Traipse Ch. 05

I gave him a half smile, "What's so important?"

He looked at me blankly, "Solitaire battle network, gotta keep my scores up."

I laughed, feeling a lot of tension fall off of me, "Sorry to interrupt that." I pointed at the three uncommon people following me, "These are the guys I told you about, Trick, Boost, and Trite."

Wraith nodded to them, "Gentleman. Looks like you've got your bases covered as far as muscle is concerned. Sit down, we have some time to kill. Oh, first get some drinks, the cappuccinos here are killer."

Both Trick and Boost offered to pay for the coffee at the same time. They had a mini argument then both went to get the drinks.

Wraith sipped his cappuccino and looked around casually, "Perfect place for a meeting, loud and public. Plus there's good coffee and jazz which go well together."

I nodded, "So... you want the PDI now or later?" I asked carefully.

Wraith cracked a smile, "You don't have to be so serious Trask, act natural. We're just some weird dudes in a coffee joint. I'll take it now, and in return I'll give you this."

He reached into his pack and handed me a nano-bus drive.

"Where do I put it?" I asked him as I took it from him and handed him the PDI.

He tucked Nala's PDI into his pack and took another sip of his coffee, "You can put it in any port in the house. You told me that the integrated computer is running on its own internal network, so that little thing will make it possible for me to access it from the outside. I can enter wirelessly through its outside networks and get quite a bit of outgoing information, but this will guarantee us access to the entire system."

"Good. Anything else I should know?"

"Yeah, you still have your PDI, which is good, because you have some software on it that will allow you to connect to other PDIs in the area. Most people nowadays have their PDIs on or around them 24/7, so even if you can't access encrypted info with the program, you can get a good idea as to how many people are around. If the signal is moving, then obviously that means that the PDI is on the move; and we know they don't move by themselves. Don't worry about cameras either, if they get any footage, I can erase it once you plug the nano-bus drive in."

Boost and Trick came back with the drinks a minute later and handed them out. I waited till everyone sat down and recapped them quickly about what Wraith had said.

Trite sipped his green tea then asked, "So, how are we going to get there?"

Wraith pulled a digital key out of his pocket and threw it to Trite, "Rental car. I screwed with the system, so no matter where you drive it, it'll still say you stayed here in town and never went further than a twenty mile radius. Nothing wrong with a little insurance. Past that, there are four pairs of night vision specs in the glove compartment and a signal booster for Trask's PDI."

I shook my head, "You really thought of everything, didn't you Wraith?"

He shrugged, "It was easy, since you guys aren't planning on killing anyone, discretion is really the only precaution you should be taking. They won't want to make this assault public, so at the very worst someone's pay is gonna get cut tomorrow and reputations and pride might be hurt. I don't have any weapons for you guys, that's not really my department. I can get some, but its gonna cost you, and my guy is kinda expensive."

Trite patted a duffel bag he'd been carrying around, "I got it covered."

Wraith nodded, "Going all samurai on their asses huh? Good idea, particle shields and displacement fields don't work on blunt object, so it might actually work in your favor. I'm gonna get out of here now, let me know if you guys need anything else. I'll be at home of course, where I can do the most damage."

Before I knew it, the four of us were standing around a small grouping of high palm trees about a football field away from my old home. It hadn't changed of course in the short time I had been gone, although it did seem a lot more lit up to me. It was a three story penthouse with a traditional loft, wide wrap around windows on the top floor and a spacious railed balcony. The property itself was a little under two acres, so we had plenty of space to go around and stay hidden while doing it.

We had parked the car about half a mile away so we could walk in undetected, and it was easy to jump over the wall to the gated community without setting off any sensors. All four of us were wearing dark gray pullovers with hoodies and tight fitting sweatpants that Trite had brought. Additionally, we also had the night vision specs on, which made me feel even more ridiculous. Boost said that he felt like a ninja and honestly, he looked like one; we all did. Trite had also brought some weapons from his personal stash: Two black composite bokken for he and I, a set of composite heavy escrima for Trick, and a pair of brass knuckles for Boost. I think the knuckles were supposed to be a joke, since Boost doesn't really use weapons, but he took them anyway with a smile and said he would put them to good use.

I told them all briefly about the layout of the house and went over our plan as I produced my PDI. I tried to connect to the house's network, but it was unavailable, as I thought it would be. Moving to plan B, I connected instead to the gated community's power systems and isolated the backup power modulator, then disabled it. After than was finished, I made sure everyone was ready to go, then we crept closer to the house and stuck to the shadows. I looked down to my PDI to make sure it was on no light mode, then launched the application that would scan for other PDIs in the area. A minute later, some info popped up on the screen as well as a map: there were 12 signals. I cursed inwardly and wondered why my uncle needed so much security, but wasn't about to let this whole thing fail because of a few more guards. I told the others how many men to expect and showed them the location of the signals, then we split up as planned.

I crept around the low hedges surrounding the east wall and stopped at the place where I knew the power junction was located. I looked around through the stark green hue of the night vision to make sure I was in the right place. The box itself was between the wall and an ornamental covering: god forbid anyone see it from the outside and think the place anything but perfect. I glanced down at my PDI, which was also green, like everything else I was seeing, and noticed a signal coming very close to me. I looked around carefully, still crouched behind the bushes, and quieted my breathing.

A moment later, I heard footsteps, and they were coming progressively closer. The spot I was crouched in was almost totally dark, so I cautiously peeked over the hedge and saw one of my uncle's henchman walking toward the bush. I almost panicked, but noticed that he wasn't in the least bit concerned, so I figured he was out here to smoke or piss. It was the former; I watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a C02 cartridge and digital cigarette. He was only a few feet away from me and his back was turned. It was too good of a situation to pass up, and I needed to start with someone, so I forced myself to be calm and stepped soundlessly until I was directly behind him.

He muttered to himself, "Don't smoke it the house, what a joke. Its fuckin' C02 for crying out loud..."

I gently pocketed my PDI then silently drew my bokken from the nylon sheath on my back. I raised it over my head, grasping it with both hands. Before he could get off another complaint, I swiftly brought down the composite sword to the bottom of his neck and he crumpled, making hardly any noise at all. I sprang over the hedge and frisked him quickly. I found his displacer and pocketed it, then grabbed his mini PDI and pocketed that as well. I dragged him over to the hedge and tucked him underneath one of the more overgrown portions of it. One down. I checked him once more to make sure he was down for the count, then went to the box and produced my multi-tool.

I pried open the cheap lock and looked for the main fuse, then put my hand on it. I figured everyone would be in their positions now and as soon as I pulled the fuse I knew that they would take their cue to move, so I braced myself.

With one last sigh, I made sure I was ready and yanked the fuse from its relay, then threw it as far as I could into the opposite direction. Immediately, all the lights in the house went out save the individual low wattage emergency ones. I didn't waste any time, and jogged away from the box quietly. I knew the nearest exist was at the south wall, so if someone came out to turn the power back on, they would almost inevitably run into me. The first few knockouts were crucial, and I trusted that everyone else knew that as I reminded myself. If we could each take out at least two guys before they realized what was happening, that would even the odds quite a bit. I had gotten lucky with the first guy, but the guy coming out to check the box would be suspicious, or at the very least, alert. I wasn't wrong, and just as the thought was coming to me I saw a bright LED stream coming from around the corner.

I sheathed my bokken as I hastened to reach the end of the east wall, then I waited. The light came closer, and if I tried to peek around the wall, I knew that whomever was shining it would see me in their immediate line of sight, so I waited. My heart was pumping so fast that I almost thought it was audible, but I didn't have a lot of time to freak out. I pressed my body against the wall instinctively and watched the light come closer still. As I saw the light turning, I waited a split second longer until I saw the wrist holding it, and I grabbed it viciously and spun myself toward the poor sap while I pulled their wrist forward. I raised my knee and felt myself making contact with a diaphragm.

It was another henchman of course, a little taller than me, but my knee had landed perfectly, and he wheezed and buckled under the force and surprise of my attack. I brought both my hands over the back of his head and smashed his face into the same knee, then hit his lower neck with a hammer fist. It was little much thinking back, but my body really moved on its own. He went down of course, and I grabbed the light out of his hand and covered it with my own, then switched it off. Doing the same as I had with the previous hired gun, I found his displacer and his mini PDI. I tossed the displacer, since I only had use for one, then pocketed the PDI. My adrenaline was still pumping, but I was relieved to have succeeded. I took a deep breath and continued on, taking the man's key card with me as I headed to the entrance in the south wall.

A moment later, I found the door to the east entrance ajar. I wasn't sure if the guy I'd just taken out was being sloppy and forgot to close the door behind him, or if someone else had entered or exited recently. It had only been literally thirty seconds or so since my last encounter, so I hoped it was the former. I approached the door cautiously and opened it as quietly as I could, then looked around. The interior of the first floor was nearly pitch black.

No one was around, and I quickly produced my PDI and glanced at the sensor locations. None of them were moving like before, so I assumed that my uncle's henchmen were either standing still for the most part or had been taken out by one of our group. I replaced the PDI then crept along silently to the stairs. I knew the layout so well that I could have done it with my eyes closed, but it was a strange feeling, lurking through the house you spent your entire life living in. I heard a sudden shuffling in the kitchen, so I padded through the small hallway and into the living room to investigate. I saw a man in a trench coat on the coach, and got a little startled. It was Henely, but his eyes were closed, he was unconscious and his hat was rumpled.

I shook my head and figured one of the others had already taken care of him, and I continued to make my way into the kitchen. The kitchen had three entrances, all of them thresh holds without any doors. I glanced around the middle thresh hold and saw another guy standing there next to the window, fumbling with his mini PDI. He brought it up to his face and spoke into it quietly but in irritation, "Simon, haven't you figured it out yet? We've gotta get the power back on before the boss wakes up."

I figured the boss they were talking about was my uncle. A part of me hoped he wouldn't be home, but I guess my timing was right on, for better or for worse. I decided to take out the guy talking into the PDI before he went outside to investigate, but as soon as I started moving I saw a green and black blur moving on my left side. A second later, the guy fell forward silently and I saw Trick grab him and set him on the ground gently. I think he hit the guy on the back of the head with one of his escrima, but honestly I never really saw it because it happened so fast. Trick looked over at me and nodded, then pointed to himself and held up three fingers. I nodded in reply, impressed. I pointed to myself and held up two fingers, and he nodded to me as well, then gestured upward with his head. I nodded again and waved to him, letting him know I trusted him to take care of the first floor.

I grabbed the micro bus drive out of my pocket and plugged it into the kitchen terminal, then made my way to the first set of stairs.

I stopped at the base of the stairs before ascending and checked my PDI. Most of the signals were clumped now, which meant that most of the guards who had a PDI had been taken out. I climbed up the stairs one step at a time just to be safe, then turned into what used to be my bedroom. It was just the way I had left it, with the exception of the fully clothed body guard crashed out on my old bed.

I cursed inwardly and wracked my brain. I didn't want to take the chance of him waking up if the fighting got loud, but I had no good way to knock him out. I looked around the room several times until my eyes finally settled on my cabinet in the corner.

A thought came to me, so I went quietly over to the cabinet and swung it open while the guy snored. I found what I was looking for in exactly the same place I had left it: my advanced chemistry set. I thanked myself for being a major nerd and silently opened the fold out box until I found what I needed: chloroform. I gingerly lifted out the small glass bottle and looked for something to smear it on. I had taken most of my clothes with me, the good ones anyway, but I did find a pair of dress socks in my top drawer, which I dabbed liberally with the notoriously outdated sedative. I approached the sleeping mercenary and positioned myself over him, them clamped the sock down over his nose while I covered his mouth with my other hand. He struggled for a moment, but since he was in a dead sleep, It only took a few seconds for the chemical to work. I tossed the sock and dug through his pockets, found what I needed, and continued on through the second floor.

It was dead quiet for a while, and I was starting to wonder if any of the guards were left. However, just as I stood at the bottom of the stairs to the third floor, I heard some muffles and shuffling, then silence. I climbed the stairs cautiously and looked around briefly. The third floor was a loft, mostly open, with nowhere really to hide anywhere. The master bedroom was down a hall toward the west side of the third floor, but it was the only actual room on that level. The rest of it was a flashy show of a den, complete with holo projectors and a wireless integrated sound system. There were also a lot of synthetic plants, which I've always despised.

Boost was in the middle of the room standing over three unconscious guards. He looked up at me and gave me a thumbs up, then held up four fingers. I shook my head at him and couldn't help but smile: showoff. I signaled to him that I was going to my uncle's room and he nodded. I checked my PDI for the last time, and now all the signals were grouped, so I figured we were relatively safe for now. I replaced my PDI and headed down the short hall to the master bedroom.

I stopped at the door and held my breath for a moment. If my uncle was in there, I had no idea what I would say to him, but I needed answers. There was no way in hell I was gonna turn around now. Besides, I was too far in it, I couldn't exactly live it down after all four of us knocked out twelve armed men in the dark but I couldn't have a simple uncomfortable confrontation. I shook off my doubt and reached out for the handle. It was locked of course, but I had my trusty PDI. I connected to the home's integrated system and undid the lock, then opened the door as quietly as possible.

It was dark inside, and for the briefest moment I thought my uncle was asleep on the giant bed. As soon as I stepped through the thresh hold however, I heard a small sound in the corner right next to the doorway. Instinctively, I rolled forward and felt a blast of displaced air shearing over my head a few inches away. I snapped my head around and glanced to the corner as I rose while simultaneously reaching for my own displacer. It was my uncle, hunched in the corner and looking scared and angry. So there he was, finally; Cornelius 'Neil' Allhew, middle aged business tycoon and investor. I knew he couldn't see me well, since it was so dark, but he squeezed off another shot in my direction. I side stepped deftly and felt the blast whoosh past me then raised my own displacer and aimed for his chest.

"Enough!" I shouted as I pulled the trigger. The blast hit him squarely in the chest and knocked the wind out of him. I knew the weapon was mostly non lethal, but I didn't want him to keep firing at me blindly.

He clutched his chest and dropped his gun, then looked up through the darkness at me, "Trask?! Is that you my boy?"

I felt an inkling of guilt. He had raised me and made sure I got the finest education, but his motives were black. Still, he was the only guardian I'd ever had, and as much as I hated to admit it he was a father figure. I braced myself emotionally and reminded myself what he'd done to me, "Yeah, its me," I replied hollowly.

I saw his face soften a bit, "What... what are you doing here?"

I clenched my fist, "I'm here to talk."

My uncle looked dumbfounded, "How? I mean... how did you get here?"

I shook my head, "I came to get some answers, not to answer stupid questions. We took out your body guards and all of your security systems are disabled."

His face went blank for a moment, then he nodded, "I guess it shouldn't surprise me that you're here, although I was expecting someone else. It's ironic that I went through so much trouble to get you back here, and despite your multiple escapes you opted to come here on your own."

I furrowed my brow, "So, you knew about Nala Forze?"

He nodded, "Yes. I'll tell you everything boy, I think you deserve that much."

I waited for a moment while he caught his breath. I still had the gun pointed at him and I knew that if he tried anything I could fire at him again.

Another moment later he spoke, "I can guess the kind of questions you want answers to so I'll start from the beginning. Several years before you were born I did some investing with a company called Celltrade. They were developing cures for various reproductive conditions, since so many people were still interested in having children naturally, which is understandable. I myself was quite interested in their work, and had already made a good profit on some of their stock. Of course, not everything they were doing was legal, hardly any company that becomes profitable is totally legit, but they were very good at keeping it under wraps. As one of the main share holders, I got an offer from them that sounded promising. They said they could make me a perfect son or daughter, that I could choose every feature and customize everything about the child.