Read Online Techno Crazed (Hacked Investigations) by Sarah Makela - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sarah Makela
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to do that, and that the person who did it, didn’t have balls.
* * *
A few hours of hard work later, they had electricity, hot running water, makeshift beds, and clean air. Various cables ran along the ceiling from exposed circuitry and fiber optics to Ian’s computer, next to the now humming air vent, which freshened the dry air of the room. The maintenance room was still very bare and somewhat cold, but it was better than being hunted.
Hannah sat in front of the small computer center Ian had set up. She was utterly unfamiliar with it. He’d tried to explain something about it being a semi-contextual operating system, and other finer points of it like it being untraceable thanks to him hooking into the now-hijacked city communication network, but she was lost just staring at the screen as information trailed down it, providing statistics across the multiple networks it had been connected to.
The system was very old, yet somehow worked faster than a lot of other machines she had operated. A part of her wondered if Ian had enhanced the circuitry. Typically, she used her computer at its limits, making what Ian had done seem like a small miracle.
Bernard pounded away in a patch of garden he’d created in one of the showers. He had broken the tile on the ground, etching deep lines below and placed some dirt. Already, even in the darkness, his gnomish magic had the plants beginning to grow like they did back in the apartment’s patio with fresh air and sunlight.
They had brought enough food for a few days and had found rations left behind by the maintenance crew. Mostly dehydrated meals and long-term canned meats, but it was food.
Ian lay on his bedroll near the computer center with a cup of instant coffee next to him. He seemed to have calmed down from when they’d started working. Steady lighting shone overhead, and a small corner of the room had been closed off as a bedroom area.
Hannah stared at her list again, trying to fit all the pieces together. It seemed they had been given leads and enough rope to hang themselves by visiting Senator Kendall. The chips they had retrieved from Rich’s body hadn’t been taken when the rest of his identification methods were ruined. The feeling of being set up grew stronger. MAX Home Security had intentionally left those for them to find. Hannah and Ian had walked into a trap. Maybe the senator hadn’t known about the plot, but they were being made into scapegoats to make the security giant look good.
Although being targets for police and all other security services could work for their benefit. Ian had talked about how setting a trap could work both ways. Since they had become political suspects, why not play into that? Other groups would applaud their behavior or try to do it themselves. The idea tempted her, and Ian seemed to have more planned than he let on to, but she wanted to know what it was before they ran into action recklessly.
They had spent hours talking about the best way of getting to MAX Home Security, but they always went back to square one. They needed the senator. But not only was the senator most likely scared of doing anything to help them, but his staff were probably on the lookout and would call the police without hesitation, or worse, shoot them on sight.
Knowing full well that MAX would kill Kendall without hesitation should he speak up, they had to make sure the senator would be safe when he finally stood up against MAX Home Security. But the corporation monitored security cameras and media very thoroughly.
Going over the list of evidence, she noticed something they had overlooked so far. “Hey Ian, we never checked into the person Rich was living with.”
Bernard toddled into the main room at that point. Most of the time, he simply tended his garden and ensured that the plants survived. He perked up. “Yeah, you know, the broad or whatever Rich was shagging! That old perv must have had someone hot under his sheets,” the gnome yelled and
* * *
A few hours of hard work later, they had electricity, hot running water, makeshift beds, and clean air. Various cables ran along the ceiling from exposed circuitry and fiber optics to Ian’s computer, next to the now humming air vent, which freshened the dry air of the room. The maintenance room was still very bare and somewhat cold, but it was better than being hunted.
Hannah sat in front of the small computer center Ian had set up. She was utterly unfamiliar with it. He’d tried to explain something about it being a semi-contextual operating system, and other finer points of it like it being untraceable thanks to him hooking into the now-hijacked city communication network, but she was lost just staring at the screen as information trailed down it, providing statistics across the multiple networks it had been connected to.
The system was very old, yet somehow worked faster than a lot of other machines she had operated. A part of her wondered if Ian had enhanced the circuitry. Typically, she used her computer at its limits, making what Ian had done seem like a small miracle.
Bernard pounded away in a patch of garden he’d created in one of the showers. He had broken the tile on the ground, etching deep lines below and placed some dirt. Already, even in the darkness, his gnomish magic had the plants beginning to grow like they did back in the apartment’s patio with fresh air and sunlight.
They had brought enough food for a few days and had found rations left behind by the maintenance crew. Mostly dehydrated meals and long-term canned meats, but it was food.
Ian lay on his bedroll near the computer center with a cup of instant coffee next to him. He seemed to have calmed down from when they’d started working. Steady lighting shone overhead, and a small corner of the room had been closed off as a bedroom area.
Hannah stared at her list again, trying to fit all the pieces together. It seemed they had been given leads and enough rope to hang themselves by visiting Senator Kendall. The chips they had retrieved from Rich’s body hadn’t been taken when the rest of his identification methods were ruined. The feeling of being set up grew stronger. MAX Home Security had intentionally left those for them to find. Hannah and Ian had walked into a trap. Maybe the senator hadn’t known about the plot, but they were being made into scapegoats to make the security giant look good.
Although being targets for police and all other security services could work for their benefit. Ian had talked about how setting a trap could work both ways. Since they had become political suspects, why not play into that? Other groups would applaud their behavior or try to do it themselves. The idea tempted her, and Ian seemed to have more planned than he let on to, but she wanted to know what it was before they ran into action recklessly.
They had spent hours talking about the best way of getting to MAX Home Security, but they always went back to square one. They needed the senator. But not only was the senator most likely scared of doing anything to help them, but his staff were probably on the lookout and would call the police without hesitation, or worse, shoot them on sight.
Knowing full well that MAX would kill Kendall without hesitation should he speak up, they had to make sure the senator would be safe when he finally stood up against MAX Home Security. But the corporation monitored security cameras and media very thoroughly.
Going over the list of evidence, she noticed something they had overlooked so far. “Hey Ian, we never checked into the person Rich was living with.”
Bernard toddled into the main room at that point. Most of the time, he simply tended his garden and ensured that the plants survived. He perked up. “Yeah, you know, the broad or whatever Rich was shagging! That old perv must have had someone hot under his sheets,” the gnome yelled and
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