Undershifter Chapter 9 - Paranoia

The hallways were dark and cramped, the air muggy. Somewhere in the distance was the soft percussion of droplets striking water, and every now and then, there would be a muffled scream. The lone figure gliding through the tunnel gave no notice to the cries, though, and continued passed the doors to get to his destination. Every step sent an echoed thud through the stone hall.

Walking into one of the rooms, he stopped by the door, watching his two superiors. The one in red was making aggressive sweeping motions at the screens in front of him, yelling at his partner. His partner, wearing a blue suit, was silent, but his form was stiff from irritation.

'I'm telling you, they got in! They've been in the system, I know it! They've hacked us, taken our records, and as we speak are dismantling the code and will tear down this operation!' "Red", also known as Gears, exclaimed. His burning red eyes fastened onto the newcomer. His partner took a deep breath, turning to the newcomer with less hostility that the other, but couldn't quite mask his frustration.

'Tyron, I hope you have good news for us.' He muttered, voice very business-like.

'I'm afraid not, sir,' Tyron answered grimly, 'The telepaths have searched through the system, and they have reason to believe that they have recently been accessed. And a few of our contacts at the Community have reason to suspect that Ashley has recently had a secret meeting before our suspicions were raised.'

'FUCK IT!' Gears screamed, hand gripping at his dark hair, 'She's onto us! That do-gooder has something on us, I know it!

'Calm down, lieutenant. It's not Tyron's fault,' His partner calmly stated, then his gaze narrowed, 'If you hadn't kept any accessible electronic records like I suggested at the start, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.' His voice was soft and even, but his eyes had begun to turn red, showing his displeasure with Gears at the moment. Then again, Jetstone never seemed happy with the other Verten.

'There was no directly incriminating info in those files. And not a single database was "accessible". The only way for them to get them was if they hacked us,' He growled, eyes nearly completely red, 'I don't like the fuckers, but the Oaks are not lacking in their skills. I don't know when they began to consider these rumours, but someone must have tipped them off!'

'Not necessarily, sir,' Tyron began, holding his hands behind his back so they wouldn't see them shaking, 'We all know how softsparked they are. Even if one person gave 'em the idea that these things are being mistreated, they'd want to look into it.'

'Ashley isn't an idiot. She knows that if she just openly incriminates us, she risks breaking this unsteady peace.' Jetstone murmured, hand under his chin as he thought.

'Should we go public with news of their infiltration?' Gears asked, arms crossed.

'No. We say nothing. If we jump to incriminate them, it will incriminate us, in return. Let the Oaks have their fun. Let them go on their self-righteous hunt. If we truly left no evidence of the monsters' sentience, the worst they can call us out on is breaking regulation, and we'll just fall back into their guidelines until they are off our asses,' He announced, gazing back at the screens, 'We still don't know what it is they were after. As far as I know, there is no reason to suspect the monsters sentience, so it's safe to assume that they wouldn't, either. It is better if they think we are simply maltreating the creatures.'

'But what if they are investigating sentience? What if they find more tangible evidence?' Gears demanded, voice cracking slightly, 'If they found out what you're keeping as a pet? She'll repeat what she did to our last leader!' Jetstone shuddered at the thought. It was not a memory he enjoyed thinking about.

'That is very true,' Jetstone murmured, thinking again, 'In that case, we should keep track of the higher ups. If possible, we should try to limit their interactions with monsters whenever possible. Have everyone ready to intervene if needed.'

'But we should try to see what info they have gained, as well.' Gears persisted.

'Well, what do you expect us to do, sir?' Tyron demanded, 'If Ashley caught us, she'd rip us to shreds. If we tried to hack them, Ratap's firewalls would send a shockwave through our own systems! He's done it before, and we couldn't get up and running for a month!'

'There is always her bounty hunter.'

The two looked at Jetstone, unsure of what he meant.

'He has been able to find our people with too much ease. The only way he could do this was if he had access to the Originals' information and databases,' He mused, 'He would be the best to try. He's powerful and important enough to be able to gain this information, but he would most likely have a less advanced firewall in his server.'

'So, you wish for us to hack into Quintuple's system?' Tyron asked. Jetstone nodded.

'But then there is the problem with keeping them away from monsters. I know that some of them own one,' Gears muttered, hand rubbing his face, 'How can we keep them from interacting with their own pets?' Jetstone grinned, but to those watching it seemed more like a wolf showing off its teeth to scare off any potential opponents.

'Easy,' He purred, 'it is a lot harder to interact with something that isn't there.'

It took a couple of seconds for the idea to sink in, leaving all three smiling wickedly.

'Gears, get in contact with Xander. He's always been skilled in breaking and entering. I believe he's the perfect man for the job.'