Hey, everyone! This chapter we're back to Arlua. I do want to know what everyone thought of Natsuki's little trip to Ikebukuro though! I really wish more people had reviewed!
Ah, well, I still need a name for the company! Right now all I have it a suggestion from Shan-kun that I'll probably end up using. What do you guys think of SupportTech?
Huge thanks to Shan-kun for feedback, and for advice on writing Erika better next time!
Disclaimer: If I haven't managed to buy Durarara by this point in my story, I'm probably not going to get it by the time I finish…
This is the morning after Natsuki's trip to visit Shizuo.
Chapter 9
"Arlua!" Natsuki called as her friend walked past her office. "Hey, I've got a request for you!"
"If it's Orihara, tell him if he can't go a full day without seeing me, he's pathetic," the technician called back as she continued walking, not even pausing to glance at Natsuki.
"Arlua, that's not what it is," Natsuki protested. Arlua's footsteps in the hallway paused, then resumed. A moment later, Arlua peered into the office warily.
"If it's not Orihara, what is it?" she asked.
"I thought you might like a break from dealing with that particular brand of insanity," Natsuki replied. "Just got a hack request. Care to mess with the firewall of one of our rival support companies to get their files on their clients?" Arlua didn't hesitate.
"Absolutely," she agreed. It had been a little over six months since her last hacking job, and she couldn't wait to get into the security of a solid network again. Of course, since it was a rival company's network, she would have to hack from on-site so suspicion wouldn't immediately fall on her company. It would look like an independent hack if she went in person, so the intrusion wouldn't be traced back to her company's network.
"All right. Here you go. Have fun, and don't get caught," Natsuki advised, tapping a command into her computer. A moment later, the local printer on her desk hummed and spat out a sheet of paper with the details of the job. Arlua hurried over and took the paper.
"Thanks, Natsuki. I'll let you know how it goes, okay?" she said. Natsuki smiled and waved. Not that Arlua, already halfway out the door, saw the gesture.
Six hours later, Arlua left the building that housed the network she had been hacking and made her way calmly down the street toward the station. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Natsuki's number.
"Arlua? Done already?" Natsuki's voice greeted her on the other end of the line.
"Not quite. I got most of it but my download of their files got cut. They found my hack, froze the network. I had to leave before they got around to tracing which machine the intrusion originated from," Arlua reported. "I got a flash drive with most of the files – yes, I downloaded them in batches like I was supposed to, so the files shouldn't be corrupted by the cut, except the one that was loading at the time."
"Perfect. You heading home?" Natsuki asked.
"Yeah, but I feel like being extra careful tonight. Just in case they traced me before they froze the network. I'll head home the long way," she answered, still outwardly calm despite the adrenaline beginning to race through her as she thought about the possibility of having already been identified. They could have someone following her now, waiting for an opportunity to get the flash drive she had stored the files on.
"All right. Be careful," her friend told her. "I know you can handle yourself; this isn't the first time you've had to ditch a download."
"And I'm sure it won't be the last. Rivals are getting good," Arlua commented. "Well, I'll drop the drive off in the safe box tomorrow sometime, okay?"
"Sounds good. Let me know when you get home, okay? So I know you're safe?"
"I'll be fine. Want to go to Ikebukuro tomorrow?"
"No. I just went last night," Natsuki informed her briskly. Before Arlua could reply, she heard the tone that told her the call had been ended. Arlua frowned at her phone for a moment before sliding it into her pocket. She shrugged; sometimes Natsuki had something come up, and sometimes she just decided she was done talking without any warning at all. Arlua was used to it.
She shrugged again and headed for the station. Time to throw off any potential followers.