The Breach

5. Change (In the House of Flies)

„So you were really an RPA pilot?"

Anna and Theo have been working on the Tribeca box for a few days now. After successfully managing to open the casing with no loss of data now was the time to decrypt the files stored inside. The method of encryption was a bizarre combination of a few solutions linked by ISAC and unlockable by higher authorization levels, but it wasn't something Anna wouldn't be able to work around. By continuously breaking walls inside ISAC's databases she was also able to access some data that would have previously been obscured. She didn't really care about breaching the security systems now though. Nothing she did would change her current situation so she was planning to exploit it to the fullest. Sure, they won't be able to link the breach to her, but then again, Paul Rhodes was definitely going to know who was behind it.

„I was, but... hey, are you looking me up?!" Theo was obviously not amused with the fact that she used this newfound access to dig around his past.

„Of course I am. And I am impressed. The data I had on you previously was limited to some basic information, but this? I'm not surprised they recruited you."

She noticed Theo blush a little and it unknowingly made her smile.

„Whatever," He said after a while, trying to hide the blush by turning around and pretending to busy himself with his laptop. „It's not like any of this matters now. What's in the past is in the past. There's no coming back to that."

„Would you like to? I mean, if you could?"

This question caught him a little off guard. He paused for a moment, trying to find the correct answer.

„No. I don't think I would. Not knowing what I know now."

„I miss these days sometimes, you know. When I was focused on ideals and working for the greater good. I mean, before I realized that the greater good they were trying to feed us was actually a farce. Some say ignorance is bliss and I have to say I agree with that. Especially when it comes to fucking politics."

Theo snorted at that and moved closer to Anna, sitting in a chair next to her and focusing on the screen in front of them.

„I hated politics and everything around it. I didn't really have a choice though, with my father being a senator and all. I always had to be involved."

„I imagine it must have been hard for you. Especially as a kid."

„It was. I mean, being both a senator's kid and a black kid? I didn't really have... many friends. I loved my father, but he... well, he sent me to a psychiatrist because he thought I was being paranoid and obsessive while I just wanted to be the best. I wanted him to be proud of me. I mean, how could I not have been careful with so many people around us waiting for a single mistake on my side to bring him down? It was... hard. And I made a lot of mistakes then that I'm not really proud of today."

Anna turned her head a little to look at Theo. She could hear something grim underneath his usually cheerful demeanor. It suddenly hit her how she doesn't really know anything about him. Except for a few things that can be found in the files, yes. But not really about him.

„I'm really sorry you had to go through that, Theo." She said after a while, surprised with the unusual softness in her voice.

Theo finally looked at her then, a small smile visible on his lips.

„It's alright. It was a long time ago. I have moved on from hacking teacher's cars to hacking government databases since then."

„Excuse me, you did what?"