"And, until I say otherwise, the 'acceptable area' for you ends at that doorway."
He gestured to the door. Eric then handed the band to a man at his side, who snapped it around her ankle.
"You have to be kidding!" Alice blurted out.
Eric said nothing, only turned away from her and motioned for the guards to release her. After doing so, one of them wheeled the chair from the room.
What am I going to do now?
Eric observed her face, which was frozen in an incredulous expression.
"You're more than welcome to test it out, Alice. The first one's on the house. Although, I imagine you will wake up with a killer headache."
He smiled and stepped away from the door to let her pass.
Alice said nothing. Instead, she wearily sat down upon the bed. She knew exactly what it was when he first held it up. EngineerCorp had been working on the project for some time. Long before Eric finished talking, her mind had given her all the gory details. She did not need to test it to be sure of its potency.
Eric laughed, and left the room saying, "See you soon, Alice."
The remainder of the guards left with him, door shutting behind them. Alice leaned back against the wall and wrapped her arms around her knees, drawing them to her chest and hugging them tightly.
How will I ever escape this?
***
After Gabriel returned to his quarters, he found himself feeling strangely nostalgic. Usually he did not indulge in such emotions, but seeing his brother brought forth feelings he put aside long ago. He looked about his domain and reflected on the events that brought him there.
Gabriel was born exactly three minutes after his identical twin. His parents claimed equality in their upbringing, but it seemed as if there was always some reason why Garrett was more successful, at least in his eyes. He saw his older brother as a threat, even from the beginning.
He could not have been more than five years old the first time his parents asked him, "Why can't you be more like your brother?"
It was the first of many occasions that he was humiliated by that question. He grew to hate his parents for asking, and hate his brother for providing a focal point of all the things he would never be.
Raised in the same household, anyone would have assumed both boys would have the same morals and concept of right and wrong. Gabriel's conscience began to fade as he chose more and more unconventional means to achieve his goals. Nothing was off-limits. Gabriel had to win, no matter what the cost.
When it became clear that Garrett was extremely talented in the field of cyberspace, Gabriel committed his life to study the same. He became brilliant at programming and an expert at hardware, but he didn't stop there. His talents with computers evolved into an obsession with hacking and destroying others, especially Garrett.
His parents turned a blind eye to Gabriel's "dirty dealings" in favor of their shining approval of Garrett. Gabriel moved away at the age of seventeen, going where he would be free of such biased judgment…or so he thought.
As his passion for hacking continued, so did his criminal record. When he was caught, it only fueled his desire to do more damage. But each time, the expenses of lawyers and trials forced him to find money wherever he could…even if it meant borrowing from unscrupulous people.
Garrett made it a habit to discretely monitor his brother, concerned for his safety. When Gabriel managed to get himself into a considerable amount of debt with the wrong people, Garrett approached him to offer him the money he needed.
At the time, Cyberconn had just launched and his business was booming. Gabriel was furious. To him it felt like a slap in the face. He turned his brother out, and told Garrett never to speak to him again.
But this time, Gabriel had gone too far. His debtors began to threaten him, and when that did not work, threatened to harm his family. Gabriel flatly told them that if they did anything to his brother, they would be doing him a favor. His parents on the other hand… He did not want harm to come to them, even if they had always favored Garrett. It was only because he had not had the chance to prove himself properly.
Gabriel assured his debtors that he would have the money soon. But, instead of paying them back, he became so focused on ruining his brother that he ignored the danger they posed.
A man named Eric approached him then. He somehow knew of his desire to ruin Garrett, so he provided the perfect ammunition to do so. Eric wanted to make it seem as if Garrett had stolen intellectual property from EngineerCorp, even offering the information he needed to make it legitimate. That would allow Eric to take over the market and gain the edge he had been seeking. Gabriel was only too happy to comply.
Shortly after that, Garrett was in ruin and his parents disowned him. Everything was starting to turn around, until he realized his fatal mistake. Gabriel still had not paid back his debts, and his time was up.
Not long after that, his parents were found dead in their home. The murder weapon, a pistol, was found with his fingerprints all over it. Additionally, a large sum of money was stolen from their private safe…making it seem as if Gabriel had murdered them for the money to pay off his debts.
Gabriel was left running from the law and desperate.
Eric came to him again, mysteriously knowing the circumstances of his predicament, and gave him an offer he could not refuse. In exchange for his freedom and absolution from his crimes, Gabriel had to work for him indefinitely.
He could spend his time doing what he loved, and Eric would have someone with unparalleled skills to work on special projects. In order to ensure that no future problems arose from his past, Eric removed all record of him, making it seem as if he had never existed. Just like that, Gabriel was erased.
Gabriel realized immediately that he had exchanged one prison for another. Eric never granted him full access to any of his systems, or even to the projects he was working on. It was a way of keeping him in his place.
He's smart to limit my access. The damage I could do with those kinds of resources… He couldn't begin to fathom.
After he'd been working for him a little while, Gabriel approached Eric with a special request. In addition to his assignments, Gabriel wanted to continue to discretely sabotage his brother. He would siphon off information about his projects before they had a chance to market them. It would benefit Eric too, he insisted, because EngineerCorp could pass off the intelligence as their own. Eric was amused, and decided to grant his request.
It's too bad for Garrett, but it serves him right. It's his fault our parents were killed…if I wasn't forced to show everyone the truth, that I was the better son, then none of this would have happened.
Sabotaging his brother provided him with the tiniest bit of revenge to soothe his anger.
Using both his intimate knowledge of Garrett and his own incredible hacking skills, Gabriel continued his self-proclaimed mission for years.
But, now… What will I do? It's almost depressing. With Garrett out of the picture, I won't have anyone left to sabotage. I'm going to have to find another hobby…
***
After Garrett was thrown inside his room, the door was shut and locked firmly behind him. He had no idea where his room was. When the men took him from the landing strip, the cloth bag was thrown over his head again. Garrett spent the next half hour scrutinizing his surroundings, searching desperately for some way to get out.
After he was sufficiently frustrated and had found nothing useful, he sat down in a chair next to his desk. His mind was still refusing to acknowledge what had happened.
Gabriel's alive? And he's working for Eric?
In their childhood, Gabriel had been fiercely competitive…so much so, that his parents worried for him and did their best to offer him other ways to focus his passionate energies.
Gabriel could not be diverted from his plans, however. He had always been brilliant, but he continued to use that brilliance to achieve less than noble ends.
Gabriel never understood me. I nev
er once felt I was better than him. I just wanted to have a normal relationship. I did everything I could to show him that.
Mom and Dad tried to reason with him, but they just did it the wrong way. I became the focal point for his anger, and then he was lost.
After our parents' murder, everything fell apart. The authorities tried to say it was a break-in gone wrong, but the truth was lost in a sea of red tape. Gabriel got involved with people who didn't care for his nonchalant attitude towards debt repayment.
Then, he disappears. I had always thought his loan sharks had come back to tie up loose ends. I warned him not to get involved with those kinds of people. But, he just wouldn't listen.
After he disappeared, I assumed he was dead. I tried not to think about any of it. I had enough of my own problems to worry about, trying to pick up the pieces of my life.
I had just about given up hope on everything, ever getting out of that rut, when I met Alice…
She came to him for help and he managed to put her right back in the one place she never wanted to be again.
Some friend I am…
Garrett did not know how long he would be held, but a part of him knew that it would most likely be permanent.
No matter what, I must stay vigilant and ready. I have to do everything in my power to make this right.
***
Exhausted and overwhelmed, Alice fell asleep sometime during the early morning hours. She had slept sitting upright on her bed, with her knees pulled to her chest. When she heard the door slide open, she panicked, jerking her head up immediately at the sound.
Huh? Where am I?
But it was only the man assigned the unfortunate task of bringing her breakfast. Wearily, she noticed that an armed guard stood at the door with his weapon fixed on her, while the other man brought in the tray. They were not taking any chances this time.
After her breakfast procession left, she stretched her legs, trying to work the stiffness out in her joints. Her neck had a horrible crick in it; she rubbed the back of it until she could turn her head from side-to-side passably.
The tray of food beckoned her.
I don't even care if it's drugged. I'm starving.
Alice brought the tray back to the bed and began eating. It was the first decent meal she’d had in a while and it tasted heavenly.
No sooner had she finished her meal, the ominous sound of the door alerted her she was no longer alone.
Great… What now?
Eric's tall frame filled the steel doorway. As he stepped through, she could see three guards lingering outside the door. He gestured to them to wait there and the door closed behind him, leaving them alone.
Alice said nothing as she watched him, trying to appear calm in spite of her knotted stomach. He pulled the chair from the desk and sat in front of her, a few feet from the bed.
You really don't have to sit so close.
"Before you get any foolish ideas, you should know a few things. I am the only one authorized to disable the security device you are wearing. Even in the event that you were able to incapacitate me, you would never make it past the doorway conscious. There are also three guards posted outside the door and more at every exit from this floor. So…please, try to be reasonable."
You and I have a very different opinion on what that word means.
Eric waited before continuing, letting the words sink in.
Alice broke the silence first, asking hesitantly, "What do you want from me?"
He regarded her with a somewhat stern expression. "That is what I wish to discuss. It is…unfortunate that we had to resort to these circumstances, but you have been decidedly uncooperative since the beginning. You have become too much of a danger to live outside of these walls with the amount of knowledge you seem to possess. Almost every organization in the world has a stake in this company, and we would be doing them a disservice in allowing you to roam free."
Eric leaned forward in his chair, eyes level with hers. The extra effort was unnecessary.
He's intimidating; I get it.
"You, Alice McArthur… have somehow managed to jeopardize everything I have built here, and that is something I simply cannot tolerate."
It's not like I wanted to!
He was still for a moment, his face pensive. "There is also the matter of how you were able to become so familiar with the information in such a short time. Not to mention, we don't even know how much you actually know. But, we will find these things out in good time."
Not if I have anything to do with it.
Eric sat back once again, almost relaxed in the high-backed chair. "The point is, Alice, you have a brilliant mind with unlimited possibilities. I've seen some of the things you can do with poor resources and limited time… Just imagine what you could do with the resources I possess! I can give you all that and more. I can put you in a position where you can change the world! All you have to do is say the word and it can be done."
Eric's voice became elevated as he spoke, and he suddenly cleared his throat, checking himself. He continued again, but more calmly.
"Circumstances have forced my hand and forced you to be a guest of my hospitality indefinitely. That cannot be changed. But, you can change what you do while you are here. If you work with me, imagine what we can accomplish!
"The only other alternative is to spend the foreseeable future becoming intimately acquainted with the inside of this room. That would be an unfortunate waste, Alice. But the choice is yours."
My choice? Whatever he is offering is definitely not a choice. Either way, I will lose. I need more time to think. How can he expect me to make a decision about the rest of my life in a manner of minutes?
"Can you give me some time to think about this?"
"I will give you two hours."
How generous.
With that, he stood and went to the access panel to let himself out of the room.
Once she was alone, Alice considered what he was offering. It seemed Eric would not harm her, that he considered her too valuable to even entertain that idea.
So, I'll be a prisoner here for life? I can't imagine spending the rest of my days inside this tiny room.
And, I've always wanted to do something extraordinary. With the resources Eric has at his disposal, there really would be no limits to what I could accomplish. Sure, the circumstances aren't ideal, but where else could I get this kind of opportunity? My parents always thought I would do great things…
What am I saying? This is crazy.
She shook herself out of her train of thoughts. Her parents would never have wanted her to join forces with someone who was capable of, and regularly chose to do, what Eric was doing, no matter what good could come out of it. He might be capable of creating advanced technology for others to benefit from, but the good would never outweigh the bad. It was her responsibility to choose the right thing, no matter what benefits the other side offered.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized that this was what she wanted.
It was more than what her parents would have approved of, and more than staying inside her comfort zone. If there was anything she discovered in the past week, it was that she was far more capable and important than she ever allowed herself to believe. It was a fact Alice could no longer ignore…and she didn't want to.
She was tired of being the quiet girl in the back, the girl who did her best to fade into the background. She was not going to be passive anymore, letting people like Eric walk all over her. Using her to achieve his own sinister means. Alice knew life was a gift that could not be taken for granted, as she had with her own family.
I have the opportunity to make a difference. I just won't do it under Eric's terms. I'm going to find a way out of this, and do things the way they should be done.
It doesn't matter what life throws at me anymore. All that matters is that I do my best to take down this corrupt empire and help the people who suffer beneath it. People deserve the opportunity to thrive without
being trampled on.
People like Garrett...
Garrett! What happened to him? How could I have forgotten him?
***
By the time Eric returned, Alice had made up her mind. She may have had several options, but there was only one clear choice for her.
After he was seated, she looked up at him coolly and inquired, "What have you done with Garrett?"
"Garrett is really the least of your concerns. But, I will humor you. He is also being detained here, safe and sound."
"What will you do with him?"
"His involvement with you has made him a threat. He will be held here until more permanent arrangements can be made."
Garrett's suffered enough already. I have to find a way to convince Eric to release him and show he's not a threat.
The only thing she could offer Eric was her cooperation. If she could persuade him to let Garrett go in exchange, at least he would be safe. Over time, perhaps she could also gain Eric's trust and find a way out of this place herself. Neither one of those options would be available to her if she refused him.
She looked at Eric, sizing him up. "If I cooperate with you, you have to let Garrett go. He can't do anything to hurt you…or even effectively threaten you. Besides, if he were to disappear mysteriously, don't you think it would stir up bad press? If there was even the slightest hint that someone could trace him back to you…that would be trouble you don't need."
Eric laughed at her. "I appreciate your concern, but I can assure you, it wouldn't pose any significant danger. As for the other matter…"
Alice sat as still as she could manage, trying not to show her worry and anticipation. So much hinged on this decision, this moment. If Eric did not agree, she had no idea what she would do. Eric stared at her for what seemed like an eternity, and she did her best to return his gaze without faltering. When it seemed like sweat would visibly break out all over her forehead if she had to sit there another moment, he responded.
Mind Trace Page 17