Erin jumped off the ledge, one hand gripping the edge, and the other cautiously holding a small camera. Her boots hit the rock and a few bits crumbled off, making her step uneasy. She watched the rocks fall down below the ledge, her eyes widened. There was at least 4 feet between her and the edge, but it was still troubling to say the least.
She quickly held up the camera and snapped another photo. Looping the thin camera strap around her neck, it swung against her as she swung an arm to grab the side of the big rock and stepped over. She squinted, and spotted a car coming down a stretch of road. It was a dot, like a fly on a contrasting white wall. She was sure it couldn't spot her, but if she could spot it….
Erin considered whether to slowly make her way down, or just to jump down about 10 feet to the ridge under her. She looked at the cracks in the rock face she was standing against and decided against jumping down. She slowly lowered herself until her arms on the outcrop only supported her where she had just been standing. Mumbling, her feet sought to grip something solid as she tried to look beyond her arms.
When she finally found a small mound of rock jutting out, she stepped on it with one foot and stepped down the few remaining feet. She sighed and glanced at the rest of the journey she'd have to make. A bird cried out in the air as it soared past her. She frowned when she noticed a rumbling sound. She wanted to shake it off as just dehydration or sun exposure, but she was sure there was a rumbling…
Suddenly, above the rock, a giant helicopter swooped up. trees and leaves trembled, and the force of the spinning blades spun the air around like a blender. Erin fought to stay on the ledge and she almost slipped off. She narrowed her eyes and tried to ignore the bits of dirt that were invading it. She knew well enough that it wasn't someone she wanted to see. She analyzed her choices. The helicopter threw down a rope at her. It swung as the helicopter hovered, waiting. She looked down. She could make it if she braced herself and landed right. it was only a few more feet, probably twenty. It wouldn't be a hard fall either, there was a heavy mound of grass and leaves, the shrubbery added to when the helicopter blew some of the vegetation off. She took one deep breath and leaped off the rock. Life and the world moved in a seemingly slow motion as her hair rushed beyond her head and her arms raised. She felt a moment of weightlessness before reality sank in and she tumbled roughly to the ground. Rolling through the ground, down the slight incline, she was only stopped when she managed to contort her body sideways. She stuck a foot out to grip a tree and her arms flew out to grab on to anything that was around her. She ended up tumbling into a small muddy puddle. Standing up, making sure she wasn't badly injured, she disgustedly looked at the mud on her legs.
"Well I don't suppose I can find a towel anywhere." She said, rolling her eyes. She sighed and started to walk. She looked at her watch and then stopped-
The camera. Where was the camera? She turned and looked around, searching for the small device. Her eyes darted around, searching for anything that was black. She finally spotted it, it's strap whittled down to a thread, and hanging on a tree branch. Unfortunately, it was a little higher than she could reach. Groaning at the thought of more climbing, she placed one foot on a branch and started to lift herself up. she grabbed the camera, but the strap was stuck. She wished she had her utility knife with her, but it had been lost on the rocky journey down. She gripped the camera and jumped off the tree limb, successfully ripping the strap, leaving her the camera. Not checking it for damage, she started to run through the woods.
"Hold it right there!" A voice said from behind. "Hands in the air!"
She turned slowly. She saw a man in a suit, surrounded by four other men, each of whom had a weapon pointed at her.
"You are under arrest for trespassing on restricted government property." He said calmly.
"It's not supposed to be restricted." She muttered as she put her hands up. one of the men took the camera and handcuffed her hands behind her.
***
There was a knock on the door. "Hey, you wanted to see me?"
Frank Parker, chrononaut and borderline alcoholic. He peeked through the doorway. Ramsey turned and saw Hooter, the newest arrival, standing behind Parker, peeking in.
"Yes, Frank. I did call a meeting, didn't I?" Bradley said, waving him in. Ramsey didn't move as the Backstep team filed in one by one and took their seats. Hooter was carrying a laptop. He set it on the large table and opened it, exposing a large screen. Schematics and complex diagrams rolled by as he monitored the project's systems.
"Now I'm sure you've heard of the recent security breaches at Fort Ellington." Bradley started.
Various members of the team nodded. No one spoke.
"The NSA believes that the recent slew of security breaches is only a step towards a larger front. They also think that we are next."
"What makes them think that?" Olga asked, shaking her head.
"Well, three weeks ago, a classified base in Montana was visited by a few campers. Two days later, Fort Montgomery detected a security violation. They found a few teenagers who claimed that people paid them each a hundred dollars to take pictures of the fort and to drop them off at an undisclosed mailbox."
Bradley sat down and picked up a pen. His face held the look of worry, but at the same time a look of confidence.
"And then just four days ago, Ellington." Donovan said, summarizing Bradley's next target. "A local mountain climber."
"Who are these people? Do they know they're on government property?" Hooter asked in disbelief.
"Of course they do. Anyone can be manipulated with a price." Ramsey said. "The point is, how do we prevent that from happening to us. I've put extra guards at all entrances, though I doubt that will work. From what we've seen so far of the other trespasses, all of them were strictly recon missions, done from a distance. All the people were normal citizens and everything was kept low tech."
"Okay, so we've got some more cameras, a few more Dobermans at the door. So when do we think this guy's going to come? And why?" Parker asked, sitting up.
He rested his elbows on the table and glanced at Olga, who was concentrating intently on the meeting. He caught the expression on Donovan's face as he watched Parker watch Olga. His old friend was smiling. That smile always meant something mischievous. Parker was usually the one holding that smile.
"We don't exactly know what this is for yet. We've suspected a right wing terrorist group for a long time now." Bradley said. He took a file that was resting on the large conference table. "But they haven't made a move, and considering their past history of violence and spur of the moment attacks, this is highly unorthodox."
"Maybe they're thinking of something new this time." Donovan said. He shook his head. "I don't like it one bit. If they're doing recon, and they're doing from high above, they're going to have problems here. There's nothing but dirt and sun."
"That might be true, but nevertheless, we are a target. Which is why I am issuing a base wide shut down. All backsteps will be halted and all personnel are required to stay on base until further notice."
He turned to Ramsey. "We don't know when or how they'll come at us, but we'll be ready. In the mean time, the council has "suggested lightly" that we bring in some fresh blood into the mix." His eyes moved to Hooter. "Mr. Owsley here wasn't enough, apparently." He said, a small hint of humor in his tone.
"We're expecting-"
ISecurity Breach. Attention, security breach of base perimeters./I
Ramsey, as well as everyone else, jumped to their feet. Ramsey started barking orders at his men, trying to find out what was going on.
Monitors implanted into the wall flickered to life, showing the camera perspectives.
"Where's our intruder?" Donovan asked, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.
"We're not sure." Ramsey said hurriedly, and got back in touch with his guards.
"Uh…" Andrew said slowly.
"What?" Parker asked the young man.
"You know, I think the NSA is wrong…" He said, frowning.
"What are you talking about?" Ramsey said, almost pushing him out of the way.
"Someone's accessing our data." Hooter said. He typed in a few commands. "They couldn't have hacked their way in without me noticing sooner, they must have exact specified codes."
Ramsey was still talking to his group, who still examined the perimeter, while everyone else was focused on Owsley. He was diligently typing commands, throwing passwords, trying to shut out this unwanted user.
"What's happening?" Bradley asked him. Andrew's eyes flickered momentarily from the screen to his boss.
"Whoever it is, they went straight for the personnel files. I don't get it, really. There's much more valuable information elsewhere."
"Unless they're here for something specific." Olga offered.
Hooter nodded as he analyzed the system again.
Finally, he stopped.
"They're gone." He said, sitting back. "I'm tracing the path now, seeing what they used to get in."
"Not cautious, are they?" Frank asked. "They didn't even cover their trail."
"I don't think that was a point." Andrew said, looking up at Frank. "As soon as they entered, they hit the personnel files. They could've gotten to the backstep diagrams, the data of our backsteps, scientific notes, anything. The employees are the least valuable of all the information stored on this database. And they didn't even take anything." He said, frowning.
"Do you know how they got in?" Olga asked, disturbed by their recent intrusion. She kept her notes and research close to her, but technology was not quite infallible.
"This is what I'm digging right now." He replied. He watched the screen as it scrolled through information. When it stopped, his face twisted into confusion and knowledge at the same time.
"Okay, according to this, whoever entered, used my codes." He shook his head. "And they left a message."
Everyone, even Ramsey, who by now had given up the search for a physical intruder, gathered around the young man. He typed for a few seconds longer, and a few lines appeared.
"I can't believe it." He muttered.
"What?" Donovan asked, a bit impatient.
"I know who did it." He said.
"Who?" Bradley said, picking up the phone. He was ready to dial Washington. If they had to pull a full fledged armed forces attack on this one, then so be it. Then again, did they consider the backstep project so valuable?
"Kira. Kira Doran." He said quietly. "See this?" He pointed. A series of numbers, seemingly random and insignificant, jutted out from a long line of binary code. "This is her calling card. That series of numbers."
"Kira Doran?" Bradley said. He developed an odd look and went for his file.
"Who is she and how do you know?" Donovan asked him.
"She's an NSA covert operative." Bradley said. He had the open file in his hands.
"And what do the numbers mean?" Parker asked. The question was directed towards anyone, it would have seemed.
"The numbers are a combination." Hooter said. "The first three, 515, that's her birthday. The next four are 1978, rearranged. 7189."
"What are the last three?" Olga asked.
"Those numbers….well, that's my birthday." He said.
"And how would she have your birthday?" Donovan asked, a bit confused, a bit suspicious.
"Because he's a genius who has a knack for numbers." A voice called from the door. Everyone turned around, turning to see a young woman at the door, dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt.
"Who the hell are you?" Ramsey said, a bit more blunt than he usually was.
"Kira Doran. The new girl." She said, looking at Bradley.
She quickly held up the camera and snapped another photo. Looping the thin camera strap around her neck, it swung against her as she swung an arm to grab the side of the big rock and stepped over. She squinted, and spotted a car coming down a stretch of road. It was a dot, like a fly on a contrasting white wall. She was sure it couldn't spot her, but if she could spot it….
Erin considered whether to slowly make her way down, or just to jump down about 10 feet to the ridge under her. She looked at the cracks in the rock face she was standing against and decided against jumping down. She slowly lowered herself until her arms on the outcrop only supported her where she had just been standing. Mumbling, her feet sought to grip something solid as she tried to look beyond her arms.
When she finally found a small mound of rock jutting out, she stepped on it with one foot and stepped down the few remaining feet. She sighed and glanced at the rest of the journey she'd have to make. A bird cried out in the air as it soared past her. She frowned when she noticed a rumbling sound. She wanted to shake it off as just dehydration or sun exposure, but she was sure there was a rumbling…
Suddenly, above the rock, a giant helicopter swooped up. trees and leaves trembled, and the force of the spinning blades spun the air around like a blender. Erin fought to stay on the ledge and she almost slipped off. She narrowed her eyes and tried to ignore the bits of dirt that were invading it. She knew well enough that it wasn't someone she wanted to see. She analyzed her choices. The helicopter threw down a rope at her. It swung as the helicopter hovered, waiting. She looked down. She could make it if she braced herself and landed right. it was only a few more feet, probably twenty. It wouldn't be a hard fall either, there was a heavy mound of grass and leaves, the shrubbery added to when the helicopter blew some of the vegetation off. She took one deep breath and leaped off the rock. Life and the world moved in a seemingly slow motion as her hair rushed beyond her head and her arms raised. She felt a moment of weightlessness before reality sank in and she tumbled roughly to the ground. Rolling through the ground, down the slight incline, she was only stopped when she managed to contort her body sideways. She stuck a foot out to grip a tree and her arms flew out to grab on to anything that was around her. She ended up tumbling into a small muddy puddle. Standing up, making sure she wasn't badly injured, she disgustedly looked at the mud on her legs.
"Well I don't suppose I can find a towel anywhere." She said, rolling her eyes. She sighed and started to walk. She looked at her watch and then stopped-
The camera. Where was the camera? She turned and looked around, searching for the small device. Her eyes darted around, searching for anything that was black. She finally spotted it, it's strap whittled down to a thread, and hanging on a tree branch. Unfortunately, it was a little higher than she could reach. Groaning at the thought of more climbing, she placed one foot on a branch and started to lift herself up. she grabbed the camera, but the strap was stuck. She wished she had her utility knife with her, but it had been lost on the rocky journey down. She gripped the camera and jumped off the tree limb, successfully ripping the strap, leaving her the camera. Not checking it for damage, she started to run through the woods.
"Hold it right there!" A voice said from behind. "Hands in the air!"
She turned slowly. She saw a man in a suit, surrounded by four other men, each of whom had a weapon pointed at her.
"You are under arrest for trespassing on restricted government property." He said calmly.
"It's not supposed to be restricted." She muttered as she put her hands up. one of the men took the camera and handcuffed her hands behind her.
***
There was a knock on the door. "Hey, you wanted to see me?"
Frank Parker, chrononaut and borderline alcoholic. He peeked through the doorway. Ramsey turned and saw Hooter, the newest arrival, standing behind Parker, peeking in.
"Yes, Frank. I did call a meeting, didn't I?" Bradley said, waving him in. Ramsey didn't move as the Backstep team filed in one by one and took their seats. Hooter was carrying a laptop. He set it on the large table and opened it, exposing a large screen. Schematics and complex diagrams rolled by as he monitored the project's systems.
"Now I'm sure you've heard of the recent security breaches at Fort Ellington." Bradley started.
Various members of the team nodded. No one spoke.
"The NSA believes that the recent slew of security breaches is only a step towards a larger front. They also think that we are next."
"What makes them think that?" Olga asked, shaking her head.
"Well, three weeks ago, a classified base in Montana was visited by a few campers. Two days later, Fort Montgomery detected a security violation. They found a few teenagers who claimed that people paid them each a hundred dollars to take pictures of the fort and to drop them off at an undisclosed mailbox."
Bradley sat down and picked up a pen. His face held the look of worry, but at the same time a look of confidence.
"And then just four days ago, Ellington." Donovan said, summarizing Bradley's next target. "A local mountain climber."
"Who are these people? Do they know they're on government property?" Hooter asked in disbelief.
"Of course they do. Anyone can be manipulated with a price." Ramsey said. "The point is, how do we prevent that from happening to us. I've put extra guards at all entrances, though I doubt that will work. From what we've seen so far of the other trespasses, all of them were strictly recon missions, done from a distance. All the people were normal citizens and everything was kept low tech."
"Okay, so we've got some more cameras, a few more Dobermans at the door. So when do we think this guy's going to come? And why?" Parker asked, sitting up.
He rested his elbows on the table and glanced at Olga, who was concentrating intently on the meeting. He caught the expression on Donovan's face as he watched Parker watch Olga. His old friend was smiling. That smile always meant something mischievous. Parker was usually the one holding that smile.
"We don't exactly know what this is for yet. We've suspected a right wing terrorist group for a long time now." Bradley said. He took a file that was resting on the large conference table. "But they haven't made a move, and considering their past history of violence and spur of the moment attacks, this is highly unorthodox."
"Maybe they're thinking of something new this time." Donovan said. He shook his head. "I don't like it one bit. If they're doing recon, and they're doing from high above, they're going to have problems here. There's nothing but dirt and sun."
"That might be true, but nevertheless, we are a target. Which is why I am issuing a base wide shut down. All backsteps will be halted and all personnel are required to stay on base until further notice."
He turned to Ramsey. "We don't know when or how they'll come at us, but we'll be ready. In the mean time, the council has "suggested lightly" that we bring in some fresh blood into the mix." His eyes moved to Hooter. "Mr. Owsley here wasn't enough, apparently." He said, a small hint of humor in his tone.
"We're expecting-"
ISecurity Breach. Attention, security breach of base perimeters./I
Ramsey, as well as everyone else, jumped to their feet. Ramsey started barking orders at his men, trying to find out what was going on.
Monitors implanted into the wall flickered to life, showing the camera perspectives.
"Where's our intruder?" Donovan asked, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.
"We're not sure." Ramsey said hurriedly, and got back in touch with his guards.
"Uh…" Andrew said slowly.
"What?" Parker asked the young man.
"You know, I think the NSA is wrong…" He said, frowning.
"What are you talking about?" Ramsey said, almost pushing him out of the way.
"Someone's accessing our data." Hooter said. He typed in a few commands. "They couldn't have hacked their way in without me noticing sooner, they must have exact specified codes."
Ramsey was still talking to his group, who still examined the perimeter, while everyone else was focused on Owsley. He was diligently typing commands, throwing passwords, trying to shut out this unwanted user.
"What's happening?" Bradley asked him. Andrew's eyes flickered momentarily from the screen to his boss.
"Whoever it is, they went straight for the personnel files. I don't get it, really. There's much more valuable information elsewhere."
"Unless they're here for something specific." Olga offered.
Hooter nodded as he analyzed the system again.
Finally, he stopped.
"They're gone." He said, sitting back. "I'm tracing the path now, seeing what they used to get in."
"Not cautious, are they?" Frank asked. "They didn't even cover their trail."
"I don't think that was a point." Andrew said, looking up at Frank. "As soon as they entered, they hit the personnel files. They could've gotten to the backstep diagrams, the data of our backsteps, scientific notes, anything. The employees are the least valuable of all the information stored on this database. And they didn't even take anything." He said, frowning.
"Do you know how they got in?" Olga asked, disturbed by their recent intrusion. She kept her notes and research close to her, but technology was not quite infallible.
"This is what I'm digging right now." He replied. He watched the screen as it scrolled through information. When it stopped, his face twisted into confusion and knowledge at the same time.
"Okay, according to this, whoever entered, used my codes." He shook his head. "And they left a message."
Everyone, even Ramsey, who by now had given up the search for a physical intruder, gathered around the young man. He typed for a few seconds longer, and a few lines appeared.
"I can't believe it." He muttered.
"What?" Donovan asked, a bit impatient.
"I know who did it." He said.
"Who?" Bradley said, picking up the phone. He was ready to dial Washington. If they had to pull a full fledged armed forces attack on this one, then so be it. Then again, did they consider the backstep project so valuable?
"Kira. Kira Doran." He said quietly. "See this?" He pointed. A series of numbers, seemingly random and insignificant, jutted out from a long line of binary code. "This is her calling card. That series of numbers."
"Kira Doran?" Bradley said. He developed an odd look and went for his file.
"Who is she and how do you know?" Donovan asked him.
"She's an NSA covert operative." Bradley said. He had the open file in his hands.
"And what do the numbers mean?" Parker asked. The question was directed towards anyone, it would have seemed.
"The numbers are a combination." Hooter said. "The first three, 515, that's her birthday. The next four are 1978, rearranged. 7189."
"What are the last three?" Olga asked.
"Those numbers….well, that's my birthday." He said.
"And how would she have your birthday?" Donovan asked, a bit confused, a bit suspicious.
"Because he's a genius who has a knack for numbers." A voice called from the door. Everyone turned around, turning to see a young woman at the door, dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt.
"Who the hell are you?" Ramsey said, a bit more blunt than he usually was.
"Kira Doran. The new girl." She said, looking at Bradley.