Chapter 47
SPOV
I spent another day and night in the hospital. Ranger never left my side. I wasn't sure that he felt it was safe to stay here so I was wondrously happy as the doctor presented me with the release papers. Ranger hadn't pushed me to tell him any more of what happened in that room. I was glad of that because it gave me time to go through everything that had been said between Emci and me.
On returning to the apartment I'd found both of my phones powering up. I wasn't sure why, but I felt I needed the burn phone, I mean the only person who'd called me on that phone had been Emci and even though the microchip and the Hasting building had been destroyed, there was something niggling at the back of my head. As soon as it was charged enough to switch it on, I went to the icon for messages. There was one unopened message that was dated the day I'd been locked in that room. I opened the message and read through what it said several times before sitting down on the couch to try and understand what it meant.
"Remember who I am, don't be deceived"
I had no idea what was meant by that, I suppose now that I'd escaped from that room, I was feeling very confused. I jumped as Ranger came into the apartment, I'd insisted he went downstairs to work, though I had really wanted time on my own to think.
"Sorry Babe, you were lost in thought"
Then it hit me.
"Shit she called me by a different name"
"Who did"
By now I was stood up and began pacing the floor. Oh god if the voice inside that room wasn't Emci then what had I destroyed when I threw the chip into the beams? Had I been carrying Buckley's secret around with me all the time? But why was it so important, would that chip really have freed the robot? But how, surely Buckley would never have created something so evil? Then again, he did say it was too powerful. And if it wasn't the Emci I knew in that room talking to me then who was controlling the voice in the room? Shit had I gone into there to activate that robot? Did someone think I would or could do it? And Emci, the one who communicated to me through the phone, who or what was she? I came to a stop when Ranger stood in front of me with his hands on my shoulder.
"Talk to me Babe, please"
He stepped back taking me with him, so I ended up sat straddled on his lap, having no choice but to try and explain myself.
"You promise to not interrupt until I finish?"
"Promise"
"Okay. When I bought a burn phone, I had a woman messaging me and talking to me, helping me out. She said her name was Emci. She asked about you, so I showed her the photo I took from Les's house. It was her who directed me to that old building of yours. I didn't tell anyone about her because, well, she sounded alone and scared, and she helped me out. When I got trapped in that room there was screen with an image of a woman and then a glass case with what looked like a mannequin inside. I was terrified it was a robot and maybe it was but then I had this really weird conversation. I thought it was the Emci I knew, but she sounded, I don't know, so cold. Then my arm started burning and bleeding, where I cut it at Buckley's house. There was a plastic chip in my arm, it must have gotten embedded there when I fell. The computer said she needed something that was her soul and would allow her to be a part of the physical world. I couldn't let that happen so when I said to open the door, she opened it. I thought maybe the microchip was what she was after, so I threw it into those beams and basically told her that if she believed evil had to be destroyed then she was evil. That's when everything started to go to hell. But it wasn't my Emci. Emci always called me Steph. The voice in the room called me Stephanie and she spoke just like a computer program would talk. Then I found I had a message that came before we went to Hastings from Emci. It said "Remember who I am, don't be deceived"
I took a deep breath having said so much so quickly and then looked at Ranger to try and judge his reaction.
"She was telling me to remember her"
"So you think Emci was a computer program as well?"
"I don't know"
"I think it may have been her who told me how to find you"
"Really?"
"Yeah"
"But that means someone manipulated us into going there so they could get me to give the chip to the computer"
"Maybe it could be just as you think, Babe"
"You do, why?"
"When you woke up you said we were destined to go in there"
"Who do you think set us up?"
"Gaunt was the one who asked us to go in"
"Shit, I believed him"
"So did I Babe"
"Now what?"
"I think we talk to Gaunt, but emit anything to do with you knowing anything about Emci, the chip or what you saw or heard in that room"
"Okay, I can do that"
"You okay now?"
"I'm still upset that I may have destroyed the Emci who was my friend"
"Babe if you had the chip inside of you then maybe that could explain a few things"
Oh god no, that meant I really was the cause of the Rangeman computers being over ridden. I felt my lip being pulled from biting it and my chin being lifted up. My tears were wiped away and I had to look into Ranger's eyes.
"No, I don't blame you for anything. Maybe this Emci helped us both in other ways"
"Okay, but I am sorry that I really am the cause of all the computer problems"
"Babe if all that hadn't happened then maybe we wouldn't be where we are now"
I nodded my head as I thought about that. Yes, we had eventually come to admit to each what we felt, so maybe I should be thanking Emci for that.
"I spoke with two men we caught outside of Hastings"
"And?"
"Nobodies, they'd been paid to keep an eye on the building and use a burner phone to report what was going on. They didn't have any names or descriptions because everything was organized on the phone"
I carefully leaned forward with my head against Ranger's chest loving the feel of him against me.
"Do you need some pain killers?"
I nodded my head. My hand hurt where it had been burnt and my arm was aching where it had been stitched back up. On top of that I had a low throbbing headache.
"I feel messed up"
"Babe you were hurt and unconscious. You need to eat and then rest"
As Ranger stood he set me on my feet and then with an arm around my waist guided me to the kitchen. I loved how Ella could produce a meal that both Ranger and I would enjoy. I knew it was healthy, but I didn't care as long as I could enjoy the flavors she created. By the time my plate was clean I knew I was tired. My eyes felt heavy and I was trying really hard not to yawn. I couldn't remove the bandage from my hand yet so had to forgo a shower instead I just used hot water in the sink to clean myself. A look in the mirror confirmed my fear as I tried to run my free hand through my hair. There were singed areas in my hair that matched the small burn marks on my face and arms. I made my way into the bedroom and once changed crawled under the sheets, determined that the bandage would come off in the morning.
I woke with a start, sitting upright quickly, trying to work out what the noise was that had woken me up. A look at the clock told me it was nearly 7 in the morning. A look at the bed beside me confirmed that Ranger was already up so pulling the sheets away I made my way into the lounge to track down the noise. I was surprised when I identified the noise as coming from the burner phone and my heart hitched as I hoped that it was Emci and she was alive and okay. The ringing stopped but was followed by a dinging noise that told me I had a message. I eagerly opened the phone and read the message.
"We need to meet"
Okay this seemed strange because I wasn't prepared to meet with her, well not if she was like the virtual person, like the one at Hastings. I hesitated for only a minute, curiosity getting the better of me, then replied.
"Where and when?"
The reply was immediate giving me a location three hours from now. I quickly retreated to the bathroom and removing the bandage from my hand relished in the feel of water running over me. I washed my hair, adding conditioner before deciding on what to wear. I went with black cargos, a cream sweater and black cat boots. But as I dressed, I realized I was feeling really nervous about this. Thoughts of it being a trap ran through my head, so I found a vest inside the closet and then emptied my bag of any weapons and trackers onto the kitchen counter. All those things went into various pockets in my cargos and vest before I headed down to five with the phone in my hand. I wasn't going to be the woman who ran off following a lead on my own anymore. I owed it to Ranger to be more responsible about my safety. As I approached Ranger's office Tank was just coming out, so before the door swung closed, I knocked quietly and went in.
"Babe, what's going on?"
I noticed he gave my clothing the once over, so sat in the chair in front of his desk.
"I got a message from Emci"
He raised his eyebrow at me without saying anything, meaning he was waiting for me to talk to him.
"It asked me to meet her at 11 at an address. But I don't want to go on my own"
I passed the phone over for him to read the message, hoping he would know the address, then watched as he typed something into his computer.
"It's a diner just south of Trenton"
"Okay"
"Are you sure you want to go?"
"Yes"
"Then I'll be with you, along with a backup team"
"Thank you"
"I know how much it will have taken you not to just disappear on your own. Proud of you Babe, for how you came and asked for help"
"Who will be backup?"
"Ash and Santos, and maybe Zeph and Hector to stake the place out"
"I don't want to scare her away, she may have the answers we're looking for"
"I know Babe, the men will be discreet"
"Okay then. I have trackers on me and I came prepared for the worst"
"How?"
I pulled the gun out of the holder inside of the vest and my stun gun from the pocket of my cargos. Then watched as he opened the drawer to his desk and handed me a flic knife.
"Put this inside your sock by your ankle"
I bent down and did as he said, feeling totally stupid for having so many weapons on me.
"Let me call the men and arrange to meet in the garage at 1030hrs"
It was already nearly 10 o'clock and I knew I needed Bobby to rebandage my hand so started for the door.
"Babe?"
I held up my hand and shouted "Bobby" as I left the room. Thirty minutes later I was sat in one of the SUVs next to Ranger driving out of the garage. I felt nervous, so was bouncing my knee up and down. I felt Ranger's hand settle onto my thigh and squeeze it. I was probably totally ruining his focus on driving.
"Sorry"
"No need to be. I'm sure this meeting will be fine"
I wasn't so sure about that but then my spidey sense wasn't humming dangerously, I told myself it was nerves, so maybe he was right. As we pulled over to the side of the road, I realized we'd arrived. It was a strange looking diner, quite small, with blinds covering the windows. The building itself was sat by the sidewalk but didn't have any close neighbors. I jumped as the door opened and Ranger stood there waiting for me to get out. Once I was stood up, he grabbed my hand and we walked together into the diner. The place looked empty, there only seemed to be one waitress around and no customers.
"The men gave the all clear Babe, they're keeping watch"
I walked to the booth at the back of the room sliding into the booth so Ranger could follow and looked around again. It was then I noticed a woman come through a door at the far side of the counter. I watched as she approached and tried to take in her appearance. The problem was, other than recognizing that she was wearing trousers and a jacket my eyes were caught looking at her face. Did I know her? I didn't think so, but there was something about her that made me think I did. She smiled as she took a seat opposite me.
"Hello Steph. Thanks for coming"
I did recognize the voice though and took her hand as she offered hers across the table.
"I ordered some coffee and something to eat, I hope you don't mind?"
"What name should I call you because I'm sure pretty sure Emci isn't it"
"My name is Remi. I'm sorry Steph that I didn't tell you but at the time I wasn't sure how you came to be involved"
"Involved?"
"I should probably start at the beginning"
"Yeah, that would be best"
"When I was 25 my parents died in an accident leaving my brother and me. I found out from papers left with the lawyer that they'd adopted me as a baby. I couldn't hate them for not telling me, because they were truly loving and supportive people and had always treated me like their own. I was independent and had an amazing job doing what I always wanted to do, so I never really thought about finding my natural parents. Then I met a young girl who had been in the same position, but she'd found out who her parents were. I don't know why, but I suddenly felt the need to find my roots. It took a few years and money but a year ago I discovered who my mother was. She'd died not long after I was born, she was unmarried which was why I was put up for adoption, but it didn't take much research to discover who my father was"
"Josie and Adrian"
I didn't know if what I'd said was right, but it made sense. maybe it was how she looked. She had similar grey eyes to Buckley and even though her short spikey was highlighted I could see the shade of auburn that I knew Josie had. And when I racked my brain at what I'd learned about Josie I remembered she'd had a year out from university, supposedly travelling. She looked amused and sat back from me.
"How did you know?"
"I didn't until you gave me the pieces, you maybe have features from both of your parents"
"I found my father, but I never told him who I was. I pretended to be a research student, wanting to work with him. He was infatuated with what he was doing. I think at some point he crossed the line into insanity"
"Was he fixated on Josie?"
"No, he loved her deeply and desperately missed her"
"So he developed a way of bringing her back?"
"No, he never even thought that. He wanted to develop a machine that could think for itself"
"Conscious intelligence"
"Yes, he was almost there, but then he found out about what my uncle was doing"
"Gaunt?"
"Yeah. He was the one who was totally deranged. He had data from the experiments my mother was doing and thought he could somehow transpose those into a machine"
"Okay so how did I fit in?"
"I didn't know who you were or who you were working with. I'd left a microchip at my father's house that was able to snarf data from nearby devices"
"Snarf?"
"Yeah it could download data from anywhere close by. A GPS system, WiFi technology that I could access from a hand-held devise"
"That was what was inside of me?"
"I didn't know that had happened, I thought that you stole it. So, I used it to access the systems where you worked"
"So you were responsible for those three businesses being hit?"
"Yes. We thought if Rangeman became involved maybe they would flush Dolby and Gaunt out into the open. And hey, I admit, I'm only human, I wanted some revenge for seeing my father so sad, and part of that was how his parents died"
"So why help me?"
"As the saying goes, keep your friends close but your enemies closer"
She thought that I was stealing secrets from her father and working with someone else to do what?
"What was so important about the microchip that everyone was after?"
"That it held all of my father's research and he truly believed he'd found a way to produce conscious intelligence"
"Does it exist?"
"I don't know"
I didn't know what to think or how to feel. I had trusted the voice that came through the phone.
"Steph when you were ill in that building, I went to find you. I knew then that you had nothing to do with anything. I'm so sorry for thinking badly of you. After that I honestly was helping"
"But I was kidnapped and shot at"
"Not really"
I just looked at her trying to work out how she figured that one out. I felt Ranger tense as another figure came toward us and sat down next to Remi.
"Gannon"
"Manoso, it's not what you think"
"What should I think Gannon?"
I could sense that Ranger was about to explode.
"I was working undercover at Rangeman to try and get some information on Gaunt and Dolby. When you and Steph went into Safenet I knew he would try and get hold of her. I took her to a safehouse to protect her. I had no idea that Buckley would find her. I had nothing to do with Buckley being shot, I swear"
"Steph, I hoped you'd find those detectors"
I ignored what Remi had said and focused on Gannon, I wasn't sure where his conversation was going.
"But you were talking to Gaunt at his funeral"
"I was warning him that I was on to him"
"Why arrest us?"
"To keep you out of the way and safe. I have to say, Steph, you totally outsmarted me on that one"
My head kept going between Gannon and Remi, was what he was saying true? How the hell was I supposed to believe him when what they said sounded so far fetched? Ranger brought up another incident that had caused me so much anguish and Ranger worry.
"I take it that it was your drone then?"
"Yes, we used the GPS to track Steph, I had no idea whether or not she was in danger"
"Hold on, go back a bit"
I was still trying to understand where Gannon fit into this.
"The files I found when you arrested us. Was that a set up as well?"
"No, you did all of that on your own. Remi got me one of the files, but we couldn't open it. We never could discover the password"
"Steph you are like a whirlwind moving from place to place. That you came across Gaunt in Boston worried us. We decided to stand back and see what happened, hoping maybe you could unravel Gaunt"
"Did you know what was in that research area at Hastings?"
"No. We had an idea. I thought maybe Gaunt was closer than my father thought he was"
"So your father never worked there?"
"Not that I know of"
"So why did Gaunt want us in there?"
"He believed you, Steph, were the key to helping him or somehow knew where the information from my father was"
I felt Ranger take in a breath beside me, I think he was as unsettled as me from what we were being told.
"So you just let Steph go in there?"
"We didn't know that she could be in danger"
"Remi did you know he was trying to develop another robot?"
"No, no I didn't. I wasn't sure how far he'd got with the programming. That's why I sent that message to you"
"But you used the same name, Emci"
"Because I found out that was the name he was calling his program"
"What about the robots at Safenet?"
"Matthew uncovered some evidence that Dolby was interested in that area. The army were concerned because it goes against any Government directives"
"Are you two working together then?"
"Yes we are. Remi was the link I needed to get to Buckley. If there is a program that Buckley designed, it has to be destroyed. It could be too dangerous for us to allow it to get out into the wrong hands"
Shit, what the hell were we supposed to do now. I felt as though I'd been manipulated and used. Everything that had happened to me they let it happen. Hell, they were the ones that did half the stuff to me. Why couldn't they just have been honest and involved us with what they were doing. I had no idea how I could trust them. I needed some time and space to think. I needed to get away from them and breathe. I slowly stood up and turned when Ranger caught hold of my hand.
"I'm just going to the rest room"
I followed the sign that pointed the way to the ladies rest room. Through a door and along a corridor. As I opened the first door, I came to, I realized my mistake. Fresh warm air hit my face and without thinking I just carried on walking making my way away from the building.
