The Gambit (43 page)

I stood up and waved my hand in the air. “Taxi!”

/administrator

/no access

/bypass

/unauthorized

Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I was sweating from the heat of the computer towers. I knew it was moments before someone would barge in. I knew Rachel had left, it was past the time I gave her. I was debating on just running away while I still had the chance. I already accomplished what I wanted. No one could contact the airport and vice-versa, but, it just…didn’t feel right. I didn’t feel safe knowing that Owen’s flight could still be contacted through the control tower.
That
was something I couldn’t change, but what I could change would make it extremely difficult for the CIA and FBI to intervene.
Come on, think
.

“Holy shit.” I muttered. Why didn’t I think of that sooner? It was elementary hacking for God’s sake. Nervously, I placed my fingers on the keyboard. My code had done nine-tenths of the work for me, I just had to manually correct what the main server was blocking.

/back door

…

…

…

/

“Yes!” I laughed in rapture. “Fuck yeah!”

/settings

/1. Systems 2. Server 3. Mainframe 4. SQL Database 5. Terminal Security 6. Administrative

/6

/1. Firewall 2. Software 3. Air Traffic Control 4. Communications 5. Master Permissions

Finally, just what I wanted.

/5

/1. Internal (default setting) 2. External (emergency)

/2

/1. Local 2. State 3. Federal 4. Commander in Chief (wartime)

That was more than I was ever dreaming of.

/
4

/updated

I was about to pull my flash drive out of the mainframe, but an idea came to me. I was going to add another thorn in their side.
They
deserved it. I quickly went back to the main settings.

/1. Systems 2. Server 3. Mainframe 4. SQL Database 5. Terminal Security 6. Administrative

/5

/1. Entrances 2. Alarms 3. Emergency Functions 4. Security Cameras

/4

/1. Status 2. Feeds 3. Functions 4. Archive

/3

/1. Positioning 2. Individual Operations 3. Master Functions

/3

/1. Record 2. System on 3. System off

I took a deep breath, and entered in the last piece of my plan.

/3

I pulled my flash drive out and turned around, scanning the walls for an exit sign. I found it in the far corner, and I ran out the door. The sunlight blinded me momentarily and before they even adjusted I started walking away from the room I was just in. I saw two workers walking in my direction. They were amidst conversation and seemed to be very casual with the fact I was in this alleyway with them. Now that I had my vision, I saw a metal gate a few hundred feet away. As I neared the men I grew nervous, but I tried to keep calm. I was wearing a uniform. Hopefully, they wouldn’t take a second glance at me.

They didn’t. A euphoria settled in throughout my body as I reached the gate and pushed it open. I looked around, trying to regain my sense of direction. To my right, I saw the arrivals and departures lane, and I power-walked towards the main terminal entrance. My heart was beating out of my chest from pure exuberance, and I couldn’t stop grinning. I was so proud of myself. This was the ultimate hack, and it worked—it fucking
worked
. I reached the crowd of people and stuck my hand up. “Taxi!” I called out. A yellow Crowne Victoria swooped in to pick me up before I could take a breath, and I sat in the back seat.

“Where to?”

“Just go, I have plenty of money. Step on it!” I urged him.

“Okay, okay!” the driver replied in his Arabic accent, and we pulled away from the airport.

I was grinning so wide it was starting to hurt. I could have cried I was so happy.

“Yes!” I screamed, laughing at the same time. “I did it! I fucking did it!”

The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror with concern. Suddenly I heard sirens, and I looked through all the windows with wide-eyes, searching for the source. Adrenaline pumped through my veins at the thought of being caught after getting away with this much. The driver began to slow down.

“Don’t slow down!” I demanded. “Hurry up!”

“Mister, I do not block the cops way. I slow down.”

As I processed his words, a line of twenty-something cop cars of all types raced into the entrance of the airport we were trying to leave. One by one they passed. Chargers, Tahoes, and Crowne Vics—they must have finally been alerted.

Too little, too late. My grin was replaced by a smug smile. They weren’t after me. They were after Owen, and he was already gone. I was the last of us, and after the line ended, the taxi driver pulled onto the main road outside of the airport. There was no trace left. We were gone. All of our efforts paid off. I opened my flip phone and called Rachel.

Ring…Ring...
“Hello?”

“It worked,” I laughed in happiness. “Our plan worked!”

Millie and her daughter were looking out the window at the Atlantic Ocean. The plane had just finished climbing, and the whole cabin finally leveled out. Every few seconds my ears popped. They hadn’t yet adjusted. I realized what was in my pocket and pulled it out.

I slipped out a piece and began chomping on the minty gum. My ears started popping more frequently, and I smiled at the thought behind Rachel’s gift. It did come in handy, even though it was small. The fact that
she
gave it to me made all the difference. I glanced down at my watch and realized we had already been flying for forty-five minutes. Our plane took off at 3:15. There were touchscreen monitors behind the headrests of every seat. I had been using my finger to scan through the available movies. There were over eighty in total. I noticed a few people already plugging in their headphones

The air smelled clean and filtered. Millie must have been hot because she turned on the little air vent above our heads. The cool stream of air blew partially on me, too. I didn’t mind, but that
smell
—it almost reminded me of a hospital. My mind flashed to the morning I woke up in the ICU. The endless beeping of the heartrate monitor, the icy air, and the sanitized smell. The plane smelled similar.

That was the same morning I found out I was a wanted terrorist.
That
morning, was where it all began. I buried my old life that day, and every day since, I had been digging the hole deeper.

Owen Marina was gone. Now, I was Milo Arregan. At least I was on this flight. Who knew what my real first name was on the passport. If only I could have turned back time and not went to the debate…but, would that have changed the outcome? Perhaps, I would have been T-boned by a car? Maybe, I would have been murdered outside of my apartment?

After everything I had been through, it was apparent that someone wanted me gone. The question, though, was
who?

I met eyes with a man sitting in the first few rows. He turned away from me. His quick, jerky movements made me nervous. Why would he have turned around that far? I was one-hundred and eighty degrees behind him. It seemed intentional…

Stop worrying. No one knows who I am
.

I glanced over at my seatmates. Millie was playing Angry Birds on a tablet and Pamela was reading on an e-reader. They were preoccupied on their devices. Whatever suspicions Pamela had of me, she must have tossed them aside. I had the feeling that I was being watched. I turned in the direction of the man.

He was staring straight at me
again
. My heart started pounding in my chest because this time he didn’t look away. He stared for close to ten seconds before turning away. I craned my neck around to see the row behind me and the people beside me. Was he looking at someone else? It didn’t appear that way. I kept my eyes on him even after he faced the front again.
Something
didn’t feel right. My stomach was in knots.

Suddenly, he picked up the phone in front of his seat and began to dial a number.

My heart was in my throat. When he put the phone to his ear, I saw his jaw begin to move, and over the drone of the turbines it was impossible to make out what he was saying. He turned over his shoulder and glanced at me again. This time with an intimidating expression, then he turned back around.

I wiped my sweaty hands against my pants. My heart was going so fast I felt like I would black out if I stood up. The man was nodding and remained on the call. As horrifying as the thought was, I knew it was true.

This man knew who I was.
What do I do?

I nervously reached for the flip phone in my pocket and turned it on.
Come on, come on. Hurry up
. I went to the contacts and found Rachel’s number. My eyes darted to the man. He was looking at me again.
Fuck
.

I picked up the phone and read how to dial out. The plastic of the phone slipped around in my sweaty palms. I dialed Rachel’s number and prayed she would pick up.