Claws and code

Attack. Jack ;)

We were under attack.
The Luna practically threw my laptop at me when the sound started. I opened my machine and rapidly started a counter attack but I was linked in through the wifi and that made me slower than whomever was on the other end. I was already in the mind-link with David when Arthur marched in. Trying to put my shoes on with one hand and typing with the other wasn't working as well as I wanted.

"I assume you already know but David has summoned you. It seems something is hitting the fan. Let's go."

Our pack warriors stood at every door in the pack house. Arthur told me that the other system guys had been removed from the room and they had put the strangers on house arrest until I was locked back in the systems room. Daniel was in the room with David and Mark. I nodded in greeting and brushed past David, pushing his fingers aside and starting to type while he got up so that I could take his place. He was good but I was better.

The next several hours I was in a battle of wits with a brilliant mind. With David's help I kept them out of the system but it was the most challenging thing I'd done in a long time. This person, with full force, attacked our system through a damned stand alone computer. This was the stuff they didn't teach in school, I'd taught David a lot and he was a natural but I had been doing this since I was little. Dom had seen my potential and taught me, Dom wasn't on the right side of the law and it had influenced my training, I loved it.

When I finally moved my eyes from the screen Alpha Daniel was there. I smiled at the Alpha. "They were good but they will have learned that this is my jungle! I have a package on some of the info I let them have.. it wasn't our info."

I turned to David, my smile dropped. "They came in through one of the drives you guys connected and I let them have a bit before I kicked them out. Somebody linked up our own system to the standalone that was supposed to be used, David."

He knew what that meant. "Can you figure out who it was? Everyone was all over the place. We were all working together...."

"I might have been monitoring the system.. and taping because I wasn't here." I admitted with a blush.

"Well in this case, thank the Goddess for your paranoia." David sighed.

I grimaced at him. "We will have to go over a lot of footage from the moment they started working to the attack."

He cursed and I explained it to the others still in the room. "One of their people hooked up to the wrong network. That isn't something you do by accident, one or more of their people are working with the mole in their systems.... And the person on the other end is really good!"

Arthur smiled, it had a feral gleam to it. "But you are better and once you, our own little Mowgli, finds where they are... we will hunt them down and show them who owns this Jungle."

The Alpha and all the other men in the room nodded eagerly in agreement. There was nothing I could say to that. Frankly, it scared me a bit to see how eager they were to hunt. They looked territorial, feral and fierce. I stood up but almost collapsed into my chair from exhaustion. A glance at my watch showed me that it was early morning. With my eyes closed I mumbled. "Mark, I'll need coffee, chocolate, cookies and for you and the Old Man to run interference with mum. She doesn't like it when we pull all-nighters. I won't be able to concentrate if she keeps bugging me in the link."

The Alpha and David left to check in with the other Alphas and Arthur went to get David and me supplies. I still had my eyes closed but I had moved to my own desk for a few minutes power nap. My feet were up on the desk and Mark was the only one left. Suddenly there was a shout, I almost fell off my chair. Mark jumped to his feet and the door slammed open. The guard was right behind him but he was too late. Red Lake's systems guy stood there, staring at me just a second before he was slammed into the floor by one of our warriors. Jack was right behind him with another one of ours. He was cursing up a storm at his own guy, right after he spotted me there. He slammed the door shut behind them.

"You stupid imbecile! They told you that you couldn't come here! And I told you to leave this Mowgli thing alone! FUCK!"

I stared at him in shock and awe when I heard the system's guy reply. "Yesterday morning you wanted to know, do or die, who Mowgli was and today you are telling us that Mowgli isn't behind this and to forget finding Mowgli! I had to know! But_" He inhaled deeply and tried to turn his head. Everyone beside me growled at him. He was lucky it was still attached to his neck from the look of all the warriors in the room. Then he said the words that chilled my soul. "Mowgli's a girl!"

Someone tried to open the door. Daniel's voice was dripping with power when he ordered the door to be opened. He looked more dangerous than I had ever seen him. He had fangs and claws and his eyes were almost shining in the dimly lit room. His eyes took in the situation and, in a flash, he had Jack against the wall, nails digging into his neck, fangs bared in his face.

I finally moved. It didn't matter that he had a mate out there somewhere. It didn't matter that he could never be mine. I needed to protect him at all cost. In a rush I slipped past Mark and stood beside the Alpha, my hand on his arm, scared to death but willing to defy him for the man who had kissed me senseless the night before. "It sounded like he tried to stop the guy on the floor, Alpha. Bring their Alpha and other men in here and lock them in with us while we try to find the mole! Don't hurt him because their system guy did something wrong!"

Daniel let go, clearly surprised. "You would protect them? They know who you are."

"Yes, but they could have linked my picture to their Alpha, he probably already knows."

"He's detained as well."

"Let their Alpha punish the idiot. Lock them in here until we find the mole."

"What if they are the pack with the mole?"

I shrugged and smirked to hide my worry. "Then we kill them."

If they had the mole Jack was in danger but I calculated that risk and made some solid assumptions. If they had the mole Jack wouldn't have protected me. At least that was my hope because I really wanted him to stay alive. He was staring at me but he remained quiet. The Alpha looked at him for the longest time and then turned to me. "You seem rather calm about the fact that they got through."

"He. The one on the floor got through." I gestured to Jack and grinned. "From what we heard this guy was trying to convince the idiot not to try and find out about Mowgli."

The Alpha looked at Mark and the others. They nodded their confirmation. Daniel, however, wasn't the Alpha for no reason. He looked at me longer this time before nodding to himself, then looked at Jack again and finally stepped back. Then he mind-linked me in a private link and teased. 'He's very good looking, Cloe... Are those hormones of yours finally getting the better of you? Is it for this guy or are you protecting the one on the floor by sticking up for them both?'

I glare at the Alpha and replied out loud. "The sanctity of life is respected and should be protected... but not at all cost. The safety of the pack comes before all else. If they are behind this, kill them. If they are not, we should be able to negotiate the continuation of my secret with their Alpha and whomever else they have informed by now."

Our Alpha bowed his head ever so slightly to me. A great show of respect. Then told me I was right. I grinned but didn't get a chance to reply because Jack's Alpha, Beta and one other man from their pack were led in by our warriors. Arthur gave me a quick kiss and a hug, ordered Mark to take care of me and gave us a bag of supplies. Then he left to sort out the rest of the warriors and the morning run with the other packs.
My mind was already on other things when the door locked behind him. I had a mole to find.

***
Where are you reading this?
I'm in SW Qld, Australia
XG