but for some reason that I’ll never understand he’d always been fascinated with marksmanship, long range gun fire was his favorite thing. I would stick to my swords and my fists before a gun whenever I could possibly manage it.
“So, you like?” I asked, knowing full well what his answer would be.
“I abso-fucking-lutely love it,” he crowed, caressing the gun like another man might caress the curves of a Swedish super model.
Crazy, I tell you, completely crazy. But he liked it and that’s what was important.
“So when do we leave?” he asked, snapping the case shut and hefting it onto a shoulder.
“Suddenly in a hurry are we?” I asked.
“I want to test this baby out,” he said, patting the case.
“What about the plan?”
He looked disappointed, and I could honestly picture the wolfs ears drooping suddenly, though he still looked very human.
“Right, the plan,” he set the case back down on the table and opened it up again. “Well, we’re going to need to hack into the facilities computer network, obviously. Like you pointed out we aren’t going to be remotely capable of just muscling our way into the compound. Not without having our features permanently rearranged and most likely becoming an ornament to hang on Threntüs' wall.”
“All good points. How are we supposed to manage that?” I asked as he started putting the disassembled gun together. Each piece fitted exactly into place with sure, quick motions and within moments he had the massive weapon put together and was hunting in the case for ammunition.
“Here,” I called, tossing a box to him.
He caught the box in one hand and quickly began loading the rifle. “I’ve got a friend that lives in Lakewood, I can give him a call and he’ll most likely be ready to help us hack into the systems within a week, two at the most.”
“You want to spend two weeks hiding out waiting for Threntü to get tired of sending grunts after us and start actually breaking out the big guns?” I snapped. “We don’t have two weeks, Ghost. We’ve gotta get in there within the next few days or we’ve gotta run. Period. No other options, no other plan. We either take the war to him, or we disappear.”
“Sorry, man, but my contact won’t be able to get to us without at least a weeks notice.
“What kind of operating systems is he running?” Rachel asked.
Ghost and I looked over at her, twin looks of shock etched on our faces. I’d been so involved in the conversation and my annoyance that I’d completely forgotten that she was sitting there.
“Huh?” Eloquent, aren’t I?
“What type of operating system is Threntü running to keep his facility secure? What computer system is maintaining and keeping all of his pass codes and security clearance measures in place?”
“Haven't the slightest clue,” Ghost said. “My friend said it’s something just a bit below what the NSA, FBI and the CIA use in their secure networks. Langley has a patent on some of the systems running this compound.” He turned back to me, “So we have to wait for my-”
“I can do it.”
We stopped and turned to Rachel again. She was obviously annoyed with us, and obviously very smug.
“What, did you say?” I asked.
“I said, ‘I can do it’.”
“Do... what exactly?” Ghost asked.
She rolled her eyes. “Look guys what’ve you been talking about? You need someone to hack their way into Threntüs' computer network and get you all the right doors opened as well as keeping you as far under the radar as possible so you don’t raise too much attention and get yourselves attacked by more muscle than you can handle. Right?”
Ghost and I looked at each other. “Right,” I said.
She nodded and smiled. “I can do it.”
13
????? Mexico: February 7, 2005
Ghost and I stared at her for nearly a minute as she calmly sat there, sipping her bourbon and added some pepper to her potatoes.
“Are you telling us,” I said. “That you can hack
“So, you like?” I asked, knowing full well what his answer would be.
“I abso-fucking-lutely love it,” he crowed, caressing the gun like another man might caress the curves of a Swedish super model.
Crazy, I tell you, completely crazy. But he liked it and that’s what was important.
“So when do we leave?” he asked, snapping the case shut and hefting it onto a shoulder.
“Suddenly in a hurry are we?” I asked.
“I want to test this baby out,” he said, patting the case.
“What about the plan?”
He looked disappointed, and I could honestly picture the wolfs ears drooping suddenly, though he still looked very human.
“Right, the plan,” he set the case back down on the table and opened it up again. “Well, we’re going to need to hack into the facilities computer network, obviously. Like you pointed out we aren’t going to be remotely capable of just muscling our way into the compound. Not without having our features permanently rearranged and most likely becoming an ornament to hang on Threntüs' wall.”
“All good points. How are we supposed to manage that?” I asked as he started putting the disassembled gun together. Each piece fitted exactly into place with sure, quick motions and within moments he had the massive weapon put together and was hunting in the case for ammunition.
“Here,” I called, tossing a box to him.
He caught the box in one hand and quickly began loading the rifle. “I’ve got a friend that lives in Lakewood, I can give him a call and he’ll most likely be ready to help us hack into the systems within a week, two at the most.”
“You want to spend two weeks hiding out waiting for Threntü to get tired of sending grunts after us and start actually breaking out the big guns?” I snapped. “We don’t have two weeks, Ghost. We’ve gotta get in there within the next few days or we’ve gotta run. Period. No other options, no other plan. We either take the war to him, or we disappear.”
“Sorry, man, but my contact won’t be able to get to us without at least a weeks notice.
“What kind of operating systems is he running?” Rachel asked.
Ghost and I looked over at her, twin looks of shock etched on our faces. I’d been so involved in the conversation and my annoyance that I’d completely forgotten that she was sitting there.
“Huh?” Eloquent, aren’t I?
“What type of operating system is Threntü running to keep his facility secure? What computer system is maintaining and keeping all of his pass codes and security clearance measures in place?”
“Haven't the slightest clue,” Ghost said. “My friend said it’s something just a bit below what the NSA, FBI and the CIA use in their secure networks. Langley has a patent on some of the systems running this compound.” He turned back to me, “So we have to wait for my-”
“I can do it.”
We stopped and turned to Rachel again. She was obviously annoyed with us, and obviously very smug.
“What, did you say?” I asked.
“I said, ‘I can do it’.”
“Do... what exactly?” Ghost asked.
She rolled her eyes. “Look guys what’ve you been talking about? You need someone to hack their way into Threntüs' computer network and get you all the right doors opened as well as keeping you as far under the radar as possible so you don’t raise too much attention and get yourselves attacked by more muscle than you can handle. Right?”
Ghost and I looked at each other. “Right,” I said.
She nodded and smiled. “I can do it.”
13
????? Mexico: February 7, 2005
Ghost and I stared at her for nearly a minute as she calmly sat there, sipping her bourbon and added some pepper to her potatoes.
“Are you telling us,” I said. “That you can hack
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