Fook by Brian Drinkwater Page A

about
theory. He’d obviously planned out this entire test and in true
Jason fashion, had likely thought out every possible scenario. He’d
just been reluctant, as usual, to take that first, risky step.
    “Once or twice,” Jason finally acknowledged
as he aligned the last number and pulled the lock open.
    Picking up the metal briefcase, Jason
entered the cage. “Okay. We need to get this thing up and running
as quickly as possible. We'll depart from this spot and it’s also
the location where we'll arrive, twenty minutes before now. The
longer we stay in this spot the smaller our window for error
becomes so you need to hurry.
    “I understand,” Derek acknowledged, more in
an attempt to ease his obviously nervous roommate than himself.
“Jello bad.”
    Jason quickly placed the silver briefcase on
the third shelf from the floor and with a thumb scan and cheesy
movie quote, the locks popped open.
    Now aware of his role, Derek wasted no time
as he popped open the electrical box. The machine needed a massive
amount of power to run, which was apparently why, along with its
remote nature, Jason had chosen this location for the test.
Carefully he began dismantling the box’s circuit breakers as he
heard Jason speak the second password to access the case’s hidden
components.
    “Here you go,” Jason withdrew two electrical
cords from the machine and handed them to Derek, who quickly began
connecting them to the now exposed circuits.
    The soft glow of the iPad added slightly
more lighting to the dim space as the screen sprang to life,
welcoming its owner. After waiting a moment for the tiny computer
to boot, Jason quickly began navigating his way through the app
that he’d developed to run his calculations. As an added level of
security he’d disguised the program as a cheesy Pong style game.
One, this boring game would likely draw little interest from anyone
if they did manage to get into the case and two, only he knew the
precise combination of shots that would correctly unlock the
software hidden behind the simple program.
    Sliding his finger across the screen, he
launched the pixelated ball, bouncing the tiny square off the top
of the screen before the computer sent the digital ball back his
way. Sliding the linear paddle down, he redirected the ball to a
precise spot along the far left corner of the screen before the
opposing paddle again returned his shot. With one last motion, he
ricocheted the ball one last time toward the first spot in which
the ball had struck along the top portion of the screen. This
combination of shots was the only one that his computerized
opponent was programmed to miss. As the digital ball slipped passed
the opposing paddle, the concealing game faded from the screen and
was replaced by a blinking green curser much like that of an
old-school Apple 2e computer.
     
    There is no future, without one’s past.
     
    Jason typed the familiar phrase onto the
screen and watched as instantly, the program which had previously
appeared archaic in nature, flashed a series of modern, abstract
shapes followed by a string of flashing numbers and letters before
freezing on a screen that simply read:
     
    Welcome.
     
    Reaching over Jason, Derek withdrew two more
electrical wires from the briefcase and began connecting them to
the box.
    With a few swift taps of the screen, a
complicated formula began to take shape, followed by a message that
read:
     
    Coordinates accepted. Enjoy your trip.
     
    “We’re all set here. How’s the power
situation?” Jason turned to Derek who was still trying to connect
the briefcase to the electrical box. It would have been easier if
you’d told me what I’d be tying into ahead of time. I might have
had the proper tools but I think I’ve got it,” he announced as the
iPad’s screen brightened, followed by the appearance of a small
lightning bolt in the program’s upper right corner to indicate that
the power connection had been made.
    Checking his watch, Jason