Activated Page 24

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Gaitune-67, Safe house, Conference room

  Molly was in the conference room, listening to the response to her debriefing download from Dr. Knotts, Eugene, and Ventus Facilities.

  Knotts had given his thanks and was responding to the items she had laid out.

  “… and so in response to your point about the Billingham Convention, it was an oversight on our part. We are in the process of decommissioning that part of the program, and have appointed an ethics committee to oversee the approval of other projects in the future.” He paused. “I hope that is satisfactory enough to avoid, erm… getting other authorities involved? So far we’ve managed to steer under their radar, thanks to you and your team’s expert discretion.” He hesitated, feeling awkward that he was talking to a camera, and didn’t have someone who was responding.

  He scratched his head. “Feels like I’m sending a message in a bottle like this…”

  He looked down at his holo notes and read the next item, his eyes scanning back and forth.

  “Right. Yes. We did ‘rip off’ your paper.” He hadn’t looked up yet. A moment later he seemed to gather his courage and look up again to the camera. “I’m really incredibly sorry about this. I thought that because it was technically in the public domain, we would be free to use it… But, anyway. I’m sorry.”

  Molly leaned forward and paused the video. She rewound it a few seconds and focused in on his facial expressions.

  Just then, the door opened behind her and she could smell Joel’s cologne.

  “Hey,” she said, playing the video at half time, checking what she thought she’d seen.

  “Lack of credibility, there,” Joel said almost automatically. “Eyes off, fearful expression on his lower lip, oooh…” he waited for a couple more frames to pass. “Yep. That was contempt there; single side, lip raise.”

  Molly paused the video. “Yeah. Thought that was what I’d seen.”

  Joel sat down next to her. “So what’s the context? This is the Ventus guy?”

  Molly nodded. “Yeah, the boss. Well, the one that met with me. Except, if my hypothesis is correct, he may not be the one calling the shots.”

  Joel glanced at her. “Oh?”

  Molly flicked back a few frames, leaving the screen on the contemptuous expression. “I suspect he’s just been forced to take responsibility for that fuck up, just there. Nothing about what he just said was congruent with the micro expressions.”

  She sat back.

  Joel indicated at the holo screen. “But did you get what you wanted?”

  She smiled, and nodded brightly.

  He smiled. “So, come on; what did they agree on?” he pressed impatiently.

  She spilled, “I’m to be made into a partner! Plus, we still get our fee.”

  Joel cocked his head. “Partner? Why would you want that? I thought you were just going to make sure they put in stuff so they had to play within the rules.”

  She nodded excitedly. “Yeah, that too. But then, to make sure they keep those measures in place, they now have yours truly in the mix. Plus, I get to use their facilities to receive any materials we might need to have delivered elsewhere, so we can pick them up without being tracked.”

  Joel raised his chin. “Ohhhhh,” he said. “So you’re more of a silent partner.”

  Molly grinned. “Exactly that. I stay silent, and they let me have stuff delivered to their address. And they play by the conventions that are designed to keep life safe.”

  She paused, looking up at the ceiling for a moment.

  “Win. Win. Win,” she smiled.

  Joel shook his head. “Silent partner. I’d like to see that.”

  She playfully slapped his arm with the back of her hand. “Hey!” she said, understanding the dig.

  Joel grinned. “Anyway, that’s good news. Operationally, as well as being able to keep that kind of research safe.”

  He changed the subject. “I was wondering if we could have a look at the next few missions, then, and talk about how we’d like to expand the team next?”

  Molly nodded. “Sure, what did you have in mind?”

  He pulled up a new holo screen to view CaseHUB, and started talking through some options.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  EPILOGUE

  Later that evening, after they had had a group supper, Molly returned to the conference room to do some investigating with Oz.

  There’s something I think you’ll find interesting.

  Molly sat back down at the array of holoscreens Oz pulled up for her.

  Oh, yeah?

  Well, remember you were testing the details versus the large-scale patterns I can hone in on, by analyzing the language structures of code in different areas of the XtraNET?

  Yeah?

  Well, I’ve noticed something interesting.

  Do tell.

  You remember we got the safe house data from a search I’d set up?

  Hmm.

  And it returned the somewhat anomalous result that led us here…

  Yeah.

  Well that was one of my samples.

  Of how many samples.

  13 billion, 368 million, 140 thousand and 26.

  Okay.

  Then I happened to use some of the code on the server we were using to communicate with Sean.

  And?

  Oz threw the results and the patterns he’d detected onto the holo in front of her.

  That is some seriously elegant shit! Molly felt herself getting excited.

  Are you getting…?

  Leave it, Oz.

  Molly reread the code and then looked at Oz’s analysis again.

  Does it show up anywhere else?

  It does.

  Oz produced the videos on a second holo frame and Molly waved it into her view.

  It was encrypted, but it looked familiar, so I pattern-matched the code from the previous two samples in order to decode it.

  The video clips started playing. It was the same video that Pieter had shown her of Sean capturing the second toxin device.

  That means-

  -that someone was tapped into Pieter’s cameras and was monitoring their every step?

  Exactly. Have you found it anywhere else on the XtraNET?

  I can’t scan the whole NET, simply because we’re downloading only packets at a time - to both cope with the huge distance, and to remain anonymous. But I did find one more thing that you’ll find… interesting.

  A third holo frame started playing a video.

  Oh, Oz, you’ve got the wrong one. This is of the workshop downstairs.

  Oh, no… it’s the right one.

  He paused, letting it play a little.

  WE don’t have any cameras downstairs. And there is no signal or feed streaming anything in or out of this building. But-

  Molly watched Brock hauling boxes from in front of the spooky door.

  How come there is an encrypted video from there?

  Yeah. How come?

  I have no idea.

  Brock had started moving the boxes back to cover up the door again.

  Is this the only video from there?

  No. The camera, wherever it might be hidden, seems to be motion-activated. This was just the first time anyone went near the sensor to trigger it. At least, since we got here, and as far as these videos tell us.

  So where were these videos being stored?

  All I can tell you is that they came up when I did a search. There is no data, no trail I can follow to tell us where the 1s and 0s are physically stored.

  Molly sat back in her chair, eyes wide, mouth half open, mind completely blown.

  ***

  Molly, you there? Molly?

  Joel arrived into the room and sat down in the seat next to her. “Hey, Molly. You okay?” he asked her.

  Her eyes were glazed over, as if she weren’t even in her body.

  Joel spoke a little more loudly. “Okay, Oz, I dunno if you can hear me thr
ough Molly’s auditory implants, but I got your holo message. I’m here. What’s going on?”

  Joel’s holo flashed. TRY NUDGING HER.

  Joel reached out and pushed on her arm. Then her shoulder. “Molly…” he called out to her gently. “Oz, is this something to do with that meditation shit she’s been doing?”

  Joel’s holo flashed again. I DON’T THINK SO. HER BRAIN WAVES HAVE BEEN SLIGHTLY ALTERED SINCE SHE’S BEEN DOING THAT BUT NOT ENOUGH TO PUT HER INTO A TRANCE.

  Joel was showing signs of real concern. “Okay, so what’s going on with her - in her brain?”

  I CAN’T TELL. I’M PUSHED OUT OF HER CORTEX SO I’M OPERATING MOSTLY THROUGH THE HOLO AT THE MOMENT.

  The concern in Joel’s voice was mounting. “What was she doing before this happened?”

  THINKING.

  Joel chuffed. “Like that’s anything to write home about…”

  Suddenly Molly took a deep breath and seemed to return to the room. She looked confused, like she was surprised to be there.

  Joel put his hand on her arm, and then on her head and stroked her hair. “Hey, are you okay? What happened?”

  Molly’s eyes darted left to right, as if reading. She pulled one of the holo screens towards her. “We’re being monitored. By something way more powerful than Oz.”

  She stood up.

  Oz, monitor all frequencies; electromagnetic and otherwise.

  She headed for the door.

  Joel spun around in his chair, watching her. Registering she was leaving, he got to his feet too, and followed.

  Soon Molly was jogging down the corridor and towards the basement door. Joel had to practically run to keep up with her. “Molly, what’s going on?” he called after her, his face transfixed with worry.

  “I need to check something,” she told him, with just a hint of excitement in her timbre.

  She quickly pounded down the stairs and then through the empty workshop over to the door. She looked as if she were aiming to grab the handle and walk through it. Instead she stopped suddenly, just in front of it, and then turned around.

  She looked up.

  Joel caught up with her and stopped beside her. He looked up at where she was looking, trying desperately to understand what was happening.

  Are you monitoring everything, Oz?

  Yes. Recording on all possible channels.

  Molly waved in the direction of the camera.

  Anything?

  Nothing.

  Not even a blip in a circuit somewhere?

  Nothing.

  Molly paused, thinking. Joel just watched, knowing better than to try and get an answer at this stage.

  Molly looked at the ground, wracking her brain for something else to try.

  Just then, she became aware of a faint rumbling, as if something around the area was powering up. A red glow started flashing, filling this whole corner of the workshop.

  Molly and Joel looked around, looking for the source of the light and the humming.

  An audio feed cracked on, and static sound filled the room.

  “Congratulations, Molly Bates. And Team.”

  The voice was commanding, and older. “You have earned the right to pass.”

  The pair looked at each other, eyes wide, and ears disbelieving.

  Holy fuck!

  Holy fuck is right.

  The heavy, metal, reinforced door of mystery - with no keypad or access point - seemed to be unlocking. Mechanical parts sliding over each other made a sound that thrilled Molly to her core. A thrill ever-so-slightly different from the thrill she had looking at the elegant computer code not long ago.

  Joel immediately stepped in front of Molly, and stood strong, adrenalin putting him in full battle mode. She rushed forward, though, intent on seeing whatever was happening up close and personal. She moved to the door, gathering intel through all of her senses; listening to the door, looking for the moving parts or any signs of an access point appearing.

  Joel tried to pull her back, but she shrugged him off, enthralled by the unfolding of something she couldn’t understand.

  The door opened a crack and a musty scent, carried on cold air, wafted out.

  Without thinking, Molly reached out and pulled on the door, heaving it open. Joel grabbed her hand.

  “What are you doing?”

  Molly blinked at him. “Well, duh. I’m having a look.”

  She pulled at the door. It was heeaaaavvy. As soon as it was open enough, she turned and pushed a little to create enough space to walk through easily. Somewhere in there, Joel started helping.

  As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they could see another small corridor. Short. There was a set of double doors at the end, and another to the left. A damp musty smell hung in the air. It was as if no being had been there for decades.

  Molly felt excitement well in her chest. She started to move forward, but Joel pulled her back, stepping in front of her.

  “Uh uh,” he told her definitely. “Geeks behind Gladiators. You don’t know what’s in there.”

  Something in his tone said that even though he was trying to be “space marine honorable,” his actions were actually because he cared.

  Molly appreciated the sentiment. Even in this moment of finally seeing what might lie behind this door, she noticed his hand slip from her arm as he stepped in front of her.

  Joel moved forward, well aware that if he didn’t get on with it, Molly would get out in front of him, and walk into who knew what.

  He moved towards the first door. “We sweep like in training, yeah?” he instructed Molly.

  Molly couldn’t see anything but his big shoulders in front of her.

  “Fine,” she said, a little frustrated.

  Joel moved to the door. He had no weapon on him, but this couldn’t wait for him to fetch one. And besides, what was going to be alive - that he could shoot – anyway? The thought of the dimensional travelers whipped through his mind. He shuddered.

  He pushed through the door. It was stiff and heavy, but there were no handles or visible locks. It swung open against his weight. He headed in, Molly in close proximity behind him and straining to see past him. He headed into the room and scanned it visually, his eyes now adjusted to the dark. He told Molly to hold by raising his arm vertically head height with his fist clenched.