Zack (In the Company of Snipers Book 3) (12 page)

Mei brought up the website on Attorney Richards again, but instead saw the tender look in Agent Lennox’s eye when he’d kissed her. He might have initiated it, but she ended up being the one who’d all but assaulted him. She couldn’t help that either. The gentleness he’d offered filled the aching hole she’d carried since Christopher had deserted her at the first hint of morning sickness. Not until Agent Lennox lifted her into his arms did her starving self take over, and like the sushi, she couldn’t stop. The hungry beast within had come roaring out to devour everything in its path. Him.

Poor Agent Lennox. Poor LiLi. Poor me.

She slapped the laptop cover closed and buried her face in her arms on top of it. Agent Lennox wasn’t in the room, and yet he was. Why now? Why him? It made no sense. She was on the most desperate hunt of her life. The last thing she needed was a distraction so strong, an attraction this fierce.

The door cracked open and a red-haired man peeked inside. Mei straightened and brushed her emotions off her face. “What do you want?”

“Ah, ma’am,” he said politely. “I didn’t mean to disturb you, but I made some fresh coffee. Would you like a cup? I can bring it to you.”

“No, thanks.” She shook her head, but changed her mind. “On second thought, yes. I could use some coffee.”

“We’ve also got tea, juice, or milk.” He took a step into the room. “I’d be glad to run out and get you something to eat if you’re hungry.”

“Coffee will be fine,” she insisted.

He returned in two seconds flat with a tray filled with a big mug of coffee, creamer, sweetener, a plastic spoon and a small plate of pumpkin cookies. “Here you go,” he said. “Thought you might like a snack about now.”

“You didn’t have to do this,” she said, surprised he was thoughtful.

“This?” He raised his brows. “It’s is just me being friendly. Don’t think twice. I’m Todd Chandler by the way.” He placed a napkin beside her cup and the cookies alongside her laptop. “I was with David in the surveillance van. ’Sides, I get hungry when I’m undercover. That was a tough thing you did today. I imagine you’re starved.”

“Not really. We stopped for lunch on the way back.”

“You did?” Todd did have a charming smile. Mischievous green eyes smiled too. “It’s good to know old man Zack remembered how to treat a lady.”

She didn’t respond, just sipped her black coffee and let the warmth of it soothe her rattled nerves. Agent Lennox did know how to treat a lady. That was the problem.

“He’s worried about you.” Todd lingered at the door. “Thought you might want to know.”

Mei heard what Todd really meant to say. He’d overhead her snap at Agent Lennox, and thought he needed to run interference. That’s all. That’s what men did. They covered for each other.

“He’d die before he let anything happen to you. Hope you know that, too.” Todd shut the door and left her alone with the very unsettling thought.

She didn’t see that one coming.
Agent Lennox would die for me?

“What are you gals up to?” Zack had to ask. Mother looked like she was in a trance after her less than friendly encounter with Mei. Ms. Xing remained hidden away in her self-imposed dungeon, the Sit Room. Just as well. He leaned back in one of Mother’s many extra chairs, folded his hands behind his head, and relaxed for the first time all day.

“We’re playing the game David found. Black Dragon Conquest,” Mother answered without looking up. “It’s sick, and I don’t mean sick in a cool way. Whoever wrote the file format for the game has one disgusting, twisted mind.”

Ember glanced at him. “You know how in most games you get to kill monsters and minions of the evil overlord? Well, in this game you’re not the hero; you’re are the minions of the beast. You hunt children. I’m at the twenty-second level. I’m rich. I’ve got over eight million yuan,” she shrugged, “but I feel really creepy.”

“No,” Mother murmured. “This game’s not about fun. I’m leaning toward a different approach. I’m thinking we need to stop playing and take a look behind the scenes of the game.”

Ember arched a mischievous brow at Zack. “Oh, oh. That means compilers and debuggers. You might not want to hang around for this part.”

Mother turned to him, a determined glint in her blue eyes. “There isn’t a game on the planet I can’t break.”

“Hold up. Before you start disassembling and decoding, can I join you for a minute?” Todd asked. “Hi, Ember. She’s got you playing, too?”

Zack caught the shy look Ember shot Todd, and the way she made room for him to pull a chair alongside hers. Hmm. Mother might be right. Something was up between these two kids.

“Boss treating you any better?” Mother asked.

Todd scowled his answer.

“That’ll pass. Don’t let him get to you.” Zack chuckled. “He’s hard on new recruits.”

“Why? I’m not some FNG. I was Army, like old man Murphy. I’ve done my time.”

Zack grunted. “Might be good if you don’t keep reminding him you’re a pansy-assed Ranger for one thing.”

“What? You telling me to embrace the suck?” Todd grumbled. “That’s all I do around this place. He looks right through me.”

“Don’t matter. Either way, you’ve got to prove yourself first. That’s the way the Boss is. Until he sees you in action, you’re just a wannabe on his payroll. Might as well be a fobbit.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Mother demanded. “Is it more of the military speak no one else gets?”

“Just guy talk.” Zack smirked. “A fobbit’s a Ranger who plays it safe and never leaves his forward operating base. You know, like a rabbit too scared to come out of his hole in the ground.”

Todd shook his head instead of answering.

“And FNG is, umm, just the latest new guy in the squad. It’s not a compliment,” Ember grinned. “You know how it is. They might all be soldiers, but each service thinks it’s better than the rest.”

“Cuz we are.” Zack snorted. “Ask the boss. He’ll tell you.”

Ember thumped his bicep with the clenched point of her knuckles. Hard. “You Marines. All the same.”

“And your point would be?” Zack glowered. His intimidation factor would’ve worked if he and Ember hadn’t known each other for years. The day he worried her was long gone. True, Alex tended to hire more Marines than snipers from other services, but again, that’s just the way the guy was. When it really came down to it, he was looking for certain kinds of men, their choice of military branch aside. Murphy, Harley, and Todd were Army. Ember, Navy. The only one not associated with a branch of service was Mother. And of course, Zack was a Marine through and through. A big ‘Oorah’ echoed in his head. Once a Marine, always a Marine. Oorah!

“Right now I just want to keep my job,” Todd muttered.

“Then break this darn game,” Mother said. “That’ll make him take notice.”

“Think I just did. Look at this.” Todd pointed to the maze of tunnels Mother’s video character had just entered. “Make your scary dude bump into this wall. Right here. See?”

“Why?”

“Easter eggs, Mother. I found Easter eggs hidden in the game.”

Her eyes lit up. “Way cool.”

“Wait. What the heck are Easter eggs?” Zack pulled a stool into Mother’s workspace and joined them. He’d played a few video games in his time, but no way was he as sharp as these addicted gamers.

“You Marines wouldn’t understand,” Ember teased, leaning away from Zack’s hefty fist aimed at her bicep. “Ouch. Don’t hit me,” she giggled, rubbing her arm despite the fact he’d never made contact. “Okay. I give. Easter eggs are hidden rewards. They might allow a player to jump ahead in the game, rack up points, or find clues. Stuff like that.”

“But they also expose data and coding,” Mother said. “Every game’s got vulnerabilities. The key is knowing how to compromise and use those weaknesses so no one knows you’ve been inside their event decisions.” She winked at Zack. “It’s kinda like politics.”

He had to smile. Mother was the consummate gamer, online and off.

“Yeah,” Todd said. “It’s fun when you’re playing a fun game, but this one is just plain scary, and it’s in Chinese. I can’t figure some of it out.”

“David can translate.” Mother reached for her phone and dialed the senior agent.

Zack made room for David at the terminal. Before long, more and more agents stopped by to watch.

Mother turned to explain. “The hero in this game is named Jiāng-shī.”

“Which is Chinese for zombie,” David said quietly, “and zombies deal in death. The creature sucks the life force out of anyone he encounters.”

“What’s the matter with you?” Mother glanced over her shoulder at him “You sick or something? You’re awfully quiet.”

He scrubbed his face with one hand. “It’s this game. It’s evil.”

“Maybe I can help.” Todd took over Mother’s joystick. “Watch this.”

Zack and David leaned into the screen while Todd moved the zombie hero through one cavern after another with its basket of eleven little gingerbread-type cookies.

“What are those supposed to be?” Zack pointed at the basket.

“Children,” David said tiredly. “Jiāng-shī’s mission is to deliver these eleven children, more if he can acquire them while he is inside the cavern.”

“Where’s he taking them?”

“I still don’t know,” David sighed.

“Right. We haven’t gotten far enough in the game. All we’re doing is raking up points and winnings,” Ember said.

Zack rested his chin on his fist as he watched Todd move the zombie along a stone path in a dark cave. Sometimes gold glittered along the floor or in the walls. Each time the zombie touched the gold, a display at the bottom of the screen changed.

“You guys ready?” Todd turned to his audience, his eyebrows lifted in mischief. Without waiting for an answer, he clicked on a stone wall blocking the hero’s way. As it disintegrated, it revealed Chinese lettering in two very distinct columns.

“Wow,” Ember exclaimed, her long slender fingers on Todd’s knee. “Good job. Look what you found.”

David scanned the script. “Stop. Don’t move a thing. Let me read it.”

Everyone paused until he pointed to the first set of letters. “These are eleven names.”

“The names of the children?” Todd asked.

“Possibly. But,” David straightened in his seat, “that last name is not a child’s name. It says R. Richards.”

“What’s the other list?” Zack asked.

David peered closer. “Numeric.”

“Now watch.” Todd moved the zombie hero again, pushing him farther into the cavern. As Jiāng-shī advanced, he pulled a root hanging down from the ceiling. A panel creaked open and a ghost materialized, wavering in and out of focus.

“It’s one of those Easter eggs I found. What’s this spooky guy saying, David?” Todd turned the volume up. “It’s talking in Chinese. I don’t understand.”

David cocked his ear toward the computer as everyone quieted to hear the ghostly incantation. “The creature is Yōu Líng, the dark soul. It sounds like he’s relaying delivery instructions, but it’s in code.
Four must travel to the city of stone workers. Four go to the city of the lady. Three are destined for the city of light.

Mother gasped. “Is he talking about Paris? It’s the only city of light I know.”

“Then where’s the city of the lady?” Todd asked.

“New York? Maybe the lady’s the Statue of Liberty,” Ember interjected.

Mother turned to Zack and David. “You guys ever heard of the city of stone workers?”

Zack shrugged. “Might be Egypt. Stone workers built the pyramids.”

“Never mind. Watch this.” Todd moved Jiāng-shī to the tunnel exit, where Todd clicked his mouse over the second square stone to the right of the arched opening.

Immediately, two gray wraiths swirled around the basket of children, chanting and buzzing. The wands in their long bony fingers emitted fiery sparks that sizzled into the heads of the gingerbread children. Childlike cries screeched above the buzzing noise of the wraiths until the sparks faded. Tendrils of orange smoke drifted over the basket. Jiāng-shī’s zombie face split into a toothy grin as he bowed to the wraiths.

David pushed back from the game. “I can’t watch it anymore.”

His reaction sparked Zack’s interest. The game just got more and more bizarre. “What are they doing to those kids?”

Todd zoomed in to enlarge the head of one of the gingerbread children. Zack cursed. A dragon tattoo had been burned into the face of each cookie child.

“And look at this.” Todd was excited now. He enlarged another head. A green dragon was burned into that child’s face. Another showed a red dragon. “Sick, huh?”

“Wait,” Zack growled. “Go back to the list you found.”

Todd did as he was told.

“Which of these names got the green dragon tat?” Zack asked.

“Heck, I don’t know. Wait a second.” Todd flashed back to the screen where the branding had taken place. Enlarging the screen even more, he was able to decipher Chinese characters on one of the children. Everyone turned to David.

“Li Ming,” he interpreted. “It’s a little girl. Her name is...Li Ming.”

“Now go back to the list,” Zack ordered.

“Already doing that,” Todd muttered, working the joystick as fast as only a gamer knows how. Everyone leaned into the screen. Sure enough, Li Ming’s name was there as well.

“Poor Li Ming is going to...where, Todd?” Mother asked.

“Wait for it.” Todd worked the keyboard, adeptly matching the names on the list to the gingerbread children in the basket. By the time he was done, they knew exactly which child was going to Paris, New York, or Egypt. They also knew each child was a female.

“Wait. Something’s not right,” Zack muttered. “We’ve got three little girls with the black dragon tattoo right here in Anacostia.”

“The city of stone workers doesn’t mean Egypt,” David murmured.

“I know! The Masons were stone workers,” Mother declared with gusto. “George Washington designed D.C., remember? He was a Freemason and pretty high up in the ranks, too. He incorporated their symbols throughout the city’s design when he put L’Enfant in charge.”

“That’s a conspiracy theory,” Todd muttered. “No one believes that. It isn’t true.”

“Oh, yes it is,” she declared.

“It’s got to be D.C.,” Zack said. “That means these children are coming to Richards or he’s already got them. We’re looking at a freaking purchase order. That’s how these guys are communicating with each other. This isn’t a game. It’s e-Commerce. It’s how they’re selling children.”

“Why’s his name on the whole order if he’s only getting four of the eleven?” Todd interrupted.

“Damn it,” Zack hissed. Expletives he couldn’t say in mixed company sprang to mind. The evidence was clear. “Because his business is international. We need to decipher those tattoos. I’ll bet a month’s pay they’re like barcodes.”

“You might be right,” David said.

“Ah, guys.” Todd had continued to work through the game. “I still need to know what the witch with the wand was chanting.”

“I forgot. Play it again,” David said tiredly. “Sorry.”

Todd clicked the second square stone to the arched exit again. The wraiths repeated the chant.

David paled. “I don’t know what it means, but she said, ‘
Even if you live, you’ll die’.”

“Them poor little babies are all cursed,” Mother whispered.

“Like hell.” Zack stood so quickly he knocked his chair over. He stabbed the computer screen with a condemning finger. “These girls aren’t cursed. He is. It’s Richards who’s cursed, and every person who’s working for him.”

And I’m the one who’s going to put him down.