Terminal Connection (19 page)

A
llison approached the front door of Steve’s house. Why hadn’t he called her? She had paged him all night. The door rocked idly on its hinges. Dread filled her as she saw the splintered wood. Someone had busted the door in.
Syzygy!

Withdrawing her gun, she edged the door open a crack and peeked inside. Light from a window above the door illuminated the dark hall. No movement. Waiting silently on the threshold, she listened. Nothing.

She nudged the door open, slipped inside, and inched her way down the hall. Brooke’s bedroom door was wide open. She peeked around the corner and glanced inside—unmade bed, open closet, dresser with one drawer slightly ajar. She dropped to a knee and scanned under the bed and dresser. Nothing.

She continued down the hall. A sound came from Steve’s office. She peaked in. Cleared Desk, trampled papers, broken scanner on the ground—all signs of struggle.

She heard something from the kitchen. Cocking her head, she listened as the glass door opened and closed. She stood and crept down the hall to the entrance of the kitchen. She placed her back against the wall. She took a deep breath. One, two, three. Allison whipped around the corner and leveled her gun.

Steve had just returned from a run. His heart was already pounding in his ears when he looked first at the gun and then into Allison’s eyes. “What the hell?”

Allison hastily holstered her gun and glanced around the kitchen. “Someone broke down the front door and trashed your office.”

Her words took a while to register. Lifting his sweatshirt, he wiped the sweat from his brow and off his face. He leaned back against the counter and took a deep breath.

“It happened yesterday … when they tried to save Brooke.” In his mind’s eye he saw Brooke on the desk again, the fireman leaning over her, a long tube stuck down her throat, as they poured drugs into her.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I tried to call you last night. Why didn’t you answer my pages?”

Looking at the ground, he remembered the night in Allison’s hotel room. He had needed her last night too, but he could not trust her. “Too much has happened. My wife died last year, now my daughter. Everyone important to me is dead.”

“Not everyone,” she whispered under her breath, stepping toward him.

He smelled her sweet perfume. It made his stomach turn when he thought of Brooke. He pushed her back. “Don’t.”

“What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? I lost my daughter because of some bullshit political game of yours!” Turning, he pulled down a glass from the cupboard.

“What are you talking about?”

“They told me you run DARPA, that you could’ve initiated a recall at anytime. Is that true?”

She stared down, searching for words between the lines of the oak wood beneath her feet. His heart sank.

“Just what I thought. I think you should leave.” Opening the fridge, he grabbed a bottle of V8 juice.

“Please don’t jump to conclusions. This case is extremely complex. There are powers at work, extenuating circumstances. You don’t understand!”

A cold anger flowed around his heart, causing his hand to shake. Setting down the juice, he pierced her with an angry stare. “Allison, Brooke was
not
an extenuating circumstance.”

She winced. Her gaze told him that he had hurt her.

“Nothing, and I mean nothing, excuses Brooke’s death or anyone else’s.” He looked down and shook his head. “It makes me sick that you are involved in this!”

“I was trapped. I couldn’t do anything until now. I … I know it won’t bring Brooke back, but I am going to authorize the recall this morning. I am doing it for Brooke’s sake … rather her memory … and for you, Steve. I know it’s too late. I thought I had no choice.”

Despite his anger, her compassion touched him. He needed her. Steve met her gaze.

“I wish there was something I could do to change this, but there isn’t. I swear I will do whatever I can to help you with this recall. You have my word. I’ll pick up the pieces of my career later. I don’t want to lose your friendship. Not like this.” Tears filled her eyes.

Steve felt torn, pulled in two directions. He needed distance from her. Walking across the kitchen, he leaned against the kitchen table. “Why did you lie to me about who you were?”

She shook her head.

“You owe me that, Allison.”

She took in a deep breath. A quiet storm raged in her deep green eyes. Another tear ran down her cheek. It reminded him of Brooke. Earlier that week, he had wiped Brooke’s tears away while he sat at the edge of her bed. A year earlier he had done the same thing for Tamara; but that memory was fuzzy. He could not see Tamara’s face anymore. Soon he would not see Brooke’s face either.

“A year ago, before the China war broke out, Ed Davis and my father arranged a mission to ensure my promotion to DIA chief.” She looked down and sighed heavily. “I was the department’s prodigy; destined for greatness at a young age. My father was so proud of me, following in his footsteps.” She smiled. “I looked up to him like no one else. My mother and I were never close. I don’t know why. I guess I was more like him.

“We went to Hainan disguised as reporters. It was a quick operation—get in, get out—but the attack came early. We got caught in the crossfire. He didn’t make it. I still remember his expression as he fell out of the plane—surprise and disappointment. It all happened so quickly. I tried to bring him back in, but I couldn’t hold on. I let go of everything that was dear to me. He died there because of me. I vowed that day that wherever he was, he would see me succeed.

“Davis gave me a second chance. He blamed my father’s death on the convoluted chain of command. His efforts resulted in I2 Corp, a unification of all the intelligence agencies. The flagship of the new Corp was Warscape, a tactical surveillance of China. CoolAlerts made up the guts of the system, collecting information through remote sensors, satellites, whatever. He asked me to find the display, someway to present the mountains of information.

“I knew Austin Wheeler through my father. We made an agreement. I gave him a lot of cash and approved the Nexus in exchange for the Nexus schematics.”

“You knew about the defect even then?” Steve asked.

“No!” She shook her head. “It wasn’t like that at all. He only briefly mentioned the defect; I had no idea how bad it was.” She paused for a moment. “But I didn’t look that hard for the truth either. When I returned to Davis with the Nexus, I completed the most powerful weapon in history—Warscape. More importantly, I fulfilled my father’s dream. I became the youngest DARPA chief ever.

“Everything was fine until last week. Austin contacted me about the defect, filling in a few missing details; someone had died. I kept it quiet, trying to take care of the problem myself. I lied to you and everyone else to protect my career, to keep Davis in the dark. If he found out about the defect, then he would know Warscape was vulnerable because of Nexus, because of me. I really thought we could nail Syzygy before anyone else would get hurt. I didn’t know.”

“What happened with Austin?” Steve said.

She shook her head in dismay. “He figured things out and threatened to talk to Davis. He was going to page him. I grabbed his arm. We struggled. He fell on top of me and your weapon just went off. I couldn’t do anything.” She raised her hand to her head, rubbing her temples.

It took two shots to kill him and I intentionally fired the first
.
I am also to blame
. He moved toward her. She looked him in the eye.

“I had no idea it was going to get this out of hand. I love you. Please forgive me. I am so sorry.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I can understand if you don’t want to see me again. I made some horrid mistakes out of guilt over my father’s death and my love for him. I know you know what that feels like when your best intentions have the worse results.”

She was right. When the business went sour, he turned to drinking, drove drunk, and killed Tamara. He brought Austin on board and the defect slipped through. He pursued the Nexus healer and missed Brooke’s final days. Sadness welled up inside him. “Oh god,” he whispered. Piece by piece his mistakes were tearing his life apart.

“I want you to know who I am, Steve.” She touched his shoulder and moved behind him.

He didn’t push her away this time. Tenderly, she held him.

His eyes teared. “Out of the millions of users, why did Syzygy attack her?”

She said nothing for several seconds. “I was thinking the same thing. That’s why I came in with the gun. I think he’s after you, Steve.”

He turned to face her. She released him.

“I’ll talk to Ed Davis; I’ll make him understand. This recall has to happen.” She looked down, crossed her arms, and then looked up again. “Do you think you can get the money together?”

Steve dried his eyes with his shirt. “Yeah, Ron should have Austin’s books figured out by now.”

Allison pulled out her Nexus. He grabbed her arm.

“Wait. Syzygy is after me; he might go after you. I don’t want you inside. I can’t stand losing anybody else.”

“What about the chip you used when you met Syzygy for the first time?” she said.

He shook his head. “I’m using the only prototype. It will take more than two weeks to manufacture more.”

She smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. Now come on. Let’s get to work.”

As she headed off, Steve grabbed her arm again. She stopped, looking at his hand on her arm.
He moved closer.

“Did you really mean that, about loving me?”

She smiled. “Yes. The more I am with you, the more certain I am.”

He looked into her eyes. They were light again.
Very good.

S
teve stepped into the lobby of Nexus Corporation. Ron had finally put the last touches in place. Tall pillars supported a cluster of domes that made up the ceiling. Imitating the inside of an abalone shell, the iridescent walls, pillars, and ceiling were full of subtle colors that blended imperceptibly into one another, swirling as he walked.

“I decided against the marble. It was too trendy.”

Steve turned.

“You look awful,” Ron said.

“No commentaries. Just tell me about Austin’s second set of books.”

“My friend, you are grumpy! How ’bout a break?”

“I don’t have time.”

“We can talk while we play. It’ll be like the old times, before all this.” Ron pressed the portal button on his wrist. “National Geographic’s spaceport.”

“Wait!” Steve said as Ron entered the portal.

Steve followed him through.

Steve emerged in a crowd. Pushing through, he found an open space and scanned the room. It was tall and crescent shaped with one side exposed to open space. The edge of the floor was notched, resembling a gigantic gear. A space vessel was docked in each notch. Ron stood next to a toboggan-like rocket. Steve walked over to him.

“So, do you want to drive?” Ron asked, jumping in the front seat.

“Guess not,” Steve said. He looked up as two spacecrafts entered the port, slipping through a thin electrical membrane, which prevented the bay’s contents from being sucked into space. National Geographic usually was realistic, but most of what he saw was still decades away.

“Will you try not to be a geek for one minute and stop analyzing everything? Now get in!” Ron said.

Steve slid into the seat behind him. There was no hatch to flip down to cover the cockpit. Instead, the craft used the same electric sheath that the space dock used.

“Tell me what you found,” Steve demanded. He could hear Ron tinkering with the controls. “Ron?”

Ron primed the engines.

“Damn it,” he said. He strapped in.

“Here we go!” Ron said as the magnetic clamps released.

They accelerated rapidly, shooting out of the launch bay.

“Crap, slow down!” Steve felt his distant body’s stomach lurch.

“It’s just VR! Sit back and relax! I’m just getting started!”

Steve groaned.

They approached the belt quickly. From a distance, it appeared as a collection of a hundred or so asteroids. This was just a small part of Kuiper’s belt. The collection of rocks orbited beyond Neptune, creating a gigantic disk two billion miles from earth that was over four billion miles wide. Most of the sparse ring contained empty space, but here and there, the objects clustered, herded together by Neptune.

“Okay, let’s take a closer look, shall we?” Ron said, diving toward a stray asteroid that paralleled the larger group.

Steve tensed as they neared the cluster.

The surface of the rock appeared rough and jagged, covered with rubble.

“As a kid, did you ever wonder how movie stars raced their spaceships through asteroid belts without getting hit?” Ron joked.

Steve tightened his grip on the seat as Ron dove for the main cluster. Again, Steve’s stomach lurched. He thought his corporeal body might lose its breakfast.

They entered the cluster. It proved much more tranquil than Steve expected. The rocks moved with relatively the same direction and speed, long since negotiating their ordered place in the asteroid swarm. Ron swung the craft around one of the larger asteroids. Abruptly, there appeared a smaller asteroid hidden in the shadow of the larger one.

“Hold on!” Ron yelled. He veered the craft hard to starboard and steered into a larger rock. Steve was thrown against the wall of the cockpit as the craft spun wildly. He tensed helplessly, waiting until Ron regained control of the craft. It took Ron only a couple seconds.

“Ron, what the …”

“Uh oh,” Ron said.

“What’s uh oh?” Then Steve saw it. Ron had dislodged one of the asteroids from its place within the swarm. This asteroid, in turn, had knocked a neighboring rock, which set off a chain reaction. Around them, the serene cluster rapidly disintegrated into chaos.

Ron steered for the edge of the cluster, attempting to escape the angry swarm. A rock hit them from the side, knocking Steve’s head against the cockpit again. Then another struck the bottom of the craft and Steve hit his console. After a few more hits, the swarm had turned the craft. They were heading back to the center of the cluster. Like an angry swarm of bees, the asteroid cloud swallowed them up.

“Oh, shit!” Ron screamed.

Steve looked up. A tumbling boulder the size of a two-story house headed straight for them.

“I can’t turn the ship. Try your controls,” Ron said.

Steve touched the stick just as the rock plowed into them.

Everything changed. He was falling. Steve landed hard on a field of grass. His back hurt.

“What happened?”

Steve turned to Ron. “Software bug. I guess the software couldn’t anticipate someone going suicidal and colliding with the largest meteor they could find!”

“Are you sore?”

“Well what do you think? I’m tired of you dragging me through a virtual hell! Just tell me about Austin’s accounts!”

“I meant your back.”

“Oh.” Steve stopped and rubbed his back.

“Well, my friend, where have we landed?” Ron said, looking around.

Steve scanned the horizon. They stood on a small rise above a marshy lake. A scattering of palm trees ran along the crest of the sandy hill behind them. The sun bore down right on top of them and the air was dense and rancid from the swamp.

He felt the warmth burrowing its way into his skin, causing small beads of sweat to form on his virtual arm. A small group of dinosaurs grazed in tall grass and reeds while larger long necks roamed deeper in the lake.

“It looks like we landed in the Smithsonian dinosaur exhibit. It’s on the same VR server.”

“Cool.”

“The accounts, Ron.”

Ron sighed. “You’re always business aren’t you?”

“Yeah, for now. What did you find?”

“Eighteen million shares of Nexus Stock and eighty-one million dollars.”

Steve’s jaw dropped. Nexus Corporation as a whole was not worth half that much. Allison had said Austin got some money out of the deal, but he never imagined …

Ron smiled. “I told you not to worry about Austin. It was just a matter of time until he imploded. He parked the money in your expense account. The stock, like the account, is in both your name and Austin’s. I have power of attorney; the transfer should be a piece of cake. In any event, you’ve got control of your company again. Try not to screw it up.”

Steve sat down on a log and gazed at the grazing dinosaurs. He felt overwhelmed. “I don’t know.”

Ron sat beside him. “Don’t give up now! The hardest part is behind you! Do you remember what you told me after the lobby was trashed? You said, ‘An undetected virus is like a spy in an organization. Once accepted as one of the fold, you cannot find him without making everyone a suspect.’ You were right. You just didn’t know that Allison was the spy.”

Allison? A spy?
Steve turned to Ron. “What are you talking about?”

Click.

Steve froze.

Click.

Syzygy had attacked. Steve’s modified Nexus would protect him; but Ron was another matter.

“What is it?” Ron asked.

“Shh!” Steve scanned the palm trees but saw nothing.

“What’s wrong?” Ron said.

“It’s probably nothing. Try to open a portal.”

Ron shrugged and pressed the button. Nothing happened. “Steve, it doesn’t seem to be working.”

“Exit VR now!” Steve spun around, checking the marsh, searching for movement in the reeds and grass. Still nothing.
Where is he? Maybe he’s camouflaged, part of the terrain
.

Ron looked up from his left wrist. “It’s not working either.”

Steve pulled out the phaser from his virtual pocket and shot a dinosaur grazing in a field several meters away. It briefly lit up in a bright blue hallo, but continued to graze unaffected.

“What in the hell’s that?” Ron asked.

Syzygy couldn’t bring down my Nexus’ patch
. Steve punched his portal button. A seven foot black oval appeared with a wind issuing from it, rustling the surrounding ferns and tall grass. “Jump through!” he shouted.

“You’re messin’ with me, right?” Ron said, looking more concerned.

Steve fired at the pterodactyl in the sky and followed it with a blast at a herd of small dinosaurs, prancing through the meadow grass. Again, nothing.

“I’m not doing anything until you tell me what the hell is going on!” Ron demanded.

Syzygy will just follow Ron through the portal. Damn, what if Syzygy is invisible, not even showing up in VR? What if I don’t even have a target?
His heart started to race. He felt panic coming on. Calm down, he told himself. An idea came to him. “Charlie!”

Bounding over a log, the small dog approached, wagging its tail madly. Steve had forgotten to turn Charlie off and he had stayed as a background process, following Steve throughout the Internet.

“Charlie, find the alias Syzygy!”

“Who’s Syzygy?” Ron asked.

The dog ran to a palm tree and sniffed it.

“What is it?” Steve asked.

Charlie proceeded to urinate on the tree.

“Charlie!” Steve said.

The tree’s image quivered. It was Syzygy.

Steve lifted the phaser.

The tree liquefied, metamorphosing into a wall of brown fluid. It flowed toward them.

Ron yelled and stumbled back.

Charlie dove in front of the wall of fluid. It stopped, coiled around the dog, and solidified into a pod.

Charlie struggled to break free of the cocoon. Layers of sinewy muscle flowed over Charlie’s limbs, which jabbed frantically, attempting to punch through.

“Don’t analyze it! Shoot it! Shoot the damned thing!” Ron yelled.

Steve snapped out of his daze and pulled the trigger. A blue halo enveloped the pod, which reverted into a frozen image of Syzygy. The shot had knocked Syzygy off the Internet. He looked around. Charlie had disappeared. “Charlie!”

A copy of the program bounded over a nearby log. “Good boy, can you reset Ron’s interface?”

Charlie barked once.

Steve felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and faced Ron.

“I don’t know what that thing was; but it seems to be after you, my friend.”