Stimulus (Arc Gap Trilogy Book 1)

by Ryan Burnett

  “Three reasons my good sir. Number one: Marcus you are a thief of thoughts, a ladron of good ideas. I got an upgrade a few months ago, and when I noticed that you were noticing mine I knew it was only a matter of time before you found a way to get your hands on one of your own. Number two: it is in in the way you carry yourself. You seem a little more comfortable. As if now you only need to look behind your back and check over your shoulder and not under the bed and in the closet as well. You’ve actually only looked at my eyes this entire conversation, instead of scanning the rooms for traps and bugs.”

  I smiled at this. Xavier always thought I was too nervous and cautious about the wrong things. I would always counter by saying that he mistook a wandering attention and rampant curiosity for nervousness. For some reason he never believed me.

  “Hmm. I see. Well I guess you know just how much theft and paranoia are a part of my nature. Might I ask what’s reason number three?”

  “Number three? Number three is that I am a very wise man. And wise men know these type of things.”

  Now it was his turn to smile before gesturing for me to take the seat opposite of him on the other side of the chessboard. Wordlessly I sat down and we both simultaneously engaged our VRN’s to network directly with each other and continue our conversation in absolute privacy.

  My office in the Nellix tower swam into view. I myself was wearing a suit of such a dark blue that calling it navy did not do it justice. It had buttons of a matching color and underneath the jacket I wore a gray shirt and a dark slate tie. Xavier sat on the other side of my dark mahogany desk with a black suit that I would call pinstripe except the stripes seem to be black as well so it was hard to be certain. True to form his shirt was a lighter shade of black that bordered on gray while his tie was so black that it seemed to almost shine. He smiled and he glanced at the art on my walls and the illogical abstract metallic structures that decorated my office. Not for the first time I wonder what he saw when he looked at those.

  I tried very hard not to gaze out the open window behind Xavier. The last of the acid was still in my system and my mind was expressing it through making the cityscape outside slant and twist slightly giving the whole room a slightly off balanced feeling as if my tower was not situated on solid ground or was designed by the same drunken architect who had constructed the lopsided world outside. The feeling was controllable though and was not a large problem. At least it wouldn’t be as long as I kept my focus on Xavier. He looked up at me. “So how can I help you my friend?”

  “My buddy and I have sort of taken a job to find a person of interest. Under my feet is a briefcase that will give us what we need to get started. Not sure what kinds of locks or security measures are in place but the guy we got it from looked heavy enough that I didn’t want to take a chance in just jimmying the thing open. Also I have no clue as to what is actually in there.” I concluded with a laugh as I shrugged my shoulders in a gesture of uncertainty.

  We shared a moment of silence while he absorbed the information but it wasn’t long before he broke the silence with a chuckle.

  “Sort of taken a job? With nothing to go on but a suit case from a serious player that may or may not contain clues, but really could contain anything for all you know? Even a bomb?” He stated at me.

  “Yeah….that’s pretty much the long and the short of it.” I replied.

  “Heh, they did things a bit differently back in my day. This may be tricky.” He said gazing out the window. I had to fight the urge to follow his gaze and instead kept my eyes trained on him.

  “Are we going to need to go find help elsewhere? Do you know anyone?” I inquired for the first time seriously wondering how much of a headache it was going to be to find this kid. I had come prepared to be shot down by Xavier. He was a trusted an ally but truth be told he did not owe me anything. I would be satisfied if he could at least point me in the right direction.

  “I said it would be tricky… I wouldn’t send you to one of my specialist unless it was impossible….Let’s go back to the chess room.”

  It was only a moment’s disorientation before reality reasserted itself and I picked up the briefcase and set it down on the small section of the table not occupied by the chessboard. Xavier examined it looking at the briefcase itself and the electronic lock from a few different angles before lifting it and testing its weight. He set it back down on the table and then walked over to one of the crates on the right side of the wall and fished around in one before coming up with a rectangular slab of metal with a digital display. While he walked back I examined the briefcase myself. It seemed pretty ordinary even the digital lock that required a thumb print and password seemed fairly standard for a secure carrying case. The actual locking mechanism appeared to be magnetic though which presented a unique set of problems. An ordinary tool kit would be ill suited for the job. I had no idea what additional knowledge Xavier had gleaned from handling the case but by his expression he seemed to have learned quite a bit. One of the benefits of experience I suppose.

  Xavier returned to the table and pressed the rectangle over the area that had the locking mechanism with his hand until there was an audible click. He sat down and closed his eyes and once again and I found the open connection and followed him into the virtual world. When my vision cleared Xavier was once again on the opposite side of my desk in the Nellix Tower only now between us was a laptop. A piece of technology so old that most would consider it archaic and Xavier continuously reached inside his suits jacket and pants pockets pulling out a long series of thumb drives and cd’s that he attempted to run on the computer of a past era as he spoke to me.

  “Normally I prefer to work in privacy but I suppose with your upgrade there is no harm in you watching. What we have here is more than just a case. I’m very glad you didn’t try to open this yourself my friend. Very glad indeed.” I looked over his shoulder and at his screen while black and green boxes opened one after another executing scripts that I could not even begin to read or follow. The symbols that flowed across the screen did not even look like English, or any other written language that I had ever seen before for that matter.

  “Why” I asked Xavier , as he was now trying different combinations of thumb drives on the abnormally large amount of usb drives the laptop contained all while continuously monitoring the dialogue boxes of his scripts and typing in commands that altered their output entirely.

  “Yes the security against hacking was tough but nothing that I can’t handle with one of my VRN toolkits. However if you had tried to pry it open there are programs in here that would have set off a beacon. That beacon would have told whoever owns this exactly where you are. I think that’s the reason why I am even able to hack this is the first place. The security protocols seem to be made not to be impenetrable but more so that anyone doing a sloppy job or using anything that is available through normal channels would trip the beacon and let the owner know the location of the briefcase. What does this tell you my friend?”

  I thought to myself carefully considering his words.

  “It either means that whatever is in here is not particularly valuable or that the owner has the means to recover the briefcase soon enough that any threat or unwelcomed set of eyes could be eliminated before any damage is done.”

  “Exactly” Xavier said as he started to rearrange the fifteen thumb drives sticking out of the laptop making it look like something completely different than the mundane piece of technology it appeared to be a moment before. He did this all while maintaining the scripts on the main viewing screen , now copying the output from one dialogue box to each of the others. I watched him figure out the last piece of the puzzle for 10 more minutes before a cheerful chime rang from the laptop and Xavier collapsed back in his chair with a grin that somehow reminded me of a coyote. He winked at me and faded from the room letting me know that we were done.

  Back at Orion’s Xavier had already slipped his toolkit off the briefcase and was walking it back to the crate he had r
etrieved it from. I didn’t need to check the digital display on the case to know that it was unlocked and would remain that way. I’ve learned to trust in Xavier’s work. Rob was leaning against a wall chatting with Elton. The look on his face spoke of a full stomach that was now ready to fuel his body for a day of any kind of mischief or mayhem.

  I gripped the briefcase in my hands eager to get it back to my place. Xavier had done his part and I wouldn’t stay to get him further involved in this….Whatever “this” was. If I did he would probably want a commission. Xavier finished stashing his toolkit and then crossed to the crates on the other side of the room.

  “This makes us even for the Voodoo Prostitute, I assume you good sirs will be on your way soon?”

  “Yes unfortunately, we have places to go and people to see. Your food is delicious by the way” Rob replied

  “I’m glad you liked it! Understandable, well let me get you the rest of your things while you are here.”

  He returned to the table with a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol and laid it on the table.

  “A Marcus Special” he said before laying several clips of ammunition next to the firearm and adding “with extra sauce”.

  I retrieved it all before tucking the weapon in my pants and hiding the ammunition in my deceptively large pants pockets.

  “Thanks Xavier I am going to feel a lot safer on the walk home. You’ve really helped me today. Thank you.”

  “De nada” Xavier replied with an easy casualness.

  I began to walk towards the door with Rob falling into step behind me. I talked to Xavier as I walked although I did not look back.

  “Keep an eye out for me. When the job is over I’ll bring over a bottle of Sotol to celebrate and you can have Elton grill us up a good meal to celebrate.”

  “If my instincts are right Marcus, a job like this should be big enough that it would be worth me going and grilling us all a meal myself.”

  “Heh, you think it will be worth all that?”

  “It’s possible. Just do me one favor while you’re working sir.”

  “What’s that?” I replied warily.

  “Enjoy Life!”

  Chapter 8

  Cid

  12:05:22

  It was noon and I was pacing in my penthouse. All pretense of relaxation had been abandoned along with the hopes that this could be handled quietly. I couldn’t even stomach to watch the news report, opting instead to keep my VRN’s monitoring programs set to constantly s scan the digital waves for words such as “riot”, “disaster”, and “uprising”. There wasn’t a significant occurrence yet but it was only a matter of time now. This was all the Jack’s fault. The operative who I had entrusted to discreetly handle my affairs, the man who had proven himself so capable over these years, had betrayed me twice now.

  This was the second disaster that had happened right under The Jack’s nose and now things were completely out of control. The revulsion clawed at my psyche like a caged animal, feral and unrelenting. There was a time, a time not too fucking long ago, where my house was in order and my vast empire was unassailable. The Jack was a key figure in the machinations of it all. He was a man who understood my pursuit of perfection. His loyal service as head of both my corporate and private security had been nothing but a boon to me over these many years. What was more he more than anyone should know that deficiencies, both physical and mental, were no different than betrayal.

  Betrayal and excuses had both been plentiful as of late; poisonous words that had assaulted my mental wellbeing. First Alex and now the Jack…useless fools not worthy of my plans for them, idiots whose collective stupidity made them co-conspirators to my own failure. No not failure…. to a delay in my greatness. I had come too far and had amassed too much wealth and power to simply fail now…but those two insisted on keeping my prize out of reach, even now when I was so close that I could taste the pheromones that aroused my animal nature, my hunger, my desire, my drive. I would not be denied and the fools who would not be a part of my vision would be controlled, punished, and if they had outlived their usefulness, swiftly eliminated and replaced.

  Protocol be damned! The Jack had to be contacted now and I just had to take the small chance that one of the remote connection satellites were being monitored. I willed myself into my throne room and ordered one of my concubines to build a gazing fire before me. It was only a few moments before a giant pyre was blazing before me. The time it took to create expedited by the fact that it was merely a communication paradigm. No real wood had to be gathered. No slumbering spark of life needed to be coaxed from dry woods. I no longer had time for that, all I needed were results. It wasn’t long before The Jack’s mythological frame appeared haloed by the flames. His bovine eyes showed surprised I had chosen to contact him this way. Which is good. He needed to be surprised. No. He needed to be shocked and to realize just how badly he had fucked everything up.

  “Have you found the ace?” I asked in a voice that was supposed to be calm but even here I could not control its timbre entirely. Deep resonating echoes of angers lay curled underneath my words like poisonous adders.

  “Sir I’ve been occupied with…”

  “HAVE YOU FOUND THE ACE?!?” I just didn’t care about his excuses anymore! I let my words rock the chamber with their power. The girls stopped their sensual play and cowered in fear, the banners flapped

  wildly in the wind, only the beast still prowled but more warily now as if a new alpha predator had entered the room and might choose to feed upon one of them at any moment.

  “No I have not.”

  “Have you checked the news feeds from last night? Obviously you have not or you would be here right now. Let me show you so you can appreciate what a fucking mess we are in!” I waived my hand and

  mentally searched through the news cast logs until I found the clip. A ball of flame broke away from the pyre and hovered between us. Within its flames one could see and hear the news report.

  “Late last night in an apparent random act of arson University building 2402 A was burned to the ground. The arsonist apparently took great care to coat all floors with large quantities of fuel and

  accelerant in order to insure its destruction. Similar to the other occurrences of this recent crime wave no individual or group has taken credit for the act and no demands or message was made. What is particularly shocking however is that this crime was located in the University district, an area that had been considered unusually safe amongst the recent rise in criminal activity. Police are baffled when trying to determine a motive. The building itself was for graduate and industrial research containing nothing of monetary value. What has been lost is years of research on public VRN networking and development. Technology that could have benefitted all. Few students or employees could be reached for comment but all were in agreement….” At this I sliced my hand in a chopping motion ending the video fade all the

  while keeping my eyes leveled at the Jack.

  “How could you let this happen...?” My rage quieting down but nowhere near dormant

  “King. No one could have predicted another attack so soon. I had come to the conclusion that some form of information was the objective behind the attack from last night. I was not targeted and the attaché case is in the hands of my agents so there couldn’t have been a link there. Even with the case no one could have made a connection to that facility. I was under direct orders from you to re-established contact with the auxiliaries we hired to find the ace. What was I supposed to do?”

  “You were supposed to think. You were supposed to have your problems handled so you could be made aware of and deal with emergencies immediately. You were supposed to be my best agent. You were SUPPOSED to be my Jack.” I let a sneering edge of condescending disappointment show in my voice.

  I knew that would anger and motivate him better than my wrath ever could. Before he could reply I continued to speak.

  “But I want no excuses. The case is in the hands of your guys? You
’ve confirmed this?”

  “Yes. That actually managed to get it open independently without setting off the primary, secondary, or tertiary beacons. A feet your corporate rivals have never accomplished. The unique safeguards of this package however allowed me to bypass the usual command structure and activate the beacon remotely. The only reason I have been content with monitoring and have not intercepted them is that I thought this was proof of their ability. If you disagree they can be dead and we can begin our extraction process as soon as possible sir.”

  I had nothing to say to this. I knew that black market technology and illegal modding tools could give an edge but not one that was quite so keen. Perhaps the Jack and his informants had not failed as entirely as I once believed. Regardless this city was now a ticking time bomb and I could no longer wait around to see whether or not results would come.

  “I will begin extraction without you. Jack you are to stay on your current assignment to monitor and insure the progress of the agents. You are not to withdraw until they are dead or the Ace is in your custody even if it means your life. Are we clear?”

  “We’re clear. Anything else sir?”

  I thought for a moment before replying “Yes. I can’t take the risk of contacting you like this again. It is a small chance whenever we communicate over long distance satellite but it is a chance I do not want to take. I am uploading the Damocles Killswitch to your VRN. This is your chance to redeem yourself. Know that I will be watching and that while my gifts are generous my displeasure is deadly.”

  One of the projects I had designed in the early days of VRN use before the intense regulation were programs capable of using the VRN to hijack a part of the brain. The Damocles Killswitch was amongst my favorite of these programs. Targeting the ocular and vision processing centers, If the recipient allowed the connection it would allow the sender to see through the recipient’s eyes at any point of time and if the resulting data was displeasing or indicated disloyalty I only had to assert my will for a disruptive burst of electricity to cause massive interference rendering the recipient effectually blind for up to seventy two hours. Data streams were a lot harder to track, this way I could keep tabs on the Jack while securing my person and without risking another remote communication.