Risk and Rebel's Guide Book

QUIZ > EXCERPT

OSLO, NORWAY

--

"How long is this going to take, Quiz?" Bar asked through his comm.

Flip was wondering the same thing as his partner, though from a different part of the building. Quiz was in the heart of Oslotech, doing -- well, something that neither Bar nor Flip could actually explain. In part because neither had been fully listening as she explained it to them, and in part because neither of them had an advanced grasp on the ins-and-outs of technology. They could manage, sure, and sometimes beyond that when it came to security systems and the like ... but Quiz was on a whole other level.

And for good reason.

Quiz was currently seated in the heart of Oslotech, her typically soft green eyes currently glowing a blinding white. She was cross-legged on the floor, commanding and controlling numerous machines -- and what they were connected to -- without lifting a finger, or making any physical contact with them. This was a position Quiz would've loved to have been in more often -- and little did she know, eventually, she would be -- in the heart of one of the most technologically advanced buildings in the world, with access to almost everything she could dream of.

She couldn't possibly know that eventually Boss would find a way for her to work in the building. Not just for her benefit, of course, but because of all of the access she would have in the position.

For now, she was pressing metaphorical buttons and looking for one specific piece of information. Said information? Well, it was just checking the North Korean databases to see if they were actually as far along in the nuclear weapons program as they were claiming. Boss hadn't said why she was doing this, but he didn't really have to. North Korea wasn't exactly friendly -- to anyone. Checking up on them made logical sense to each of the LASAR agents that were on this assignment.

Though at the moment, two of those agents were really wishing that their third wheel wasn't such a big fan of ignoring them. 

"Do you think it registers in her head when we talk?" Flip asked, his voice even, if not curious. "Or do you think she just allows our voices to float in one ear and out the other?"

Bar gave an ill-concealed huff at that. "Heck if I know," he muttered, leaning one shoulder against the door that led to where Quiz was seated. "It'd be really nice if she would respond, though," he said, putting specific emphasis and volume upon the words in hopes that Quiz would answer.

She did not.

In her defense, she was a little busy scanning through every security camera should access in North Korea. She was hoping from one place to another with speed that rivaled lightning, processing through all of the information with an insane level of comprehension that would've boggled any scientists who were privy to witnessing the phenomenon. Quiz was everything that terrified the world -- and everything that it currently needed to stay safe.

Then, out of the blue: "Their attempts are lame." 

Both Bar and Flip were glad that no one could see the surprise on their faces when Quiz finally answered. "Say again?" Bar asked.

"Their attempts are lame," Quiz repeated, getting to her feet, her eyes returning to their normal soft green as she disconnected from the bulk of the technology in the room. Not all of it, though ... no, Quiz was always lingering about in the digital world. Always listening, watching -- waiting. Just in case. "You remember in the second Iron Man, where they see a bunch of idiots trying to recreate the Iron Man suit?" she asked, opening the door Bar had been leaning against.

He caught himself just short of falling, just in time to give her a curious look. He managed to keep from asking if she really had seen the Iron Man movies -- of course she had. She arguably had more free time than any of the other LASAR agents put together. Not that she could do anything about that; her abilities were incredible, and thus her assignments were almost always shorter than the rest of theirs. So instead of asking, Bar instead said, "Yeah," and tried to ignore how dumb he sounded.

"It's like that," Quiz informed him, looking up at him in a manner that was just shy of calculating. "They're not anywhere near as successful as they're publicly claiming. There's nothing to worry about there. For now. We should go meet up with Flip."

"I'll meet you in the middle," Flip said over the comm. "Glad to know we don't have to worry about nuclear war yet."

Quiz gave a small, nearly amused smile, following in Bar's footsteps without hesitation. "No, not yet."