Peered Out- Chapter Five

"You don't believe in keeping any secrets at all? Not even small ones?"

"No, I think secrets separate us and keep us from knowing what's truly going on."

"What if it protected national security or what if it caused a war?"

"There's always that chance but, there's also the possibility of the people finding out their government is screwing with them and then, maybe, they deserve war. I mean hell, our whole system is set on the idea that if government becomes corrupt then the people have a right to create a new one. What is what you found out was that push, that spark? The people then taking control, like in Egypt, it would be amazing."

"Wow Miles, I never realized you were such the revolutionary." She looks at him a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, "What about someone you knew? If you knew something about a friend but telling them would cause them pain, wouldn't it be better to keep it a secret then?" She rolls over and props herself up on her elbow resting her head in her hand.

"I think I would be obligated to tell them," he answers," I think it would hurt more to find something out and then to find out you knew and didn't tell them. Wouldn't you want to know?" Miles stares at her, his brown eyes full of questioning.

She rolls over onto her back and thinks over his question. She thinks of all the information about her own life she doesn't know. Her name, her date of birth, who her parents are, where was she born. She can't imagine someone having the answers to these questions and not telling her. She shifts back over onto her arm, "No, I think I would want to know."

"Well," Miles leans over and nuzzles her neck with his head, " I think you should start telling me your secrets then." He kisses her gently as she laughs.

LATER:

"You can't use a quantum lock subset on a ASL encrypted site. You'll slam up against the first wall if you try." She leans over and points to a line of code, "There you need to change that line there. It will…" She is cut off as a hacker called Jonz swats her hand away, "I know what I'm doing." He tells her angrily, "If I wanted a girl's help I'd call my girlfriend over to make me a sandwich."

She stands back and crosses her arms and waits. It doesn't take long before Jonz utters a string of curses and slams his hands down onto the keyboard. She can't help it and a small laugh slips past her lips. He turns and looks at her with malice, "You think you can do better?" By now the room is quiet as everyone is focused on the two of them.

"Yeah I do."

"Prove it."

'What do I get if I do?"

"What?"

"What. Do. I. Get. If. I. Do?" She breaks it down in what the Academy instructors used to call Barney Style, emphasizing each word as if talking to a slow two-year old. She stares at him, her brown eyes refusing to be the first to look away. He breaks eye contact and addresses the table in front of him.

"I apologize and tell everyone you do have some skills."

"Not good enough."

"Well what the hell do you want then?"

"I want an apology and your laptop."

"You have got to be fucking high if you think I'm going to give you my laptop."

"I'm not and I'm dead serious. My laptop got taken by the D.C. Metro police and I need a new one. If I crack the site then you give me an apology and your laptop." She crosses her arms again, aware that everyone is waiting as she is for Jonz's answer.

"Fine, but you have to do it in under an hour."

"Agreed."

He gets out of the chair and with a flourish points to the table, "Let's see what you got River."

It takes her 45 minutes before she announces to the room that she is finished. In truth, it only took her 30 minutes to crack the site. The other 15 was spent catching up on her email, reading Twitter, and playing a few rounds of Bejewled. She turns the laptop around to show her work to the room. Two screens are up. On one a steady stream of data is being downloaded from a server. On the other is a 404 error message. Jonz swears again which causes several in the room to laugh.

"She cheated!" Jonz spits the words out, "I'm not giving her my computer!"

"I did NOT cheat!" She begins to feel her checks get hot. If there was one thing she hated her entire life it was being called a liar. It was something she always had to deal with in the various homes she lived in, the idea that her word wasn't ever good enough, "You were standing right there!" Miles moves to stand between the two of them and lightly places a hand on each of their chests. He turns and addresses Jonz, "She beat you man. Owe up to it, apologize, and give her your laptop."

"And what if I don't"

Miles looks him dead in the eyes and drops his voice low, "Because if you don't I'll ban your ass and then personally see to it no other group picks you up. I may also just drop a dime to the FBI about a certain cyber hack last December."

"You wouldn't"

"Try me."

"Fine," He looks directly at her, "But this ain't over bitch." Jonz turns and storms out the room stopping only to knock over a table. The chips, soda, and papers land in a spectacular multi-color mess.

Miles turns to her, "Sorry about that," he grins, "Any idea what you're going to do now?"

"Yeah," she smiles, "I need a new driver's license.