Scarlet Angel (25 page)

“
A second later, I hear the
bangers threatening to trash the shop. Janson storms up to them and
yells at them, accusing them of being my friends. He acts all
pissed and tells them I made a big mess in the back before running
out the back. The dumbasses run right past me out the back
door.”

All three of them laughed. When the noise died down,
Scarlett was the first to speak. “So, what happened?”

“
Well, I never saw those asshats
again. But when I climbed out from that bin, Janson was standing
there with his arms crossed. He just looked at me and said. ‘Boy…
you better clean up this mess you made.’ I looked down and he had
dumped half the shelf all around me. I spent the next three hours
cleaning that place up.”

The room filled with laughter again.

The next day, Scarlett stood in the middle of
MakerMasters. Shelves of equipment, some junk, some not, surrounded
her. Her finger traced the edges of the Callison HyperVac III
motor’s nameplate.

“
Oh, Janson. I’m so sorry,” she
whispered.

“
What’dya say?” Mickey’s voice
made her jump.

“
Hm? Oh, nothing.”

The hacker rolled by in his wheelchair. Several
boxes of parts sat on his lap as he headed for the back.
“Whatever.”

Dax lumbered by, his arms laden down with more
boxes. “Eh, don’t mind him. He’s just pissed off because I’m making
him take the heavier stuff. I mean, it’s not like he’s actually
carrying it, right?”

“
Dax, c’mon. The man’s legs were
broken. Give him a break.”

He stopped and turned to look at Scarlett, a wide
smirk on his face.

She furrowed her brow in confusion. “What?”

Mickey pulled up beside her. “Really? Give me a
break
?”

Scarlett’s hand flew up to her mouth. “Oh, shit. I’m
sorry Mickey. I didn’t mean—”

Laughter erupted from Dax as he struggled not to
drop his boxes.

A smile cracked across Mickey’s face. “Don’t worry.
It was kinda funny.”

She smiled. “Yeah, it kinda was.”

Dax’s laughter settled into a few snickers. He
shifted his load then headed back to put them away.

“
I’ve been meaning to ask you,”
Mickey’s hands slipped on the wheels as he turned his chair around
to be face to face with Scarlett. “How are we going to run this
place? Who’s gonna man the front, order the supplies or
whatever?”

Scarlett thought for a second. “You are.”

“
What?”

“
You don’t have a job,
right?”

Mickey’s eyes narrowed. “Right.”

“
Well, now you do. For all intents
and purposes, this place is yours.”

“
But I...”

“
Look,” She put her hand on his
shoulder. “I know you watched over the place for Janson a few
times. You know MakerMasters’ operations better than any of us. It
has to be you.”

“
Are you sure? You’re the
controlling partner.”

She turned and adjusted a few pieces of equipment on
the shelf. “Silent. Silent partner. And don’t worry, we’ll help
when you need it.”

Mickey considered the idea. “What about Dax? Did he
agree to that?”

She smiled. “Don’t worry about Dax. I’ll talk to
him. Besides, I’ve more than enough work for him.”

“
Uh... Okay then.”

“
Alright.” Scarlett patted Mickey
on the shoulder. “Hey, I’ve got a project I wanna get started on,
so I’m gonna head to the back. You good up here?”

He looked around. “Yeah.” His chair jerked forward
and came to rest behind the counter. Mickey ran his hands along the
plastic laminate surface and smiled. “Yep. I’m good.”

At the back of the shop, she found Dax unpacking a
box.

“
Dax, what name did you register
my ownership under?” She leaned against one of the tables and
folded her arms.

“
Scarlett Angel, why? That’s you,
isn’t it?”

“
Yeah, but... I want some
separation between me and this shop. In fact, I’m going to need a
new persona for stuff like this. Can you create a fake id and
background? I’ll supply the information.”

He stopped and dropped the now empty box to the
floor. “Well, sure, I guess. But if anyone
really
digs,
they’ll probably find out.”

“
I’ll take what I can get. Just
something for the casual observer, ya know?”

“
Kay. What’s the name?”

She stood and shoved her hands into her pockets. Her
eyes became distant for a moment then refocused back on Dax.
“Jillian Mallack. I’ll put together a bio and family
connections.”

“
You got it.”

Scarlett turned to walk away but something on the
shelf caught her attention. “Oh, are those micro-proximity
sensors?”

Dax’s voice was flat. “You mean the ones I just put
there?”

“
Yep.” She smiled innocently.
“Gimme that box.”

He picked the cardboard cube back up off the floor
and handed it to her. She took the container and started filling it
with the sensors and the rest of the things he’d just stocked on
the shelf.

“
Ooo. I need these too. And this.”
She smiled, thanked him and walked away.

His jaw set to the side, Dax watched her sit at one
of the tables across the room.

* * *

Scarlett awoke and bolted upright in her chair. Her
heart pounded in her chest as if it was trying to get out. The
state of panic from her nightmare left her hyperaware.

She was alone in the MakerMasters’ workshop. Beside
her, a lamp illuminated the table and her project. Everything
beyond the small light was dark. With the back of her hand, she
wiped the drool from the side of her face and the table.

Her skin still crawled with the memory of Derrick’s
fingers. In her nightmare, they were still lovers. Every time she’d
looked away from him, she’d had the feeling he changed into some
kind of Hyde monster. But when she’d look back he was his normal
Dr. Jekyl-self.

The dream was like a stretched rubber band snapping
against her emotions. The pangs of betrayal and loss left her raw
all over again. As she started cleaning up her mess on the table,
she realized tears were trickling down her cheeks.

She wiped them away. “What the hell?”

Scarlett looked at the wetness on her hand.

“
I’ll be damned if I cry over that
sonofabitch.”

Scarlett stowed the rest of her project’s pieces
into the box and headed for the door.

Chapter 39
Waiting

Margaret Thatcher once said, “I’m extraordinarily
patient, provided I get my own way in the end.”

* * *

Scarlett sat on the wooden bench and tossed a nugget
of brown bread at a small grouping of ducks. The birds swarmed
around the morsel, nipping at each other and squawking. Ahead was
the large pond the birds claimed as their home.

“
Don’t you think this is a little
cliché Mr. Collier, meeting at a duck pond? I mean, it’s a little
spy movie-esque.” She kept her head straight, forcing herself not
to look at the husky man.

A light breeze ruffled the thin hair on the top of
his head. “I suppose it is. Still, it is a nice way to break up the
day.” His raspy voice was present, even without his usual
cigar.

She tossed another scrap of bread. “Mmmm, I
s’pose.”

“
Your message did say you have
made progress, did it not?”

“
Yes. I’ve located the
data.”

Mr. Collier tossed a piece of his own white bread.
“Is it in your possession?”

“
No. Unfortunately, its location
is not hackable. In fact, it is not going to be available much
longer. It looks as though Derrick is planning to move the data
core to his orbital research station.”

Mr. Collier’s hand froze mid-toss. “When?”

“
There’s no way of knowing. He
won’t make the decision until the last minute. According to my
information, he’s in orbit at the moment. I expect he’ll make the
move the next time he’s planetside so he can oversee it
personally.”

“
If he gets that research off the
planet, we’ll never see it again.”

“
Yessir, that’s why I’m moving
tonight.” Scarlet tossed the last crumbs of bread and crumpled up
the bag. “I’m going in quiet while he’s busy prepping for the
move.”

“
I trust you are prepared for
this?” Mr. Collier stood and tossed his last slice of bread. Crumbs
tumbled from his lap.

“
Yes.”

“
Good, then we won’t need to meet
again until this is over. Good luck. And I hope you get what you
want out of this as well.” He started to walk away.

“
Have you heard from him?”
Scarlett’s voice stopped him short.

She waited, holding her breath. Images of Neil raced
through her mind. A moment later, Mr. Collier continued on, as if
she’d said nothing.

Scarlett let out a deep, long-held breath and leaned
back. She closed her eyes and savored the smell of the park’s
fresh-cut grass drifting on the breeze. “Damn.”

* * *

Scarlett pulled down the visor and looked in the
mirror. The woman staring back at her was unfamiliar. Her cheeks
were more round and her nose had a small bulb at the end. She poked
at the fleshy cheek but felt nothing.

Her implant comm beeped, followed by Dax’s voice.
“You look great, no one will recognize you.”

Scarlett spoke into the air. “Yeah, I know. You sure
though? The facial recognition software is hard to fool.” Her voice
sounded heavy to her own ears inside the closed car.

“
I’m telling you, I used a copy of
the same software they purchased for this research facility. I’ve
tested it. You’ll be fine. Would’ve been better if you’d dyed your
hair, but you should be fine anyway.”

“
Dax, I’m not talking about my
hair and your fetish for blondes.” Scarlett wrinkled her nose and
twisted her face. The masking latex adhered to her skin moved
naturally with every muscle twitch.

“
It’s not a fetish, per
se.”

“
Alright, I’m going.” She jutted
her chin out one last time then resigned to be satisfied. A black
business suit and briefcase completed her disguise. She picked up a
pair of cosmetic glasses and put them on.

A small heads-up display appeared in her right eye’s
vision. Holographic lines traced the nearby topography and
highlighted potential moving targets. A small, transparent video
feed of Dax sitting at his computer appeared in the lower right
corner of her augmented display. “You’re coming in clear, Dax.
How’s my feed?”

Dax’s fingers tapped. “Yep, looks good. I see what
you’re seeing.”

“
Good.”

Scarlett slid out of the car with her briefcase in
hand. She left the parking garage and crossed the street to the
research facility. The facade of the building was different from
the last time she’d been there. Her rediscovered memories of the
place she had been employed before her amnesia were spotty, but she
could tell the mirror face of the structure was new.

A six-foot tall concrete sculpture of the company’s
logo letters, UDI, blocked a direct line to the front door. The
logo sculpture was a smaller version of the one she encountered
right after she started getting her memories back.

Flowing lines of people entered the building,
curving around the oval pond surrounding the sculpture. She felt as
if a hundred eyes were watching her but resisted the urge to
shiver.

As if on cue, Dax spoke. “Based on everything I can
find, UDI has more cameras and sensors behind that fancy glass
front than you can shake a stick at. And that’s just this side of
the building. It is impossible to get in without being
noticed.”

Scarlett replied with a faint grunt and headed
straight for the front desk.

“
And to answer your question,
since I know you can’t ask it, no, I can’t get past their firewalls
without being noticed. That place is locked tighter than the
Pentagon. Believe me, I know.”

When Scarlett arrived, the woman behind the counter
held one finger up. With her other hand, she swiped at a
holodisplay. Finally, she tapped her earpiece and looked up at
Scarlett. “May I help you?” Her tone was flat and bored.

When Scarlett spoke, she used an English accent.
“Yes dear, I’m afraid I’m here to see a...” She held up her commpad
and tapped a few times. “Oh, here it is, so sorry. I’m here to see
a Michael Fellhouse.”

“
And you are?”

“
Oh, I’m sorry. Dolly Carson,
dear.” She gave the receptionist an innocent smile.

“
One moment please.”

Scarlett thanked her. She turned around and gazed at
the throngs of researchers and administrative staff coming and
going through the lobby. The glass wall from the building’s facade
let in a vast amount of daylight, making the space feel larger than
it really was. The vaulted, twenty-five foot ceiling helped with
that as well.

She noted the full-body weapon scanners blocking the
entrance to the rest of the complex.
Definitely don’t want to go
there.

“
Uh, Ma’am?” The receptionist’s
voice caught Scarlett’s attention. “Mr. Fellhouse is not in today.
He’s in New York until next week.”

“
Is he? But my appointment message
says right here...” Scarlett held up her commpad to show the woman
but stopped. “Oh my. It appears I’ve gotten the week all
wrong.”

“
Yes Ma’am.”