Mind Trace (11 page)

She selected a close-cropped, inexpensive, blonde wig. The
kind that would have been popular several decades ago.

Wow. This is going to look...terrible. But, as long as
it keeps me from getting caught again, it's worth it.

After paying, Alice ducked into the restroom to change into
her new persona. It took some time to tuck her hair completely inside the wig,
but she managed.

Inspecting herself in the mirror, she almost didn’t 
recognize the person standing there. It gave her a small consolation for having
to wear the obnoxious wig. 

She did not tarry further, hurrying the last few blocks to
the bus station where she purchased a ticket to Newport. It would take a little
over nine hours to get there, putting her in Newport around five the next
morning.

Tired, grateful, and finally feeling a glimmer of hope,
Alice sank back into the worn-down seat of the bus and started to relax.

Hopefully, this will all be behind me soon.

Chapter 8

Eric was aware that someone was calling his name. He
struggled to consciousness, eyelids flickering. When his eyes fully opened,
they focused on Grant's worried face.  Several security officers waited at the
end of the hallway at a respectable distance.

"Eric!…Eric? Sir, what happened? Are you alright?"

Eric sat up, head pounding. As he remembered the events
that brought him there, he was furious.

How dare she! She made a fool of me for the last time.
She will not get such a chance again!

"The girl…where is she?" he asked quietly.

"We don't know. The last time she was spotted, she was
exiting the elevator in the warehouse. I have some analysts working on the
security feeds now to determine where she headed."

After Eric continued to remain silent, Grant continued,
venting his own outrage.

"How on earth did she manage this? It's as if she had
the complete layout of this entire complex. No one should have been able to get
past any of our security, let alone stroll out the front door!" 

 "I don't know, Grant, but I fully intend to get to
the bottom of this. We cannot have someone like that running rampant, knowing
that kind of information. Put every available man on this. I want her found!"

Eric briskly got to his feet and walked away, ignoring the
protests from his body. Grant considered following him, but thought better of
it. Eric never had emotional outbursts because he didn't have to. Judging by
the pulsing veins in his neck and the set of his jaw, Grant knew better than to
bother him. He needed to be alone.

Eric headed towards the elevator.

A few hours in the lab will help me calm down, put
things in perspective.

There were hundreds of labs scattered across the
EngineerCorp campus, but Eric's private lab was located in the basement of his
estate. It was there that he could be sure no one would disturb him.

Outside the building, Eric shielded his eyes against the harsh
glare of the setting sun. He emerged from Central Tower, the largest building
on campus. His office was there, along with the most critical laboratories and
servers.  It was truly an impressive structure, over ten stories high with
sharp angles jutting out from each floor. It gave the tower the appearance of a
modern-day fortress, with an almost medieval facade. The unique architecture
fortified the building, strengthening it in the rare event of an attack.

Clustered around the center of campus was the business
sector. From there, it fanned out to apartments, classrooms, cafeterias and
recreation halls. There were even a few retail stores. The campus was designed
to be self-sufficient, providing everything that its employees and workers
would ever need, effectively giving them no reason to leave. Everything was run
and controlled by EngineerCorp, unofficially called "EnCorp City."

Eric's estate was near the center of campus, but it was
slightly isolated on several acres of dense woods, his own sanctuary in the
midst of his grand creation.

He could have just as easily driven there, but he felt like
walking. A small breeze blew cool and refreshing air on his face, serving to
slightly ebb the tide of anger.

Eric was so deep in thought, he did not realize how far he'd
gone until he found himself at the entry to his estate. A quick retinal and palm
scan later, he was inside.

He looked up as he entered his grand home. The foyer was
open all the way to the third floor, and ended in an remarkable chandelier –
one of the few embellishments he tolerated.  

Eric didn't waste time with useless adornments. He worked
more efficiently without such distractions. He didn't have time to worry about
trivial matters when the whole world depended on him.

His estate had several wings, filled with all the amenities
he could ever desire. There was a home theater, billiard room, libraries, spas,
and more. Although Eric spent little time indulging in such things, it seemed like
a requirement for someone in his position to have the option of using them if
he chose.

Eric took off his coat and hung it on the rack next to the
door. He rolled his neck, trying to ease the tension that had been building up
in his shoulders all day.  The piercing headache he had was lessening into a
dull throbbing, but he tried to ignore it.

Turning left off the foyer, he headed for the entrance to
his lab. Behind an imposing metal door, a set of stairs winded down to his
private sanctuary. It was, of course, security protected. Even in his own
house, security was of the upmost importance. The only other people permitted
to enter his house were the cleaning staff, and they were always under the
supervision of his guards. No one went into his lab under any circumstances.

As he entered his lab, he flipped the switch that supplied
the room with power. The workspace came to life as the devices began to hum and
go through their various power cycles. Eric took a seat at the main desk and
sorted through some of the current projects waiting for completion.

A few frustrating minutes ticked by and Eric realized that
he was only fooling himself.

I can't get her out of my head. What power does she have
over me to derail my very thoughts?

He let out an irritated sigh and pushed his chair back.

It's not just her. It's the whole problem. I can't focus
until I find a way to contain this situation. And I certainly can't rest until
she realizes that no one toys with me and gets away with it.

How did she do it, anyway? She's barely out of high
school. She might be gifted with an impressive education, but no one just
waltzes out of this complex like some kind of tourist! Somehow, she has
intimate knowledge of things she has no business knowing.

Not to mention, no one outside of the assigned team even
knows of project Alchernon. We haven't released any pertinent details to the
public and it's completely isolated to the underground complex. How did she
just happen to know about it and that any malfunction there was too critical
for anyone to ignore?

Then, there's the matter of how she got out of her cell,
subsequently found her way to the surface, hopped on a truck and escaped
without so much as a second glance!

She must have acquired the information when she hacked
the network. But, where did she store it? How did she have the time to
intimately familiarize herself with it to the level she clearly demonstrated?

Frustrated and not wanting to admit to himself that he was
at a dead end, he decided to mull over some of the less conventional scenarios.

If I consider all the circumstances, the melted cables,
the reports from our servers that a full dump was performed, yet she didn't own
any device capable of storing all the information… Is it possible that there
was no logical explanation? What if the truth of the matter was something no
one could explain?

Eric had assumed that the readings from their enhanced
polygraph machine were a result of bad calibration, but what if it was an
accurate depiction of her brain activity?

Obviously, Alice had burned her hand by coming into contact
with that cable. Was it possible that she had somehow
absorbed
the
information during that brief moment?

Eric never considered that those drawings found in the
cabin could have been created by her, but what if they were?

 It would certainly explain her seemingly instant and
unlimited knowledge of the inner workings of EngineerCorp. The amount of data
that our servers contain…she would literally have an unlimited arsenal of knowledge
at her disposal. How would she access it? Was she aware of the process, or did
it only come to her when she was under pressure?

There were an infinite number of possibilities running
through Eric's head. Each conclusion only brought up more questions.

It almost scared him how realistic his far-fetched theory
was beginning to sound. Eric prided himself on many things, one of which was being
logical and fact driven. He did not waste his time on idle fancies, but he
could not argue that the evidence was strong.

No matter what the truth is, Alice has to be found.
After her impossible escape, it's obvious that she poses a real danger to
everything that I've worked so hard to create. I am not about to let anyone
destroy that.

***

The bus hit a surprisingly large pothole, causing Alice to jerk
awake. They were just outside of Newport and it was still quite dark.
Surprisingly, she slept heavily during the ride and felt better than she had in
days. She stretched and gazed out the streaked window of the bus.

Outside of the city, there were thick woods on either side
of the street. The closer they came to town, the forest began to thin out as
houses and a few small businesses cropped up. It was a mostly rural area, with
very little industry. Cyberconn was located on the northern part of the city. 

As the bus wove its way into Newport, Alice began to feel the
weight of her situation pressing down on her.

Here I am, about to throw myself at the mercy of a
complete stranger. A few days ago, I would have never considered this. A few days
ago, I had other options.

It doesn't matter what I'm feeling, though. I must make
this work. I will not disappear into the bowels of EngineerCorp without a
fight.

Besides, Garrett would be a fool to let this kind of
opportunity pass him by.

Alice heard the hiss of the breaks and a drawn-out squeal
as the bus doors opened. She piled out of the bus with the few other passengers
and stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the bus stop. There were a few
hours to spare before it would be reasonable to contact Garrett, so she decided
to find somewhere to eat and freshen up.

It would be best to approach him at work. Better than
creeping him out by showing up on his doorstep at the break of dawn...

Her mind quickly pulled up a list of coffee shops in the
area, and found an open one not too far away. There were other, closer places
she could have gone to find food and a decent restroom, but something about the
smell of fresh coffee made her feel at home. After walking several blocks, Alice
entered the quaint little shop.

This reminds me of Joe's… How I wish I was back there,
drinking my coffee, sitting peacefully in my corner. Not a care in the world.
Not running for my life…

Alice sighed, gritted her teeth and pushed the memory from
her mind. It would do her no good to dwell. Despite the whole situation being
an absurd nightmare, Alice prided herself on being able to focus on the moment
and persevere when she needed to. After her parents… it was the only way she
knew how to be.

She went to the restroom first, and freshened up as best she
could, given the amenities. When she was satisfied, she left feeling a little
more confident.

Returning to the counter, she surveyed the coffee shop
menu. On the center of the menu, written in an energetic font, she read, "Today's
Special – Coffee and Breakfast Sandwich."  It sounded wonderful to her,
but there wasn't much that didn't at that point. Alice was starving.

She ordered the special and settled into a cozy booth near
the door. As she gazed around the shop, her eyes fell on a cute, older couple
enjoying a nice breakfast together. They seemed happy and gave off the
impression that they had known each other for a very long time. Looking at
their faces, her mind suddenly exploded with information.

Bill and Rosie Wilson. Married July 22, 1956. Moved to
Newport in 1973 to a house on 2409 34
^th
Street. Rosie Wilson was
employed at Newport ISD until 1999 when she retired at the age of 65. Bill
retired from his job at the lumber yard in 2001, but still works part-time at
the local library.

Shocked, Alice shook herself out of her mental background
check of the couple. Of course, the Bureau of Vital Statistics, Property Tax
Offices, and just about every other government agency employed EngineerCorp to
store and protect their information.

Wow... That was unexpected.

It was going to take a significant effort for Alice to
acclimate herself to the flood of information that seemed to flow
uncontrollably every time she opened her eyes. Over time, perhaps she could
learn to better handle the ability, so she wouldn't be overwhelmed every time
she saw a new face.

She finished her food without looking around, having her fill
of information. Stepping outside, she saw that dawn was just beginning to creep
over the edges of the trees, casting a rosy glow around her.

It almost feels like a normal morning, where I would  ride
my bike to work after getting my caffeine fix for the day…but that will
probably never happen again.