Torn (Deep 8, #5)

49. Roger

FORTY-NINE

Roger

The men are restless, their nerves fraying as the day drags on. We confer in small groups, dissecting every detail of our plans and brainstorming backup strategies. Most backup plans are improvised in the heat of battle.

Hank, Pippa, and Peter huddle over a laptop, their faces illuminated by the screen as they search for the schematics of Lucas’s fortress. Hank, tapping into his ASIO access, attempts to breach Nick’s account.

"It looks like they deactivated the account but didn’t delete it," Hank mutters while focusing on the screen. "There’s always a back way in."

Pippa’s eyes sparkle with admiration as she watches him work. Her head swivels back and forth between the screen and Hank.

"Darling, there’s too much love in your eyes for my liking." Beck’s tone is rough as jealousy simmers in his gaze. This is the first time I’ve seen him show any possessiveness.

She turns to him, smiling. "You’re my only hunk of burning love. I can’t help but admire a man with mad computer skills. Am I right, Peter?"

"Damn straight. It’s got nothing to do with you, Big Guy. It’s a techie thing. I have a crush on him too," Peter replies with a grin.

"There’s nothing here. Maybe we can hack his home computer," Hank mutters, oblivious to the conversation.

"Dean, any thoughts on what your father’s password might be?" Pippa asks.

Dean hands Hank a piece of paper. "Try birthdates starting with my mom’s. It seems too obvious, but that’s the idea."

"Bingo! The last digits on the list got us in. This will make things easier," Hank announces.

Dean’s face falls. The last birthday on the list was his. He shoves his hands in his pockets and heads out of the tent. The father-son relationship seems to be a complex one for most of us here. Families are messy, and life is about to get messier.

"I was right. The mainframe is below ground and can be accessed by a stairwell or an elevator. I can get there by elevator and access the mainframe. Timing is going to be everything." Peter’s eyes are laser focused on the screen.

I exhale, not realizing I’d been holding my breath. If Peter can make it to the elevator, we have a shot at destroying the program.

Midnight arrives, and we have spent countless hours preparing for the meeting with Lucas. The more I think of him as Lucas, the more he becomes another bad guy, making my acting more believable. He is not the man who raised me—or maybe he is—but I lost sight of his true colors.

Childhood memories blur with adult realizations about the people and world around us. Harlow has been my saving grace through this entire op, and I would give my life to save her.

We decide the small greeting team will be Dean, Peter, and myself. Someone manages to find me a white suit, a costume to make me look the part. The bond will be subconscious when he sees me in white. He believes I will side with him as the world’s savior because that’s what I’ve always done, but my past self has been ripped free from its chains

He identifies as a white knight who will save the world. I can think of other things he can identify with, and white knight doesn’t make the top ten list. Dean and Peter are dressed in black in case they have to escape and to emphasize my allegiance.

The rest of the teams will be scattered around the perimeter, and Declan is on board with explosives. Our watches are synced, and once we’re inside, I will press a button at which time we will have thirty minutes to get out. The explosives will begin at the opposite side of the building from the mainframe.

The dark cloak of night hangs over us for the ride out to our location. The moon is on our side tonight without a sliver of light. The pieces of the program are heavy in my pocket, and I wear Nick's necklace so Lucas can see it. Calculations run through everyone’s head.

We pull up and are surrounded by his men with weapons drawn. "Get out with your hands up where we can see them," they yell, their flashlights blinding us.

The backdoor slides open so Peter can roll out. Their guns are trained on him. "I can’t roll and have my hands up at the same time," he says with sarcasm.

Dean and I get out with our hands in the air. They pat us down but not Peter. Lucky for us, the hidden compartment under his seat goes undetected. The small group of guns for hire part ways for what I assume is the head honcho. He approaches us, and his face is in shadow even with my hand in front of my eyes.

"You’re late, and you were supposed to come alone. Who are these two, and why are they here?" His voice is gruff and irritated.

"We’re late because we’ve come across new information concerning the program. I’m sure Lucas would like to know."

"Really? What?" he barks.

"This information is only for him. It’s above your pay grade." Let’s see where this lands.

He turns away to make a call. "He wants to see only you. We’ll escort you in."

"No can do. The guy in the wheelchair is essential to getting Lucas what he wants. Dean is Nick’s son, who Lucas might be interested in meeting. Without these two, we walk, and he can have Harlow." Something clutches in my chest when I say I’m going to leave her behind. I hold up the two pieces as if I will crush them in my hands. "Besides, you have us covered."

He gets on the phone again. "He agreed. Follow us, and we’ll get you checked in. Any moves, and you’re dead."

Dean and I get weighed and tagged. They have no idea what to do with Peter because he’s on wheels. They finally decide to weigh him and give him a tag. Their floors are programmed to detect pressure by steps. Peter will be able to wheel around freely.

They separate us, taking Peter in the elevator with one of the guards while Dean and I are escorted up the stairs. This time I take a good look at the walls made of cement, probably reinforced with rebar, covered in beige stucco. The windows are high near the ceiling for security. The floors are white marble, and the railings are gold, fit for a king.

We arrive at the same location as before, the living room. Lucas stands with his hands folded in front of him. He looks us over, paying no attention to Peter, as predicted. His eyes stop on the necklace. "It looks like you brought friends. That wasn’t part of the deal. There will be consequences for defying the agreement."

"Not after you hear what we found." I glance over to Dean but not Peter. "We cracked the encryption of your program, and there are some glitches with the coding. It won’t work the way it’s written."

He laughs. "Impossible. That code is solid and cannot be hacked by anyone other than the people who created it, including Damian Pierce."

"We have a guy at the ASIO working with us who could get into the program. Damian had him working on it too." I step forward, separating myself from the other two. "I’m very interested in what you have to offer. The uniqueness of this program is a game changer. World order makes sense, and the plan is foolproof. I’d like to be part of the team." I turn to Dean and Peter. "And so would they but our team doesn’t know. We have a fix for the program."

He raises his chin and examines me, looking for cracks in my armor. "It’s not that easy. You will need to prove yourself."

"I’ve been proving myself to you my entire life." I wait for his reaction.

His head jerks back. "Do you have the pieces with you? All the parts are required for the program to work. I’ll have my people look at it first."

"They are right here." I hand him the two pieces from my pocket.

"Where did you get the necklace?" He curls his fingers and reaches out his hand.

"Nick gave it to me as he lay dying on the floor after being shot. He said Deep 8 would need it to complete the program." I let the necklace fall in his hand. "But his death shouldn’t bother anyone."

He juts his chin out to his guards. "You stay with them and stay vigilant. Don’t let them out of your sight for a minute. I’ll take this to my tech, Santini, and see if their story checks out."

He walks out of the room and down the stairs. During our exchange, he did not address the important points outside of his agenda, not me or Nick's dead body.

This is our moment of truth. I look over at Peter and his eyes grow big. He must know Lucas’s tech. We’ll see if Hank is more skilled than Santini. Lucas will need our help if he’s on a time crunch. He’ll need the program fixed before it can be launched and the satellite lines up.

Thirty minutes later, Lucas enters the room with a scowl on his red face like he’s ready to explode. We have him where we want him—desperate and ready to make mistakes.