Chapter 31
And so they returned to the hotel to have lunch. After lunch they sat in Lara's room. Bryce was working on his computer. Suddenly Lara jumped up.
"I have an idea. We should read Downey's mail."
She went to her bed and pulled out her notebook from underneath. She returned to the table where Bryce was sitting, placed it there and turned it on.
"Any idea how we can do this? Do you have a plan?" she asked him.
"I always have a couple of plans. First I will need his IP, computer name... or anything. Do you have an old email?"
"Yes, wait a moment."
"I will start by trying to get into the museum's network first. If that fails we have to install a backdoor program on Downey's computer. You would have to attach it to an email you send him. Hopefully he has some security gaps in his system. If all fails we have to come up with another plan, it might become necessary to get into his office in the museum."
"Let's try to avoid that." Lara said typing on her computer. "Here is the mail he sent me."
Bryce had a look at it and then got back to working on his computer. Ten minutes went by while Lara was pacing up and down behind him. Then he looked up.
"I can get into their system, but I can't get onto single computers - yet. We should try the backdoor program first and if it doesn't work we can come back here and try to get through."
"Fine, so I will write him an email. That's actually not such a bad idea, then I don't have to call him."
Lara sat down and started typing.
Dear Professor Downey,
My mission on Monday was a success. I am now in the possession of the "Crystal of Eternity". It's really magnificent. Alas I had to go into hiding; Heihachi's people are after me now. It's not safe to meet with you yet. I was thinking about coming to the museum on, let's say Thursday, by then I will have things sorted with the Mishimas.
Lara
"Here, I'm done." Lara finally said to Bryce.
"Excellent." he replied. "Now you have to attach my little program. I have copied it onto your computer. You can find it on drive D, Bryces Proggies, the filename is Mr Bojangles."
"What?" Lara asked.
"I was listening to Robbie Williams when I wrote that."
Lara shook her head in disbelieve and then attached Bryce's program to the email and sent it to Downey.
"Let's see. It's now 4.30. How long do you think we have to wait?"
"At least till he gets his mail. While we are waiting I will try to get onto his computer anyway. This gives me something to do and we are prepared in case the mail plan fails."
Lara started pacing up and down again, occasionally looking over Bryce's shoulder. "Nothing yet." he said.
"How long does it take?"
"As long as it takes. If he has not gotten his mail yet, it might be a while. We have to wait."
Lara went into the bathroom to have a shower. Shortly afterwards she returned and stood behind Bryce, a towel wrapped around her wet hair.
"No Lara, no change."
"Damn." she said and started walking around again while combing her hair.
"Lara, please sit down. You are making me nervous."
"But it's nearly six and still nothing..."
"Lara, it is possible that he has gone home, then we won't get anything before tomorrow morning, or whenever he checks his mail. You have to accept that."
"I am going crazy."
She sat down on the couch, turned on the TV and zapped through the channels.
"Lara, I don't want to complain or anything, but watching TV in a language I don't understand doesn't help me to concentrate."
She turned off the TV, then she walked towards Bryce and looked over his shoulder again. He took a deep breath and looked at her.
"How shall I put it? He - has - not - gotten - his - mail - yet!!"
Lara went to her computer and sat down in front of it. She started playing mine sweeper. When her phone rang she got up.
"Thank god, I hope it's something that will get you out of here." Bryce said.
"I hope it's not him."
"Which him are we talking about?"
Lara ignored Bryce, picked her phone from the table and looked at it. Bryce looked at her expectantly.
"Kazuya." Lara said sounding relieved. "Hello" she said picking up.
"Hey, Lara. I am sorry, I can't come tonight. I have so much work to do and if I don't get it done today, I might not make it to the fight tomorrow. And I am expecting a call from a guy in New York. They are not even in the office yet."
"Oh, that's really sad." Lara said disappointed.
"Sorry. But you can come here if you want to." he said joking.
"Certainly. And you can introduce me to your father."
"He has gone home... Well, I guess I better get back to work, or I can forget the fight."
"Promise me you will call when you are ready." Lara said.
"This might be well after midnight."
"I don't care if it's the middle of the night, just call me." Lara said firmly.
"Ok, I will."
Lara walked towards Bryce once more. He was trying hard getting onto Downey's computer.
"Nothing is happening here... Maybe we should go down to the restaurant and have something to eat."
Lara looked at him with a face that said 'You are giving up already'.
"It's no use sitting here waiting for something to happen that will not happen today."
Lara stared at the display, waiting for something to happen. 5 minutes later she gave up. "Ok, let's go."
Bryce walked out of the room first, Lara followed him reluctantly.
They went down to the buffet. Lara didn't eat very much and so she left before Bryce. She walked to the reception to see if she could get another rental car. She had returned the previous one, since it might draw attention to her. When Lara returned from the reception she ran into Paul Phoenix.
"Look who it is." he said. "The girl who dated Mishima." He stretched out his hand. "Paul Phoenix."
"I remember you." she said coldly ignoring his hand.
He withdrew it and then looked around.
"I can't see Mr. Arrogant. So he has already dumped you? Typical. You are lucky that you are still alive. Normally he gets rid of people who are no use to him anymore."
"You are starting to annoy me." Lara said.
"I am just trying to help you to see what a bastard he is."
"I don't need your help."
"By now he is probably fucking someone else. You should forget him, sweetie. How about the two of us."
Lara clenched her fist and punched him in the face.
"Go to hell!"
Paul held his nose which was bleeding.
"No thanks, I don't want to meet your lover there."
Lara walked away and left him standing holding his nose.
And so they returned to the hotel to have lunch. After lunch they sat in Lara's room. Bryce was working on his computer. Suddenly Lara jumped up.
"I have an idea. We should read Downey's mail."
She went to her bed and pulled out her notebook from underneath. She returned to the table where Bryce was sitting, placed it there and turned it on.
"Any idea how we can do this? Do you have a plan?" she asked him.
"I always have a couple of plans. First I will need his IP, computer name... or anything. Do you have an old email?"
"Yes, wait a moment."
"I will start by trying to get into the museum's network first. If that fails we have to install a backdoor program on Downey's computer. You would have to attach it to an email you send him. Hopefully he has some security gaps in his system. If all fails we have to come up with another plan, it might become necessary to get into his office in the museum."
"Let's try to avoid that." Lara said typing on her computer. "Here is the mail he sent me."
Bryce had a look at it and then got back to working on his computer. Ten minutes went by while Lara was pacing up and down behind him. Then he looked up.
"I can get into their system, but I can't get onto single computers - yet. We should try the backdoor program first and if it doesn't work we can come back here and try to get through."
"Fine, so I will write him an email. That's actually not such a bad idea, then I don't have to call him."
Lara sat down and started typing.
Dear Professor Downey,
My mission on Monday was a success. I am now in the possession of the "Crystal of Eternity". It's really magnificent. Alas I had to go into hiding; Heihachi's people are after me now. It's not safe to meet with you yet. I was thinking about coming to the museum on, let's say Thursday, by then I will have things sorted with the Mishimas.
Lara
"Here, I'm done." Lara finally said to Bryce.
"Excellent." he replied. "Now you have to attach my little program. I have copied it onto your computer. You can find it on drive D, Bryces Proggies, the filename is Mr Bojangles."
"What?" Lara asked.
"I was listening to Robbie Williams when I wrote that."
Lara shook her head in disbelieve and then attached Bryce's program to the email and sent it to Downey.
"Let's see. It's now 4.30. How long do you think we have to wait?"
"At least till he gets his mail. While we are waiting I will try to get onto his computer anyway. This gives me something to do and we are prepared in case the mail plan fails."
Lara started pacing up and down again, occasionally looking over Bryce's shoulder. "Nothing yet." he said.
"How long does it take?"
"As long as it takes. If he has not gotten his mail yet, it might be a while. We have to wait."
Lara went into the bathroom to have a shower. Shortly afterwards she returned and stood behind Bryce, a towel wrapped around her wet hair.
"No Lara, no change."
"Damn." she said and started walking around again while combing her hair.
"Lara, please sit down. You are making me nervous."
"But it's nearly six and still nothing..."
"Lara, it is possible that he has gone home, then we won't get anything before tomorrow morning, or whenever he checks his mail. You have to accept that."
"I am going crazy."
She sat down on the couch, turned on the TV and zapped through the channels.
"Lara, I don't want to complain or anything, but watching TV in a language I don't understand doesn't help me to concentrate."
She turned off the TV, then she walked towards Bryce and looked over his shoulder again. He took a deep breath and looked at her.
"How shall I put it? He - has - not - gotten - his - mail - yet!!"
Lara went to her computer and sat down in front of it. She started playing mine sweeper. When her phone rang she got up.
"Thank god, I hope it's something that will get you out of here." Bryce said.
"I hope it's not him."
"Which him are we talking about?"
Lara ignored Bryce, picked her phone from the table and looked at it. Bryce looked at her expectantly.
"Kazuya." Lara said sounding relieved. "Hello" she said picking up.
"Hey, Lara. I am sorry, I can't come tonight. I have so much work to do and if I don't get it done today, I might not make it to the fight tomorrow. And I am expecting a call from a guy in New York. They are not even in the office yet."
"Oh, that's really sad." Lara said disappointed.
"Sorry. But you can come here if you want to." he said joking.
"Certainly. And you can introduce me to your father."
"He has gone home... Well, I guess I better get back to work, or I can forget the fight."
"Promise me you will call when you are ready." Lara said.
"This might be well after midnight."
"I don't care if it's the middle of the night, just call me." Lara said firmly.
"Ok, I will."
Lara walked towards Bryce once more. He was trying hard getting onto Downey's computer.
"Nothing is happening here... Maybe we should go down to the restaurant and have something to eat."
Lara looked at him with a face that said 'You are giving up already'.
"It's no use sitting here waiting for something to happen that will not happen today."
Lara stared at the display, waiting for something to happen. 5 minutes later she gave up. "Ok, let's go."
Bryce walked out of the room first, Lara followed him reluctantly.
They went down to the buffet. Lara didn't eat very much and so she left before Bryce. She walked to the reception to see if she could get another rental car. She had returned the previous one, since it might draw attention to her. When Lara returned from the reception she ran into Paul Phoenix.
"Look who it is." he said. "The girl who dated Mishima." He stretched out his hand. "Paul Phoenix."
"I remember you." she said coldly ignoring his hand.
He withdrew it and then looked around.
"I can't see Mr. Arrogant. So he has already dumped you? Typical. You are lucky that you are still alive. Normally he gets rid of people who are no use to him anymore."
"You are starting to annoy me." Lara said.
"I am just trying to help you to see what a bastard he is."
"I don't need your help."
"By now he is probably fucking someone else. You should forget him, sweetie. How about the two of us."
Lara clenched her fist and punched him in the face.
"Go to hell!"
Paul held his nose which was bleeding.
"No thanks, I don't want to meet your lover there."
Lara walked away and left him standing holding his nose.
