Protector of Men Ch 95
Zandra opened her eyes to another dark room. It was different than before; Kesia had moved their deployment area to a place more secluded because the previous hardline had been compromised near the Oracle's hideaway. Kesia had looked hard to find a place without anyone around, and with a hardline. Guaranteed, it would be dark, and it would be old. This room had the same general look as their previous though; stained walls, a creaky wooden floor, one door, and no windows. There was one hanging lamp above their heads, and one small table on which their supplies lay. Next to the hardline rested a laptop computer, and next to that lay Trim's viral disk.
"Zandra, guard the door," Cover said quietly, checking his weapon. Zandra pulled out her two small Skorpions and leaned against the wall, getting ready for a long wait. Trim sat at the computer and booted up, his leg bouncing from an overabundance of nervous energy. Cover rested on the chair behind, watching him.
"Trim," Cover started, "Remember we don't have a lot of time. Just get it done, and go."
Trim nodded and entered DOS.
"I'm serious, Trim," he continued, "Do this right. We can't afford to have you screw things up."
"Alright, alright," Trim answered meekly, typing more.
[Password:V3r51oN70]
[Access Granted]
[Connection IP:XXX.XXX.X.XXX to network.exe established]
Cover said nothing more, and sighed in agitation. Zandra watched him with surprise; he had never been so harsh to a crewmember before… and Trim was the one doing the work. Trim picked up the disk for a moment, paused thoughtfully, then put it back down again.
"Is it ready yet?" Cover asked impatiently, leaning forward into the screen. Zandra's phone rang.
"Not yet," Trim replied in a whisper, typing in more information on the keyboard.
"Agents are targeting the building," Kesia said. Zandra immediately got up from her resting position.
"How many?"
"Five."
"How close?"
"A little over a mile off," Kesia said, "They should be there in a few minutes, tops."
"Cover," Zandra started, moving away from the door, "They're coming."
"Should we leave?"
"We have a minute."
"Alright. Trim, back this down, we're gonna find another hardline." He patted Trim's shoulder warningly.
"I'm almost done," Trim answered loudly, "Okay?" He paused for a moment, recollecting himself, and began typing furiously.
[Direct connection IP: 284.666.4.086 to mainf.exe]
[Password: protectorofmen]
[Access denied]
[Direct connection locked]
Trim closed the program after finishing and picked up the disk, placing it next to their hardline.
"Next time?" he asked, looking to Cover and gesturing to the disk. Cover nodded condescendingly and motioned for Zandra to call Kesia.
"Kesia," Zandra said, "The disk's ready to be downloaded again."
The phone rang and the disk was soon gone; Cover directed Zandra to stay on the line with Kesia until both he and Trim were safe in the Libertas again. They waited in silence for the phone to ring and take them back to the comfort of the Libertas.
But the phone went dead before their hardline rang. Zandra put down the phone and readied her guns on the door, preparing for an attack.
"What happened?" Cover asked. He too pulled out his gun. Trim turned in his chair and looked to Zandra, his eyes suddenly wide with fear again.
"The phone's dead," she answered, suddenly moving from the door again, "I think they're here."
Cover picked up the hardline, but it too was dead.
"We have to get out," he said, cocking his weapon and gesturing for Trim to get up. Trim shuffled around in his pocket for a moment, then pulled out his own gun, a small Beretta.
"Let's go," Zandra resolved, and opened the door. They hurried out of the building and into the road outside. It was deserted.
A/N – things are happening… things are happening… I know the chap's short, but things are happening.
Alocin – seriously! But it looks like shade might be getting the right idea… even if Cover has thwarted his plans for now.
Vez – aw, everyone suspects poor trim! Okay, so Veritas basically copied the matrix (at least, a small part of it – al of it's much too much to copy!) and in the process, made something incredible. It's just easier for Zandra to remodel the construct because it's made by people – though the foundations are the same. Does that make sense? I'm not good at explaining things, I've decided… haha.
Yes, I've played ETM extensively. And yeah, interesting thing about those Smiths… but they always scared me, so I always put on the faster cheats, haha. I'm such a pansy when it comes to video games.