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EIGHTEEN
Mackenzie had feared she would struggle to stay awake after the night she’d had.
She remembered now. In the dream, Alex told her they would die if she didn’t use her magic, which she translated to mean special skills. It was only a dream, after all, but she was using her special skills right now, searching for anomalies in the data, weird log-in times for users, IP addresses, and open ports. Sniffing data packets. Malicious code injected into a good vulnerability patch that had come from a known and trusted source.
All of it.
And coming up empty.
If Nebulous 2.0 was behind the threat, then it could take her weeks without help. She would keep looking for his digital signature, though it could have changed significantly over the years. Still, she should recognize his intrusion.
God, please let it not be Nebulous 2.0.
She hadn’t even considered the possibility until Alex brought it up, though she should have known. After all, Julian probably wouldn’t have been scared enough to warn her otherwise. She continued skimming the results of the queries so far, and nothing snagged her attention.
She was also searching emails for suspicious activity. People really had no idea just how much cybersecurity professionals saw. Or what they could do. Like right now. She started digging into her keycard access. Maybe she could give herself greater access in case she came across a lower level in the building, after all, or other rooms with limited access. But she couldn’t seem to expand the access and permissions on this keycard. Strange. There must be a master keycard.
She’d only been at it for a few hours when the phone at her desk rang. Oh. Was she supposed to answer that? Nora hadn’t given her much in the way of instructions other than to keep her real purpose here to herself. No problem. Finally, the ringing stopped, only to start up again.
Okay, she should answer it then. “Mackenzie here.”
“Can you come to my office?” Nora sounded short.
Great. Just what she hated about any corporate America job. Except she wasn’t actually employed here. She grabbed her iPad to take notes on, opened the door to her fake office, and stepped into the short hall that opened up into the expanse of cubicles. She tried not to make eye contact with any programmers even though she wanted to. After all, any one of them could be the insider. A few programmers huddled around a computer screen at one cubicle. She was invisible. Good. She didn’t need them asking why she, the new girl, got an office of her own with multiple monitors. She made a beeline for the stairwell at the end of the hallway. After last night’s experience in the elevators, she wanted to make sure she wouldn’t be caught again in the small dark space between floors.
On the first floor, she noticed someone exiting an office that was actually a hallway and then caught sight of another stairwell at the end of that hallway. And another set of elevators.
Bingo.
What she’d been looking for last night.
Okay, Nora, you’ll have to wait.
Mackenzie entered the doors unnoticed. Though she had no intention of taking this set of elevators, which were disconnected from the main elevators, they reminded her of her words to her sister.
“Are you sure you don’t have some lower level in the building where you’re conducting all sorts of mad scientist experiments?”
Her sister’s reaction made sense now, and she was hiding something. Hiding something and wasting Mackenzie’s time. She pressed the elevator button and peered inside. Just one more level. A lower level.
She stepped inside and tried her keycard. Nothing. Then she headed for the stairwell, but she couldn’t open that door either without the right keycard to give her access. Nora had to have one.
Mackenzie peeked out the office door. No one was watching. Actually, cameras were watching. She had to take the risk and hope no one questioned her actions. She exited through the doorway designated for authorized personnel only and then headed for her sister’s office.
She walked right by the big desk behind which sat a young, hip woman—Nora’s administrative assistant. The nameplate on the desk read MACI SANDERS. With her spiked black hair—a little blue at the sides—and multiple piercings along her earlobes, she didn’t look anything like a stereotypical administrative assistant as she spoke on the phone using an extremely professional voice. Her big brown eyes widened as Mackenzie waltzed by her, through Nora’s door, and into her expansive office.
When Mackenzie glanced back, she spotted a child coloring on the floor behind Maci’s desk. What a cutie. Brown curls. And he must have sensed her watching, because he looked up at her at that moment with his momma’s big brown eyes.
Mackenzie stepped back to the assistant’s desk and crouched. “Hey, buddy. What’s your name? My name’s Mackenzie.”
Maci hung up the phone and scooped the child into her arms. “This is my son, Cleo. He’s nonverbal.”
“He’s precious.”
His eyes grew wide, and then he pressed his face into his mother’s shoulder as if he were super shy.
Maci gave Mackenzie an apologetic look. “The babysitter fell through. That’s what I love about Hanstech. Miss Hanson assured us we’re getting onsite day care soon.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.” Though she didn’t have children of her own, she hoped her smile was understanding. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
