Rising Tomorrow (Roc de Chere Book 1) by Mariana Morgan (essential reading txt) 📕

sheets remained stationary, while others scrolled past to be replaced by yet more code. They moved up and down, but also sideways, giving the impression that the whole room was spinning. There was a distinct bright blue tinge around them, though some parts of the code were flashing red, orange or green.

‘What is this?’ Gonzalez asked, turning around. The temptation to duck under the approaching code was as irrational as it was hard to resist. Tentatively he reached out with one hand; it moved right through the holo-image with no resistance.

‘Code,’ Eloise replied, and Gonzalez turned to face her. He was about to rebuke her for stating the obvious when something else distracted him.

‘Why the hell are you—’ He dropped his eyes to look at himself. ‘Correction, why the hell are we naked?’

Eloise shrugged, visibly amused by his embarrassment.

‘It skipped my mind. Normally when I go into VR to upgrade Tilly I don’t care about clothes. If it’s a problem, I can fix it.’ She moved her hand, swiping away at the sheets of code until she found what she was looking for.

‘Please, do,’ Gonzalez grumbled, shaking his head.

‘Better?’ Eloise asked after a few moments.

‘Much.’ Both his and Eloise’s bodies were covered with simple loose trousers and semi-fitted T-shirts. A little side-to-side wriggle of his hips told him he had also been provided with some VR underpants. ‘Back to my original question. What is this? And I swear if you say code, heads will roll.’

‘It is code,’ Eloise argued petulantly. ‘Literally the inside of the VR system Cassandra is using at Olympus. This here’—she pointed to the right—‘is the layout of the compound. This’—her hand made a sweeping motion behind her—‘is the basic mechanical functionality of the buildings—lights, doors, ventilation, heating, electrics. This here is a side door to their research files and trading database. And here…’ This time her hand swept a couple of layers of code away, revealing one hiding underneath. ‘Is—’

‘Stop! I’m looking at this code and I see numbers, letters and other symbols. I’m sure that given time I could work out what it all is, but I need to know what’s going on at a glance. I need this to look like what it is. Can you make this, I don’t know, look like something we can interact with?’

‘Of course. I haven’t given it any instructions yet. It looks like what it is. Where do you want to go first?’

‘Their security centre. But before we do that—you said there is a back door to their research files and trading database. Can we use it to download what the virus dissolved while we move on?’

‘It’s a side door, not a back door. The difference is quite crucial. Everything we see is from the perspective of a maintenance mode, so it is correctly referred to as—’

‘Not important. I mean, fine, side door. Can you use it?’

‘Certainly. Tilly, you know what to do. Priority lists one and two, then the remaining items in reverse chronological order. Communicate with Sergeant Atkins at all times. Do not move on to the next step until he acknowledges you. Keep an eye on your anti-viral program.’

‘Firewalls active. Connection activated. Anti-viral program running. Spider-crawl code on standby to scan for items from priority list one.’

‘Go for it.’ Atkins’ voice had a slightly metallic ring to it.

‘Scanning in progress.’

‘Tilly, keep the verbals about the download silent to us. We don’t need the distraction.’

‘As you wish, Eloise. There will be no further routine announcements either from me or Sergeant Atkins pertaining to the download of desired files. Right now my processor is one point seven per cent occupied scanning, and I predict the download will use about one point four per cent of my processing power. Do you wish me to limit myself further?’

‘No, that’s fine. Stay under two per cent. Now, Colonel.’ She turned her attention to Gonzalez. ‘The security centre. How do you want to see it?’

‘Let’s start with the basics, please. Put us in the actual security centre.’

He had barely finished stating his request when their surroundings dissolved again, replaced by a dimly lit room occupied by a variety of security cam displays and a number of computer terminals. There were six stations for security guards, four of them currently occupied. The people sitting behind their computers, dressed in black security uniforms, had the same holo-display look as everything else and seemed to emanate an identical blue tinge, as if there was light coming out of them.

‘Is this a real-time view?’ Gonzalez asked, watching one of the security guards, a middle-aged woman, reach her arms towards the ceiling for a stretch.

‘Almost. There is a point zero eight–second delay. Courtesy of the firewalls. If we could run this without worrying about accidentally downloading something nasty, the delay would have been less than point zero zero zero two.’ Eloise shrugged.

‘That’s all right. I’m hoping to avoid any real-time fights, in which case a fraction of a second like that won’t matter at all. Now, show me the ventilation system…’

CHAPTER 53

Olympus R&D Compound

60 km south-west of Turin

Afro-European Alliance

Thursday 30 April 2725

DAY 11

Ingram woke suddenly, startled by something she couldn’t identify.

Experience made her refrain from any movement as she tried to assess the situation. She was still restrained in the same metal chair, multiple unforgiving clasps holding her firmly in place, and the same set of nano-tubes was inserted into her arm, connecting her bloodstream to the drug dispenser. But something had changed.

The abdominal wound still hurt, but it was more of a distant ache, and a combination of tickling and burning sensations had set in as the nano-meds advanced to the next stage of healing. The nature and intensity of the sensation allowed her to estimate that at least a couple of hours had passed since Wagner’s goons dragged Megan’s body out and she had been able to force her body into a sleep-like state in some imitation of rest.

The drugs hadn’t finished their treatment, but they had made distinct progress. Which