Muse security guards walked down the hallway to Julia's bedroom door. Loud knocking on the door provoked no response from inside the room. Both guards looked at each other with hesitation. Opening the door one of the guards scanned the room. Ruffled bed sheets were the only sign of activity in the room. Walking back towards the party the guards activated their neural implants.
"Julia is not in her room." Ten minutes remained before the ball dropped to signalling the beginning of the New Year. Guest danced away to the music unaware of the events transpiring around them. Security walked through the party scanning the faces of the guests. Several guests had gone outside in the steady snow fall to cool off. Scanning both outside and inside guards found no trace of Julia. Completing the pass through the party the security guard opened up a neural communication channel.
"Maj. Lee there is no sign of Julia anywhere at the party. How should we precede Sir?" Looking outside at the massive crowd of protestors outside Maj Lee heard the report. Scanning the protestors with cybernetic vision revealed over two thousand people gathered outside. Maj. Lee worried about the crowd outside. The limited number of police couldn't stop the protestors if they decided to become violent.
"I am in the main lobby with Mr. Cross and his sons. Henry and Victoria's GPS transponder shows him and his wife are in their room. Please inform Mr. Williams that we can't find Julia." The guard muttered in frustration walking towards the master bedroom preparing to deliver the bad news. Guests at the party continued to dance, drink, and eat while the party raged on.
Approaching the master bedroom door the guard stop for a second taking a deep breath. Knocking resonated throughout the room alerting the occupants. Wondering what was going on Victoria watched her husband walked over towards the door. Opening the door the Muse security guard stood waiting on the other side. Instinct told Henry something was wrong.
"I don't mean to disturb you sir, but there is a problem." Henry waved the security guard into the room. The door shut with a soft thud behind the guard. Stepping in the Guard saluted his bosses. Slapping the hand down with impatience Henry glared with intensity expecting a report.
Walking over Victoria stood next to her husband waiting to hear what the problem was. Standing there in silence the security guard searched for the words to communicate the situation. Henry tapped his foot from growing impatience. Unable to muster the courage to inform the parents of their missing daughter the guard froze. Tension filled the air telling Henry something unthinkable had happened.
"Tell me what you have to report now soldier!" Henry demanded immediate answers.
"I am sorry to inform you but about ten minutes ago Muse security lost track of Julia. We've scoured the entire apartment and can't find a single trace of her anywhere." Without a thought Henry accessed the GPS system of his daughter. The system reported that the selected neural implant had been disengaged. Scouring through Camera feeds and internal hotel security revealed didn't reveal Julia's location. Henry could see the concerned look creeping across his wife's face. Scouring memories Victoria had a sudden epiphany.
"We left Julia with Mr. Sun before we came in here perhaps he will know where she went?" Set to purpose Henry marched out of the bedroom with his wife and security following. Standing in the same spot Zhuge watched the guests at the party enjoy themselves. Glancing through the congested party Henry could see that Mr. Sun hadn't moved from the original spot. Victoria followed behind her husband with the security guards. The group pushed their way through the crowd without thought of the guests. Noticing the return of Henry and his wife Zhuge waved at both of them.
"It is good to see you both return before midnight. What happened to your masks?" Zhuge failed to notice the worried expression on the William's face when they approached. Neither Henry nor Victoria answered the question. Guards stood on edge surrounding the couple.
"I understand now why the William's parties are legendary in the business world." Zhuge watched the young men and women dancing throughout the room. Lost in the moment guests gyrated on each other. Bodies rubbed against each other in rhythm to the music playing. Henry reached over and pulled Mr. Sun closer to hear his whisper.
"I have a delicate situation. It appears my daughter has slipped away and turned off her GPS. Do you have any idea where Julia could have gone to?" Concern filled Henry's eyes revealing his desperation. Guards moved through the crowd renewing their search.
Zhuge could see the desperation in Henry's eyes and scanned around the room. Growing presence of Muse Security forces around the Williams revealed the severity of the situation. Noticing the British SAS searching through the party told Zhuge that King George was also missing. SAS soldiers spotted Henry and began walking towards the group of people.
"Last time I seen of Julia she was dancing with the King. It would appear the SAS are also looking for the King's location at this moment." Zhuge pointed to the approaching SAS officers. Scanning the party Victoria noticed the absence of the King. The lead SAS officer forced his way through the guests. Sensing the growing tension in the air Henry addressed the approaching SAS officer.
"Is there a problem?" The SAS officer came to a halt before the group of people.
"It would appear that his royal Majesty King George managed to slip away unnoticed. After a careful sweep of the premises there is no trace of the King or your daughter Julia. Do either of you know where they went?" Looking into both eyes the officer could see the confusion on both parents face. Trying to discern how both King George and Julia slipped through the security left Henry puzzled.
"How could two people just disappear without any of the security noticing them?" Pondering the question the SAS officers fell silent. Accessing building security through the neural implants Henry scanned through reports. Security logs showed King George departure time only a few minutes ago. Following behind Henry the entourage of SAS, Muse security, and Victoria marched towards the door. Stopping at the door Henry looked at both guards.
"There is a security log showing King George left the party a few minutes ago. We can't find Julia anywhere and her neural implant has been shut off. Was the king accompanied by my daughter?" Henry glared with intensity demanding answers from the guards. Looking to each other both guards were shocked by the question.
"No sir King George was by himself when he left the party." The group of people at the door had begun to draw attention from the party guests. Henry accessed the neural implant of the two guards scouring through data discovering the virus. Evidence told Henry that George and Julia had chosen to leave the party unattended.
"We should continue to discuss this matter outside away from prying eyes and ears." Henry led the group out into the hallway. Only a few guests noticed the group leaving the apartment. Doors whisked shut sealing away the noise from the party. Glaring at Henry the commanding SAS officer demanded answers.
"What is going on here?"
"I believe King George and Julia used a virus to blind themselves to both SAS and Muse Security. My security forces were unable to see my daughter while SAS couldn't see the king. We need to figure out where Julia and the King would be going." A soft ding echoed in the corridor announcing the arriving elevator. Maj. Lee and Colt walked off the elevator noticing Henry and the group of security.
Looking around Robert wondered what was going on. Colt sauntered down the hallway towards Henry intent on learning what the commotion was about. Edward picked up pace followed by Colt and his boys. The Muse security neural network buzzed with activity. Every guard in the Plaza searched the building looking for Julia and George.
"Have you brought yourself up to speed on the situation Major?" Henry looked at his head of security. Glancing around Colt could only wonder what was going on waiting to be informed. Completing the anti-virus program Henry uploaded it to the Muse security net. Everyone stood in a circle around the CEO waiting for instruction.
"A few moments ago we believe King George and Julia used a virus to blind security to their movements. GPS in both individuals' neural implants have been shut off. We need to determine the best way to find the king and my daughter." Henry took command of the situation. Everyone looked to the Muse CEO for answers.
"Do you believe that King George is behind the virus?" The question from the commanding officer revealed the truth to Henry. Julia had no experience in neural network hacking. British SAS prepared the King for neural hacking by teaching him how to hack. Henry accessed the SAS security network and uploaded the anti-virus.
"I believe it was either Julia or George, but that is irrelevant information Colonel Traynor. The real problem is that the building camera feeds were also hacked. There is no footage of either Julia or George leaving the party, but video shows the door opening long enough to allow two people to exit." Henry uploaded the video footage from the Plaza Hotel Security system to the SAS. Examining the footage in detail Colonel Traynor watched for any clues.
Worry began to bubble up inside Robert turning his thoughts to the attack on the mall. Trauma from the attack left deep wounds in Julia. Some people never recover from trauma. Robert didn't want to imagine how he would feel if something happened to Julia. Sensing the worry Colt patted his boy on the back.
"Don't worry we'll find Julia boy. I know they didn't head down stairs because I don't use your fancy technology Henry. My eye sight is as sharp as a cougar at midnight." Pointing to the obsolete neural implant Colt proved he couldn't be hacked. The plaza hotel was a large area to search. Henry felt a growing sense of anxiety.
"That still leaves most of the Plaza hotel to search for Julia and George." Accessing the Plaza security system Maj. Lee searched for clues. Hundreds of hours of video feed from multiple cameras would take too long to search. Inside Maj. Lee's mind he created hundreds of panels of video feeds. Pictures rolled by in a blur of motion. Catching a stair well door slamming shut Maj. Lee grabbed everyone's attention.
"Sir I got a recording from only a few minutes ago. Video shows a stair well door opening and closing. Cameras don't show anyone either in the corridor or stairwell. Unless you believe in ghosts it has to be Julia and George." Maj. Lee uploaded the video to his allies. Studying the video footage Colonel Traynor patted Edward on his back.
"Well done old boy. I guess you yanks aren't as poor at soldering as your reputation suggests." Ignoring the insult Maj Lee continued to sift through information. Stairwell camera had been turned off lending more support to the theory. Colt's stepped forward commanding the entire groups' attention.
"I say we divide up into two forces. One group goes up while the other group goes down. How long can two kids outsmart these military trained boys and girls?" Henry wasn't shocked his former commanding officer favoured action over deliberation. Information revealed no definitive destination that George could be leading Julia towards. Henry couldn't discern any pattern of strategy behind the action. King George was supposed to entertain Julia and show her a good time not put her in danger. The situation seemed senseless to Henry.
"The information doesn't reveal a final destination. There has to be some piece of information somewhere that reveals where the King is taking my daughter. Colonel Traynor has the king ever done anything like this before? Colonel Traynor remained reluctant to speak. Hesitation told Henry his instinct had been right, and this had happened before.
"His royal Majesty has never hacked neural implants before, but the King is fond of his alone time." Glaring at the colonel Henry needed more information. Col. Traynor was still struggling to piece the puzzle together while overlooking a major piece. The best way to attack is to attack strategy. Perhaps the King's particular tastes would reveal a discernable pattern Henry thought.
"When the King takes these little sojourns is there any place he likes to go?" Colonel Traynor smiled finding a pattern.
"The king prefers to go somewhere high up such as the rooftop of the palace in London." Hearing the information Maj. Lee accessed the neural network to access the roof top security.
"Well hot damn about time we figured this out. Henry get security on the roof to hold the King and Julia there until we arrive." Slapping his leg Colt celebrated the impending success he believed was coming. Searching through the Muse Security net Maj. Lee discovered an official order from Henry. Peeling open the data file Edward scanned the authenticity of the order to remove Muse troops from the roof.
"Sir did you order the rooftop security out of position?" Henry stood in shock at the question. Scans showed the authenticity had been forged to fool the Muse security network. No evidence remained showing the identity of the hacker. Henry arrived at the same conclusion.
"The source of hacking on the order to remove the roof security looks the same as the code of the virus. We need to get to that rooftop as soon as possible." Activating the neural communicator Victoria sent a thought to her husband.
"You go get Julia and I'll return to the party to contain the situation." Leaning in Henry kissed his wife. Victoria watched her husband, Colt, and the Cross boys walk away before returning to the party. Guests continued to dance oblivious to the commotion in the hallway. There was nothing Victoria could do but pray for her daughter's safety.
Henry looked at Colt "You take the SAS with you to the lobby. Maj. Lee and my men will take the elevator to the roof. I will take a few men up the stairs to the rooftop." Watching the discussion Robert looked with concern. Emotion tugged at the young man demanding he go find Julia himself. Stepping over Robert stood next to Henry.
"Do you mind if I join you Mr. Williams?" Looking for approval Robert worried that his father would stop him. Startled by the request Colt glanced at his youngest son with curiosity. How much could Julia mean to the boy Colt wondered. Henry could see the worry on the boy's face.
"I don't have a problem with that if your father doesn't mind of course." Henry looked to his friend for his approval. Colt could see the strength of conviction burning in his sons' eyes. Standing confident behind the decision Robert refused to budge. Nodding in agreement Colt looked at Henry.
"I tell you girls make young men act crazy. You take care of my youngest boy Henry. We'll be right behind you." Colt and the SAS waited for their elevator to arrive. Simultaneous dings preceded both elevator doors opening. Holding Maj. Lee back Henry communicated over the neural com channel.
"Keep your eyes and ears open Edward. I have a feeling there is something more going on here. Proceed with caution and keep communication channels linked to me at all times." Troops stepped onto the elevator with Maj. Lee who looked back at his boss. Henry put his hand on Robert shoulder trying to reassure everyone including himself.
The elevator door closed sealed the occupants inside Anxiety filled the small chamber of the elevator. Everyone felt the gravity of the precarious situation pulling on their muscles. Henry accessed the hotel security giving control to himself and Maj. Lee. Marching towards the stairwell Henry led Robert and a few guards. Henry couldn't still the worried thoughts berating his mind.