Seriously?
He couldn't remember the last time he had opened the window, and now it was stuck.
Of course, his self-assigned mission would end here, at the window of his house. He imagined what he would say to Alice if he ever saw her again. "Yes, Alice. I tried to rescue you but I couldn't get the window open. Sorry…"
He tried again, determined to open it, and his muscles strained against the unyielding wood frame. Finally, when he was just about to break the window, he heard a tentative cracking noise. He tried one last time with all of his strength. There was a loud splintering crack and he fell over himself as the window flew open.
His heart raced. Had anyone heard that? Garrett didn't move a muscle, waiting to see if there would be any indication that it was heard. He strained to hear any noise in the silence of his house. A dog barked nervously somewhere far in the distance, but otherwise it remained quiet.
Garrett got back up again, grabbed his bag and slowly exited the window onto the roof above his porch. Before leaving, he gingerly closed the window again.
He now faced the back of the house, unable to be seen from the road. Ahead of him, the tree branch swayed ever so slightly, stretching out almost to the roof of his porch before growing in other directions. There was a foot of space between the edge of the roof and the branch. He could vaguely see his neighbor's house through the leaves.
Garrett made his way down the roof and stopped at the edge. The branch was thick, but he couldn't just leap off the roof onto it or he would risk making too much commotion. A tree branch that suddenly started shaking would be suspicious to anyone, even out of the periphery of a camera.
At the edge, he tentatively stretched his foot to the branch, testing it to make sure it would not give too much under his weight. When he was satisfied that it was stable, he put his weight down and shifted to bring his other foot on the branch. For a moment, he stood there as the branch gently swayed under his weight, trying not to lose his balance and fall.
After he regained his balance, he bent down and crawled the remaining distance to the trunk of the tree in his neighbor's yard. From there, he climbed down and dropped onto their back lawn, safely hidden by the privacy fence. An aging golden retriever looked up at him lazily, but didn't bother to bark or move.
"Hey, Sam," Garrett whispered and absently patted the dog, who wagged his tail a few times before settling back down to sleep.
He sprinted out onto the street in front of his neighbor's house. The street ran parallel to his own, with the houses on it backed up to the houses on his own street. Garrett jogged at a steady pace down the dark streets until he reached his destination.
Ten minutes later and out of breath, he was standing in front of the door to his storage unit. He pulled out his keys and flipped through them until he found the correct one. The lock was rusty and took a few minutes to open, but he finally heard the gratifying click.
Tossing the lock aside, he lifted the rolling metal door. The lamplight from the storage lot shone uncertainly into the cluttered room. In the center, he could make out the sleek black form of the Camaro. Running his hand along the hood, he sighed and pushed back the dark memories of his parents that bubbled to the surface.
Despite those memories, Garrett had kept the car in working condition. He felt as though he owed it to his father to do so, and he was never more grateful for those sentiments than now.
Garrett lifted the handle and the driver's side door creaked open. He slid into the seat and turned the keys into the ignition. The engine hesitated only for a moment before revving to life.
Let's do this...
Chapter 20
Alice spent all the time she could learning to control her new abilities. It was difficult, but she made improvements with each attempt. Grudgingly, she spent some time pretending to work on her assigned project, but she rushed through it as quickly as possible without rousing suspicion.
When she laid in her bed each night, she desperately wished there was someone she could talk to. There was certainly no one near her now that she would ever dream of confiding in. The only person she had even considered talking to was Garrett, and he was as far from her as anyone could be.
Even if she could tell him, she doubted he would believe her. He would most likely look at her like she was crazy, and suggest a good place for a CAT scan. Alice smiled at the thought.
I'll never see Garrett again unless a find some way out of this mess. Of course, who's to say he hasn't completely forgotten me by now and moved on with his life?
It doesn't matter. I have enough trouble in my life right now without worrying about Garrett.
One thing at a time, Alice. For instance, how can you control these powers?
She had no idea what to expect anymore. While her body seemed to adjust to her new abilities with surprising ease, her mind had not yet caught up.
Alice felt alive in ways she never knew possible. She felt as if data coursed through her veins, constantly pumping streams of information into her brain, which was continuously buzzing with activity. It seemed like she was looking at everything through high-powered lenses, analyzing and absorbing it at impossible rates.
It pained her that she couldn't use those skills to complete something useful, like the hovercraft. She had no doubt that it would have served a valuable purpose in the world, but no matter how much she wanted to help the end users, she couldn't allow herself to help EngineerCorp…and Eric in the process.
She hadn't seen or heard from Eric in several days. Alice supposed he was busy managing the rest of his empire, but it made her nervous, nonetheless. Not seeing him made her wonder what he was planning for her next.
In spite of her anxieties, Alice managed to make it through each day, bringing herself closer to the moment when she could be free of Eric and his empire, forever.
***
Eric massaged his forehead, trying to relieve the tension building behind his eyes. He wondered, time and time again… How could one seemingly insignificant young woman cause so many problems? She was in his thoughts constantly, when he was in meetings, overseeing new projects, or managing his worldwide corporation. No matter what, he couldn't get her off his mind.
Perhaps what he found most frustrating was the newfound obligation that he felt to her. He caught himself explaining his logic to her, trying to reassure her and make sure she was comfortable.
He was all too aware that he owed no one an explanation for anything, much less the girl who had caused him so much trouble. What did it matter to him, Eric Martin, what anyone thought?
I have too many other things that need my attention. I won't allow myself to be consumed by this.
His head pounded, and he struggled to push aside his inner conflict. If only she would cooperate with him, he could put all of this behind him. He knew he must be patient, but her behavior was wearing his tolerance thin.
Eric knew she was hiding something. He couldn't ignore his inner warnings. Whatever she was hiding was dangerous and something he needed to control. Somewhere inside of him, he felt the tension building.
This moment, this is the quiet stillness before the storm. Soon, it will be raging all around me, threatening to destroy everything I've worked so hard to create.
The trouble with feelings, and perhaps the one reason why he disregarded them entirely, lay in their very definition. They were illogical thoughts founded on illogical inclinations that a person felt. They were not based in fact, or able to be proven one way or the other. Eric simply refused to waste his time with things that could not be backed up by scientific evidence. That was not how he came to be where he was, and certainly not how he would go forth into the future.
I must find a way to break her.
An unwelcome sound pierced his meditations. It was the intercom on his desk; his secretary informed him that Grant was waiting to see him.
Maybe he has something useful. It would be a welcome distraction.
"Send him in."
A few moments later, Grant was standing in front of his desk, with a concerned expression on his otherwise gruff exterior.
"What is it, Grant?"
"Sir. Our teams are still analyzing Garrett Wiggins' computers. Initially, they were only interested in finding information that pertained to the girl. That was how they found the information that led to our recapture of her.
"However, since then, they have been continuing to analyze files on the hard drive to make sure there was nothing else of interest. This morning, some of the techs found a compressed file of information…information regarding an old case. It wasn't opened at first because it was quite resourcefully hidden. It also had more encryption than all the other files."
"Grant, what case are you talking about? Why are you being so ambiguous?"
Grant sighed deeply.
"It's about the Cyberconn scandal, sir. There are…incriminating files on his hard drive, files that suggest EngineerCorp is responsible for Garrett Wiggins' downfall, all neatly packed into a compressed folder. That is the information that Alice claimed to have when she first went to Wiggins."
No. It can't be.
"Show me."
Grant handed him a small flash drive, and Eric plugged it into his computer. As he flipped through the files on the drive, his expression began to radiate the anger he felt. Eric stared at the data, his mind rapidly trying to understand how such a thing could be possible.
When he first heard the news that Garrett was involved, along with the story that Alice gave him to solicit his protection, the thought never entered his mind that she could actually possess those files. He dismissed the situation entirely, because there should have been no possibility that those files still existed.
Eric knew, because he could remember the exact moment as if it were yesterday. He was standing with Gabriel when he first proposed the plan to him. Eric made it perfectly clear that there was to be no evidence of any kind left over after the deal was completed. Gabriel had assured Eric that absolutely none remained, even giving him proof that he deleted all the data.
Unfortunately, Eric was much younger and neglected to realize that it would have been very easy for Gabriel to fabricate such a claim.
Anger boiled inside of him. Cold, dangerous anger that was capable of doing anything necessary to rid himself of the baggage. Eric knew Gabriel was corrupt when he asked him to work for EngineerCorp. That same corruption was his most valuable asset in the questionable projects that Eric set before him.
Gabriel had no hope of escaping, but apparently that didn't stop him from putting everything on the line.
Either Gabriel had not paid enough attention to ensure that all the evidence had been destroyed, or worse…he had kept the information deliberately in order to incriminate EngineerCorp, should he ever have the need. Both of those explanations were unacceptable. No matter what he had done for Eric or accomplished for EngineerCorp, none of his contributions justified such carelessness.
Gabriel was no longer an asset, but now a liability. Eric had far more important matters than to concern himself with the negligence of someone who had outlived his usefulness.
This ends. Now.
Grant was still standing in front of him, unmoving as if he were made of granite. He knew Eric well enough to know when he was angry and when that anger threatened to overtake him. Grant knew he had nothing to worry about, but he wanted to keep the collateral damage to a minimum.
Eric's eyes suddenly came into focus again. He looked across the desk at Grant with a glare of such intensity that Grant almost flinched.
He spoke icily, "Destroy all the data immediately. There can be no opportunity for any of those files to resurface."
Eric paused for an interminable moment before adding, "And have one of your teams escort Gabriel to the interrogation room on Level Eight. I have something to discuss with him… I will meet you there in twenty minutes."
Grant nodded before walking briskly from the room.
***
Gabriel found himself strapped down to the same chair where Alice had been, only weeks before. His eyes darted madly about and he was yelling frantically, demanding for an explanation of the way he was being treated.
When Eric entered the room, he grew silent, staring at him awkwardly from his unmoving position.
Eric dismissed the guards that were in the room. "Wait outside."
"Eric, what is the meaning of all of this?"
Eric's tone was frigid. "It has come to my attention that you have lied to me, Gabriel. You know how I feel about people who are dishonest with me."
"What are you talking about? How could I have lied to you about anything? I can't even sneeze in this complex without you knowing about it!"
"Think back, Gabriel. A little over ten years ago, I came to you and asked you to agree to an arrangement, and you were only too happy to do so. I also asked that you destroy all evidence of that arrangement. Today, I was made aware that you did no such thing."
Gabriel's face paled, but he was not about to give up so easily.
"I destroyed all those files, Eric. I showed you. Don't you remember?"
Eric stared at him with an intensity that brought beads of sweat to Gabriel's forehead.
"Do you think I'm an idiot, Gabriel?"
"Of course not!"
"Well perhaps you can explain how I saw an entire archive of those same files today that weren't supposed to exist."
"There must have been some kind of mistake. Why would I keep those files when you clearly told me to get rid of them?"
"Maybe because you had other plans, Gabriel." Eric was quiet again.
"I have only ever done what you’ve asked me to."
"Don't insult me. How did you think you were going to get away with this?"
After a few silent moments, Gabriel suddenly sucked in his breath and started laughing. It was a maniacal type of laugh, one that Eric found deeply disturbing. Gabriel's countenance had completely changed. It was as if something in him had fundamentally broken; the last thread that held his fragile sanity together.
"Maybe I thought I was going to get away with it because… I've been doing exactly that! For over a decade, I've 'gotten away with it.' You've been so wrapped up in your little world domination scheme that you didn't even notice. You naively assumed that I was some sort of simpering, devoted genius, and you were wrong.
"Did you ever stop to think about what I could do to you? You've kept me separate from your network, limiting my access to your servers and archives, but do you think that really matters? I could destroy you, Eric Martin. You don't intimidate me. You're pathetic. It seems I'm the only one that knows the truth about you."
Typical arrogant fool. Goodbye, Gabriel.
Gabriel had gone from fear to madness, instantly. Eric stared at him with disdain. He could not say he was surprised by the turn of events. If he had ever trusted Gabriel, he would never have isolated him in the beginning. Eric may not have realized how far his treachery went, but he knew the man could not be trusted.
After Gabriel finished his sad, desperate tirade, Eric shook his head slowly.
"I was afraid you would say that, Gabriel."
The mad look briefly left Gabriel's eyes and he glanced at Eric questioningly. It was almost as if he never considered that Eric could go on without him. Gabriel thought of himself as irreplaceable…but he was wrong.
"You have been helpful, but you have outlived your usefulness. I'm not sure what you thought you would be able to accomplish here, but it ends today. Goodbye, Gabriel."
Eric stood up stiffly and turned to leave the room. Gabriel began yelling obscenities at him, screaming threats and accusations.
He ignored Gabriel and exited the room. It had been too long coming. He should have taken care of him long before now. Although he had been pivotal in recapturing Alice, she would never be fooled again by such a ruse. There was no longer any reason to keep him around.
He took Grant aside in the corridor
outside the room and gave him instructions.
"See to it that Gabriel is dealt with…permanently. Put him in one of our relocation facilities. I don't need to know which one; just make sure he never sees the light of day again."
Grant gave a curt nod and left to carry out his orders.
***
Garrett was on the road a few moments later. It was still dark and there was very little activity in the early hour of morning.
When he was several blocks away, he pulled the car next to the curb and killed the engine. Garrett looked down at his watch. Clicking on the light, he saw that it was 5:50am. Even though Tobias didn't return from his run until 6:30am, Garrett needed to get into position and make sure he had plenty of time to deal with any surprises that should come up.
He slung his bag over his shoulder and headed down the dimly lit street. Garrett stuck to the shadows, trying to remain as hidden as possible. As he approached the house, he saw that the windows were dark and there was no sound of life inside. The front porch light was on, but he could see no other light.
Garrett crossed a vacant lot a few houses away from Tobias', going down behind a utility easement. He continued on the easement until he was behind Tobias' house. There was still no sign of activity from the back of the house.
A cluster of bushes that ran along the back of the property provided adequate coverage for Garrett to wait. He reached into his bag and brought out his makeshift scanner, the same one he used to scan his own house for transmissions. In the few days that Garrett had been waiting to hear back from Nick, he made improvements to the scanner, including boosting the range.
He brought out a tiny netbook and attached it to the scanner, turning both devices on. Nick hadn't mentioned seeing any security cameras present, but Garrett couldn’t afford to take any chances. He would do a full scan of the property to be sure.
After a few moments, the computer and scanner were running. Garrett saw no immediate transmissions, but continued to scan until he had checked all frequency ranges. When he got to the higher range, a large spike appeared on the middle of the screen.
Mind Trace Page 26