Chrome Symphony - Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

As everyone in the group had split up to take care of business before regrouping for the mission, Jess took one of the transports back to the edge of town, where she began walking back home. It was late now and she would have to be sneaky in order to avoid getting caught and scolded for being out so late.

While on the transport, she sent messages to Duncan, Atlas, Renk, and Shell. The four of them had agreed to help her in her mission to find her father. Duncan and Atlas were under her employ now. Shell and Renk, for reasons she didn't yet understand, had agreed to assist her as well. Elise had appeared somewhat distracted with other business and Jess wasn't sure if she'd see her again.

Exiting the train tube, Jess walked along an old road that led up to an area near her family's mansion. It was around 2 am now and it was dark and silent. Jess wasn't worried about thugs, bandits, or wild animals. She had her sword and fighting skill with her. There had been some discussion at her school about her joining the military although her family opposed it, having plans for her to inherit Crest corporation. If she didn't find her father soon, she might inherit the company faster than planned.

Jess received messages from Duncan and Shell confirming the meetup tomorrow. For now, she had to get home and sleep - not to mention figuring out how to sneak out again the very next day.

Arriving at the mansion, Jess sneaked in the back door and up to her room, where she opened her communicator and saw another message waiting for her. It was from Dark Spider.

So you've heard the rumor.  I am not Hombre Raymie a.k.a. Benton Mulhauser.
Whether you believe me or not, it's up to you, but you're in mortal danger 
hanging around Miss EMA and that old scrap metal relic.  They are targets.

For the record, I'm not with the Herei Mob Army.  I infiltrated them, just 
like you and your "friends".

Don't let yourself get set up.  Be careful.

DARK SPIDER

Dark Spider, Jess thought, How could anyone possibly know if he's telling the truth?

The message cast a new shadow of uncertainty on the situation.

Shell returned to her apartment for the night, exhausted from the day's events. Surviving the blast in the storm sewer as she narrowly escaped the destruction of the EMA building, navigating the streets of the worst part of town, and infiltrating the Herei Mob Army's discussion boards in virtual space had Shell's mind completely depleted of energy.

She started to fall asleep on her sofa as two messages arrived.

The first message was from Jess. Shell gave a quick "acknowledged" reply to the message, confirming the time and place they would meet the next day to plan the mission.

The second message was from one of her co-workers.

Shell, I hope you are okay.  Most of us were warned to stay home today and
now I understand why!  They're still trying to figure out who was lost in
the building.  Fortunately everyone in our crew wasn't in the building but
EMA lost a lot of other engineers and security staff.

The executives and management folks have their hands tied, or so they claim.
It looks like operations at headquarters won't resume for months, maybe years
with the way things are going.  Although it's not official, it's safe to say
that we all have to look for new jobs.  There will be a nice severance coming
your way due to your seniority and loyalty to the company.

Please stay in touch.  I'll keep you updated.

- Kel

Shell replied to the message.

Thank goodness you're all safe.  I was on my way to work and had a... close
call, to say the least.  I expected our positions to no longer exist at HQ,
for obvious reasons.  I'm in the middle of something big right now so I'll 
have to catch up with you a little later.

Stay safe!

- Shell

Shell fell asleep after sending the message, being able to rest a little easier knowing that most of her co-workers were now confirmed alive and safe.

Renk and Atlas were walking away from Duncan's house. Renk looked at his watch. It was 2:04 am. Having no contact with his superiors, Renk found himself in a similar situation as Atlas - no place to stay for the time being.

"Well, s***," Renk said, "Normally I'd be back at my barracks, sawing logs like nobody's business."

He looked around at the transport train tubes in the area. "It would be easy enough to hop a plane and get back to base but I don't know the current status of things there or if it's safe to return."

Just then, Renk received a call. It was from his commanding officer!

"Renk, come in. Are you still with us?"

Excited, Renk responded. "Affirmative! I cleared the EMA building seconds before it went up. What's the status of our guys?"

His commander paused for a moment. "We experienced massive casualties and the Herei Mob Army took out a large portion of the 'net, as I'm sure you're well aware. Their hackers have compromised the security of most communication channels so mind what you say here."

Renk checked the settings of his communicator. "Roger that. Is it all clear to return to base?"

"Negative," his commander replied. "We've had an... incident. Sorry but that's all I'm at liberty to say at the moment. Hold your general position for the time being but we have a temporary base in the area if you're close by. Report there as soon as you possibly can."

Renk responded, "Understood, sir. I have the coordinates."

The call ended at Renk looked at Atlas. "I can see if they could set you up with a place to stay for the night," Renk told him.

Atlas shook his head. "No... no, I'll... figure something out. You go on ahead."

Renk waited for a moment and then nodded. "Ok, man. Contact me if you need anything. I'm not sure if I'll be able to help with the mission tomorrow but if I can request leave on such short notice, I'll definitely try to make some arrangement."

With that, Renk left. He wasn't sure he would be able to leave the nearby makeshift base any time soon but he knew he had to follow his orders.

Jess woke up around 6 am, feeling a strong thirst. She had exhausted herself walking around the day before and hadn't realized how dehydrated she'd become.

She headed down to the kitchen, careful not to wake any of the staff. She put a glass up to the water filter tank and poured herself some water. Jess was particular about drinking only filtered water whenever possible, since the city had a less than stellar record of keeping the tap water potable.

Suddenly, Jess noticed a shadow darting across the kitchen window. She watched for a while, to make sure her tired eyes weren't playing tricks on her. She noticed something move out there in the moonlight, so she ran back upstairs, grabbed her sword, and quietly made her way outside to the back yard near the kitchen window.

It was quiet. Nothing around here, she thought. As she started to turn around to head back inside, she heard footsteps in the grass. She turned around instantly and drew her sword, rushing toward the shadowy figure that had suddenly appeared. Swinging her sword promptly to go in for the kill, she mustered all of her strength to reverse the course of her weapon as she recognized the face in the pale light.

It was Atlas.

"Atlas?!" Jess whispered, stifling her voice so not to wake anyone inside the mansion. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?!"

Atlas put his hands up. "Please, I'm not a burglar. I just need your help."

Jess sheathed her sword. "Help? Didn't I give you a generous advance payment already?"

Atlas nodded. "Yes, but I've been out all night trying to find a hotel. Every place is closed for some reason, either they're booked solid or their payment systems are down due to the 'net fracturing."

Jess sighed. "Figures. Well, what do you want me to do?"

Atlas hesitated for a moment and then said, "Could you spare the use of a room in this mansion? Surely you have guest rooms. I'll be happy to pay rent and I'll be out the minute my service to you is complete."

Jess shrugged. "It's going to be hard to explain to my keepers if you're caught inside the house... but... come on in. I'll put you up in one of the spare staff rooms. Just keep yourself hidden until I think of an excuse."

Atlas followed Jess inside the mansion, making sure to remain completely silent. His training was useful here - he could control his footsteps as to not make any sound on the floor. Jess led him upstairs to a sparse yet opulent room, at least by Atlas' standards.

"Now there's an attached private bathroom through the door next to the closet," Jess told Atlas. "Keep yourself in here until I come get you. For now, I'm going back to sleep for a few hours. If you're going on the mission for the spacers, I'd advise you do the same."

Atlas nodded. "If I hear anyone opening the door, I'll jump out the window."

Jess shook her head. "You'll break your legs if you do. Let me show you where you can hide, just in case."

Jess walked over to the walk-in closet and beckoned Atlas. "There's a hidden door in the back of the closet. If you go in there, you'll find a ladder that leads into the basement," she told him. "It's a little something we had added to all of the closets in case we're ever under attack by those Herei thugs."

Atlas examined the hidden door. "Incredible," he commented. "Your family must have to deal with a lot of threats in order to warrant measures like this."

Jess shrugged. "You know about my mother being assassinated," she asked Atlas. "Ever since then, our family has operated in a manner similar to any military base. We have drills, security briefings, you name it. It can get a little... tiring."

Jess turned around and headed toward the hallway. "Anyway, rest up. I'll be heading out at noon, so make sure you're ready to leave with me by then. We'll sneak out the same way I brought you in as soon as the coast is clear."

Atlas laid down on the bed, exhausted. He fell asleep, wasting no time given the opportunity.