Mind Trace (7 page)

Might as well get some work done.

Eric absently flipped a pen between his fingers as he
reviewed Alice's file. So far, her location had not been determined. The few
security cameras in Asheville, mainly traffic cameras, had only shown her
driving out of town, heading west. From there, her path had dropped off,
presumably because she had ventured into a rural area, void of any conventional
way to track her route.

He was a patient man. Alice could not hide herself forever,
and eventually she would drop her guard long enough for them to find her. He
glanced over the pictures that had been confiscated from her house.

She is attractive.  I wouldn't notice her on first
glance, but something about the way intelligence peeks out from behind those
dark eyes makes her seem…mysterious.

What are you hiding in there, Alice?

His eyes came to rest on the photo she had taken with her
parents in front of a lake. Something caught his attention in the top corner of
the picture, the vague outline of what appeared to be a cabin. There was no
mention of any such property in the files on his desk.

Eric brought up a video chat on his computer and called the
head investigator for the case.

The video brought up an image of a man leaning precariously
back in his desk chair. When he noticed the window on his screen, he jumped in
surprise, almost falling over.

Eric held up the picture and asked him, "Do we know
where this picture was taken?"

The man glanced at the photo, eyebrows furrowing. "No,
sir… That information did not seem relevant at the time."

Eric frowned, took a deep breath, and replied, "Everything
is relevant until this woman is found. Get me all the information you can find
on this picture, especially on that house. Call me the moment you have any
news."

He abruptly signed off the chat, leaving the man staring
dumbfounded at his computer screen.

Is it too much to ask for a little competency? It should
not be this difficult to find a single girl. Sure, she's no ordinary girl, but
are we not the largest corporation on the planet?

Eric did not expect a response from his team for a while so
he stood up, stretched, and began to pace back and forth beside his desk. It
was a habit that he indulged from time to time when he needed to clear his
head.

He looked around his office. It was austere in its decor,
with only a few items adorning the walls. It was simple, leaving nothing to
interfere with his work.

On the back and left sides of the room, bookshelves lined
the walls, filled from top to bottom with an impressive collection of books.
More than a few of those books Eric himself had written, some dissertation or
another he felt compelled to expound upon.

In the center of the room was a grand mahogany desk. Most
of it was concealed by an array of four large LCD monitors, connected to his computer.
Two of them sat on the desk itself, the other two were raised above them on sleek,
black stands. Aside from a few files and technical journals, the rest of his
desk was immaculate.

Unknown to all but a select few, a small door was concealed
within the shelves that lined the back wall. It was opened by a small, keyless
entry remote that Eric carried on his keychain. It led to his private elevator,
which granted access to the secret subterranean levels of EngineerCorp. Most of
the company's operations were carried out in the aboveground portion of campus;
only the most sensitive and valuable projects were kept in the sublevels.

As with his private elevator, the underground levels were only
accessed by an elite group of personnel, security, and Eric's own Special
Operations teams.

Occasionally, some of the projects that were handled in the
sublevels were of a "questionable" nature. Lines were crossed and
judgment became subjective, but ultimately, the good of the general population
was all that mattered to him.

I can't be bothered by petty rules and regulations. The
only reason we thrive in this industry is because I'm not afraid to do what is
necessary. The public doesn't care. All they care about is that we can deliver
what we promise. They are prisoners to their dependencies on our inventions and
innovations.

Eric stood, basking in the feeling, reflecting on how much
EngineerCorp had done…how much
he
had done. He marveled at the sense of
accomplishment he felt, knowing his role in single-handedly shaping a new and
better world.

Lost in his reverie, he was rudely interrupted by a buzzing
from his desk, signaling an incoming video call. 

The small, jittery man spoke excitedly, "Sir! We have
made a breakthrough! The photograph, the one with the girl and her
parents…it…it's…"

Eric, slightly annoyed, interrupted, "Slow down; I can
hardly understand you."

The analyst replied, "Sorry, sir… What I meant to say
was that we have been researching the possible locations where the photo could
have been taken. We made little progress until one of the techs was able to
find some old property tax records for a cabin on the southern part of Lake
Nantahala.  We called the county seat there and found that there was a cabin
that has been in the McArthur family for some time. The property deed is now in
the name of an Alice McArthur. I’ve taken the liberty of transferring the
address and all other pertinent data to your computer."

"Excellent. Continue your research and spare no efforts.
This situation must be contained as quickly and efficiently as possible,"
Eric reminded him.

He signed off the chat before the analyst had a chance to
respond.

Eric dialed a number on his phone and, after one short
ring, a husky voice answered, "Sir?" 

It was Grant, the leader of his Alpha Special Operations
team.  Grant had been working for EngineerCorp since the beginning. He was
brought in for his experience as a Navy SEAL. In his mid-forties, Grant had a
reputation for being quick, efficient, and discrete: attributes that Eric highly
esteemed.

Eric had seven Special Operations teams. He had plenty of
others at his disposal, but the Special Ops teams were the elite, highly
efficient men that he could entrust with the most critical tasks.

"Prepare your team to conduct reconnaissance and an
extraction."

As always, Grant didn't ask questions, and simply told Eric
he could have everything ready within the hour. For this assignment, they would
require a helicopter because of the remote location of the target. Also, it was
critical to act before the target had a chance to relocate.

He smiled in spite of himself.

Things are already starting to turn around.

***

Alice finished eating lunch, and checked her email once more.
Feelings of worry gnawed at her resolve as she saw that Garrett still had not
responded. For some reason, she felt an increasing sense of dread. Perhaps it was
the eerie quiet of the cabin, a quiet that she was unaccustomed to.

No matter what the reason is, I have to get out of
here... I can't shake the feeling that it's not safe anymore.

The other part of her mind chided in, providing a
convenient assessment.

There's a fifty-four percent risk of being found and
that figure exponentially increases over the next twenty-four hours.

Alice gave a wry smile.

Gee, thanks... I guess it doesn't really matter what I
decide; there will be a high level of risk with everything now.

Until Garrett made his arrangements and the data was safely
in the hands of the FBI, she was vulnerable.

She packed up the few things that she had brought with her,
stuffing them back into her bag. Stopping at the dining table, she bent down to
pick up the security transmitter that she created, along with her drawings.

 Did I really make this? I still can't believe...

Focus, Alice. There's no time for that now. Time to
leave.

Alice tucked the drawings into her bag and went outside to
load up her bike. It was parked beneath the carport that lay next to the cabin.

The carport was not much more than a roof that sat upon
four columns, with one wall at the back of the structure, and two half walls on
each side, near the back.

As she was closing the side cargo compartment on her Ducati,
a deep, velvety voice spoke behind her.

 "Going somewhere, Alice?"

She spun around so fast that she tripped over the wheel on
her bike and fell down onto gravel.  As fast as she could manage, she stood up
and found herself backed against the opposite sidewall under the carport.

It's him!

Eric stood there, on the edge of the opposite wall. He was
dressed in a perfectly fitted, expensive-looking suit, leaning casually against
the wall as if he had every right to be there. A smirk teased the corner of his
lips, and his eyes glittered menacingly down at her. She quickly glanced
around, trying to assess her chances of escape. She didn't see anyone else
around, but she had to assume that there were others, currently hiding out of
view.

How did this happen? I should have known better. I
should have been prepared! What am I going to do? I have to stall him until I
figure out a plan.

"Wha-what are you doing here?"  she finally
managed to ask him. 

Eric smiled; a confident look on his face.

"Alice, dear. Let us not feign ignorance. You know
very well why I am here. You took something from me, and I want it back. It's
really quite simple."

"How could I possibly have anything that you want? I
don't even know who you are!"

"Oh, I think you know exactly who I am. That is
irrelevant though, because I know for a fact that you gained unlawful access to
a large amount of data that did not belong to you. You are going to take a
little trip with me, so we can discuss all of this in great detail."

He paused, and then turned his head, glancing behind him,
mouth opening as if to speak.  She saw four men dressed in black tactical
uniforms seemingly materialize, fanning out behind Eric.

You have to be kidding!

Alice looked around, rapidly calculating the best possible
route of escape.

Now or never.

Without hesitating, she bolted around the edge of the
carport, running as fast as she could in the direction of the forest
surrounding the cabin.

She heard Eric's voice behind her. "Alice, be
reasonable! You can't expect to escape."

If I can make it to the trees, I can find a place to
hide. It will be much harder for them to find me there.

As she was running, a man suddenly appeared from behind a
tree, blocking her path. She panicked and as he reached out to grab her, she
ducked underneath his outstretched hands and continued running.

His hands closed on thin air, but he recovered instantly
and began to run after her. She knew that he would catch up to her well before
she ever reached the woods. Her best chance to evade capture was to confront
him while she could still use the distance between them to her advantage.

She turned, and instantly assessed the situation. Her mind
began to pull up information about pressure points and the best way to disarm
an incoming opponent. The man didn't seem to question her sudden change of
heart, only running faster as she stopped.

Given his weight and approximate speed… If I hit him at
just the right angle and pressure, he will be incapacitated.

When he was within feet of her, she acted. She kicked him
in the side of the knee, making perfect contact. His knee resounded with a
sickening crack. 

Ouch. That seemed a lot less painful in my imagination.

Alice winced at the pain that ran up her own leg,
unaccustomed to that kind of behavior. The man crumpled and fell, momentarily
immobilized in pain and shock.  Alice noticed a tranquilizer gun in the holster
on his leg. She quickly relieved the stunned man of his weapon.

Before she could start running again, two more men began to
approach from the direction of the cabin. She pulled up the gun and fired two
perfect shots. Both men fell to the ground, unconscious.

Did I just do that?

The first man that she had attacked was starting to get up;
Alice panicked and quickly resumed her escape.

She was about twenty feet from the edge of the trees when
she heard a high-pitched whistle. As her brain identified the sound as the
launch of a model X84 net-projecting gun, she knew it was too late.

The net wrapped completely around her and she fell
helplessly to the ground. Her vision was severely limited by the netting. 
Several men came into her field of view, and one of them spoke firmly, "We
have her."

"Good."

 It was Eric's voice.

No, no, no. This can't be happening.

 "Prep her for our flight. It needs to go as smoothly
as possible. Have the rest of the team search the cabin and bring in anything
that might give us some answers."

She heard footsteps approaching, and within a few moments,
she could see Eric. He bent over her so that he was inches away from her face.

None of this was supposed to happen. If I would have
just deleted that stupid email!

"I hoped you would be reasonable, Alice. However, my
plans are non-negotiable."

 As Eric was speaking, she felt a tiny prick on her upper
arm. His voice started to fade.

"Don't worry, dear.  When you wake up, we can discuss
exactly what happened Friday night."

She could see his hazy outline as he stood up and moved back.
Then sleep overcame her as she felt herself being carried away.

Chapter 6

Why am I so tired?

Alice
struggled to wake, her mind foggy and incoherent. Her eyelids fluttered and she
was aware that it was very bright in the room, as if the sun had risen and was
shining unapologetically into her eyes. When they fully opened, she realized
that it was not natural light, but the artificial light of fluorescent bulbs.