The Decrypter: Secret of the Lost Manuscript (Calla Cress Techno Thriller Series: Book 1) (60 page)

Nash rose and leaned his arms against the door of a solitary room.  His wrists were fastened with makeshift steel cords that allowed him movement of only a few meters.  His head bowed in contemplation, facing the inside wall.

Calla pressed her hands against the weighty glass.  It would take a powerful blow. 

She threw double fists through the twin-skin facade.  The glass shattered its many layers until a large puncture appeared, two feet in diameter.

Nash raised his head and glanced towards the window. 

The fresh air breathed through his sandy tresses, as intense moonlight reflected off his bruised face.  He veered towards the perforated window, barely making it.

Calla’s upper body permeated through the diffused glass.

Nash’s face settled inches from hers, his eyes struck with awe, assessing if he’d seen right. “Hey beautiful, wouldn’t the front door have been the easier option?” 

“Since when do I do
easy
?”

“That, you don’t.” He smiled. “I’m really glad to see you.”

His smile could still dissolve her insides like ice in a furnace. “Nash,” she whispered.

He edged closer. “I see it was worth getting those diamonds to you.” 

He admired her smooth, pearl-toned body suit, matched with a white headband belted around her forehead.  “Is this who you really are?”

A mischievous smile played on her lips.  “You’re not disappointed are you?”

Nash leaned forward as if to touch her and ensure she was not a vision.  His hand settled on her face. “Not in the least.”

Amused, she eased through the glass and effortlessly loosed his restraints.  He watched her move with sureness. Her hair fluttered freely with the night breeze that streamed into the room.  She inched forward, and for the first time ever, received his waiting embrace without reservation.  She kissed him deeply, as if the moment would erase the rejection she’d tossed his way for months.

“I hate to interrupt a tender moment.”

Calla frowned at the interruption as Slate strode through the door aiming a firearm. 

“Mason said you’d come. Let’s go,” commanded Slate.  He waved a weapon in the direction of the door. 

She bit her bit. “I think I’ve had enough of Mason’s instructions. How about you, Nash”

She swung a roundhouse kick into Slate’s side.

The firearm loosened from his grasp and dropped to the granite-tiled floor, firing a deafening shot.

Slate reached out to retrieve it.

Nash got to it first. 

Anticipating Slate’s response, Calla seized his outstretched hand and crushed it within her powerful grip.

Stunned into paralysis, he squealed in pain. She struck at his throat with her other hand, sending him gasping for air, unable to speak.

“Had enough?” Calla said.

Her stare weakened him, until he broke down into huffs.

“You don’t need to be an errand boy for Mason,” she said.  “You know ISTF won’t protect you from prosecution and Mason will certainly not stick out his neck for you.”  She released him from her grasp.  “You want to stop him yourself, if you could.”

He gawked at her, giving away no emotion.

“Mason won’t help you when he ends up sliding a feeding pan across bars.  But I’m sure government people like Allegra Driscoll will make sure you get the best legal support or even a deal.” She watched for a reaction. “It’s up to you.”

Slate reeled back until his body edged up against the wall.  The pain caused him to heave and grab at his chest.  “I don’t need you to show me that Mason is a first class, crossbreed. I’ve seen this coming for some time.”

  Slate drew his eyebrows together. “To him, I’ll always be a hit man, paid to venture where he won’t dare.  Doesn’t say much about me, does it?”

“Actually,” said Nash. “It makes you smarter than him.”

They watched Slate whimper. He seemed to be talking to himself, and for a moment he ignored their presence.  

He shot a fist is his hand and resentment sent him bolting upright.  Slate ceased to blabbe and eyed the two bystanders, before wiping his bloodied nose with his sleeve. 

Voices filtered into the hallway. 

The meeting had adjourned.

Calla watched Slate’s fury intensify.  “Wanna start now?”

He watched her for a few seconds.  “A deal you say?”  He shot Nash a look.  “This way.”

They headed for the door and raced down the dark corridor towards the conference rooms.  The lights flickered as they neared Mason’s closed meeting.

“He’ll be in there a few more minutes.  Follow me,” Slate said.

“We might need to strategize this a little,” warned Nash.

Mason’s hoarse voice startled them as he appeared at the end of the hall.  “You made an appearance, Cress.”

They swept their heads around. 

He stood behind them.

“Looks like your meeting adjourned early. Good, we can get this over with,” Calla said.

Mason fiddled with an electronic tablet and focused his penetrating eyes on Calla. Like lightening, Slate curved his way past them, and launched himself at Mason. 

Mason’s body shifted briskly to one side as Slate sailed right past him, hurtling to the ground. 

Calla tilted her head towards Nash.  “Should we?”

“After you, beautiful,” Nash said.

Mason held on tightly to the wireless, remote-command tablet and slithered backwards.

Calla calmly paced forward, studying his intention. “Something bothering you, Mason?”

He slithered into the conference room, where half the meeting members had left. Bewildered eyes glanced up and shot to their feet.  Mason motioned them out as he made his way steadily to the video control panel. The men obliged, picking up their belongings and shuffling past Calla.

Calla tracked cautiously, watching as Mason operated the control panel.

“I’m afraid you didn’t make it in time, Cress.”

“I’m never late.”

He threw his shoulders back, poised and controlled.  “Three thousand of my operatives are in their positions.  You forget I had two diamonds for more than twenty-four hours.  Enough time to set up my protocol analyzer, a little device that will capture and analyze signals and data traffic throughout the systems of Riche Enterprises, Kumar Oil Corporation and the US Republican Party. “

“Counted your eggs a little too early, Mason?”

“Hmm! Why Merovec would pick a woman is beyond me. Anyway, his loss. By now, my hackers have seized more data than I need.  I’m more than halfway there.”

Calla edged closer.

Mason cradled his tablet. 

A sapphire-blue light told her it was in remote control mode. 

He sneered.  “All I need to do now is transfer the systems to promisc mode, that is, to a mode that will cause the system controllers of these organizations to pass all the traffic they receive to my unit, my central processing unit and not their own.”

Her firm tone was unrelenting. “Looks like you thought of everything.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Perhaps you’d better determine whose side you’re on, Cress. Soon that choice will be made for you as the hack will include everything, bank transactions, contract information, client lists, confidential R&D plans, new technological developments, firm secrets and well, you know how it goes - much more. No organization will be out of reach.”

He cast a glance up at her.  “Impressed yet?”

She did not budge. “I’m on my side. No one’s.” 

Mason continued, spellbound by his scheme.  “This way, the defenses of each of these systems will be immobilized.”  He eyed the tablet.  “These little gadgets are magnificent.  Just one stroke on the screen.  That’s all it takes.”

He let out a sneer.  “Give Merovec my regards. The coward has let global technology spiral out of control and into the hands of amateurs. It’s time I did something about it. You, on the other hand Cress, are a weak girl.  Who are you anyway against my mobilized army of hackers?” He studied her. “Why would he pick a weakling like you?”

Calla took another step forward. 

Mason clicked his tongue.  “Fighting me will not stop my operatives sniffing at everything going on in these organizations, including administering data transfers. This is just dinner; desert will be NASA, NSA and Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters.”

Calla halted a couple of feet from him.  “What makes you think I intend to fight you?”

Mason tilted his head.  “Isn’t that what we operatives have done since Merovec started his movement?  Fight to the end!  Yes, I figured that’s why you held on to the carbonados.  I see that your physical skill has improved somewhat.”

Calla’s eyes drilled into his dark soul.  “You forget, Mason.  When this conflict began two thousand years ago, it was never a physical one.  What you don’t realize is that I’ve found the little lab in your house, thanks to Jack.  And yes, I spoke to him only a few hours ago.”

Mason lost the grin on his face. 

Calla feigned a smile.  “Jack placed the three carbonados in your own command center.  I then energized and remodeled your software program.”  She grinned.  “I in turn hacked
your
little program.”

His eyes glared with fury and disdain. 

She sneered maliciously. “Reverse engineering is an incredibly useful skill.  I analyzed your program for its vulnerabilities.”

Mason’s face grew ashen.  “There are no vulnerabilities in my design.”

“Really?  If there’s anything I’ve learned on this journey with the Deveron, it’s that knowledge, a.k.a perception, is the greater power of the three dominances.”  Calla was not finished.  “You see, in this day and age, it’s not just physical power that wins the battle.”

Mason winced. 

With his guard down, she snatched the tablet from his grip with a confident air.  “This is the age of technology. Allow me.”  She slid her hand over the screen and activated his software program for him.

Mason watched baffled.

“Here we go. By activating this button, here, I’ve just whitelisted your hackers and enlisted your three thousand operatives to work the reverse on your program.  Each offense you intended to create in these corporate computer systems, has consumed up your own systems.  You see, Nash got to Arlington and Jack got to Kumar and Riche.”  

She slanted her head mocking him.  “Oops…not too smart for a girl. I’m sorry, I think we’re done.”

Mason slumped into a nearby chair.  All he could envisage was the last look he’d seen on his mother’s face.  The Deveron had defeated her and now him.

“It’s over, Masonius. That’s your name isn’t it?”

He raised his head with a flash of anger.  “Not so quick, Cress.  Like a dragonfly at a bug party, I always serve the last course.”  He raised his hand from his suit jacket and fired a bullet from a concealed handgun.

Calla’s eyes widened as the bullet sizzled towards her temple.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

11:30 A.M.

Allegra Driscoll’s Residence,

West London

“Does it still hurt?” Nash said.

Calla rubbed her temple.

“Not really, it’s just a small reminder.  I think I’ll miss running from Mason.  He really couldn’t have seen it coming.”

“Calla, I’m glad you took some advice from a former marine,” Nash said.

Calla smiled at Allegra recalling her cautioning before they left the mineshaft in Jordan.
 Mason, as intelligent as he is, can be predictable. What he’s done once, he’ll try again. 

That was when Calla had requested the Cove in London to suit her up with as much, threadlike bulletproof material as possible.  After Nash’s advice to Jack, she figured she’d take precaution. Knowing Mason had once aimed a gun at her temple, he would most probably try it again.

  She’d also requested the Cove to give her the best bulletproof appliance they had to protect the skull.  “It can’t be obvious,” Calla had insisted.  The result had been a rather classy, matching white headband.

Nash held her hand in his.  “Mason must’ve thought you were dead when that bullet knocked you out for several seconds.”

“I know, but I had one last blow for him. He was wrong about dragonflies too. Though dragonflies are predators, they’re also vulnerable to predation. That last blow to his head kept him unconscious for several hours.  He was still out when the police, ISTF and MI6 arrived.”

Nash stroked her hair.  “He’s gone now, locked up on remand at Belmarsh waiting for trial.  It’s a high security prison, especially for cases involving national security.”

“So where were we?” said Calla.

Allegra settled in her reading chair by the fireplace of her den.  “Discussing the return of stolen goods.”

Nash moved to the window and folded his arms as he watched the women converse.  Calla peered out the window, spotting cheerful children riding on their scooters in the spring sun.  She turned her head back at Allegra.  “I better return the carbonados to their rightful owner.”