| Subject: Whispered Identities - Chapter 157 |
Author:
Lynuslinus
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Date Posted: Saturday, November 06, 08:39:36pm
In reply to:
Lynuslinus
's message, "Whispered Identities - Chapter 151 & forward" on Wednesday, October 20, 08:23:26pm
Michael and Nikita helped the maid place the dinner dishes and remains of their diner onto a trolley; Michael held the door as she wheeled the wagon out into the hall. Michael wandered over to a sofa and sat watching Nikita thumb through a pile of magazines.
“What are you looking for?”
“I asked one of the domestic staff to pick up some furnishing magazines and also real estate guides....do you think we could start maybe looking for our own place Michael?”
“Don’t see why not...I’ve completed a few money transfers and if after watching for any strange activity around the accounts....if there is none...we should be okay.”
Michael rose and stood behind Nikita, peering down at the magazine in her hand. “Hummmm....picking out the bedroom furniture first?” he smiled.
“Priorities....of course....yes....”
Nikita’s sentence was interrupted by the sound of a helicopter approaching the villa. She dropped her magazine and they wandered together onto the patio to watch a chopper land on the heliport at the edge of the villa. Spotlights illuminated the whole area; and as the rotors came to a stop, a tall man with thinning blonde hair, surrounded by four bodyguards, stepped from the helicopter. He looked up, spotting Michael with Nikita at his side; he waved and disappeared towards the villa entrance.
Michael and Nikita stood in the main living room as the tall, blonde man entered; he smiled upon noticing Michael and extended his hand.
“Michel Therrien Samuelle! Again...we meet...I’m sorry I was delayed and not here to greet you when you first arrived.” His head swivelled to the right, taking in Nikita. “......and just who is this lovely lady?”
“This is Nikita.....and this is Richard Dalton... Nikita.”
Nikita reached out as Dalton took her hand, kissing it. “How do you do Mr. Dalton....and thank you so much for your hospitality.”
“My pleasure....indeed.” He smiled at Michael. “I might have known you would be with a gorgeous woman Michel....but such as beautiful lady as this one....I envy you.” He grinned.
They wandered to a group of plush leather sofas and chairs, and sat as Jose stood waiting for instructions regarding refreshments.
“Bring us champagne Jose.....this calls for a celebration...reunited with Michel after so many years.”
Michael nodded, “I am now indebted to you Richard for allowing us to stay with you....we shall not be here long....to inconvenience you....as soon as I have made arrangements for some funds to be transferred, we shall locate our own place.”
Dalton laughed loudly. “Ohhhh....Michel...up to your old computer tricks again are you....only this time for your own purposes! I commend you....however, the buzz is you are being hunted by Interpol....now what on earth could you have done to warrant that!”
Jose arrived with the champagne and as he poured the liquid into tall fluted crystal, Dalton nodded and waved for the man to leave the room. Michael waited until the man closed the door behind him.
“Oh just a misunderstanding....plus the fact I no longer wish to live in their world....as does Nikita.”
“Hummmm....and were you an operative with Interpol also Nikita?”
“I was with MI-6 and Section One .....but no more.”
“Oh my God! Section One...those barbarians! How on earth did you end up working for them! No! Don’t tell me....I can only imagine. Well, you are both welcome to stay here at the villa as long as you wish.”
“Thank you Richard,” replied Michael. “You have done very well for yourself...business must be good.”
“It is! Some days the money just rolls into my hands...it’s almost obscene...but ....now tell me Michel....I trust you have covered your tracks....not that I’m worried about the imbeciles at MI-6 or Interpol finding you here but.....”
“They were tracking us....in Spain....and that is why we don’t want to partake of your hospitality too long....a few more days....then we will leave.”
“Oh really! But I’ve just arrived....and I thought maybe I could twist your arm to do a little work for me!”
Nikita looked worriedly at Michael.
“If you would like me to perform a few cyber transactions for you....as payment for our stay Richard...I would be happy to oblige.”
“Excellent!” He looked over at Nikita. “You probably know by now...but this man is a genius with a keyboard.”
Nikita began to worry her lower lip as she attempted to get Michael’s attention.
“As a matter of fact Michel...your arrival here is very fortuitous....I have a potential client flying in tomorrow and I could use your help convincing him to utilize my services.”
“Well....if the matter is of short duration Richard..”
Richard Dalton rose and poured more champagne in their glasses. “Of course...the man is from the middle east and knows little of technological warfare....he’s a peasant really....but one with large amounts of money....oil money. He requires sophisticated arms to protect his oil fields and certain softwear has come into my hands....that if utilized correctly...may be of use to him.”
“Richard...I may have gone rogue from Interpol, but I draw the line at creating cyber technology for warfare.”
“Michel...Michel....you misunderstand me....I would simply like you to run the softwear for me.”
“You don’t have a technician who can perform tasks like running computer softwear?”
“Yes...yes, of course...but this program requires a little more...shall we say...finesse. Come, let me show you my command center.”
“I’ve seen the computers in your media room.”
“Oh...those....sophisticated computers for the staff to play games and access email. No, these are somewhat more high tech.....myself...”, he grinned at Nikita. “.....I’m an idiot when it comes to computer technology....I only wish I could find a genius like Michel to work full time for me....anyway....come, and bring your champagne.”
Michael and Nikita followed Dalton to the end of the long hallway leading from the main livingroom. Dalton, followed closely by one of his bodyguards, walked up to a large, metal alloy door. He smiled at Michael as he leaned into a retinal scanner combined with a fingerprint matrix. The scanner read Dalton’s eye and a laser beam streamed over his hand; he nodded to his bodyguard to open the heavy door. Dalton motioned for Michael and Nikita to enter the room. The room was bathed in a blue glow from overhead lights; a bank of eight monitors attached to three keyboards sat on a massive desk. One lone leather armchair sat before the console. Michael strolled up to the console and touched his chin with his fingers; then he walked over to rows of shelves that ran up the side of two adjoining walls. Electronic circuit boards were piled on many shelves along with fixed disk systems, network sniffers, fax interception devices, and units for the remote seizure of computer screen images.
Dalton stood next to Nikita and the bodyguard grinning. “What do you think Michel? Impressive what?”
Michael continued eyeing the contents of the shelves. “Yes...very impressive....do you have a technician who knows how to use and assemble all this equipment?” He picked up a complicated device attached to a circuit board.
“I did....unfortunately he was grabbed....or I should say....coerced by a competitor. No I just bet you know what that little piece is for...right?”
“It’s a dedicated password breakers and can be adapted to scan cellular telephone interceptors.”
Dalton clapped his hands. “I wouldn’t really know if it baked bread! But I do know that the computer equipment housed in this room can out perform any equipment the CIA, MI-6 and Interpol have. Have a seat Michel....boot the baby into action.”
Michael looked at Nikita, her eyes wide, standing with her arms across her breasts. “Not tonight Richard....I will perform the one task for your potential client....that is all.”
“Very well....I understand...I think....but surely you would love to get into MI-6 and Interpol’s mainframe and do some serious damage...tell me I’m mistaken on that one.”
“I would like to find out if they are still tracking us and how close they might be.”
“Have you attempted to seek out that information?”
“Yes....but they traced the IP address of my laptop...that’s how we were tracked to Spain.”
“Oh dear...Michel....that was careless....you must have been distracted to have allowed that to happen.” Dalton glanced over at Nikita.
Michael walked over to Nikita and took her hand. “Thank you for the tour....and again, we are most appreciative of your hospitality. What time would you like me to set up the softwear display for your client?”
“His party will be arriving after 1 pm tomorrow but please...we must have breakfast together and after, allow me to show you both my private hunting preserve.”
Michael looked into Nikita’s eyes, then back at Dalton. “Breakfast will be good....but we have some matters to attend to so if we could be excused on viewing the preserve.”
Dalton smirked and nodded. “Very well....breakfast at 8 am....now I imagine the two of you will want to retire to your room to....”
“Yes....thank you again....good night.”
Nikita smiled weakly. “Good night Mr. Dalton.”
“Oh please! Beautiful lady....call me Richard.....good night.”
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