Chapter 26
Brie
I slid into a chair at Davy’s, balancing a bowl of tomato soup I had no intention of eating on my cafeteria tray. Around me, employees stared at phones and tablets, as oblivious to the outside world as I needed them to be.
My mid-shift break gave me a half-hour window to complete everything.
It was a quarter to four. I had fifteen minutes to get to Scarlett. My hands trembled slightly. No matter what Will said, this was our best chance, and there wouldn’t be any second chances.
You can do this, Brie.
I scrolled through my phone, pretending to be absorbed while still watching the people around me in my periphery.
Three tables away, a couple of engineers from the morning shift were arguing over something on one of their screens.
A woman in a Mnemis hoodie laughed at something on her phone.
No one was paying attention to me. I was simply another employee on break.
Here we go.
I took a spoonful of my soup and frowned. Stirring it with exaggerated annoyance, I tried it again. Rav had said the cameras in the cafeteria weren’t regularly monitored, so the small crowd was my only concern. Loud enough for any of them to hear if they were listening, I muttered, “Too cold.”
With my gaze focused on my phone screen, I carried my bowl to the bank of microwaves along the back wall. I set the bowl down on the counter, typing a message to Will in the Mnemis app: I was hungry and came to eat early.
I positioned my phone above the bowl. Nudged my ID card with my forearms and jostled it with my phone. It fell from the clip Will had weakened this morning, landing in the soup with a soft plop.
Even better, it settled against the bowl’s side, with the chip end breaking the surface.
See you tonight, came Will’s reply.
Tucking my phone into my pocket, I carefully put the soup bowl into the microwave and started it. Five seconds later, a loud pop came from the microwave, and soup splatters hit the door.
I jumped back with a yelp. “Holy shit!”
Tiny blue sparks lit up the microwave, and I jabbed at the stop button, unsure if I should open the door or not. When I did, a wisp of smoke escaped.
“Everything okay?” A tall man with a shaved head appeared beside me, peering inside the microwave.
“I don’t know what happened,” I said, nervous enough at what I did that I didn’t need to add a shake to my voice. “It just started… sparking.”
He reached in hesitantly, tapped the bowl to check the temperature, then pulled it out. “How strange.”
“No kidding.” I stirred the soup, and something solid clinked against the side of the bowl. Fishing around, I pulled out my ID card, now partially melted along one edge, the plastic warped from the heat. The chip had turned black where the sparks had erupted. “Oh no.”
A woman from the table nearest the microwaves approached with a handful of napkins. “You didn’t notice it fall in?”
“I was on my phone, texting my husband.” I gave a dramatic sigh, squeezing my eyes shut. “The card fell off this morning in our room, too.”
“This happened to Jenkins in security last month,” the woman said, handing me half the napkins, so we could clean the microwave and counter. “At least his only wound up in the laundry.”
The man shook his head sympathetically. “There is no way that thing’s going to get you through security, though.”
“Thanks.” I cleaned the ID card, acting appropriately embarrassed. “Just my luck, I guess.”
I returned my tray and soup to the discard pile and made my way to the security checkpoint between the common areas and the data center. Crossing my mental fingers, I tapped my card to the scanner at the end of the X-ray machine’s belt.
Nothing.
Yes!
The guard extended his hand for my card, and I passed it to him.
I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. “Long story.”
He took the card to his console and tried scanning it himself, then examined the melted chip more closely. “Yeah, this isn’t registering at all. You’ll need to visit the main security office for a replacement. I’m not allowed to let you through.”
“Got it.” I shuffled back from the checkpoint, allowing a few others to process through. I pulled out my phone to call Claire. When she answered, I said, “Claire, I had another incident with my ID card. Security’s telling me I need a replacement.”
Claire sighed. “What happened to it?”
“The chip’s fried, and they won’t let me through security.”
There was a long pause. “Thanks for the heads up. Come in as soon as you’re done.”
“Will do.” I ended the call and gave the guard a sheepish smile. “I’ll be back.”
I made my way through the Reef corridors, using the maps in my app to guide me. My stomach tightened as I walked, but Will’s voice echoed in my mind, ‘When has your sister ever failed to complete a mission?’
He was right. Scarlett was the best.
When I pushed through the door of the security office, the sound of an argument greeted me.
“I spoke with Gideon Tremaine personally this morning.” It was Scarlett’s voice, but accented.
New York, maybe? She stood at the security counter, wearing a short blonde bob wig, blue contact lenses, and bold red glasses.
If I hadn’t heard her talking, I might not have recognized her.
“He assured me that my assistant would be permitted to accompany me on the tour.”
Next to Scarlett, Malcolm stood in an impeccably tailored navy suit, looking every bit the executive assistant. He hated playing her assistant.
The older guard behind the counter maintained a professional smile. “I understand, Ms. Parker, but I don’t have him listed in the system.”
“Then call Mr. Tremaine and verify,” Scarlett insisted, tapping one manicured nail against the counter.
Normally, I’d have waited for the argument to subside. But today? I approached the counter, holding up my melted card. “Excuse me, I need a replacement.”
The older guard glanced at me, his irritation at the interruption barely concealed. Gesturing at a seat by the door, he said, “I’ll take care of you in—”
“Excuse me?” said Scarlett, talking over him. “I was here first, and I’m a potential client.”
“I can handle the replacement.” Rav stood from one of the nearby desks and approached one of the computers behind the counter.
“Jenkins showed you how to process replacements, Tremblay?” the other guard asked, using Rav’s cover name.
“Yes, sir,” Rav replied, taking my damaged card.
I moved to stand across from Rav’s station.
“How did you manage that?” he asked quietly.
“It fell in my soup,” I said with an embarrassed grimace. “Which I then put in the microwave.”
Rav’s lips twitched with amusement as he attempted to scan the barcode, but the reader didn’t register it. “It won’t even scan. Last name?”
“Stone. Brie. Software Support Analyst.”
Next to us, Scarlett’s voice rose. “My assistant handles all my technical notes and questions. I’m considering entrusting you with millions of dollars’ worth of data, and you can’t accommodate this simple request?”
“Ma’am, I understand your frustration, but—”
“Do you?” She snatched the visitor badge the guard had finally processed and handed it to Malcolm, drawing the guard’s attention in the opposite direction to me and Rav. “See how simple that was? Now he has one. You can make another for me.”
Rav kept his eyes on the console in front of him, working the keyboard and mouse. He spoke quietly as he worked. “Probationary starting package, support desk software, scheduling package…”
I nodded slightly, twisting my fake wedding ring. He tapped a lot more things than he was saying, likely keeping up the pretense in case the other guard registered anything over Scarlett’s progressing rage. His gaze flicked to the side regularly, monitoring everyone in the room.
“Ma’am, part of the reason you’ll want to entrust us with your data is that we adhere to stringent security protocols.” He took a deep breath, head rolling in our direction.
Rav and the other guard stood on the same side of the same counter, with their screens no doubt visible to each other. But Rav shifted his weight, likely to block some of what he was doing.
Malcolm caught my eye and gave the slightest nod, cutting his gaze toward a spot a few feet behind where Scarlett stood. I understood immediately—he needed me positioned exactly there.
My pulse quickened as I shifted and knelt, untying and retying my running shoe. I braced myself for whatever came next.
“Call your supervisor.” Scarlett leaned forward, jabbing her finger into the guard’s chest. “Now.”
“Ma’am,” he said, his face flushing.
“Perhaps we should reschedule, ma’am,” Malcolm said, fluttering his hand upward. Was that a signal? “I’m sure Tremaine Industries’ competitors would be more accommodating of your requirements.”
“An excellent suggestion.” Scarlett huffed, straightening her jacket aggressively.
Malcolm’s eyes met mine and flicked upward.
I stood.
Scarlett spun on her heel—slamming directly into me. Far harder than I’d expected. I went down hard, and Scarlett’s handbag spilled across the tile floor. My phone skittered toward the counter.
“Oh my god!” Scarlett’s hand flew to her mouth, her New York accent thick with concern. “I am so sorry! I didn’t see you!”
The older guard immediately darted out from behind the counter. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, but I—” I stayed down, making a show of holding my head and playing the victim.
“Let me help you.” The guard crouched beside me, picking up my phone while Malcolm collected Scarlett’s things, everyone apologizing profusely.
At the desk, Rav continued working, barely glancing at the chaos on the floor.
He grabbed a blank ID card and placed it in the encoding machine, his movements speeding up during the distraction.
The soft click-click-click was barely audible over Scarlett’s continued apologies and the guard’s concerned questions.
“I’m so clumsy,” I said, accepting items from the guard’s hands. “Totally my fault for standing there.”
“No, no, entirely mine,” Scarlett insisted, her performance flawless. “I should have looked where I was going. Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine, really.”
Malcolm moved closer to me, pointing at where Scarlett’s lipstick had rolled at least fifteen feet away. To the guard, he said, “Could you grab that for us?”
The guard, on his hands and knees now, crawled over to Scarlett’s lipstick.
Malcolm retrieved a compact from the ground next to me, nearly colliding with me. He whispered in my ear, “Be careful of Claire. She’s got gaps in her background Gideon can’t explain.”
By the time the guard turned around with the lipstick, Malcolm was back to collecting items, as though nothing had happened. The whole ordeal had bought Rav maybe twenty extra seconds, but it wasn’t only about the card. It was also to get me their intel about Claire.
What did it mean? What could I even do about it?
When the guard returned to his position, Rav was already attaching my new ID badge to a fresh green-logoed lanyard.
“Tremblay, you’re finished with that ID already?” the guard asked, his brows turning down slightly.
“Yes, sir,” Rav said calmly. “Standard Bridge access package with probationary restrictions.”
The guard nodded distractedly, then turned to Scarlett. “Ms. Parker, let me call the head of our security. He’ll be able to authorize your assistant.” To me, he said, “Be more careful with this one?”
“I will,” I said, my fingers trembling slightly as I took the new card from Rav.
But the trembling wasn’t from nerves about the mission. I’d helped them fake an accident. Lied to a security guard’s face. Pretended to be more hurt than I was when I hit the floor.
The role was so different from my normal one. But I’d done it, and we’d gotten what we needed.
“You have everything you need,” Rav said. “Be careful.”
I nodded quickly and slipped the lanyard over my head, heart thundering in my chest. None of my teammates acknowledged me as I left, each of them perfectly maintaining their respective cover.
As I left, Scarlett’s voice pierced the air. “How long do we have to wait? Perhaps you’re not aware, but there’s a hurricane on the way, so I don’t have all day.”
The walk back to the data center checkpoint felt like the longest of my life. I’d always been the one who used vulnerabilities in code, not in people.
It hadn’t just been easy… it had been exhilarating.
As I neared the security checkpoint, my worries shifted. What if the system flagged the discrepancy between my apparent status and actual access level? What if there was some verification protocol I didn’t know about? What if the encoder had failed to write the permissions properly?
Stay calm, Brie.
I tapped my new card on the scanner at the checkpoint between the common area and the data center. It glowed green.
Just like normal.
“Try to keep that one intact,” the guard said as I passed through.
I nodded to him, reminding my legs not to break into a run.
Don’t look guilty. Don’t give anyone a reason to look closer.
My phone and watch went through the X-ray. I went through the full-body scanner. When I turned the corner after security, my smile finally broke free. I wanted to punch my fist into the air and cheer. Wanted to dance. Wanted to call Will and tell him everything.
But there were cameras everywhere. So I stuck with smiling.