Captivate (Manipulate, Book 2)

Chapter 36

Sage’s friend came to the flat during dinner.

“This isn’t very good technology,” Mische said, waving Sage's old token. “Which means we’re in luck. The Spo have used an older type of authentication.”

“So you think we could copy this token?” Sage asked the man.

“This one is dead. We need one that’s actively sending and receiving electronically for us to try to crack it. We could work with a live one though, which Karel tells me you can get.”

“It depends. What would we need to do?”

Mische tapped a small tablet computer. “You would need to get this near the token for at least five to ten minutes. Maybe longer. And you would need to... um, distract the person holding the real token, so they don’t notice it buzzing.”

“How near would it have to be?” Claire asked.

“Within a foot, or so." Mische brought the token closer to the tablet and when it was about twelve inches away, the tablet lit up. "See, the tablet has the same software as the locking mechanisms on the embassy doors. When a token gets close enough, the tablet sends a challenge to the token. This token is dead, so it won't work." She waited about thirty seconds, until the tablet vibrated and printed, ‘Invalid authentication.’

"If the token was working, it would receive the challenge, multiply it by the authentication code, and return it. Usually the authentication code is a super-large prime number, very hard to figure out. But if you challenge it enough...”

Sage was frowning. “So Claire has to get within a foot of Basher, for at least ten minutes, and keep him from noticing that his token is trying to open something?”

“You’re so skeptical,” Claire said. “This sounds a lot easier than I expected! I can do it. I was constantly lifting things off the zookeeper, you know. You have to be near someone to pick their pocket, and distract them... and this time I don’t even have to steal the token.”

“Alright... then I guess we should get the ball rolling.” Sage seemed strangely subdued considering this was his plan.

Claire bit her lip, her sudden confidence fading a little. “The only problem will be getting away again. If I’m that close – what’s to stop him from just grabbing my arm and cuffing me? I’m guessing he won’t just let me walk away.”

Juliet clapped her hands. “I know! Oh, I know how to manage that part of it.” She explained her idea, and Claire’s confidence returned.

“That’s going to be great,” she said.

A little later, Claire went into the bedroom and turned off all the lights, as they’d discussed, making it pitch dark. Then she got the glasses out of her backpack and carefully unrolled them. She was excited about this part.

“Can you hear me?” she said softly, putting the glasses on her nose by feel. “Um, hello, Akemi are you there?”

Claire! Hello! Oh, I’m so glad you decided to talk to me. I was so worried when you didn’t arrive on the train. Are you alright?

“So you did tell Basher that we were coming?”

Um, yes. I knew you were moving and I had to alert him. He’s worried about you. Faal’s attack scared the daylights out of him. But don’t tell him I told you. ;-)

Akemi’s smiley-face made her laugh. “You really are just a teenager, aren’t you? I feel like I know you.”

I know! I feel the same way. I was just panicked when I saw Faal come at you.