“It’s a very competitive game,” Brad said. He gestured towards the laptop as he paced back and forth, waving his hands as he spoke. “I have a suspicion that the other teams have also received this message. Think about it. Why only offer the secrets to me? There’s nothing about exclusivity.” Zane tapped his finger … Read more
Frog, Elaine, Zane, gathered in one of the Computing Common’s many stairwells with Sarah Pilgrim, Larry Pilgrim, and Brad Wright. Frog took up a position high on one of the nearby stairs; Sarah stood midway down a lower flight; the rest of the group gave Elaine enough room to wave her arms as she quickly … Read more
After they finished, Benjamin stepped back from his work. Each box included not only the coordinates but notes on where to go. He held his cryptophone aloft, photographed the board, and sent the image to everyone in the group. “That gives us six good locations and two probably good locations.” Zane waved his finger at … Read more
Frog rolled her eyes and tapped a long fingernail on an empty soda can. “Might I hazard a guess?” she said. “It’s not like we don’t all recall the effects from the last time you used it. If you were going to kick yourself into la vida rapido we should have gotten you a few … Read more
When Elaine returned to her lab she could feel the fatigue clawing through her veins and she knew she should crash in a chair and stay there; but the anxiety in her nerves wouldn’t let her sit still. So she paced. Almost all of the bullet-time available through the spellcode had been exhausted and the … Read more
“Zane,” Elaine said as she watched the newborn program compile into bytecode and begin to produce results. “I have to run this down; it’ll take me a little bit. I’ll get in contact as soon as I’m done.” Her brother lowered the cellphone for just a moment and nodded. “It’s all good,” he said. “I … Read more
“Longitude in this hemisphere is negative,” Elaine said, pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. “I’ll try that,” Frog said. The satellite picture resolved on the screen into a very familiar set of buildings: the Student Recreation Center. Right smack on the edge of Arizona State University. In fact, not so far … Read more
Achievement Unlocked: Darknet Mission Accepted Warning: Mission dispenser device is tamper resistant; attempts to breach internal firewall will result in destruction and mission failure. “Really?” Elaine said. She withdrew a Firewire connector from a recess in her goggles and poked at the tablet with her fingers looking for another port. “Challenge accepted!” Zane’s hand flashed … Read more
“The dean isn’t in this morning,” the woman behind the receptionist’s desk said, her voice a dead-monotone matter-of-fact. After a few clicks of her mouse she shook her head. “He didn’t leave me any instructions for you personally, either. I could convey him a message for you, when he returns, if you’d like.” Elaine had … Read more
Agent Toller waited for him to grab his latte before she waved hers at him speculatively. “I take it that Harwood is sticking to his man-of-little-action routine again?” She, of course, referred to the Dean of Engineering, one Richard Harwood, and possibly the least exciting surveillance subject that Agent Warren had ever found himself the … Read more