Page 111 of Mastermind

“Okay, we’re set. We’ll let you know when we’re out and on our way back to DC.”

“Be smart, Blackwood.”

I click off and slip the phone back into my pocket. “You sure you’re good, Theo? The protective custody arrangement is only effective if you don’t get caught.”

“I’m good. Let’s go find the other server.”

We let Gerald know two hours earlier that we’d located a backup server at CenterOps that recorded all incoming and outgoing traffic to the servers that Heywood pulled. If we can get hold of it, then we might be able to figure out where all that data went.

We exit the SUV and walk to the entrance of the data center. Theo is casual and doesn’t show any sign of anxiety. He hasn’t had my training, but I can assume from his own experience that he’s had plenty of practice pretending to be someone else. The blue blazer fits him well, but his physique underneath looks like he’s really meant for climbing cliffs and hiking through uneven terrain. He’s the kind of handsome that’s dangerous because he doesn’t realize he’s good-looking. I can only imagine the thoughts some of his female students had when he was teaching, or some of the male ones who were so inclined.

Theo holds open the glass door to the lobby, and we step inside. An armed guard is standing at the front desk. He looks like a former cop . . . for a reason: CenterOps takes their security very seriously.

I show him my fake FDNY badge. “We’re doing inspections for Void-related damage.”

“We just had you guys in here,” he says, looking from the ID to my face.

“We only take the assignments. We don’t make them.” I hand him a card listing the Manhattan Department of Homeland Security office. “Call them.”

“No need. Let me get you an escort.” He picks up a phone and dials a number, punching at the keys like he’s gouging someone’s eyes out.

I glance over at Theo to see if this “escort” thing is an inconvenience. He’s either playing it cool or doesn’t seem to be bothered. I’m still trying to learn how to read the man.

A short-haired woman dressed in slacks and a CenterOps polo shirt greets us at the door. “I’m Becca. I’ll be your escort.”

“Thanks, Becca. I’m Dana, and this is Steven. We need to check some of the alarm systems and do a spot electrical check in your server room,” I tell her.

“All right. Follow me.” She uses a key card on her lanyard to let us inside the metal door. “We can start with the server room. It’s this way.”

She takes us down a floor on the elevator. “How have you guys been doing since the event?” she asks Theo.

“Trying to pick up the pieces. Trying to understand why some things are in pieces and some aren’t,” he replies.

“This way,” she says after the doors open. We follow her to another set of doors; she uses her key card to unlock it. “Where do you want to look?”

Theo surveys the cavernous interior and the endless rows of server cabinets. “Let’s start with a spot at random. I want to measure voltage values.”

“All our power is carefully controlled,” she replies, almost taking offense at the suggestion that they might have slightly variable current.

I nod, pretending to understand.

“I believe you,” says Theo. He holds up what looks like a voltage meter. “I just have to convince this. Let’s start here.”

Theo chooses a cabinet on the outer edge of the server center. Becca uses her key card to open its back hatch.

“Explain to me what you’re about to do before you do it, okay?” She pats a server rack. “These babies are my responsibility.”

“I’m going to connect the thingamajig to the whatsit and see if the pretty numbers move,” Theo replies with a smile.

“Smart-ass,” she says with a grin of her own. “I bet you two have lots of fun.”

“A regular barrel of monkeys.” Theo connects a plastic clip to a power cord—which is my cue to get ready. “Have those fire suppressors been checked since the Void?” he asks.

She glances up at the overhead pipes. I use the opportunity to slide the USB device into a port in the back of the server. I’m done before she even finishes looking where Theo pointed.

“There? I believe so,” she tells him.

“You probably want to have the pressure checked. Some people have had problems with leaks because the reed switches were exceptionally prone to damage from the EMPs.”