Chapter 9.1: Double Life
895 Words
Riley POV
It's raining outside. I can feel the chill in the air, feel the wind in my hair. The sun has disappeared behind the clouds. It's gone from being a bright sunny day to a more depressing one. It suited my mood. I tightened the shoulder of my backpack and walked slowly, kicking stones into puddles. My teeth chattered, my hair plastered across my forehead, but I didn't care. I was in no rush to go back to that packhouse and pretend that everything was okay. I was in no mood to face my parents or my sister again.
"A few more months," I murmured to myself, "and then it will all be over. You'll be eighteen and can get the hell out of dodge."
A ding from my phone made me halt in my tracks. I thrust my hand into the bag and quickly recovered my phone, staring down at the screen, my fingers deftly unlocking it.
Biotech Company requires your skills. They are currently experiencing a sudden threat from an unknown source, which is attempting to download their personnel files and confidential research. A breach could result in catastrophic damage and ruin the company. They are willing to pay $100 000 for your assistance. Time is of the essence. Please signal if you agree to take this job.
A threat? I bring up schematics, possible routes, my fingers tapping across the screen. Within seconds, I'm in an Uber, heading for the company, which is merely minutes away.
I accept the job and phone the head of security the moment I step out of the car.
"Damien Grimshaw?" I panted, heading for the front entrance.
"Yes? How did you get my number?"
"I'm the IT specialist you requested," I barked, heading into the front foyer, "now give me your location before your company goes ass up and make sure nobody tries to stop me."
Yelling in the background.
"Top floor. I'll be waiting to escort you inside the computer lab," he panted.
I move. The receptionist opens her mouth, but I'm already past her and inside the elevator before she can speak. I press the button for the top floor. The doors open and I'm greeted by a mature-aged man with sandy blonde hair and bleak blue eyes in a white lab coat, standing impatiently in front of me. His jaw drops open.
"You're a teenager," he says incredulously.
"Nothing's wrong with your eyesight," I snapped, "now are you going to show me where to go, or should I just assume?"
He hurriedly moves down the corridor and pushes open a door. Inside, there are several computers and several technicians clustered around one, trying desperately to prevent their system from being hacked.
I shove past them. "Move."
"Who the f**k do you think you are..." the one seated began.
"Your worst f*****g nightmare if you don't move," I hissed and then promptly got him on his ass, sitting myself at the computer and beginning to type frantically away.
"Sir," the one on the floor protested, "she's just some damn schoolgirl. We're experienced," he began to whine.
"Shut up, you fool," Damien snarled and motioned at me, "she's the legendary Purple Rose. You want to tell her to stop?" he growled.
Looks of awe. I ignore them. All my focus is on my task. I give a low whistle.
"This hacker's good," I said with a low murmur, "he's making several breaches at once. Trying to take down the firewall, upload a virus, and find a way through the back door. Smart," I said with admiration.
"Can you stop it?" Damien asked in desperation, "All the research, the files, everything will be ruined if somebody else gets hold of them. If anybody finds out, we'll lose investors, stock prices will go down, our funding will be cut, or worse, we'll lose the actual company itself."
"I'm turning his virus back on him," I said slowly, biting my lip and smirking slightly. "As for the back door, I've just implemented several traps to keep him busy."
"s**t, she's good," I heard a whisper in the background.
"What about the firewall?" Damien asked urgently. "If that goes down...."
"It will be a massive security risk. Don't worry, I know. I'm attempting to encrypt it with new coding and fortifying the remnants of the previous firewall. It's going to take a bit of time," I added darkly, fingers still flying over the keyboard, "but so far all attempts to get into your system have resulted in failure on their end."
Silence. All that you can hear are the sounds of my fingers tapping frantically across the keyboard and the occasional sigh or sound of shifting bodies. Everyone's too afraid to ruin my concentration. They all know what's on the line.
"I'm going to have to put in more security measures when it comes to accessing your network," I said, "it's nonnegotiable. Your security is woefully inadequate. I'm surprised there hasn't been a breach until now," I added.
"Hey?"
"Come on."
I shrugged. "It's true. They're old school. Gotta keep up with the times, you know," I continued carelessly.
The screen flashed bright red. I could almost feel Damien's panic as he hovered behind me, looking over my shoulder.
"What, f**k what is that?" he cried out loud, his voice shaking even as he tried to hide it.
- Writer
