"How the fuck did she get in?" Wrench snapped as we both stared helplessly at the screens on the wall that usually tracked our followers. They were a mess of black and green code with very little helpful information frozen on them. Every once in a while they would flicker and a random image would display on them.
"I don't know." I murmured moving to the next screen. "Yet."
"Are we going to war for this?" Wrench asked cleaning up the broken pieces of the computer he just smashed, the sledge hammer still stuck in the broken screen. At least that stupid video stopped playing with Lenni's auto tuned laugh.
"Hell yeah we are. Dedsec doesn't back down and we aren't going to let those trolls drag us into their sewer." Sitara snapped, she was visibly shaking with rage. Remind me to never get on her bad side.
"So what!" Josh yelled slamming his hands down on the armrest of his chair. Everyone in the room froze, their attention turning towards him. "They got in. Going to war with them doesn't change anything. It doesn't break their lock on us. They got in." His head dropped into his hand and he began mumbling to himself "they got in" over and over again. I wanted to help him but I had no idea how.
"Fuck that. We aren't going to let Prime8 derail us. Let's be smart about this." Marcus said calling back everyone's attention. "Come on Josh, where you at."
He stopped his mumbling looking up. "Fine, let's go to war and corn hole these bastards." He slammed his arms down one more time pushing himself up. "Move." he pushed past Wrench heading towards the back where his computer station was set up.
"Alright." Sitara said breathing heavily as if took calm herself. "Prime8 sells Zero Days to anyone with money."
"Yeah, fucking governments, Nudle, Blume..." Wrench said. "..even god damn terrorists."
"And Sons of Ragnarok." I added.
"What?" Marcus asked getting up from his chair.
"They hire themselves out to the Sons of Ragnarok." I clarified.
"That's our in. Oh god, Kit, I love you." Marcus grinned fist bumping me. "We learn more about their people, their operations then we hit them where it hurts. Dedsec is not just going to roll over."
Everyone chimed in with a bunch of "yeahs" and "agreeds". Marcus took off with his phone leaving us trying to gather whatever intel we could on our personal devices. I was sitting on the couch with my tablet when my phone started to ring. Wrench looked up as I stood heading for the door.
"I'll be right back, I gotta take this." I told him before exiting the Hackerspace. I hit answer stepping into the alleyway that was next door to the game store that hid out hideout.
"This better be important." Fence snapped as soon as I answered. "I was busy making deal with very high and important member of Russian mafia."
Not so important that you didn't check your phone when I sent you that text to call me. I probably shouldn't say that though. He actually sounds pissed off.
"What do you know about the Sons of Ragnarok?" I asked nervously glancing down the alleyway. Further down I could see someone that was obviously drunk staggering around in the dark illuminated only by the streetlights. He careened to the right hitting the wall where he proceeded to unbuckle his belt and wiz on the wall. I turned away, my face scrunching in disgust. If Sitara knew he just took a piss on her art....
"This is what you call me for?" He said darkly, his Russian accent adding to the overall shady feeling of this conversations. "What is in it for me?"
I rolled my eyes. I don't know, you help out your niece? And then he would probably respond with something along the lines of: that's what I did when I got you way from Chicago and your crazy ass ex-boyfriend. If I wanted his help, I was going to have to be careful.
"I knock out one of your major competitors or at least seriously wound their operations." I finally responded after a brief pause. That should work. The Sons were on opposite sides as the Russian Mafia. I didn't support either side, but if this gets me the information I need to take done Lenni then so be it. The sooner we take her down the sooner we can get back to focusing on Blume.
"Hmmm. I suppose that would be acceptable payment. What is it you want to know?"
"Any current operations they are running. Anything on their connection to Prime8."
"Prime8? They are another hacker group, yes? Rivals of your Dedsec." he replied with a chuckle. He sneered that last bit.
"Yes." I frowned.
"I know for fact that they have been helping the Sons run a credit card scamming operation using ATMs spaced throughout the city. It brings in a fair amount of cash and is more or less reliable. You take away their cash flow, and it will cripple them."
"Thank you Uncle Nelson." I muttered hanging up.
"You never said anything about an Uncle." I whipped around to see Wrench standing by the door of the shop, arms folded across his chest. How long was he listening? Not that it mattered, I didn't say anything that he couldn't hear. I didn't have secrets...well, not that many anyway.
"You never asked." I said nonchalantly. "I know how we can hurt Prime8's cash flow." Walking past him and back inside. He caught hold of my arm stopping me. "What?"
"You can trust me you know." He whispered close to my ear. I froze turning back to look at him.
"I do, and I'll tell you all about him if you want. I just never saw a reason to." He nodded and let go of me following me inside. I hoped that was enough that he wouldn't bring it up again. I didn't exactly want to explain how I happened to be the niece of a top official in the Russian Mafia.
<\>
Marcus headed the mission, destroying the scammer ATMs. Meanwhile Josh and Sitara worked on tracking Lenni's last known location. Afterwards Wrench left to meet up with Marcus so they could steal Lenni's code to their bunker.
I did my best to help Sis and Josh but tracking wasn't my specialty. Creating viruses and programs were more up my alley. And Wrench and Marcus didn't need my help so I resorted to sitting around helplessly.
"We got the key guys. I'm gonna head up there." Marcus said over the comms.
"Fuck up their shit bro, meet you back at the Hackerspace when you're done." Wrench replied.
An hour later after a tense stand off, Marcus managed to take over the bunker after defusing a bomb. We all piled into a car meeting Marcus there, he was already busy going through a computer's hard drive for any useful information.
"Can we keep it!" Wrench begged as we entered. My nose scrunched up at the smell of stale beer and something else that was definitely rotten.
"Only if you help clean." Sitara said over her shoulder walking up to Marcus. She leaned on his chair looking over her shoulder.
"She always make me clean." Wrench groaned and I laughed in response.
"Oh, you poor baby." I cooed at him. "You'd live in pile of garbage if you could, oh wait you already do." I said referring to the mess of cans and old pizza boxes that littered his apartment.
"Hey, that place has never been more cleaner than it is now." He said defensively.
"Yeah, because I cleaned it."
"Hey guys, I think I found something." Josh said interrupting our bickering. All of us turned to Josh who was sitting on the floor. He had a black tote opened in front of him filled to the top with flash drives. Each had a little piece of white taped with a name written on it with black sharpie.
Sitara left her post by Marcus to squat next to the bag. She rummaged through it picking one up and examining it. "They have Dedsec members names on them." Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Not just Dedsec members." Josh held up a flash drive with the mayor's name on it.
"Why would they go so old school?" I asked. There was a much better way to keep information then flash drives. Google Docs was a much better way than this. Besides, now they lost all that information. So why would they risk it on hard copies.
"Luddites." Wrench shrugged but I could tell he was worried about it. Anyone of those could have his name on it. His real name.
"Hey, this one has your screen name on it." Josh said holding up one with Kit written on it in quotations.
What did Prime8 have on me? My real name, my identity? Why was it so important that they put it on flash drive rather than on a computer file. Security? Was that why Lenni would blow up the bunker rather then let Marcus have it?
"We need to find a nice incinerator somewhere and chuck the whole bag in." Wrench said.
"Know where to find one?" I joked.
"What, why?" Sitara asked causing us all to go silent. "Who knows what could be on them? There could be helpful information on them, on Blume."
"Or names of people that would rather remain nameless." I said folding my arms across my chest. "I'm with Wrench, I think we should destroy it."
"Why?" Sitara stood up leveling with me. "What do you have to hide?" she asked gesturing toward the bag. I stared at her shocked, unconscionably taking a step backwards. She had taken on a tone of distrust and she way eyeing me like an outsider.
"Woah, woah, woah." Marcus interrupted stepping in between us. "Sis, you are kind of starting to sound like Blume. Besides, everyone has a right to have secrets."
"Yeah." she said looking down, her shoulders relaxed. "You're right. Let's burn it then."
"Good so we all agree?" Marcus asked.
"Yep."
"Yes"
"Uh huh."
"We'll take it back with us to the Hackerspace then and find a 'nice' incinerator then." Marcus joked. "Okay, Kit, Wrench, you want to help me dig through Prime8's dirty laundry?"
"Ugh, do we have to?" Wrench whined.