Bytes of Passion

Chapter 27

Garrox adjusted the ship's course. With all the adjustments he'd made, Teegan would never find them.

"I'll take you through to the entry point, and one of my people will meet you on the other side. Just like the other times," Garrox said.

"I don't remember any of those."

"Simply do whatever security tells you. You don't have any metal or plastic on you, correct? They'll search you if you do."

"No metal." Her dress had no zippers or buttons, her shoes were simple leather sandals, and her hair tie a piece of corded leather. "Where are we going?"

"The DNI bio dome on Yarnen 3."

Mac had mentioned having a job for her at the Department of News and Information. From the Director all the way down through janitors and maintenance, the entire bio dome was comprised solely of women. Council considered women more loyal and less susceptible to corruption. Clearly they hadn't met Margaret Goldsmiths and her 'motherly' approach to terrorism via kidnapping and biochemical brainwashing.

"You work for Mac?" Skylar asked.

"I have many ties. He's but one and a risky one at that. Why would you think I work for him?"

"He spoke of hiring me for a hacking job at the DNI."

"No doubt he's trying to impress Devon."

Mac wasn't exactly the follower type to be one of Devon's Disciples, but if he smelled an opportunity for power, he'd jump on it. Yet Mac had turned her over to Garrox and Garrox knew nothing of Mac's attempt to lure her. It would surprise her if Mac had decided a quick sale was easier than playing the long game of hacking a facility with top-level security.

"Who's dying this time? The Director herself? One of the dozens of women in charge of customizing the news for the different quadrants? In case you didn't know, there are better ways of bringing about change other than through assassination and terrorism."

"No one is dying today, except your boyfriend, should you double cross me."

"He's not my boyfriend and he's long gone by now."

"Gone, yes, but not out of my reach. There are explosive aboard his ship, on a timer. My insurance that you'll cooperate."

"Bastard."

"His fate, as they say, rests in your hands, literally. Once you're done hacking, I hand you the code he needs to disarm the bomb. Here's the thing, Skylar. Should you not return from the dome, for whatever reason, the bomb goes off. Simple." He checked the ship's console. "You have precisely four hours and fifty-three minutes until detonation."

He called up local time on Yarnen 3. "ETA fifty two minutes."

She had no choice now... unless she could get a message to Teegan to leave his ship, and that wouldn't happen from the DNI Bio Dome. No physical or wireless lines existed between the DNI and the outside universe. Information moved between the DNI and military bio domes on Yarmen 3 in data boxes conveyed by ground transport. Chips with info left the DNI, but only paper entered. From the military base, information was disseminated to the rest of the universe. It was archaic and slow, but it kept their servers secure. Skylar was screwed.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"You, my dear, are going to destroy the DNI's internal network, and all the information within, with a virus." He held out a datastick. "You have two hours to memorize the code. Your contact will get you into a computer on the network. You will then have to pass whatever firewalls and security they have and hand code the virus, making changes as needed. I want every piece of information they have in storage deleted, and their emergency protocols destroyed. I want those servers as clean as they day they were installed. Do you understand me?"