Trenton and Mobley are trying to create a more secure base around the warehouse, but I know it won't do us good if we can't protect ourselves on our own. Getting access to alarms and automatic system shutdowns won't save our own skin.
But I don't want to argue with them whilst we're working together.
"After we get into Steel Mountain, there's no way we're staying here," Darlene suddenly says, gazing at Mobley. He's setting up a sensor so when the front door opens all our screens go black. It's an idiotic technique. If anyone were to come in, it would make us looking at black screens more suspicious. Plus, we might even lose our data.
"No. We should reboot the system so we can have a different browser open. Have an instant switch from Kali to Windows," I respond. Mobley glances over at me and so does Trenton. They know that could work.
"Or instead of wasting time on this, we should be finishing off everything for tomorrow morning," Dawn says, rolling her eyes. Her gaze shifts to me. I know I should stay in her apartment from now on. I'm going to be the man she deserves.
"STOP!" I exclaim, making everyone turn around to face me. I have a better idea. "We need to scrap out as much evidence as possible for now. We execute tomorrow, we need to make sure we only have what we need, so erasure is quicker. We cannot mess up like last time."
Darlene looks at Dawn, who nods in agreement.
"Yeah. Fuck the whole security system. It would be a waste of time anyway," Darlene replies. I begin to tear apart the laptop I used to do all the research, the sounds of every one of us smashing bits of our technology somehow freeing.
It's as if we let go of what burdened us.
***
Today is the day we execute. I slept over at Dawn's last night. She said we're okay now.
I get inside the black van with a logo I don't recognise. Perks of having someone like Mobley in fsociety is that he has access to advantages like this one. He said his cousin knew someone who worked at a car disposal warehouse. I hop in the passenger seat, with Dawn at the back and Mobley at the front, making sure we have everything we need.
"Do the mics all work?" Dawn asks, talking inside the piece.
"Too well," I say, flinching from the loud volume of the ear piece. I exchange a smile with Dawn, something I've rarely done. I know I need to be a better boyfriend to her, because lately I haven't been exemplary. This is why I'm doing this. I need to fight for the future I deserve. And this is my way of getting there.
We drive for hours from New York City to Pennsylvania where Steel Mountain have their database centre. Dawn fell asleep and I managed to pull a blanket on her. I have to start doing these things for her.
An hour and a half later, we arrive at the entrance of the Steel Mountain plateau, where a dozen guards are standing at the gate. I give Mobley a glance. Dawn is staring at the men with furrowed brows. She's nervous.
Mobley stops the van in front of the entrance booth. He lowers the window so he can talk to the man covered in black from head to toe.
"We're making a delivery for, uh..." Mobley starts, gazing over at a notepad with a name on it. "Delivery for Mr Josh Barnes."
Josh Barnes is the head of reception, which makes our delivery seem discrete. The man eyes us, especially me. I scrapped off the hoodie to make it look like I work for this company.
"What company?" the security guard asks me and Dawn.
"We work for Tech Queries," I respond. The guard gives me a glare before sighing.
"Let's inspect the contents."
I had planned this. They have to keep a tight control of what goes in and out of this zone. Luckily I hid all the materials we need under the trunk. I grit my teeth as I wait for the guard to return after inspecting the back.
"All clear," he orders. I watch the gates open. Nothing is impenetrable.
Darlene is working with Trenton just a few miles away from the plateau, making sure every bit of information will be received. After the raspberry pi will be planted, we will return to the warehouse, where we will watch the hack unravel.
I insert the microphone into my ear as I step outside of the van.
"Elliot, can you hear me?" I hear Mobley say.
"Copy," I whisper back as my eyes scan the entrance of the lobby.
The automatic doors slide open, making me wonder how people think Steel Mountain is trustworthy enough to use as a data centre. A blonde woman is sitting at the desk, a fake smile plastered on her face. She is just another mindless robot controlled by Evil Corp. They all are.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
"I'd like to speak to Bill Harper," I reply.
Fuck. Please tell me this won't go to hell within minutes. The woman whispers something to her colleague before she picks up her phone. She's calling Bill Harper; I can hear it.
Seconds later an obese man with a thick moustache and grey hair walks up to the counter. He seems friendly, but I can't get emotions get in the way of all this.
"Hello, Bill Harper," Bill says, a kind smile on his face.
"We can't let him distract us," Mr Robot says through my earpiece.
"Elliot?" I hear Mobley ask.
I realise I haven't shaken Bill's hand yet. I rush to it, giving him a tight smile.
"I'd like a tour of the place," I respond. Bill raises a brow.
"I'm afraid I can't show you around unless you've got a booking," Bill replies. Fuck. Shit. Shit, Shit.
This can't be happening. I'm losing control.
"I'm Sam Sepiol. You should look me up," I say, my confidence returning.
"I'm sorry, sir. It doesn't work like that," Bill insists.
"You should look me up," I say, clicking my tongue before walking off. I turn around for a second. He's looking at his phone. He's looking at the Wikipedia page Mobley created with his 2,000 edits. He'll see everything I've done. Well, everything Sam Sepiol has done.
"Mr Sepiol!" I hear Bill exclaim. "Mr Sepiol!" he repeats. I stop dead in my tracks, spinning around on my heel. I've got him. I've regained control.
Bill walks over to me, laughing awkwardly. Shit. His awkwardness makes me feel normal.
"There must have been a mistake. I will show you around, as you requested," Bill says, spluttering his words. I love seeing people's vulnerabilities when they're nervous. It makes me feel like I have the upper hand.
Bill begins to show me around Level 1, mostly offices and conference rooms, which I'm not interested in. But like Mr Robot says, patience is key. After the tour has been completed, I will ask Bill for a tour in Level 2.
"You need to get in there as fast as you can, as close to the databases as possible," Mobley suddenly says into my ear. I need to put the raspberry pi inside the thermostat as close to the database as possible. But how will I get to Level 2?
I stop in my tracks in the middle of the hall, while Bill continues walking and talking to himself. But a few seconds later, he stops. He turns around, noticing me on the other side of the corridor.
"Mr Sepiol?" he says in a concerned tone. I stay firm, making him walk towards me instead. "Mr Sepiol, is something wrong? You're not saying anything."
My system crashes. I don't know how to approach this man. Shit.
"Think about it, Elliot. You need to exploit him. You know how to get to someone," Mr Robot says through the microphone. Mr Robot is right. I stare ahead of me, the memory of my mother slapping me when I was a kid returning to my conscious mind.
I snap out of it. Bill is staring at me, puzzled.
"Think about it, Bill," I say, suddenly hearing Mr Robot's voice coming from my lips. He's taken over again. But this time, I trust him.
"Think about what?" Bill asks.
"If you died, would anyone care? Would they really care? Yeah, maybe they'd cry for a day, but, let's be honest, no one would give a shit. The few people that would feel obligated to go to your funeral would probably be annoyed and leave as early as possible. You know I'm telling you the truth. So, instead of wasting any more of my time, I need you to go call someone that matters. Because, Bill. You don't."
Fuck. Mr Robot has taken over me completely. I'm the silent observer, unable to stop him as he destroys this man's life. I shouldn't have trusted him. Why didn't you warn me, friend?
"I'll, um... I'll call my supervisor," Bill says, his voice cracking.
I've broken him. No, Mr Robot did. He's left my body once again, like he always does, leaving me with the wreck he's caused. I shouldn't have trusted him. But suddenly, Bill walks away.
He comes back a minute later with a woman in her late 30s with a scowl on her face. Bill can't even look at me. Shit. I should have been more careful. This was a bad idea.
"Okay, we need to see her full name. I'll be able to crack her phone," Dawn says into the microphone.
"Um, this is my supervisor Trudy Davis. Trudy, Mr Sepiol wanted to talk to someone higher up than me," Bill says, close to sobbing. Trudy gazes at me with a cold glare. Shit. I hate being watched.
"What is if that you need, Mr Sepiol?" Trudy asks.
"Um, I would love a tour of Level 2," I say, giving her a soft smile.
"I don't know what you've been told, but we don't allow that," she responds briskly.
"Okay, so her name is Trudy Davis. She's a ghost. No Facebook, no LinkedIn... She's been married for 30 years. All we have is her husband's phone number. House paid off, no weird sex stuff... She seems pretty clean," Dawn says. Trudy stares at me puzzled, because I haven't said anything back.
"Sir, I will escort you to the elevator," Trudy says. I remain speechless as I watch her call the elevator.
"Okay, I've got it," I hear Mobley say. "People have a fear of something right? We all have our vulnerabilities, which make us easy exploits."
The elevator arrives. I don't have much time.
"The elevator's here," I whisper.
"Yes. That's what elevators do," Trudy says, glaring at me. I step inside the elevator, but in that moment, her phone buzzes. She looks at it, pure horror on her face.
"I, uh, have to go," Trudy says before running away. Shit. The doors of the elevator close.
"What did you do, man?" I ask Mobley, pressing the Level 2 button on the panel.
"I spoofed a text from her husband. Hospital news," Mobley says.
"You could have done something smoother, Mobe," I hear Dawn say. I take a deep breath, feeling the adrenaline kick in. What's about to happen is crucial. I can't let Mr Robot take over now.
The elevator doors open and I begin to walk down the windowless corridor. There are people walking around, but none of them seem to notice me.
"Okay, Elliot. You won't have any service up there so-" I hear Dawn say, before the line disconnects immediately. I don't hear Mr Robot anymore either. Shit. I'm all alone in this cage. How am I going to find the thermostat main panel?
I suddenly bump into someone. I look up to see Tyrell's wife, Joanna Wellick, in front of me. Holy fucking shit. Shit. Fuck. Joanna looks at me confused, but her usual plastered smile is on her face.
"Hello," she says.
"Hi," I awkwardly say. What is she doing here? "What are you doing here?" I ask.
"I just had a meeting with Tyrell's old boss," she says in a calm tone. Shit. She still thinks Tyrell is alive. "Why are you on Level 2? You don't work at AllSafe anymore."
"Since Tyrell left, I've been working for another company."
"Oh, really?" she asks, intrigued. "Which company?"
The name of the company Dawn made up at the Evil Corp executive party comes to mind.
"Dreidenhouse," I reply, swallowing.
"I've never heard of that name. Strange," she says, her doll-like eyes gazing at me.
"It's Danish," I reply. Joanna raises a brow.
"That's weird. My family is Danish," she replies. Shit. I completely forgot she was from Denmark.
"The founder is from Denmark. But the firm is a few miles away from Coney Island, actually," I lie. My hands are shaking and my mind is racing. Fuck. I don't have Mr Robot to help me. Joanna stares at me, but I know she's only pretending to be impressed.
"What was your name, again?" she asks, smiling at me.
"Sam Sepiol," I reply. Shit. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I told her my name was Ollie. Joanna nods. She doesn't realise the flaw in my code. "I have to go to the bathroom. Where is it?"
Joanna smiles before walking away, showing me the way.
I head inside the bathroom, closing the door as my breaths become rugged. Shit. Is this a panic attack? I splash cold water on my face. I need to snap out of this. I can feel nausea kicking in. No. I need to ignore it.
How the fuck could I know Tyrell's wife would be here? She could be telling someone about me right now. That's it, we're fucked. I gaze at myself in the mirror, thinking that the worst is yet to come.
At the corner of my eye, I notice a door right next to one of the cubicles. I walk over to notice it's the janitor's closet. I peek inside, my heart stopping when I see the thermostat main power box, as well as the electricity circuit of the whole place.
Cutting the power would be too obvious and Mr Robot would get mad at me for not following the plan. I take out the Raspberry Pi Dawn and Darlene prepared from my pocket. I take out the panel before fiddling with the wires. I place the Pi inside the system.
In half an hour, Level 2 will be in flames. The fire will melt all of their databases. Evil Corp's data will be destroyed, with no chance of getting it back.
Is it worth telling Joanna to leave before the whole place burns?
No. She will suspect I placed the Raspberry Pi. Shit.
I just remembered this could kill people.
The door to the men's bathroom suddenly opens and Joanna walks in without hesitating. Her eyes graze over me sternly. Shit.
"Why are you being such a coward?" she spits, her face a few inches from mine.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," I stammer, trying to control myself. Has she lost her mind?
"You need to help me find Tyrell."
"I don't know how to," I say with a shrug. But I'm lying. She cannot know Tyrell is dead - and I'm the one that killed him. She'd kill me with her bare hands. She's capable of it.
She suddenly throws herself on me, pinning me against door of the janitor's closet. I can feel my heart beat in my ears. Her green eyes are fixed on me as she clutches my wrists over my head. She's a psycho.
"If you don't help me find him, I'll tell the people working here you're not supposed to be here," Joanna threatens me.
Shit. She's good - maybe too good.
"I'm actually supposed to be here," I lie, nodding at her with wide eyes. "My connection with my boss is incredibly powerful."
There's a brief moment of silence where I think she's about to slap me.
"I will help you find him because I owe him," I add. "I respect Tyrell. You have the right to know where he is."
Joanna is still staring at me with those cobra-like eyes. Fuck. Is she falling for this? She suddenly lets go of me and I exhale.
"Do you have anything to do with my husband's disappearance?" she asks. She wants the truth from me, but I can't let her know he's dead.
"No," I lie, keeping my tone steady. I begin to head towards the door, but Joanna grabs my arm.
"Go to my house in two days to discuss my husband's disappearance. I have evidence that proves he is alive," she says before I walk out of the bathroom.