23. Chapter 23
Chapter twenty-three
Alex
It had been three weeks since Danyal was abducted, and two weeks after Galen nearly died, but PGC and Alex were no closer to learning any new information. He sat at the conference table in the boardroom, impatiently waiting for the meeting to begin. Alex hadn’t left the PGC building in days and had taken an indefinite sabbatical from the university. He spent his days between training sessions with Hoko and therapy sessions with Diana, which he admitted were the only things maintaining his sanity. Although his days were busy, at night, when he was alone, he wrestled with his demons. Right now, the demons were winning.
The usual subjects were in attendance, but Zoe from the technology branch was also in attendance today. She looked nervous as she shuffled some papers on the table before her. Alex was surprised to see Dr. Bruno at the meeting after his recent assault. His head was bandaged from a laceration, and his right eye blackened. Alex didn’t like the man Bruno had become, but he certainly didn’t wish physical harm upon him. Still, in Alex’s mind, something didn’t feel right. How could Bruno survive an assault when a trained security team member, Templeton, was murdered?
“Good morning,” said Ryo. “Nothing said in this meeting today will leave this room. We have two issues that we need to discuss. The first issue is the forensic team has completed their evaluation of the truck involved in your hit-and-run accident, Alex.”
Alex took a deep breath to calm himself. “I’ve never told anyone here at PGC about that accident, Ryo. How did you know about it?”
Ryo said a security detail had been following Alex for weeks before his ascension, and that they reported the incident to PGC. The truck was stolen, but DNA testing helped identify the driver’s identity. Ryo stated the driver’s name was Douglas Austin, an Irish national with links to organized terrorist groups. He added that word in the counterintelligence world was that Douglas had been recruited from within the former IRA, and had aligned himself with the Sons of Enyaluis.
Alex took a deep breath and leaned against the conference table.
“So, you’re telling me the Sons of Enyaluis tried to kill me the day before my ascension?”
“Yes,” said Ryo, “that’s exactly what I am saying. We have asked for an APB for all U.S. authorities and with Interpol. He’s likely already gone underground because the trail has gone cold.”
“Fuck,” said Alex. “Doesn’t anyone ever share good news in this room?”
“I’m afraid that’s not the worst news, Alex,” said Ryo. “The forensic technology team has concluded its preliminary findings on the recent data breach, and has drawn several conclusions. First, the computer breach was because of a virus uploaded internally within the building. Specifically, the entry point was at your computer, Ms. Palmer.”
“I’ve no idea how,” said Zoe, her voice quivering. “We take every precaution in our department to maintain computer security.”
Ryo said he believed her, but the data was undeniable––her workstation was the virus’s entry point.
A sharp pain grew in Alex’s chest as he picked up Danyal’s phone, and Ryo said the virus was introduced three days after Danyal was abducted.
“Ryo,” said Alex, “I think I know what may have happened. I asked Zoe to look at Danyal’s phone. She examined it using her computer but couldn’t pull any information from it.”
Zoe clasped her hand over her mouth before responding. She said their computers had state-of-the-art virus and malware protection. She added that whoever coordinated the attack must know their security protections; otherwise, it would take her best staff weeks to hack into the system.
“This company has been safe for decades, and you bring it down by connecting an outside device to our system?” yelled Dr. Bruno. “Your incompetence has led to the injury of two staff including myself, not to mention Templeton’s death. You both have blood on your hands and ought to be terminated immediately.”
“Bruno,” said Ryo, “please keep it together. This is unacceptable.”
“How dare you. If she had a grave, Ditta would be turning in it,” said Bruno.
“That’s enough, Dr. Bruno,” said Diana. “I know you’re hurting, but please get it together. If you need to step out, I’ll go with you, and we can have an emergency session.”
“I’m not one of your headcases, Diana. I appreciate your help with my wife, but my head doesn’t need shrinking.”
Hoko broke the tension in the room by asking what information was taken. Ryo replied that, by following the digital trail of the virus, any records on ichor and ambrosia were targeted, as well as the personal data archives of Ms. Dea.
“This wasn’t a random breach,” said Alex, “they knew what they were looking for. The question is, did they get the data?”
Ryo said the best they could determine was that the data on ichor had been accessed, but there was no data to steal since Ms. Dea wouldn’t allow any research on the substance.
Hoko asked if they had breached Ditta’s files. Ryo said they had no idea since he didn’t know these files were even on the PGC servers until the breach.
Alex leaned forward in his seat and asked, “If we didn’t even know these files existed, how did they know they were on the servers? How did they even know what they were looking for?”
Ryo said that was an excellent question for which he didn’t have an answer, but their attackers were likely hoping to find out where Ms. Dea may have obtained or stored ichor.
“What kind of damage could they do with this data or, heaven forbid, if they obtained ichor?” asked Alex.
“Your shallow mind may not grasp it, but the damage would be unimaginable if they could perfect or weaponize the substance,” said Bruno.
“That’s your one insult of the day, Dr. Bruno,” snapped Alex. “Don’t push your luck unless you want to see my temper.”
The two men glared at each other like rams trying to show dominance. Ryo interrupted the staring contest and reminded everyone to maintain cooler heads. He added they were on the same team, and it was time to act like it. Ryo resumed the meeting by saying the best they could determine was that the attack on the security suite and ransacking of Alex’s apartment had been related to obtaining samples of the ambrosia chocolate Ms. Dea had given Alex. He turned to Alex and asked if anything was missing.
“The last piece of chocolate was missing,” said Alex, silencing the room. Alex repeated Bruno’s warning internally that ichor in the hands of the wrong people could be catastrophic. However, he chose to withhold that he still had one piece of chocolate in his jacket at Starling University, because he had no clue who he could really trust at PGC.
Ryo said, unfortunately, they had no electronic surveillance of the event since it was all erased. He added they did gather footage from the university parking lot, which showed the moment of the bombing. However, no one approached the SUV the entire time it was parked.
“So, you’re saying,” said Alex, “the bomb must have been planted earlier in the day. PGC and the police station were the only places we went.” Alex was frustrated there was no clear timeline of when the bomb was planted. Thank god no one else was injured.
Diana asked how Galen was doing, and Alex said he was doing remarkably well, physically at least. However, emotionally, he was depressed and withdrawn. He added Galen could be discharged as early as today. He knew he had stretched the truth because Galen, on his visits, was silent and refused to talk to Alex. Dr. Anderson had warned mood and personality changes could occur after a head injury.
Ryo said that was good news, and he’d make arrangements for Galen’s aftercare. Alex thanked Ryo, but stated Galen would be recovering in the penthouse, where he could ensure Galen’s safety and have him receive the best medical care.
“Is that a good idea?” asked Zoe. “It’s a strange environment.” She paused before continuing, “Galen is a proud man, and he’s embarrassed. He feels like a failure for not detecting the threat and protecting Dr. Lieth. He’s likely worried the recent events will cost him his job.”
“You know a lot about Galen,” said Alex. His suspicions had been confirmed. Zoe was the person Galen had been with before his recent walk of shame. The events seemed so long ago, and meaningless now.
“He’s not talking much,” said Zoe. “But he’s starting to open up to me.”
Alex felt a stabbing pain in his chest as Zoe spoke about Galen. Was it jealousy?
“If you were concerned about his safety,” interrupted Bruno, “maybe Dr. Lieth shouldn’t have been gallivanting around in public when we knew outside forces were attacking us.”
Alex slammed his fist on the conference table. “Shut your fucking mouth, Bruno,” he said as he raised a hand, resulting in the coffee cup in front of Dr. Bruno flying across the room and shattering against the wall.
“Alex,” yelled Diana, “stop this at once!”
“I think Dr. Bruno owes me an apology.”
“I owe you nothing. You’re proving to be the downfall of this company. You’re a blunt tool, and all you know is violence. Show us what we already know; Ditta made a catastrophic mistake in choosing a petulant child to replace her.”
Alex stood from his chair as the conference room began to shake. His eyes filled with rage, and bolts of bright white cosmic energy began to burst from his eyes.
“Alex,” Hoko said as he placed his hand gently on Alex’s shoulder, “let it go. It’s not worth it. Be the better man.”
Alex slowly took his seat at the table as the room stopped shaking.
“If we can’t respect each other,” said Ryo, “we need to bring this meeting to an end.”
“With all due respect,” said Zoe, “I must present my findings. Dr. Lieth needs to know.”
“I need to know what, Zoe?”
Ryo nodded for Zoe to continue.
Zoe said she’d been researching the EMP, which occurred when Dr. Lieth ascended. Based on the data, she’d discovered that the EMP signature that resulted in the failure of the power grid on the Eastern Seaboard didn’t match the EMP field Dr. Lieth emitted. As a result, she stated the data indicated the EMP was a targeted emission, and that she believed it was intended to either weaken or eliminate Dr. Lieth when he gained his divine abilities.
“That’s absurd!” said Bruno as he slammed his fist on the table. “You’re saying someone set off a thermonuclear pulse in Boston?”
“Yes,” said Zoe, “that’s exactly what I’m saying.” She explained she had consulted with a colleague in the military who specialized in EMP research, and he confirmed the findings. Dr. Lieth was responsible for the second pulse around eleven a.m., but not for the first pulse, which did most of the damage.
“So, you’re asking us to believe the woman who allowed a breach of the corporation and broke company policy by taking data to an outside entity? I demand termination on the spot for your incompetence,” yelled Bruno as he stood and shook his finger at Zoe.
“Shut your mouth, Bruno, and let her finish,” demanded Alex, snapping his fingers. Bruno kept talking, but the words didn’t come out of his mouth.
“Stop!” Diana begged. “Don’t hurt him, Alex.”
Alex asked Diana why she always assumed the worst of him. He said he hadn’t injured Bruno in any way. Alex turned to Bruno and said, “You were warned, Bruno. Let her finish.” Alex hadn’t tested his theory, but his recent sessions with Hoko had him suspect the world around him went silent when he used his abilities.
Alex snapped his fingers again. “Please proceed, Zoe. You won’t be interrupted. So, I wasn’t the main source of the damage?”
Zoe said no, he wasn’t the main reason––and for the record, she did obtain permission from Ryo before consulting outside of PGC. Alex thanked her for her research and said she’d given him the gift of peace of mind, but that her findings indicated the Sons of Enyaluis had attacked him on multiple occasions.
Ryo abruptly ended the meeting by saying he trusted Zoe’s findings and that PGC would redouble their efforts to find Danyal and keep Alex safe. As the board members stood to leave, Ryo asked if he could speak with Bruno and Alex alone.
“There’s no way I’ll stay anywhere with this thug after he threatened and assaulted me. Is this what you’re teaching him, Hoko, how to abuse others? Mark my words; he’s a ticking time bomb,” Dr. Bruno said as he left the boardroom, slamming the door behind him.
“I’ll stay, Ryo, with Hoko and Diana present. My trust in PGC is wavering,” said Alex.