Imperfect Weapons: Chapter Twenty-One

The Fail safe is revealed!

Chapter Twenty-one

 

            Paige looked at Chris and Elena then at Nathan. She had almost forgotten Nathan was a computer whiz. She watched as three staring at each other down. It was like they were waiting for the other to make a move. Chris looked like he was about to snap in any second. His hands balled up his fists. Elena however was calm and patience. Paige could only guess what was going on in her mind. It looked Elena was studying Nathan. He looked like he won the chess match. He smiled at both of them. Paige got the feeling he felt pretty good about himself. Then suddenly his smile began to fade as he walked toward the edge of their glass cage.

            “Yeah knew about the failsafe, didn’t you.” Nathan said at Elena.

            Elena said. “Of course we did. We just hope that Six was stupid enough to activate it. Where else will we get a HyperDisk.”

            “So the real question is why we are still alive.”

            “Wait a minute,” Ms. Beck said. Everyone turned to her. “For those of us who aren’t computer genius, what is the failsafe?”

            Nathan said. “HyperDisk holds millions of files and can be access from a supercomputer. That is the easy part. The hard part is getting it back out. The disk requires a pass code to remove it. No pass code, then the computer deletes all of the data. That’s the failsafe.”

            Elena clapped her hands. “Only a few people know about that. I am impressed. I even wondered we made the right choice choosing Chris over you. Chris growled, “However you are wrong about one thing. Not all the data was destroyed. Six saved three files.”

            Paige said. “That’s why we are here. You want everyone close to Six.”

            “Yeah, Chris has already questioned Rachel and Cassidy. I did your uncle. They know nothing. You two were there during his final moments before facing Zero.” Then she laughed.

            Paige asked. “What’s so funny?”

            “Nothing just that I find it funny that you all think Six is dead. I know for a fact that his quite alive. Six has spent the last two months living it up on paradise island with beautiful Latina. Don’t you think she is beautiful, Chris?”

            Chris replied. “She is beautiful. How does that make feel, Paige?”

            “Shut up, Chris.” Paige said annoying. Then she carried herself down. “Now what do you two want?”

            Elena replied. “I want the data.”

            “I don’t know where it is.”

            “Then find it. You are the closest person to Six. Surely you can think of where he might put it. “

            Paige asked, “And if I can’t. What are you going to do destroy the town?”

            “Oh sweet child, the town and everyone in it will be destroyed no matter what you do. However I am willing to spare your love ones and their family that includes Rachel, Cassidy, and their family as well if you get me the data. If you don’t then Chris will make you kill everyone you have loved.”

            Paige nodded. Elena smiled and walked over to the controls on the side of cage. The wall in front of Paige opened. She walked out of the cage. Ms. Beck and Nathan started walking, but Chris blocked them. He moved so fast that all Paige saw was slight blur as he moved. She watched them wondering what Nathan was going to do. Ms. Beck grabbed Nathan which calmed him down.

            “No Chris, let Nathan go. He can help Paige.” Elena said. Chris let go of Nathan. However he pushed his mother back into the cage. Elena pushed a button and the door swung closed. Then she looked at her wristwatch. “You have until eight to return with the data. That gives you three hours, and if you don’t make it back by then. Everyone you love is dead.” Paige and Nathan looked at her not sure how to react. “Go!”

            Paige and Nathan quickly ran out of the tent only to find themselves standing in the middle of the forest in a huge deep hole. There were a lot of people quickly walking past them carrying weird equipment. There were some construction vehicles and even more tents. Around the perimeter, Paige saw men wearing dark combat gear and holding rifles. Paige was so surprised. How the hell they did do all of this under our very noses, she thought.  Her thought were interrupted by an approaching tall broad shouldered African American soldier. Paige saw the man’s finger near the trigger. Her heart raced as she slowly backed up. She looked at the man’s emotionless face.

            “Come this way.” The soldier said. Then he turned around and started walking. Paige and Nathan silently followed. They walked past a huge metal door in the ground. She watched a group of people in hazard suits lowered down through the door. She turned her head and hiding her bitter hate for these people.

            Paige and Nathan followed the lone soldier out of site and to an expensive black car. He didn’t say a word as the soldier left them. He headed back to the site.

            “I guess we are supposed to take it.” Nathan said turning to Paige.

            Paige said. “Come on.” Then she opened the door and entered the drive seat. Nathan got to the other side while Paige looked for the keys. She found them in the ignition. Paige turned it and the car’s engine roared. They pulled out of the site and headed down the road.

            Nathan asked. “So where are we going.”

            “We are going back into town.” Paige replied still thinking about where exactly to look for this data. She really didn’t want to think about other thing Elena realized. Could Six be having vacation with another girl while I have been worrying sick about…No! I can’t worry about that now.

            “So do you know where the data is?” Nathan asked. Paige shook her head. “At least we can warn the town about Chris. Do you have your phone?” Paige shook her head again. Nathan grunted as he began his search for a phone. He checked the door compartment, but found nothing. He looked in the back, but still found nothing.  They must have clean this car out before giving it to us. He checked one more place. Nathan checked the glove compartment. There was a bunch of papers and ….Bingo! He held up an old fashioned cellphone. Then he froze.

            Paige looked over at him. “You don’t know any number by heart, do you?”

            “I know my mom’s and Chris’s.”

            Paige said. ‘Give me the phone.” Nathan passed the phone to her. Paige dialed a number.

            “Who are you calling, your parents or the police?”

            Paige almost laughed as she placed the phone to her ear. “If I did the whole town would freak out and how do you think Chris would react?”

            “He would kill them all right there and then.” Nathan replied.

            A deep familiar voice said on the other send, “Hello, who is this?”

            “Uncle Mitch?” Paige said with Nathan looked at her. He couldn’t believe she called her uncle. Paige saw this from the corner of her eye, but chose to ignore him. “Listen, we have a problem.”

            “I really don’t live that tone.” He said.

            She said. “Well you won’t like this either.” Paige looked over for a second. “Chris is a hybrid.”

            “Umm, excuse me!”

            Paige repeated. “Christopher Beck is a alien human hybrid. He is the one who has been killing people and your new girlfriend is his boss.”

            “Now that I can’t believe it, Elena would never….”

            Nathan quickly took phone out of Paige’s hand. “Believe it. She had Chris kidnapped me, Paige and my mom. She plans on use Chris to kill everyone.”

            “What is it about this town that makes everyone wants to kill us?”

            Paige said. “Uncle Mitch, I need you to keep everyone calm and away from Chris. Ask Cassidy and Rachel to help, but remember stay away from Chris. If you go near him, he’ll control your emotions, and turned you into a meat puppet.”

            “Okay, what are you two going to do?” Uncle Mitch asked.

            Nathan replied. “We are going to the b***h what she wants,” Then he hung up the phone, “soon as we can find it.”

            Paige shook her head. She couldn’t figure out where to start. If Paige had it her way, they would be searching the whole near the Kays’ house or places where Six and Zero fought. She was sure that Elena and company would have thought of that. They probably searched everywhere they could think of. So we are their last shot to find the data. Paige thought as she followed the road. I have to think of somewhere they didn’t think of looking. Even with that Paige had no clue what exactly she was looking for. Was it another disk, or a flash drive, or did Six took the whole computer and hid somewhere in woods. Paige sighed trying not to get frustrated. Then she felt Nathan touched her shoulder, but before he could say anything. They heard a thump and the car shook a little. Then Paige heard tapping from her side window. She turned to it and noticed a dark haired girl hanging upside down.

            “Miranda?” Paige asked about to roll down her window. When she saw Miranda pointing at the back window, Paige rolled down that window. Miranda easily swung herself into the vehicle.

            Nathan stared at her with amazement. “What the hell?”

            Miranda replied, “It’s actually who the hell and the name is Miranda.”

            “She is a hybrid like Chris. She used to work with him.” Paige explained. Nathan looked at Paige and then Miranda with disbelief.

            Miranda had disgusted look on her face. “Actually I never worked with him. We just went to the same camp. Who is this guy?” She pointed at Nathan.

            Nathan replied. “My name is Nathan, and I am Chris’s little brother.” Miranda nodded her head as she checked him out. “Okay, what do you want?”

            “I am here to help you two oh and kill your brother.” Miranda replied.

            Paige looked at Nathan for a second. She was sure how Nathan would take to new. Miranda didn’t seem to care. Is he was going to attack her? That was just what she need the only two people who can help her fighting each other. Instead Nathan and Miranda was stared each other down. Paige was sure that this was going into turned into a fight.

            Then Nathan broke the silence. “Weirdly, I am okay with that.” Then Nathan stared at Miranda. He wondered how little Miranda was going to kill Chris. Nathan saw that like Chris she was fit. She was just as tall as Paige, lean yet curvy in places. Some places more than others. Even with all of that, Miranda looked like she should be home doing homework. Then he realized that was exactly what he should be doing same thing.

            “Are you staring at my chest?” Miranda asked watching Nathan’s eyes.

            Nathan replied. “No!” Then he realized that his eyes were lingering in that area. Nathan quickly turned around.

            Paige on other hand continued. “Where were you? You could have attack Chris anytime.”

            “Sorry sweetie but there was a small army standing between me and him. It was for the tracker I put on you. I wouldn’t have been able to find.”

            Paige said. “A tracker? Where did you put a tracker?”

            “On your teeth.” Miranda said nonchalantly. “Don’t worry you’ll get it off when you brush your teeth. You should also know that it was a transmitter. So I know everything said in that and this car.”

            While Paige wiped her teeth with her tongue, Nathan said. “Good, that means we don’t have to go over the situation for you.”

            Miranda said, “Yeah, I find this failsafe to be quite stupid. What not have password to allow people to access the files?”

            Nathan sighed. “What’s the point? One, supercomputers are very rare almost as rare as HyperDisk themselves. Two, HyperDisk contains millions of files which take months to search through. It is more convenience to take whole disk. Three, the pass code is just one big F.U. to anyone who stole the disk.”

            Paige said. “It didn’t take us months to find those files. Six typed in the word Subject and the information popped up.”

            “I have been thinking about that too.” Nathan said. “I think someone might have programmed the computer to go to those files. It didn’t matter what Six put in. It would have brought those files up anyway.” 

            Nathan didn’t have to say name of person he was thinking of. Paige was thinking it too. Greene, it had been him. Greene wanted to show Six  he was special and different. What better way than to show him those files.

            “ I have another question for you two.” Miranda said looking at both of them. “Have ever tried thinking of what Six had on him could use to take the data?”

            That was a good question, Paige silently admitted. Then she pulled alongside of the road. Paige wanted to focus on her memories. She recalled that day again. Uncle Mitch and Six was digging the hole. Then she pictured them entering the hole. They didn’t carry much. Paige herself only carried a flashlight. Then it hurt her. Six did have something else. Paige turned to Nathan. “Could Six use his communicator to download the files?”

            Nathan thought for a second and the replied. “Theoretically speaking yeah he could if it has a USB port.” A huge smile was on Paige’s face. She figured out what she was looking for. “The problem is that Six gave it away.” Paige instantly knew where Nathan was going with that. She banged her head or the steering wheel.

            “What? Do you know who Six gave his communicator to?” Miranda asked.

            Paige said. “Yeah, Six gave it to a man named Greene.”

            “Okay, so let’s talk ….”

            Paige announced. “He’s dead.”

            “Why can’t things be easy?”

            Nathan jumped up. “The library!” Miranda and Paige just looked at him. “I remember Mrs. Lacey telling my mom. She saw Greene breaking into the library while everyone was evacuating. She assumed he was trying to loot or something, but what if he was there to drop something.”

            That was good enough for Paige. She pulled onto the road and head straight back into town as fast as the car could take her. When they reached the library, the two story building looked kind of spooky. It was dark and dead. She wondered where Mrs. Lacey was. Unfortunately she was only one who seemed to care. Nathan and Miranda got out and head to building. Paige just followed them. They walked the stairs and to front entrance. Miranda tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t. So she punched through the glass and turned to the lock. Then she opened the door.

            “What if there was a silent alarm?” Nathan asked walking through the door.

            Miranda replied. “I don’t hear anything.”

            “Ugh, silent alarm. Key word silent.”

            Miranda said. “How about this for key word enhanced hearing or maybe black eye?
 Nathan quickly shut up as Paige walked pasted Miranda. All three walked through the spiraling hallway to the main lobby. There they walked to the back to main area. There they found books upon books. All of them were on the bookcase. They were perfect and neat which meant Mrs. Lacey had finished her job for the day and went home. Good, I don’t want Mrs. Lacey to drag into this. Paige thought.  Miranda asked. “So where do we start looking?”

            Paige replied. “Pick an area.” She head to the right, Nathan walked to the left, while Miranda leaped onto the upper level.

            Paige walked to through the forest of books wondering where to begin. She knew that Elena was right. No one knew Six like she did. Paige just had to think like Six. She assumed that Six would told Greene exactly where to put it. A boy as smart as Six would want his communicator some where he could easily find it. Maybe he put it in a cabinet or in a computer. Paige though. No that’s too easy anyone could find it. No it’s has be hidden or anyone could pick it up. So where to put it? Maybe it’s not in a computer maybe it’s in a book. Then she had an idea. No, he wouldn’t. Paige walked through the hallway past rows of wooden tables, and into the children. Paige found the chair she and Six sat at the first he been into the library. She looked at the shelf behind it.

            “Come on where are you?” Paige said softly. She searched through the W’s section. Then she found it, a blue book with the title The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in golden words. She pulled it out of shelf. Paige didn’t know what to expect. There maybe was another clue or maybe nothing at all. Paige opened the book and the inside a small square was cut out of the pages. Inside of the square was Six’s white communicator. Paige happily pulled it out.

            “I got it!” Paige shouted as she made her way back to the entrance. Nathan ran up to her. Paige showed him communicator.

            Nathan said. “Great. Now what do we do? If we give her it, she’ll mostly kill us and then kill everyone. If we don’t give her, she’ll kill everyone else and then come kill us”

            “I don’t know, but right now we need…” They walked out of the building only confront by  a moving black van stopping behind their car. Then four men rushed out of the vehicle and pointed their guns at them. Nathan and Paige threw up their hands surrendering yet Paige had feeling that really didn’t matter. 

Reviews

[TKBickel]

I think you have a great hook ending but go with your gut. If you feel it's not right then play around with it. Spin around in an office chair ten times and read it out loud. If your smiling at the, end then you have a winner.

[Layla J Omorose]

Damn this is getting good. i hope Paige can come up with a plan to get out of there. And we all know that they are going to try and kill everyone no matter if Paige gave them the communicator or not. Though I do think it was foolish to immediately call the Uncle and not think the car was being tracked or their conversation was being listened too. Great chapter. Another once over will get rid of the errors

[Daydreamer54]

“I really don’t live that tone-i really don't like that tone.

Good, I don’t want Mrs. Lacey to drag into this. -I don't want Mrs. lacey dragged into this (or )to get dragged into this

.novelists.elite.info.
.display. DayDreamer54
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.name. Patricia
.username. johncenagirl54
.novels. - - - -
.status. Early Reader
.join date. 04-19-2011

[Shep]

As always another great chapter even though I stumbled through some areas. I got the jest of it. But I know you will go back through it and fix all those missing words And wrong word usage. But for now I am glad to have more to read. Moving on.

[Amelia Jade]

The only thing I had to say was that in some places you missed out on the ending talking marks. Other then that, it's awesome :) The ending was great and really had you wondering what was going to happen next! :) I haven't yet the rest of your story, so I'm sorta going in blind but you gave a little bit of background now and then so I sorta got it :) I loved the characters and the plot because you made it all so natural and your descriptions made a really nice visual picture and I could imagine what was going on!
Keep it up :)