Royal Hotel Cafe, Upper Manhattan, 2021
"So lemme get this straight..."
It was drizzling outside. Commuters walked past the large glass windows with umbrellas and jackets. Jay had just finished explaining the past few days to Vanessa, Ty, Gabby, and Amber, who were all sitting in the hotel cafe. He wasn't very good at explaining, so Vanessa was trying to summarize.
"You were kidnapped by the man who inadvertently killed the love of your life, who flew you to New York to experiment on you..."
"Yep."
"...and he wanted you to break into the Australian Consulate why?"
Jay sat back in his chair. "Well, whoever designed the chip wanted to prevent people from copying it. So a lot of the code is situational; it only become visible when it's needed. Rather sophisticated technology."
Gabby chimed in. "But why the Australian Consulate?"
"He wanted me to remove some files for him, something about his corruption yadda yadda yadda." Jay leaned in, looking serious. "But that's where he slipped up. On top of not knowing that I had friends at the Consulate that night, he didn't know how much ASIS knew."
"Wait, ISIS? LIke, the terrorists?" Amber asked, very confused.
"No, A-SIS," Jay said, emphasizing the 'A'. "Australia's spy agency. They've been monitoring him for months, and he had no idea."
"Why were they monitoring him?" Gabby asked?
"He's been meeting with the North Korean government." Everyone's eyes widened when Jay said this. "Dian's been giving them military technology and weapons for almost a year. North Korea nearly has enough to start a world war."
"So what does this have to do with you?" Vanessa asked, intrigued.
"He kidnapped me in order to run tests on me. He wants to make another chip, or at least a version of it. And I think he wants to sell it to the North Koreans." He leaned in closer to the group. "Think about it: everything he's done has been out of desperation. Flying me to his building the minute he finds me? Running all of these tests on the same day? Sending me off on my own to break into the Consulate? He's on a deadline. But why?" he asked rhetorically. He pulled out a copy of USA Today, showing his audience the front page.
North Korean Diplomats To Meet President and Officials at UN
"He must need to give them something new when they arrive in the States. Something that will give them an advantage if they go to war. And I think they're gonna try something soon. Tensions have been building recently, and either side just needs one act of aggression to launch the world into full-scale war."
Everyone took a few seconds to process what they just heard. Then Ty spoke up.
"That sounds like an insane conspiracy theory."
Jay stared at Ty incredulously. "Are you kidding me? After everything that's happened with us, kidnappings and murders and experiments, THIS is what you can't believe?"
"True," Vanessa said. "A lot of crazy stuff has happened recently. I believe what he's saying."
"Thank you Vanessa," Jay said.
Amber looked confused. "Wait, why can't we just go to the police with this?"
"Dian's always been able to escape any charges," Jay told her. "I've been trying to get him arrested for years, but he always finds a scapegoat."
"But what are we supposed to do about all of this?" Ty asked
"We?" Jay said incredulously. "No. I can't involve you guys anymore. You've already done way too much for me. I can't---"
Vanessa interrupted him. "Lemme stop you right there honey," she said with an exaggerated Southern accent. "When you needed me I jumped on a helicopter and I didn't even know where I was going. You don't get to pick and choose when your friends help you. Besides, you're gonna need some help to pull off whatever you're planning." Gabby nodded with Vanessa, and Jay sighed. "Alright, fine."
"So, what's the plan?" Vanessa asked, with a determined look in her eyes.
"Well we're gonna need some supplies." Jay leaned forward towards the table. "Anybody ever been to Brooklyn?"
---
NyuTech Tower
Technicians had been working all night and into the morning on Dian's newest project. Now his head scientist had the results, and was sitting alone with Dian at the outdoor lounge about two thirds of the height of the building. Dian seemed unsettlingly calm, sipping from a plain white mug. The other man, however, was very nervous about what he was about to do.
"So doctor," Dian asked while putting his mug down. "Give me the report."
"Yes sir," the doctor replied. "We were able to finish building the machine to your specifications, and with the completed code we were able to manufacture the whole chip, ready for insertion at any time.
"So he will be ready for his task tomorrow?" Dian asked.
The doctor took a deep breath. "Actually sir..." Dian raised an eyebrow. "I don't think we should carry on with the task." He caught Dian's glare but persisted. "I don't think it's ethical. Why not experiment with this incredible technology in ways that would better humanity rather than...what you've got planned." He finished, looking nervously at a stoic Dian.
Dian stood up and walked next to the doctor. "And you feel strongly about this?"
The doctor gulped and nodded.
Dian grabbed the doctor by the neck and held him up, carrying him over towards the barrier on the edge of the building. Dian's black ring dug into the doctor's neck.
"Well do you know what I feel strongly about? Throwing you off this roof. Right now." He looked down off the edge of NyuTech Tower. They were a good 75 stories up, Tiny cars and people passed down below. "See, the thing is, I could throw you off this building in the middle of New York City right now, and walk away, and nobody would arrest me or anything. That's how much power and influence I have. That's how you get ahead in this world. Not money. Power. The ability to do whatever you want whenever you want. The closer you are to that, the more successful you are." He pulled the doctor close to him. "So in order to have that power, I need allies. Allies who expect that, when they pay me to do something..." he pulled the doctor even closer. "That I follow through and get. It. Done."
He threw the doctor onto the floor. "So when I give you and your team the GDP of a small nation annually, I expect results. And none of this ethics crap."
As Dian left, he addressed the doctor, who was shaking and taking deep breaths on the floor, one last time. "There will be no more delays or 'second thoughts'. And if this operation fails, it will be on you." He walked away, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves as the doctor was left panting on the floor of the patio.
YOU ARE READING
HTH
Action2 years ago, a tragic accident led a hacker known as HTH to leave his life behind. Now, he uses his extraordinary abilities for good as a vigilante hitman, targeting corruption and injustice. But when the ugly part of his past catches up to him, HTH...
