Linewalkers

8 | Spiel and Unreal

Not Edited 

******

"Don't hang up," He ordered, "Do you hear me? Cariba, you have to listen to me!" 

"You're dead." She couldn't stop repeating herself. Everything felt surreal, her head spun and her throat got tighter with every second. 

"I'm not dead - well, I'm not dead yet. I'm just stuck and I need your help getting back." 

She took a shuddering breath, "What do you mean?" 

"I got tricked, I can't get out of this on my own." 

"What happened to you, Elias?" She whispered, "Are you even real?" 

He sighed, "I know how confusing this is but please listen. It took me weeks to figure out a link and it isn't going to last. This is the only chance I have to survive. Don't freak out on me, please." 

Maybe it was the raw urgency in his voice or the fact that she was almost in tears hearing his voice again, but she took a deep breath for her own sake and then relaxed. She didn't even realize she had been shaking like a leaf and Nomad was mewling in distress. 

"I'm listening." She said, her voice quiet. If this was all a dream, at least she could talk to him. 

"The company is dangerous, they have been working to discover the link for years. They just needed someone to crack to the code. Right now, I'm dead in your world but I'm not completely dead. There is still a chance I can get back but I don't have much time left. I think five months is the limit. Listen, you have to find the codes and you have to crack them. Its the only way you can get to me." 

Her head was spinning again, "What codes?" She was struggling to believe this was real. 

"They have them, the company," Elias said, his breathing quickened as if he were moving, "Hack into their mainframe and steal them. I know you can crack them and then you have twelve hours before you die  - "

"What?!" She shrieked. 

"Okay, stupid thing to say," He muttered to himself, "No, okay, just find the codes and crack them. Don't let the company find you, they're dangerous and they'll do anything to gain access to what they seek." 

"Elias, I can't do this, this isn't even real!" She cried. 

"Its real! I promise, I'm not dead but I will be if you don't help me." 

There was a lot of background noise coming from his end and shouting voices filled the phone, she heard him curse and she assumed he was on the move again. 

"Elias, I'm sorry." She swallowed, she wanted to say goodbye before she woke up. 

He was out of breath, "Carebear, I'm not dead. You have to promise that you'll find me." 

"I - " 

"I don't have time!" He was frustrated, more shouting erupted and this time it seemed that Elias was shouting back. Scuffling and grunts filled the background. 

"What's going on?" She asked, her heart thundering. Why did it sound real? 

He briefly came back on the phone, breathless, "You can do it. Find the codes. I lov - "

The call cut with a screech of static. She flinched, pulling the phone from her ear. For several moments, she was completely still. Her eyes blankly stared at the coffee table and she felt numb. It seemed like for the second time, Elias had been taken away from her. 

Her phone slipped from her fingertips and thumped against the carpet. One tear trickled down her cheek and then another. Nomad was quiet and he gently padded onto her lap. It was exactly what triggered her and she broke down into tears. She scooped up Nomad and held him against her chest as she buried her face into his back. 

She couldn't believe that she had just heard Elias on the phone, as if he wasn't dead. He sounded so real and alive, he even knew her nickname. If it was some sick joke, they couldn't have got the extravagent. Through blurry eyes, she pinched her arm, and her stomach sunk as she felt the pain radiate through her arm. 

She wasn't dreaming. It wasn't a nightmare. 

She didn't know what to think, she didn't know what to feel. She ran out of tears and then she stared blankly. She couldn't fathom how it was even slightly possible. Yet, something nagged at her in the back of her mind. If there was an inkling of hope that Elias was still alive, she would grasp at it with everything she had. 

Eventually, she moved from the living room before her parents came home. She collected her things and headed for her room. Nomad padded along behind her. Somehow, she felt like she was responsible to fulfill his wishes. Though, the only way that she could prove that this wasn't real was by finding the codes. 

If she found the codes, he was right. If she didn't find the codes, the whole thing wasn't real. She settled on that option. Her computer sat on her desk, its screensaver illuminating the dark that had filled her room from the night. She hadn't turned on any of her lights. 

Her computer seemed to taunt her. It begged to be used, begged for action. It had been months since she had last hacked. Her fingers twitched. Slowly, she sat down in her chair. Nomad leapt into her lap. Instead of laying down, he sat and turned his attention to the screen. It was almost like he was waiting to watch. 

She stirred the mouse and the computer left its power saving mode. Gently, she pulled open the drawer beside her desk. The letter that Mr. Rabino had received announcing Elias' death laid inside. She hadn't looked at it, she couldn't, but now she stared at it. Across the top of the paper, she read the address. 

With a sigh, she settled her hands onto the keyboard and got to work. The address traced to two locations and one was a business that no longer operated, but the other was a vague description. She slipped her way behind the site's walls and she discovered the company name. Department of Technological Evolution and Education. It sounded friendly enough but from what Elias had said, they were everything but. 

She felt unease in her gut and she glanced down at Nomad. He was staring at the screen but he tilted his head to look at her. She was going to hack into a private company and she had to cover her tracks, it would be her first serious hack. If she was discovered, she could be charged with felony. She would be considered a criminal. 

She took a deep breath, looked at Nomad, and then said. 

"For Elias." 

.    .    .    .    .    .

Was anyone expecting that? 

Its about to get real. 

*snickers*