Of Kings and Aces

53| Black Hat, White Hat, Red Hat

The days leading to our departure were nothing but horrible. I was more jittery than usual, the nightmares did not stop, and my brain could not tell 0 from 1. I was fumbling with everything; it wasn't funny anymore. One thing I was proud of, though, was that despite everything, I still haven't broken down.

Frustrated, tired, and cantankerous, but my shit was still together. The times spent counting and breathing were less, the flashbacks suddenly invading my head in the middle of something also decreased, but still, the thought of walking into the lion's den terrified me.

"It's only Jacob, Ace," Jaxx comforted me in his twisted way and smirked.

"Yeah, no biggie. Just a major trigger of my attacks," I sarcastically replied as I hauled my bag off the carousel. He chuckled.

"If you guys ever meet and you feel anxious or suffocated, let me know," he said seriously before smirking again. "I'll leave you two alone."

Despite his seeming insensitivity, the concern was evident in his eyes, which made it all right for him to be what he was best at: being an ass.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. In response, he slung his arm around my shoulder and dragged me to the exit. The action reminded me of our elementary days when he had a plan in mind, and I was just there, reluctantly following his lead. Most of the time, it was something mischievous, but some were actually quite nice and thoughtful. Nice enough for his grandparents to forgive his frequent recklessness, at least.

I prayed this was one of the nice and thoughtful times.

--

The conference lobby was busy with people walking and talking, wearing the conference lanyard with their IDs hanging. In one room, the corporate sponsors put up their booths and computers showcasing new, state-of-the-art equipment. Two courtesy lounges served refreshments, and there were two other rooms, thrice as big as the courtesy lounge, where the serious stuff was being held.

We spent the morning of the first day meeting the bigwigs in the industry, introducing ourselves, and making a new network. I've already collected about six business cards but told Jaxx that I was going to attend the afternoon symposia instead of socializing.

Everything was going well. The updates were informative. I wasn't even bored when the fourth speaker, Mr. Pacencoff, went to the podium and started talking about data security and what they could do about it.

He was a well-built Russian in his mid-forties. He had done a lot when it came to stopping hackers, but we would always know him as the guy who hacked their government's security as a teen just for kicks. He was an elite red hat-turned-white hat hacker and a legend when it came to security breaches. Hence the reason why he was often invited to speak on these issues.

That, and the fact that he was known in the industry to be a little quirky with his talks, made him a popular and sought-after presenter. He was a vibrant lecturer who could be a stand-up comedian if he needed an alternate job. He liked to make his lectures interactive to keep the audience's attention and challenge their minds.

"Okay, let me demonstrate. I will need a bellicose cracker. Row fifteen, column 18, come up," he said, shielding his eyes from the light focused on the stage. I looked around impassively, waiting for the guy or girl to stand up and make their way to the stage.

The guy beside me tapped my shoulder. "It's you. You're fifteen-eighteen."

"I... what?" I sat up straighter and looked at the other man standing in the aisle with an earpiece and a cap. He gestured for me to go with him. Though still a little confused, I stood up and followed him.