Mind Trace (14 page)

Where are my clothes? I know I set them right there!

She looked wildly about and, for the first time, noticed an
unlocked door leading from the bathroom in the opposite direction. On the
bathroom counter, she noticed a matching pair of pajamas covered in superheroes,
with a short note:

Alice,

I took the liberty of washing your
clothes. Hope you don't mind. These pajamas were a present from my Grandma when
I was in junior high. It took a while to find them, but they seemed so
appropriate for someone of your age. Enjoy!

Garrett

Alice held up the pajamas, surveying the brightly colored
characters with disdain.

Ughh, seriously? I don't know whether to hate him, or admire
his resourcefulness right now.

Having no other alternative but to put on the outrageous
clothes, she surveyed herself in the mirror.   She, of course, looked absurd,
but she decided not to gratify Garrett with her indignation.  Instead, she finished
making herself presentable, brushing through her waves with a small comb. After
digging through his cabinets, she found some gel to make her hair more
manageable. Opening the door, she straightened her shoulders before walking out
into the hall.

Here we go. Keep a straight face.

Alice found Garrett sitting at his computer, typing away. He
looked up as he heard her enter.

At the sight of her outfit, he began to laugh compulsively.
She held her annoyance at bay, responding, "It was so nice of you to think
about me. Do you know when my clothes will be ready?"

"Just put them in the dryer… Although, I don't know
what your hurry is. Those are so flattering on you!" Garrett gave her a
mockingly innocent expression.

Alice flushed. "Are you quite done? You are completely
ridiculous! We have work to do!
Real
work."

Garrett was still smiling, but he had gotten control of
himself at last.

"Oh, Alice. You must forgive me. It's so hard to
resist sometimes. It's how I cope with things, to a fault. I find it is the
best way to get through unpleasant circumstances, and there've been plenty to
choose from.

"I digress.  You'll be happy to know that I've already
spoken with Jeremy and he agreed to a meeting tomorrow in upstate New York.
Business brings him to Albany, but I told him if we could meet somewhere
outside of town that would be preferable. So, he agreed to a rest stop some
distance outside of Albany on Interstate 87."

He paused before adding, "I had to give him your name,
but it was only to make sure you weren't some kind of fugitive wanted for
manslaughter. I guess you can never be too careful." He grinned at her. "He's
one of our only options and I trust him to be discrete."

Too late for discretion now... I hope this guy can help
us.

She relaxed a little. "Well, I guess that settles it
then. What do we do now?"

"Well, I have some work to finish up, since I wasn't
really expecting you to surprise me in the parking lot this morning. I'm sure
there are…
arrangements
you need to make to obtain our bargaining chip? I
will get you set up on a computer. We can make some room somewhere in here."

Garrett disappeared for several minutes and returned with a
laptop.

"Do you mind working here?" He gestured to the
sofa she was sitting on. "It's probably the most comfortable place in the
room."

Alice accepted the laptop, replying, "This is fine,
really."

She gave another quick glance about the cluttered room
before adding, "You forgot to mention it's the
only
place to work in
the room."

Garrett, not missing a beat, swiftly replied, "Don't
be silly, Alice. There's room in the closet."

Alice returned his comment with a glare. She was torn
between finding him completely annoying and irresistibly charming. He seemed to
get under her skin in a way in which she was unaccustomed. Of course, there was
nothing about the situation that she was accustomed to.

She sighed and turned on the laptop. It was an high-end
piece of hardware, but Garrett seemed like the type to only have first-rate
equipment. Anyone in his line of work required as much.

Once the computer was on, Alice did an assessment of the
software.

Nothing to cause issues here.

I guess I'll start with the basics…

Five short minutes later, his computer was equipped with
her unbreakable security program.

I'll be able to hack into EngineerCorp's servers without
being noticed now. They'll never even know I was there.

Alice initiated the process of finding the files she had
outlined to Garrett, saving each one onto the laptop. She had become so
engrossed in her work that she completely forgot about Garrett.

The overwhelming sense of being watched forced her to stop.
Alice looked up to see him staring back with an incredulous expression.

Okay, that's kind of creepy.

"Uhh...sorry. Don't mind me. I've just never seen
anyone type that fast. Was it always so easy for you? How'd you get to be so
familiar with EngineerCorp, anyway?"

Alice hesitated, trying to determine if  he was just
mocking her again. Garrett seemed genuinely interested, so she relaxed.

"Well, it's kind of a long story. But I've always been
good at this kind of stuff. I graduated from college with my master’s when I
was eighteen. I've been working for a computer tech company since then.
Officially, I am Head of Software, but I do a little bit of everything."

Garrett was silent for a moment then hesitantly asked, "What
about your family? Aren't they worried about you?"

Alice gave a wry smile. "I guess they would be, if
they were alive. My parents died in a car crash about a year ago, and there's
no one else to speak of."

His face saddened and Alice could see that he was about to
offer his condolences. She interrupted him, "I'm fine, really. I can take
care of myself."

I really can't stand pity. It doesn't do anything and it
won't bring them back.

Garrett's face still held a sober expression. "Alice,
I am sorry... not for your parents, although I feel bad about that too. But, I'm
sorry I got you into this mess. I was just getting so desperate. It seems like
no matter what I do, I can't succeed in this market anymore...like Eric and his
infuriating EngineerCorp are always one step ahead of me. We've had inventions
and innovations that should have rightly put us at the top, but then
EngineerCorp releases something bigger and better before we get the chance. I know
they have the "best and brightest" working for them, but it's more
than that. They're stealing the hard work of others. What you found…it proves
that they aren't playing fair. If we can just get that information to the right
people, then we have a chance at getting back at them for what they've done.
And I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you safe until then."

Alice was surprised by his sudden change of tone.

 "Thanks," she said sheepishly. "You're
right. I might not like this situation, but EngineerCorp has to be stopped.
They've been allowed to run unchecked for too long. We'll get to the bottom of
this. You'll get your company back and everything they have stolen from you. I'll
do everything in
my
power to restore the balance."

I hope that didn't sound too cheesy. But, I meant it.

Garrett studied her, approving of her stubborn resolve. "There
might be hope for you yet, kid. In about ten years…"

He laughed again and went back to his work.

Chapter 10

Jeremy Sanders looked down at his buzzing phone, annoyed.
He had been attempting to read a report that had been on his desk for the
better part of the week, but he kept getting interrupted.

After all these years, I still don't understand how they
expect me to get anything done.

Things rarely settled down in his line of work, but it
seemed worse as of late.

He enjoyed his job at the FBI, and since his promotion, was
enjoying it more still. His business card listed in small black letters, "Director
of Special Research." In reality, it was the title given to someone in
charge of those projects that fell below the radar.

The public would like to believe that things are always
black or white, legal or illegal…but there's a considerable gray area in which
perspective changes everything. The less they know, the better off they are.

The report that he was so desperately attempting to finish
detailed an assignment given to them from someone high up in the pentagon. It was
their responsibility to handle the situation of a state official accused of
selling government secrets. It had been all over the news, but the suspect was
innocent.

Nothing new there. Just another cover-up.

The Pentagon didn't care. Jeremy was assigned to ensure
that the true culprit was not exposed. The Pentagon wished that he be held in
private, where they could interrogate him to find the remaining conspirators.

He let out a deep breath, mentally checking over his to-do
list.

It doesn't matter how much I have to do, I can't
concentrate with all these interruptions.

Jeremy pulled out his phone, and saw that he had a new
email, marked urgent.

Aren't they all urgent?

He set his phone down and pulled up his email on his
laptop. It was from Garrett Wiggins.

Garrett? You have to be kidding.

Jeremy had not thought of him in years. They had been good
friends in college and in the years following, but had grown out of touch since.

Seeing that name brought another set of memories…of the
scandal with EngineerCorp, and of Garrett pleading with him to do something,
anything to help him. Jeremy knew that Garrett had been wrongfully implicated
in the whole ordeal, but he could neither help him nor prove his innocence.

Garrett didn't understand the power struggles going on
behind the scenes, much less in the public. He was naïve, idealistic, and
headed for disappointment, no matter what the outcome was... Nothing I could do
about it.

Someone high up had been involved in setting up Cyberconn,
and had either paid off or taken care of everyone who could have done something
to stop it. Jeremy thought of the situation with distaste, but he was a
practical man and he had a job to do.

Aside from having no desire to put his career in jeopardy,
there was nothing worthwhile he could have done to prevent what happened.
Jeremy lacked the power to sway the events that had been so forcefully set in
motion. In the long run, it had helped more people than it hurt. It pained him
to say it, but EngineerCorp had far more resources to develop the technology
than Garrett ever did.

Nonetheless, he was a good friend and made a valiant effort
to help Garrett.  When it had proved fruitless, he did his best to make
something good come out of the situation. He had spoken to the right people,
assuring them that it was in their best interest to not press charges. Garrett survived
with only a tainted reputation.

I wonder what he has gotten into now?

Reading over the email, Jeremy saw that he wanted his help
once again, citing that a friend of his had information of a critical nature
and required both protection and the resources to expose that knowledge.

Jeremy wrote him back, asking for more information,
including names. After Garrett responded, he did a basic background check on
Alice McArthur, and the results disturbed him. Not that she had a criminal
background, she actually had an upstanding record for a civilian.

But, she's so young.

At nineteen, she's somehow managed to get herself into
such circumstances that Garrett must call on me? She is just a kid, for crying
out loud!

This is against my better judgment, but I'll help
him...for old time's sake. Regardless of what Alice has gotten into, I owe it
to Garrett to at least try.

After a quick exchange of emails, he agreed to meet Garrett
and his "friend" outside of Albany to discuss their options. Jeremy
had business in Albany, so it was not out of the way.

Okay, that's taken care of. Time to finish this report.

Jeremy reached for the report and was just about to open it
again when another email popped up in his inbox. The subject read "URGENT
– CLASSIFIED."

This is ridiculous.

Jeremy let out an exasperated sigh, opened the email, and
read over the contents:

Suspect wanted in connection
with security breach at EngineerCorp. Has evaded capture several times, and is
considered high risk. Do not engage. Capture and deliver to EngineerCorp for
evaluation and questioning. Use any means necessary. Complete discretion is
mandatory.

It wasn't the first time someone was foolish enough to mess
with EngineerCorp. Most of the time, it was handled through the normal channels
of authority, but occasionally there were others…people that had gone too far,
done too much damage. These individuals were handed directly over to
EngineerCorp.

EngineerCorp was not a law enforcement agency, but the information
they possessed was extremely sensitive, so much so, that they could not take
the security risk of letting anyone else get involved. According to Eric
Martin, increasing the amount of agencies involved in the process only further
compromised the data.

Before EngineerCorp was established, that kind of blatant
subversion of proper authorities was unheard of. As time went on and they
established themselves, the rules began to bend in their favor. As long as
EngineerCorp was found to be capable of handling the incidents with discretion
and efficiency, everyone else turned a blind eye.