The Asshole App

20. CIRCLE OF TRUST

Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition- Steve Jobs.

Hearing the commotion, Vince barreled out of the kitchen. "What's happening?"

"That Goddamed Hippie. I told you he was traitor," Deedee exclaimed.

"You told us we could trust him." Ray berated Satoshi.

"Let's fucking put two and two together," Deedee blasted Satoshi. "He was your agent and you helped that treasonous bastard."

Satoshi stood up, parrying the verbal attack. "I disagree with you, but I respect your opinion. That's the hallmark of someone who's intelligent. Unlike you, who destroyed my mini bar."

"Stop fighting. There's a way we can address this. There's a second app," Raymond said.

Everyone stopped yelling and stared at him, shocked. "We can infiltrate CENTIEN and secure the alternate ICARUS app before the Glowies cut open the titanium casing and access the first one."

"Raymond, why did you create two ICARUS applications?" Satoshi asked.

"I gave one to Denis in case anything happened to me."

"But he's dead?" Evie said, sadly.

Satoshi's face sharpened with concentration. "No, he's not."

"Denis is alive?" Ray exclaimed. He and Evie jumped up from their chairs. "Where is he?" Sinclair sat down, his face a mixture of disbelief and joy.

Satoshi raised her hand motioning for calm. "He's being held at CENTIEN's headquarters. That was the last intelligence we received from our agent before she was killed."

"We have to get him out." Ray urged. "If he's not dead, they're eventually going to kill him."

"An extraction's virtually impossible," Vince warned. There's no way you can get past your high tech security."

"I can," Evie announced. "I have my employee pass card and it's still active. Mr. Lear never processed my resignation." She held up her CENTIEN picture ID.

"A dangerous operation like this isn't something an ordinary person should attempt," Satoshi warned.

Evie ruffled at the assessment of herself . "Another back-handed compliment, just like Ray."

"He's an expert at those," Vince interjected.

"I can see why you two separated." Evie glared at Satoshi. "I'm tired of these excuses." Mr. Lear helped me when no one else would give me a chance. He's not only a mentor, I consider him a friend. I won't let him die."

"Evie, you don't have to do this." Sinclair gently tried to talk sense into her.

"I'm not going to wait and be blasted like some lead milk bottle in a rigged carnival game," she insisted.

Vince shot her a wide grin. "I'm going with you, Evie. Soy boy here can remotely direct us."

"No you're not," Ray countered. "I'm going with her."

"You demoted her to the mail room, remember?" Vince said scornfully.

"You shouldn't be running around with an unarmed, retired soldier who probably has gout." The ex Seal scowled at Satoshi's assessment of him. "If you insist on infiltrating CENTIEN, we'll run you as an agent with the proper equipment and backup." Satoshi looked between Evie to Ray, almost pleading.

"Alright," Evie finally agreed. "But, I'm going with Vince. Ray can stay here and give us direction where to find the app. I trust him."

Satoshi walked over to her wall to wall computer system. "Fair enough. I'll pull up CENTIEN's corporate floor plan and show you where Lear's being held."