Under My Skin

Under My Skin - Part 65

"Thank you, miss," said the security guard as he handed Beni's purse back. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

"Right," snapped Beni as she took her purse and walked into the ballroom. "I've had boyfriends less thorough than that," she muttered. Indignation burned in her, looking for an outlet like steam looks for the spout of a teakettle.

In the time she had been gone the party had deteriorated from its celebratory veneer. The alcohol still flowed, the music still played, and people still danced, but whenever a security guard came by the partygoers shifted away, glaring at them. Sharon, the decorator and party coordinator, was arguing with a security guard to the side of the room about the body searches, but was quickly loosing her imitation Martha Stewart demeanor. She hated the controlling woman on principal from earlier that day, but she was inclined to agree with her; security was a buzz kill.

She found Reese standing against a pillar, standing still with his hands in his pockets. He looked dejected and tense, his jaw clenched.

"What's going on?" she asked, slipping an arm under his. "I heard about Massaru while driving back in the van."

"Kara retired early with her nurse," said Reese in a clipped voice. "Will's little harem is deciding whether or not they should leave, and Will is on his way up to get the BT."

"Where's Louis?"

"He's... hiding with Massaru."

"Where?"

"...I can't really say."

"How informative of you," she said, rolling her eyes. "Why are you standing here? You couldn't help Will?"

"I'm to stay down here until I'm called for or until backup shows up to take us back to base."

Beni sneered, the steam finding an outlet. "Right, because you're well being is so important right now."

"As a matter of fact it is very important," hissed Reese.

"So we're just going to stand here while Will is being hunted down by security guards and Louis takes care of Massaru?"

"Right."

Beni took her arm away, disgust thickening her voice. "I never thought you were a damn coward—"

Reese suddenly grabbed Beni by the shoulder and walked her over to an alcove between the ballroom and the silent auction, far away from any bugged vases.

"Okay, you know that secret you've been bugging me about? It has to do with that." Reese hissed and hunched his shoulders. "And I really didn't want to have to tell you like this."

Beni lifted an eyebrow and her angry steam seemed to melt away at the frustration in her partner's voice. "What is it?"

"Promise me you'll keep an open mind..."

***

"I found something," called out Grant.

Cetz entered the Head Comp Tech's workshop a moment later. "What do you got?" he asked his voice raw and tired.

"This isn't the device that was making it possible to move through Watch Two undetected, but it certainly helped..." Grant turned over one of the data panels. "I had Rachel look at this part, it's the same mother board used for processing Pulse Emitters."

"It's a BT?" asked Cetz.

"Yes but it doesn't scan bodies, it scans machines." Grant pointed to his screen were a composition of the device was listed. "It takes a 3D image of data drives and electrical currents, and in the right software decodes it. It can scan a computer hard drive through its casing and read the data off it like a picture book."

Cetz frowned. Zachs said there was a BT-12 in the works. This must be the 11. And the scanning wands had been used in the BT lab.

"Is there anything on it?" asked Cetz.

Grant danced his hands on the keyboard, the scanners and motors whirring. "I only got a partial picture of the data captured; the rest has already been deleted."

"Bring it up on screen."

Grant clicked, and a black and blue image came up of a transparent human male torso, half of the file too corrupt to show the rest of the body in anything but color blocks. The file name appeared. BT-10/B-scan/BioTranscriber/2789.40024.5827_AutoFile/William_James_Rowe+L.P-02

"They scanned the BT," whispered Cetz in horror. "Oh God, they know about Will and Louis."

Grant frowned at the screen, seeing only a medical scan of a trusted friend. "What do they know?"

"Doesn't matter," said Cetz shaking his head. "Can you tell me who deleted the data?"

"According to the log file it was connected to a computer. I'll check the IP, but it might take a while."

"Do that." Cetz paced from one end of the workshop table to the other, picking up a slinking and sloshing it back and forth as Grant typed away. The device had probably been hooked up to either Agent Ian's or Fuller's computers, and if he could find out which one then he could see if the information was sent anywhere. He needed to do damage control and fast.

***

At the twentieth floor Zachs followed Will closely, both with their guns drawn. Will led the way to the right, towards where Louis had said the BT was. It was still dark, and the cold sensation down his spine had returned. He took deep breaths, letting the wavering of the plastic sheeting become ambient movement to his eyes. He wished he had something more substantial in his jacket than a few matches, like a flashlight.

Zachs tapped his shoulder and pointed to a door half closed. Will nodded and stood to the side of it, taking a breath. Zachs stood at the other side, guarding his back. Will kicked the door open and led with his gun. Left, right, up... and down on the floor was the body of Agent Ian, the back of his head blown off.

***

"Cetz..." called Grant. "Look."

On the screen flashed the number of the computer the device had connected to, and the name of the agent registered to it. The blood drained out of Cetz's face. He ran to the switchboard, switching on his SkySprecht headset as he did. "Guys! Get out of there!"

***

The barrel of a gun pressed against the back of Will's head and he froze. A hand reached over and plucked the SkySprecht, Cetz and Louis screaming through it, from his ear and tossed it into the dark.

"I really am sorry about this, Agent William," said Martin Zachs.