I shouldn’t be such a smug son of a bitch, but it’s damn hard when watching her get all indecisive over little old me. Enjoy your wavering, meu amor. It won’t be long before my intentions are clear. Just a little bit longer until you’re settled and ready to hear what I have to say.
Whilst my mind runs away from me, a message labeled ‘Duty Calls’pops up on the screen. I groan, kicking my ankles off the desk and placing down my coffee. Why does the real world always have to intrude on good times?
Leaving Meg’s window active in the corner, I open the encrypted server and unlock the job’s details. It’s a standard hack with a decent pay off, and should only take the morning. There are many other things I’d prefer to do whilst watching Meg for the next few hours, but to be honest, my dick could use a break and my bank account could do with a sizable donation.
Sitting up straighter, I crack my knuckles over the green-lit keyboard and enter my secondary credentials. The screen flickers, automatically shifting into dark mode and the job loads. Let’s see what’s on the agenda for today.
Verentas Pharmaceuticals. Extract the proprietary research logs from the internal network and reroute development delays to the investor board. Someone is being rather naughty, hoping to either steal, sabotage or conceal whatever experimental treatments they’re working on. It doesn’t matter, I’m just the performing monkey who wants to get paid.
I launch the necessary programs, a spoofed IP address and an anonymized Linux shell I built from the ground up. Initiating a ghost crawl, I run a quiet scan of Verentas’ external-facing servers. Their firewalls are so basic, it’s laughable.
I start off by writing a custom script to mimic a regular network check-in with one hand, the other used to lift my latte to my lips in between. All the while, I’m checking in on Meg. She stands at one point to stretch, her work-out leggings hinting at her lean silhouette beneath an oversized college sweater. Rolling her neck, she swings her arms out wide and back in to hug herself, then bends in half. I almost drop my coffee cup.
Focus. I need to focus. A distracted hacker leaves tracks.
Slipping past Verentas’ defense protocol, I locate the development logs, find the directory tree and pull files into a remote folder. While the files download, I forge a memo to the board stating their newest trial failed safety testing and will need six more months of clinical approval. It’ll cause stock to dip and a significant delay, exactly as my client wants.
I glance back at the corner feed. Meg’s preparing to head out, throwing her hair into a high ponytail and applying a lick of mascara to her lashes. She glances at herself in the mirror, a frown pinching at her brows, before donning her backpack and leaving. I watch the door click closed, the handle lifting for her to lock it, and the urge to follow her route slithers through me. Somehow, my conscience wins out and reminds me she’s trying to find herself again. Do. Not. Suffocate the poor girl.
The job screen will run on its own like clockwork now, allowing me to minimize the screen and do something else. The sun spills through a break in the curtains, hinting that I should maybe venture outside. Go for a jog, see some real people, get some more coffee pods. But that’s what treadmills and home deliveries are for, and people generally suck.
I rarely venture out if I can help it. I’m protected in the world I’ve created in my late mother’s house. Most doors down the hall are closed, since I only use my room, the bathroom and the kitchen. Maria, the cleaner, comes in a few times a week to keep the dust from settling and launder my clothes (don’t judge me, you’re sitting around reading when you know there are chores you should be doing). I’m wasted here, I know that, but I’m also a creature of habit.
Instead, I open the video game I’ve brought Meg into, intent on loading up on supplies that I can gift to her later. Even in the virtual world, I’ve undertaken the task of protecting her. My character runs around the screen, adding extra layers of security to her base. What started as just a tent in the woods is now surrounded by an iron wall and several guard wolves.
My phone rings a few times, and each time I jolt forward to see who it is. Mostly withheld or unknown numbers, and I ignore each one. Solely focused on the controller in my hand, I almost ignore the next call altogether until my cousin’s name catches my eye. I look at it, then back at the computer screen and back again. Damn it, family always comes first.
“Hey cuz,” I project a much more joyous tone than I’m feeling. All my head and heart want to do is get back to my game, so I sandwich the phone between my ear and my shoulder and do just that.
“What are you up to, Thi?” My cousin, Dax, asks. I frown slightly but continue to keep up the pretense.
“No idea what you mean. I’m just over here living my life. How’s your apprenticeship going?”
“Don’t deflect.” Dax cuts in. “Rosa says she hasn’t seen you leave the house in weeks.”
My hands still on the controller as my eyes narrow. Standing, I peel back the curtain, hissing at the brightness of the rising sun, and glare at the bitter old shrew sitting on her porch acrossthe road. Two cats are fighting for a space on her lap, but her attention is on me. Her vision has no business being that sharp at her age, but being the nosey neighbor is all that keeps her going these days. Rosa lifts a hand to wave, and I promptly give her my middle finger, whip the curtain closed and drop back into my chair.
“I’m serious, Primo,” Dax puts on his big boy voice. We’re the same damn age. “There’s more to life than your computer. You should get out and live a little.”
“The last time Ilived a little, your girlfriend’s harem nearly got me killed.” There’s a beat of silence on the other end of the phone.
Sure, getting a call to travel across the country to do some hacking for Dax’s girlfriend was fun and all, until I found myself hiding in a vent hugging my laptop whilst ex-cons trashed the hotel room beneath. As per my MO, I watched through the surveillance feeds as my cousin put his life on the line for his girl and those he calls his brothers.
It became apparent that day just how alone I am, but I didn’t know then that I’d be carrying Meg out of a hellhole by the end of it. She needed help and I was there at the right time and place to give it to her. Whatever sense of responsibility began that day has only intensified, manifesting itself into something so much more.
A sigh comes through the receiver. “I promised your mom I’d look out for you,” Dax mutters. Another kick in the teeth. Just because I dropped out of high school and Dax is the big shot educated boy, somehow he’s deemed more dependable than me. I pick the controller back up and go back to my game.
“And I promised I’d take care of her house. I’m doing that, and I’m quite happy with my setup here. Stop worrying, you’ll get wrinkles and start to look like the crabby woman you sound like.”
In the background of the speaker, a female voice picks up. Dax’s girlfriend, Avery, is there with him, and I know what the next question is before Dax voices it.
“How is Megan?”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “Still feisty enough to punch you for calling her Megan.” Tapping my foot, I wipe the smirk off my face. The woman hanging on my response wants a real answer, considering she’s Meg’s twin sister. “She’s okay. Struggling to adjust to school again, but she’s doing her best.”
There’s not much else to say. When Meg is ready to speak to her sister again, she’ll pick up the phone. It’s not my place to discuss Meg’s recovery. Thankfully, Dax doesn’t push me for more.
“We do really appreciate everything you’re doing for her, Thi. In fall break, we were thinking that we could all head to Sweetwater Creek, if you could convince Meg to-”
