The Cardinal Bird (1 of Cardinal Series)

Chapter 26

A/N: To all you silent readers in the house tonight--ya, no, I can't rap.  You know the drill.  If you want notified about exclusive content, make sure to follow.

Corey was busy watching what looked like six different camera angles, talking with the guys in both vans while simultaneously trying to type some long code. I focused on that screen.

"Is that the traffic grid?" I asked, stepping right up to it and leaning over his shoulder. Numbers flew across the screen as he typed, but he kept having to stop to look over at the surveillance screen. The traffic screen would time him off and kick him out of the command program.

I watched him re-open it and start typing something. I studied the code, inherently knowing the number patterns behind them.

It was elementary, really. I hadn't hacked into a traffic grid before, but I highly doubted they were all as easy as this one seemed to be. The coding seemed simple and the security minimal.

"Yes," Corey said shortly as the program timed him out again. There was another keyboard pushed up against the back wall. I pulled it out and plugged it into the computer with the traffic grid.

Corey needed to focus on his security cameras since Karl was still out in the line of fire. I could help with that. I pushed up beside him. "You keep talking with them."

I used hotkeys to make the computer communicate with my keyboard instead of Corey's, and then pulled up the program. My fingers flew. I could sense Corey watching what I was doing before he went back to his screens.

"Okay," he said, "The people at the window are breaking off to head down and outside. This will be your best chance to run for it, Karl."

I could hear Karl's response from some speaker mounted inside the van. "Piece of cake then, get ready to cover me."

There were various affirmatives in response, also filtering through the speaker.

I couldn't do anything to help Karl, so my main focus was on the screen in front of me. The numbers and words flashed by as I typed them in. My vision blurred for a second, and I shook my head to clear it. The green font reflected off my eyes, making them glow.

I was typing faster than I had ever typed before. It was exhilarating. Numbers made sense. They made a lot more sense than all of the chaos going on right on the other side of the metal walls.

But...numbers? Codes? You typed, they listened. You commanded, they obeyed. You set the rules, they followed them. They were so much easier and logical than all of the death and destruction. You just had to know the key.

I was so close to gaining access. A smile titled my lips up just at the corners--but it disappeared in a flash.

The program timed me out, logging out of the coding box on its own.

I was left, blinking dazedly at the bright blue screen. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I had been so close. I'd typed faster than I'd ever typed before.

Gunshots sounded up again from almost all directions. It was a deafening soundtrack, a testament to how lethally dangerous our world was right now. I grit my teeth. I'd just have to be even faster.

I tried again.

I pulled up the black screen and started typing. I was in the zone. My fingers flew, pushing themselves to their limit, crescendoing along with the increased sound of rapid gunfire from outside. It was building up to some great finale, but the ending was uncertain.

The van rocked back and forth on its axis, breaking my concentration just for a second and the program kicked me out. A second later, the passenger door was slamming, and I nearly went flying as the van took off. If Corey hadn't braced me, I would've toppled over.