Chapter 3
While holding the CD in my hands, I felt dirty. An inner voice told me to find the beetled eyed man and return it. But another voice, one much fiercer, kept reminding me that if he was too careless to keep track of important things, he didn't deserve them. Suddenly the CD felt heavy, and then the weight disappeared.
I turned around and walked towards the computers. I passed over the new computer, and settled on a older one. I sat at the computer farthest from the new one. I mulled over my decision as to why, and I think if I had sat down at the new one I would surrender, even if I was clearly in the right.
I inserted the CD and the computer's constant hum became harsher. At first I thought the computer was going to explode, and it wasn't until I released my breath had I realized I was holding it at all. As fresh, as fresh as an old library air could be, filled my lungs a window appeared on the computers screen. Hundreds of different folder icons filled the window, each titled in some cryptic code.
I scrolled down a ways, and came across one titled 'Diary.' I laughed, try as I might. I could not picture the beetled eyed man keeping a journal. Curious I scrolled over and rested the pointer on the folder and a small label appeared. "Darcey's Diary" along with its size and the list of documents contained in the folder. I laughed harder then, what was his parents thinking? An odd thought silenced the laughter.
"How did I become this person?" I whispered to the screen. I debated on whether or not I should open it, but before I decided another folder caught my attention. I decided to abandon the diary. More to prove I was still human, more then anything. So I allowed my attention to focus on the other folder.
"Project X" I read the label aloud. Of course he would name his big project like something out of a bad scifi movie. I double clicked the folder, and the sea of folders disappeared, and was replaced by three folders. Two of the folders had a six digit numbered title, but the third had was simply labeled Darcy.
The Darcy folder, the one I decided to examine first, had a single document in it. Clicking the document brought up some coding program. Dozens of lined codes, all of which were beyond my comprehension, filled the document from margin to margin. Feeling stupid, I closed the program,. And clicked on one of the numbered folders: 781227
This had a single word document on it explaining his ground breaking program.
'I can't believe its almost finished. This will revolutionize alert systems When put to the proper use, it will make finding her, easier. Perhaps I wont find her, but this will make it easier for similar people like myself, find those who they are searching for. It maybe to late for my own cause...'
Images of Darcy using this alert system to find some girl, seemed disturbing. A program to search for what he probably thought were 'the perfect female specimen' sickened me. Perhaps it was best that I had kept this after all.
It was awhile before I realized it was getting dark, had I stayed at the library the whole day? Perhaps a computer geek could explain this to me I thought. I carefully removed the CD from the CD drive and placed it into the case.