That’s the whole reason why
I’m here. I didn’t say anything earlier but I was sent here to find you because
they thought you would know where the cipher drive is.”
“They?” she asked. “Who the hell is they?” She looked at Jonathan with incredulousness.
“They… um… okay I guess I should come clean,” he said, as he
spun the car around another bend along the meandering road that ran along the
Bosporus.
“Spit it out.” She wasn’t in the mood.
“Okay, so here’s the whole situation. I was paid to come
here and find the cipher drive. My client gave me your information. I was
supposed to find you and locate the drive, then everything else happened, and
now we’re in this sticky situation.”
“Sticky situation? You don’t say.” She laughed to herself,
but it wasn’t a funny laugh, it was more of a satirical laugh. She wasn’t
amused.
“Yeah… I guess… I’m having trouble finding the right words.”
“I’ll say.”
“Okay,” he continued, “Here’s the situation. My life has
been pretty screwed up the past couple of years. I guess this is no excuse, but
this job was my ticket out of the hellhole that my life had become. There’s a
million dollars on the line.”
“A million dollars? For what? For
information leading to me?”
“No, no. That’s not it,” he cooed. He cranked the gears as
he sped down the road, turning up another street, and driving away from the
ocean and in towards the city and the hotel. “The million dollars is for bring
back the cipher drive.”
“Look. The fact that forced me to take my research and make
it into a cipher drive didn’t surprise me. I guess I just didn’t foresee all of this happening. I wasn’t thinking properly. I wasn’t
thinking at all when they forced me into this. Advanced Biogenics – the
lab that contracted my work – paid me a lot of money too... In fact, it
was so much money that I would never have to work another day in my life. It’s
not that I foresaw this happening. And there’s something you should probably
know.”
“Okay? What is it?” Jonathan asked, quickly glancing at her
as he drove the car through the city.
“There was a break-in at the lab; shortly after I had left.
It was maybe a couple of weeks later, after I was gone .. Someone broke in and ransacked the lab. My research was stolen; at least that’s
what they told me.”
“Did they tell you exactly what had happened?” he asked.
“No. They kept me in the dark. But, I found out from a
colleague of mine. She probably wasn’t supposed to tell me, but she was a good
friend.”
“Was?” Jonathan asked.
“Yeah. Well, I haven’t heard from her in ages. Her number is
disconnected and the email bounces. When I tried to reach her at the lab, they told
me she was no longer working there.”
“But, your research? Who stole it? What happened to it?”
“First, you need to tell me who sent you here to find the cipher
drive. Don’t you think that would give you some clues?”
“I was sent by the Italian mob,” he said, as he pulled the
car up to the side of the hotel, and parked it on the street a block away from
the entrance. He didn’t want to pull up with the vehicle right in front of the
hotel and make their entrance obvious.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. Well, it sounds more sinister than it is… I mean… I
guess it is somewhat sinister come to think of it. Anyways, Don Cicerone is a client that’s used my services in the past. It’s
been a couple of years since they had contacted me. I was a little bit
surprised that they were willing to give me this job after not having had
contact with them for so long. But, I think they felt sorry for me or something . I didn’t really ask questions. I took the
job and I’m here.”
“I see. Well, now what? What’s your brilliant plan?” she
asked.
“We have to find the cipher drive. That’s our only way out
of this mess. Without it, we’re toast. Whoever has it, wherever it is,
I’m here. I didn’t say anything earlier but I was sent here to find you because
they thought you would know where the cipher drive is.”
“They?” she asked. “Who the hell is they?” She looked at Jonathan with incredulousness.
“They… um… okay I guess I should come clean,” he said, as he
spun the car around another bend along the meandering road that ran along the
Bosporus.
“Spit it out.” She wasn’t in the mood.
“Okay, so here’s the whole situation. I was paid to come
here and find the cipher drive. My client gave me your information. I was
supposed to find you and locate the drive, then everything else happened, and
now we’re in this sticky situation.”
“Sticky situation? You don’t say.” She laughed to herself,
but it wasn’t a funny laugh, it was more of a satirical laugh. She wasn’t
amused.
“Yeah… I guess… I’m having trouble finding the right words.”
“I’ll say.”
“Okay,” he continued, “Here’s the situation. My life has
been pretty screwed up the past couple of years. I guess this is no excuse, but
this job was my ticket out of the hellhole that my life had become. There’s a
million dollars on the line.”
“A million dollars? For what? For
information leading to me?”
“No, no. That’s not it,” he cooed. He cranked the gears as
he sped down the road, turning up another street, and driving away from the
ocean and in towards the city and the hotel. “The million dollars is for bring
back the cipher drive.”
“Look. The fact that forced me to take my research and make
it into a cipher drive didn’t surprise me. I guess I just didn’t foresee all of this happening. I wasn’t thinking properly. I wasn’t
thinking at all when they forced me into this. Advanced Biogenics – the
lab that contracted my work – paid me a lot of money too... In fact, it
was so much money that I would never have to work another day in my life. It’s
not that I foresaw this happening. And there’s something you should probably
know.”
“Okay? What is it?” Jonathan asked, quickly glancing at her
as he drove the car through the city.
“There was a break-in at the lab; shortly after I had left.
It was maybe a couple of weeks later, after I was gone .. Someone broke in and ransacked the lab. My research was stolen; at least that’s
what they told me.”
“Did they tell you exactly what had happened?” he asked.
“No. They kept me in the dark. But, I found out from a
colleague of mine. She probably wasn’t supposed to tell me, but she was a good
friend.”
“Was?” Jonathan asked.
“Yeah. Well, I haven’t heard from her in ages. Her number is
disconnected and the email bounces. When I tried to reach her at the lab, they told
me she was no longer working there.”
“But, your research? Who stole it? What happened to it?”
“First, you need to tell me who sent you here to find the cipher
drive. Don’t you think that would give you some clues?”
“I was sent by the Italian mob,” he said, as he pulled the
car up to the side of the hotel, and parked it on the street a block away from
the entrance. He didn’t want to pull up with the vehicle right in front of the
hotel and make their entrance obvious.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. Well, it sounds more sinister than it is… I mean… I
guess it is somewhat sinister come to think of it. Anyways, Don Cicerone is a client that’s used my services in the past. It’s
been a couple of years since they had contacted me. I was a little bit
surprised that they were willing to give me this job after not having had
contact with them for so long. But, I think they felt sorry for me or something . I didn’t really ask questions. I took the
job and I’m here.”
“I see. Well, now what? What’s your brilliant plan?” she
asked.
“We have to find the cipher drive. That’s our only way out
of this mess. Without it, we’re toast. Whoever has it, wherever it is,
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