the thing happened with you two.” He rolled his eyes. “When I’m traveling, my assistant does the monitoring. I figured that if I could confirm that you were on your laptop every day doing normal student things, then I would know you were okay. And if you missed a day, I’d come looking. The interesting part was that I could tell someone else was tracking your computer activity. I suspected it was Jonas Furnis but couldn’t prove it. And the two of us have been watching you, side by side, for months. But when I saw you hack into the DOD, I knew the NSA would see it and that they weren’t the only group that would want you in their custody. Jonas Furnis has money now, Digit, and if they had you, they’d be deadly.”
“They were broke, remember? Where are they getting money?” I’d never heard of rich people holding fundraisers for terrorists.
He didn’t answer me. “I found Jonas Furnis.”
“Where?”
“Their headquarters. You wouldn’t believe it. But one man can’t take them down. I need to get a whole assault team to go down there. After somehow explaining why I was there while saying I was on vacation. Jonas Furnis knows I’ve infiltrated by now; they have surveillance everywhere. I need to get out of here. I neutralized one of their operatives and took this from him. Keep it for me in case I don’t make it back to D.C. It proves what they are doing.” He tossed me an HP 12C, a standard run-of-the-mill financial calculator, a little bigger than my iPhone and a lot less interesting.
“Why would I ever need this?”
I mean, c’mon.
“You’ll see. Now I’ve got to go.”
“Hang on.” I grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. “What are we supposed to do? And why can’t I tell John?”
“Pretend you never saw me. Go back out there, say nothing. I’m better off alone without you guys leading them to my door. Wander around the countryside while I get back to headquarters. I need to be the one to tell the director of the CIA about what you did. He can help run interference with the NSA.”
“He already knows. He’s pissed and he’s taken over the investigation.”
Mr. Bennett was quiet. “Why wouldn’t he have called me? He knows you and I are practically family. Never mind. They’ll do anything I want when they find out I’ve found Jonas Furnis. I’ll get them to leave you alone. I’m building us a little street cred, like you kids say.”
We don’t say that, by the way.
“I need time.” He turned to go again but stopped. “You okay?”
“Not really. There’s this girl.”
“Impossibly blond and put together? We’ve met her.”
“I can’t believe he’s gone for someone so tall and blond and without hair follicles. He never takes his eyes off her. What am I supposed to do?” I was holding on to my already dirty sleeves and wiping my tears again.
“Use your head, Digit.” He lifted my chin up to eye level. “Stay focused. I’ve got big plans for you, as always.” He hoisted himself out of the bathroom window.
So she’d met his parents? I shoved the calculator in my back pocket and took a minute to splash water on my red eyes.
WARNING: I HAVE CABIN FEVER
I T WAS THE MIDDLE OF THE night when the car stopped abruptly, and I woke up with my face pressed into the door handle and my boots on John’s lap. “We’re heeeere,” Spencer chirped. We got out of the car and stepped into the pitch-black night. Spencer walked ahead, unlocked a door, and flipped on the light of a tiny cabin.
Inside, I plopped down my backpack, and it seemed to take up half the living space. And the dining space. I saw blankets stacked in the corner and realized this was also the sleeping space.
“Like it?” Spencer beamed. “My family and I used to spend summers in this cabin. So many memories.”
Where do you keep them?
“Oh-kay.” Danny looked around. “I think I might still be asleep—where can I crash?”
Spencer motioned to the blankets and we all claimed our spots. Danny
“They were broke, remember? Where are they getting money?” I’d never heard of rich people holding fundraisers for terrorists.
He didn’t answer me. “I found Jonas Furnis.”
“Where?”
“Their headquarters. You wouldn’t believe it. But one man can’t take them down. I need to get a whole assault team to go down there. After somehow explaining why I was there while saying I was on vacation. Jonas Furnis knows I’ve infiltrated by now; they have surveillance everywhere. I need to get out of here. I neutralized one of their operatives and took this from him. Keep it for me in case I don’t make it back to D.C. It proves what they are doing.” He tossed me an HP 12C, a standard run-of-the-mill financial calculator, a little bigger than my iPhone and a lot less interesting.
“Why would I ever need this?”
I mean, c’mon.
“You’ll see. Now I’ve got to go.”
“Hang on.” I grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. “What are we supposed to do? And why can’t I tell John?”
“Pretend you never saw me. Go back out there, say nothing. I’m better off alone without you guys leading them to my door. Wander around the countryside while I get back to headquarters. I need to be the one to tell the director of the CIA about what you did. He can help run interference with the NSA.”
“He already knows. He’s pissed and he’s taken over the investigation.”
Mr. Bennett was quiet. “Why wouldn’t he have called me? He knows you and I are practically family. Never mind. They’ll do anything I want when they find out I’ve found Jonas Furnis. I’ll get them to leave you alone. I’m building us a little street cred, like you kids say.”
We don’t say that, by the way.
“I need time.” He turned to go again but stopped. “You okay?”
“Not really. There’s this girl.”
“Impossibly blond and put together? We’ve met her.”
“I can’t believe he’s gone for someone so tall and blond and without hair follicles. He never takes his eyes off her. What am I supposed to do?” I was holding on to my already dirty sleeves and wiping my tears again.
“Use your head, Digit.” He lifted my chin up to eye level. “Stay focused. I’ve got big plans for you, as always.” He hoisted himself out of the bathroom window.
So she’d met his parents? I shoved the calculator in my back pocket and took a minute to splash water on my red eyes.
WARNING: I HAVE CABIN FEVER
I T WAS THE MIDDLE OF THE night when the car stopped abruptly, and I woke up with my face pressed into the door handle and my boots on John’s lap. “We’re heeeere,” Spencer chirped. We got out of the car and stepped into the pitch-black night. Spencer walked ahead, unlocked a door, and flipped on the light of a tiny cabin.
Inside, I plopped down my backpack, and it seemed to take up half the living space. And the dining space. I saw blankets stacked in the corner and realized this was also the sleeping space.
“Like it?” Spencer beamed. “My family and I used to spend summers in this cabin. So many memories.”
Where do you keep them?
“Oh-kay.” Danny looked around. “I think I might still be asleep—where can I crash?”
Spencer motioned to the blankets and we all claimed our spots. Danny
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