head.
Mouse’s gopher returned with a set of search results. A red flag jumped out immediately while he gleaned the doctor’s financial records and professional career.
“Dr. Kalani, what is your relationship with MacroComputing?”
A sheen of sweat broke out on Kalani’s forehead. He went to close the connection, but Mouse jammed his attempt. “You’re not going anywhere. Not until you explain yourself.”
He wiped the sweat from his head, grimaced. “It’s nothing to do with Ari and the others.”
“Then why so scared?”
“The fact you know about them, I’m assuming you have hacked my financial records.” Kalani looked nervously behind him in the darkened room and lowered his voice. “So, therefore, you’ll likely understand that I’ve been accepting a little…consultancy on the side.”
“What exactly have you been consulting with them about?” Mouse ran a search on MacroComputing. He’d heard of them, but they weren’t a big player to the best of his knowledge.
Kalani hesitated, looked away again.
“I can send your records to the boys and girls in Fraud. Or you can tell me exactly what you know and avoid a rather unpleasant situation.”
The doctor thought for a second, opened his mouth, then closed it again, fidgeted some more before finally saying, “AI information systems, okay? I was tipping them off on what my students were doing in their research. In return, they guaranteed them all jobs in their new department. And they did just that. In fact, a couple of the kids are working there right now, and are perfectly safe. Sure, I took some money for a bit of information, but I was only looking out for those kids, making sure their incredible talent and groundbreaking research went to an ethical company.”
“Unlike Metion, you mean?”
Now his face screwed up with disgust. “Yes! Like Metion. You know they tried to poach my students before they had even graduated? They had agents follow them all around the various networks, and even to their homes to try and get them to agree to work with them.”
“Why didn’t you tell that to the agents on this case?”
“Why do you think? If they, like you, snooped into my records, they’d find a connection and assume I was involved. I have a family to look out for. Hell, I have myself to look out for. It’s a dangerous time.”
Mouse thought about this for a second and decided to give him a little info in return to keep the conversation going. He recorded the entire conversation on his PR. “Her last known location, as far as we can tell from her data trail, was with a man involved with Metion. Everything after that was deleted. I’d say it’s a high chance they had something to do with her disappearance—and the rest of the missing kids. Don’t you?”
“Possibly. I don’t know. I can’t do anything. I don’t have anywhere near the influence to approach them. Isn’t that your job?”
Mouse laughed, said, “You think the Agency has the power to just waltz in somewhere like Metion? I don’t think you fully understand the dynamics of law enforcement these days, Dr. Kalani. Now tell me, who was it who hired Ariadne at this MacroComputing? Give me a contact and help me find her.”
Kalani closed his eyes and shook his head, “They’ll kill me if they find out.”
“Tell me anyway, and maybe you won’t have Ariadne and the others’ deaths on your conscious as well. And maybe I won’t have you exposed and locked up in some dingy third-level clink.”
“Okay, but you have to keep me out of this…it can’t come from me.”
“I promise,” Mouse said, feeling that building tension as he was getting closer to a break.
“He might already be dead, but the man you need is…”
Chapter Seven
Angelos Pagakis: A headhunter for MacroComputing and the one responsible for hiring Ariadne and the four other kids taken by Metion. Dr. Kalani gave Mouse an address. But it wouldn’t be easy, not in the slightest. His last known
Mouse’s gopher returned with a set of search results. A red flag jumped out immediately while he gleaned the doctor’s financial records and professional career.
“Dr. Kalani, what is your relationship with MacroComputing?”
A sheen of sweat broke out on Kalani’s forehead. He went to close the connection, but Mouse jammed his attempt. “You’re not going anywhere. Not until you explain yourself.”
He wiped the sweat from his head, grimaced. “It’s nothing to do with Ari and the others.”
“Then why so scared?”
“The fact you know about them, I’m assuming you have hacked my financial records.” Kalani looked nervously behind him in the darkened room and lowered his voice. “So, therefore, you’ll likely understand that I’ve been accepting a little…consultancy on the side.”
“What exactly have you been consulting with them about?” Mouse ran a search on MacroComputing. He’d heard of them, but they weren’t a big player to the best of his knowledge.
Kalani hesitated, looked away again.
“I can send your records to the boys and girls in Fraud. Or you can tell me exactly what you know and avoid a rather unpleasant situation.”
The doctor thought for a second, opened his mouth, then closed it again, fidgeted some more before finally saying, “AI information systems, okay? I was tipping them off on what my students were doing in their research. In return, they guaranteed them all jobs in their new department. And they did just that. In fact, a couple of the kids are working there right now, and are perfectly safe. Sure, I took some money for a bit of information, but I was only looking out for those kids, making sure their incredible talent and groundbreaking research went to an ethical company.”
“Unlike Metion, you mean?”
Now his face screwed up with disgust. “Yes! Like Metion. You know they tried to poach my students before they had even graduated? They had agents follow them all around the various networks, and even to their homes to try and get them to agree to work with them.”
“Why didn’t you tell that to the agents on this case?”
“Why do you think? If they, like you, snooped into my records, they’d find a connection and assume I was involved. I have a family to look out for. Hell, I have myself to look out for. It’s a dangerous time.”
Mouse thought about this for a second and decided to give him a little info in return to keep the conversation going. He recorded the entire conversation on his PR. “Her last known location, as far as we can tell from her data trail, was with a man involved with Metion. Everything after that was deleted. I’d say it’s a high chance they had something to do with her disappearance—and the rest of the missing kids. Don’t you?”
“Possibly. I don’t know. I can’t do anything. I don’t have anywhere near the influence to approach them. Isn’t that your job?”
Mouse laughed, said, “You think the Agency has the power to just waltz in somewhere like Metion? I don’t think you fully understand the dynamics of law enforcement these days, Dr. Kalani. Now tell me, who was it who hired Ariadne at this MacroComputing? Give me a contact and help me find her.”
Kalani closed his eyes and shook his head, “They’ll kill me if they find out.”
“Tell me anyway, and maybe you won’t have Ariadne and the others’ deaths on your conscious as well. And maybe I won’t have you exposed and locked up in some dingy third-level clink.”
“Okay, but you have to keep me out of this…it can’t come from me.”
“I promise,” Mouse said, feeling that building tension as he was getting closer to a break.
“He might already be dead, but the man you need is…”
Chapter Seven
Angelos Pagakis: A headhunter for MacroComputing and the one responsible for hiring Ariadne and the four other kids taken by Metion. Dr. Kalani gave Mouse an address. But it wouldn’t be easy, not in the slightest. His last known
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