Chapter 2
It was march. The nights still darkened early, but the daytime sun had been regaining its power. The day that Marcus had met Theodore had been a Wednesday, which meant that Marcus had spent nearly a week waiting for time to pass so that the meeting could transpire. So far, as he had been thinking about it on and off so frequently, he had had a lot of thoughts in regards to how he might help Teddy. So far it had been mostly mundane things, small comforts for him. Marcus was a very conscientious person, and although he was a devout atheist, his demeanour, when afforded the opportunity to help, might be considered similar to the motivated helpfulness of a nun or a community minded christian. Whilst the nun or the christian played their part in accordance with omnipotent direction, Marcus simply liked to help people. He had considered that if god really didn't exist, then all those groups of nuns and similar religious groups were all the more important. Leave it to the human race to create such a contradiction, an almost godless world that relies on the presence of such helpful religious groups all the more so as the belief in god wanes.
So, by the time the meeting had come, Marcus had put together a large camping backpack with a large array of gear for the hiding runaway, from lights and batteries to a roll up bed, a sleeping bag, even a tent which could roll up into a smaller package than the sleeping bag. If you ignored the two foot long poles that were tied to the side of the backpack, of course. All in all, he had considered that if Theodore really had to get away, he had to get away from the cities. And Marcus had come across the consideration that if Theodore had to continue running and hiding in the city, that the stress would soon cause his health to deteriorate beyond return. He had been sure of this seeing how Theodore had been on a stress induced emotional roller coaster. But now, with the contents of the backpack, Theodore would be able to disappear into the woods around the city, and appreciate some peace and quiet to calm himself and approach the problem logically. There were even a few extra luxury items Marcus had collected for a planned camping expedition that had never happened.
All Marcus' considerations had been based on very little information, but Marcus felt sure that he had done well under the circumstances. He felt an honest beam of pride, and a fair amount of excitement in looking forward to the meeting, not because of anything he had been told or the possibility of more information, but because he couldn't wait to see how Teddy would receive the backpack. This was a classic case of avoidance, but being a sensible man, Marcus was aware of it. He had to a degree cultivated it, as he knew it would be easier not to think about the logical implications of the conversation. So, he had Thrown his efforts into his 'care package' so that he could avoid worry.
Now, it was thirteen minutes past seven, and Marcus was walking down the hill towards Castle Park, backpack over his shoulder. He walked straight past the park to begin with and went into a shop on the corner, a newsagent. He bought a four pack of cider, two large individually wrapped pasties, and as an afterthought a small pouch of tobacco and rolling papers. This seemed enough, and so he took the new items in a plastic carrier bag, and started back towards the park. This time he entered through the bottom entrance, which involved walking up a large wide stone staircase and under a wooden bridge walkway, before coming out into an opening amongst trees dominated by a large wooden children's playground, all mediaeval castle shapes and wooden animals standing around, and floored with sand. As he reached this sight, Marcus checked his watch again. It read twenty seven minutes past seven, and so Marcus took a bench near the edge of the sand park, and waited. It didn't take long before Marcus noticed a shadow moving through the trees ahead of him, and he strained his eyes to recognise what it was. He was just beginning to wonder if his eyes were playing tricks on him when the shape stepped out into the light of a lamp post bordering the child's park, then raised a hand to wave, before immediately dropping back into the shadows.
Marcus took this as a signal, as the figure waving had been obviously that of Theodore. Marcus crossed the park and entered the shadows, and when he came close enough to see Theodore's face in the gloom, he saw Teddy had one finger to his lips in the gesture for silence. Theodore led Marcus up the small hill there until at a paltry distance of around twenty five yards from the path and lamplight, the steep hill gave almost utter darkness and privacy, due to the darkness, the tree branches, and the height. Marcus was directed to sit, and he did. Theodore sat opposite, both seeing the other's face as a ghostly shape floating against the black of night. It seemed a dark place, for dark stories. As this thought crossed Marcus' mind, Theodore began to speak, "I didn't know if you would come, I had hoped but, well, I kinda thought I had been wrong about you, that what I saw in your eyes was wrong... But I think I must have been wrong. I mean right? The point is, I saw you right, your helpfulness and conscience." Marcus had the distinct impression he had just witnessed a severe failure to deliver a preplanned speech. Theodore had been looking down as he spoke, and he now looked up, and straight at Marcus, and spoke again, "Thank you Marcus. You could have handed me over to them, and I know you endangered yourself to do what you did, and I think you knew you would be endangering yourself. So thank you. You don't know how it has affected me simply knowing that someone is willing to help me, however small the favour."
Marcus smiled, and responded, "Well, that is not all I have for help. It just so happens I have been building up some bits and pieces for a self sufficient camping expedition. And I think you could use the things more than I will." As he finished speaking, he passed the backpack to Theodore, who held it steady so it would not fall, but did not take it. He just stared at it dumbly for a moment.
"You really want me to have this? Just the backpack alone must have been expensive! I can't take this. I know you want to help, but I cant have you spending so much money on me."
"Theodore listen, I have been building up those things for near five years now. Four summers have come and past since I got the tent and sleeping bags, and four summers have passed without them seeing use. In your hands, they will be much more than just used, they are needed. So, Take it, please, to indulge my selfish pleasure to help, if nothing else."
Theodore now took the bag, and Marcus could see a mild excitement in his eyes which led to a burst of pleasure for Marcus.
"Would you like me to give you a rough idea of what is inside, so that you don't need to search through it all?"
"Um, Ok?" replied Theodore
"There is a small one man tent, enough to keep the rain off at least, a single sleeping bag, a set of cooking utensils and eating pots, a first aid kit, a survival kit with a fishing line and hooks, a cutting wire and some waterproof matches, and couple of other similar bits. There is a small selection of individually wrapped energy bars for emergency rations, also a full set of waterproof trousers and a thin waterproof coat, and then there is," Marcus reached over and popped the clasp holding the top flap of the bag down and then undid the drawstring. Then, he pulled out a small packet made of plastic. It was about twelve inches square and about four inches thick, "This."
Marcus retightened the drawstring and clasp, and then passed the package to Theodore with a grin. Theodore took it, and turned it over in his hands, it was a clouded transparent plastic with a sturdy thick zip lock seal, which Marcus gestured he should open. Inside, Theodore found a folded solar panel which opened up to nearly four square feet, a few little connecting wires, a simple GPS satnav, an old very simple phone, and a small tablet computer. In the bottom he also found a USB memory stick and a small set of speakers.
As Theodore looked through the contents, Marcus told him,
"This is my old tablet, I bought a new one, so I'm all good still."
Just as Theodore finished his exploration of the package, he looked up at Marcus with a well of tears in his eyes, and simply said, "You are a good man Marcus."
For a moment, Theodore simply sat and looked at Marcus, the look on his face a simple one of gratitude and respect, but the aspect that Marcus was most joyous to see was simply that it had a smile at the bottom.
"If only you can have a single nights good sleep, and a days relaxation despite the circumstances, then I will have succeeded in my efforts. Now, however, I think we should save those toys," Marcus gestured to the electronics, "Till later, and discuss the real reason you are here."
The look on Theodore's face had been one of joy, and happiness. Once Marcus suggested the change in topic, Theodore's face changed, but to Marcus' delight the look of joy did not completely dissipate, and when Theodore later began to speak, it was with a level voice, a straight eye and a strong confidence of his convictions.
Marcus reached behind him and located the bag containing his earlier purchases. He pulled out a can of cider and passed it to Theodore, "I'm not much of a drinker, but these will help you steady your nerves." Next he passed over a pasty, and the pouch of tobacco and rolling papers, "I don't know if you smoke, but i thought you looked like you could do with something for your stress."
"Haha!" Theodore's laugh was accompanied by a genuine smile, "Dark tales for a dark night can be better told with a little dutch courage," he then held up the cider, "And I quit smoking years ago... But i think you are right, there is nothing quite like a cigarette and a beer to calm the nerves. Thank you again, I have been living as a scared animal, and you have made me feel more like a man."
He paused for a moment, and seemed to be thinking of his best starting point.
"I guess i should explain some more of what is happening. As i told you i have been on the run for months. Since the beginning of the year."
As he spoke Theodore took a rolling paper, and filled it with tobacco, slowly but carefully arranging it in the paper.
"The company i work for has its offices in the centre of town, but the main workhouse where they do the research is out in the midlands. I suppose you could easily describe what happened as pretty much i hacked the system and took the information and files for their research. The only reason this is not an entirely accurate explanation is because i had high access already - i didn't actually need to hack. It started off as i was instructed to provide an extremely secure network for the mainframe of the computer systems, i was employed to use every skill i could to break their security, and then to show them how to cover it up."
As he paused, he licked and completed the rolling of his cigarette. "Do you have a lighter?"
"No," Replied Marcus, "But there is one in the side pocket of your back pack."
Theodore was silent for a moment whilst he found the lighter and lit his cigarette. his first puff seemed to be a thing of ecstasy, until he burst out coughing and spluttering. "It's been a while! Haha! But its good, thank you."
With this, he continued his story, punctuating his pauses with a long slow draw from his cigarette. "So, it was like a game. I kept breaking the system security, they kept fixing it, until there was nothing left. As i said it was kinda like a game, and i began to take files from their systems, just one here and one there, like a scoring system for me. One point to me for taking a file, one point to them for noticing. As it was, they didn't notice. So they had nil... But that's not the point. Basically, i had put the files into a folder on my home PC, and just left them there. At that point, i had no dislike for the company, they had my respect for giving me a job i could enjoy, i loved being paid to do my worst to their system, as long as i kept away from corrupting files or destroying data, they were urging me to continue. So this continued for the best part of a year, and as i felt like a loyal employee, those files on my hard drive just kept building up without any thought from me to look at them. Why would i be interested in drugs research and prosthetics? So, I continued. Most of the files i retrieved from the system had been docs or spreadsheets of data. The sort of thing that any but the most hardcore scientist involved in the research are gonna be lost looking at... But then i found a photograph. It was just a jpeg file that was retrieved by a worm i designed to randomly find and retrieve files. As they say, a picture says a thousand words. I looked at the image, and it was... Horrible."
Theodore went silent for some moments. As he had neared the end of his comment, his voice had become dead-pan, that of someone feeling severely unsettled. He sat very still, his external stationary appearance a contradiction to the clearly frenzied movements of his mind behind his eyes. He took a long slow puff from his cigarette and cast its remains away, before immediately picking up the pouch to roll another. Then he continued, his eyes on the work of his hands.
"It was a picture of a laboratory rat. It was post mortem, during the autopsy. The rat had been opened, and showed the internal organs moved to one side, clearly showing the spine, from the inside."
He paused again here, and licked his cigarette to complete it. He lit it and took another deep puff, and let it out as he continued. "The rat had two heads, and was skinless. Not hairless... Altho there was no hair," He paused a moment, searching for his words, and smoking his cigarette.
"It seemed to have no skin. I am not sure if it was something the scientists did to the rat after death or if it was a genetic effect or something, i mean the rat was clearly dead. But the things that were scariest were on the head. The eyes were red through and through, like a daemon, the lips non existent, as if they had been burned off giving the appearance of a snarling monster. And the teeth... I dont know if you have seen a rats teeth, but they are usually a long pair of incisors, this rats teeth were yellow and like something a tiger would have, and the look of the bigger incisors seemed to make it look like a sabretooth."
"I know that this sounds crazy. I know that i cannot even begin to describe to you the full horror of that picture. But... I know that you came because you trusted me. You, for some reason, chose to ignore reason and sense and believe my story. And i know it is a story that sounds like it should be told by some over medicated wierdo in a mental institution."
He paused for a moment, and looked over at Marcus. Marcus simply looked back, and nodded.
"Thank you for trusting me Marcus, and i am glad to say that i do not need you to trust me purely on faith. I cannot show you truth now, but i will be able to soon. The first thing i did after viewing that image was to redesign my worm. Over the next two days, it began to transfer everything from their system, and now i have a complete record of their research files, hidden away on a USB stick. With those items you gave me in the backpack i will be able to safely access the data, and begin to fully understand what it is that they were doing."
Marcus raised his eyebrow at this last comment. He had assumed he would be operating on faith and as such had chosen not to pursue any kind of deep questioning and allow Theodore to offer his facts at his own pace. But now, with the offer of real proof, his interest was kindled beyond his control, and he felt a desire to see the information immediately. But he was a controlled man, and this change in his interest was unnoticed by Teddy.
Marcus asked, "What would you intend to do with the information?"
"I really don't know. It is entirely possible that rat was part of a legal experiment. If so, then there is nothing that can be done. Really, i suppose, I should simply look at the data first. It wont be until i have more understanding that i can decide, but given the behaviour of the company, i don't think i will have a lack of worrying research to look at."
"Then what will you do, if you find clear proof of illegally conducted experiments?"
"The only thing i can do, contact the news and publicise it."
"I think that is sensible. Have you thought how?"
"Well, i can hack, cant i? I was thinking if i take control of a computer inside the news building i can then show proof and contact whilst simultaneously keeping my location a secret."
"I think that is a good plan. So, where is the information?"
"You know i mentioned the green tablets? That was almost exactly a week after i saw the photograph. My worm finished its work four days before that, and i copied it onto two memory sticks, one is in my flat, the other i hid in a plastic bag under a bush near the flat."
"They most likely found the first one, and that must be why they are pursuing me, because at first they just thought i was just fiddling, that memory stick shows that i had everything they ever did. So, i must be a number one concern to them now. The second one however has almost no chance of being found."
"So you need to collect it. How long will that take?"
"I don't think i should do it myself. If i go close to my old flat, i will likely be seen, it must be under surveillance. But... They have no reason to suspect you, and given the nature of the hiding place, they could have a camera on you and still miss what you were doing."
"I can do that, assuming you can accurately describe the hiding place?"
"Of course. Do you have a pen and paper?" Marcus handed him a pen and the receipt from his earlier trip to the shop. A moment later, it was passed back, now with a very small diagram showing a bench, a gate, and a relative position for the bush, also a postcode for the street.
"Thankyou. I will go and get this now, so you enjoy your Cider, and i will come straight back."
Marcus took approximately an hour to cross town and return with the USB stick. He was a regular cyclist, but it was a good 5 miles to the location. On his return he found Theodore still sitting on his hill in the park, but he appeared to jump quite badly when he heard Marcus ascending their small mountain. He regained his composure quickly, however, and offered a relieved smile for Marcus as he returned to his seating position.
"I have it. It was exactly where you said. I took it very carefully tho... Just in case. I think your stories are giving me chills!" Marcus said this with a grin, an attempt to lighten their hearts.
"Excellent, I was looking at the cables in the bag, i should be able to connect it up to the tablet straight away, but i will need internet to set it up to read things. Also, the power for the tablet will not last long, so i will need to do things quickly. Can i see your phone please?"
Marcus took out his phone and said, "If you are looking for tethering, i can do that." He then set his phone to give internet for the tablet, and put it back in his pocket. "Go ahead," He said.
Theodore took the memory stick from Marcus and slotted its tip into the socket in the cable, and plugged the other end into the tablet. Next he went online on the tablet and began to download a full suite of programs to allow him to access the standard suite of file types for the average PC, Microsoft Office readers and Image viewers. None of the programs looked particularly complicated, but they were required to open the files on the memory stick. Theodore waited for the downloads, and occupied himself by rolling himself a fresh cigarette. As he did so, he asked Marcus if he wanted one. "I don't smoke," Marcus replied, "But screw it, ill try one anyways."
Theodore rolled and passed a cigarette for Marcus, who proceeded to cough very heavily, and ended up stood almost bent double, hands on his knees, and he really felt his eyes were dripping. After a moment, his coughing ceased, and he returned to his position on the floor, and looked at Theodore, who had burst out laughing, "You look like you have been crying for the last hour." Marcus now managed to take a puff of his cigarette and retain his composure.
"Im not sure if i will have another, but it is certainly a strange feeling."
Once the downloads had finished, Theodore gently hinted that his cider was empty, so marcus passed a fresh one with a smile.
"Its the moment of truth," Said Theodore, "We can now begin to search for something."
Marcus moved to a position where he could watch over theodore's shoulder, and they embarked on a slow but steady browsing expedition through randomly chosen files from the memory stick. The directory structure was completely destroyed because of the methods the worm had used to collect files, copying them one at a time, so the initial searching involved a lot of missing shortcuts and badly arranged files, but it didn't take long for Theodore to gain an understanding of what the filenames meant. There was a collection of four codes in each filename. The first appeared to be relative to the author of the file, the second was an identifier for each individual project, and the third was, nearest as Teddy could tell, an identifier to notify the level of clearance required for the project. He supposed this based on the fact that it only had five possible codes, but each code was the same on each project. The fourth was a simple numerical code for the date of writing. Once Teddy had managed to understand this much, he used the data in the filenames to automate sorting of the files into a separate folder for each project, although it was not a completed affair as the number of projects was in excess of the hundreds, and then there seemed to be at least fifty assorted files for each project. The first few files they had opened seemed to be carefully worded such that it was not easy at first to understand what was being spoken about. Neither of them was heavily educated in the scientific fields of physics or of biology, which most of the projects seemed to concern, however Theodore did find reference to a computer virus that was intended to carefully control the components on a computer motherboard and power them in such a way as to cause them to ignite, setting fire to the computer and possibly spreading to the room containing it. After they had sat for a full two hours looking through the data, with little concrete understanding to speak of, the tablet began to beep in warning of its low battery.
"I guess that means it is time to break up our little meeting," Said Marcus, "So far, I have seen little to illuminate my understanding of exactly what is happening, but i have seen enough to prove that i was right to trust you. And correct to help you. So, if i can do anything more to help, i certainly will."
"Can i take your phone number please?" Asked Theodore.
"Of course," Marcus was handed the old phone he had put in Theodore's bag, "And i added a little credit to this, just enough to put on some free minutes and texts. Will last a month or so."
"Again, thank you Marcus, for everything."
"No worries, Teddy, if your need had not been so great, i may not have been so generous." As he said this he smiled at Teddy jokingly.
"Also, i hope you can consider me a friend, Teddy, as it seems you need someone to help you deal with things, and frankly, i kinda like you. Could do with a shower tho i think!" Marcus smiled again as he said this, clearly joking.
"Anyways, i have school in the morning, so i must leave, but we should meet again once you have had time to look more into that data. In the bag you will find some simple clean clothes, and a small amount of money to cover food and things, but possibly could be used to clean your old things if you like. Ill see you again sometime soon i guess."
They bid goodbye to each other, each going their separate ways down the hill.
So, by the time the meeting had come, Marcus had put together a large camping backpack with a large array of gear for the hiding runaway, from lights and batteries to a roll up bed, a sleeping bag, even a tent which could roll up into a smaller package than the sleeping bag. If you ignored the two foot long poles that were tied to the side of the backpack, of course. All in all, he had considered that if Theodore really had to get away, he had to get away from the cities. And Marcus had come across the consideration that if Theodore had to continue running and hiding in the city, that the stress would soon cause his health to deteriorate beyond return. He had been sure of this seeing how Theodore had been on a stress induced emotional roller coaster. But now, with the contents of the backpack, Theodore would be able to disappear into the woods around the city, and appreciate some peace and quiet to calm himself and approach the problem logically. There were even a few extra luxury items Marcus had collected for a planned camping expedition that had never happened.
All Marcus' considerations had been based on very little information, but Marcus felt sure that he had done well under the circumstances. He felt an honest beam of pride, and a fair amount of excitement in looking forward to the meeting, not because of anything he had been told or the possibility of more information, but because he couldn't wait to see how Teddy would receive the backpack. This was a classic case of avoidance, but being a sensible man, Marcus was aware of it. He had to a degree cultivated it, as he knew it would be easier not to think about the logical implications of the conversation. So, he had Thrown his efforts into his 'care package' so that he could avoid worry.
Now, it was thirteen minutes past seven, and Marcus was walking down the hill towards Castle Park, backpack over his shoulder. He walked straight past the park to begin with and went into a shop on the corner, a newsagent. He bought a four pack of cider, two large individually wrapped pasties, and as an afterthought a small pouch of tobacco and rolling papers. This seemed enough, and so he took the new items in a plastic carrier bag, and started back towards the park. This time he entered through the bottom entrance, which involved walking up a large wide stone staircase and under a wooden bridge walkway, before coming out into an opening amongst trees dominated by a large wooden children's playground, all mediaeval castle shapes and wooden animals standing around, and floored with sand. As he reached this sight, Marcus checked his watch again. It read twenty seven minutes past seven, and so Marcus took a bench near the edge of the sand park, and waited. It didn't take long before Marcus noticed a shadow moving through the trees ahead of him, and he strained his eyes to recognise what it was. He was just beginning to wonder if his eyes were playing tricks on him when the shape stepped out into the light of a lamp post bordering the child's park, then raised a hand to wave, before immediately dropping back into the shadows.
Marcus took this as a signal, as the figure waving had been obviously that of Theodore. Marcus crossed the park and entered the shadows, and when he came close enough to see Theodore's face in the gloom, he saw Teddy had one finger to his lips in the gesture for silence. Theodore led Marcus up the small hill there until at a paltry distance of around twenty five yards from the path and lamplight, the steep hill gave almost utter darkness and privacy, due to the darkness, the tree branches, and the height. Marcus was directed to sit, and he did. Theodore sat opposite, both seeing the other's face as a ghostly shape floating against the black of night. It seemed a dark place, for dark stories. As this thought crossed Marcus' mind, Theodore began to speak, "I didn't know if you would come, I had hoped but, well, I kinda thought I had been wrong about you, that what I saw in your eyes was wrong... But I think I must have been wrong. I mean right? The point is, I saw you right, your helpfulness and conscience." Marcus had the distinct impression he had just witnessed a severe failure to deliver a preplanned speech. Theodore had been looking down as he spoke, and he now looked up, and straight at Marcus, and spoke again, "Thank you Marcus. You could have handed me over to them, and I know you endangered yourself to do what you did, and I think you knew you would be endangering yourself. So thank you. You don't know how it has affected me simply knowing that someone is willing to help me, however small the favour."
Marcus smiled, and responded, "Well, that is not all I have for help. It just so happens I have been building up some bits and pieces for a self sufficient camping expedition. And I think you could use the things more than I will." As he finished speaking, he passed the backpack to Theodore, who held it steady so it would not fall, but did not take it. He just stared at it dumbly for a moment.
"You really want me to have this? Just the backpack alone must have been expensive! I can't take this. I know you want to help, but I cant have you spending so much money on me."
"Theodore listen, I have been building up those things for near five years now. Four summers have come and past since I got the tent and sleeping bags, and four summers have passed without them seeing use. In your hands, they will be much more than just used, they are needed. So, Take it, please, to indulge my selfish pleasure to help, if nothing else."
Theodore now took the bag, and Marcus could see a mild excitement in his eyes which led to a burst of pleasure for Marcus.
"Would you like me to give you a rough idea of what is inside, so that you don't need to search through it all?"
"Um, Ok?" replied Theodore
"There is a small one man tent, enough to keep the rain off at least, a single sleeping bag, a set of cooking utensils and eating pots, a first aid kit, a survival kit with a fishing line and hooks, a cutting wire and some waterproof matches, and couple of other similar bits. There is a small selection of individually wrapped energy bars for emergency rations, also a full set of waterproof trousers and a thin waterproof coat, and then there is," Marcus reached over and popped the clasp holding the top flap of the bag down and then undid the drawstring. Then, he pulled out a small packet made of plastic. It was about twelve inches square and about four inches thick, "This."
Marcus retightened the drawstring and clasp, and then passed the package to Theodore with a grin. Theodore took it, and turned it over in his hands, it was a clouded transparent plastic with a sturdy thick zip lock seal, which Marcus gestured he should open. Inside, Theodore found a folded solar panel which opened up to nearly four square feet, a few little connecting wires, a simple GPS satnav, an old very simple phone, and a small tablet computer. In the bottom he also found a USB memory stick and a small set of speakers.
As Theodore looked through the contents, Marcus told him,
"This is my old tablet, I bought a new one, so I'm all good still."
Just as Theodore finished his exploration of the package, he looked up at Marcus with a well of tears in his eyes, and simply said, "You are a good man Marcus."
For a moment, Theodore simply sat and looked at Marcus, the look on his face a simple one of gratitude and respect, but the aspect that Marcus was most joyous to see was simply that it had a smile at the bottom.
"If only you can have a single nights good sleep, and a days relaxation despite the circumstances, then I will have succeeded in my efforts. Now, however, I think we should save those toys," Marcus gestured to the electronics, "Till later, and discuss the real reason you are here."
The look on Theodore's face had been one of joy, and happiness. Once Marcus suggested the change in topic, Theodore's face changed, but to Marcus' delight the look of joy did not completely dissipate, and when Theodore later began to speak, it was with a level voice, a straight eye and a strong confidence of his convictions.
Marcus reached behind him and located the bag containing his earlier purchases. He pulled out a can of cider and passed it to Theodore, "I'm not much of a drinker, but these will help you steady your nerves." Next he passed over a pasty, and the pouch of tobacco and rolling papers, "I don't know if you smoke, but i thought you looked like you could do with something for your stress."
"Haha!" Theodore's laugh was accompanied by a genuine smile, "Dark tales for a dark night can be better told with a little dutch courage," he then held up the cider, "And I quit smoking years ago... But i think you are right, there is nothing quite like a cigarette and a beer to calm the nerves. Thank you again, I have been living as a scared animal, and you have made me feel more like a man."
He paused for a moment, and seemed to be thinking of his best starting point.
"I guess i should explain some more of what is happening. As i told you i have been on the run for months. Since the beginning of the year."
As he spoke Theodore took a rolling paper, and filled it with tobacco, slowly but carefully arranging it in the paper.
"The company i work for has its offices in the centre of town, but the main workhouse where they do the research is out in the midlands. I suppose you could easily describe what happened as pretty much i hacked the system and took the information and files for their research. The only reason this is not an entirely accurate explanation is because i had high access already - i didn't actually need to hack. It started off as i was instructed to provide an extremely secure network for the mainframe of the computer systems, i was employed to use every skill i could to break their security, and then to show them how to cover it up."
As he paused, he licked and completed the rolling of his cigarette. "Do you have a lighter?"
"No," Replied Marcus, "But there is one in the side pocket of your back pack."
Theodore was silent for a moment whilst he found the lighter and lit his cigarette. his first puff seemed to be a thing of ecstasy, until he burst out coughing and spluttering. "It's been a while! Haha! But its good, thank you."
With this, he continued his story, punctuating his pauses with a long slow draw from his cigarette. "So, it was like a game. I kept breaking the system security, they kept fixing it, until there was nothing left. As i said it was kinda like a game, and i began to take files from their systems, just one here and one there, like a scoring system for me. One point to me for taking a file, one point to them for noticing. As it was, they didn't notice. So they had nil... But that's not the point. Basically, i had put the files into a folder on my home PC, and just left them there. At that point, i had no dislike for the company, they had my respect for giving me a job i could enjoy, i loved being paid to do my worst to their system, as long as i kept away from corrupting files or destroying data, they were urging me to continue. So this continued for the best part of a year, and as i felt like a loyal employee, those files on my hard drive just kept building up without any thought from me to look at them. Why would i be interested in drugs research and prosthetics? So, I continued. Most of the files i retrieved from the system had been docs or spreadsheets of data. The sort of thing that any but the most hardcore scientist involved in the research are gonna be lost looking at... But then i found a photograph. It was just a jpeg file that was retrieved by a worm i designed to randomly find and retrieve files. As they say, a picture says a thousand words. I looked at the image, and it was... Horrible."
Theodore went silent for some moments. As he had neared the end of his comment, his voice had become dead-pan, that of someone feeling severely unsettled. He sat very still, his external stationary appearance a contradiction to the clearly frenzied movements of his mind behind his eyes. He took a long slow puff from his cigarette and cast its remains away, before immediately picking up the pouch to roll another. Then he continued, his eyes on the work of his hands.
"It was a picture of a laboratory rat. It was post mortem, during the autopsy. The rat had been opened, and showed the internal organs moved to one side, clearly showing the spine, from the inside."
He paused again here, and licked his cigarette to complete it. He lit it and took another deep puff, and let it out as he continued. "The rat had two heads, and was skinless. Not hairless... Altho there was no hair," He paused a moment, searching for his words, and smoking his cigarette.
"It seemed to have no skin. I am not sure if it was something the scientists did to the rat after death or if it was a genetic effect or something, i mean the rat was clearly dead. But the things that were scariest were on the head. The eyes were red through and through, like a daemon, the lips non existent, as if they had been burned off giving the appearance of a snarling monster. And the teeth... I dont know if you have seen a rats teeth, but they are usually a long pair of incisors, this rats teeth were yellow and like something a tiger would have, and the look of the bigger incisors seemed to make it look like a sabretooth."
"I know that this sounds crazy. I know that i cannot even begin to describe to you the full horror of that picture. But... I know that you came because you trusted me. You, for some reason, chose to ignore reason and sense and believe my story. And i know it is a story that sounds like it should be told by some over medicated wierdo in a mental institution."
He paused for a moment, and looked over at Marcus. Marcus simply looked back, and nodded.
"Thank you for trusting me Marcus, and i am glad to say that i do not need you to trust me purely on faith. I cannot show you truth now, but i will be able to soon. The first thing i did after viewing that image was to redesign my worm. Over the next two days, it began to transfer everything from their system, and now i have a complete record of their research files, hidden away on a USB stick. With those items you gave me in the backpack i will be able to safely access the data, and begin to fully understand what it is that they were doing."
Marcus raised his eyebrow at this last comment. He had assumed he would be operating on faith and as such had chosen not to pursue any kind of deep questioning and allow Theodore to offer his facts at his own pace. But now, with the offer of real proof, his interest was kindled beyond his control, and he felt a desire to see the information immediately. But he was a controlled man, and this change in his interest was unnoticed by Teddy.
Marcus asked, "What would you intend to do with the information?"
"I really don't know. It is entirely possible that rat was part of a legal experiment. If so, then there is nothing that can be done. Really, i suppose, I should simply look at the data first. It wont be until i have more understanding that i can decide, but given the behaviour of the company, i don't think i will have a lack of worrying research to look at."
"Then what will you do, if you find clear proof of illegally conducted experiments?"
"The only thing i can do, contact the news and publicise it."
"I think that is sensible. Have you thought how?"
"Well, i can hack, cant i? I was thinking if i take control of a computer inside the news building i can then show proof and contact whilst simultaneously keeping my location a secret."
"I think that is a good plan. So, where is the information?"
"You know i mentioned the green tablets? That was almost exactly a week after i saw the photograph. My worm finished its work four days before that, and i copied it onto two memory sticks, one is in my flat, the other i hid in a plastic bag under a bush near the flat."
"They most likely found the first one, and that must be why they are pursuing me, because at first they just thought i was just fiddling, that memory stick shows that i had everything they ever did. So, i must be a number one concern to them now. The second one however has almost no chance of being found."
"So you need to collect it. How long will that take?"
"I don't think i should do it myself. If i go close to my old flat, i will likely be seen, it must be under surveillance. But... They have no reason to suspect you, and given the nature of the hiding place, they could have a camera on you and still miss what you were doing."
"I can do that, assuming you can accurately describe the hiding place?"
"Of course. Do you have a pen and paper?" Marcus handed him a pen and the receipt from his earlier trip to the shop. A moment later, it was passed back, now with a very small diagram showing a bench, a gate, and a relative position for the bush, also a postcode for the street.
"Thankyou. I will go and get this now, so you enjoy your Cider, and i will come straight back."
Marcus took approximately an hour to cross town and return with the USB stick. He was a regular cyclist, but it was a good 5 miles to the location. On his return he found Theodore still sitting on his hill in the park, but he appeared to jump quite badly when he heard Marcus ascending their small mountain. He regained his composure quickly, however, and offered a relieved smile for Marcus as he returned to his seating position.
"I have it. It was exactly where you said. I took it very carefully tho... Just in case. I think your stories are giving me chills!" Marcus said this with a grin, an attempt to lighten their hearts.
"Excellent, I was looking at the cables in the bag, i should be able to connect it up to the tablet straight away, but i will need internet to set it up to read things. Also, the power for the tablet will not last long, so i will need to do things quickly. Can i see your phone please?"
Marcus took out his phone and said, "If you are looking for tethering, i can do that." He then set his phone to give internet for the tablet, and put it back in his pocket. "Go ahead," He said.
Theodore took the memory stick from Marcus and slotted its tip into the socket in the cable, and plugged the other end into the tablet. Next he went online on the tablet and began to download a full suite of programs to allow him to access the standard suite of file types for the average PC, Microsoft Office readers and Image viewers. None of the programs looked particularly complicated, but they were required to open the files on the memory stick. Theodore waited for the downloads, and occupied himself by rolling himself a fresh cigarette. As he did so, he asked Marcus if he wanted one. "I don't smoke," Marcus replied, "But screw it, ill try one anyways."
Theodore rolled and passed a cigarette for Marcus, who proceeded to cough very heavily, and ended up stood almost bent double, hands on his knees, and he really felt his eyes were dripping. After a moment, his coughing ceased, and he returned to his position on the floor, and looked at Theodore, who had burst out laughing, "You look like you have been crying for the last hour." Marcus now managed to take a puff of his cigarette and retain his composure.
"Im not sure if i will have another, but it is certainly a strange feeling."
Once the downloads had finished, Theodore gently hinted that his cider was empty, so marcus passed a fresh one with a smile.
"Its the moment of truth," Said Theodore, "We can now begin to search for something."
Marcus moved to a position where he could watch over theodore's shoulder, and they embarked on a slow but steady browsing expedition through randomly chosen files from the memory stick. The directory structure was completely destroyed because of the methods the worm had used to collect files, copying them one at a time, so the initial searching involved a lot of missing shortcuts and badly arranged files, but it didn't take long for Theodore to gain an understanding of what the filenames meant. There was a collection of four codes in each filename. The first appeared to be relative to the author of the file, the second was an identifier for each individual project, and the third was, nearest as Teddy could tell, an identifier to notify the level of clearance required for the project. He supposed this based on the fact that it only had five possible codes, but each code was the same on each project. The fourth was a simple numerical code for the date of writing. Once Teddy had managed to understand this much, he used the data in the filenames to automate sorting of the files into a separate folder for each project, although it was not a completed affair as the number of projects was in excess of the hundreds, and then there seemed to be at least fifty assorted files for each project. The first few files they had opened seemed to be carefully worded such that it was not easy at first to understand what was being spoken about. Neither of them was heavily educated in the scientific fields of physics or of biology, which most of the projects seemed to concern, however Theodore did find reference to a computer virus that was intended to carefully control the components on a computer motherboard and power them in such a way as to cause them to ignite, setting fire to the computer and possibly spreading to the room containing it. After they had sat for a full two hours looking through the data, with little concrete understanding to speak of, the tablet began to beep in warning of its low battery.
"I guess that means it is time to break up our little meeting," Said Marcus, "So far, I have seen little to illuminate my understanding of exactly what is happening, but i have seen enough to prove that i was right to trust you. And correct to help you. So, if i can do anything more to help, i certainly will."
"Can i take your phone number please?" Asked Theodore.
"Of course," Marcus was handed the old phone he had put in Theodore's bag, "And i added a little credit to this, just enough to put on some free minutes and texts. Will last a month or so."
"Again, thank you Marcus, for everything."
"No worries, Teddy, if your need had not been so great, i may not have been so generous." As he said this he smiled at Teddy jokingly.
"Also, i hope you can consider me a friend, Teddy, as it seems you need someone to help you deal with things, and frankly, i kinda like you. Could do with a shower tho i think!" Marcus smiled again as he said this, clearly joking.
"Anyways, i have school in the morning, so i must leave, but we should meet again once you have had time to look more into that data. In the bag you will find some simple clean clothes, and a small amount of money to cover food and things, but possibly could be used to clean your old things if you like. Ill see you again sometime soon i guess."
They bid goodbye to each other, each going their separate ways down the hill.