Page 58 of Ignite

Sweat gathered on her brow as she tried a different approach through a back channel. The file shot back so fast, she had to duck in a game of cyber dodgeball.

She made more attempts, and they got thrown back at her with increased force. If she kept this up, she would eventually trigger an alert about her intrusion in the system. They would discover her lurking about, and if she wasn’t careful, it was possible to trace back and find her physical location. She rerouted herself again and erased her tracks, but with this sophisticated network, it might not be enough.

“I gotta get this right.”

Another try, and another rejection. She growled under her breath. “There has to be a way in. Just one spot.”

A break appeared, and she went for it. Again, the upload was deflected.

Jazz slammed her hands down on the desk, and the force zinged up her arms. Tears filled her eyes again, both from pain and frustration. People were being victimized right in front of her eyes, and she was powerless to stop it. The personal violation she felt when the Slaggers destroyed the coffee shop was nothing compared to what she experienced now. The sheer magnitude of what was happening on her computer screens made her want to scream.Unfairwasn’t a good enough word to describe the level of dishonesty and downright cruelty of these cyber scammers. She had the means to safely stop it, but how the hell to get in?

Jazz dashed the moisture leaking from her eyes and placed her fingers on the keyboard. Her hands shook with emotion, but she had to keep trying.

A sudden ping sounded, and a small pop-up window appeared on her screen. It wasn’t part of the scam network but a separate message.

Message: I can help you.

Fear threw her off at the unexpected guest. How did this… whoever it was… find her here? She was supposed to be off the grid and hidden.

Message: I have a way to get in.

She rerouted, but the messenger stayed with her.

Message: I can make a gate for you. Please let me help.

Against her better judgment, she messaged back.

Anonymous: Who are you?

They answered immediately.

Message: We’ve never met, but I want the same thing you do. These people have to be stopped.

Anonymous: Why should I trust you?

Jazz held her breath as she waited for a response.

Message: I can’t give you a reason. But I have what you need to take this network down and keep it down. Let me show you.

A link appeared.

Message: Click to see, but don’t download or open it.

Jazz hesitated. Clicking on random links could be devastating. It could let loose a virus in her own system. Even though this was a separate hard drive from her work and personal information, anything was possible in the cyber world. Any little footprint she might have missed in her purging and rerouting could spell disaster for her or her people.

Message: Please. Look at the margins. They know someone is here, and they’re looking.

Sure enough, there were searching codes that appeared along the edge of the stream. She was still hidden for now, but it wouldn’t be long before they found her. She had to get out now and give up on ever stopping this shit or….

Message: There’s not much time. I’ll hold them off as long as I can, but please click the link so you’ll see I’m telling you the truth.

A rapid set of numbers appeared, blocking the searchers and sending their quest away from her. At least for now. Jazz wasn’t totally ready to trust this person, but the quick and thorough diversion path was impressive. It twisted a bit like a curve in the road.Elegantwas her first thought.

Message: I can’t hold them off for long. They will figure it out and come back. Maybe stronger. Maybe more. Please check out the link.

Jazz grabbed the top of her head with both hands and let out a long “Grrrr” at the screens. She checked her firewall protections and saw they were secure. She’d built them herself, strong enough to withstand photon torpedoes. This guy… person… whoever was messaging her hadn’t tried to batter his way into her computer. He did lead the search codes away from her hiding spot. Was he legit? She felt like the person behind the screen was male, but she didn’t have anything to go on other than instinct.

What did her instinct tell her now?

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