Codename: Bear II: Secret Agent (Codename Universe Book 2) Read online

  I didn't know what to say to him or ask him. "You're on duty here?"

  "Yes, this server room is always manned. I can't even take a leak without getting another guy in here."

  "Are you a programmer?"

  "Do I look like a programmer?"

  Yes. I nodded my head. "I need to set something up."

  "What?"

  Can I trust this guy? I had no choice. "Are you aware of the retirement database?"

  "I set up the program to hack it." He pointed at a server. "It's running on that machine."

  One machine? "It should be on three."

  "Ralan wanted one server dedicated," he said.

  I wanted to reach out and touch this fellow and twist his arm. "What's your name?"

  "Joe."

  "I want to set up the decryption software to run against the database on every damn computer the Agency has."

  He shook his head. I decked him. No, I wasn't there yet.

  "Lives are at stake," I said.

  "Ralan's orders were clear."

  "Where you around when Nancy was running the place?"

  He smiled a yes for sure.

  "Nancy's identity is in that database," I said. "Do you have any idea what will happen to her if she falls into Centurian's hands?"

  "Shit."

  I sat down at the terminal running the decryption and logged on using my password. "What do I do?"

  He rubbed at his chin.

  "Joe?" I asked.

  "Create a new app."

  I launched the software dev tool and selected new.

  "Satellite photo recon is the closest object," Joe said. "It's set up to run network wide."

  I pulled the object and added it as the core to my new app.

  Joe leaned over me. "Attach the encrypted database as the main input."

  I found the database on the hard drive and dragged it into the input window of the new app.

  "Pull up the encryption core as a library and paste it into the core of the satellite object," he said.

  I opened the library and copy pasted the core into the satellite recon core.

  Joe tapped his fingers along the desk. "You also need the Agency password generator. Plug that into the apps secondary data input instead of the photographic files.

  I did another drag and drop.

  "Code in email addresses into the output notifications," he said.

  I typed my address in the box and saved the whole project. Then I hit compile. It was ready.

  Joe started breathing kind of hard. He was fat after all. "Select distribution and choose entire network."

  I pushed the final button.

  "We're going to jail for life," he said.

  "Centurian already has this data, distributing it to our network is nothing."

  "Yes, well, I wasn't here, or you threatened my life. This is on you."

  Enigma is in that database. Nancy is in that database. They're worth my life.

  "How long will it take?" I asked.

  "No telling. It could be minutes, hours, days, years."

  "Does it distribute instantly?"

  Joe rubbed at his eyes. "The app update is set to push to every computer on our network worldwide. I think it's something like ten million cores in total. Close to that."

  "Splendid. You're a good man, Joe."

  "Just bring Nancy in. Ralan is going to have your balls."

  I smiled and left the server room.

  Chapter Five

  I turned my phone on and went running. The phone would make a noise if I got an email. Ran for a solid hour then had lunch. Archangel, Thomas, and I were finishing our meal, when Sphinx, Jet, and Zen walked through the food line. I smiled at them.

  "Was just a knock-out drug, some sedative with a fancy name," Zen said.

  Sphinx took a bite of chicken leg. "Major hangover."

  I had a dark thought. "Did they check for Razdoran nanites in your system?"

  "Oh God."

  "Why would they inject us with nanites?" Jet asked.

  "My understanding," I said, "of Razdoran technology is they can use nanites to build implants into your body similar to the implants we found in Pumpkin Spice, Bear Claw, and Apple Danish."

  "Fuck!"

  "Give us some good news," Zen said as she aimed a plastic fork at my eye, "or you'll pay."

  I looked from one of them to the next. "Every computer inside the Agency's network is trying to hack the encrypted database with Enigma and Nancy's identity."

  "Ralan did something right for once?" Sphinx asked.

  "I did it. Ralan doesn't know."

  "He's going to be pissed. He's in charge, Bear."

  I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and set it on the table.

  Jet whispered, "I'm going to medical to get checked for nanites."

  "Fine idea," Sphinx said.

  Jet, Zen, and Sphinx left.

  My phone made its new email noise. I had the unencrypted file.

  "Send it to me," Thomas said. "We need to contact every existing team with people in this database."

  "Tell them to keep it quiet," Archangel said. "Pick their people up, but don't talk about it."

  Yes.

  I pulled up Enigma's record. "Let's get Enigma, Archangel."

  "Some of the people on this list were part of teams I was on," Thomas said.

  Archangel stood up, dumped his tray, and took off in a run for the armory. I chased after. Ralan was coming through the food line, and he gave us a look, but we kept running.

  I grabbed my 9mm at the armory, plus a jacket and grenades. Archangel seemed to be having a hard time choosing between the submachine gun and the sniper rifle.

  "Go for more bullets," I said.

  "Good idea."

  We ran to the car. Took the plane. I drove fast to her house. Nobody answered the door. I checked the file again. She put in long weeks at a local hospital emergency room. We headed there.

  Archangel left his machine gun in the car. I stepped into the emergency room. I walked up to the window. An orderly type asked, "Can I help you?"

  "I need to see Enig-Julie," I said.

  "Julie is very busy."

  "My stomach hurts bad, and Julie's the best."

  The orderly raised an eyebrow and handed me eight thousand pages worth of forms to fill out. I started on page one.

  Two days later, my name went across the intercom. Enigma was standing there in scrubs. She was the perfect female form, and she obviously stayed in shape.

  She looked at me. "I know you?"

  Awesome. "We used to work together."

  "But I only know you from my dreams. We've never met."

  "We used to be on a team of agents, fighting crime together," I said. "This life you have now, it's a lie."

  "You never talk in the dreams," she said. "We just fuck."

  I hadn't been laid in ages. "We need to get out of here. Clock out."

  "I can't clock out. You have to wait."

  "You can clock out. Our lives are in danger."

  She glared at me. "This is an emergency room, and I'm needed for at least four more hours, maybe longer. Read a magazine or something."

  I wanted to argue so bad, but I knew I'd lose her if I pushed too hard. "We'll wait."

  Four hours never passed slower for me, except for when I was restricted to quarters. Archangel was not talkative either. Enigma came out without the scrubs on.

  "We have to go to my house," she said.

  "No," Archangel said.

  "I have to get my dog."

  Shit.

  She got in our military sport Corolla, and I drove back to her house. She went in and was nearly tackled by a Siberian Husky. She let the dog out back and started sorting through her mail.

  "Do you have any idea the danger we're in?" I asked.

  "No," she said, "I think you're full of shit."

  "I need you to take some aspirin. That will reverse the damage to your memory."

  "I'm allergic, a
sshole."

  "Part of the conditioning, but you'll go into convulsions."

  "Sounds fun," Enigma said.

  "We have to go," Archangel said.

  Enigma whistled for her dog, and he came running. Quite the happy dog he was, too. Enigma and the pooch got into the back of the Corolla, and I drove. We flew her home. We made it back to the base, and medical gave Enigma the aspirin. She went into convulsions, and my intent was to stay by her side.

  Ralan stepped into medical with two guards and said, "You're under arrest."

  I knew that was going to happen.

  Chapter Six

  Ralan escorted me to my room. The door closed behind me. I didn't get any dinner. The lights stayed on all night. Terminal wouldn't even boot. A bologna sandwich and two tiny, dry-ass cookies greeted me in the morning. I was not offered the option of showering or exercising.

  I'm not entirely sure how many days passed like this in that cell. I mostly went into Chor'Tan hibernation mode. My grip with sanity slowly started to slip away. The sun was set. My inbox clicked, and I went to investigate. Opening it revealed a ham sandwich on light rye with Swiss cheese and horseradish. I knew Thomas's handiwork when I saw it. A chocolate bar and a note sat next to the sandwich.

  The note read, "Stay away from the door, Sphinx."

  I grabbed the food and stepped away.

  Fire and sparks jetted into my cell from the locking mechanism. They were cutting me out. I ate quickly and put on pants and a shirt. The fire and sparks stopped, and the door slid out of the way.

  Archangel lifted a welder's mask off his face. "He's alive!"

  The whole crew was outside my door. I laughed. "Ralan? Nancy?"

  "Ralan and some of his cronies disappeared," Sphinx said. "Nancy dropped off the grid right after retirement. We cannot find her."

  "Who's in charge now?"

  Sphinx lowered her eyes to the floor. "Technically I am, but it's got to be temporary. I'm a field agent, not a bureaucrat."

  I needed a shower and a shave. "What have you tried to do to find Nancy?"

  "Plugged her picture into a nationwide network of traffic cams, so far zilch."

  "So Centurian likely has her picture?"

  "Shit," Thomas said. "I'd say that's accurate."

  "It's late at night, and you stink bad," Sphinx said.

  "I have been resting for days. Shower, more food, then I work," I said.

  "You have a plan?" Zen asked.

  "I'm going to figure it out while I shower. When you say Nancy dropped off the grid, can you be more specific?"

  "All we know is she converted her bank accounts to cash and disappeared," Sphinx said.

  "Ok," I said. I looked Enigma in the eyes. "Am I showering alone?"

  Enigma, Zen, Sphinx, and Jet all said, "Yes!" At the exact same instant.

  I grabbed a fresh set of clothes and pushed past the idiots into the shower. The water steamed. The soap was good. I shaved. A plan formed in my mind. I didn't know if it would work. Had to try something. I went to the vending machines and got sausage biscuits that went into the microwave. Remembered my programmer buddy and how useful he was before. I paged the server room first. He was on duty.

  I walked down there. He smiled at me. "You again?"

  "I think I can do what I need to do myself."

  "I can watch. You're going to find Nancy?"

  "Yes, going to try."

  He pointed at a big monitor with keyboard and mouse. "Our newest machine. She only has an operating system and basic software on it. She's our fastest with 256 cores."

  I knew in that instant that I made the right choice looking for Joe.

  I sat at the computer and logged in. "I need a map of the entire traffic cam system."

  "Tap into the network, and select it in the national system."

  It wasn't hard to find once I had the grid open. "Now I need the reverse of this. Everywhere the traffic cams are not installed."

  "Oh Hell. Let me do it."

  I got out of Joe's way.

  He reversed the map. "Now what?"

  "I want you to pull up every person who makes cash deposits and runs rental properties."

  "That's a huge long shot."

  I looked at the fat man. "Do you have a better idea? Just search for where the traffic cams are not in use."

  Joe started typing feverishly. He clicked his mouse a few times. My phone beeped. "I just sent you 217 names and contact info of landlords in these regions," Joe said.

  "Thank you."

  It was almost midnight, and calling people at midnight was generally not a good idea.

  "Can you sort the list, and put the southernmost ones at the top?" I asked.

  "Figuring she likes the warm weather?"

  "I think it's a good assumption."

  I left Joe to his server room. I divided the list of landlords up and mailed portions to Thomas, Sphinx, Jet, Zen, Enigma, and Archangel. I acquired new quarters. Couldn't sleep. Went for a run. Enigma and her dog joined me. The dog seemed to enjoy running.

  "What's his name?" I asked.

  "Lobster."

  The dog barked once and kept running. I wanted to pork Enigma, but I knew my advances would always be shot down. Plus, charges. I had to wait until she wanted it from me.

  We stopped running. Enigma bent down to the dog. "Good dog." She petted the animal.

  He was a beautiful creature, all gray, black, and white logically arranged.

  Enigma said, "Heel."

  The dog fell in beside her, and they walked back into the complex. I went for a swim and fell asleep.

  Chapter Seven

  I phoned the topmost landlord on the list. Voicemail. Left a message asking them to call me back. Five more calls went similarly.

  The seventh call a human answered. I said, "You rent houses in Las Cruces, New Mexico?"

  "Among other places," the woman answered.

  "Some of your tenants pay in cash?"

  "Who is this?"

  "I'm a federal agent with the IRS."

  "Yeah, right." Click.

  Damn.

  I paged Sphinx. "Can I get an IRS badge?"

  "Yes. I think so. Give me at least an hour."

  I called the other numbers on my list. Voicemail every one.

  I called a meeting with everybody. Yes, I could do that. I asked, "Any luck with landlords?"

  "I talked with three actual people," Thomas said. "None have old women who rent who only pay in cash."

  "I left a bunch of messages," Jet said.

  Zen and Enigma nodded.

  "I spoke with two gentlemen who both gave me addresses of older women who pay in cash," Archangel said.

  Thomas pointed at Archangel's chest. "Let's check them out."

  "One is in Wisconsin, the other North Dakota."

  "We'll commandeer a jet."

  "Take more firepower," I said. "Take Zen or Enigma."

  "Enigma," Thomas said.

  "I need somebody to watch Lobster," she said.

  Sphinx reached down and petted the dog. "I'll take good care of him."

  I questioned whether I had in fact skipped breakfast that morning. "Jet, Zen, you're with me. How is that badge coming?"

  "It should be on my desk in about ten minutes."

  The clock on the wall said, ten am, and yes, I had missed breakfast somehow. "Let's do it people."

  Everybody scattered. I went to the vending machine and got a fresh fruit bowl, the big one. RedCat's ghost echoed in my ear, "You're looking in the wrong place."

  "Quiet, you."

  I went to Sphinx's office. An IRS badge was indeed waiting for me. I paged Zen and Jet. They met me in the garage. We were packing 9mm in our armpits under leather jackets.

  "Five plus hour drive," I said. "Who's first?"

  "You are," Zen said.

  Jet climbed in the back seat. "I'm going to sleep."

  Better than singing songs.

  We were off. Stopped at an eatery for lunch. N
either of those fuckers offered to drive either, and I was fine with that. Pulled up to an office building a few hours before sunset. The three of us found the rental agency and rang the buzzer. A tall man wearing a t-shirt and shorts answered the door.

  I showed him my IRS badge and gave him plenty of time to think.

  "I need to know if there is an elderly woman who rents from you who pays in cash."

  "She in trouble?"

  Bingo. "We just want to talk to her."

  The tall man sighed. Then he gave me an address. We drove there. There were no vehicles parked outside, so we waited a good distance away. A car pulled up, and an elderly woman stepped out. She wasn't our Nancy at all. She went into the house we were watching. Damn.

  My cell phone rang. It was a landlord from Santa Fe.

  "I'm with the IRS, can you tell me about your tenants who pay in cash?"

  "Not much to tell really. They like their privacy I guess. At least one is running from time travelers."

  Heh. Time travelers. "Do you have an older woman who pays in cash?"

  "How do I know you're with the IRS?"

  "I can be there by morning. Will you meet me?"

  He paused. "Sure. Come to my office. Do you need the address?"

  "No," I said. "It's in the file."

  I hung up the phone.

  Zen said, "I'll drive."

  We switched sides. Jet didn't even make a noise or nothing. I poked him. Just to make sure he was still alive. He groaned. I poked him a second time. He sat up, and his hair was all lopsided. "This better be important."

  "How can you sleep so much?" I asked.

  "Ussilla has been running me ragged ever since I was retrieved. This is the first real rest I've had in ages."

  "I wish somebody would run me ragged," Zen said.

  I reached over and caressed her knee. She grabbed my hand and put it back on my leg.

  We pulled into Santa Fe and acquired two hotel rooms. Jet refused to sleep, instead staying up all night with the TV on. We ate blueberry pancakes for breakfast and found our way to the landlord's office.

  The landlord was a bulky fellow easily on the verge of a heart attack. He looked my badge over. "Can I see the other badges, too?"

  He meant Zen and Jet.

  "We're just hired guns, man. They don't give us badges," Zen said.

  The man leaned back in his chair. "So many guns for one little, old lady. What do you want from her?"