of trees, where they were less likely to attract attention by passing traffic.
The shadows danced eerily on Garrett's face, making it seem almost frightening in the twilight. Alice found her mind was running in a thousand directions.
"Garrett, wait! What about the flight records? On the off chance that someone investigates, won't they be able to see where we went? Won't it seem strange that the pilot took an unexpected detour?"
He laughed, as if she were silly for even asking.
"I told you I took care of it, didn't I? Let's just say you don't need to worry about records. In the business he's in, he's had to gain some experience altering aviation logs... It's a hard world out there, Alice. But there's no need to worry your pretty, little self. Everything has been taken care of."
What have I gotten myself into?
The car came a few minutes later and Alice climbed in, grateful to get out of the cold. As it pulled away, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong… something that she could not quite put her finger on. But, what was she to do? She sat wearily back in the seat, hoping her supercomputer brain would see fit to point the irregularity out to her soon.
When she caught sight of the airport, her mind began filling her in on its layout. It was divided into two sections, commercial and private. The commercial section, where the normal passenger carriers landed, was complete with multi-terminal airport. The private side was several miles away and had only a small tower, several large hangars and a maintenance area. Their plane would take off from the private side.
From the entrance, they navigated to an open hanger. The car pulled in, parking just a few yards from the plane itself. It was a Cessna Citation X, top of the line. Sleek and shiny in the well-lit hangar, its presence made her sense of dread increase.
Here's a very expensive, luxury aircraft, of which the mysterious pilot has agreed to take us to a remote location on his way to some other place… also casually altering his flight logs in the process. This is bad news no matter
how you look at it. This man is either some sort of criminal smuggler, or someone who picks and chooses which laws he wants to obey.
I don't like it, but do I have a choice?
As she stepped out of the car, she walked around the side to get a look at the aircraft registration number. "N34452." She sorted through her databases until she came across the appropriate record. It belonged to a company called "Jaenke Exports." They were involved in several criminal investigations, including some that brought charges against them, and then all were mysteriously dropped. Alice could find no further information regarding the situation. From what data she could gather, it looked like the charges brought against them were perfectly legitimate.
Garrett did not seem like the type of person who would form casual alliances with criminals. He was not perfect, but she found nothing in his records to indicate that kind of behavior. The only occasion that she knew of on which he ventured outside of the legal realm was when he sent the email pretending to be EngineerCorp.
Alice was conflicted; she was given the choice between trying to make it on her own, almost certainly being tracked down and caught…or getting in a smuggler's plane with Garrett, trusting him to lead her to safety. Garrett seemed like the better option, in spite of his strange behavior.
I don't have time to ask questions now, but once Concord is safely behind us, I will get to the bottom of this.
"Alice, are you coming?" Garrett looked somewhat annoyed.
"Yeah, sorry. I've never seen one of these things up close before."
It was not a lie, but it was not the real reason she had been lingering.
There were a few airport workers walking about, doing last minute checks on the plane and other various tasks. There was no sign of anyone else, FBI or otherwise.
"Where's Charlie?" she asked.
"Oh, he's probably already in the cockpit, waiting to take off. He mentioned wanting to try to leave early, if possible."
Mind Trace Page 15