Chapter 2
"Mr. Creed?" He could smell the fear on the little IT geek, but he wasn't in the mood to kill anyone. Since his "retirement," with one notable exception, he'd kept himself clean. No blood, no tossing a frail to get his kicks, just work. After the Statue mess, he'd told Magneto to go to hell. He knew working with a group was the fastest way to get caught, and after being reminded every day for two years after the incident, he valued his clean record.
"What?" He snapped, just because he wasn't going to gut the sniveling geek didn't mean he couldn't still intimidate the hell out of people. Although he should go easy on this one, it took a small fortune to recruit him.
"We've had a breach sir!" The poor kid was about to fall over in fright. "The firewall was breached. No client data or financial information has been accessed. The only files touched." He gulped, and Victor wondered, idly if they'd drawn straws down in IT and this poor guy lost. "were your personal files sir."
"What!" This time it was a growl, and he had to give the geek credit, he wasn't pissing his pants yet. Probably someone reminded him to piss before telling him.
"Sir, your personal files, public information, and your military record were accessed." Victor almost wanted to make the kid relax, the stench of fear in the air was making his claw-beds itch.
"Sir, they used your passwords." This time the growl was louder, and Victor thought the kid would pass right out. He needed to carry a bottle of smelling salts around with him, like the old days.
"That's impossible."
"Sir, the network access shows your password accessed those files. And the special file, it was also breached. We don't know if anything was decrypted from it or not, but it was accessed as well."
Victor could feel his control on the beast slipping. His personal files, that wasn't a big deal, the military files, that could cause him some trouble, but the encrypted file, that could land him back in that thing they called a prison that Tony Stark built for him. He didn't want to go back there. Emma Frost digging around in his head wasn't his idea of a good time.
"Do you know where the breach came from." It was a long low growl, and he had to give the kid credit, he didn't flinch.
"Yes sir, or at least the general vicinity, they're using an IP snatcher, it randomly generates an IP address when they log in, but it's limited to a two hundred mile radius because of where they are."
"And where would that be?"
"Summerville, West Virginia, or within two hundred miles. "
"I see." He was already planning. That was a large search grid, but most of it was sparsely populated mountain area. He had people in that area, Sgt Moody should be able to put him up for a few weeks. He hadn't seen the frail since the wedding, she must be in her forties now, she'd been a looker, too.
He vaguely remembered Herschel mentioning a cub a time or two. He'd probably have to bring gifts or something.
"Mr. Creed." The geek was still there.
"What?"
"The breaches started about four months ago, we didn't find the actual files accessed until today."
He just glared at the kid. "I assume you're tracing it?"
"Yes sir, if they get access again we can shut them down."
"No, just call my sat phone, I'll try to triangulate on the ground."
"Sir?"
"I'm goin' after this son of a bitch personally." This time the kid just turned and ran for the elevators. Victor waited until he was out of earshot before he burst out laughing. The poor kid handled himself well, he needed to remember to give him a raise.
He looked around his office, the years it took him to have all of this was being threatened, and not by SHIELD or Hydra or the X-Men but by some little back woods hacker living in his mother's basement with the deadly unfiltered moonshine.
He was going to track the son of a bitch down and rip him to shreds, right after he came up with new passwords.
He didn't know how they'd gotten them. He stormed down the corridor to the small suite he used when he was working. The large penthouse was for when Jimmy was home or for entertaining, this small suite of two rooms was where he lived. He's been very careful selecting passwords only he'd know or remember. He grabbed his hunting and camping gear, Moody might not have room for him, so he was planning ahead, camping in the wilderness was never a hardship for him, it was actually peaceful.
He glanced across the room. The old beat-up sewing machine cabinet silently accused him as he packed his tools of his trade. The toy truck in the basket beside the cabinet seemed to reach for him, begging him not to go. He shook his head. He'd started trying to think of what they'd want, that was how he'd kept clean this long, damned Emma and her damned telepathy, bringing them back to life in his head.
He walked over and picked up the half finished christening gown in the basket, the needle still piercing the thread. The bloodstains on the delicate fabric were almost black with age, as were the ones on the truck. They weren't alive, never would be again, and it was all Jimmy's fault. The only other time in his life his hands had been clean, and his own kin screwed it all up.
They'd accessed his public records file, they knew about Esther and Thomas, at least the basics, date of marriage, date of birth, date of deaths. He held the fabric to his face, and took a deep breath. He could still smell them, or at least he thought he could. He looked around the lonely suite. He was getting tired of being alone again. He dropped the fabric back into the basket, partially covering the toy truck. He felt the animal's sneer on his lips, maybe he'd find a frail or two to toss, those deep woods and mountains would hide more than one body.
He waited until he was out of the underground garage in his beat-up truck to dial Moody's number.
"Herschel, it's Victor, I'm gonna be down that way for a few weeks, I don't suppose you've got a bunk for an old buddy?"
"Victor...sure, I mean I'll have to move MaryCat out of her room but she can sleep on the hide-a-bed." Victor thought he sounded strange.
"Is everything okay? If it's an imposition I can always camp nearby." Herschel Moody was one of the few men he considered a real friend, someone who would have his back. Hell, he'd pulled Moody out of the fire in Kuwait, but Herschel had still been firing back over Victor's shoulder.
"Yeah, MaryCat's at that age, you know, teenagers." Herschel said. Victor could hear something else, something to do with him.
"I'm not gonna toss your cub." He said, half joking.
"I hope not." What caught Victor's full attention was the seriousness in his reply.
"Why would I?"
"I...we'll see you when you get here. I'll tell Anelle you're comin'. She hasn't seen ya since the weddin'." Herschel said and hung up the phone. What the hell was going on in West Virginia?
