Nigel got to the computer lab early enough so he could work out what he wanted to say to Jet. About twenty minutes later, Jet entered with a grimace. She was sweating from the exertion of the effort it took to come to the computer lab. Nigel hadn’t seen her in any of their shared classes. Did she make a special trip?
Nigel hurried to the door to help her. She made a go-away gesture.
“Let me help; you’re in pain.”
“Sorry, I want to try it myself. No one at home will let me do anything. Even George has been helping.”
“I didn't see you at school today, or even this week so far.”
“Your wounds can be concealed…” Jet trailed off, lost in thought.
Nigel gave Jet a light hug, not wanting to cause any more pain than necessary.
After the embrace, he noticed that Jet was on the verge of tears.
“Have a seat,” Nigel said, pulling a chair out.
“I'm surprised you wanted to meet at school of all places.”
“Right now, it is one of the few places I feel safe.”
Nigel didn’t say anything for a long time. He frowned and pressed a finger around the bandages.
“How are you holding up?” Jet asked. “You seem to be in pain as well.”
“It’s fine. The doctor said the bullet grazed my scalp. It hurts like hell at times, but eventually it goes away.”
“My dad’s coming home early from a long-term assignment.”
Does she not want her father to come home?
“In fact, I cannot stay long. My mother wants me to be home when my father returns.”
“I was going to wait for Milo to show up, but I think we need to talk about the incident. Do you have any clue as to why we would be targets? Does it have anything to do with the Dark Web?” Nigel asked.
“I can’t see why. Everything we did was anonymous. Have you explored the Dark Web on your own?”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Dark Glider, but I was careful. “I downloaded a Colossal Machine automation tool. I was careful.”
“Careful or not, someone wanted you dead,” Jet said.
Nigel looked down.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.”
“Which way?” asked Milo.
Nigel didn’t hear him come in. Jet looked surprised, too.
“We were just going over what happened.”
“Oh.”
“Do you even have access to the computer lab, Milo?” Jet asked.
“Well—technically, no, but I was able to clone an ID that helped me enter the lab.”
Nigel smiled; his friends always found a way to help.
“We were trying to figure out how the killer may have found out about Nigel,” Jet said. “It wasn’t a random shooting; it was targeted.”
Milo seemed lost in thought, then finally spoke. “When I heard shots, I ran and hid in a dumpster.” He looked ashamed.
“Go on,” said Nigel.
“From inside the dumpster, I heard footsteps come and go. When I thought it was safe, I turned on my dad’s radio that I was going to show you guys.”
Milo swallowed. Nigel could see his Adam’s apple move in his throat.
Nobody said anything for a long time.
“The voices I heard had accents,” Milo said. “I can’t place them, but it could be Eastern European. I’m not sure. I did hear some names.”
Milo thought some more before continuing.
“I heard names like Viktor, Owen, I think, Alexei, and Greg or Gregor. I also heard something about a Collective. Any of those names mean anything to either of you?”
Jet shook her head.
“I think I know. After my mom was hacked, I applied for a job to make ends meet.” Nigel flushed, licked his lips, and fidgeted in his seat.
It wasn’t easy, but Jet put her good hand on one of Nigel’s hands. After a few minutes, he regained his composure.
“A few weeks before the incident, I was invited to a weekend retreat at Eldon Tage’s mansion.”
“And you just now mention it!” Milo exclaimed. “It is Eldon Tage we are talking about? He is the largest employer in Milford. My dad works for him.”
Nigel looked at Jet. She was stone-faced.
“I was going to tell you, but it must have slipped my mind.”
Nigel relayed most of the events from the weekend as well as some of his assignments. He felt it was wise to leave out the intimate details concerning his encounter with Natasha.
“Is it possible that someone from the event would want to harm you?” Milo asked.
“I kept getting programming assignments that had misinformation or errors. I corrected them when I submitted the assignments. I actually got a personal thank-you from Alexei Breven himself.”
“Who?” Milo asked.
“Mr. Breven is the CEO and Founder of Collective Systems, Inc.”
“What does that tell you, Nige?” Jet questioned.
Nigel’s eyes widened as he thought about the implications.
“Is there someone you trust—I mean really trust—inside Collective Systems?” Jet prodded him further.
Nigel thought for a moment.
“Natasha always has my back.”