VR Hack

Six

I was lucky. If I'd been five minutes early or later. I'd have missed her. She was stand on the corner next to what was left of the bar. Scorched earth brick and timber. She made me think of a more innocent time; the 50s. I guessed her age at eight. She was twirling a hola hoop around her mid drift; dressed in a yellow mustard chequered dress. Her hair was in plaits and hung down to her shoulders.

I went to her. "Hey little girl what happened here?" I pointed to ground zero behind her.

The little girl let her hola hoop clatter to ground. She blew a bubble gum bubble and looped it back into her mouth with her tongue.

"She knew that you'd ask me that."

"Who?"

"Scarlet silly!"

I crouched down on my knee to her level. My heart was racing. She knew Scarlet! I put my hands gentle on her shoulders to stop them from shaking and to make sure she didn't disappear.

"What do you know about Scarlet?"

"She said you were cute and didn't think much. Plus that you had a habit of charging into things. Knives in particular. To the gut. Who hit your jaw mister?"

I ignored her comments and focused on what was important: "When did you see Scarlet?"

"Three days ago."

"Okay. Where? Where did you see her?"

"Here then at her parent's apartment."

"You spoke to her?"

"Sure. She would come out of that bar." She pointed at the rubble. "And talk to me. I used to see her go in and out with her student friends giving out cards. They had written on them one word: Liberty. She'd always stop to talk to me and say the strangest things. To be honest it frightened me a little until she'd say that she would protect me and my Mom."

"What was so frightening?"

"She said that when they came that I was to find her and she'd protect me and my Mom from the war and D.A.R.K."

I stood up. "What happened to Scarlet?"

"She went into that bar over there." She pointed at the scorched earth and brick again. "Then BOOM! It exploded. The colours of the flame were beautiful. It made me angry and sad that I thought Scarlet dead."

"Did you hear from her again?"

"Yes! Yes I did. I got an email later saying she was okay." She pulled out a cell phone from her pocket and showed me it. Then continued: "You can see she sent your picture too. Your 17 although you pretend to be older, because if you reveal your age you think she'll go off you,
since you're a minor. She won't. Your name's Harper and you're at college studying computing.  I need to take you to her. Read." And I did.  Then she stopped gum chewing. Her face had gone red.

"I'm sorry I got it the wrong way round. I'm not supposed to say anything until I check your ID. Scarlet said I had to double check who you are."

I could see this bothered her. So I reached in my pocket and flipped open my ID. Happy. She grabbed my wrist. Then picked up her hola hoop and dragged me after her.

****

We ended up in mid-town Manhattan. I stood outside with Holly opposite a tall apartment block. She had declared her name after she'd picked up her hola hoop. There was a strong smell of fried onions from a hot dog vender near by.

"Holly I can't go up there." I pointed at the block in front of us. There was a doorman dressed as a general at the door.

"Why?"

"We'll just look at the me. I don't look like I belong in this part of town."

She looked at me shrugged grabbed my wrist again. Then pulled me across the road to the entrance.

"Heya Freddie are the Appleton's at home?"

The doorman smiled at Holly and pulled down on the peak of his hat to me as he opened the door and we walked in.

****

"What do you want with my daughter?"

We were in an expensively furnished lounge. There was minimum clutter. But what was there was tasteful and warm in colour. This contrasted with the stark bone white of the marble floor ribboned with blue veins and the vanilla cream wall tiles.

In the centre of the room sat a fiery red rug. Boxing it in were three wide cream puff leather sofas with pink cushions. Holly sat on one of these with expensive chocolates on her lap. I was stood up looking and talking to a very corporate looking man sat at a desk with the Manhattan skyline behind him. Beyond that was a balcony with expensive furniture and a hot tub. Up on the wall was a screen displaying a range of flickering numbers in a range of colours. The man was Scarlet's Dad.

"Young man I say again what do you want with my daughter. She is an invalid and is resting."

My heart was thudding. I was never good with adults above thirty. This guy looked as if he was in his forties. I felt I couldn't get the words up my throat.

"Your daughter is very lovely sir. I wanted to say thank you to her for her support when I was ill. You see Id been stabbed."

His eyebrows raised at this. "It seems to me young man that she should be thanking you, since you stopped a blade, which meant for her. But enough of this conversation. Go! Holly please take him away. Neither one of you will be seeing Scarlet." I looked at him open mouthed. I didn't know how to handle him. He was brutal like my Dad except where mine did it with his fists. He did it with his words. I looked at Holly. Her lips were caked in chocolate.

"Please sir it's really important that I speak with her. It could be like and death."

He laughed. "You're being melodramatic young man, which only the young can do so very well." I hated adults. They could be such patronising jerks!

He sighed. Shook his head and pressed the intercom on his desk. "Freddie could you send someone up to escort Holly and her guest out."

"You can't even remember my name I just told you it!" I shouted I was annoyed at him. "Okay we're going Mister. Come on Holly  lets get out of here." I took Holly's hand and she picked up her hola hoop. We walked out. I slammed the door in the butler's face. He had been loitering in the corridor and had escort us out.

****

We stood in the expensively carpeted hallway of the 9th floor of the Manhattan apartment block.

"Holly do you see that over there."

"Yes."

"We'll pull it."

"Hey Harper what-cha you trying to pull!"

"I'm not pulling anything! I just want you to pull that!"

"No Harper you're bad I'm not doing it!" She turned her back on the panel and button, which had above it on a plaque firer alarm.

"Okay Holly I'm be bad." I went over to the wall pulled up the glass screen and punched the red button underneath. The alarm went off.

"Come with me." I yanked her after me. We pushed through the emergence exit stairwell door.

****

"Hey Harper fancy meeting you here." Red was stood in front on the top step with a gun pointed directly at us.