Janus 02.Redemption #Wattys2018

2.02 System's Glitch

Faceless headed to the elevator holding Eden into his arms. He pushed the button. Once the door opened, he came in it and they went downside. Ofiss was waiting for them.

"Go upstairs. You will find a man on the floor. Take him and bring him down to the lab. Install a covered bridge in her temple and reconstruct his face. You have 24 hours at your disposal. I want him full functioning, back on his feet by this time tomorrow. Don't wipe out his memory. I want him to remember everything." Faceless ordered Ofiss and he handed Eden to another member of the team.

"The stem cells are ready. Take her to the operating theatre and cut her open. Her master hard drive has been compromised. Reboot her from the slave drive and implant the bridge to her as well. Use the nanobots to treat the infection along with her legs. I want a full report on her glitch as soon as she's back on line."

The team took Eden away on a stretcher. Faceless removed his hood along with his filthy coat with a grin of absolute disgust. Becoming rat's king was just another mean to an end. 

He was already late for his scheduled meeting but he wasn't in a hurry. Faceless was manipulating them into believing that they needed him more than he needed them, to finance his work by hiring him for another non-existent mission of theirs.

He entered the meeting room, slightly nodded towards them and sat on his seat. The leader of the team started speaking.

"Despite your acclaims, your system has been compromised. We have lost 20 of our people so far. We had to lock down, each one of the rest, separately to secure their survival. You shall receive no further payment until you remove the virus from our systems. In case your purpose had been blackmail, we regret to inform you that this place is scheduled to be burned to the ground. Each one of us has explosives implanted that will be detonated if you refuse to comply. We are more expendable than the most incapable of your men."

Faceless wasn't prepared for that yet he was not willing to show any sign of weakness. He placed his left wrist to his temple, revealing his bridge. Lights were automatically turned off and a big screen came down from the ceiling. Eden's recorded footage before Ofiss' assassination started playing on the screen. Once the digital Crow appeared among the holograms, Faceless paused the program.

"This is your virus gentlemen. We have already located it.   It has been successfully removed from the compromised subject during our conversation."

A second screen came down from the ceiling, streaming live Eden's operation and her software's updates.

"You were right. That glitch in the system was on purpose. Someone has invaded my system using an encrypted back door. The virus wasn't mine. The decision to let the back door open was mine. You were never able to trace him, because he never left any clue behind him. I gave you his digital imprint; a path which if you walk backwards it will lead you to him. 

Since you are expendable, don't deny the fact that they were expendable as well. I can just give the order and the glitch will disappear from your system, right now. What's more important to you? The one you are after or a few subjects? It's your call."

Faceless leaned back to his chair, waiting for their answer. Their leader answered back after a few moments of silence.

"You can go on with your procedure. Our superior accepted your tactic. Yet there will be no further funding till you provide solid facts on his identity."

Faceless took out his gun and started shooting them on the head, one after the other, till no one was left alive. Once everyone was dead, he stood up, took their leader's earphone and placed it in his ear.

"I would strongly suggest you avoid searching again for any soft spot of mine; at least not when you control only hands but neither an ear nor an eye. I have a present for you. Look at your screen. Then you will type on your precious keyboard my money transfer."

A video appeared on the screen. The team was taking its orders to pretend it had explosives implanted. Every subject of theirs who had access to Faceless' code was already terminated depriving them of any access to the virus' path. The prey had slipped through their fingers like running water once more. Faceless terminated the video streaming and projected his bank account. The money was transferred without any further comment.

He got out of the meeting and headed to the operating theatre. Hadn't it been for Eden's bridge, he would have never got that footage. He was lucky that the virus didn't corrupt her ability to access other people's consciousnesses.

Too bad he had never believed in luck.

Faceless entered the operating room.

"Put her in the tank as soon as you finish you work and eliminate her systems' access strictly inside the operating room. Allow only her slave hardware to function along with the bridge.
 

Whomever we are watching, he's watching us back as we speak."