Part 12 : Secret Lives
June 2004 – the Compound
1 : Jake
"Doesn't Danny remind you of someone?" Dave said with a smile, as the newest hacker in the compound went through line after line of never-ending code.
Jake sighed. "Well, since you're the only one I ever sit and watch writing code, it's not exactly hard to guess," he joked, staring at the kid. He had no idea what the kid's program would do, but he knew Dave had a personal interest here. He liked all his Network Keepers well enough, but none of them had ever been rewarded by an invitation to work in Dave's office and show off for his best friend.
"Fair enough," Dave said with a smile of his own. He was in such good spirits, Jake could have gotten anything out of him without Dave being the wiser. "He was wasting away in one of those rotten apartments kids his age think are expected of hackers.
"Along with the hygiene?" Jake asked.
In Jake's opinion, hackers divided in two groups: those who took it seriously, and those who took it stupidly seriously. The first was the type Dave looked into. The second was the variety whose intensity clashed with having a life. The main real difference was that hackers who respected themselves still had a life out in the real world. They had a family and friends they cared for, dressed comfortably and took baths. They were professionals. Just like professional thieves, as opposed to street thugs.
"Yes, along with the hygiene," Dave chuckled. He stared at the kid as intently as Jake was. "He's kind of bold and says what he thinks when he should zip it, but well—he's used to interacting with monitors instead of people.
"Let me guess, he doesn't play well with others..." Jake suggested wryly.
Hackers of any kind were competitive by nature. Show-offs, as Ray called them. But some of them could work really well as part of a team, attacking like a wolf pack.
Some of them, like Dave himself, did not like to share. They saw the value of the group attack, but while he would use others as bait or diversion, he liked to go in, take the prize, and get out. Alone. The problem was, Network Keepers were by nature a group, and Danny there did not look like he would want to sit tight and wait for others.
"Richard has asked me if I could transfer him to somewhere else," Dave said. That the compound's administrator had made such a request was rare. Richard was good with dealing with people down here. "Daniel's causing bad vibes with the other Keepers"
"He's only been here for two weeks!" Jake marveled, astonished. Usually Keepers behaved a little longer, still basking in the glory of being there. Of having met Dave. Of being inside 'the big thing'.
"He wants to work with me, directly. So, I was considering what to do, since Susseth will kill me if I let him."
"Wouldn't he have access to too much information if he were tagging along with you?" Jake pointed out.
Dave's eyes lost focus, as they usually did when he plotted.
"I need to keep a leash on him, Jake. He's too smart for my own good. He's already going through Level 6 codes that shouldn't have been vulnerable. He's pointing out little cracks here and there. Granted, it's taken him over a year to find this much, but left alone for another year..."
"So, what? You want as a security watchdog?"
"Yes, and another code architect, actually. Daniel has ideas that I don't, a flexibility I thought I would never see. He can help me just as much as I can help him."
"Sounds like a deal," Jake said, looking intently at the young face currently glued to the monitor. "I take it he said yes."
Dave didn't look all that happy. "He said he wanted to 'try it' for a year. After that, all bets are off. So much potential to get wasted! God, he's not even nineteen!"
"That's what I said when you tried to persuade me to start on this little empire of yours. That didn't stop you."
"Well, yeah, but you had no idea what the hell I was talking about. I talk to Daniel, and everything makes sense in a way it hasn't in a long while," he said excitedly, his eyes seeing far more than Jake ever would. "He follows my plans, and solves details I usually don't pay attention to. If only he didn't lack vision," Dave whispered, no doubt thinking hot to make Daniel see what he saw.
"He's not you, Dave. He's got a family, a sister, and probably parents somewhere. He doesn't know what it feels like to be responsible for someone's life or death, or to be used because someone thinks they know better," Jake reminded Dave quietly. His friend's eyes clouded at that.
"I'm not doing this to redeem myself in some twisted way," he said seriously. "I'm doing this because he's talented enough that, left unwatched out there, not only can he be turned into my adversary, but his talents can also be wasted. If he can go this far without anyone being the wiser, imagine how far he would go with a little help from someone who has already been where all the ideas are just barely out of reach. I can show him the world."
They both contemplated Daniel's hunched formed as the kid's fingers flew over the keyboard.
"What's he doing?" Jake finally asked, contemplating life with Daniel in it.
"Wreaking havoc on McKay's files."
They both looked at each other, and smiled.
2 : Dave
July 2004 – the Compound
"So they agree that Zan needs to expand his horizons? They'll let me get them out of the compound?" Dave eagerly asked, the red light on the speaker seeming ominous. Langley never liked to do videochat, and frankly, neither did Dave. Calls were risky enough as it was.
"Van's second in command says it might help them get their memories back," Langley said cautiously. It was no secret Luke had no appreciation for the shapeshifter, and it was the same from Langley's side.
"I'll take whatever excuse I can grab," Dave said, a bit too truthful for his own good.
"Memories are a fragile thing," Langley warned in no uncertain terms. "If they think you or anyone else messed with Zan's mind, you won't live to tell the tale. The Rebellion means business. They can't afford to lose Zan, even if Zan is already dead. They'll take Max if that's what it takes."
"I know…" Dave murmured. It was at times like this that he wondered if he should send Max and friends packing to some remote island where no one would ever find them. He chuckled inwardly. It didn't matter what he thought, it never did. Van would find Max, one way or another. One could not hide the mighty King of Antar forever. No, Dave thought, the only way to deal with this was to train Max and the others. Get them ready for what was to come. Because once Max was on that throne, or at the very least leading the Rebellion, his word would become law.
"There is another matter…" Langley said gravely. "I've located all the Agents that were responsible for Max's capture. Luke wants to execute them as soon as he's available. He'll need a place to stay for him and his men. A way to get around."
Dave swallowed hard. "I can provide most of it. I'm not sure how familiar they are with Earth, though." Their command of English was almost perfect, but Luke and Van had been the only aliens Dave had ever talked to. He didn't know what to make of the rest of them.
"I'll take care of that," Langley said, not sounding cheerful at all. "They'll need a base, somewhere they has easy access to transportation, where they won't be noticed for… eccentricities. Where they can come and go without raising a red flag."
"I think I have the place," Dave said after a moment. "A warehouse on the outskirts of Manhattan hardly anyone knows about. I'll have it furnished and ready in a month."