The Breaking, page 13
part #2 of The Reckoning of Anecor Series
“What does that have to do with us?” asked a woman sitting just in front of him.
“Well, uh, I’m not sure that it does, but we have to check our system’s programming just in case. Head Councilor is concerned that there might be an error in the programming, rather than individuals who are immune to a virus programmed to attack their particular health profile.”
“There can’t be an issue with the programming. That doesn’t make sense. It’s happening so few times it seems random,” said the man who had walked in with him.
“It is improbable, but not impossible. Nonetheless, we are to check our programming out thoroughly. I have been instructed to stay here until we are absolutely certain of our results, either way.” There were groans around the room and sounds of disgust. “I know. I’m not thrilled about it either, and I’ll be here right along with you. I suggest we get moving. The sooner we start, the sooner we can all go home.”
They all moved up to their workstations and switched them on. Trevor did the same. While he was waiting for the computer to power up, he checked his shirt pocket for his phone, only to find that he’d left it in the vehicle.
“Be right back. I have to run back out to the lot,” he announced on his way out the door.
Retracing his route, Trevor’s steps echoed off the walls of the empty halls. He hurried through the passageways and doors, wanting to get back and get this all over with. He was thinking again about how long he could keep this up, and whether he should defy Manglebee and just tell Mica everything, when he arrived in the middle of a chaotic scene in the garage. He ducked back inside the door, not wanting to intrude, and sensing that his presence would not be welcome. He did not leave, however. He kept the door cracked just enough to be able to see and hear what was happening.
Prisoners had escaped. Good for them was his first thought. This might take some of the heat off me when Manglebee finds out was his second. He felt some relief. Maybe two had gotten away. That would be two people he wouldn’t be responsible for destroying. Two people who might have a chance. Yes, they’d likely never survive. He doubted the virus would kill them. The injection they’d been given was too generalized for that. But two young people on their own out in the Borderlands had little hope of surviving. There wasn’t much left out there to survive on. But death would be preferable to what would happen to them if they had made it here. At least that was his opinion.
He felt ever so slightly better just knowing that two people had found the escape he longed for. Even at the likely cost of their lives. Trevor wondered if he could ever be as brave as that.
Trevor turned away from the door, deciding his phone could wait. He did not want to walk into the middle of the scene playing out before him. He only got a few steps away before changing his mind, returning to the door, and then entering the garage. He couldn’t leave his phone in the vehicle. Not with Manglebee breathing down his neck right now. Trevor realized he also couldn’t risk someone here driving off in the vehicle he had been using and taking his phone with them. So, he went after it. He needn’t have been concerned. The group of people in the garage were far too preoccupied with their crisis to notice him.
Trevor quickly retrieved his phone and re-entered the building just as Karl was ordering the guard and a BRO employee to go in search of the missing prisoners. When Trevor reached to door to the programming room, he opened it to find chaos greeting him a second time. All four team members looked up as he entered.
“Uh, Trevor…you gotta see this. Not sure how this is happening, but—” said the same woman from earlier.
“What’s happening?”
“Not sure, but it looks like someone is altering our programming as we speak. Someone is in the system.”
“What? That can’t be!”
“But it is. Come see for yourself.”
Trevor walked over to the computer where all four of the programming team were gathered, leaning over the shoulder of the young man seated at the terminal. He stared at the screen, then squinted, leaned in closer, and stared harder, not believing what he was seeing.
“This can’t be! Our security system—”
“Bypassed. Apparently.”
“I thought our encryption was unbreakable.”
“So, did we. It had been, up until now. I don’t know how this person is doing it. They have to be insanely smart to crack it. None of us could do it.”
“Nor could I,” said Trevor, shaking his head in wonder and confusion—and, if he were honest, admiration.
“Could this be the issue? Could it be that this person has been infiltrating our system all along, and that’s why some people have not responded to the virus?”
“I…I don’t know. The changes they are making would certainly have an impact, but we’ll have to check to see if they match up with what’s happened in the past. Check the profiles of the individuals who have been found to be unresponsive, look at their dosages, and compare it to what’s happening right now. One thing that doesn’t make sense—” said Trevor.
“Is that the changes are being applied on a bigger scaler this time and not just the random few we’ve seen before.”
“Yes. Exactly. Can you see where they’re coming from? Where the changes are being made?”
“We haven’t been able to yet. We’re working on it. Someone sure knows what they’re doing.”
“Good. Keep trying. Also, let’s get started right now in looking at those changes they’re making and comparing it to the profiles of the people who didn’t react to the virus,” Trevor added, as he moved towards his own computer to help. “I’ll start on that, if one of you wants to help, then the rest of you can be working on figuring out where these changes are coming from to see if we can find who is doing it.”
“I’ll help you,” one of the men volunteered. The other three acknowledged this and each returned to their own terminals to begin to work on unraveling this mystery. No easy feat when they were up against someone obviously smarter than anyone else in the room.
CHAPTER 20
“
W
hat are you planning, Remy?” Daniel asked with some trepidation. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the response. Rebecca moved closer to Daniel, without thinking, sensing his discomfort with the situation. She felt much closer to Daniel after their time by the river, but still not confident enough in what it all meant to consciously acknowledge this newly formed bond, not even to herself. Not even when Daniel shifted his own body towards her enough that their arms were now touching.
“Not sure.” Remy glanced around the room. There was still grumbling, in pairs, or disgusted sideways glances in the direction of Melody and Zeche, mostly. But everyone appeared to be moving on, accepting Melody’s decision even if they didn’t agree with it. Remy wasn’t entirely certain he could do the same. “Let’s go. We shouldn’t talk here, anyway.”
When they reached the truck, they found Davi there waiting for them, leaning with his back against the passenger-side back door, arms folded, head tilted back, and eyes closed. His face was a grim mask, contradicting his casual stance. He heard their approach, opened one eye to check to see who all was there, then closed it again.
“So, are we going to let them get away with this? Or are we going to take matters into our own hands?” he asked with a tone of nonchalance.
“No way, man,” Selby offered immediately. The others shot him a warning look.
“What do you mean? Are you planning something?” Cassidi shot back, not willing to trust his motives as readily as Selby.
Davi opened his eyes and stood up, facing the group. “Thought you guys seemed to feel about this the same way as me. I’m not thinking Melody’s word has to always be the final word. Was I wrong to think that?” he asked, eyes narrowing on each of them in turn.
Selby opened his mouth to speak, but Rebecca gripped his arm, hard, to stop him. He turned to look at her, and she shook her head no. After his earlier revelation, he wasn’t about to do anything to make Rebecca angrier at him than she already was. With some effort, he closed his mouth and drifted to the back of the group to reduce his natural inclination to speak out.
“I wouldn’t say you’re wrong, at least not about us thinking like you about going to look for these two. But I’m not sure about the part about Melody. We’re still pretty new at all this,” said Rebecca.
Remy, who had been silent up to this point, stepped in, “You aren’t wrong. At least not from my perspective.” He turned to Rebecca, “You guys don’t have to do this. Whatever this turns out to be. You are new, and it’s certainly a risk.”
“Colossus is important for what it does, but it’s more important to me that we get somewhere. I owe it to Jonathan, and there’s too much at stake to always be so cautious. So. What are we going to do?” Rebecca responded, knowing right then that she wanted to do this, regardless of the consequences with Colossus. Things had been moving too slow lately. Melody was too careful. Now, they had a chance to find out more, and maybe even to save two people. That sure sounded better than waiting around to see if they could go inside BRO and resume their previous mission.
“Davi, how did you get here?” Remy asked.
“Rode in with Mel. She’s already on board.”
Remy looked surprised at that. Mel hadn’t voiced any opinions in the meeting, “Okaaaay,” he said, slowly. “Let’s head back to the ranch. We’ll talk more there. Any of you want me to drop you off at home?” He directed the question to the others.
“If Rebecca is in, then I’m in, too,” said Cassidi.
“Yep, me too,” Selby added, with a look to Rebecca to check her reaction. There was none. This would take some work on his part to get her to trust him again.
“Count me in,” Daniel replied.
“Right…let’s head out then. Meet you there, Davi,” said Remy, making his way around the truck toward the driver’s seat.
๛ ๛ ๛
They decided to break up into two groups, since there were so many of them and because Remy would have to make an appearance at BRO, especially if Karl was there. He’d expect to see Remy, and Melody would be looking for him to report to her. He also needed to talk to Bryn, both about Selby’s parents and about what their plans were. Selby would have to go home to talk to his parents and fill them in on the night’s events. He could put it off no longer. Rebecca, Cassidi, Daniel, Davi, and Mel would start the search, and Remy and Selby would join in the efforts as soon as possible. After a nap in vehicles that brought them to the edge of daylight, they piled into Remy’s truck and made their way around to the road leading into BRO.
There had been a lot of discussion about their approach to the search. Admittedly, this search was potentially futile. The pair could have gone anywhere. They reasoned, however, that with the terrain and the road, they would have been unlikely to have made it too far off the road. Especially if the virus is what they had been injected with. They’d never have the strength to climb, even if they had the skill. And the latter was doubtful considering the two were from Westlow. Prior to tonight’s meeting, none had known where Westlow was located, but Zeche had pulled the City Unit up on his mapping portal for the group. Westlow was in the plains. Any outdoor recreation opportunities would not involve climbing mountains.
How far could the two escapees have gone once injected with the virus? The virus would probably be fast-acting—there would be little use for it otherwise—but not as strong. If they were experimenting with dosages, though, they would not yet have perfected the virus structure, so it was impossible to say how the injection would affect the pair. Remy wasn’t privy to this side of BRO’s operations, so any thoughts he had on it were only a little better than guesswork.
The group had come to the conclusion that it would be unlikely that the pair would have headed back the way they came. That would lead to a quick recapture. The trackers would be unavoidable to anyone without the technology Colossus was using, compliments of Selby. The group had also figured out that the escapees would likely have discovered by now that the trackers didn’t work in the Borderlands. They’d probably want to stay in the Borderlands as long as they could.
With all of these factors, the group decided that their best bet was to backtrack down the road the Guard would have had to take between Westlow and BRO, but not all the way back to the place the one guard had said they’d stopped to give the injection. The main group would spread out from this point, with Mel and Davi going back towards Westlow and the other three moving out away from the road. Remy and Selby would meet the group at the drop-off point, and they’d all take it from there.
The sun would be creeping up over the tops of the mountains before long. Remy drove while the others kept a sharp eye out for signs of the Guard and the two BRO workers who joined them. There was no way of knowing the approach they would take to searching for the two prisoners, other than knowing they’d start from the location of the injection because that had been said during the confrontation with Karl. They hoped the Guard and BRO workers would assume the prisoners would head back towards Westlow.
Hopefully.
If not, they’d have a really hard time escaping being seen and an equally difficult time explaining how 7 people happened to be in a truck at daybreak wandering around on the dirt roads of the Borderlands.
Rebecca, Cassidi, and Daniel sat in the bed of the truck. Cassidi and Rebecca were propped on the edge by the cab, while Daniel squatted at the rear, keeping a watch on the road behind them. There was little discussion for fear of distraction from their duties as lookouts, but, occasionally, Rebecca could feel Cassidi’s eyes on her, prying for information. Information about what, she didn’t know for sure, but she would guess that Cassidi, ever perceptive when it came to Rebecca, had noticed something in her interactions with Daniel. Cassidi wouldn’t be one to let that ride without saying anything. Rebecca was glad she was safe for now. There would be little opportunity for Cassidi’s questions.
Rebecca kept her eyes diligently on the sides of the road, not acknowledging the lasers boring holes in the back of her head from the other side of the truck’s bed. Right now, she had a job to do anyway. Her focus was where it needed to be, on the task at hand. Once she made the instantaneous decision after the meeting to go along with Remy in search of the missing pair, she did not look back. There was no doubt that this was the course she had to take. For Rebecca, her mission had grown beyond fulfilling her brother’s promise. She realized this now.
When she had spoken to Daniel about the guilt she sometimes felt because she often forgot that she had been doing this all for Jonathan, she hadn’t quite understood that she was now doing it for her own reasons as well. That understanding came with her decision to go along with Remy. She did owe it to Jonathan, yes, but not just because she promised him. She also owed it to everyone who continued to lose loved ones because the progress of Colossus was monumentally slow up to this point. And she owed it to those who continued to lose their own battles with the virus and with Council.
While she didn’t necessarily agree with the tactics of the Resistance, Rebecca also felt that Melody’s approach was far too careful. There was not a single person acting within Colossus who didn’t understand that their own safety, their own lives, were on the line by participating in efforts to bring down Manglebee and Council. Melody went too far to ensure the safety of Colossus members, letting others take the fall instead.
The truck bounced and joggled over the road. The peaks behind them glowed with the rising of the sun. The purple glow of BRO’s virus delivery system had faded into black before they’d even set off from the ranch. Rebecca looked in that direction as if they were still visible, contemplating the damages the miniature robots would have inflicted while a small group from Colossus was arguing over whether they should try to save just two.
Just two. Is it worth it? she asked the still dark trees before her? Yes, came the reply. Even just two. Even without the potential for the information they might provide. But what if…the thought began forming in her head…what if these two could also help Remy and Bryn by giving them a way to test the anti-viral they’ve been working on? Could they help more?
She knew Melody would never go along with any plan that involved large-scale action against Manglebee. Not yet. And maybe not ever. It seemed she was always waiting for Colossus to be big enough and strong enough to be certain of taking down Manglebee and Council. But would they ever be? Would Melody ever be satisfied enough with their progress, or would her caution always get in the way?
Rebecca knew she could ask that of herself as well. She thought of Selby. She was angry with him for telling his parents, but more than that, she was afraid. She was afraid that by telling his parents, he’d put two more people in jeopardy. She was afraid his parents might tell hers. This well of fear was the source of her anger. Not Selby. If she had been in his shoes, Rebecca was certain she would have done just as Selby did. No, it wasn’t fair that she was mad at Selby. And, truthfully, his parents might be a huge help to them. They weren’t like anyone Rebecca had ever met. Not even within Colossus. She only hoped that they, too, wouldn’t be as cautious as Melody.
As the truck slowed, Rebecca was hoping that Selby’s conversation with his parents was going well.
So far, so good. No signs of the Guard vehicle and no sign of the two guards or the two BRO workers. The three hopped out of the back quickly and gathered on the driver’s side, near Remy’s opened window. Mel and Davi joined them.
“All’s clear so far. Make sure you all remain alert. You could have an unfortunate encounter at any time,” Remy warned.
“Don’t worry about us. Just go do what you have to do and get back here with Selby so you guys can help,” Rebecca said and then, upon seeing the worry in Remy’s eyes, added, “We’ll be careful, and we’ll be in touch if anything comes up.”
