Simulated, p.27
Simulated, page 27
Noble sprints to the Jeep, opening the door to Qadar who chokes back an agonizing moan. “Noble?” he rasps. “Are you and Jo ok?”
“Yes, Uncle,” Noble reassures him, slinging his arm over his shoulder. “Thanks to you.” I remember Kai was like this too, but worse. He spent the whole day in a fetal position. At least Qadar can walk, albeit with help.
Noble darts a look at me. “This will take moment or two. Be there soon.” He smiles shyly, but I swear there’s a hint of caution—or reality—breaking in.
The moment he’s gone, I rush from the pool patio, my mind full of thoughts I didn’t know were so heavy. Noble’s voice, the way he looks at me and makes my whole body turn to fire. And then there’s Kai who is loyal and brave and understands me in a completely different way. Kai’s face in the desert. Kai risking his life. And here I am, surrounded by luxury tents and a hacker who was my first love and a whole mixed-up stew of feelings I don’t know what to do with.
I am with Kai. Kai loves me. Do I love him? I need to talk to him. To see him face to face. To discuss our future. To remember why I chose him. Remember that we were going to beat the odds.
I race over to the tech-tent, where I know I can at least see the live stream. I don’t even care if he’s with the girl. I just want to see if he’s ok. I try to calm myself as I go. Kai should be safe at least until tomorrow. They believed him. Kai’s on top of this.
But what about the Successor? How can Kai give the holothumb to the Successor if he doesn’t know who it is? And if it gets into anyone else’s hands, it won’t be merged with the master-file.
I’m failing Kai on so many levels—my feelings for Noble, no help with the case. After I check the live stream, I’ll do my sims again. This time I’ll figure it out. I know it. I need to cage these feelings. I don’t need these emotions warring in me. Not here. Not now.
Inside the tent, I pull up the live stream. But a black screen comes up. All visual is gone. Noble said the surveillance would be on alert for an hour. He also said they weren’t tracing any signals. Hasn’t one hour passed?
As I try to get it to work, the facial recognition footage catches my eye. Those videos aren’t live, but recorded and stored data. Kai is in them. But they’re locked with a password. Out of curiosity, I punch in fc(z) = z2 + c the equation for the Mandelbrot set, and all the files open.
I scroll through weeks of data. Noble’s intel on Montego. I’m not looking for a way to find the hidden secret about Kai. I want to see his face, hear his voice.
I’m about to click on a random video when my mind flickers on a certain date, and like a light everything turns on around me. That’s the date Noble first contacted me. The day he first warned me about Kai.
My gut squeezes tight like I’m wringing water out of a washcloth, and my mouth goes dry. A voice warns me to choose a different video. To wait for Kai, like Noble advised. Even Noble believed Kai would tell me everything. But numbers bombard me, and whatever fuels that death wish is lurking, tempting me to press play.
Noble’s voice is in my head. I don’t want you to get hurt…
I’ve denied that Kai could hurt me. I’ve avoided this since I didn’t want to believe anything was wrong. I dread what I’ll find, but time is short, like I told myself on the patio about Noble.
I probably shouldn’t do this, but I hit play anyway and the video starts.
Chapter 56
KAI SWEEPS ONTO the scene with buoyancy in his gait and victory in his grin that suggests he just conquered the world. He’s got a small bandage on his upper right cheek, and his lip is cut, but he’s ramped up, and eager to please. It’s the same energy that says, Don’t worry, Trouble, I loved every minute of it.
My numbers are not operating, but my mind jumps into action sizing up the room. The map on the wall. The red and white striped flag with a yellow moon and sun against blue. The different languages on various signs. He’s not in China. Not in Tunisia. This in Malaysia where Private Global Force’s headquarters are.
“Good morning, Director Kane. You wanted to see me?” Kai asks.
“Kai, welcome to HQ.” The director, Agent Bai’s superior, stands welcoming him and shaking his hand. “Please take a seat.” He motions to a chair by his desk.
Kai sits, back straight but with a pose that always manages to communicate he’s both relaxed and confident.
“First, I’d like to thank you for your work,” he says. “The world is a lot safer with you out there.”
Kai beams. “That’s why I’m here.”
“I’ve been watching you with great interest since you joined this team,” he says. “Bai tells me you were the only one who could handle the mess in Thailand, and you got out without a hint of fire on you. Well done.”
“Thank you, sir.” Kai clears his throat, not used to such direct praise.
“Because of it, you caught someone we’ve been tracking a long time.” Kane has the same expression on his face as Bai, evaluating, contemplating, preparing.
“I’m ready for the next round.”
Kane huffs an odd laugh. “We can tell. Has Bai briefed you on the job in Tunisia?”
Kai leans forward, nodding. “Yes, sir, I’m all in. It’ll be no problem. Whatever you have that others don’t want, give it to me.”
“I’m glad you said that, Kai.” He leans back in chair. “You’re unlike any recruit we have ever had. Your aptitude for combat and fast solutions, characterizations, is higher than anyone I’ve met. It’s off the charts. We haven’t seen anything like you in years. You’re faster, smarter, and braver than more than half of our present agents. My fellow directors and I believe you’re the guy we have been looking for.”
“For what, sir?”
“A promotion of sorts.” Kane studies Kai. “You’d go undercover with a bunch of highly trained criminals to expose countless webs of activity. We’ve been following them for a long time, with little progress. I want to be clear; this is a very dangerous covert mission.”
The word dangerous doesn’t deter Kai. He comes alive. “This is why I’m here. To stop all that.” His smile is wider than ever and the excitement radiating from him is contagious. This is something he truly loves. “Count me in.”
I love the way Kai never backs down from a challenge. But it reminds me of what Noble said—he’s attracted to trouble. And apparently this will be his next job. I think of everything I’ve seen here in Tunisia—the girl, the fights, the terrorists. Is this the life Kai wants? Is this what I want him doing every night?
Regardless, this can’t be the video Noble is referring to because Kai told me he got a promotion. He said there were difficult circumstances to him accepting it. Was he talking about the danger level? Did he think I would be worried? Because seeing his face shows me, he is clearly not concerned. He is hungry for this job in a way I’ve never seen him before.
Director Kane rolls back his shoulders. “Great. It requires one to three years. During that time, you’ll have to create a new life, a new name, new history, new friends, everything. For your safety and that of your team and mission, as well as the ones you love, you’ll have to cut off all personal relationships.”
I gasp in shock. One to three years? It’s like ice water has been thrown into my face. My stomach plummets to my feet.
Kai’s face falls. Not enough for the director to notice, but I do. “All relationships, sir? Even family?” Kai’s composed, but the intensity on his brow clearly shows there is a conflict going on inside him. He’s thinking, weighing it, actually considering it.
My fingers feel cold. I can understand a month or two. Kai loves this job. But would he cut off our relationship—me—for one to three years? Or is he plotting some way to keep in touch, with disposable phones and the street? Even so, whatever he’s thinking won’t work. I’ve been driven insane waiting four weeks. After losing my family for two years, waiting to see people I care about isn’t something I want to do again. I want them near me. I thought he understood…but watching him now, it’s clear as day he doesn’t understand, or worse, might not care.
My heart is in my throat and I tense, on the edge of my seat, as Director Kane answers. His words are precise, sharp as razors, leaving no room to misconstrue his meaning.
“It means exactly what you think. Your life will end as you know it, and another one will begin. Until the job is done.” Director Kane says, setting the pen down. “It’s a high-risk operation and a long commitment. You may be the only one who can complete this assignment.”
Turn down the job, Kai.
Kai’s back straightens, his chest thrusts forward. “I know I can get it done. I want to be an agent who makes a difference. But…” Kai’s eyes flicker across the room.
As my eyes bounce from Director Kane to Kai, my gut is wrenching.
“This isn’t like what you’ve faced before,” Director Kane says, his voice low and serious. He leans forward, stiff. “This type of operation will require every ounce of your ability and dedication. Going under for this long is as dangerous as it gets. In this type of op, your pocket litter can be the end of you. There’s zero room for error.”
“There’s not an ounce of fear stopping me, sir. But I’ll need some time to consider it,” he says.
I breathe again, but Kai’s jaw clenches on and off. This is hard for him. Noble was right. He said Kai was young and impulsive, that he loved danger and he loved me because I fulfilled that part in him. Is he considering it because I’m some math nerd doing nothing?
“Of course,” Director Kane says, his expression putting Kai through training. “After Tunisia, you can give me your answer.”
“Just to be clear, all people are cut off?” Kai asks.
“That’s correct. Everyone. Family. Friends…Girlfriend.” He leans back in his chair. “It’s not like it hasn’t been done before. Thankfully, you’re young. Family waits and girls come and go.” He studies Kai, then folds his hands across the desk. “That’s what’s holding you back, am I right? Some girl waiting around for you?”
Kai considers the question. A shot of hope rises in me because—hands down— he’s thinking of me. But Kai breathes deep and pulls his eyes up, looks him square in the face. “No, sir, she’s not waiting around for me.”
The tent feels like it’s closing in on me. What does he mean 'I’m not waiting around'? I thought losing my gift was bad. This hurts worse. I stop the video. I can’t watch anymore.
Is Noble right about him? Am I not dangerous enough without my gift? But then a fire flares up in me. Then what am I doing here in Tunisia, trying to save him?
Kai loves me. I know he does. I don’t understand. We were supposed to talk about our next steps but now I see those next steps might lead to a closing door…
My eyes are wet and a part of me goes numb. Beat down with emotions, like a waterfall is pouring down on me, pushing me under. I can’t reach the surface. Chaos is winning because I see no perfect answer.
A chair moves behind me, and I jump around to see Noble’s straight face, his jaw locked tight.
My eyes red and cheeks wet, unable to hide my pain.
Noble calculates everything. He bends down to look at me. “You saw the video.”
I nod, my lips tight. Little by little, my heart hardens, like the Phoenix I once was. A set of equations zigzags across the room, alerting me to a job we still have to do.
“I’m sorry, Jo.”
I shake my head, feeling like an idiot. “Don’t be. You warned me.”
Chapter 57
TELL ME WE can beat the odds, and I’ll never leave your side.
When Kai said these words to me in China, I believed him. When did things change?
He didn’t say it outright. But it was in his eyes. He wants the job. The way his face fell when Director Kane mentioned the time frame. The way his eyes narrowed when they talked about being young and having a girl… She’s not waiting around for me.
Kai’s words reverberate in my mind until they’re taken over by K2 announcing Harrison’s call. My body jolts forward.
“Answer call,” I say, my mind a gyroscope of thoughts.
Harrison’s voice hits me like a fire alarm. “Jo. Where have you been? We’ve been trying to reach you for over an hour!”
Ksar Douz. Qadar. The festival. The patio…the scenes flash through my mind like they happened over the span of a week and not just the last few hours. I take in a deep breath. “I’m sorry, we couldn’t get online. They’re using PSS radar over Douz.”
“Oh no,” he gasps. “You don’t know.”
“Know what?” I ask, aware of Noble behind me, flying to the desk trying to make the live stream turn on. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ve got a string of horrible news,” he says, “What do you want to know first?”
“Just hit me, Harrison,” I say, already in a bad mood. “We don’t have time for this.”
“First, more radicals left the city hours ago and we don’t have the manpower to track where they went,” he says. “Next, PSS tech is lighting up all over North Africa, especially in your location. Eddie’s on bank watch, and lots of money is being transferred from Douz to an unknown location as we speak. And the Swiss Banker guy, who also might be the Successor? He’s meeting several big wigs from the European Union and the Indonesian Ambassador early tomorrow morning in Algeria, and the Sheikh is heading to Abu Dhabi to meet with some powerful men. Are you hearing me? All of them are leaving on private flights tonight.”
“No.” I shake my head. “That can’t be right. We just saw them. The transaction was supposed to be tomorrow night…” I look over at Noble, who’s at his desk, tapping into every signal he can, without luck. He’s fidgeting, definitely concerned. He shoots me a look that fills me with dread. “We don’t know who the Successor is yet.”
“Jo. Then we missed it. Because something big is happening right now. And I don’t need to remind you that if Coral Hacker’s SMOKE isn’t uploaded to the master-file, our tech will be unstoppable.” He pauses. “Ms. T is still in meetings. She’ll be back in one hour.”
Streams of information intersect in my mind. Two of the possible Successors followed Kai to Ksar Douz. When Kai said he came to 'check out the place because no one else had', Müller’s response was, “No one else had to…”
But then they allowed Kai to join the Loyalists…
Red told me to wake up before I was too late. I ran to Kai in the square, but he was already gone.
My equations flicker to the photo Kai sent on the street. We’d missed the show that night because we’d gotten the date wrong. It had been the night before. How did I not pick up on this?
“Don’t worry, Harrison. Kai has the holothumb with SMOKE,” I say, wanting eyes on Kai as soon as possible. “It’ll be fine. They believed Kai. He’ll get the job done. We’ll check it out.”
“Two more things…” Harrison breathes in, killing me with his slow pauses. “Ms. T knows who the hacker is. Noble J. Adams, Tunisian-British mother, American father. Went missing two years ago. Jo. He has been in our system, far deeper than your sims. Ms. T is convinced he’s hacked more than PSS, maybe even government secrets. She thinks he’s dangerous. She hasn’t said it, but we think she’s sending someone out there, to retrieve him. I’m sorry. I know you think of him as a friend.”
My eyes shoot over to Noble—to Mandel—with a pang of dread. What have I done? A sledgehammer to the gut would feel better than this.
“Tell me the last piece of news is better?” I ask, not knowing if I can handle any more.
“It’s worse. We just detected a government biotag in the area. It came on in the last hour. And it doesn’t look good.”
My fingers go numb. My throat is tight. “What’s going on?”
“Not entirely sure. The readings coming from the biotag are connected to the host’s body vitals and they’ve reached the top of something like a ‘red zone’…” Harrison’s voice turns grave. Then he confirms the news I already know. “We think…they’re torturing him.”
Chapter 58
MY BODY FEELS cold as the concrete floor in the Pratt in winter, numb and stiff. A strength I haven’t felt since then also returns. Nothing in me cares about what I saw in that video. All I can think about is saving Kai.
“I have to leave. Now.” I stand up, grabbing my backpack. Noble jumps up at the sound of my voice. “Give me the keys to the Jeep.”
“Jo. What did he tell you about the deal?” Noble is asking, his hands on my shoulders now.
“We’re too late. Whatever the Loyalists are doing it’s happening now. We’re missing it.” Everything is caving in on me. The deal… Kai’s biotag… He’s on his own. Noble’s now a target. My breathing is shallow. But my head is clear.
“There’s more you need to tell me,” Noble demands. “I can see it. I want to help you.”
“No.” I shake my head. “You’ve got to get out of here right now. Ms. T knows who you are. Because of me.” I touch his face, so many mixed emotions, before heading to the door. I won’t ask him to risk himself for Kai—again.
“What else, Jo? Trust me.” Noble blocks the exit, almost not caring what I said. His frequency surges erratically like waves in a storm.
“Did you hear me?” I shout. “She knows who you are. You have to leave.”
Noble spins me around, tenderly taking me by the arm. He pulls me close to him, his face full of concern. “Forget about me right now and tell me what is happening. I want to help you.”
I relent. “They must have used Radar to turn Kai’s biotag on…they know who he is…” My face explains the rest. “I’m going there. I won’t let them hurt him anymore.” A rushed plan forms in my mind. Noble’s face tells me his mind is working on one too.
“All right, let’s do this,” he says. “We’ll help Kai and stop this deal.” Noble flies around the room snatching up a backpack and packing it with tech like a mad man.
