Collateral

VI. 3: 2077. September 10th, Friday, 14:45

The receptionist looks up when Ellie and Sophia enter. She is a middle-aged woman with blue hair, a giant chrome eye implant, and an assortment of other implants.

"Good afternoon," Ellie says as she enters. "I like your chrome eye, is it the newest IrisTech Neural Augment?"

The receptionist smiles. "No, it is the model from a year ago. Didn't get the new one yet. But I have been planning to go to the ripper doc next week to get the newer versions."

Ellie looks at her in awe. "Wauw, I am so jealous."

The receptionist laughs. "Thank you. Now, young ladies. What can I do for you?"

Ellie turns on her sad face and looks at the receptionist. "Actually, I really need your help. My Mom got really hurt today by an exploding package, she is in the hospital right now. We traced the package back to this hotel. can you tell me who picked up a package today, and by whom it might be left."

The receptionist laughs awkwardly. "I am not allowed to share the information with you. That is against Hotel policy." She looks left and right and then leans forward. "To be honest," she whispers, "I thought it was very suspicious. Our boss, Mr Winchester, came to me with the package. Told me to be very careful with it, as it was explosive, and to hire a runner to take it to some restaurant. Not a package delivery company, I tell you. No, a street criminal."

"Do you remember the name of the restaurant?" Ellie asks.

"It was called 'Sophia's cosy corner' or something like that."

Ellie looks suspiciously at Sophia, and back at the woman.

"Do you have any idea what was in it?" Ellie asks.

"No clue."

"That's okay, thanks for your help."

"No problem, I hope your Mom feels better soon."

❖

Sophia is standing in the alley while Ellie is climbing on the side of the hotel.

"What are you doing, Ellie? Do you think this is the best plan?"

"I told you, The bosses' office is according to the blueprints right here, on the second floor, if I can just get in I can find out what was in the package."

"Do you really think he will have a piece of paper lying on his desk that says 'btw this is why I send a package today'?"

Ellie ignores her and holds her phone close to the window lock, and after a few keypresses, it opens and the window rolls open. Ellie jumps through the window, and it automatically closes behind her. The room she finds herself in has an antique desk and is adorned with paintings. Ellie has a strange deja-vu feeling as if she has been in this room before. She looks around.

Of course, there were no papers anywhere. And the desk was locked. Damn. Sophia was probably right, this was a dead end. Suddenly, she hears someone in the hallway, she runs to the window, but it is closed. Damn it. She presses the button to open it again and it does so, slowly. Maybe the space it already created is enough to push through. Ellie puts her head through the window and tries to push her body through, but she gets stuck halfway.

He hears the door open and someone enters. Damnit. If she could just push through, she might still get away.

"Miss, please turn around."

Sigh. She is too late. The window finally opens the full way, and Ellie slowly turns around. A rather old man in an expensive suit stands before her, aiming a gun at her.

"Hello, young lady. You must be Rose's daughter."

"You know my Mom?" Ellie asks, keeping her focus on the gun.

"I only met her once. She is not a woman you easily forget. She pulled a gun on me in this very office."

Ellie looks around again. "Was I here?"

"Yes, you were very little tho. Just a newborn baby. Now let me ask you again, why are you here?"

"I am here because of the package you send."

"A yes. The package. The images are rather disturbing aren't they?"

"Images?" Ellie asks.

"You haven't seen them? All the people she killed. Oh, the data stick in the package had lots of proof your Mom is a psycho-killer. A man came here and asked for a copy of them, telling me he was building a case against her. So I gave him all information I had."

"MY Mom is not a psycho murderer!" Ellie shouts. But as she says the words, she realises that is not true. She saw it herself, today, on the security cameras. And that wasn't the first time. Ellie always assumed her Mom only kills in self-defence, but thinking about it, that didn't add up. Maybe Mr Winchester was right.

Mr Winchester walks to the desk, picks up a data stick and throws it at Ellie. "Here, see for yourself."

Ellie catches the data stick.

"Now," go, Mr Winchester gestures with the gun at Ellie.

"Are you just letting me go?"

"Yes. Now leave before I change my mind."

❖

Ellie and Sophia are sitting in the car, Ellie is twiddling the data stick in her hands.

"So, what are you going to do, Ellie?" Sophia asks.

"I dunno," Ellie says. "I thrust my Mom. But things aren't adding up. Let's see what is on it."

She grabs an chrome burner phone from the back of the van, that is still in the packaging. In case the stick contains a virus, it will not infect anything else. She plugs in the USB stick and presses "Transfer all data." It slowly loads. When it is almost halfway, the screen suddenly goes red.

"Shit." Ellie curses.

"Is there a virus on it?" Sophia asks.

"No, someone is hacking my phone."

At the same time, a message pops up on the phone. "Hello, Ellie."

"Who is this?" Ellie replies.

"You don't need to know."

"You seem to know my name, so why don't you tell me yours." Ellie sighs.

"That is fair. My name is John Sterling. I have to thank you, Ellie, I have been looking for this information for a long time. And you presented it to me."

A ding indicates the data has been transferred.

A new message arrives in the inbox. "I would love to talk, but I have to go. Nice meeting you, Ellie."

And the screen goes black.