I'm back again! After two months I'm here! I have to thank Carol again, your comment came at the perfect time, since I had a little time on my hands to update.
One of the reasons it took this long for this chapter to happen is that this mission is convoluted to say the least. I had to do some research to have some sort of knowledge about it and I was super lost, so I spent days on end thinking of ways to make this work. I have to warn you that the research I did is limited, so probably most of what happens is wrong, but I hope you enjoy it anyway :)
From here on out R will become sort like a second narrator, I think he will be almost in every chapter to provide some insight of how is working for a man like Collins. You will also learn his story and his reasons to work for him even though he has serious doubts about his methods. He is such a fun character to write that I fear I will turn this into his story instead of Paige's XD
Also I have updated my summary of the story, and as this moment it will have 36 chapters, even though that can change over time.
Hope you enjoy, like and review! The comments give me life!
June 5, 2017
The mission had started well enough, the team was ready and they were doing their job appropriately, just a routine security check-up on a really secure server, piece of cake. Except it wasn't. Paige looked horrified at the cameras as the hospital her team was in went ballistic. All separated and unable to escape while being exposed to a killer virus, she couldn't believe what was happening.
All had started when Silvester had uttered those familiar words.
"U-oh." The mathematician's voice was heard through the garage from the speakers.
"What's up Silvester?" Paige asked as soon as he heard his worrisome tone.
"I'm not the only one connected to the network." He responded while typing could be heard on the background. "Sam, are you one-hundred percent positive I'm the only one with access to it at the moment?"
"Let me check, I will see what's going on, you continue with the check-up of the fallen server." Sam jumped into action the moment he uttered those words. Paige looked at him sitting down on a chair and starting up a bunch of programs that she didn't understand.
"Okay, while Sam checks on this, everyone state your situation." The liason said as she easily slipped into her role.
"I'm in the server room with Silvester, helping him out with what I can." Cabe's voice spoke first.
"I'm in the research lab looking at the research they perform here with the scientists Lauren Toliver and Mike Hander." Toby continued. "My lovely fiancee is here with me."
"Yea, I'm here with the idiot that proposed to me and that other dude." Happy's annoyed voice was heard last.
"Okay, continue with what you were doing and be on standby." Paige commanded.
"Do you think we can get eyes on the inside of the research facility? I don't feel very comfortable with them being in there and not knowing what's going to happen if this is a problem." She said to Sam, she had a hunch that things were about to get ugly and she didn't like the feeling of not knowing what was going on with her team.
"I think I can do that." He responded without lifting his face from the screen. After a minute he talked again. "As I can see I could hack it, but it would take me awhile and it wouldn't help us in locating the intruder if we add another one." He turned to Paige then.
"What do you suggest then?" She asked.
"I need to be granted access from the inside." He concluded.
"I could get into a computer and grant you access if that's what you want." Happy's voice echoed on the garage.
"Yes, that would be fantastic, since I'm a little tied up here and I prefer to finish this as soon as possible." Silvester chipped in, not waiting for Sam to answer the mechanic.
"Is there any way to access the security network of the building?" Happy said then, probably to the liason that had accompanied them.
"Yea, I could take you to the security room if you want." Paige could hear faintly a male voice responding to the mechanic. "But we would need to go get clearance." He finished.
Sam and Paige could hear perfectly Happy's sigh through the intercoms.
"Happy listen to him, he's only following protocol, if you make a fuss it will be worse." Cabe said through his intercom before Paige could say anything.
"Fine, fine, I know. Geez." She responded still annoyed. "Lead the way."
"Looking through I don't see anything out of the ordinary." Silvester said after a while. "Does this mean we can go please?" Sly's pleading voice showed how scared he was of the whole ordeal.
"Just keep looking for something, the hacker is still connected to the network, they may be on stanby for something, we need you to tell us the moment there's something that doesn't add up." Sam said all in business tone.
"Okay." The mathematician said, dejected.
"Sam." Paige looked at him with an stern tone.
"S-sorry." He uttered the second he saw the liason's face. "Sly, it will be just a couple of minutes, hang on." He said now in a more friendly manner.
"I swear, sometimes is like you have no EQ." Paige complained while letting a small smile escape her lips.
Seeing her soft expresion now, he gave her a small smile of apology.
"Sorry, when I get too focused it tends to happen." He shrugged his shoulders.
"Guys, I'm ready to give you access." Happy interrupted the moment.
Startled, Sam and Paige turned their faces to the screens again in an effort to eliminate the small moment of intimacy that had happened between them.
"Hello? Sam are you there?" The mechanic asked since she didn't hear a reply to her comment.
"Ye-yea, sorry got distracted for a second. Tell me the codes." Sam started typing all the info she was giving him while switching to a personal communication as not to disturb te rest of the team.
"Huh.." Sly said through the comms.
"What is it Sly? Got something on your mind?" Toby asked.
"Well there's some old abandoned research that has been accessed a couple of hours ago."
"And?" The psychiatrist asked.
"The last time it was accessed before today was a couple of years ago, that is weird."
"You mean the hacker may be looking for those documents?" Paige asked him.
"Maybe, I'm not sure. I will save the info of the access, it may help us to track him on the long run."
"Perfect." Paige felt a wave of relief, seeing as everything was starting to sort itself out in the end.
"Okay thanks for the codes Happy." Sam said as he turned their comms to public again. "I can access the security system now."
The moment Sam pressed the button to have all the cameras display at their screens something started to go wrong. A loud noise could be heard from the comms of the team.
"What is going on!?" Happy exclaimed the second the blaring started. "Sam what did you do!?"
"I did nothing! I only accessed with the info you gave me! This isn't me!" He answered as fast as he could.
"There's another person in the security mainframe right now!" She continued.
"What!?" Toby exclaimed.
"It has to be the hacker! This looks like an unauthorised log in!" She explained.
Paige was lost for words, she could see her team now, but she couldn't believe what was going on.
"Oh no!" Sly's scream made Paige snap out of it.
"What is it Silvester!?" She was starting to panic.
"The hacker is accessing some files about an ongoing research!" His panic was almost palpable through the phone.
"Let me guess." Toby interrupted him. "Is it research on TB?" He said with a resigned voice.
"Yea, why?" Silvester said, forgetting his panic for a moment and replacing it with curiosity.
The doctor huffed. "Because a gigantic case filled with samples labeled TB has just opened in the lab I'm in." He finished.
"What!?" Happy exclaimed. "Are you telling me that you are in a room full of active samples of the Tuberculosis virus!?"
"They have accessed the security network" One of the hackers said.
"Okay it's time Rhino." Collins said with satisfaction.
R hesitated for just a second, he really didn't want to do this. He knew that the Scorpion team weren't bad people, they were just trying to do the best they could for the world, for everyone, not only geniuses, like his boss did, his perfect word a place where the geniuses ruled over the non-geniuses.
"Rhino? You want to miss our frame of action?" He asked, growing suspicious for a moment.
"No, sorry!" He jumped of his seat and turned to his screen to do as he was told.
As he pressed the buttons to do what he was commanded he took one last look to the team and finally pressed enter.
I was going to make the mission just this chapter but while I was writing it kept getting longer and longer and I thought this was a good moment to have a cliffhanger, so there you go ^^