"I'm good for the rest of the day now," Ro announced as they headed out of the restaurant. Zee had already paid the cashier and tipped their waitress so they were free to go venture out into the park again.
Ro had been fed and she'd been able to rest her feet for a while, thus actually meaning that she'd be good for a few more hours, rather than the rest of the day. Zee knew that she wouldn't actually be good for the rest of the day as she'd said the same thing after breakfast. Well, she hadn't said that she'd be good for the rest of the day, but until dinner— however, she'd grown tired again before lunch… He expected that she'd follow the same trend: they'd wait in line for a really big, popular ride and she'd be tired and grumpy again, thus meaning that she'd get tired and frustrated more quickly. Then they might go on another two or three big rides (or a couple of the smaller ones that were less popular and had shorter lines). By the time they were done with those rides she'd be ready for dinner and to sit down and rest her feet for a while, and thus would not have made it to the end of the day. But they were her in the park for her enjoyment, not to see how long she could suffer from hunger, dehydration, and physical exhaustion before wanting or needing another break.
As it'd been a while since he'd asked Ro what she wanted to do next, and as her opinion might have changed over the course of lunch he asked again, "So what do you want to do next?"
It seemed like he was a broken record as he was constantly asking her that question, but she didn't mind planning their itinerary. She looked around to see what attraction was closest. There was one in particular that stood out, or above, all of the rest. "I guess we could go burn off some of those calories we gained from lunch at Rapunzel's walkthrough tower…"
It was so funny how she always used the royal "we" when she was with him. "At least there shouldn't be a long line since it's a walkthrough which means that the line is the attraction," Zee said in support of her decision.
"Let's go then," Ro said, taking him by his arm.
"I've called ahead and have let their security chief know that we're coming. He'll be expecting us. He's sent me a list of some conditions he'd like use to abide by if we're going to enter the park itself." Rush handed the list to Bennet to read over.
He frowned as he read the list, then crumpled it angrily in his fist after he'd finished reading it. The list seemed to be in response to the fact that the park's chief of security didn't like the sudden announcement that they would intruding in over his current supreme authority over the park's security systems, more than that he was sincerely concerned about the guests safety. "It seems Officer Reiner doesn't like the feeling of having his toes stepped on," Bennet commented, throwing the note on the floor. Having to deal with a security officer who resented the fact that they would be intruding in on his "territory" would make things more difficult. He'd try to accommodate as many of the requests on the list, but as he was a federal government agent, his word would be the ultimate deciding factor. "Thank you Rush," he said stiffly then went to the front of the vehicle where he could address his entire team.
Rush turned around in her seat to listen to Bennet's announcement, although she already had a mind as to what it was about as she'd spoken with the park's security chief in person, and she'd red the list before handing it to Bennet.
Bennet waited for all of his team to look up at him before he started his announcements. Only if he saw their eyes staring back at him did he know that hey had their full undivided attention… "West!" he barked. West quickly looked up from his computer console, grinning sheepishly. Seeing that everyone was listening to him now he gave the layout of their mission, only stating the relevant facts that applied to the entire team. He wouldn't waste their time by reading them the entire list as it wasn't important for them to know the fine details of the permission request for them to be allowed into the park.
"This assignment will be much like the other assignments that you've been on before. As in the past, our goal is still to obtain the synthoid in working condition by using stealth techniques covert maneuvers. We do not want the synthoid to know that we're coming. The location of this mission will largely determine the success of our stakeout. The amusement park we're heading to is highly populated—more than any other location we've been at. This will make it easier for us to blend in, but it will also mean more of a crowd for Zeta and his accomplice to disappear into. The key to our success is to not alert them of out presence until we've got them surrounded."
"Does this mean we'll be going in undercover?" One of the agents inquired.
"As easy as it would make our job, we have been requested to remain in our uniforms if we wish to enter the park armed with any larger equipment other than your standard issue side arms." Not only was it one of Officer Reiner's requests, but it was also the NSA's policy to be in uniform when openly armed and among a large crowd of people. Their uniforms reassured the civilians that they were qualified and certified to be carrying fire arms. It also made their positions of authority more easily recognizable.
He continued, "For safety precautions, as during this time of year the park is very crowded, the park security chief has also requested that we do not bring in any weapons or equipment that: 'might harm any of their guests at the park, or inconvenience their day'." He frowned after he'd said this last sentence. It was highly unprofessional to criticize another group or organization in front of his team (especially one that dealt with citizen safety as well) and he'd been a little too sarcastic when he'd quoted Officer Reiner's words from the memo he'd sent. If he were the park's security chief, a little inconvenience to any of the park guests' day would be the least of his worries when faced with the reality that there was a terrorist synthoid running around the park unchecked. If he were in charge, he'd be more cooperative with the recovery party and would allow them more leniency on what equipment they could bring into the park to apprehend such a dangerous criminal.
"So what are we allowed to bring in?" another agent asked, although if he hadn't interrupted, Bennet would have gotten around to answering his question momentarily.
"As Zeta is a not just a threat to the people in the park, but a threat to national security, in the better interest of the matter, we will be disregarding this last request." The request had been outright ridiculous. How could Officer Reiner expect them to catch Zeta with their bare hands—which was what the memo practically confined them to. While the safety of the guests was important, it would be unwise to be completely defenseless when dealing with a synthoid who was not.
In his ideal world he'd actually have the entire park surrounded, and then shut down, and would be scanning each of the guests as they exited the park. But this wasn't even reasonable by the NSA's standards… By the time they coordinated such a large effort Zeta would already have found a back door out of the park. Also, Officer Reiner would have a fit about how much profit the park would lose from an evacuation and the bad promotion. He only knew that this was how Officer Reiner would react as it had been Officer Reiner's first reaction after he'd informed him of the situation. However, after he'd sent him Zeta's history and profile, the security chief had taken a different stance on the matter. Unfortunately that stance was more of an apathetic one. Officer Reiner had looked at Zeta's profile and had asked whether Zeta needed to be apprehended immediately as didn't appear that he had a dangerous criminal profile or a record of violence.
No record of violence--Ha! It was only because he couldn't reveal what Zeta had done to the Noesis, that made the synthoid's violence record seem relatively clean. Still, it wasn't in Officer Reiner's power to deny them access into the park to retrieve Zeta, so he didn't have a choice about the matter.
"It should be strongly noted that the park does not want to risk any bad publicity from someone accidentally get shot as a result of our efforts, so exercise great caution when handling your equipment," he explained. West felt as if he was glancing in his direction a little too long after that last comment. "In addition to your side arms, we'll be bringing in our EMP rifles, and restraining artillery such as containment shells and motion inhibitors. Please be aware, due to the nature of this crowded environment, you are not to fire any EMP shots unless you are in an emergency situation. Always keep in mind that the safety of the guests in the park is your number one priority… over apprehending the synthoid." But didn't capturing the synthoid secure that the park guests would be safe?
"Why only in emergency situations?" West asked. "If we see him, shouldn't we just blast him?" he asked.
If he had a tally sheet of how many weeks he'd thought about withholding West's side arm, but didn't, it would be at least a year before he permitted West to carry a butter knife on him. "While an EMP shot would certainly immobilize Zeta, if you accidentally missed, the risk of it hitting a guest is greater in this crowded environment."
"I thought people weren't affected by an EMP," West protested.
"Yeah, but it would deactivate someone's watch or pocket organizer…" Rush began to explain, but was immediately cut off by Bennet, providing the most important factor, "The person you hit might be someone with a pace maker." West quickly shut his mouth, but it was too late, "I'm assigning you to a containment shell launcher…"
"Awww, man…" West groaned. Those things were much heavier than the lighter weight EMP rifles.
Bennet ignored his protests, "The plan is to meet with the security chief, then address the park employees through their communications system to alert them of our presence in the park. They will be given special directions on what to do if they spot Zeta. From there we will work out how we will corner Zeta and move him into a secure, safe area, away from the park guests, in which we may detain or immobilize him. Any questions." He turned his back to his team and stared out the front window of the vehicle.
"Are we sure he's still in the park, "someone behind him asked. It was a good question, one which he'd asked himself.
"While there is always the possibility that they will have moved on by the time that we arrive, we believe he is still the park as on the accounting records it shows that he's reserved a hotel room for the rest of the week."
"If we …" West began to ask his question, but Bennet cut him off, "If we catch Zeta early in the day we will not be spending the rest of the evening in the park." It was as if Bennet was psychic…
Their vehicle slowed down as they approached the security checkpoint into the park. Despite the large letters, "NSA" painted on the side of their vehicle Bennet was still required to pull out his ID and prove that he really was the government agent who had called earlier before they were let past the gate.
The van was parked and Bennet let the parade of agents to the security office. The Officer Reiner was indeed waiting for them when they arrived. "Agent Bennet," he said, extending his hand formally, but stiffly. Bennet shook it quickly, then got right to work.
"What preparations have you accomplished so far?" he asked.
"We've alerted all park employees of your presence here, and have read them the memo you sent ahead. They've been informed to check in shortly for the rest of your message as to how to deal with the synthoid. When you're ready, I've got an open channel to the park security control communication phones, that you may address them through. We can record the message and keep it on file so that it can be replayed for the evening employees who'll come in a few hours."
"These phones… how discrete are they?" Bennet asked.
"Most phones are located out of guest viewing areas and come with headphones."
"Most phones?" Bennet clarified.
"There are vid phones on the ride operation control panels, but guests aren't allowed access to those. The panels are at an angle so guests still won't be able to see the screens. And, there are headphones at those stations…" Officer Reiner clarified. This agent sure was taking things very seriously!
"What's the security precautions for preventing tapped lines?" Bennet asked.
"If you think your synthoid has already tapped into the phone lines there's nothing much we can do as of this point other than send a fleet of telegrams to each individual attraction."
That wouldn't do at all. It was too inefficient to address this many people in such a slow manner. He'd have to hope that the lines were secure as they were. "There may not be enough time for a tedious procedure. We're wasting time as it is. Where's the phone?" Bennet asked.
Officer Reiner had a growing feeling of dislike for this government agent, who seemed conceited and in an overly rushed hurry. Of course having a fugitive synthoid in the park worried him, but a rash, obsessive agent worried him just as much. Who knows what extreme actions this agent might risk in order to get his target? To him, it might just be simpler to wait for the synthoid to leave on his own rather than to try and corner him in the park. Bennet had assured him that the synthoid was relatively peaceful so that there was no immediate threat, but Bennet couldn't guarantee that Zeta wasn't planning something truly evil. What puzzled him mainly, was what could the synthoid possibly have against a family theme park?
Officer Reiner went over to the main park communications control panel. There were several vid screens built into the panel, each randomly switching to another camera in the front end area of the park. They couldn't possibly keep track of all of the entire park from this one station so there had to be alternate security offices located throughout the park. This one mainly centered on the parking lot and the entrance. He pressed a button on the panel and handed a small microphone to Bennet. After he'd pressed the button, several faces began to appear on the vid screens. They were park employees, picking up the phones as they rang at their select stations. "Just press the green button when you're ready," he instructed Bennet.
He didn't hesitate, but reached down and pressed the button to start recording and addressing the group. His message would mainly be directed to those employees who were operating the rides as that might be where they'd most likely spot Zeta and Ro—waiting in a line for a ride, if that's what they really came to the park for. "This is Agent James T. Bennet from the National Security Agency. As you've already been informed, there is a potentially dangerous fugitive running around in the park with its accomplice. Your job is to call in and inform us of its location should you see Zeta or his accomplice. Should you spot Zeta, use extreme caution. Do not attempt to engage the synthoid yourself. He is confused, and believes himself to be something he is not. Whatever you do, DO NOT draw attention to him or to yourself. Zeta will generally not respond hastily or violently unless he feels threatened. If you see him in your queue line do not stare at him, but keep an eye on him with your peripheral vision. If you cannot do this subtly then do not look at them at all. We do not want him to know that we're watching him. If you fail at this and he suspects he's being watched he will disappear into the crowd and will be impossible to locate without holomorphic scanners. We do not want this to happen at any cost. He will be easier to spot if he does not go into disguise. Should Zeta appear in your line, do not call immediately but wait until he is well into the queue line, or out of sight before calling in to report his location. Should he leave the area, or ride, take note of which direction he heads in, then call in as soon as possible. Subtle actions are the key."
Now was the time for him to upload the visual file of what these fugitives actually looked like. He'd sent a picture in earlier, but he couldn't count on the fact that everyone remembered what Zeta and Ro looked like from one glance at their wanted poster. Repetition would make sure they remembered what they looked like. Rush was waiting off to the side with the file ready. She gave him the thumbs up sign. Bennet continued, "While the synthoid is known to change appearances at a moment's notice, the girl is incapable of doing so. She will be the easiest to identify of the two." And now for the closing note, "Should the synthoid become aggressive, do not follow your park policy and procedures for dealing with an upset guest, but call in immediately. This is not your average cranky park guest, but a dangerous weapon. End of memo." He pressed the green button again to end the transmission. If these employees followed his advice they would be sure to have Zeta by the end of the day.
Just watching Bennet at his work made the security chief feel as if he were in a spy movie or something. Bennet's speech had been very clear as to how to deal with the synthoid, but he felt that he didn't emphasize enough about what to do if the synthoid did become aggressive or violent. "May we see a record of all current cred transfers occurring throughout the park at this moment?" Bennet asked as soon as he'd finished his announcement.
He scratched his head as he thought about this request. Cred transfers were usually under the accounting department's responsibility, not the security department's. But, being on the security team he did have access to such files as part of security was making sure there were no illegal money transfers going on inside of the park. And… if these cred transfers related to the capture of the synthoid somehow, that was related to security, which was under his jurisdiction so… yes, he could get such information for this agent. "I can get you yesterday's figures, but if you want today's figures we'll have to head over to the accounting department where they've got a live connection to the machines in the park."
"Take me there," Bennet said, already on his way out of the office.
The accounting office was located well beyond the regular borders of the park. The security chief got out his key for the small company electric tram car and started it up. Heck if he was going to walk all the way across the parking lot when he could drive. Bennet sat on the passenger side in the front with Rush and West in the back. They took off for the small building, located in the building complex on the outskirts of the park, well hidden behind a gate covered in tropical vines. The guard by the gate was about ready to cry from boredom until he saw the small tram car approaching. It was amazing. No one ever came through this gate in the middle of the day. There was always a lot of traffic at this gate in the mornings and evenings, but never in the middle of the day. So who were these visitors?
As they approached the gate, the security chief pulled out his ID and flashed it to the young guard. He glanced over the ID, then pressed the button that would open the gate. As they drove through, West smugly pulled out his ID and flashed it to the guard as he passed by. However, if he hadn't been informed that the NSA was coming to retrieve a malfunctioning synthoid, he wouldn't even have recognized the ID when West showed it to him. Here at the park, the only IDs that held much recognition were the ones with the park logo on the front. If he'd been handed such an ID the day before, he might have taken it home to scrape the wax off of his surfboard, rather than using his cred card, and have thought nothing more of it. To him the NSA was like the FBI and the CIA. He'd heard of them in movies, but had never seen someone from any organization in real life. Well, now he had.
After the tram car had passed through he closed the gate and sunk his head into his arms. To all of the other employees in the park, who didn't know better, his job seemed the most ideal. It was relatively relaxing, out of the sun, and required the least amount of effort in comparison to the high pay rate he received. But what those employees didn't know was the unbearable agony that came with being left in a small shack all day long, alone, and bored out of his mind. As part of his job description, reading a book or participating in any other activity that might possibly make the time pass by a little quicker, was not permitted as it would give off the impression that he wasn't paying attention to what was going on around him. Heaven forbid he shouldn't notice the gradual lengthening of the shadows from the lamp posts in this wasteland section of the parking lot, slowly stretch from one end to the other.
Their tram car slowed to a stop, and they were escorted into the accounting building. "May I use one of your computers?" Bennet asked. It was more of a polite gesture, than an actual request. He was going to use one of these computers, regardless of the chief's response. The formality of asking him first would just help the officer to not feel too threatened by their intrusion if he made it seem like he still has some authority over the matter.
Well… since he'd asked nicely, and Bennet was a government agent, and he was the chief of security over the park… who would dare argue with him if he said yes? "Let me set you up with the head of the department. She can show you to a free computer," he offered. He picked up his radio and asked, "1063, this is 1539, you copy?"
"1063 for 1539, go ahead," a voice cackled from his radio.
"1063, can you call me on line 5?"
"Sure thing, Bob," the voice replied. In a minute the phone rang, and the security officer picked it up. He quickly explained the situation to the woman on the other end of the phone. After a brief conversation he hung up the phone.
"She'll be here shortly," he explained.
From somewhere in the back of the department, a woman hurried forward. Her nametag read, "Kathleen." She introduced herself very quickly, then got right to business. Bennet appreciated her promptness. "I'm afraid that we keep most of our computers occupied, but Andrew is out to lunch for the hour so you can use his computer for now until we can get a spare hooked up. Our technician is already on his way over."
"Thank you, but this should only take a couple of minutes," Bennet declined her offer to have another computer set up for him.
"Very well then," she said, then showed Bennet to Andrew's cubicle. She turned on the computer and entered in her password into the computer. "It's all yours," she said, then left them to return to her work. Robert, their head chief of security was with them. He would make sure that they didn't go prodding around for any confidential files on their system.
Bennet sat down on the computer, and immediately opened an email attachment. He knew what files he'd need to send over, and where to find them on this computer. It was part of his training to know how to find such information. Bob was amazed as he watched this agent work. If he didn't know better he would have thought that his agent worked here part time! He knew exactly where to find the accounting files for the day, as well as the ones that were being processed at that very moment! While he was a little suspicious as he watched Bennet attach the documents to the open email, Bennet was an officer in the NSA, and it wasn't like he was sending over all of their past financial records.
With the files ready to be sent, Bennet adjusted the web camera on the top of the computer so that his face was centered in the vid cam window. He couldn't use the vid phone next to the computer as this office was undoubtedly not equipped to host a secure line. He would be able to set up a secure line over the internet however… He called in to the financial office at the NSA headquarters. "Please sign in," a voice prompted him.
He manually typed in his password, and was connected immediately. It felt good to type in his new password that accompanied his new increase in security clearance. Someone was waiting on the other end of the line when the internet call connected. "Agent Bennet, what can I do for you?" the woman on the other end asked. She'd been told to expect his call that day, and had already been briefed on what would happen when he did call.
"I'm sending over the current files for the park's accounting records. Let me know of any matches." With that he pushed the "send" button.
"I'll get right on it," she said, then her face disappeared and was replaced with the NSA symbol. It would be easy to single out any cred purchases Zeta made, as she would be looking in a very defined area rather than for any purchases made across the country. She looked over the list Bennet had sent her. In only a few minutes her face reappeared on the screen. "Got one!" she announced. "Card transfer record number…" she paused to read off the long number, "1009283493635." The numbers didn't mean anything to him.
"Where did he make the purchase?!" Bennet asked hastily. His heart began pumping faster in the excitement.
"Give me a second," the woman apologized. She didn't bother to put up the NSA screen saver while she looked. She had confirmed that the NSA records showed a purchase made inside of the amusement park, and the amusement park showed a withdrawal from the same account, but the NSA's files didn't tell her anything more than that. They needed the park's records, to find out which exact cred machine inside the park the transaction was made at. She quickly opened the other file Bennet had sent her. She scanned down the list for any matching purchase amounts. Miraculously, there was only one that matched the exact withdrawal amount on their records. Had there been more that one machine with the same amount she would have just taken the analysis one step further to see which of the machines had withdrawn from the NSA account for that amount. She'd found it. "The Princess and the Pea Soup. It's a restaurant. Total bill was for…"
"Never mind that. How long ago did they make the purchase?" Bennet asked.
"Ten minutes," she replied.
Ten minutes… With his old clearance it would have taken him a day to get such information! "Agents! Move out!" Bennet called to his group. "I'll leave the link open to the files. Be sure to call me if there are any more updates!" he said, then quickly closed off the secure connection. He'd have one of his agents waiting at the van leave a note for Andrew to not close the connection when he returned from his lunch. Without even bothering to take the time to push the chair back under the desk, he headed out.
"You... you found him already?" Bob asked, surprised. "That was quick!"
Yes, it was, but only because they'd known where to look for the information down to the city block. Had they tried to find any cred purchase made anywhere else within the last ten minutes they wouldn't have had as much luck.
"Rush, get me a park map!" Bennet started to order her, but she was one step ahead of him.
"Got one right here for you," she said handing him the neatly folded brochure. "Downloaded it off of the net," she explained.
"Well aren't we being the teacher's pet," West muttered, but not quietly enough.
"It's not being the teacher's pet West, it's called doing your job," Bennet said coldly. He opened the map and looked at the restaurant. "The Princess and the Pea Soup," it was in the pink area on the map, right near the center of the park. There were several attractions in that area of the park so chances were Zeta and Ro would still be in that section by the time they got there. Perfect. Maybe with any luck one of the park employees in the area had already spotted them and were waiting for a convenient time to call in!
They quickly hurried back to the van where Bennet left his last words of advice and instruction to the team that was waiting there for their return. At his command, several agents began to get geared up while others began to put on their undercover street clothes. It was only going against protocol if they were to be openly carrying around their weapons in such attire. They wouldn't be able to carry around the large equipment so he would leave such artillery to those of his agents that would be entering the park, in uniform.
While their uniforms would made walking around unnoticed difficult, it might not be completely to their disadvantage. With half of his team carrying large, bulky containment shell launchers on their backs, they looked like they were in costume, and were merely characters from some movie that might be currently in production. But rather than trying to turn this coincidence into an act, it would be best to stick with the original goal of keeping a low profile. He addressed his team just before they entered the park, "Here's the plan…"