
The Apprentice
Chapter One
"The Last Day Is The First Day"
All eyes were on the clock, which rested on the wall; the eyes were waiting and hoping for the end as the second hand continued to sweep around, moving time forward. The hope was that time would speed up and the end would come sooner than anyone expected. That was the hope that all were living from. The end would not speed up even if life hung in the balance; the power of time lives in consistency. Everyone in the room would have to hold their breath and live through one more Spanish class in seventh grade. One would think that the last forty-five minutes of the school year would pass fast because there would be no work to do, just chatter. That would not be the case in Mr. Chesterton's Spanish class. They would spend every second in dialog and vocabulary. Everyone should seek to live as Mr. Chesterton because he lived out of his passion and love for teaching language. Eighth-period Spanish advanced Spanish, the crown jewel for a Spanish teacher, would be business as usual.
Alex was sitting in the second seat from the front row. Alex loved learning and growing his brain, but today, the last day of school at John B. Hood Middle School, was when the boards would be up. In the school gymnasium, on the last day of school each year, there would be bulletin boards rolled into the gymnasium, and on the boards would be all the opportunities for summer learning and internships. John B. Hood was not your typical middle school; the school contained overachievers who would eventually write the world's future. Alex was a mid-level kid, meaning that he was not tall, but he was not short. Some might say that made him average, but Alex was not average. Alex led his class in brains, but not just in book smarts; Alex was also street smart; he knew how to get things done. Alex was thinking only about the boards, what the summer might hold for him, and what adventure would wait and fill his days from June through late August.
Sitting directly in front of Alex was his best friend, Stef; her name was Stefanie, but she preferred to go by Stef. Stef was as brilliant as Alex, maybe even more book-smart, but Alex balanced the playing field with his street smarts. Stef was more complicated than Alex. Everything had to proved to her. She did not take things just on faith; it needed to be more concrete for Stef to buy in and believe. "Seeing is believing," Stef would always say. She even had a T-shirt with the phrase stamped on the back; on the front was a single eye. Stef was excited about the boards and the possibilities that my wait for her summer break, but she was short on hope. The funny thing about hope is that it is not always set in stone like concrete; hope is more fluid and moldable. It was hard for Stef to grasp, but if one knew everything that the past year had drug her through, one would say that you understand and, "Oh, that makes sense."
Stef and Alex have been tight friends since elementary school, as their families have always been friends. Their families have been together, supporting each other in good and bad times. Some on the outside might have thought that it was a romantic issue, but it was a tighter bond than that. They covered each other in more profound ways. Every person has their strengths and weaknesses. Stef and Alex, in some ways, were the same as book covers go, but the words that filled the pages were different.
As Mr. Chesterton excitedly explained the tense differences about a phrase, Stef slowly passed a text to Alex. "Something with programming, please, something that will make a difference." Alex gave it a thumbs up and kept his eyes on the clock; only four minutes left till the start of the break. Alex and Stef lived in the same digital world. They did not marvel at the latest and greatest social media apps or video games. They wrote the code and the algorithms that kept people on their screens. Last summer, they both did an internship and summer program that involved cleaning up the Drake River, which runs through the city. This year, they are both hoping for something that involves their talents and love of coding. Mr. Chesterton was excitedly talking as the second hand on the clock began counting down the school year's final seconds. Every eye in the room was on the clock, and Mr. Chesterton's voice was just a mumble in the background. If you could hear the voices in the heads of each student, you would have heard them all counting down 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, and the bell rang.
With that, the beginning of summer break was on. Every student collected their backpacks and headed for the door. But Mr. Chesterton beat them all there. He wanted a high five from each student as they walked out the door. He was passionate about Spanish, passionate about teaching, and filled with hope as he educated some of the brightest teens on the planet. They each gave him a high five, and he was the teacher they all liked. They all knew that he cared for them. As soon as the high-five slapped, each student made a mad dash to the gym.
When Alex and Stef arrived, the bulletin boards were crowded with students. Stef, being the tallest of the two, could see over the shorter munches. Her eyes moved over the boards and her vision rested on the unbelievable poster. It read coders needed to be skilled in Python for AI, CC+, Java, Pascal, Perl, and FORTRAN for Algorithms. Join the team of ZLOTS, The New Ruler. Apply online using the QR code.
Stef told Alex what she saw and read it to him word for word. Alex looked at Stef and said that is it; that is the one. Our summer is going to rock! Stef shook her head and told Alex, 'That's too good to be true.' Alex looked at Stef. 'Don't get down again; come on, let's scan that QR code and apply!" 'You have to have hope we are the best Python coders in our school! We got this.'
'Have some hope Stef.' 'Okay, but don't you think that they are looking elsewhere? Do you think we have a chance?'
'Of course I do. I always have hope! Sometimes it is the only thing that I have!"
"You are so great, Alex. I will have hope, but I don't want to get my hopes up, just to be popped when we don't get chosen."
No worries, Stef, we will be rock stars working for ZLOTS.
Alex and Stef scanned the QR code, and as they walked out of the gymnasium, they began to fill out the application together.
Outside, the sun was bright and warm; Alex sighed deeply; he thought he had the freedom to be all he could be. Just as that thought left his brain, his street smarts kicked in. You could call them his street senses. Just out of sight, just behind the school doors to the right, was a tall, slender man wearing a black suit. Alexa took in the sight and placed it in his memory. As he scanned the individual, he noticed the man was wearing an earpiece in his right ear.
Seeing this sight was not all that unusual at John B. Hood. As many of the students had security personnel assigned to them by their families. However, Alex had never seen this individual before, and the school had rules that required the security personnel to wait at the cars as students exited the building for the day. Alexa did not make his noticing the man awakard or noticeable after taking in the scene he gave Stef a push and shouted out "it's summer!" He started to run and told Stef to catch him if she can.
The man standing next to the school casually spoke into his wrist, saying, "The Canaries have taken the worm." In his earpiece, he heard, "Copy that, do not make contact, team two fall in observation mode S.O.P.2". The man heard chatter in the earpiece from six different men, "Copy That."...
Chapter Two
"Faith Marches On"
The men on the other side of the radios did as they were instructed. They only observed Alex and Stef and did not move in to take the Canaries as Alex and Stef were called.
Alex did not share with Stef what he saw as they left school, he knew Stef would just worry and make something out of what was most likely nothing. Alex did have his street smarts in full alert, but the afternoon was full of promise, so he chose to live in that versus keeping an eye over his shoulder the whole way home. As they crossed the street from the school, they hit the same place they did every day. Stef would get in the car her family had in place to take her safely home. Alex would continue on another block and catch the city bus home. Stef and her driver always offered to drive Alex to his house, but Alex refused and said he was obligated to use his bus pass to keep the bus system running. Alex and Stef came from different lives, but their families had been friends. Their parents became close friends in college and stayed close ever since. Stef's mom's side of the family came from money. They always had it, and the money seemed like it would never run out. One would think that Stef would never worry because of her family's wealth. But money can only go so far; this life takes more than the reassurance of cash; this life takes faith, and that faith has to be rooted in the one place where faith comes from. True faith comes from God, the One True God.
At the car, Stef and Alex went through their high-five motions of hand fluttering and hip bumps, as was their custom, then an awkward side hug. It wasn't always like that. Alex was a hugger, but things all changed a year ago; even the car picking her up was new; once upon a time, Stef's mom or dad would always pick her up after school. Alex understood and did not force things on the people that he knew; he was an encourager, always hopeful for more, but understood that people could only give what they had.
"Alright, Stef, did you complete the application? " "Yep, I did; I know you finished it before I started. Do you think that we have a chance? ZLOTS sounds like a very impressive company for coming up and coming eighth graders to have a summer internship with." Alex just smiled and said I know we do! We are already in. It is going to be the best summer ever! Stef sighed; you are so hopeful; I am not so sure. Alex shrugged his shoulders; come on, Stef, we, of all people, are supposed to live out of faith. With that, Alex looked at his watch. Oh, I have to go, or I will miss my bus, and with that, he ran around the street corner.
Stef slid into the car's back seat and closed the door; she wanted to believe and have faith as Alex did, but life had dealt her some blows, and she was still rattled. As the car pulled away from school, her phone vibrated, and she saw Alex's text. I just got a confirmation text from ZLOTS, which says I am to report tomorrow morning at nine for orientation. Did you get one?
Stef looked over her text feed, but nothing yet. She sighed and sent this reply. I am so happy for you. I have not received their text, but I believe it will come. Stef slid deeper into the back seat, reached into her pack, and pulled out her AirPods. In the absence of a text, she would soothe her anxiousness with tunes. This was Stef's default to escape reality, which always seemed to be crashing in on her, tuning out the world and listening to Boone. As she slid the pod into her ear, she could only think about Alex and his dislike of the white devices that blocked out the world. Alex always said, "Life is dramatic enough without the songs of more tragedy being pumped into your ear." She smiled and looked out the window as the car drove her home.
In the earpiece, chatter was heard: "Do we follow?" Negative was heard by one of the agents. Which agent was doing the asking was unknown to him as the agent asking the question did not identify himself. He thought to himself that Com's skills were terrible in this operation. He had only been on the job for a week and wasn't clear on the operation exactly. To him, it was a paycheck, so he did not need to know everything because the pay was good, and he was not paid for his opinion. He was considered the rookie, but from what he saw everyone else on the team was just a wannabe operative. The chatter began in his earpiece again. Subject one has received the invite; subjects two and three are still being vetted. Disengage surveillance and return to HQ immediately was heard through the agents earpiece, then a copy that was heard repeatedly. He thought to himself how cute everyone copies, but no one identifies. He then spoke into his wrist mike, "S4 copy that." Maybe the others would catch on or just be ticked off.
As Alex rode the bus home, he began to search for information on the company ZLOTS that he could find and digest.
There was not much out there to find. He only found a Wikipedia page that spoke of zloty, which is Poland's national currency. It stated that zloty was the most traded currency in Central and Eastern Europe. He thought to himself that was strange, being that it seemed to be a professional company. Did he get the spelling wrong? He located an app on his phone an app that he developed, which runs deep scans on both web and the dark web. He typed in ZLOTS, ZLots, Z lots, Z Lots, and zLots. The search world run continually until hits were found.
Stef arrived home, and her mother was at the door waiting to hear about the summer internship possibilities. Stef smiled and told her mother about ZLOTS and possibly writing code this summer. Her mother was very excited for Stef and said to her that dinner would be served in an hour and that she would love to hear more about the internship over dinner. Stef replied, "Sure, Mom," and then headed to her room. Once Stef entered her room, she sighed and slid onto the couch; she looked at her phone to see if there was a text that she had missed, but nothing. Surely, they would not pick her since Alex had already received his confirmation. Stef wanted to believe and have faith, but seeing is believing, and the only way to get to faith was to believe, but that was difficult for her.
She thought about faith and Alex and how those go hand in hand. It was only a year ago, and it seemed like it was much longer than that. She could see Alex pacing on her front lawn as she was sitting on the porch. He was going on and on about believing and how faith is found in the things we hope for and not in the things we see. "If you can see it, then you don't have to have faith." He was so passionate that he encouraged her; Alex always encouraged people to believe and have hope. Nothing was too big for Alex. The thing that Stef was facing that day a year ago seemed too big, but here she was a year latter on that day she could not see the next minute, definitely not a year into the future. Alex had been right then. Could he be right this time? Would ZLOTS pick her as well? She clicked play on Spotify and fell asleep to Boone singing "Beautiful Things." Her phone vibrated as a new text appeared...
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Chapter Three
"Down The Rabbit Hole"
As Stef fell asleep on the couch in her room, she quickly became consumed by the dream, the dream that came not every night but was ever present even while she was awake. The cool air blew through the car windows; you could smell the rain and the newness in the air even after the storm. She was laughing in her dream; Stef always had a smile on her face in the days of the dream. The song playing through the car speaker was familiar to her; it was one of her dad's favorites in the old days. Her dad was not exactly old, but he loved the old music the best. Stef was the gem of her father's life. He would give her anything that she asked for. Luckily, Stef was balanced and did not ask for more than she needed. Yet Stef always asked if she could play her playlist on the car's Bluetooth. But that was the one thing that her father would not give her. If he was driving, it was his tunes and no others. Every day, he would pick her up from school, and it was his playlist on the Bluetooth. The drive was the highlight of her day. In the dream, her father sang at the top of his lungs and smiled as he drove away from Alex at the corner of the school block. He was always at the same corner. Stef never asked her dad when he arrived, always to have the same pickup spot. She imagined he would have to be there an hour before school let out to get the same parking spot every day. In the dream, Stef could see her eyes looking at the car display to see the title and artist of the song that her father was singing.
But as soon as she began to read the song title, everything went blurry. Stef woke up to her mother calling her down to dinner. What was that song? Stef muttered to herself as she took out her AirPods. That dream was so mixed up with emotions: good, happy, and tragic. I wish I could remember that song. Stef always seemed sad, especially after she encountered the dream. It troubled her mother, so Stef shook herself and put a smile on her face as she headed down for dinner. She could go through the motions for another dinner to keep her mother's worry at bay. As Stef entered the hallway from her room, she thought she heard something but just ignored it and headed down. Stef did not realize her phone had fallen between the couch cushions.
Alex looked for the three dots in a bubble, but none appeared. He became flustered, wondering if Stef was ghosting him. Why doesn't she reply. If ZLOTS did not choose her, she should know that he would reject their offer. In his mind, it was a simple equation. You want him, you also have to take Stef. They were a package deal. Alex felt uneasy, as if something was guiding him to act in a way that was not his typical style. Alex did not like the feeling but felt at the mercy of his emotions. He just wanted Stef to reply to his text.
In the darkness of the control room, Michale sat, but in his mind, he was pacing all over the place. He would be pacing if there was enough room in the control room. The control room was small, with just enough space for a chair to slide under the desk, which held the controls of all the monitors showing every angle of ZLOTS headquarters. This position was the post for the rookie agent when not out in the field. He was restless in his mind. He wanted peace and dreamt of it every night, but the buzzing in his mind left him at war with himself. He wondered why he was here, not so much at ZLOTS but in the position where he found his life. What put him on this path, a path that was filled with winding curves and confusion. As he stared at the high-def monitors, he was even more confused. How could this company be so rich in technology and sloppy at discipline? Discipline determines the outcome of every mission. That is what he was taught in the Special Forces. Those were the glory days when he knew what he was fighting for. He does not know what he is fighting for, but it seems he is always fighting. Is he fighting for the glory days, or is he just fighting for peace? Michael's mind was all over the map. Then, as if it were a flash, he remembered the days before he joined the Special Forces. He was daydreaming, which often happened while sitting in the control room. There were cameras over every inch of ZLOTS, but there was nothing to watch, and he had never been told what to look for. He felt like it was ZLOTS's way of looking important even when they were unimportant. He settled on one memory as his mind continued to race from one thought to another. The memory that led his life to this point, the event that seemed to hinge or unhinge his life. He wanted desperately to take it all back and to find the peace he once had. Michale had never dreamed this for his life, but he was good at it, living mission to mission, never thinking but only following orders. He followed his dreams once, but it ended in disaster, and he would not make that mistake again. Besides, the pay was good at this job; it didn't matter if they were undisciplined in their security ranks; it was just the next mission. This thought is what Michael told himself to find peace, but it was only a short-term peace. The war Michael fought within himself would always be there. He let his emotions guide him in that thought. To dream, he thought. That his life could have been something else than it was seemed too far out of reach.
He knew from his training in the Special Forces that emotions were bad leaders, but he seemed to always follow orders even if the leader was unfit to give orders. For now thinking back on what could have been was the battle. So Michael pushed the thought behind him and focused on the mission, even if he was unsure what the mission was.
Alex picked up his phone again to see if Stef had replied to his last text, but there were no notifications. Alex was screaming inside his head. Come on, and let's figure this out together. His emotions were causing him to think of the worst-case scenarios. He thought Stef was mad at him for getting such a quick response from ZLOTS. He thought she must have been turned down, so she was upset with him. He wanted to fix everything; no internship was worth losing or hurting their friendship. He thought he might text again, but then he realized he should deal with the emotions that seemed to have taken over his actions. He knew they would pick her, and they would have an awesome summer writing code. He thought to himself that he needed to get a grip on things.
Stef's mother immediately saw that Stef had another dream, so she quickly asked Stef to tell her about the internship that she and Alex were so excited about. Stef looked at her mom and asked if it was that obvious. Her mother said, "Yes, I can always tell I am your mother." Stef looked around and patted her pockets before sitting at the dinner table. Her mother asked her if she had lost something. Stef replied, "Just looking for my phone, not sure if they have accepted my application." They got back to Alex pretty fast. Stef looked at her mother, who said yes, you can go find it, even though they had a strict no-phone policy at the dinner table. Stef ran back to her room and found the beeping from the single her watch sent to her phone. She turned it over to see that she had five unread texts. Four were from Alex, and one was from a number she did not know. The number she did not know was ZLOTS, confirming she had to report at nine o'clock the next morning for orientation, just like Alex received earlier that day. She shouted to her mother as she ran down the stairs, "They picked me too." She quickly jumped over to Alex's texts and made a quick reply. "I am in with ZLOTS having dinner will text when done..."
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Chapter Four
"The Fight"
Stef was feeling great! Dinner was excellent, and she felt so complete that ZLOTS had confirmed and accepted her application. She felt at peace as she conversed with her mother and grandparents. The fact that she had been chosen made her feel like she mattered and had importance. She always doubted herself and did not believe she had what it would take to make it through life. Stef thought while taking a bite of the roast beef; Alex was always right! Stef wasted so much time worrying and being anxious over things she had no control over. If she could believe in herself, so many troubles would leave her life. She smiled and enjoyed every bite of her dinner and dessert. When Stef finished her dinner, she grabbed her phone, ran upstairs, and texted Alex.
Alex was sitting at what he called his command center, trying to find more information about ZLOTS. Alexa liked to live proactively and wanted to know as much as he could about the company he would be interning for. Being proactive in life helped Alex because it gave what he called his edge; Alex always liked to believe that he was the smartest guy in the room. His search for more information turned up nothing, and he became flustered. Then Stef's text came in on the screen.
"Alex, you are always right! This is going to be the best summer ever! Thank you for believing in me! Alex replied, "Yes, it is. I don't want to tell you I told you so, but I told you so." "Stef, I can't find any information about ZLOTS anywhere." "Don't worry, Alex. They will tell us everything we need to know about the orientation tomorrow morning. That is the point of the orientation." "Yeah, I know Stef, but I just like to be prepared." "You like to be the smartest guy in the room, and that is what makes you feel safe." "Just let it go and I will see you in the morning for orientation."
Alex took Stef's advice, turned off his monitor, and ended the search for ZLOTS. He took his bible and his journal out of his desk drawer. He had been challenged by his father to dig into 2 Peter 1:3-9. Alex read through the section, and he focused on the word virtue. "Add to your faith virtue." Alex thought about what virtue meant to him. His mind went to the knights of old. The Templar knights specifically came to his mind. They lived to protect and sought to live for God in all they did. In his journal, he drew a Templar cross and wrote the word virtue beside it. Alex continued to write, "I want to be a man someday who follows God and lives out of what God says is right. To trust God with everything..." With that, Alex headed to bed for the night.
Michale walked to the front entrance of ZLOTS as he was to work the front gate as the new interns arrived for orientation. He smiled when he thought about his boss telling him this was a rookie position. He would happily work the front gate and be outside, even if he would be wrangling a bunch of newbies as they showed up for their first day. Michale was feeling better today; the restlessness was not as intense. Maybe it was because he was outside or because he went for a long run this morning. Running was Michael's thing. He ran to clear his mind and think about nothing except putting his feet on the trail. Running is good, but Michale knew it was his default escape. Yes, it kept him in shape and sharp, but it was a way of not dealing with the deep things he wrestled with. Sometimes, he ran so long that he thought his body might break.
Michale looked at the clock. It was 8:50. Who would be the first to check in, and would they be at the front entrance before 9:00, or would they be eager and early? Just as Michale looked down from the clock, he saw two young kids, a guy, and a girl, walking towards the front gate. "Eager and Early," he thought to himself.
As Alex and Stef walked towards the front gate, Alex told Stef to stop looking at her phone. "Put it down." "You should not always be on your phone, especially when walking around. You need to pay attention to everything. It is called being aware of your surroundings." Stef sighed. "Yes, I know, I know. It just helps me, especially when I am nervous." "Don't be nervous; this is going to be awe...Alex stopped speaking in mid-sentence as he looked up and saw Michale at the front gate of ZLOTS.
Stef said, "Alex, are you okay?". Yeah, yeah, just fine. Alexa knew he knew this person from somewhere, but where was it? Alex's street smarts were buzzing. Then it hit him: the security guard driver he had seen at the middle school entrance yesterday after school. He was out of place because all student drivers were supposed to wait at the cars and not be on the campus. Michale greeted them, saying, "Good morning. My name is Michale. Are you here for the orientation?" Alex just stared and said nothing. Then Stef said yes, we are here for the orientation. Great, Michale said. "Do you have the student IDs you were instructed to bring?" Alexa stopped his staring and said yes, we do. Here is mine. The Stef handed Michale hers. Michale said thank you. Wait here one minute as I get your ZLOTS IDs.
Stef punched Alex in the arm and said what's with you and going off into the staring world?" "Oh, nothing, just spaced out." Michale returned with two lanyards with complete ZLOTS name tags and access cards. As Stef and Alex looked at them, they were astonished as they had their photos on them. Michale caught their amazement at the name badges and said as they were walking up, the cameras scanned their faces, and the images were generated from several facial scans. Stef said, "Cool." Alex coughed and told Michale that she was easily impressed. Stef gave Alex a look. Michale then interrupted the interaction, pointed to a door, and asked Alex and Stef to check into the orientation room. Alex shook off Stef's look and said thank you to Michale.
Alex and Stef headed to the door on the side of the building. The building looked like all other buildings in Drake's warehouse district. The door was orange and faded; as Alex reached for the door handle, he looked at Stef, smiled, and said, "Here we go.
As they entered the building, their eyes popped out of their heads. The building inside was as modern and polished as they had ever seen. Tech stations were scattered all over the main floor. At the center was a large sculpture with water pouring over it from the top. The water ran down the sides of the sculpture into a thin pool made of glass. It gave the appearance that the water ran onto the floor. Alex and Stef took it all in and smiled at each other. Just as Alex was about to say something to Stef, a woman approached them from the other side of the large room. She smiled and waved them over. "Welcome to ZLOTS; we all had the same reaction the first time we walked into the building. It still gets to me today; it's such beauty. My name is Zelda. I can show you your workstations and help you complete some questionnaires before orientation begins.
Zelda lead them both to workstations just across from each other. She said, "Stef, this will be your new habit, and Alex, your is right here. Your first questionnaire will appear if you enter your ID number into the computer. Start working on them as we wait for others to join. The orientation will occur from your workstation; everything at ZLOTS is run from the mainframe system. Each questionnaire is based on your algorithms, so the questions will differ for each of you. Don't let that throw you off.
Alex and Stef began to type their ID numbers into the computers when Zelda said; please excuse me as more have arrived. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Alex saw the questionnaire appear on the screen. He read the first question.
"What is the one thing you would never do because it goes against all you are and your beliefs?"
Alex looked up puzzled, but Stef was typing away, the cursor on the computer just blinked as Alex was taken back and unsure of what to type...
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Chapter Five
"Questions"
Each questionnaire is based on your algorithms, so the questions will differ for each of you. Don't let that throw you off.
Alex and Stef began to type their ID numbers into the computers when Zelda said; please excuse me as more have arrived. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Alex saw the questionnaire appear on the screen. He read the first question.
"What is the one thing you would never do because it goes against all you are and your beliefs?"
Alex looked up puzzled, but Stef was typing away, the cursor on the computer just blinked as Alex was taken back and unsure of what to type...
Alex was unsure what to type, so he reread the question because it seemed like a riddle. What is the one thing that I would never do? He gave it some more thought. He wasn't home in his command station; he was out in the open, and it rattled his brain. At home, in his command station, he would get up and draw something on the whiteboard, but he felt he needed to remain seated here. Alex looked over to Stef again; she was still typing away. He now felt pressure to move on, or he would fall more and more behind. Many people feel pressure when everyone else completes the test or the quiz, but you are still grinding. It's like you are missing something. Alex took a deep breath, let out a scream in his head, and began to type the first thing that came to him. "I would never deny the one true God and question who he made me to be. This is the sum of my knowledge." When he finished typing, he hit the submit button and waited for the following question to appear. Then, on the screen monitor, the words appeared thank you for completing the survey. Alex looked over to Stef; she was not typing, and her screen had the same image as his.
Then, on his and Stef's screen, instructions appeared to place earbuds that were on their desk into their ears. Everyone else in the workstation received the same instructions, so there was a buzz of movement in the room. Once the earbuds were in, there was a humm, a soothing humm, and then on the monitors appeared the face of women. It was hard to tell, but in the video, she appeared short in stature and slightly heavy, not so much overweight, and not athletic at all. She began to speak and everyone could hear her in their earbuds.
"Hello, my name is Broom Hilda. Once you get to know me, you can call me Broom." Everyone in the workstations let out a small chuckle. Broom replied, "Ninety-eight percent of you responded with a chuckle; excellent. You may be excited or nervous but still have a sense of humor. The chairs you sit in and the desk you sit at monitor everything about you." "We have a feed of data coming in from each of you, which is being recorded and analyzed every second." " ZLOTS is here to shape the future of all things. Thank you for applying and being selected for this exceptional internship. If you are one of our younger friends, please note that we have received waivers from your parents; otherwise, you would not be here." "Thank you for filling out our survey as you first got to your workstation, and thank you for finally being honest and transparent with your thoughts. Each survey was only completed once we got a transparent and honest reply to our questions. Some of you finished quickly, and some went a bit longer, but in the end, we got the information we were looking for. This internship is going to be an excellent experience. Some of you may go on with ZLOTS and help write about the future of the globe and the universe, while others will learn a lot and continue with their lives." So, let's get down to business. Each day, you will report at 9:00 am to your workstation, and you will log in to your terminal. Once you have logged in, the assignments that you are to complete will be displayed for you. If you complete your assignment before the end of the workday, you can sign out and go home, stick around, and receive more assignments. You are free to do as you wish. Log that into your system calendar folder if you are not in for family trips or sick days. It's all good here at ZLOTS, as we are one family working toward one common goal." At the end of today's program, you will have lunch and time to mix and mingle with ZLOTS full-time staff and developers, and on your way out, you may collect your portal device, which will allow you to communicate with ZLOTS mainframe from anywhere. If you need something while on the grounds, you can text in for support in the upper right-hand corner of your monitor." "Of course, if you see Zelda on the floor, you can grab her anytime." Thank you for being here, and you can mingle and have a delicious lunch at this time!"
With that, Alexa snapped his head towards Stef and smiled. What are we going to be working on he mouthed. Stef just shrugged her shoulders with a smile. Then, before Alex could turn back around, Broom answered the question. "Some of you may be wondering what you will be working on during your time at ZLOTS. Please understand that everything at ZLOTS is an experiment. Each day, you will write code independently, and that code will be gathered and placed in the mainframe. If all goes well, we will unveil the grand experiment for the whole world to see at the end of our summer internship.
Alex did not turn his head this time or mouth anything to Stef. Frankly, he was freaked out that his response caused Broom to chime back in. Each person on the workstation floor removed their earbuds and placed them back in the holder on the desk. As Alex took his out, he noticed the hum or the buzz again, and it rattled him in the back of his brain. Alex caught up to Stef on the way to the lunch buffet and pulled her aside. "What questions did they ask you in the survey?" "Stef replied, "You know, just general questions, favorite color, some family history stuff like that." Alex looked at her and thought, why did they only ask him the one question?
He then asked Stef, "Did they ask you what you believe in?" "Maybe I did not think about it all that much, but now that I do, I realize that the software might have been mining me to learn where I get my truth and knowledge from. I don't know, Alex, I am just so excited to be here that to me, as I was filling out the survey, the only thing that mattered was looking good for ZLOTS. Come on, Stef, let's get something to eat.
At the end of the luncheon, Alex and Stef headed for the door to go home, and they collected their portable ZLOTS communication devices.
Once they exited the gate, Stef's driver was there with the car; Stef looked at Alex and said we would be happy to drive you home. Nay, Alex replied I've got the bus all good. Talk to you tonight!
As soon as Alex arrived home, he began to run scans on the device that ZLOTS had given them. He wanted to understand more about the mainframe and how the device connected to it. It did not seem to need internet, so it must have been on a satellite feed. While the scans were running, he pulled out his journal and bible, began digging into 2 Peter 1:5 again, and saw the word knowledge. Then, he had a slight pain in his head, and he realized that the survey was looking to see where he had gained the deepest knowledge of truth.
He pulled up his text feed on his Mac and began to text Stef, but the pain in the back of his head moved to his eyes, and he couldn't focus. The intensity became so great that he decided to fall into his bed and rest. Alex's phone buzzed it was a message from Stef, but he did not make a move to pick up his phone. Soon he was fast asleep. It seemed like no time had passed when Alex sprung up in his bed, grabbed his phone, and realized that it was 3:00 am and there were ten texts from Stef.
​
Chapter six
"Splinters"
Alex slowly shook the Grog from his head. He knew where he was, but he felt confused. The brightness from the screen of his iPhone pierced his eyes. He dropped his phone on the bed and rubbed his eyes intensely. He looked over to his nightstand and grabbed his water bottle. He felt parched and thirsty, so he gulped down the water in his bottle. Once his thirst was quenched, he reached down, grabbed his phone, and pulled up Stef's text feed. He looked down at his phone, concern all over his face, fearing that something might be wrong with Stef. Then, as the feed opened, it was a selfie after selfie from Stef. She was taking selfies while she held her device from ZLOTS in her hand with different poses. She had placed the ZLOTS logo onto the photos. She told Alex that she would go viral with her post on Insta with info about the internship. Alex shut the phone off, sighed a sigh of relief, and let his head fall back to the pillow. He thought he might go back to sleep, but he kept thinking about the device ZLOTS had issued him and how it worked. He rolled over and looked at the clock. It was 3:15 in the morning, and he knew he should go back to sleep, but he kept thinking about the device. He crawled out of bed, returned to his desk in his room, and pulled up the scans his computer had been running on the device. So far, none of his scans running through the night have provided any information on the device. Alex became frustrated and determined to understand all that he could about the company ZLOTS. He pulled up his deep scans of the web and the dark web to see if the search had provided any results. He added Broom Hilda Clasper to the scan to see if he could come up with any information on the person who seemed to be in charge of ZLOTS. Alexa then added Zelda to the search. He did not know her last name but figured it would add more information to the search. The more information he could add, the more likely he would pick up a hit. He would make a note to see if he could learn her last name to add to the search. As the sun started rising, Alex's phone buzzed with an alert. It was another text from Stef; she had sent a link to a blog post page. Alex clicked the link. It took him to a blog post where Stef was seen fixing her hair and doing her makeup in a video, where she talked about preparing for another day at ZLOTS. Alex typed a text: "Yo Stef, you are making quite a footprint with these social media posts. You might want to chill your burners." Alex knew he should also prepare for the day but was driven to learn more about ZLOTS. He looked over at the device and thought about taking it apart. He picked it up and looked it over, but he did not see any screw holes; he thought to himself, "It must be put together like an iPhone.
On the other side of town, Michale was getting ready for the day. He felt good as he came in from another long run. As Michale entered his apartment, his heart raced, and he felt alive. But slowly, as he got ready for the day, his mind kept reminding him that no one else was in the apartment. It was just him and his thoughts. He wanted to stop thinking. He wanted to be like other people without thoughts racing through his mind. He wanted to be carefree enough to lose his thoughts on social media. He knew that was a myth as it would only show him what others wanted to show, making him feel like his life was missing everything. Michale shook off the thoughts as he closed the door to his apartment, but in his mind, it echoed that he had no one to say goodbye to. The main security office was buzzing when Michale arrived at ZLOTS that morning. He tried to listen to all the chatter, but Michale could only pick up pieces here and there. He put together all the buzz about Alex running scans on the device and the number of social media posts Stef was posting about ZLOTS. Michale determined one was a good thing, and the other thing made the heads of security nervous. If it was making the security team nervous, then it was making the higher-ups in the company nervous. Michale did not let the other agents know that he was trying to gather data, so he checked in and headed to his post at the front gate; after all, that was the rookie station.
The morning was cool, and the air was clean; Michale did not mind being at the front gate post as it got him outside. His mind seemed to settle down whenever he was outside, and he felt at peace.
As soon as Michale settled into his post, he saw Alex and Stef walking to the front gate. Michale thought to himself here come the eager ones. What was it about these two that made ZLOTS take notice. Michale did not understand everything about the missions that this job brought to him, but he had spent plenty of years of his life on missions that he did not fully understand. "A mission is a mission," he thought to himself.
As Alex and Stef approached the front gate, Michale noticed that Alex seemed more comfortable than yesterday when he seemed shocked to see him at the front entrance. "Good morning Alex, Good morning Stef." Michale always knew how to appear professional to the right people. Both Alex and Stef replied, "Good morning, Michale." Michale was impressed that they remembered his name. As Alex and Stef passed through the front entrance, Michale heard Alex giving Stef a hard time about all the social media posts. Then Stef said, "Smile," as she took a picture of Alex just before he entered the main door. "Come on, Stef, you never have been a social girl before. What gives?" Stef smiled back and said, "This is going to be the new me; I want the world to know who I am and all that ZLOTS is doing." "Okay" was all that Alex replied with. As they entered the door, Zelda greeted them. Alex looked to see if he could read Zelda's last name on her ZLOTS I.D. Alexa did not want to seem as if he was staring. So he faked a sneeze, and as his head bobbed down, he saw her last name was Johnson. Alexa thought to himself, "That will be easy to remember." Alexa and Stef went to their workstations and logged in. On their screens were assignments; each assignment asked them to write lines of code to execute an action on the mainframe. The requests were all different, and there was no way to understand what they were doing with each line of code. Some of the code was easy to write, and other requests took Alex and Stef several attempts to run through the system until they came back "Applied." That allowed another request on the screen: "Applied," meaning the code they wrote was accepted into the mainframe. Alex was amazed when Zelda announced to everyone on the floor that lunch was now being served; once you complete the line of code that you are working on, you may make your way to the buffet. Alex was in the middle of writing a line of code that he had submitted several times. He looked over to Stef; she had already gotten up and was chatting with some other interns about her blog, asking if they would follow her. Alex smiled, shook his head, and finished working on the line of code till it showed that it had been Applied. Then Alex headed to the buffet line and grabbed a plate of food. He looked for Stef, and when he found her, she sat with other interns. They were busy taking selfies and sharing contacts with one another. Alex took his tray outside and sat at one of the tables. He looked over and saw that Michael was still working the front entrance. Alex wanted to know why Michale was at the middle school on the last day of school but did not think it wise to ask that question. Alex continued eating his lunch and did not notice when Michale approached him. Alex was startled when Michale asked if he could join him. Alex looked up at Michale and said sure, plenty of room here. Alex thought, "How had Michale walked over here without him noticing," it rattled Alex a bit. As Michale sat down, he asked Alex what grade he was going into. Alex told him Michale he would be in eighth grade next year. Alex then asked Michale how long he had been working for ZLOTS. Michale told him he had been with the company for two weeks. Alex then asked Michale if he knew how long ZLOTS had been at this location. Michale told him he did not know but thought they had just opened this location. Alexa wanted to ask Michale many more questions; Alex wanted to ask about the middle school but did not want to seem too pushy. So he waited for Michale to ask the next question. Michale asked Alex how he knew Stef. Alex told him about their families and how they had been family friends for as long as he could remember. Alex did not overshare. Alex was good in conversation, giving just enough information to get more information than he was giving out. People always felt like Alex had learned more about them than they had learned about Alex after having a conversation with him.
This is how the first week went by writing code that did not seem to make sense in the big picture and having lunch with Michale while Stef continued to hang with the "Socials." Stef's social posts grew to more than Alex could count in a day, and her blog gathered new followers daily. Alex spent all his time away from ZLOTS trying to learn more about the company.
At lunch on Friday, Alex asked Michale what he would be doing over the weekend. Michale looked at Alex and said I will run. Alex replied how far? Michale looked off to the distance and said, "As far as it will take to free my mind from the thoughts." Michale said let me guess; you will spend all weekend looking for more information on ZLOTS. Alex smiled and said yep, you got me figured out. Michale then looked at Alex and told him he should let it go and not spend so much time on one thing. Alex looked at Michale and thought, "Should I ask him?" He was just about to ask when Michale's radio broke the silence. "Code Red sector ten all agents move to location." Michale looked at Alex and said it was probably another Pigeon. "See ya at the end of the day." Alex just replied, "Sure, be safe out there." Alex wanted to ask the question but knew it would lead their relationship into another realm. A realm that would lead deeper into the maze...
Chapter Seven
"Stay The Course"
There was a loud and annoying beeping; it priced the scull and rocked the brain. Stef rolled over in her bed, hit snooze on the alarm, and then thought, "I must reset the alarm for Saturday mornings." Stef rolled out of bed and began to walk to the bathroom when she heard music playing. She turned around to see that her alarm clock was now playing music. She knew the song on the radio, but it was not on any of her playlists. How did she know this song? How was it so familiar to her? She shook her head and started to walk back to her nightstand to shut off the radio. The song made her head swirl. When the first verse finished and it entered the chorus, she saw her father's face in her mind as he was shouting, singing the chorus to the song. The room began to spin, and she fell to her knees, thinking this was the song. Then, there was a loud crashing sound to her left, and she saw broken glass flying towards her face. The wall to her room crumbled, a loud piercing sound of smashing steel was heard, the screeching of car tires was heard, and the sound of her screaming was heard.
Alex looked at the clock: twelve-thirty. He thought I should go to bed. He looked back at his computer and realized he would not crack ZLOTS tonight. He wasn't sure he would ever crack into the system for which he wrote code. He then thought, why did it matter? Then another thought came crashing in: "Because it matters!" Alex never thought he would be using his skill in writing code without knowing what the code would be used for. But here he was, a week into writing code and selling his gift for an internship without knowing what the code would do. Alex always believed that his ability to write code was a gift from God. He had steadfastly thought he would not write code without knowing what it would be used for. In the world that he found himself living in, code was powerful. It could be used for good or for evil. It did not take much for anybody to understand what Alex knew. Just go anywhere and look at anybody, whether they were or were not engaged by other people. You would see it THE DEVICE in their hand or on a table. The power of code and algorithms to keep people looking at a screen was overwhelming. Here he was a week later, and he was still no closer to understanding who ZLOTS was or what he was helping them build. This went against all that he stood for. It is one thing to write code when you know how it would be used, and yes, in the past, he had made mistakes where he wrote code for people who abused the system for gain. In those mistakes, he came to the belief that he would hold fast to a strict line and always know what the end result would be. He kept telling himself this was different because of Stef. After the first day, he was ready to jump ship from this internship and go to another one. But Stef was finding something that brought life to her. It had only been a year since the accident that changed her life forever. He knew he was not holding steadfast to what he believed, but he made the excuse that he was continuing for Stef's sake. Stef's father taught Alex so much about the need for responsible coders to stand up to the powers that only sought to control people with the codes they wrote. He was on a congressional committee to put checks on what companies could and could not introduce into their codes. Especially with A.I. and algorithms, if the legislation that he was supporting was passed, it would have put some checks in the system. The large A.I. companies would have lost significant ground and government funding. Stef's father's voice was in Alex's head, telling him to stand his ground and believe. Alex knew he would have to talk with Stef, but he did not think it would go well; ZLOTS was developing her whole new self-image. As crazy as it sounded, he knew that Stef was happy, and it had been so long since she had been happy. Alex thought about pulling out his journal and then chose to go to bed with Stef on his mind.
Michael closed the refrigerator door and looked around the small apartment. What was he doing? Where did the passion go. He knew that his thoughts would trouble him, and he knew that he had to make a decision. Tomorrow morning, he will not be off work. He would not be at the ZLOTS front gate, but it would be a work day. He was chosen for field duty. He was given the task of observing Stef. When asked what his mission was, he was told to keep tabs on the young girl and report anything that he thought was out of the norm. Michale looked at his boss and repeated the question what is the mission? His boss told him to "keep tabs on the young girl and report anything that he thought was out of the norm." Michale understood and replied with a "Copy That." In the early morning hours, Michale had second thoughts about this job. He had second thoughts about how he lived his life mission to mission. He knew that something was wrong with ZLOTS and how they handled business. He wanted not to show up tomorrow but to disappear. He had done it before. What was wrong with just one more time? Pick up and disappear into a new mission. His mind was racing, so he grabbed his running shoes, threw them on, and headed out for a mind-clearing early morning run. He chose the dark river trail, but he knew the trail well. As he started, it was like he was in a full sprint, as if he were running away from a monster chasing him. He was leaving this life to enter into a new life, a new mission, a life with meaning and the convictions he once stood for.
The run was freeing; when he could sprint no more, he settled into his pace. Once at a steady pace, his thoughts steadied as well. He thought about the assignment to keep tabs on Stef. He realized another agent must have been assigned to keep tabs on Alex. If he disappeared, then another agent would be given the task. He would be the only one with gain. He knew there was something about those two kids and ZLOTS. He did not understand what it was, but he knew that he should care that it was time for him to take on a new mission, and that mission must be a mission that he understood. Nothing else would lead to him being freed from the thoughts that plagued his mind.
The wall to her room crumbled, a loud piercing sound of smashing steel was heard, the screeching of car tires was heard, and the sound of her screaming was heard. Stef shot up from her bed, screaming; she gasped for breath; the light from the hallway clicked on and cut into her room from under the door. Stef looked over to her clock, and it read twelve-thirty. Her bedroom door flew open, and there stood Joe, her grandfather. The father of her father, in the back lite door Joe looked so much like her father she began to sob. Joe quickly ran to her bed and hugged Stef. Joe said, "I am so sorry, Stef, I am so sorry." Stef fell into his big arms and rested her head sobbing. Ten minutes must have gone by, and Stef looked up at Joe. "I am sorry to wake you, Paw Paw. I just had another dream, but this time, it was so different, so real." "It's okay, Stef. We all miss him and all that he stood for." He will never be forgotten.
Stef pulled back and sat up taller in her bed and looked at her grandfather. "Paw Paw, I don't want to forget about him, but it feels like I am leaving him behind, that I am not becoming who he would want me to be." It's hard to explain, but I feel it; I am losing who he was shaping me to become. I feel as though I forgot who I am, and he always showed me the way home. Paw Paw, I feel lost...
CHAPTER EIGHT
"Lines in the Sand"
Stef felt so much better when she talked with her Paw Paw. It helped her not understand everything that happened but allowed her to feel safe in the moment. Stef knew that her father was important and held positions in his job that helped shape the future of A.I. Stef looked up to her Paw, Paw "Do you think he can see us?" "Yes, I believe that he can." "That helps."
Michale begins to get ready for the day and the new mission. He looked in the mirror and decided that he would not shave as it was the weekend, and he wanted not to look so clean-cut as it was the weekend, so he tried to blend. This would be the "New Mission" that would define where He would go with the future of His life. Looking into the mirror, he could only smile as he thought about having a mission that he understood. A mission that he was in control of, a mission that had a defined purpose. He thought that he looked different; he knew that he felt different. But did he look different? He was not sure. Why did he feel so different? Could it be that simple to take on a mission that he felt would be right? A mission that had a purpose, a mission that would set him free from the thoughts. Was he simply missing purpose in his life all this time? He moved from the bathroom to the kitchen and looked over the plan. The kitchen was like Mission Control for his life, as Michale spent most of his time there. He only slept for a few hours last night as he was working out the plan for the new mission. Post-it notes were all over the kitchen cabinets, walls, table, and fridge. All flat surfaces were covered. This was the plan broken down into small segments. The plan seemed to cover everything, but he needed to simplify. Michael looked over the different stages of the plan and processed it. "What are the key elements of the plan?" Break it down.
There was ZLOTS, Stef, Alex, and himself. He knew he needed to break it down into a simple plan, but as he was writing everything out last night, he felt so much passion and was driven to cover all the possibilities. He did not want to miss anything. He knew something was not right with ZLOTS; he knew something was wrong with the company picking Stef and Alex and putting surveillance on them. They were just kids; what did this company want with them?
Michale grabbed a Post-it notepad and began writing the simple plan.
Alex sat at his desk and realized he would not find any information about ZLOTS. He sighed, opened his drawer, and pulled out his journal and bible. Alex needed to have things completed each day. To go to bed before completing something would affect his sleep. So, he ensured he would complete something each day before going to bed. He would not learn the secrets of ZLOTS, and he needed a win. Working on the study challenge that his father had given him would surely give him a win. He continued reading from the section his father had assigned him to dig into. "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with
steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness. " As he read out of 2 Peter, he processed the next attribute that he was to add to his faith. "Godliness" seemed like a strange word. Alex knew that he had heard it before, but he was unsure if he fully understood what it meant or what it would do if added to faith. Alex looked it up online to see if he could better understand it. The definition that came up helped him, but he knew that he would have to journal it out so that it would have more clarity. Godliness means taking on God's attitude and the challenges that God gives us. Alex processed that he should seek to look at all the challenges that he faced in life as God would; as he was journaling, he realized that it would mean that he would take this attribute and then live as God lived. He would have to seek to live in the mindset of God, not living just for himself. As he wrote those last words, "not living just for himself," he felt so convicted. He realized he had been pulling away from Stef and not reaching out to her as much as he used to. Stef and her new passion for ZLOTS had been getting on his nerves and had caused him to pull away from her. He knew it was late, but he immediately picked up his phone, opened his text feed, and found the link to the blog address that Stef had sent him early in the week. He wanted to understand what Stef was processing and what she was feeling. He knew he would text her, but she continually asked him if he had read her blog. This time, he would be able to tell her he had.
Michale wrote out the plan. Discover ZLOTS secrets, dig into the servers, and discover the company's strategy. Use a burner phone to pass this information on to Alex. Find out which agent was assigned to Alex and how to tap into the information this agent reported. He also needs to know about Alex and his movements to protect him. If ZLOTS realized Alex intended to discover their plan, he would have a target on Him. He would keep an eye on Stef as that was his assignment from ZLOTS. He would seek to be the protector of both of these kids. Michale felt different at this moment. The plan muted the voices that usually filled his head, and the new purpose silenced them and kept them at bay. Michale looked over the plan. He was unsure how he would complete every step of it, but he knew it was a start. He felt like it might be a starting point for him as well. He had gone back in time to a person he once was, who lived on a mission not just for the sake of the mission but for others, to live with a purpose bigger than him.
Stef hugged Paw Paw again and told him she would be okay. He hugged her back and looked around the room. Sleep well, my darling. Stef grabbed her phone and began to type.
Alex finished reading Stef's blog post. He was smiling and realized that Stef did have a way with words. He realized there was something deeper in her writings, more than just ZLOTS and the glamor of a summer internship. She was writing something deeper.
Alex started typing, "I am so sorry that I have been consumed by ZLOTS and the secret they are hiding. I just read your blog post! Awesome, you are awesome!" He hit the send arrow. Stef had not completed her text when Alex's text came in. She smiled. She realized that she needed to know that things would be okay. Her friendship with Alex helped her see that. The loss of her father haunted her and made her feel like nothing would ever be normal again. Alex helped her find balance. He always looked out for her. Stef stopped typing and hit the backspace until all she had written was removed. Then, she typed out a new message. Thanks, Alex, that means so much to me. She smiled and then fell back into her pillow and closed her eyes.
Chapter Nine
"Changing Roles"
In the darkness of the early morning hours, Michale left his apartment. He tried to look over his shoulder to see if he was being followed; he knew that it was his job to follow Stef, so why would ZLOTS be following him? It was the thought about what he was going to start. His new mission to learn more and more about ZLOTS and pass that information on to Alex. Michale could deal with the hard facts that he would find, like why ZLOTS chose Alex and Stef. Understanding what ZLOTS would do with all the code they were gathering from the interns would be Alex's job. Michale climbed into his car and headed to ZLOTS to start the new mission before he had to report to his assignment to follow and keep tabs on Stef. As he pulled onto Main Street, he thought he saw another car start-up as the headlights came on, but when he looked in the rearview mirror, he did not see another car on the street. Michale had a chill run down his back, but he knew he must continue on with his new mission no turning back now.
Alex woke in the early morning hours, his mind drifted to Stef as he went through his morning routine. He checked his phone to see if he had any new messages, but none appeared. He put his phone down and walked downstairs. No one was up yet; he made a cup of coffee and sat down. He pulled up Stef's blog post again and read through the post she had written. He smiled. She really could write, he thought to himself. He thought about how talented she was to be a coder and a writer and what other hidden talents she might have that he had never noticed or supported her in. He walked over to the bookcase and grabbed a photo album with family photos. He flipped through it and thought of the memories of him and Stef growing up together. He could only smile as he flipped through the memories. Pictures of Stef's father made him think about the statement that Alex always sought to live by. "Never write code unless you know what it is used for." Alex thought about Stef's relationship with her father. He realized that he was there for her, but he never really walked with her through the pain that she must have experienced. He realized that he was processing his pain during that time as the loss of Stef's father was a big hit for all of them. He wanted to change that, he thought to himself. Not bring up the past but support and encourage her in the things she found value in. Like her writing. Alex could not explain his feelings, but he knew the morning light coming into the house was a beautiful vision, and this cup of coffee he was drinking was the best cup he had ever tasted. He smiled a big smile, grabbed his phone, and began texting Stef.
Michale found his way into the server room and sent a text to Alex using his burner phone. "If you were in the server room of ZLOTS, what would you do to gather information?" Michale hit send and then waited for a response. Alex was in mid-sentence when Michale's text came in. Alex opened the text and processed what he read. "Could they know that I have been trying to hack in? Is this a setup?" Alex ran to his room, ripped the Ethernet cable from the device, and began a purge on his hard drive to erase any data he may or may not have. Then he picked up his phone and thought about the response he would send. He thought for a long time; then another text came in. "Call me a clueless friend. I'm in the room now, but I know only one thing: ZLOTS is not a friend. Please tell me what you would do if you were in the room I am in." Alex took a deep breath and replied, "Are you clueless enough not to bring a hard drive?" Three dots appeared, and then the text came in. "I am not that clueless; I am just blind." Alex replied, "Not blind. You found the room; take H.D. and connect to the server. "Then, find the keyboard and monitor and type "RUN DL TO CONNECTED H.D." Three dots appeared again on Alex's phone. "Transfer in process."
Then a text came in "D.L. Complete". "Pick up H.D. at 5th and Main Street trash at the bus stop brown paper bag. Thirty minutes."
Alex looked at the clock; it read seven o'clock. He changed into his clothes and headed downstairs; his heart was racing. Could this be happening, or was he being set up? He went to the garage and grabbed an old computer; if he ran the information on the H.D., he wanted to ensure that it would not be on a laptop he cared about.
He would run the information on his mainframe in his room if the information was good. He knew he was crossing a dangerous line, but he wanted the truth and was willing to risk. He threw the laptop into his backpack and started to make his way to 5th and Main. He knew he would be early but wanted to scout out the area first, possibly seeing the person who would make the drop.
Stef woke up and felt refreshed like the world was new to her. She grabbed her phone and reread the text that Alex sent her last night. She smiled again and said "he read my blog." Stef took a long stretch and smiled as she headed downstairs for breakfast. Her mother was already up and in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee. Hey Stef Paw Paw told me you had a rough night. How are you doing? Stef looked up at her mother, gave her a silly grin, and said she was great! The nightmare was rough, but then she blurted out that Alex had read her blog post! Stef slid into a dining room chair with a silly grin. Her mother smiled and said would you like to tell me about it over a cup of coffee. Stef simply nodded and said yes.
Alex arrived at the corner of 5th and Main Street. Nothing looked out of place, normal traffic flow no vans in sight. He hid behind a tree across the street from the bus stop and the trash can. No one approached the trash can or the bus stop. He was ten minutes early, so he just waited and watched. He never saw anybody approach the bus stop, but as the 7:25 bus pulled up, it stopped as if it were picking someone up or dropping someone off. Then as the bus pulled away he totally expected to see someone walking away but there was no one in sight. It was now 7:26 so he waited. Then Alex approached the trash can at 7:35 he thought it was better to be late than on time for this sort of thing. He casually walked over and looked into the trash can. He saw a brown bag. He then leaned down like he was tying his shoe and then on the way up he grabed the bag out of the trash. He then began to walk to the alleyway behind the building. He wanted to run right away. His heart was racing, but he took it slow. Then once he was in the alley he went into a full sprint. Then he ducked into another alley and into a door jam of an abandoned building. He took out his laptop and the HD from the bag and begain to look at the information on the HD. He realized that there was no virus on the HD, and the information that he was looking at was what he had been seeking out on his own, but was unable to retrieve it. He scoped out the alley no one from either direction put the HD and the laptop into his bag and B lined it for home.
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Chapter 10
"Standing Strong"
In the darkness of the board room of ZLOTS Broom Hilda sat waiting for the meeting to begin. In the board room, there were six different terminals for each of the board members to log in. The pixelated image of the board members would be on the screen, and their voices would be filtered through a Vox distorter. These efforts were in place to ensure their identities were never fully known. Broom Hilda considered the role she played in the larger plan. She was boots on the ground to make sure that everything would go into play. She was commander and chief, but she knew that with even that much power, she was still just a tool for the major players.
She lived out her role because it gave her power, and for Broom Hilda, power was the currency that she lived on. The screens in the board room cracked to life, and the darkness was disturbed. Broom Hilda's heart raced as she had to give an account of their progress. She calmed herself, knowing they had been making greater progress than they believed they would. She began to speak and tell of all they had achieved; in the back of her mind, she feared that the board members would ask about Alex and the digging and searching he had been doing to learn about ZLOTS master plan. She hoped that this conversation would not come up in this meeting. So she filled the air with laughter and continued speaking of how well things were going with the project and how the code was coming together nicely. A person can only talk so fast and can only fill the air with so much laughter till that person has to catch a breath and process the next words that would come out of their mouth. At that moment, for Broom Hilda, one of the board members seized the opportunity and asked the dreaded question. "Have we muted Alex and his efforts, or must we terminate the child?" Broom Hilda began with a crackled laugh to attempt to bring a carefree atmosphere to her response.
Once Alex arrived home, he quickly went to his room to begin a deeper look at the data gathered on the hard drive. He knew connecting the hard drive to his mainframe computer would be safe. He questioned whether he should load the files on the mainframe or look at them through the hard drive, keeping them isolated from his files. Just as the screen displayed all of the data and revealed the plans that ZLOTS was running with the code that had been written, Alex heard his mother call up to him and say that he needed to take out the trash. Alex sighed and shouted back to his mother that he was coming. In the haste of the morning, wanting to arrive at the drop location, he forgot to handle his chores. He ran down, gave his mother a good morning hug, grabbed the trash bags, and ran them out to the back alley of their house. As Alex was putting the bags in the cans, he looked down the alley and saw a black car pulling out of the alley onto the street. Alex looked at the car; he did not know why, but something seemed out of place; then he realized that what he was seeing did not seem normal, but it was very much out of place. The car was not pulling down the alley but backing out as if it did not want to be seen. Alex shook his head, slammed the trash can lid down, and ran back to the house. He went straight up to his room and sat down. Just as he began to look at the data, his mother called back to his room. "Alex, trash bags," was all she said; Alex realized that he had forgotten to put new bags in the trash cans in the kitchen. Alex let out a louder sigh and ran back downstairs to the kitchen. He saw his mother holding a cracked egg in her hand. He looked at her, smiled, said sorry, and grabbed the bags from the cabinet and placed them in the cans. Alex's mom looked at him and said no worries. Alex then ran back to the room and sat down, waiting for another interruption; he took a deep breath and began looking at the data and the files on the hard drive. As Alex processed what he saw, he was in shock. The code that ZLOTS had been collecting was being gathered and assembled to create an algorithm that would feed into people's smart devices that would allow ZLOTS to know and collect data that would make steam of information back to people that would feed all of their apps with the life that they wanted. This was beyond feeding their shopping needs. It was more about mapping out a plan and a course for people's lives. How they thought about complex situations, how they would vote, and how they would process the complexity of all their thoughts. It will be able to listen to and track everything a person does on their smart devices. But more than just feeding back to them what they have inputted this algorithm would be able to perceive all that a person was hoping for in their lives. It would be self-thinking and self-aware and would take on the role of leading people to what it thought was best for them. It would take on the role of directing the thoughts of individuals. As the situation came to reality to Alex, he could feel the blood leaving his head. The phrase Stef's father always told him came to his mind: "Never write code unless you know what the code will be used for." Alex rolled back in his chair and considered what he would do with the information; how could he blow the whistle on ZLOTS? The company had to have a great deal of power. Something this big could squash him and his future. These people would be serious about protecting their interests. He was just an upcoming eighth grader. What could he do? Alex felt dizzy and sick to his stomach. He reached for his phone, and he wanted to text Stef. He wasn't about to tell her all he had found out; he just needed to touch her through text. He needed to feel the reality of her, her smile, her laugh, and the way she made him feel. He needed to put his feet back on the ground. He knew this would be bigger than him; this summer internship could change everything.
Stef was getting ready to go for a quick run. She was feeling on top of the world from Alex's text the night before. She just wanted to feel normal, be outside, and live. Stef did not want to think about the past or the future but just being fully alive now. Her thoughts raced to Alex as she was lacing up her shoes. She could only smile, resting in the moment. She felt so alive. As she put in her AirPods, she looked around for her phone. She did not see it on the bench by the front door. She realized that she must have left it in her room. She turned to go up the stairs and thought, no music on this run, just me and my happy thoughts. She turned and walked out the door with a spring in her step. She hit the sidewalk and turned left to the River Park trail.
Alex started to type, then thought, what will I say? He had never had this thought before when texting Stef. He sat back and began to type. "Hey girl, hope you slept well. What are you going to do today? I would love to hang out and chill. Let me know what you think."
Alex stared at the screen, hoping with everything that the three dots would appear. He stared and continued to hope. Nothing. Ughh, he thought, "Okay, don't just stare at the phone and figure out your next move till Stef chimes in."
Michale was sitting in his car just down from Stef's house. That was the mission for the day. Follow and keep tabs on Stef and her movements. He still did not know why ZLOTS wanted to keep tabs on Stef and Alex. After gathering the information on the Hard Drive to Alex from ZLOTS, he headed to the security office to look for any information about Alex and Stef. He found a file that was labeled the Apprentice's. He grabbed it and began to take snapshots of all of the documents. Just as he was finishing up, a couple of other agents walked into the office, so he did not have time to look over the images of what was in the file. He quickly put the file away and headed out of the office. Michale knew that he was putting it all on the line for these two kids; he thought it puzzling that he did not second guess himself; normally, if he was stretching it out for others, he always second-guessed himself. Today, he knew this was his mission, and it felt right; it felt like his life had direction. He knew that it could all end badly, but he just knew in his heart that it was time to take a stand and push back the way he had been living. He pulled out his phone to look over the images of the files, then saw movement from Stef's house. He looked up and saw Stef leaving the house to run. Michale quickly put his phone down and realized that he would not be able to follow her unless he left the car. He had dressed casual since it was a Saturday and wanted to blend with other people. So he jumped out of the car and started to jog, keeping a distance to avoid being noticed.
Michale was impressed with Stef, who had a good clip and crisp pace. As Michale kept back, he became relaxed as this was his sport, his mind-clearing sport. He was running on the job. As they continued down the trail, Michale realized that Stef was heading to the River Park Trail; just up ahead was a parking lot, and then the trail ran into the woods and along the river bank. Michale fixed his eyes on a grey cargo van just off the trail's edge at the end of the parking lot. This seemed off in his mind. He picked up his pace and started to close the gap between himself and Stef, but he was not fast enough.
Stef was happy with her pace, which she knew she would speed up once on the dirt next to the river; she could only feel peace. Then, out of nowhere, she was tackled to the ground. She hit hard, and then the world went dark. She heard muffled voices, the closing of a door, and the sound of a vehicle speeding off.
Chapter 11
"Bolder"
Michale was impressed with Stef, who had a good clip and crisp pace. As Michale kept back, he became relaxed as this was his sport, his mind-clearing sport. He was running on the job. As they continued down the trail, Michale realized that Stef was heading to the River Park Trail; just up ahead was a parking lot, and then the trail ran into the woods and along the river bank. Michale fixed his eyes on a grey cargo van just off the trail's edge at the end of the parking lot. This seemed off in his mind. He picked up his pace and started to close the gap between himself and Stef, but he was not fast enough.
Stef was happy with her pace, which she knew she would speed up once on the dirt next to the river; she could only feel peace. Then, out of nowhere, she was tackled to the ground. She hit hard, and then the world went dark. She heard muffled voices, the closing of a door, and the sound of a vehicle speeding off.
Stef knew that she would have to remain calm; at this point, with a hood over her head, she could not even fight back or take in the full situation. She breathed in and out and allowed her heart rate to lessen with each breath. Fear wanted to overtake her emotions; it was difficult, but she knew that she would have to pull from her inner strength and the hope that she lived from each day. She had never been kidnapped, but she had been through a lot with her father's death, so she knew she could find the strength to push down the fear. The thought that she had never been kidnapped before was a strange one for sure. She took another breath and realized that she would see the other side of this situation; she would have to keep seeing the other side if she was to make it through.
Michale watched the van pull out of the parking lot at break neck speed. He reached for his phone and then realized that it was in his car; Michale thought about unholstering his Glock but realized that shooting would only put Stef at risk. He looked the van over as it pulled away. No license plate; he took in the make and the model so that he could report it. After the van left the parking lot, Michale sprinted back to his car. He needed to report this to the police, but that would mean he would also have to report that his company, ZLOTS, was asking him to follow Stef. He had to tell them everything: should he go to the police or the FBI? Once Michale returned to his car, he boldly moved to contact the FBI directly. He would have to tell them everything. It would be easy for Michale to contact the FBI as he used to work for them as an agent before the incident that changed his life. He called his old supervisor on the phone. His old supervisor answered the phone and started the conversation, "So good to have you call. I was hoping you would want your job back; you are a good agent and a good man, Michale. Can you start back on Tuesday?" Michale knew they would start the call this way, as they called him once a month, but he never returned the calls. Bob, I need to report a kidnapping, was all Michale said.
Alex kept checking his phone to see if Stef had replied to his text; he began to worry and thought it might be a good idea to swing by her house and check in on her. He could never remember one of his texts, just hanging it like this for so long. Alex's mind was racing with all the information he had seen with ZLOTS, and he knew he would need to tell someone. He would have to step out and take action, but he did not know who he should tell. Let's face it: you are in seventh grade going on to eighth grade. Who in the world would believe you? If Stef's father was still alive, he could tell him, and he would know who to pass the information on to. Alex could not tell his parents he did not want to involve them in something this big; he knew that this would blow the lid off and that people in power would feel the sting. Alex then decided to take a risk and contact the person who sent him the information. He grabbed his phone and went to the text feed. He wrote out a text, and this is what it said. "Very interesting stuff you pulled off the servers. Some people might kill a person for having that information. I have the data and copied it, but whom would you share it with? This stuff is to die over, and I am too young to die." Alex sent the text on its way and then waited for the reply. While waiting for the answer, he grabbed his stuff, took all the H.D.s with the data, and placed them in his safe. He then headed out the door to check on Stef. He would drop by to see how things were going.
Michale heard a buzzing coming from the passenger side of his car. He was talking with Bob and attempting to backtrack the van's direction. He put his phone snugly under his ear and shoulder and reached over with his right hand to grab his burner phone. He looked at the text feed and saw that it was Alex. Michale told Bob everything that he knew and told Bob it would be good to send an agent over to Stef's house to keep an eye on things till he could get over there. Bob then told Michale that he could go home as it was now the FBI's job, and he reminded Michale that he was no longer an agent. Bob then said unless you are thinking of coming back on? Michale took a deep breath and said okay, you got me. Meet me at Stef's house, and we can shake on it. With that, Michale hung up. He had not seen any sign of the van and quickly headed over to Stef's house. Michale looked over Alex's text and replied, "Where are you?" "I am headed to a friend's house. You know better to be with people you trust with this information." Michale shot back. Good idea. I will let you know who we should talk to soon."
Alex smiled. He had told someone else that what he found was big. This was a relief off his shoulders as he just wanted someone else to know.
Michale headed over to Stef's house; when he arrived, the other FBI agents and his old and soon-to-be boss again, Bob, was there. Michale began to explain everything he knew to Bob and Stef's Grandfather when a crackle went over the radio that Alex would soon arrive. The plan was that Stef's mom would answer the door and have Alex head to the dining room, where the agents were setting up a command station.
The doorbell rang, and Stef's mother answered it and commented on how good it was to see Alex. Alex entered the house and headed to the dining room. He was taken aback when he saw all of the FBI agents around the dining room table. It was easy to see that they were the FBI. They had on the typical blue windbreaker with the large FBI letters on the front left side and then even larger on the back. Alex took two steps back, saw Michale, and did a double take.
Michale spoke first and said thanks for trusting me, kid; it means a lot. Now, how about you grab a seat, and let's talk this all out?
The van came to a stop; Stef could hear a rolling door open, then the van moved again and then stopped, and the engine was turned off. She could hear people moving about, and then the door slid open. Someone grabbed her shoulder and led her out of the van and into a freezing room. She was sat down in a chair and a voice told her to sit still. She remained calm and told herself that she had hope and that she would walk through this. She heard the door open and heard a voice tell her to stay calm. The voice brought calm and excitement to her simultaneously, and then the hood was removed from her head, and her eyes were staring at her father's face.