The Eyes of Fate (Currently in Rewrite)

The Hacker

A Young Man

The Eyes of Fate Headquarters

Washington State, USA

October 1st, 2019

"I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up at all." The woman continued.

"Don't pretend you haven't been watching me from the moment I walked up to the front porch." The young man said, his voice sounding more confident than he felt. He figured that these people would respond better to confidence.

"What cameras?" The woman said innocently, but her eyes were shimmering with mischief and her smile matched it. "And please, come in and shut the door."

"The ones you've been watching me through." The young man did as he was told, feeling the wait of all the people in the room watching him as he spoke. "Like the one in the eves above the front door, for example." 

"and where else did you see these cameras?" She asked, a hint of a challenge in her voice. Everyone else in the room had smirks that matched hers.

Oh, so that's how it's going to be.

"Seven in the foyer," He started. "Three per side: one on the exterior wall, one under the stairs, and one in the far corner. Plus the one hidden in the chandelier to cover blindspots. One every few feet in the hallway, in addition to the obvious ones in the corners of the hallways. There was also one in the mailbox I passed at the other end of your driveway."

The woman with the computer had looked suitably impressed as he went on, her smile turning bemused. She gazed at him for a long moment, long enough that he was wondering if she was waiting for him to speak again. He was about to do just that when she finally spoke.

"That was a very good job." She complimented him, which threw him off balance. He had been expecting a critique, or a mere acknowledgement of his skills. "Very few people actually spot my cameras, but you saw every inside camera that you could have. You did miss a few outside, but I'm willing to bet that you weren't actually looking for them."

"Um, thank you ma'am." The young man felt himself flush, and not just from the heat of the fire. "Can I ask you a question then?"

One of the woman's eyebrows raised slightly, and she nodded. "Go ahead."

"How many people call you on all these holograms you have in here?"

Both of the woman's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and the young man couldn't help but smile. She clearly hadn't been expecting him to notice that. She hit a button on her laptop with a shrug and everyone else in the room disappeared, along with the weapons and the block of wood. 

"You're the first to do so," she said. "I must admit, you've impressed me. What gave it away?"

"The fire." He said matter-of-factly. "I've been in here for about ten seconds, and I'm already sweating. This room is already small, and with that many people you'd never need a fire in here. There had to be another reason for having it going. Plus, there was something weird about the woman sitting next to you. She kept glitching out for some reason."

The woman nodded as he spoke. "Well, you're right about the fire. I use it to hide the extra light on the ceiling and walls thrown by the holograms, plus the light can be a cover for any anomalies or visual glitches. As for my companion here on the couch, she actually looked exactly how she was supposed to."

"There's no way. I couldn't even tell what she looked like!"

"You'll meet her later, I promise." The woman shook her head. "But where are my manners, I haven't even asked your name yet."