FSE

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Chapter-16

The building was a squat block of gray material five stories tall. It was located among other low buildings, all of which served as storage for various companies. Marcus had worked out that all the companies which rented space in this building were SolGov. Not owned by SolGov citizens, but by SolGov itself. The mongoose had had a moment of surprise then he'd acquired the vacant expression of someone doing intensive work.

Theo restrained a smile. If not for his needy personality, Marcus would work well with an Angel Beta. He was adept at searching through database after database looking for specific information.

"I didn't realize we owned this many companies," Marcus said coming back from his search.

Theo shrugged. "Who rents unit 465?"

"Kercos," Marcus answered without any hesitation.

"What do they do?"

"They're part of SolGov's communication industry. They produce many of the more popular documentary shows about SolGov, as well had historical shows and even some dramas, re-enactment of important events."

Propaganda company, Theo thought to himself. Telling everyone just how much better they were for being part of SolGov, and how SolGov was responsible for all the good things to have happened in the Solar system.

"What's stored there?" Theo asked.

"Various pieces of equipment, recorders, broadcasters, specialized processors to help with making the shows. Props, sets." He paused. "I didn't realize they used real things for those. I thought it was all virtual."

"How many people in there?"

Marcus stared at him. "I don't know."

The tiger stared back. "Well, find out."

"How? It isn't like the company posts the coming and going of its employees."

"Just access the building's security system, you'll be able to see who's in there."

"That's illegal."

Theo tilted an ear and quirked a smile.

Marcus' ears turned red. "I don't know how," he admitted.

Theo nodded. He should have thought about that. Marcus was an information jockey. He could find just about anything that was floating around on the system, but he had no idea how to infiltrate closed off systems.

"Can you get us inside?"

"No, we need to be authorized to enter. Theo, if your friend is being held here against his will, maybe we should inform the police and let them deal with this. I'm sure they'll do what they can, regardless of why you're here."

Theo snorted, even if Cass was a living person, GovSec would only rescue him so they could interrogate both of them. That Cass was contained in a memory drive meant they'd take it, and him, apart to extract every bit of information.

"I know they don't have the best reputation with other corporation," Marcus said, misunderstanding the reason for Theo's reaction. "But they aren't just here to make sure we act in a publicly approved manner. The know how to deal with criminal and terrorists. You might not know that, but SolGov has been the victim of multiple attacks from other corporation, so our police force is well trained."

"And how do they deal with spies?" Theo began walking again. The front door was out, too much traffic.

"I guess they arrest them. We can't let the other corporation steal from us."

Theo nodded. "So maybe you understand why I don't want to involve them."

Marcus faltered for a moment. "I-I mean, you're not-"

Theo's glare silenced him.

"I could explain things to them," Marcus whispered. "I'm sure you don't do this because you want to. They could help you get out of it; you know."

"Do I really come across as someone who doesn't enjoy his job?" Theo asked, looking around as they moved along the building. He could see half a dozen security cameras, which meant the doors on this side were out of the question.

"But what you're doing is illegal. You're on the run, wanted by the law."

Theo smiled. "So, do I look like I'm on the run? Am I hiding in the shadows? Skulking about? I'm walking in broad daylight, in sight of multiple cameras. Which reminds me. Can you tell where the cameras are?"

Marcus looked around trying to be furtive, which made Theo chuckle. "There two over there, at the intersection two the way we came from and one across the road."

Theo didn't point out there were two on the other side, not one. "Can you find them on the network?"

"I think so," Marcus hesitated. "Why?"

"Just do it, when you do get a feel for how the information flows around them." He stopped before the building ended at an alley between this one and the next one on the block, and leaned against the wall.

"Why do you want me to do that?"

"Marcus, do you need me to point out again the situation you're in? If you're not going to do what I need you to, I have no reason to keep you around."

Pain flashed in the mongoose's eyes, but he buried it under anger. "We're in public. You can't do anything to me here."

Theo gave him his most innocent smile. "Are you really willing to bet your life on that?"

Marcus' anger broke and fear replaced it.

What annoyed Theo was that he could tell he wasn't afraid of dying. Marcus was scared Theo would abandon him. Both gave Theo what he wanted, but having Marcus afraid for his life would work so much better at convincing GovSec he wasn't a willing participant.

Marcus took a moment to calm himself, then his eyes went vacant. "Okay, I have one, what am I looking for?"

"Nothing specific, just get a feel for the information flow."

"Okay, then?"

"Find another of the cameras. Do the same. Look for similarities in the flow."

"How do you know what I should do? You don't have an implant."

"You don't need to know that."

In his first year of being partnered with Cass, Theo had been curious about everything his partner did and how he did it. Cass had loved explaining how he would charm a system, convincing it Cass was part of it. How he went about getting this secure network or that one to divulge information. Or, as it applied here. How he could tell where security cameras were by how the information moved about around them, and that once he had the common points, he could then locate cameras hidden from views.

"Okay, I think I see a few things in common in the flow."

"Do the same with the other cameras."

Marcus focused on Theo. "Is this really necessary? If your friend is in trouble, should we do something to go help him?"

"If you want to stay alive, yes, you have to do this."

"I wish you'd stop with the threats. We both know you won't do it." Marcus' eyes became vacant.

And that was the other annoying thing. Marcus was right. Theo could kill. He'd done it three times in his career, no, four, counting the buffalo. but each time he'd been fighting for his life. If Marcus managed to get a weapon and attacked him, Theo could kill him as part of defending himself. But to simply shoot him in cold blood. He couldn't do that. He wasn't like George Bondo, He wasn't an assassin who spied on the side. If a job ever required him to assassinate someone, he'd walk out without second thought.

"I've looked at the five of them, and you're right, there is a level of commonality to the flow."

"Good. Now, look for that commonality in the network space that represents our physical location."

"Oh," Marcus said after a moment of silence. "There's another camera on the other side of the road, in the window of that building."

"Next to it. The kiosk has it."

"Why is there a kiosk there?"

"Not every Independent is on Mars illegally."

"But they have those arm band things, and the visors."

"They don't all like using them. And it isn't always easy to find what they need if they don't use the interface all the time. The kiosk offers limited access to information, but it's clearly laid out. The camera is there because independents aren't the only ones to use them. Derelicts use them too. SolGov can find them and get them off the street."

Marcus didn't give the usual 'There aren't any Derelicts on Mars' line, but then as an information jockey he'd know it was a lie. There was no way he wouldn't have come across internal statistics during his work day.

"There are three other cameras along the street."

"Where?"

"Back the way we came from. Two on this side and one on the other. I'm not sure exactly where."

"Okay, that's good enough. Can you walk and continue looking for the pattern?"

Marcus looked at him. "Of course, what do you think I am, an amateur?"

Theo raised his hand to placate him. "Hey, just making sure. Come on, let's get moving." Theo turned into the alley.

Marcus moved slower, and Theo matched his steps. Like the other two walls, this one had doors every fifteen feet, each one featureless, requiring an Implant and the proper access to open.

"As far as I can tell, there's only one camera here, in the center of the building, higher up."

Theo looked, but he couldn't see it. "Is it in the alley? Or on the roof itself."

"It's in the alley."

The alley was clean. No containers leaning against the wall to offer cover, no mound of trash to do the same. All he had was Marcus. He stopped at the end of the alley and looked along the length of the road. It was quieter than the other two, but there were enough people walking that he wouldn't have much time. Thirty seconds, at most and he couldn't leave Marcus at the corner as a lookout. He needed him to give him cover from the camera.

"Come on." Theo moved to the third door in the alley. That was as deep as he dared go, any deeper and the camera might be able to see over Marcus. Theo leaned against the wall, his back to the road. "Lean against the door, facing me. Relax," he said after Marcus stiffly leaned there. "We're here to have a good time."

Theo chuckled at the look of horror Marcus gave him, but then he focused on the hand he was running along the wall. Like every door, this one had an emergency access panel, but unlike those in apartment buildings or on passenger ships, it was hidden. Security was more important to the occupants than ease of access. It was even camouflaged from Implants, but it was still there, and as good as the technology was, no one had yet to come up with a totally seamless joint.

He didn't need Cass to find it. His sense of touch in his artificial hand was much finer than organic senses since it was based on the same sensors Cass used to listen through a door, or determine the composition of the material. Without him Theo couldn't do those things, but over the years he'd learned to interpret what he felt, so that when his fingers passed over the line, he felt it even though it was microscopic. He traced the shape of the panel. Standard access panel.

When he opened his eyes, Marcus was studying him.

"What?" Theo asked, without meaning to.

"Nothing."

Theo shrugged and opened the compartment in his arm and pulled out three sets of tools. "How many people walked by the alley?"

"I few. I didn't count them."

"Any of them looked in?"

"Not that I noticed."

"Good." If he'd been anywhere other than in SolGov jurisdiction, Theo wouldn't have worried about what this would look like. Even out of Orr Corp, two guys in an alley, one kneling before the other, would cause people to leave them be. Here, someone might call the police thinking they were doing something unsociable in public, or worse, come and try to stop them. He didn't tell that to Marcus, he didn't want to send him running off.

He put two if the tools in his mouth, ready for when he'd need them. "Tell me when it's clear," he said around them.

"Well, there's no one there right now."

Theo crouched and ran the first tool around the seam, breaking it. He glanced at Marcus as he put the cover on the ground and noticed his head was lined up with the mongoose's crotch. He chuckled as he changed tool and began working on the circuits in there. Another change of tools, more work and Marcus let out a choked off yell as the door slid open and he fell in.

Theo closed the panel stepped in. Marcus was already up, dusting himself and the tiger pulled him away from the door. It closed and they were plunged into darkness.

This was something Theo hadn't considered. He was used to having Cass supplement his vision from sensors. He put the tools back in his arm and felt through the others. He didn't have anything whose purpose was generating light, but he could manage something.

He pulled out the welder and turned it on. The tip glowed, but barely enough to illuminate his face. Or Marcus.

"Are you okay?" Theo asked.

"I'm fine. You could have warned me."

"No time."

"That isn't much of a light."

"It'll do for now." He placed a hand against the wall and tried to follow it around to the other side. Multiple time he found a crate blocking his way and had to go around it by touch.

"This locker is owned by a ship's part manufacturer," Marcus offered. "The manifest shows these crates are most likely engine components. They might be computer hardware; they have a lot of those too."

"You can access that?"

"It isn't on a secure server, so yeah. I can't tell you what's in this crate specifically without seeing the tracking number."

"It isn't important. This is just how we're getting in. His hand felt the change in texture when he reached the door. A roll door by the feel of the slates, and more than seven feet tall. He increased the power to the welder, turning the tip bright white just long enough to see the seam was inside the wall, no external mechanism.

Back at minimum power he studied the wall around the door. No external controls. "What are the controls like for the door. Do you need special access to open it from the inside?"

"Of course."

"Is there an emergency release?"

"Yes, do you want me to activate it?"

"No. You'll set off alarms if you do that."

"Then why ask?"

"Because if there's one you can control, there's a mechanical one I can use. It's easier than having to locate power conduits."

"Why wouldn't there be an emergency control? What if someone gets stuck in here?"

"They'd want to get out of the building, and use the one at the door we came in from."

"What if the police needs to get in?"

"They get the override from the management company. And if someone managed to disable Implant access, they'll just cut through the door. If the police gets involved they don't care about the damage they'll caused."

The panel was easier to find, this one wasn't hidden like the one outside. A raised panel easily opened, and inside a simple lever. He increased the intensity to the welder and looked in for wires or anything that could indicate an alarm would sound when he pulled it. There was nothing of the sort, only a cable going in the wall toward the door. A fully mechanical system.

He pulled the lever, there was a clang and a line of light appeared at the floor.

"It's open," Marcus said, and Theo was up clamping his muzzle shut to keep him from saying anything else.

He brought his mouth close to the mongoose's ear and whispered. "Be silent."

Marcus nodded and Theo let go. He lied on the floor, his ear at the gap and listened. He heard footsteps in the distance, a door open, close, then nothing. He pushed the door open and slipped his head out. No one in sight. He pulled himself under and crouched on the other side.

There were cameras, SolGov stored their stuff here, they wouldn't leave that unsupervised, but entrances would be where they were, stairwell, lift. Not in the corridors, at least he hoped so. If he'd known of an easy way to disable the emergency release, he would have locked Marcus in the locker. He didn't need him anymore, he could get to where he needed on his own, and by the time anyone Marcus called for help arrived, Theo would be done and gone.

"It's clear," he told the mongoose.

Marcus wriggled himself through the gap. Theo had to smile as the effort to fit when he could just have pushed the door higher.

"I don't think there's any cameras here," Marcus said, "I'm pretty sure there's one down that way," he pointed across the hall and at an angle to where Theo thought the lift would be, close to the entrance. "And there," other direction. Another lift, or stairs.

Theo closed the door, it bounced up a little, unable to latch, and he pushed it down again. Gently this time so it would stay closed. He wanted to tell Marcus to leave, that he didn't need him anymore, but the mongoose wouldn't go, and that would mark him as an accomplice. "We belong in here," Theo said.

"No, we d-"

"Marcus, we belong in here. Repeat that to yourself over and over. We belong in here. We know where we're going. If we come across someone, treat him or her exactly the same we you'd treat them if we were in the hall leading to your office on Titan Station. You don't owe them anything, they don't owe you anything. Got that?"

"I do, but why?"

"If you act like you belong and know where you're going, no one is going to question you."

"Security will."

"Those are at the public entrance. We're inside so we clearly have the authorization to be here. We're going to the lift. Walk next to me as if you're on your way to bring her Ladyship Highlander information she requested."

Marcus nodded. And they headed for the lift. They didn't encounter anyone until the doors opened and a small man wearing overalls looked up at them. Theo nodded to the beaver and stepped in. Marcus hesitated a moment then followed the tiger. The beaver got off on the third floor. And the doors closed.

"I thought he could tell we shouldn't be here."

"I noticed. You hesitated coming in."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, most people are too preoccupied by their problems to notice small things like that. Now be quiet."

The doors opened the fourth floor. The numbers started at 401 and went up. He walked by 465, another roll door, trying to pay attention to any sounds, but Marcus whispered.

"Isn't that the one you want?"

Theo glared at the mongoose, who mouthed a silent 'sorry.'

They reached the end and turned around. As they stepped by the door Theo heard faint voices inside. He couldn't make them out enough to tell if it was the Independents, but who else would it be.

"We're going to the second floor," he told Marcus as they reached the elevator.

Once inside and alone, Marcus asked. "Why? Isn't that where you want to go?"

"I need to think."

"Why the second floor for that?"

"The beaver saw us, we didn't get off on the third floor, so he'll wonder why we're there now. The only reason to get back to the first floor is to exit."

"There's the fifth floor," Marcus offered.

Theo shrugged. The door opened and he walked.

He needed to get the door open, but he couldn't. It didn't have an emergency control on this side, and Marcus didn't have the authorization to open it. Or did he? Those were Independents in there. They didn't have an implant. He doubted they even had an interface, he didn't recall seeing one of them wearing one, or had found traces of them afterward. He hadn't seen all of them, so one of the others might have it, but that felt wrong. They had used paper, of all things.

He had to be careful in his thinking. Most of the earthbound Independents hated Implants and anything that felt or looked like one, but they were good with technology. They could have something that let them bypass the authorization, but they couldn't all have it. Unless they weren't going to leave again until this was done, whatever it was, they had to be able to come and go. For that matter, how did they leave the building? That one was easy, the same way he'd come in. If they could override one access, they could override the others.

He didn't hear anyone around to he asked Marcus, "Can you see if you need special access to open the door to 465?"

"I do."

Theo nodded. So, he needed to figure out a way to unlock the door without having access to its control. He sighed. Cass, I really need you right now.

What did he have access to? Marcus, his tools and his skills. None of which were of obvious help here. "Let's get back to the locker," Theo said, heading for the stairs.

"Why?" the mongoose asked.

The tiger waited for a dog with bright red fur to walk by carrying a box that was almost too large for him. When he turned the corner, he answered Marcus.

"Because I want to be able to ask you questions without worrying about being overheard."

The door needed an Implant to be opened, but no special access. So much for those having to be unlocked in case of emergencies. The hall was empty when they reached the door, and they slipped under it. Once closed again Theo pulled Marcus further in.

"If you activate the emergency unlock, other than the alarm, what will it do?"

"I don't know," the mongoose replied.

"You're an information jockey, you can find out."

"I'm not a jockey," Marcus replied his tone offended. "I'm am a communication manager."

"Marcus, I lived your life for a week. I don't care what big tittle they put on it. I know a jockey when I spend a week moving information between people."

The mongoose grumbled something Theo didn't make out. "It's going to take me a few minutes to find it."

Theo sat down and leaned against the crate while he waited.

"Okay according to the security company's protocols, activating the emergency release sounds the alarms, like you said, it also informs them so they can send someone to check."

"Nothing else? Like advise the rest of the building there's a problem?"

"No, not just from me activating it. For that to happen it would have to be something major."

"Like a fire maybe?"

"I guess, but it would have to be a pretty big one."

"We're in a storage room with ship's parts, I'm sure I can come up with something."

"The fire suppression system is going to kick in. Seal the room, void the air."

"What happens if the room can't seal?"

"The secondary system is a foam suppressant."

Theo nodded. He'd expected that, SolGov wouldn't skimp on protecting their property. It was probably setup to keep working even if the power was cut.

That thought gave him pause.

"Marcus, what happens if the building loses power? How will people get out?"

"Didn't you say they could get out through the door we came in?"

"Yes, on this floor. The second floor might also have an emergency door opening outside. It's only a ten-foot drop, but what about the third, fourth and fifth floors? I didn't see any ladders of stairs against the walls. How are they going to get out?"

"Give me a minute."

Theo closed his eyes, not that it made any difference in the dark.

"Okay, you were wrong about this floor. If the building's power goes, the roll doors automatically unlock, as do the stairs, the doors leading outside go in hard lock mode, and the only way to leave the building is through the main entrance."

"Seems like it's putting people at risk if that's where the problem started, but that's okay, not my concern right now. So I need to cut the power to the building."

"I don't see how you can do that. The power distribution is monitored and controlled by sophisticated programs; any imbalance is immediately corrected. You'd have to be in the main control center, and even then, I don't think you could do it. The security there is high, I certainly can't get you in."

Theo smiled. "I don't need to go there. For all the precautions taken to maintain the power that reaches the building, there's still one entry point for it."

"How do you know that?"

"Do you think spying is just about collecting information? I've had to destroy a building in my career, a few years ago." In the process Cass had run a search for common points and noticed that most buildings all across the solar system only had one energy receiver.

"Okay, but even that's going to be monitored. I don't see what you can do to it that the system won't be able to compensate for."

Theo stood. "How is it going to compensate for a missing receiver?"

"What?"

"I'm going to blow it."

"You can't."

"Marcus, I can, and I will. Now, where does the power enter the building?"

"I'm not telling you that. I'm not helping you destroy a building and hurt my people."

"Marcus," Theo made his voice hard. "Don't start thinking you can tell me what to-"

"You can't kill me," the mongoose stated, although the quaver in his voice showed he wasn't certain of it. "Without me you can't move around, or do anything."

Theo sighed. "I won't kill you Marcus, but I can hurt you. I'm very good at it," Theo couldn't quite decide if he was lying right then. "But I'm not going to have to. I'm not going to hurt anyone, certainly not any SolGov citizens. That isn't what I'm here for. I'm just here to rescue one of my people."

"That-That friend of yours?"

"Yes, but the kidnappers aren't SolGov. So you don't have to worry. If I have to hurt someone it's going to be them."

"Who are they?"

"That isn't important, they aren't SolGov, I promise you that. Now, are you going to help me willingly, or do I have to hurt you until you agree?" he heard Marcus take a step back, bump into something and curse softly.

"What about the explosion? Isn't that going to hurt someone?"

"It's going to be small, at most just enough to destroy the receiver, nothing more. And it isn't like there's going to be anyone there. Like you said it's monitored from the control center."

"I-You swear to me no one is going to get hurt?"

"I swear."

"Okay, I'll help you." He was silent for a moment. "The receiver is on the roof."

"Okay, then that's where we go."

After checking the hall was clear, they left and headed to the stairs, where the door to the outside stopped them for a moment. Marcus couldn't unlock it, and it didn't have an emergency release, so Theo pulled out a micro scanner and ran it along the wall until he found the control node. He cut the cover off and then manually unlocked the door. Before opening it, he had Marcus check for camera, there were none on the roof, all the cameras were on the edge of the building aimed at the street and alley.

The power receiver wasn't a large thing, a box a meter and a half tall by a meter deep and half that wide. Theo didn't know how it worked. Not the details of energy broadcasting and receiving and converting. He vaguely remembered it had been covered in one of his classes, but even after all these years all he remembered of that class was Phillip's ass. Shapely and tight, with a curled gray tail, Theo hadn't been able to take his eyes off the husky's ass anytime he sat in front of him, and Theo made sure he was there as often as possible.

What he did remember was that there was one conduit that entered the building, and that for a reason he didn't know, but had probably been covered in that same class, it was on the side of the receiver, not inside it. He found it on the wide side, at one corner. A metal tube ten centimeter in diameter.

Theo pulled out the welder. The tube was too big for him to cut it that way, but because of the work it needed to do welders had a large power supply, and the first thing anyone who had one figured out how to do was how to short circuit it and turn the welder into a small bomb.

Theo had tried to get Anderson to admit that was the reason it was designed like that, but she'd only given him her usual 'wouldn't you like to know' smile.

He took the head off the welder, quickly rewired the inside, put it back and wedged it under the conduit, as tightly as he could.

"Let's get back inside," he grabbed Marcus and rushed him to the stairs. He'd done a handful of experiments back when he first got his arm, and the tools, and he'd worked out it normally took about a minute and a half for the welder to overload and explode, but once it had happened within fifteen seconds, singing most of his face fur off. The fact that none of his instructors had even twitched an ear at it told him his experiments were expected.

At the door to the fourth floor Theo stopped Marcus. "Stay here."

"No."

"Marcus, I don't have the time for you to argue. There's going to be a fight, I'm going to be shooting people and they're going to shoot back. You really want to be in the middle of that?"

The mongoose hesitated.

"Stay here." Theo left him there and rushed to locker 465. He was halfway to it when the lights went out.