I do?"
"What did you do . . . Hmm. Let me start with
a little background. One of my main duties for our mutual patron is
to download data from various security cameras around the city and
store it in a private server. All human and vehicular traffic is
automatically run through a recognition software program. There are
lots of profiles already loaded, so the program flags any
reoccurring hits. I review the flags and make reports. With me so
far?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Gwen had started rolling
up her plastic menu and then releasing it. "If you're going to
order coffee when the waitress comes," I said, taking the menu out
of her hands, "make it decaf."
She moved on to fussing with her utensils.
"So, two days ago I was reviewing a tape from a security camera at
the front of a downtown parking facility that our mutual patron
controls. That camera sets off lots of flags, mostly at night, and
mostly getting matches on cars coming from and going to a big,
fancy building right down the block on the other side of the
street. Guess who I saw, Leo."
"Uh, the Doyenne?" I had no clue; I was
throwing rocks in the dark.
"Oh, no, no," Gwen answered dramatically. "I
saw someone much more familiar. A white van screeched to a stop in
front of that building, and you got out."
"Oh shit."
"Oh shit is right. I saw the whole thing, Leo
- the entire veil-ripping scene. I watched you and some Asian guy
going at it karate-kid style, only faster than you should've been
able to. Oh, and then there was the Great Vermin Incursion; that
was a toe-curling hoot. Should I even mention the guy whose head
was turned into pulp after our Mr. Stone was finished with
him?"
"No need." Our waitress arrived; I sent her
off with two hasty orders of the cheesesteak special. "Alright, so
you saw what went down. At least the footage is in safe hands. It
is in safe hands, right?"
The offended glare I got as a reply told me I
might've just put Gwen's technological skills into question. That
suspicion was confirmed when she quietly sniped, "Go shit in your
hand."
"Okay, sorry. So if it's not that, then
what's got you so worked up?"
"The next day, yesterday, I was taking calls
on the Silas business line when someone rang and asked to hire you
as their personal EP. I said you were no longer with the company,
and they hung up. After that, it got weird."
"For you to call something weird, it has to
be way out there."
"I mean weird scary, dummy. When another call
came for you and got the same reply, they wanted to hire any other
EP you worked with on a regular basis. Right before lunch, a caller
knew Cordell and Diego by their names and wanted to hire them. I
think it's a good thing they're both contracted right now. Last but
not least, one more call came in mentioning your name; when the
creep couldn't get any info on you, he asked who I was! Me,
Leo!"
Shit, anyone I might've been close to had
become targets to use against me, just like Phillip. He just wasn't
a good enough friend to be effective. I was sure Viggo had a
shitload of resources and influence to cover my ass, but I doubted
he could match the combined clout of the Adept faction. I had no
way to protect Gwen, other than to get clearance to let her hide at
my place. If that wasn't allowed, though, I couldn't think of many
options. "Maybe you should take a vacation," I suggested.
"I can't right now - that's the icing on the
cow patty. Silas is going to be audited by the IRS next week, so
Crane wants me and Leona from payroll to be there at all times. If
one of the other factions is behind the audit, it means they'll
have access to details about every employee. I left messages for
Mr. Stone about it, but he hasn't responded."
I watched Gwen absently bent her metal butter
knife around two of her thick little fingers. I took that away,
too, and put it in my pocket. "Okay, I'll try to get hold of him,
too. We can just get our meals to go, and you can get back to work.
I doubt you're in the mood to eat right now
"What did you do . . . Hmm. Let me start with
a little background. One of my main duties for our mutual patron is
to download data from various security cameras around the city and
store it in a private server. All human and vehicular traffic is
automatically run through a recognition software program. There are
lots of profiles already loaded, so the program flags any
reoccurring hits. I review the flags and make reports. With me so
far?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Gwen had started rolling
up her plastic menu and then releasing it. "If you're going to
order coffee when the waitress comes," I said, taking the menu out
of her hands, "make it decaf."
She moved on to fussing with her utensils.
"So, two days ago I was reviewing a tape from a security camera at
the front of a downtown parking facility that our mutual patron
controls. That camera sets off lots of flags, mostly at night, and
mostly getting matches on cars coming from and going to a big,
fancy building right down the block on the other side of the
street. Guess who I saw, Leo."
"Uh, the Doyenne?" I had no clue; I was
throwing rocks in the dark.
"Oh, no, no," Gwen answered dramatically. "I
saw someone much more familiar. A white van screeched to a stop in
front of that building, and you got out."
"Oh shit."
"Oh shit is right. I saw the whole thing, Leo
- the entire veil-ripping scene. I watched you and some Asian guy
going at it karate-kid style, only faster than you should've been
able to. Oh, and then there was the Great Vermin Incursion; that
was a toe-curling hoot. Should I even mention the guy whose head
was turned into pulp after our Mr. Stone was finished with
him?"
"No need." Our waitress arrived; I sent her
off with two hasty orders of the cheesesteak special. "Alright, so
you saw what went down. At least the footage is in safe hands. It
is in safe hands, right?"
The offended glare I got as a reply told me I
might've just put Gwen's technological skills into question. That
suspicion was confirmed when she quietly sniped, "Go shit in your
hand."
"Okay, sorry. So if it's not that, then
what's got you so worked up?"
"The next day, yesterday, I was taking calls
on the Silas business line when someone rang and asked to hire you
as their personal EP. I said you were no longer with the company,
and they hung up. After that, it got weird."
"For you to call something weird, it has to
be way out there."
"I mean weird scary, dummy. When another call
came for you and got the same reply, they wanted to hire any other
EP you worked with on a regular basis. Right before lunch, a caller
knew Cordell and Diego by their names and wanted to hire them. I
think it's a good thing they're both contracted right now. Last but
not least, one more call came in mentioning your name; when the
creep couldn't get any info on you, he asked who I was! Me,
Leo!"
Shit, anyone I might've been close to had
become targets to use against me, just like Phillip. He just wasn't
a good enough friend to be effective. I was sure Viggo had a
shitload of resources and influence to cover my ass, but I doubted
he could match the combined clout of the Adept faction. I had no
way to protect Gwen, other than to get clearance to let her hide at
my place. If that wasn't allowed, though, I couldn't think of many
options. "Maybe you should take a vacation," I suggested.
"I can't right now - that's the icing on the
cow patty. Silas is going to be audited by the IRS next week, so
Crane wants me and Leona from payroll to be there at all times. If
one of the other factions is behind the audit, it means they'll
have access to details about every employee. I left messages for
Mr. Stone about it, but he hasn't responded."
I watched Gwen absently bent her metal butter
knife around two of her thick little fingers. I took that away,
too, and put it in my pocket. "Okay, I'll try to get hold of him,
too. We can just get our meals to go, and you can get back to work.
I doubt you're in the mood to eat right now
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