Project Sarin

11 - False Codes

Reed watches the car drive away, leaving a cloud of dust behind it. His gun is still aimed, but he won't fire another shot.

He's angry. That's strange, because he never shows his feelings at work. 'Feelings will give you weakness', as his trainer had said all those years ago. A part of him had thought they were completely gone.

Agent Stephens gets up from where he's lying on the ground, a few feet in front of Reed. He'd managed to throw himself out of the way, right before the crazy car had nearly run him over.

"Now who's watching the others?!" Reed shouts when turning around, just to see the other people from the house drive their cars toward him.

They easily drive past both him and Stephens. When the guy that had provoked Adams drives past, he gives a satisfied smile.

"I'm gonna' shoot that guy in the face!" Adams says and aims his gun. Reed quickly shoves Adams's gun upwards, pointing towards the sky, to prevent him from doing any more damage.

"They're not our target," he says and draws his hand back. Reed walks back to his car, feeling Adams's eyes on his back.

"Agent Reed, I'm not sure if this case is going to be as easy as we have thought," C says, "it must have been the stolen vehicle that brought the woman away."

"I think you're on the right track there, C".

"I tried to analyze where the car gets its information from, but I can't even get in. This thing has a greater firewall than the Pentagon. I'm starting to wonder what the government has gotten itself into." Reed closes his eyes to think. After not too long, he answers.

"That's not in our place to question."

~

A while later, Reed is in the driver's seat, and next to him, Stephens tries to move his shoulder in different angles. It probably hurts, but he doesn't say anything.

"C, any luck with the tracking?" Reed asks.

"It would be a lot easier if this car had a license plate," C answers, "though, I do have a hit from a traffic camera in the neighbouring town."

"The neighbouring town?" Reed says surprised, "are you sure?"
"The cameras don't lie, Agent Reed."

Reed guns the engine and continues toward the town where the car has been spotted. Though he can't help but wonder how they got there in this short amount of time. Something is not right here.

"All right," C says, "they've stopped at an abandoned parking lot just outside of town". The neighbouring town isn't as big as the other. It doesn't take long for Reed to drive through the narrow streets.

"Turn here," C says, and Reed does as he says. They arrive at an empty parking lot. Completely empty.

"C, there's nothing here," Reed says, his patience running out.

"I don't understand, the picture right in front of me shows the car on the lot, I even see you there too."

"Well, obviously something's wrong, because there's nothing here."

"Wait," C says and pauses, probably running a check on his computer.

"You've got to be kidding me!" he says after a while, "there was a hidden code in the camera I didn't detect".

"Which means?" Reed asks.

"A virus made the cameras show something that isn't really there. Someone, or something, hacked the cameras and made us follow a false track." Reed starts to laugh, but his coworkers can clearly tell he isn't happy.

"Seems like your cameras actually do lie to you," Reed says and walks away from the others to think this through, "they could be anywhere by now".

"Not necessarily," C says, "to make these false codes work, the hacker has to be close by. They're either in the town, or just outside it". Reed turns around and walks back.

"All right," he says to his coworkers, "we have a town to search through. Wilde and Adams, you check the the area outside town, Stephens and I will check the town itself. And C, you'll keep an eye out for the car on the cam's".

They all leave and head to the places they've been asigned to. None of them very sure of what they're up against.

Reed was surprised by Sandra Ridley's ability to fight. She fought the same way he did. They were trained for the same movements, the same tricks. What he didn't understand was why the government would want an agent like her wiped out. This is a job you keep your whole life. Why did she steal that information when she knew she wouldn't make it for long? Is she a traitor?

"We've been driving around for an hour," Stephens breaks him out of his thoughts, "they could've left already." Reed sighs and keeps looking at the streets and sidewalks. All of the people living their normal lives, with no secrets. Just walking around, doing the same things, in the same order, at the same time every day.

It sounds boring to Reed. Though he can't help but to secretly envy them. When they do the same stuff every day, they really appreciate the small, good things in every day. He remembers that feeling. Somewhere, deep down.

Suddenly, Reed's phone starts to vibrate, it's Grimes. He answers, and after a short conversation, he hangs up again.

"Contact the others, she's in the hospital," Reed says and drives past the red light in front of them. The sounds of shouts from bothered drivers and beeps from horns not concerning him the slightest.

"How did the boss find that out from New York when we couldn't from here?" Stephens asks.

"He said our special source saw her arrive".

Reed wonders why he didn't think of the hospital before. Since she wasn't in the hospital in the last town, he didn't think she'd be here, so close by. How wrong he was.