by TR Cameron
Athena noted, “They are scanning us.”
Makes sense. They wouldn’t want to put someone as important as me through an obvious security review.
Finally, they reached Kier’s office. He strode inside and smiled at the figure rising from behind the desk. “Kier. I’m Reginald Terrigan. I’m sure you know who I’m with.” The man would doubtless have been researching him since the moment he’d been alerted to his presence. He offered a hand, and his host shook it. The office was pretty much corporate standard in grey and blue, and the desk’s surface was spotless except for a tablet that sat in a holder to one side.
“Indeed, Mr. Terrigan. Sit, please.” He waved a hand as he sat, and the door clicked closed behind them. “Coffee?”
Jax shook his head. I would love some coffee. Damn it. “No thanks. I only have a little time, and I wouldn’t want to waste any of it. I’m here to make you an offer that will bring wealth untold to you. I mean, to the Confederacy.”
The other man’s thin smile suggested he’d heard that line a thousand times from lobbyists before him, and expected to hear it several thousand times more before his time with the Confederacy ended. As the person in charge of overseeing technological trade deals, he was a highly sought-after individual. It had required diverting two existing appointments, one via car malfunction and the other by a false cancellation, to create the space for Jax to meet with him. “Indeed. Do tell.” He leaned back and steepled his hands.
Jax reached into his pocket and pulled out his glasses, set them carefully on his face, and fastidiously returned the case to his jacket. Athena, do we have to get into another part of the building, or can we access what we need from here? “As you know, I represent a company that is on the cutting edge of robotics technology. From Artificial Intelligence to prosthetics, to the kind of androids you’re using downstairs, we have innovative product lines in all of them. What we don’t have is a, shall we say, 'favored company’ status with the government. I’m here to change that.”
Athena replied, “With a physical connection to his tablet, I can get into many systems. However, their most secure information is probably on hidden servers. I won’t know if it’s possible to access it until I’m deeper in the system.”
Kier nodded, doubtless imagining he did so sagely. Jax thought he looked like a bobblehead. “This is the part of the conversation where I ask how you plan to justify that. We already work directly with several companies in your field. What makes yours special?”
Jax grinned, reached into his pocket, and withdrew the stylus. He held it up so the other man could see it. “This.” He extended it to Kier, who leaned forward to grab it. Jax hit the trigger and a bolt of energy arced out at the man, who continued his lean down onto the desk, where Jax caught his head with his free hand to muffle the sound. Boring conversation anyway. Athena, go ahead and unlock the ring. He pulled it off his finger, and the silver band split in two. He found the proper end and put it in the tablet, then went around to the other side and rummaged through the desk drawers.
His glasses showed Athena’s progress through the building’s system, far faster than he could take in. Find anything interesting?
“I’m through the outer layer, and into Kier’s private information and the internal network. The system has several personal nodes that have extremely powerful firewalls protecting them.”
Come on. You’re an amazing and awesome computer hacker, as brilliant as anyone, ever. Are you saying you can’t get through them?
She gave a soft snort of annoyance. “I’m saying that they will require a physical connection. However, I have identified the individual most likely to have that information: the head of security for the sector.”
Jax sighed. Of course. He wouldn’t be in the secret agent building a couple of blocks over, because the official types never get along with the secretive ones. Let me guess. He’s up near the top with the other executives.
“Three floors down from the roof.”
Okay. Time to move on to Plan B.
Chapter Eleven
Plan B was rather more active than Plan A. While Athena pulled the rest of the information accessible through the tablet, Jax bound and gagged Solomon Kier with jerry-rigged items he found in the room. Finally, when she finished, he retrieved the connector ring and slipped it back on his finger, straightened his tie, and stepped through the door to the outer office. The junior executive who’d escorted him to the meeting rose from the couch and slipped her tablet into her purse. Athena, can you access her device wirelessly now?
“Yes, I have base access to everything now. I can’t get to the secret stuff, or the security systems, however.”
Naturally. He smiled at the woman. “Mr. Kier has asked not to be disturbed.” Her face bent into a slight frown, and he leaned in and whispered, “He got a call. Sounded like a female voice. I think he might be busy for a while.” She stopped her eye roll halfway through and shook her head.
“Very well. Allow me to escort you back to the lobby.”
“After you.” He gave his most disarming smile, but she already faced away from him. I don’t think she likes her boss much.
Athena chuckled. “Would you?”
His eyes surveyed the people they passed, looking for imminent threats, but found none. So far, so good. The elevator doors closed, and the car slid into downward motion before stopping abruptly. Then it started to rise. The woman frowned at the control panel and reached her right hand to activate the comm on her left. Jax intercepted it and shook his head. “I’m afraid you can’t do that. Now, don’t be alarmed. I’m only here for a little corporate espionage, not to hurt anyone. I will if I have to, of course, but I’m hoping you’ll help me not have to. And we’ve compromised the elevator’s camera and audio pickups, so no one’s listening in.”
She sighed. “I’ll get fired if I do anything other than scream a lot as soon as the doors open.” Unfortunately, that outcome seemed to bother her.
“You could say I threatened you.” The car slid to a halt, but the doors didn’t open.
The woman shook her head. “They won’t care. They’re scumbags, but they’re also the only path to getting the job I really want, which will hopefully allow me to reduce the scumbag population over time.”
Damn it. Fortunately, he’d trained to render enemies unconscious, but it was always dangerous. He didn’t see another option, though. He advised, “This is going to suck, but you’ll wake up in a little while. If you could maybe pretend to still be out for a minute or so, that would be great. We’re actually together on the non-scumbag side of things.”
She choked out a small laugh. “You definitely seemed like a scumbag on the way in.”
He nodded. “A role to get inside.” Without warning, he slipped behind her and put her in a sleeper hold, which closed off the blood supply to her brain and caused her to pass out. He gently lowered her to the floor in the front corner, out of sight of the parting doors. He stepped into the lobby of the lower executive level and looked around as if he belonged there while calling, “Thank you for the escort,” for the benefit of the receptionist. Athena played back a recreated version of the woman’s voice that sounded very close to authentic through the elevator speakers, acknowledging the comment. Then the doors closed. Send her to the basement and put the car out of commission.
“Already on it, Jax.”
Excellent. He focused his attention on the thin man in the business suit standing behind the tall reception desk. “Reginald Terrigan to see Jason Klonis.”
The man gave him a look somewhere between inappropriate condescension and very appropriate resentment, given their positions. “I don’t see your name on Mr. Klonis’s calendar, sir.”
Jax replied with a thin smile and a glare. “That’s because Solomon Kier just sent me up here. Otherwise, how would I have gotten to this floor? Surely you’re not stupid enough to simply let anyone access the executive suites.” He shook his head in derision. “Honestly, the lack of orga
nization in this place is making me reconsider the government’s request to work with my company.”
The man sputtered, but Jax cut him off. “How about this? You take me in to see Klonis. Then you call Kier. He might refrain from firing you for bothering him. But I can damn well guarantee you’re on the street by the end of the day if I don’t get to see Klonis right now.” His voice dropped as he spoke, and he saw the fear overtake the other man’s resentment. Oh yeah, I’m definitely a scumbag. How’s the woman?
Athena replied, “She’s conscious and yelling and banging on the doors. Fortunately, the basement is sparsely populated, and the car is mostly soundproof.” He’d noticed that during the ride and concluded that the Confederacy had way too much money on their hands if they were using it to ensure elevator noise didn’t bother their precious executives.
The man behind the desk swallowed and said, “Right this way, please.” The entrance was similar to what he’d done in Kier’s office, with Jax striding forward with his hand outstretched. Klonis, however, didn’t have any advance notice, and the look of confusion on his face and the way his arm rose slowly to meet Jax’s revealed his immediate suspicion. Good quality in a head of security. Too bad it’s not going to help him now.
He maintained the facade until the door had closed behind him, then delivered a lightning-quick left cross to the man’s temple to daze him, and choked him out. By the time he came out of it, still stunned from the blow, he was bound and gagged. Jax had been forced to surrender his tie to the latter effort since the office itself was downright utilitarian. Cords aplenty were stacked on shelves, with every terminating end he’d ever seen. Several tablets were scattered around, plus a couple of battlefield computers in their protective hard cases. How stupid would it be to take one of those when we leave?
Athena replied, “It would likely reveal your identity and suggest you are working on behalf of the UCCA.”
He wiggled his fingers, and the AI released the ring so he could plug it into the man’s main tablet, which was on the simple table that Klonis apparently used as a desk. The room’s only other furniture was a chair for the occupant, a chair for a guest, and shelves filled with security paraphernalia. Some of it clearly there to be displayed, the rest probably items the man was working on. Weird for an exec to be getting his hands dirty like that. Maybe he misses being a worker bee. “I’m not sure there’s any chance of that not happening whether we take the box or not.”
“True. I’m into the secure part of the network. Oh, my, there are a lot of secret servers here.”
A pounding on the door, which Jax had locked with the interior deadbolt after taking out Klonis, signaled that their time was running out. Find what we need first. Then, whatever else you can grab is gravy. He surveyed the items on the shelf and discovered an old-style stun pistol, probably six or seven generations back from the current state-of-the-art. He hit the power button, but nothing happened. “Damn it,” he muttered and looked through the rest of the gear. Finally, he found another weapon that used a removable power cell and grabbed a spool of wire, a multitool, and a roll of tape. The knocking grew more insistent, as did the shouting of Klonis’s name. Jax called, “Everything’s fine here. Go away.” Unsurprisingly, those on the other side of the door didn’t obey. What’s the situation?
“I’ve copied Klonis’s server. I’m looking for any reference to artificial intelligence or pirates on the others.” Windows popped into the visual field of his glasses, showing several scenes. “All the elevators are locked in the basement. Security programmers are responding, but they won’t be able to break my hold for some time. One response team is two floors away in the nearest stairwell, and another is four floors away on the farthest. Someone sent a silent alarm, and everyone is sheltering in place. I expect a public alarm shortly.” The receptionist and a couple of standard-uniformed security men were the ones pounding on the door. Fortunately, they didn’t carry explosives or a battering ram, unlike those climbing the stairs.
Jax frowned. “Police response?”
“Negative. I have control of all communications entering and leaving the building. While I can’t guarantee they won’t have a wireless option on standby, all comms are locked into the common system while on site for security purposes.”
He grinned and slapped one hand on the desk. “Finally, something goes our way.” He looked down at the bound man on the floor, who glared at him through a mouthful of necktie. “You run a tight ship here, Klonis. I respect that.” He connected the power pack to the stun pistol with a final twist and hit the activation button. The weapon came to life with a low whine. “Right on.” He put the power cell horizontally against the bottom of the grip and taped it in place. A check of the enemy forces showed a squad of four coming onto his floor. Time’s up, Athena. Give me back the ring.
After a slight delay, she replied, “Take it.” Jax yanked it from the tablet and donned it as it clicked back into a circle. He flipped the table and chair over and put them both between the bound man and the door. Quick strides carried him to the room’s corner, away from the door and near the wall of windows that looked outside. He’d considered blasting them or trying to break through, but they were the same material used for transparent parts on starships. He wouldn’t get through them with either of his prosthetics, or an antique stun gun. In his glasses’ display, the security team put shaped charges on the door, then backed up with their rifles lifted. Damn it. They’re too smart to charge in. Bugger.
He crouched, covered his face with his artificial arm, and plugged his ears so the blast wouldn’t disorient him. The detonation turned the wooden barrier into splinters that shot upward toward the ceiling. Nice professional work. Probably wouldn’t have hurt Klonis even if I hadn’t blocked him. He rose and prepared himself for the security troops to move. They’d come in ready to cover all angles, but the fact that he could see them, and that they likely didn’t know he could see them, gave him an advantage in timing.
The first one strode toward the door with his weapon lifted high. Huh. They’re not even going to try to end this peacefully. Bastards.
Athena quipped, “Well, you said it yourself. Reginald Terrigan the Third is a total scumbag. I’d want to shoot him too.”
Then the time for conversation ended, and the time for fighting for survival began.
Chapter Twelve
Jax rushed forward and reached the door as the barrel of the gun poked through. He grabbed it with his prosthetic arm and twisted his body to the left, yanking the weapon hard enough to snap the strap that secured it to the guard. That unlucky individual stumbled inward as a result. Jax blasted the elbow of the same arm back into the man’s helmet, and he went down in a heap.
Hope that didn’t kill him, but I kind of lack other viable options. He made a spinning step across the doorway and fired his stun pistol point-blank at the next one in line before stopping with his back against the wall on the far side of the opening. In his display, that trooper fell backward, and the remaining two dodged his fall. One pulled out a grenade, primed it, and tossed it into the room.
Jax repeated his move in reverse, this time using his prosthetic arm and the rifle it held as a bat. He recognized the feel of Athena assisting him as his aim dipped slightly, then the stock smashed against the projectile and sent it back out of the office. Gas hissed out and quickly filled the space with a smoky mist. The troopers lifted the masks hanging around their necks up to their mouths. Those workers who had stayed to watch fled, coughing. Thanks for the help.
“Don’t mention it. Note that the other guards are about to reach this floor.”
He spared a glance and saw that she was correct, as if there had been any doubt. Damn it. I don’t want to kill these guys for doing their jobs. But the two nearest him had to go down, and pronto. Before he’d thought it through, his body was already moving for the door again. He threw the rifle at the one on his right, and his upgraded limb gave it enough speed that the man flinched and tried to block
rather than shooting. It didn’t save him from being struck in the forehead by the magazine, and he fell back with a cry. Jax fired the stun pistol at the other one.
As the blast left the weapon, the gun burst apart. The plastic pieces cut into Jax’s palm and left deep slices where they passed. Worse, the energy discharge numbed the limb completely. The only good news was that the last trooper was down. Jax raced for the staircase that the guards had come up and rushed inside. The door had no interior lock, and he growled at the loss of the moment he’d spent looking for one. He grabbed the spool of heavy tape he’d shoved in his pocket back in Klonis’s office and pulled the end free with his teeth, then wrapped it liberally around his wounded hand and wrist, tight enough to keep most of his blood where it belonged.
His display showed the other security team on a vector toward him. How do they—oh, the blood. Damn it. The stairwell offered nowhere to hide, so he pounded down the steps, then skidded to a stop at the sight of yet another set of guards coming up from below. Bullets banged off the railings as he dove at the door and slammed through it. This level was a worker bee floor, with cubicles instead of offices. Heads popped up over the half-walls like inquisitive prairie dogs, and he smashed his hand into a fire alarm mounted on the wall. “Fire! Get out, go down, go go go.”
They panicked and dashed for the small lanes that ran between clusters, and he used the time to survey the room. One wall was all windows, again made of something stronger than glass, although they seemed to be thinner than the ones on the floors above. Jax heard the guards shout at the workers fleeing into the stairwell he’d departed and ducked into one of the workstations. Athena still had access to all the cameras, and he watched them as they carefully entered. Why haven’t they shut them down yet?
“They’re trying. They’re not good enough.”