This is the continuation of the Bad Trip series.
The earlier episodes can be found here (part one) (part two) (part three).
Part 4
“Have we located him yet?”
Jim stood looking at the machine, not fully aware of what any of it really meant. Still he hoped that something would click with his understanding and he could contribute to the technical part of the search.
“Not yet, sir. We seem to be running into some mental turbulence.”
“Is that usual? Do I have anything to be concerned about right now?”
“Nothing to worry just yet. This is fairly common.”
Jim stood behind the machine's operator, trying to see what he could see. But he wasn't technically trained. Not to use these new machines anyway. He did do his initial training on the very first model. But it was never really his thing. And that wasn't his role in this mission. He was the Cognitive Retriever, trained to deal with mental machinery. Skilled in the art of interpreting the data the machines came up with. He returned to his seat, and continued to observe. These men know what they are doing, he reminded himself. Soon enough it will be time for him to do what he specialised in. So long as they can find him.
He went over the facts again. At least the facts as he knew them. These things can get somewhat grey, but usually there is some data point on which to centre all others on. Some point of fact that was known to be true. That key fact for this case was this: their client Taylor was missing, presumed mind hacked. They were still trying to determine by whom. Certain key elements of the story remain the same. Mind hacking is a relatively new field of espionage, which helped narrow down the list of possible perpetrators.
As for why he had been hacked, well that seemed logical to those who knew Taylor. But this too was still a presumption, and Jim preferred to deal with facts. Too many mistakes have occurred operating off assumptions. He knew that all too well.
Taylor had wealth. Just how much wasn't really known. It was never divulged to Jim's firm. If his wealth had anything to do with this mind hack then one would have to presume that Taylor's wealth was considerable. But that too was a presumption, and so Jim was obliged to consider any other possible reasons.
“Is there any indication of what level they have him on?” Jim tried not to let his impatience get the better of him. But it had been several hours. And he was hoping to get to him before he met up with the Minotaur.
“We are still getting a distorted signal. The best I can tell here is that he has just spoken with the Master of Ceremonies. That would be their first meeting.”
“Can you give an estimated time before he meets up with the Minotaur?”
“That's usually level two. Possibly another three hours away. Depends on how well they break him down first though. If he coughs up what they want, well then it's game over.”
“And if he doesn't,” the second machine operator chimed in “then Taylor is in for a rough ride.”
“Unless we get to him first. That is before they break him.”
Jim rose from his seat, and walked to the door. He needed some air, and it appeared he wasn't needed just at this moment. He looked back towards the machine, and the two men operating it. They were currently oblivious to his movements. Eyes and ears glued to the device in front of them, trying to glean the signal that would help them home in on Taylor. They had never not found a client. But there were consequences if they found them too late. And Jim didn't want another one of those.
He opened the door and stepped down. The machine was located in the back of a truck. They needed to be mobile. Sometimes the signal was difficult to locate from their office, and once they found his signal they needed to locate his body. This whole situation was pointless if they couldn't find his body. And that was his job. That's where Jim's skills came in. Once they located Taylor's signal, Jim needed to counter mind hack him.
Jim reached into his jacket pocket and took out a packet of cigarettes. He placed one between his lips, and lit it. Drawing in a deep breath, and exhaling, he tried to think through the possible variables in this case. He had gone over it many times in his head, but he felt a need to peruse the scenario many times. Yes he was a stickler for facts, but he felt the need to remain aware of how this may play out in real time.
He went over the key points again, to himself. “He's wealthy. Just how wealthy we don't know. He owns a significant stake in a Data Security firm. That's a possible angle. What data could he be protecting that would be of interests to someone with the ability to mind hack? I can't know this, not until I reach him. And ask him.”
He was certain it had to do with one of those two points. From there they could possibly narrow down a list of who was behind the hack. He finished his cigarette, and went back inside the truck.
“We've narrowed down his location.”
“Okay, that's good news.”
“There seems to be an extra level of interference I haven't encountered before.”
“How so?” Jim knew his job was anything but smooth at the best of time, but he never enjoyed hearing when something appeared different to the norm.
“I can't quite tell if it's a change in the mind hack that they are deploying,” the operator hesitated, as he considered whether the other option was even possible. It had never been encountered, it had only ever been theorised. And never really taken too seriously as a likely future scenario. “Or Taylor is showing a level of resistance to the hack that is altering the dynamics of the hack itself.” He wouldn't have believed it possible if he weren't watching the machine's signal indicating that something was slightly off. Some small but significant glitches in the usual routine of events.
Jim thought over what he had just heard. “Have either of you two encountered an actual case of resistance by the one being hacked?”
“No,” reiterated the first operator.
“Me neither, I have only just read about it. There was just the one case, if I remember correctly.”
Jim looked at him firmly. “I thought that was just rumour? Where did you read about that?”
“I read about it on my training. Perhaps it is just rumour. I couldn't tell you any more. Have you heard of Dr Sepalino?”
Jim knew that name. Of course he had heard of him. He literally wrote the book on how to be a Cognitive Retriever. He had never had the chance to study under him, but followed his work intensely.
“Of course, he is practically a god to me,” Jim hadn't taken the time to get to know either of the men operating the machine. He had been too caught up in his own world, his own decision making. He regretted that now. “Did you get to study under him?”
“Yes, I studied your line of work for one year. My talents lay elsewhere. But Dr Sepalino was my teacher for that class. He is the one who told us about it. It was mentioned in one of the more obscure textbooks.”
“It's strange that I never read that. I thought I had read all his material.”
“The military may have censored that particular story. Maybe that's why it's believed to be only rumour.”
Jim thought about this information and how it could impact on his mission. He had never dealt with a case who had shown a capacity to alter the hack through a level of resistance. But then, no one had dealt with this scenario. Or so he had previously thought. He needed to get in touch with Dr Sepalino, urgently.
He looked at the two men, and knew he may need their expertise, and possibly their contacts. He regretted being so aloof. “My name's Jim. You'll have to excuse me not introducing myself earlier. I get in a zone and forget myself sometimes.”
“Robert,” replied the first operator. Jim nodded in his direction.
“And my name's Zack.” Jim knew that Zack would be a lifeline on this mission. And a ticket to meet the one who knew it all when it came to doing this job. It was not an opportunity he was not willing to miss.
“Seems we may be about to make history here. If it is true that Taylor is showing signs of mental resistance. He may literally be rewriting the code from within the hack.”
Robert and Zack both understood the gravity of the situation. They listened in silence as they contemplated Jim's words.
Robert returned his gaze to the machine. Noticing something of interest, he put his headphones on to listen closer. And there it was. He knew exactly what that signal meant. Resistance or no resistance, this was clear.
“We've found him.”
(To Be Continued)
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