My louved one (ENG) Part 10

I had not chosen the hardware randomly, it was close and I knew they already had a computer connected to the security system of the mall. I had already been there.

Upon entering the store I jumped behind the counter and hacked the security system to access to surveillance cameras. It did not take long, their firewalls were indeed powerful but misplaced and out of synchronization. I only had to go through one, the others were easily circumvented one after the other.

When I displayed the cameras' images, I heard three surprised exclamations behind me.

"How do you do that?" exclaimed Artie.

"Stop! What are you doing with the store stuff? They will think it's me, I don't want to get fired and go to jail because of you! Stop now!" said the cashier. Dan, as shown by his uniform.

"Fast! How do you do that? And also; why?" Sylvear asked.

"Finally a relevant question. That's why." I said, pointing the finger at the screen.

The recording was arrived at the place and time where they had gone to call and showed the one who was following us. The picture was not clear enough to see his face but he was easily recognizable by his outfit. Especially his cap, light gray with a black visor. Not the best taste, but it was just my opinion.

"This is the guy that is following us, isn't it?" asked Artie.

"That's him."

"How did you spot him?"

"I watched people walk by when I was waiting for you and I noticed the figure of someone who hid every time I turned my head in his direction. If it's a normal thug, we shouldn't take long to find out. If it's just a disguise, it's very well done and it will be more difficult to know what he wants."

I rewinded the records to follow his path until his arrival at the mall and we saw that he indeed was an offender, but...

We were the second group he followed today. And the first was made up of two women who had been assaulted by six other offenders with the same cap and dragged off of the cameras field. Offenders had returned a few minutes later. Not the women.

No need to be hyperintelligent to understand: the scout casually strolled in the mall and spotted potential targets, and then followed them and gave their position to the group that just had to wait close to a blind spot for cameras and attracted them there to rob them. Or worse.

Seeing this, Dan forgot my crimes and exclaimed:

"Oh my God! And this guy is just out there? I call security right away!"

"Not yet, there is something fishy in this story."

"You joking!? There are two women who have probably been raped killed and left in a corner and you want me to leave them like that?"

"They were not raped, that's sure. Only talk about the first assault and tell them where it occurred but nothing else, I have to check something."

The method did not match. Thugs would have waited in an area of ​​obligatory passage at a time of low attendance, such as parking in the late evening, and few would have concerned themselves about cameras. Those were not ordinary offenders.

The system was well developed, so they had probably used this protocol several times, but they had never been noticed, no media had spoken about it and no measure had been taken. They were protected by someone. Probably someone influential.

My suspicions found themselves confirmed a minute later. Looking for a map of the center displaying cameras to identify any blind spots in areas accessible by customers, I noticed something:

"That's what I thought: this is only the tip of the iceberg. The ones we saw are part of a larger and very well organized group, which has at least one good hacker."

"What makes you say that?" Asked Dan.

 "For the hacker, I'm not the first to hack this system since the last update. I wouldn't be surprised if the security had a loop on its screens. For the rest…" I hesitated a bit before answering. "An offender violates law to give him the impression of having control over his own life, to dominate or to let steam off. Well, this kind of thing. They wouldn't put such a plan in place and wouldn't go so far as to wait a whole day in the same place for a possible target, they would go to be noticed in town or something alike. They, they are too organized and efficient. They even have a hacker to them. I think they are working for someone." Upon saying that, I thought of the rumors about the Rat-face band. "A single person or a larger group. In any case, they are not ordinary thugs. »

A heavy silence followed my exposition. I turned and saw three dumbfounded and worried people. I turned my attention to Dan.

"Is it the security?" I asked, pointing to the handset in his hand. Nobody reacted. "Come on, let's move!" I exclaimed, slamming hands twice.

"Uh, yes, but I-I said nothing yet, they didn't pick up yet." Stammered a panicking Dan.

Realizing that the situation was too scary for him, I restrained myself from rolling my eyes up at the sky and took the phone from his hands.

"Hello?" I began.

"Security, What can we do for you?"

"I'd like you to view the recordings of the camera 12 between oh eight hundred oh nine hundred and thirty. There is possibility of tampering."

"Who is speaking?" replied the officer. I still heard drumming on a keyboard.

"I'd rather keep that information confidential for now. What do you see?"

" ... Nothing abnormal. People go, life continues." He replied after a few seconds.

He had already watched an hour and a half of video recording? Impressive.

"That's what I thought. Someone is controlling your videos. I hacked the camera feedback before they reach you, and yes I know that's illegal but it'll probably help you so I hope that the mall will not press any charges. I send you the result."

A bit later, I heard him yell to somebody else:

"Clark! Anton! Go straight to sector 23 and make me a detailed report of what you see! And you, you better tell me everything you know and what is your involvement in this story. And get out of my system! »

Even through the phone, I could imagine a crimson head and a bald skull all wrinkled. Very amusing. His tone made it clear that he would reserve me some unpleasant treatment if my answers did not suit him.

"I called you of my own and you think threatening me will help you? You are weird. I was just shopping with friends and I noticed we were followed. I easily hacked your system; followed the guy's route in the mall and I went up until I have sent you. We are their next targets, that's how I got involved!" I did not like being accused of something I had not done. Nevertheless I managed to regain my composure continuing. "And what I do know is that this system had already been hacked by someone before me, that you didn't realize and that even now that you know you still have not reset it. System that doesn't seem to have been updated for two weeks, it's extremely long, I didn't think you were so careless. Or arrogant. Or have you budget cuts? »

He did not answer.

"And also, it's not a group of ordinary thugs: they have a hacker; they don't have a typical method for a thug gang; it doesn't seem to be their first attempt and since they've never been noticed they are probably supported by someone who controls medias or more likely an accomplice among the mall's security. Anyway, someone who can cover their tracks without anyone noticing. Hence my reluctance to give you my name, for all I know, it could be you, and this phone could be tapped. And it raises the question of what they do to their victims. Thugs doesn't kill every time, and news would have spoken of a wave of mysterious disappearances. There must be something that prevents victims from speaking." At this point, my hacking stopped all at once and I found myself ejected from the system. "Not too early, your system has finally restarted. I think I have said everything can I hang up?"

"No, wait."

I waited.

"... What do you want?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You just identify and reported a gang that came under our radar since God knows when, you have to want something back right? Nobody would do that for nothing."

His comment puzzled me, but nonetheless I answered honestly:

"All I want from you is to do your job: to stop these guys before they attack someone else. Us in this case. But since you mention it, there is something I want you to do for me."

"I knew it." He sighed with an air so lethargic that I wondered what had happened for him to be so disappointed that a stranger asks for something in return for such a service. "I'm listening."

"Swear on the thing or the person you care the most about that no complaint will be pressed against me. I admit that I hadn't thought about how to tell you where my information come from without revealing that I had obtained them illegally. I'm recording."

Speaking I get my phone out and prepared the voice recorder.

There was a short pause, then the security officer burst of laugh:

"Hahaha! Okay, I understand your situation. No complaint will be filed against you and we will help you. I swear it on my name, Maxwell Rovenstiil." Strange reaction. And strange promise. "Wait where you are, I send reinforcements and we'll take care of the gang, good for you?"

"If you attack now you'll only get the scout, and something tells me he will be more difficult to make talk than an ordinary thug. And if this gang is just a part of the threat, they will be quick to send another and you'll have to start all over again to stop them."

I put the handset on the counter and covered the microphone to have a semblance of privacy. I turned and all three jumped. I had made a big impression. I hoped it was not an overly bad one.

Dan did not know where to be and the girls seemed surprised but not as lost or disoriented as what I would have expected from someone else.

I tried to defuse the situation a bit:

"Sorry, it's rather far from the ideal first date, but it's still better than being attacked by surprise by these thugs isn't it?" I said, displaying my best reassuring smile. I did not think that it was very effective, but I continued nonetheless. "At least we know what awaits us and we can prepare without them suspecting. We may even get help."

"I don't really know what to think." said Sylvear. "Is it normal here? It's opposed to everything I was told before."

I was curious to know what she had been described. A country where everyone loves each other and where everything is only laughter and songs?

"Me too, I'm lost. You just hacked this place's security like it was nothing, identified an attack that no one had noticed and discovered ... something huge. And you did was to call the security you'd just hack. Me I'd have lured them into a corner to break their neck."

"That I was still hacking. I can't tell you what to think, but at least now you saw a facet of the life of an Ordinary; some attack," Talking to Sylvear, I pointed to the scout in the gallery, "others are attacked," I pointed the screen back to normal display," and sometimes some see the danger coming." I pointed myself. "And can count on some help." I pointed to the phone. "Or not. What I just did is clearly not common, but being attacked by a gang of thugs in a mall is not so unusual. Although this group is pretty unusual. It's a world with its own dangers and own means to survive it. But it's an inherent part of human nature, I'm sure you've already seen things like that even in your world." Artie and she both blinked quizzically, then made a thoughtful expression. I added to Artie: "And a few years ago I probably would have tried to solve it all by myself, but I've grown up since then." I realized when I heard myself that it may be interpreted as an insult and hastened to add: "Uh, no offense."

"None taken. You we can say you got a bloody view of the world. And you know to keep your head on your shoulders." noticed Artemis.

"Thanks, I try not to lose my goals of sight. And now? What do you want to do?" They looked at me with a curious expression. "Do you want to go now? Continue the day as if nothing had happened? Wait for security that may have a spy? Trap those thugs ourselves to teach them to take us as their... targets." I had again almost said prey. "Help security to see how they handle this here? The choice is yours. Just be assured that I will not let anyone hurt you. I was supposed to be the organizer and guide of today, you are more or less under my responsibility for the day."

They looked each other in surprise, and then stared at me with an awkward glare, then went away in a corner of the store to whisper among themselves. I felt like a wall erect between us. I feared that Sylvear would be afraid of me and would not want to ever see me after this demonstration. But I reasoned myself saying that somehow it was better that way; if she was afraid of that, she would have never been able to accept the rest, and we never could be able to be together. And considering her reaction to the attack of the wolfs-dogs, there was a good chance she could keep her cool even in this situation.

While they agreed I turned my attention to Dan.

"Sorry I scared you Dan, but don't worry, you're not involved so nothing will happen to you. I'm not going to hurt you and the gang has no reason to either, there is no connection between us."

"Ouf!" He let out a huge sigh of relief and collapsed on the ground like a deflating balloon. "Thank you, thank you very much!"

"Except of course if you are related to this gang." I added. "This much? I was so scary? You had a bad experience with gangs? Or with hackers?" He tensed again all at once and looked down. "I see. Don't worry you can talk frankly, I know that hackers are not angels, and that everyone can change. But don't force yourself, 'tis your life, nothing makes you talk about it. Especially not to a stranger who scared you so much." I added jokingly.

He stood up shaking a little. I held out my hand to help him and he accepted it.

"I'd like you all to be so nice." he said.

"Uh, thank you?"

I did not know how to answer that. Had I been nice? Who "you all"? Hackers? Interesting reaction, I wondered what experience he had lived through.

We stood there in silence until the girls make me a sign to come. I took the opportunity to check what I had written in my journal during my telephone conversation. The gang and this agent Maxwell. When I wrote without looking, a few mistakes always came, especially misspellings.

I approached, anxious of their answer. Would she run away from me? Reject me?

"We are going! I can't do much at the moment but I won't let those cowards take me for an easy prey and get away that easily!"

This remark in a soft and dry voice from Sylvear surprised me quite a bit, but flooded me with relief. She was not afraid at all, she would not flee me for so few, and she had as much desire to smell blood as me! What a joy! What relief!

Her eyes showed a fierce anger and an unstoppable will. The same eyes as when she had pinned me down to the ground the first time. The eyes of a fighter. I thought falling in love again.

"We can fight so no need to protect us. And I won't let this band of animals out of harm, it's against my principles and all that I have learned." Added Artemis.

Again with this story of animals, as in the subway. She really hated the men who attacked women. And she was not afraid either.

"Got it.. And do you trust security? Do you want their help?"

They shook their heads in the same movement. Those girls were definitely very interesting.

"Same here." I returned to the counter and said in the handset: "Okay Agent Maxwell, we are waiting for you. Call back when you'l have those guys or when you'll have a plan."

When I hang up I could not help but show a certain sadistic smile. People sometimes called it my predatory face or my wolf smirk, but I never understood why. Wolves do not make this expression. But in this instant it was not important.

I knew what to do.