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Chapter 20
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“We learned early on, before the establishment of a formal Radical government, that infiltration was key. The Central Government would go to any length to exterminate us, including disguising themselves as Radicals or brainwashing actual Radicals to do their work. We couldn’t idly sit by and wash our hands of this for moral or ethical reasons; no, we had to get our hands dirty and play the same game.” Radical Archive – excerpt from the Executive Operative Origins
“What now?” Chad asked. Sweat began forming in waterfalls across his forehead. “We still need to go ahead with the mission,” Veronica said hesitantly. “Just be alert. This smells like a trap… and we may have been lucky enough to step into it before they were ready for us.” Veronica tried the lever, testing to see if the door was locked. Two minutes later – after the assistance of a mag-interrupter – she opened the door and peered inside. Though the overhead lights were all off, light from various monitors and machines spread throughout the room illuminated the sparse space enough to give Veronica an idea of the task she’d be facing. She turned around to her companions. “It looks okay to enter. Lorelei, you’re with me. Molly, Chad, fan out and keep guard. One of you secure the floor while the other keeps lookout here.” Veronica turned her attention to the room in front of her. After finding a light switch and illuminating the room, she began the task of going terminal to terminal looking for anything remotely resembling network assembly. The room itself was set up more like a newspaper journalist pit than an office with desks spread throughout the small space, clustered together due to lack of space. The gray carpet was immaculately clean and matched the off white walls that seemed to gleam. Ten minutes into her search, Veronica stopped and let out a loud sigh. “This is taking too long. None of these terminals show any signs of network protocols. They’re just connected to an office LAN.” “Could it just not be installed yet?” Lorelei asked. “That’s what I’m afraid of,” Veronica said. “I have a few more terminals to check out though.” Each terminal had the kinds of files she expected to find: office minutiae, agendas, supply orders, and mundane files she could find on any terminal in New Chicago. All of the juicy files seemed to be locked away in a directory on the local network she couldn’t access without sitting down and working out an elaborate hack – a task she had no time for. On a hunch, Veronica decided to try a different approach. She pulled the tablet out of her shoulder bag, booted it, and walked around the room as she slid her hand along the wall. The cool, white surface felt silent… void of any telltale vibrations. “Maria, are you there?” Veronica said. “I’m here,” she responded. “Do you have a blueprint of this floor? Like every room and structure?” The two-way remained silent for a moment, presumably while Maria researched. “I do,” she said. “What do you need?” “Look for a small room connected to this room. It may be directly off it, possibly even below it with a vent leading into the walls. Something close by though,” Veronica said. “What are you looking for?” Lorelei asked. She remained perched in the same position – the edge of the room, close to the door – she’d been in since they entered the ominously labeled doorway. “I’m thinking outside the box… or in this case, outside the room,” Veronica said. “I found it,” Maria said. “It’s the next room over I think. It doesn’t have a label on the official floor plan, but it’s there.” “Thanks,” Veronica said. She motioned for Lorelei to follow. “Come on, we’re heading next door.” Outside the door, Molly awaited their return. “That was fast,” she said. “We’re not finished yet; the server is in the next room. Has Chad circled back around yet?” Veronica asked. “Once. He’s on his second circle now. Everything’s been quiet so far,” Molly said. “Excellent. We’ll be in the next room a few more minutes, and then we can join Robert and the others downstairs,” Veronica said. A short walk down the hall, the next frosted door had no white lettering – something that gave Veronica anxiety and hope simultaneously. She jiggled the lever to test the door, finding it locked just like the last. After interrupting the magnetic lock, she pushed the door open and looked inside. Heat from the server machines filled the room. Veronica felt around the wall for the light switch and eventually found it on the third swipe. Once she could see everything around her, Veronica noticed just how small the room was. It barely held the servers, let alone two bodies with the machinery. “Lorelei, you can go wait in the hall with Molly if you’d like. I won’t be too long here.” Lorelei nodded and slipped back out of the room silently, leaving Veronica alone with her work. She spent a couple of minutes inspecting the server for access points and alarm triggers. Nothing seemed to jump out at her, so the next logical step was to begin attaching her tablet to the closest server machine so she could interface directly with the local network – a step she hoped they miscalculated in protecting all their information. “Veronica?” Maria said over the two-way. “What are you doing?” “Accessing the server,” Veronica said. “Why?” “Something is happening. Something you did must have flipped some kind of silent alarm… and now there’s a strong signal coming from your vicinity.” “What kind of signal? Can you block it?” Veronica asked. “It’s hard to tell, but it looks like it’s meant to get someone’s attention. And I’ve already tried. It’s either hard-wired or encrypted… either way, I can’t get a lock on it to block or scramble it.” “So we’re going to have company then,” Veronica said. “Soon I’d imagine. Hurry up and get out of there,” Maria said. “Thanks, I’ll be in touch soon,” Veronica said. She held up her wrist transmitter and typed in Robert’s transmission frequency. “This is Robert,” he said. “What’s up?” “How’s the search?” she asked. “Not going well. It’s like they disappeared,” he said. Veronica didn’t like the sound of that. “This op is feeling more and more like a set up Robert,” she said. “Why would they pick tonight though? They couldn’t have known we’d be here tonight,” he said. “Have you forgotten what I told you at dinner?” she asked. “I see,” he said. “So this could be that person destroying those who could potentially know.” “It makes sense. Otherwise they would’ve waited for the op so the rest of the team could be here,” Veronica said. “They didn’t have to risk us getting to their network tonight.” “How’s that coming?” he asked. “That’s why I’m calling. I think entering the server room or accessing this server tripped an alarm. Maria can’t block the signal.” Veronica waited on Robert to respond, but he remained silent, awaiting orders. “I need you to get your team out immediately. Don’t wait for us.” “Are you sure?” he asked. She could already hear the relief in his voice though. “That’s an order. Get the surveillance team back safely. I’ll see you later. Good luck,” she said, and disconnected the transmission. Veronica stuck her head out of the server room and motioned for Molly. “I need you to get Lorelei out of here. An alarm is going off, and Maria can’t block it.” “What about you and Chad?” she asked. “I’ll contact him. You just worry about her,” Veronica said. “Thank you,” she added. After contacting Chad, she went back to work at hacking through the server’s security. She couldn’t help but to flash back to her training exercise – something she’d had a lot less practice for than her current predicament. Despite the gap between the two experiences, she still felt the lingering dread in the back of her head at the potential end game just as she had the first time. “It’s just us?” Chad asked. He’d entered the room a moment earlier without Veronica noticing. “Yeah. Here, take the two-way,” Veronica said. She took the earpiece out and handed it to Chad. “I need to focus on this so we can get out of here.” Chad placed the earpiece in and tested it. “Maria, can you hear me?” “Chad?” Maria asked. “Yeah, it’s me. Veronica’s trying to focus on the server so we can get out.” “Good,” Maria said. “I show everyone from Robert’s team made it out, and Molly and Lorelei are still in the elevator shaft… they went off my radar a moment or two ago.” “What about company?” he asked. “They still haven’t arrived yet,” she said. “Once they do, get the hell out of there. Be sure you’re packed up and ready to run before they arrive,” he said. “What about you two?” she asked. “Don’t worry about us; you’re the one in the open. If they send in an air unit, they’ll see you right away. Once you’re far enough away, remote detonate the van,” Chad said. “Will do,” Maria said. “Oh my God,” Veronica said, interrupting Chad and Maria’s conversation. “What is it?” Chad asked. “I just found something they definitely didn’t intend me to see,” she said. “The network?” he asked. “No, there’s no trace of it here. I don’t think this building was ever targeted as a potential system-wide network building for the first wave of installations,” she said. “That would mean this was definitely a trap,” he said. “Didn’t Todd…” “Yes,” she said. “He was the one who received the intel. I need to talk to you about that, in fact. It’ll have to wait though.” “What’s more important than that?” he asked. “I just found plans for the Blithe Spirit,” she said. “They’re all here: systems, configurations… the whole deal. And the emphasis seems to be on the construction of the independent air and water system.” “Well yeah, it’s a closed system. We recycle all the air and water. Why’s that such a big deal though?” “On its own, not a lot; knowing what I know though…” She looked back down at her tablet, waiting on the download to complete. “Damn it, hurry up.” “What do you know Veronica? What aren’t you telling me?” Chad asked impatiently. “The bug I planted,” she said. “I read a piece of correspondence that mentioned me…and a new inoculation program.” “But you’d know if someone was trying to inoculate you now though,” he said. “Not if it was pumped through the ventilation system,” she said. Chad’s face went pale. “This is bad,” he said. “Wait,” Veronica said. “There’s a file on the same directory that’s out of place. It doesn’t belong here at all in fact.” “What is it?” Chad asked. “It’s just a simple text file. It’s labeled ‘Elisabeth.’ That can’t be a coincidence.” Veronica said. “What does Elisabeth mean?” he asked. “It’s my mother’s name,” Veronica said softly. Her face seemed to change as she spoke the words. It became mournful… thoughtful. “What’s inside?” Chad asked solemnly. “I don’t know; it’s password protected.” “What about your father’s name?” he asked. Veronica smiled. “Good idea,” she said. She opened the file, typed in her father’s first name, and watched as the file opened. “It worked.” “What does it say?” Veronica read the text to Chad. “Veronica: If you’re reading this, my plan worked. I sent the Radicals into the building tonight. You had to know the truth. They may have friends in Blithe Spirit, but you have a friend here. I’ll contact you again when it’s safe.” “Someone in Section 7 is a Radical…” Chad said, vocalizing Veronica's thoughts. “Not just that; they know me well enough to hide this where I’d find it… with my parents’ names. That rules out Todd being behind this evening,” she said. “This must have been a trap we stumbled into prematurely as I suspected earlier.” “Which reminds me,” Chad said. “Maria?” He waited, but no one answered. “Maria? Are you there?” he said again. “She must be on the move,” Veronica said. “And without warning,” Chad said. “They’re probably already in the building. What do we do now?” “We get the rest of this information, then we out-think them,” Veronica said. “Keep an eye on the hallway while I wrap this up,” she said. As she began disconnecting her tablet and putting things away, Veronica felt the room shake. She knew without having to look that the garage across the street was currently on fire, burning and falling apart from the van explosion. At least Maria was still alive, she thought. Mere seconds later, she heard unsteady, rapid footsteps charging down the hallway, getting louder every moment. Veronica pulled the blaster from her jacket pocket and held it up to the door as a precaution. When Chad turned the corner, she breathed a small sigh of relief. “You scared me half to death Chad,” she said. “Maria,” he said, gasping for air. “The van...” “I felt the tremor from the blast,” Veronica said. “I'm almost finished here. Are you ready?” “We can't take the elevator,” he said. “They're already in the building for sure now.” “We can't go to the roof either though,” she said. “Why not?” “Todd,” she said. “He'd expect it.” “The training scenario,” Chad said, suddenly remembering every excruciating detail of the exercise. “We’re going to have to think like Todd every step of the way in getting out of this building,” she said. “Let’s start by getting to the elevator shaft.” “But they’ll be waiting for us there won’t they?” he asked. “Exactly. Todd wouldn’t expect us to take them head-on.” Chad extended his hand. “After you, then.” “I’ll take point, you be ready to fire once they try to apprehend me,” she said. “What are you talking about?” Chad asked. He struggled to keep up with Veronica as she sprinted down the dimly lit hallway toward the elevator bank. “Stay out of sight, but keep a clear line of sight to the elevator doors.” Veronica stopped running once she reached the elevator call button. She tapped it, listened, and waited as one of the cars began ascending toward them. “Just as I thought… they’ve disabled all but one car so we can’t hop in one as they’re coming up in another.” “Isn’t that a bad thing?” he asked. “Not today,” she said. Veronica smiled, tucked her blaster into her pants in the small of her back, and waited. “Just be ready.” They waited for what seemed like an eternity as the elevator crept up, floor by floor. The sound of the elevator arriving pushed a shot of adrenaline through both their bodies, placing them on full alert. The elevator door opened, revealing two armed CJ Guild soldiers in full armament. They both had rapid-fire assault blasters aimed at the door… and with the absence of those doors, now aimed directly at Veronica. “Hey guys, sorry about that,” she said sheepishly. She smiled wide and clasped her hands behind her to attempt a cute look. “How about you two give me a little break?” One of the two suited soldiers stepped out of the elevator toward Veronica. With her hands still clasped together behind her back, she signaled for Chad to wait a moment. She began backing up slowly, clearing the line of sight so Chad could take a clean shot when the other soldier stepped out of the elevator car. The second soldier seemed to be holding position at the car’s entrance though, keeping the car from leaving the floor while simultaneously avoiding Chad’s shot radius. The first solder – a burly, tall fellow built more like a grisly bear than a man – aggressively moved forward, matching Veronica’s backward motion step-for-step. Veronica finally realized her plan wasn’t going to work out as intended, so she did the only thing she could think of: she unclasped her hands and slowly pulled up her jacket inch by inch. When she reached the bottom, she could dip her right hand down into her pants and retrieve the blaster buried there, waiting on her touch. Chad didn’t miss a detail. He waited as Veronica’s hand worked quickly, trying to get to her blaster before her body reached the elevator doors behind her. He had to time it just right; otherwise one of the two men could get off a shot at Veronica. He’d have to shoot a split second after her hand gripped her blaster – anything more would give the soldier in the elevator reaction time. “What are you doing there?” the soldier in front of Veronica asked. “What’s behind your back?” Veronica knew time was up; she stopped inching and ripped her jacket up in one smooth move to reach for the blaster. Her undershirt was drenched in sweat, dripping down from her shirt onto her hand as she felt for the blaster. Her eyes remained trained on the soldier the entire time, eye-to-eye, daring him to take a shot. She knew the moment her eyes wavered or looked away he’d fire. Chad saw the green light and took aim. He squeezed the trigger three times, releasing three concentrated energy blasts at the soldier in front of Veronica. Since he was returning Veronica’s stare, he didn’t have time to react to the blasts. They hit him dead center, knocking him over to the floor. Veronica struggled to get a grip on her own blaster as she watched the scene in front of her flash by in slow motion. The sweat was preventing her from being able to get a quick grip though, and that left her unarmed staring at the second soldier in the elevator. Witnessing the scene, he began a rapid fire of energy blasts at Veronica the moment his comrade hit the floor. Veronica saw them coming, but couldn’t move fast enough. The first shot hit her right shoulder, and the second hit her right hip as she dove to the ground to take cover beside the inured soldier. Chad emerged from hiding, firing constant blasts at the soldier in the elevator as soon as he had a shot. The soldier moved to begin taking shots at Chad instead of Veronica, but reacted too late. Chad’s blaster took the second soldier out within five shots. The second soldier fell forward, landing half-in and half-out of the elevator. Chad rushed up and kicked their weapons down the hallway before checking Veronica. “Are you okay?” he asked. “I was just shot,” she said with a strained voice. “Do you think I’m okay?” “Can you walk?” “No. I’m going to need your help,” she said. “We have to go down one floor and get to this elevator shaft,” she said. “Help me up.” Chad grabbed one of the rapid-fire assault blasters, slung it around his neck by the shoulder strap, and leaned down to help Veronica. “What exactly are we going to do, scale the elevator shaft down twenty floors?” Veronica smiled despite the pain. “Yep.” “What then?” he asked. He propped Veronica on his free shoulder and began walking slowly toward the stairwell door. “They’ll surely be waiting for us outside.” “Remember those unlabeled doors in the basement area we passed on the way to the elevator banks?” Veronica asked. “Yeah, why?” “We’re going to hide in one of those. They won’t have the kind of time or manpower to find us before the beginning of business tomorrow,” she said. “We’ll wait them out, and hold our position there if they do happen to find us.” “I guess we’d better get going then since I’m going to be doing all the heavy lifting in the elevator shaft,” Chad said with a smirk. |
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The Radical Chronicles is Copyright © 2009 by Tim Peacock.
