Even though they haven’t said I’m in trouble or anything, something about this feels completely off. Not just the way they showed up out of the blue but the cloak and dagger way they’re behaving. There’s something they aren’t telling me.

“So, any chance we can stop for burgers on the way? I’m starving.”

Big Guy and Even Bigger Guy glance at each other in the front seat but don’t respond. The atmosphere in the car goes from awkward to hostile and I get the feeling that my participation in this meeting isn’t as voluntary as I was hoping.

“Or we could just ride in silence. That’s cool, too.”

I sit back and watch the streets pass by, hoping I’m ready for whatever the hell I’m neck deep in now.

†

Big Guy One and Two leave me in a sterile white room and file out without another word. I’m getting more and more uncomfortable with the direction of this unscheduled meeting.

Scratch that, I’m pissed as hell.

Previously, my meetings with Agent Walker took place in Washington D.C. I would drive up, get a hotel for the night and spend the next day in meetings with the cyber security division. I was able to provide some insight into certain cases since I had the unique experience of actually pulling off some of the crimes they were investigating.

Allegedly, anyway.

But this is different. We drove for about thirty minutes to Langley Air Force base which is located in Hampton, the next city over from West Haven. We parked in an underground garage and then they led me here, no explanation for why I’m here and no indication of when I’ll be leaving. This is feeling less like a consultation and more like a detainment.

The door opens and Agent Walker enters. Luckily, he’s by himself.

“Hey, Luke. Sorry about the way you were brought in. I didn’t know about that until it was in process.”

The apology cools my anger. Slightly. “What’s going on?”

He indicates that I should have a seat and after a moment of hesitation, I pull back one of the metal folding chairs at the table. I could stand on principle but there’s no reason for me to be uncomfortable.

He takes a seat across from me and leans in. “Your name came up in conjunction with another case. If I’d been aware, I would have stopped it before it got this far.”

“Wait, you mean my name came up as a suspect in another case?”

He winces, so slightly that I almost miss it. “You aren’t a suspect. We know you’re in the clear. You’ve been a great asset to us over the years.”

I lean back, mimicking his casual, we’re all friends posture. “And of course, it doesn’t hurt that you’ve had me under surveillance for years, either. So you know I haven’t been involved in anything illegal.”

He goes still. Clearly he thought I was unaware of that. The agents weren’t hard to spot and even after they stopped following me physically, I knew they were watching me online. I was aware of it every time they tried to hack me and sometimes I even let them do it.

Of course, I only let them intercept what I wanted them to see.

“Well, anyway. That’s not why you’re here. We need your help.” He coughs and raps his knuckles against the table.  “With a suspect.”

Okay, now things are getting interesting. In all the years that I’ve been consulting with him, he’s never allowed me to have direct contact with a suspect before. Maybe because I was underage some of that time. Or maybe because he didn’t trust me yet. After all, the only reason our paths ever crossed was because I was hacking into the Pentagon.

Allegedly.

Truthfully, keeping me away from the suspects was probably a good call because when I was younger and a little more reckless, I might not have been able to resist the urge to learn. The guys they’re after are usually on a different level. These aren’t your run of the mill hackers trying to break passwords so they can steal credit card information or some bullshit like that. These are guys that want to hack into official databases, topple corrupt regimes and reveal secrets to the world. These are guys with a mission. The top of the food chain.

Guys like C7pher.

Even though I know it’s wrong, it’s impossible not to respect their skills and their passion. For someone like me, it’s a slippery slope.

“There was a breach reported earlier today at Langley. Someone accessed the servers reserved for a special project. A project very few know about. We logged the I.P. address of the unauthorized access and agents were dispatched to the location. It was a warehouse with only one person inside. It’s almost like she wanted to be caught.”

“She?”

He stands and I stand, too. “Yes. There was nothing in that warehouse except for a girl on a laptop.”

“Huh. Why would someone hack a government database from an empty warehouse?”

“That’s what we need you to help us find out.”

I’m following him from the room when it hits me. “You know I’m happy to help out but just out of curiosity, how did my name get involved in this? I mean, why did your boys think I was involved to start with?”

He stares at me for a long while. “Because when she was first detained, the suspect listed you as her emergency contact. She says she’ll only talk to you.”

†

If I thought that I was going to meet this mysterious woman right then and there, it was because I’d forgotten the snail speed at which everything government moves. First, I was presented with a bunch of paperwork to sign, basically agreeing not to ever reveal anything that happened. I’ve already signed this stuff before but I guess they have a different layer of legalese if you’re in actual contact with a cyber terrorist.

It’s about an hour later when I’m led down another hallway. There wasn’t much time for me to review the folder of information on the suspect. I got nothing more than a name. Sarah Parker. It means nothing to me.

Agent Walker stops right outside a nondescript gray door.

“We’ll be right on the other side of the glass. Don’t accuse her of anything but try to get her talking about her mission. Find out what the hell she was looking for and how she even knew where to start.”

“Right. Get her talking. I can do that.”

He hesitates and then opens the door. I step inside and wait until I hear the gentle click of the door shutting behind me. The knowledge that I’m being watched behind the large mirror on the wall doesn’t help my anxiety any.

The table in the center of the room is empty. I turn around, looking behind me. I’m about to bang on the mirror and ask what the hell is going on when I notice her in the corner.

She’s small, so small I almost mistake her for a child. A curtain of long, dark hair covers her so completely that all I can see are the tips of her Chucks. They’re electric blue.

Then she looks up.

We stay suspended like that for what I hope is just a few seconds before I find enough brain cells to speak. It’s the girl from the rain.

“Hey. What are you doing on the floor?”

Large, dark eyes continue to watch me as I take a seat at the table. I’m trying not to move too quickly or do anything to spook her. She already looks pale. She’s probably terrified. I remember what it was like being interrogated by agents as a teenager. I fear any sudden movements will just freak her out more.

Aware that we’re being watched, I’m unsure of how to proceed. Walker said she put my name as her emergency contact. But I’m positive that I’ve never seen this girl before that day in the rain. So why would she claim to know me? More importantly, what could she hope to gain by using my name? Not too many people know about my consulting with the department in the first place. There’s no way she could have known that my name would even work in her favor.