Chapter 5: An Unapologetic Hacker (Part 2)

“I believe that’s our treadmill tracker,” Johnny guessed.

Giddeon stared at the giant’s arms. Those guns are telling me yes.

“He certainly looks happy to see us.”

Maybe he just had a rough childhood. He probably likes petting kittens and knitting sweaters in his spare time.

“Care to ask him about his hobbies?”

Not at all.

“Mr. Seres, please, have a seat.”

Ereos pointed to an empty chair at the long table, casually gesturing with a silver steak knife. Laid out across the polished wood was a feast—flaky buttermilk biscuits, steaming potatoes, and a barely-cooked T-bone steak bleeding onto its porcelain plate. The CEO reached for a crystal goblet, pouring a deep red wine from the uncorked bottle.

“Don’t be intimidated by Spot.” Ereos smiled crookedly, nodding up at the behemoth behind hm. “He’s actually quite the soft soul. A desperate couple on Earth One traded him for a measly hundred credits when he was five, if you can believe that.”

“I had a dog named Spot,” Giddeon mumbled, nodding toward the water feature. “Nice fountain, Mr. Vibane.”

He bowed slightly, then straightened, locking onto the guard’s metallic arms. “Veridian coated?”

Ereos shook his head. “Solid Veridian. He is probably my single most expensive project to date, second only to the grand venture you and your fellow Aiges are about to embark on.” The CEO cocked his head, his gaze following the slow swirl of his wine. “Do you know why Veridian is so expensive, Mr. Seres?”

Giddeon shook his head, feigning ignorance.

“Roughly a century ago, planetary scout ships discovered Xenios in the furthest quadrant of this galaxy,” Ereos explained, sipping his wine before setting the goblet down. “It is an absolute nightmare of a planet. Toxic atmosphere, erratic tectonic shifts, and electrical storms capable of vaporizing flesh. A quarter of its surface is nothing but frozen, solidified gas. Naturally, we chose to mine it.”

His hand shot out, pointing the tip of his knife at Spot’s arms. “But we discovered one miracle deep inside hell—a metal stronger, lighter, and more energy-resistant than anything known to modern science. Vibane almost maintains a monopoly on the stuff.”

“Aren’t monopolies illegal under intergalactic trade laws?” Giddeon asked innocently.

“I said almost,” Ereos replied, a smooth smile returning to his face. “Please, sit.”

Giddeon pulled out a chair four seats away and slid into it. “I’m sorry I didn’t bring a gift,” he said, casting a backward glance at Raylin. “She said it wasn’t necessary.”

“A gift?” Ereos paused, amused, before letting out a short chuckle. “That’s quite alright. I’m what you’d call ‘well-off.’ No gifts are necessary.” He set down his wine glass, his smile vanishing. “Now, as for why I summoned you here.”

Giddeon sat up straight, clasping his hands together on the polished table. He gave a solemn nod, his gaze locking back onto the CEO.

“We recently had a security breach,” Ereos said slowly, slicing a piece off his steak. “Someone illegally accessed our ship’s database.” He raised his fork, holding the bloody piece of meat between them for emphasis. “Not an easy task.” Delicately sliding the meat into his mouth, he leaned back to chew without breaking eye contact.

Pointedly avoiding Raylin’s gaze, Giddeon gasped. “That does sound serious. I hope they didn’t get away with anything. I’m sure your very talented head of security is already on to them.”

“Sadly, no,” Ereos replied. “The intruder was very thorough, though not perfect. We do have some leads. Our systems are top-of-the-line, you know? No one gets away with pulling a stunt like that for long.”

“Well, I certainly hope they didn’t steal anything vital,” Giddeon said, tilting his head with practiced concern. “What were they looking for? Credit numbers? Addresses and Solar Security Designators to open up fraudulent accounts?”

“That’s classified,” Raylin cut in, moving to stand directly across from him. “Suffice it to say we have highly sensitive files in the system, along with Vibane proprietary tech data. Leaking that material carries particularly weighty sentences for the perpetrator.” She leaned forward slightly, her voice lowering a notch. “Lifelong ones.”

Giddeon frowned sympathetically. “That sounds disconcerting.”

Suddenly, his hands splayed flat on the table, and his face turned pale “Wait—were any of my records stolen?” His eyes darted frantically between Raylin and Ereos. “Is that why…is that why I’m here?”

“As I stated,” Raylin replied, her expression flat, “we don’t know what they accessed.”

“They can’t get my credits, can they?”

Raylin sighed, shaking her head. “That’s not available in the ship’s database.”

“Then how are you paying me?” Giddeon blinked.

“We can only transfer credits into your account,” she explained, her jaw tightening. “We never stored your—”

“Whew!” Giddeon slumped in his chair, slapping a hand over his heart. “I have like, over five hundred credits in there. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost them.”

Raylin raised an eyebrow. Five hundred credits was a paltry sum—barely enough to last a week in the cheapest districts on Earth Two. “We’d like to know where you were between the hours of 16:00 and 16:25.”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure. That’s a very specific time frame.” Giddeon tilted his head, looking pensive. “Where were you?”

“I was doing my rounds and—” Raylin cut herself off, snapping her jaw shut. She shook her head. “Never mind what I was doing. We’re concerned with the ship’s newest employees. Specifically, the Aiges.”

“Hmm.” Giddeon stroked his chin. “I was probably showering. I take really, rrreallly long showers. It’s something I never got to do much on Earth One.”

“Why’s that?”

“No water.”

Raylin waited for him to elaborate, but Giddeon just offered a blank, pleasant smile.

“I see.” She tapped a metallic cube in her palm, materializing a black holographic binder. With a flick of her finger, she skimmed through cascading lines of data. “Yes, you were showering when our recording picked back up,” she murmured, her tone dry. Convenient that the entire ship’s logs were wiped before that.”

Giddeon stared at her wide-eyed. “They what?”

Raylin looked up at him, locking eyes. “Erased evidence,” she replied flatly.

“Mr. Vibane was right,” Giddeon replied, a touch of awe in his tone. “They sound pretty smart.”

“Perhaps that will be their downfall.” She dismissed the holo with a hand wave. “The greater the ego, the harder the fall.”

“Sounds to me like there might be more than one of them,” Giddeon said. “Considering you folks are Vibane and all, with your high tech and what-not, stuff.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “By the way, when you say I was showering…were you watching me? Or do you guys, like, blur out my…you know, private sectors?”

Raylin’s expression flattened. “We have sensors that monitor system activation. Doors, sinks, showers.”

“Toilets too?”

Raylin frowned. “If we wanted to, yes, we could track that information.”

“Better not,” Giddeon said, sitting back and rubbing his stomach. “That fajita I had for lunch yesterday…let’s just say I was watching movies—with an emphasis on the s—on my holo in the bathroom most of the night. You catch my meaning? I’m still not ready for solid food, though that does look tempting.” He stared at the half-eaten steak on Ereos’s plate.

“Don’t worry. I only access relevant data.” Raylin stood perfectly still, her gaze locking onto his. “Back to your comment, though. We agree. It’s likely this was a multi-person operation, given the complexity.”

“She’s trying to read your body language,” Johnny’s voice broke in. “Don’t do anything that’ll give you away. Don’t twitch, or scratch your nose, or move your eyes around or look away from her. Don’t itch your leg, hold your breath, or stutter. Wait—also, do not sweat. Whatever you do, don’t sweat.”

Am I allowed to breathe?

“As long as it’s natural. I read about this in a book called Memoirs of an Introvert Interrogator. Heavy stuff. She’ll have you spilling the beans on everything if you so much as blink too much.”

“In fact,” Raylin continued. Her voice dropped into a slow, deliberate cadence. “We’ve already apprehended one suspect.” Her eyes flicked over him, scanning for the slightest tremor.

“See! See!” Johnny shrieked. “She’s on to you!”

“Well, there you go!” Giddeon exclaimed. “You already caught ’em! I’m sure you can find out who else they’re working with.” He pointed a playful finger at the CEO. “That, or grill ’em. Like a steak.”

Ereos paused, a piece of the meat halfway to his mouth. He subtly shook his head before devouring it.

“A few needles and rock-filled sacks work wonders to find out the truth,” Giddeon pressed on, leaning back with a wink. “If you’re worried about the Triumvirate sticking its nose where it shouldn’t, you know what they say—rubber hoses don’t leave marks.”

Raylin didn’t blink. “We were also curious about something else the intruder did.”

“What’s that?” Giddeon asked, racking his brain for any mistakes he might have made, coming up blank.

“When we found leaked files on the suspect’s holo, an old Earth One song played.” Her eyes held his fast like twin magnets. “Perhaps you’re familiar with it, since you’re from there.”

Giddeon frowned, looking genuinely puzzled. “Well, I won’t know unless you tell me the name of the song.”

“‘Smooth Criminal,’” she said. “By what archived records indicate used to be an artist with the initials M.J.”

I’m going to delete the living daylights out of you!

“I may or may not have set up a playback trigger when they found your virus,” Johnny offered. “And if I did—theoretically, of course—you have to admit it’s funny!”

Getting me killed is not funny.

Giddeon pursed his lips, looking deeply reflection. “Sounds familiar,” he admitted, shrugging. “But I’ve heard thousands of Earth One songs. Nothing new’s been made since the Great War broke the planet. Ancient tunes are all that’s left.”

Raylin reached out, extending an open palm across the table. “You wouldn’t mind if we check your holo, would you?”

Giddeon stared at Raylin, then Ereos, blinking. The holo in his pocket suddenly felt as heavy as an imploding planet. “Wait, you don’t suspect me, do you? Only an idiot would implicate himself leaving a calling card like that.”

“Your holo, Mr. Seres,” Raylin repeated, her hand still extended.

“Don’t worry, I wiped the audio cache and scrambled the registry logs,” Johnny chimed in hastily.

Giddeon flashed a winning smile. “Certainly.”

Sliding his holo out of his pocket, he tapped the top, waking it. Angling the display away from Raylin, he used his index fingers to input his passcode on the interface, hitting each key with slow, deliberate presses. Finished, he slapped the screen and spun the device to face her.

“Thank you, Mr. Seres,” Raylin said. Her fingers became a blur, executing a cascade of diagnostics that impressed even Giddeon. “You have some seriously outdated hardware here,” she remarked without looking up. “Practically a relic.”

“You know what they say about Earth One technology.” Giddeon slouched back, rotating his chair lazily from side to side. “It’s centuries behind Earth Two.”

Raylin ignored him. Giddeon’s collar suddenly felt suffocatingly tight as she entered a command string that cut dangerously close to his hidden partition. For five seconds, the room was dead silent. Then, she swiveled the screen back to him.

“Thank you for your cooperation.” Her voice was unreadable.

“Anytime. I hope you catch the rest of them,” he said, closing his holo and pocketing it. “They sound like real nutjobs. Gutsy, but criminals all the same.”

“At 16:01, you were taking the Speed and Endurance test,” Raylin said, her voice dropping like an ore-laden meteor. “According to witnesses—including official Vibane proctors.”

“I think I did take my last test around then,” Giddeon replied, chuckling. “Probably why I needed a shower.”

“You were observed running out of the test room,” Raylin noted, leaning over the table to pin him with her gaze. “After sprinting on a treadmill. Can you explain your urgency?”

“She’s smart,” Johnny whispered as Giddeon’s mind raced for an answer. “She’s done her homework.”

“Of course,” Giddeon said, letting out a jovial laugh. “I had a stalker—Mrs. Uzari, the Asian chick. She was totally coming onto me. Asked all kinds of personal questions, then launched into a tirade about her husband: how horrible their marriage is, how much she hated him, how he treats her like garbage.” He shook his head. “Desperate housewives, right?”

“That doesn’t answer the question,” Raylin pressed.

Giddeon bit his lower lip, letting out a heavy, defeated sigh. He leaned forward, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Maybe I shouldn’t be saying this, but I panicked and jetted out of there. Real fast. I’ve dealt with married women before. Let me tell you, it’s not worth the trouble. You come home one day your home’s been burned down to the frame, with the hubby and five of his friends waiting nearby with crowbars and shivs. Got the knife scars right here to prove it.”

Twisting in his seat, he hooked his thumbs under his hem to hoist his shirt.

Raylin hastily raised her hand, stopping him halfway through the act. “That’s quite alright, Mr. Seres.”

Giddeon smoothed his shirt back down and shivered. “Anyway, I didn’t realize I was running. Maybe jogging? My legs were complete jelly from that treadmill workout.”

“We’ll verify your story,” Raylin said, her face expressionless.

“Look.” Giddeon leaned farther across the table, his eyes locking onto Ereos. “I know a guy—talented Tech Jacker. Absolute genius at navigating the Grid to hunt down people who don’t want to be found. I can get you in touch, though he’s not cheap.”

“I thought you were the expert at finding people,” Ereos said, a single eyebrow raised. “That’s what your dossier claims. You’re a bounty hunter, aren’t you?”

Giddeon nodded. “I’ve a network. That’s how the business works—I find people by working with people good at finding people.”

Ereos took a slow, indulgent sip of his wine. “That sounds rather involved.”

“It’s…complex.” Giddeon shrugged. “But you just say the word. I’ll be able to get a discount, seeing as how this is Vibane Corp and all.”

Ereos smiled faintly. “That’s quite alright. I have many resources at my disposal.” Setting his glass down, he used a spotless napkin to dab at his mouth. “This was just the beginning of our efforts—a simple chat with most of the crew around the time of the incident.”

“I wish you luck, then,” Giddeon said.

“Your presence here is quite intriguing, Mr. Seres,” Ereos went on, leaning back in his chair. “Applications for this project were not open to Earth One residents. But you already knew that.”

“I knew someone who knew someone,” Giddeon replied. “They submitted the paperwork for me.”

“You certainly seem to know a lot of people,” Raylin remarked.

“Just the guy that knows the guy…who knows the other guy.” Giddeon flashed a wide grin.

“What was your motivation for signing up?” Raylin pressed, unamused. “Why would a bounty hunter sign up for a world exploration mission?”

Giddeon’s grin faded. He turned, staring out the nearby viewport at a swirling nebula in the distance. “Everyone’s curious about Enivia,” he said softly. “I guess… I just wanted to be a part of something important—something historical. I’m glad you guys happened to need a bounty hunter.”

“We didn’t,” Ereos replied flatly.

Giddeon’s gaze returned to Ereos. “You didn’t?”

“No.” Ereos shook his head. “That’s why I had Raylin interview the board members concerning your hiring. All three of them.”

“Did one of them like watching Space Bounty Hunters?” Giddeon chuckled. “I love that show. It’s not always realistic compared to what actually happens out there, though. I’ve a ton of stories I could tell you.”

“I’m sure you do,” Ereos replied, his tone dry. “But the problem is that none of them recall approving you. Or any bounty hunter, for that matter.”

“You know, in my experience, when people forget things like that—it’s usually drinking or drugs,” Giddeon said, his smile fading. “Sometimes both.”

“We reviewed all three during the approval window,” Raylin informed him. “We found nothing suspicious.”

“I’d still test ’em,” Giddeon advised. “I knew a guy who hid his moonshine inside a prosthetic hand.” He laughed, shaking his head. “Good ol’ Bronsky. Couldn’t pilot straight for the life of him unless he was drunk.”

“We’ll handle employee investigations ourselves,” Raylin said sharply. “Do you know how you got approved?”

“One of your approvers approved me?” Giddeon looked at Ereos, then back to Raylin, blinking several times. Both stared back at him in dead silence.

Ereos subtly lifted his hand, halting Raylin’s questioning with a single gesture. “You know,” he said, pivoting topics with terrifying ease, “my father was completely obsessed with Earth One—the ancient technology, the history. Even the wars. The hologuide on this vessel was actually made in his image.”

Giddeon nodded. “I can see it now that you mention it.”

“I take after him in many ways,” Ereos went on, his voice dropping to a smooth, menacing purr. “Men like us—those who hold absolute power—don’t hesitate to remove annoyances. As the Earth One saying goes, we despise a wrench in the gear. So, we simply remove them.”

The CEO’s gaze drifted toward the very viewport Giddeon had used when reminiscing about his fabricated dream. “Space is vast, Mr. Seres. So vast…I daresay a single floating body might never be found.”

“Gid, he’s going to airlock us! I just know it!” Johnny’s voice blared inside his mind. “Do not sweat! I told you not to sweat! You’re sweating!”

A thin bead of moisture rolled down Giddeon’s temple, stinging his eye. He forced his features into a rigid mask. “Wouldn’t that just be a terrible waste of talent?”

Ereos stared at him for a long, agonizing pause.

“Indeed,” he finally replied. “A waste of valuable data.” A sudden smile broke across his face, the warmth not quite reaching his eyes. “I trust you will provide us with exceptional data while on Enivia? Won’t he, Spot?”

The behemoth simply grunted.

Giddeon exhaled slowly, letting the air pass silently between his teeth. “Of course, Mr. Vibane.”

“Excellent.” Ereos’s smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Reaching into his tailored jacket, the CEO pulled out a sleek silver holo and placed it on the table. A quick tap to its surface woke a cascade of diagnostic readouts. “By the way, you did say you went to your tests, didn’t you?”

Giddeon nodded. “Every single one.”

Ereos frowned as he scanned data on the screen. His eyes narrowed. “How are your scores all still tens?”

Giddeon shrugged. “Lucky, I guess?”

“Lucky?”

A slow smirk lifted Giddeon’s lips. “Back on Earth One, there used to be these big competitions: shooting, diving, running, even cooking. Judges scored each event from one to ten. Getting straight tens was called a perfect ten.”

“I see,” Ereos replied. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Seres. Raylin will see you out—” He looked toward his head of security. “—unless she has further questions?”

“No,” Raylin replied, stepping back from the table. “I have no further questions. Mr. Seres, follow me.”

Standing, Giddeon bowed to Ereos, then hurried after Raylin, who was already marching toward the exit. A single swipe of her card prompted the massive door to slide open. Waiting in the corridor were the same two guards who had escorted him there.

“Goodbye, Mr. Seres,” Raylin said brusquely.

“Later!” Giddeon winked at her, then fell into step between the two guards as they led him back through the ship’s corporate sector.

“Even I thought you were crazy!” Johnny piped up the moment Raylin was out of sight. “If acting were a stat, I’d give you a perfect ten. Though, I reckon you might have overdone the idiocy.”

That’s what I was going for—disarm them with a smile. Looking like a fool grants multiple advantages.

“I’m still a little confused. Who, or what, exactly, is our enemy? I mean, obviously they aren’t good people, and that massive brute seriously needs a hug, but why are we doing what we’re doing?”

In time, my confused AI. In time.

“Why do you think they let you off so easily? Clearly, they suspect you of something.”

Several things, Giddeon explained as they passed through the zoo. First, there’s nothing incriminating left in the ship’s database. They scrubbed everything, so to them, whoever breached their system walked away empty-handed. Second, I’m not their prime suspect.

“You think they only suspect Graks?”

No, not after meeting Raylin. She’s too sharp for that. She knows he’s too stupid to have cracked into their system, so she’ll assume he’s part of a larger syndicate. Her team will probably deduce he’s just the mule and focus most of their surveillance on him. I’ll be watched, too, of course.

“So, they’ll watch him to track down the mastermind?”

There’s hope for you yet, Johnny. Giddeon kept his eyes on the guard’s back as they marched through the octagon room. I also sent several encrypted files from his holo to random Aiges detailing how to infiltrate the ship’s database. Even signed it Y.C.

Johnny whistled. “Yorkland Corporation? Devious move getting Vibane’s largest rival involved.”

I’m elated my years-long plan has your approval.

“Still, I can’t help but feel sorry for poor Graks.” Johnny’s tone softened. “Using an idiot to advance your own schemes seems…cruel.”

You wouldn’t think that way if you knew what the tattoo on his neck meant.

“Just think it, and I’ll know.”

I’d rather not.

“What’s next, then?” Johnny pressed.

Besides fixing my broken AIGES? Giddeon shot back.

“You can’t fix perfection.”

A wry, fleeting smile touched Giddeon’s lips before they thinned into a stern line. Planetside. I’m looking for someone who went missing on Vibane’s last unauthorized expedition.

“There was a prior mission to this one?” Johnny sounded surprised. “I found no evidence of a prior launch in the database.”

They were careful to wipe it all out, but I know they had one.

“How?”

Because the person I’m looking for was on it when I lost contact with him.

Johnny chuckled, his tone dark and ironic. “And who, pray tell, would be foolish enough to be close to the likes of you?”

Giddeon kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, watching as the massive doors separating the regular quarters from the corporate sector slid open and the guards stepped aside.

My brother, Giddeon murmured in the silence of his own mind. I’m looking for my brother.