~ 28 ~
COLSON
The scream of triumph ripped through the villa like a bomb blast, shaking it down the very walls. The three of us had been in the kitchen, pouring over maps, at the time. Looking for quick ports if needed for a fast getaway, and better options if we were afforded the luxury of time.
“EAT SHIT, MOTHERFUCKER!”
Theo, as it turned out, had just bought us that time.
“Did you—”
“FUCK! YES!”
He flew in from his makeshift desk in the living area, the laptop half open under his arm. He moved so quickly he nearly tripped, and for a heart-stopping moment I thought he might drop it. I had visions of the machine skidding across the floor and into the wall, its keys popping off like popcorn.
Instead, Theo maintained his grip. He slid into the nearest chair and began pounding away at the keys, his eyes as wide as they were bloodshot. We shoved the maps away and gathered around him.
“I was going about it allwrong!” he exclaimed, mouthing the words as fast as if he’d slammed two full pots of coffee. “I was brute-forcing the outer hash like a complete dope! When I should’vereallybeen attacking the entropy drift in the key rotation layer—”
“Theo…”
“—hammering away at the primary cypher within the secondary loop—“
“THEO!”
His head snapped up at me, his expression all crazed and wild-eyed. Like an animal who’d just outrun a team of hunters, but didn’t yet realize it had earned its freedom.
“Calm down, Theo,” I smiled and squeezed his shoulder.
He began feeling around for his glasses, and found them at the end of his nose. Pushing them back to the bridge, he took a deep breath and nodded.
“Alright then,” he sighed. “We’re in.”
Ripley hooted and clapped his hands together. He put his hand up for a high five, and I saw Peyton jump to reach him.
“As ininin?”I dared to ask.
“Oh yeah,” Theo confirmed. “I was trying to break the lock. Instead, I should’ve been listening to how it breathes.”
His hands flew over the keyboard, his fingers blurring before my own tired eyes. I had to look at the screen to keep from getting dizzy. Even then, information scrolled by so fast I could barely make sense of it.
“What’s on the drive?” Ripley prodded. “Anythinguseful?”
Theo reached the nearest mug of coffee, which happened to be mine. I slid it away just in time, and shoved a water bottle into his hand instead.
“Theo RELAX,” I told him. “The hard part’s over, but we need you sane and sensible.”
“For real,” Ripley quipped. “None of us are going to be able to interpret this data if your heart explodes.”
He took another series of deep breaths, and then Peyton came up behind him. I stepped aside, as her hands went to his shoulders. He softened all over, the moment she touched him.
“The drive, Theo,” she murmured gently. “What’s on it?”
He began typing at a more reasonable speed. Soon he was opening files, images, documents. With the tips of his fingers, he dragged them left and right.
“It’s all here,” he said to no one in particular.
“What is?”
