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The Stepping Stone
Chapter Nine: Leeson tries to run. Quest and
Marcus agree to a fragile trust
Scott A. Gese
Chapter 9
Leeson tries to run. Quest and Marcus agree to a fragile trust.
One of the Unknowns monitoring the hacked security system called Quest. “Get in here. Something's going on, and you need to see this.”
Quest was at the monitor in seconds. “What's up?”
“Leeson's contact was just picked up.”
“What do you mean, picked up?”
“I'll show you.” The surveillance video rolled back, showing Astin trying to walk out the door of Leeson's office building. Two men blocked his path and confronted him. There was a scuffle, and the two men subdued Astin, throwing him into the back of a car and driving off.
“That's interesting,” commented Quest.
“That's not all. Look at this.”
Quest watched the monitor as Leeson left his office shortly after Astin was picked up. “Can you track where he's going?” he asked.
“I’m way ahead of you. We tracked him to his house. He's up to something.”
“He lost his hard drive, his most important security technician, and now his most trusted contact. He's in trouble, and he knows it. I wonder if he's running? Let me get a second opinion.” Quest called Darcy into the room. “I need you to look at something and tell me what you think.” He showed Darcy the segment of the video concerning Leeson. “Well?”
Darcy thought about it for a minute. “It looks like he's in a hurry. The expression on his face shows concern or maybe even desperation. My intuition tells me he's trying to avoid something, and he has little time to do it. Does that help?”
“Excellent,” replied Quest. “Just as I...”
As Quest spoke, the surveillance camera captured Leeson leaving his house. He was on foot, heading toward a nearby walking path with a briefcase in hand.
“Where the heck is he going?” Quest wondered aloud.
Darcy responded, “That's the path that leads to the park and the portal we came through.”
“You don't suppose he's thinking about using it, do you?” asked the technician.
Quest began to think aloud again. “He has a briefcase with him. There’s a definite possibility he may be planning to go through the gate. Do we want that to happen?”
“He'll get picked up by his security forces. They have the gate under constant surveillance. As soon as they see him, they'll suspect something's up.”
Quest thought hard and fast. “Not if he's called them off. If Leeson shares his knowledge of the gates with those on the other side, that could be bad for us. We need to stop him before he steps through.” Quest stepped into the next room, where Dawson was working. “We need to close off the gate you came through.”
“I haven't found the key to that gate yet.”
Quest called out to his technician. “Get in touch with Alex. I need Marcus to give me the key to the gate by Leeson's house. I need it NOW.”
It was 5:30 when Leeson arrived at the gate. There were still people nearby. He had called off the security detail in the area. Switching off the cameras would give him away. He didn't want his superiors knowing he had stepped through the gate; he wanted to disappear without a trace. So he waited in the shadows. Stepping into the unknown was not Leeson's preferred method of operation. He always weighed his options and never made unnecessary moves. This would be a first, and quite frankly, it unnerved him. He tried to calm himself. He needed to be at his best for whatever he would encounter on the other side.
Alex got the message, ended the call, picked up his baton, and moved toward Marcus. “I need more information.”
“Not until I have assurances from Quest concerning my safety,” Marcus replied.
Alex struck him across his upper leg, and Marcus screamed in pain. “I'm not in any mood to mess with you. I need the key to the portal by Leeson's house, and I need it now. I'll beat you half to death if you don't comply.” Alex struck him again for emphasis.
The beating and the threat of more was enough for Marcus. “Okay, I'll give it to you... but nothing more.” Marcus wrote down the code and handed it to Alex. The information was immediately relayed to Quest, who passed the code on to his technician. The folder was opened, and the gate was closed with two minutes to spare.
At six o'clock, curfew was in effect, and everyone was out of the park. Leeson had calmed himself down. He walked up to the gate, took a deep breath, and tried to open it. Nothing happened. He tried again, and still nothing. A sudden sense of panic crossed his face. He attempted to open the gate one more time. No luck. Something wasn't right. Had he been found out by his superiors? What else could it be? Unsure of what to do next, he started back down the path toward his house, concerned about what might be waiting for him.
As soon as Quest knew Leeson had been stopped, he decided to send two men to his house. He figured the briefcase Leeson had with him at the gate contained important information he planned to use once he crossed over. Quest wanted to get his hands on it.
Leeson cautiously approached the house, relieved to see he was alone. His superiors were not onto him yet. He wasn't sure why the gate hadn't worked, but he needed to come up with another plan. As he contemplated his next move, Quest's men arrived at Leeson's house. They didn't bother knocking; they burst through the door, catching Leeson off guard. He thought the men had been sent by his superiors.
Leeson was startled by the entry and jumped up, but the men pushed him back into his chair. “Where's the briefcase?” demanded one of the men. Before Leeson had a chance to respond, the other man located it. The men left as quickly as they had come, leaving Leeson to question what had just happened. They hadn't hauled him off as he had feared they would. That’s when the realization hit him—he knew who the men were. “Quest,” he whispered under his breath.
The information they had taken would have been valuable to those who didn't fully understand quantum computing, but Quest was not one of them. He would find the data contained in the briefcase to be of little value. What the incident revealed was that the Unknowns had somehow tracked him and were likely the ones who decommissioned the gate. They could have obtained the information from only one source: Marcus.
Leeson's mind raced. He might be able to save himself by convincing his superiors that Marcus had turned and was now working for the Unknowns, with Alex as an accomplice. He decided to call an emergency meeting to solidify his story and explore next steps. The security system had been compromised, and it needed to be re-secured immediately.
When Quest received the briefcase, he examined its contents and confirmed Leeson's assessment. The information was of little value to him. Dawson asked to take a look at the papers, and Quest handed them over. To Dawson, the paperwork was a treasure trove of information, and he spent a couple of hours digesting as much of it as he could.
Quest was pleased with the information he had obtained from Marcus. He contacted Alex and instructed him to move Marcus to a nearby underground facility, where he would meet them. He asked Darcy to accompany him, as he wanted her thoughts on Marcus after their meeting.
As they headed toward their destination, Quest asked Darcy if she was still eager to return home. “Yes, more than ever. I hope my father can come up with an alternative portal. I'm falling behind on my studies.”
“Your father is a fast learner. I'm sure he'll come up with something. If this meeting goes well, we may have access to whatever we need, and you could be home sooner than you think.”
“Let's hope that's the case,” Darcy replied as they arrived.
Once inside, Alex led them to a secure room where Marcus was being held. He was strapped to a chair, with a blindfold over his eyes. Quest removed the blindfold and looked down at Marcus. “Do you know who I am?” he asked.
Marcus, his voice laced with contempt, replied, “The Great Quest.”
Quest motioned for Alex to untie him.
Alex removed the straps and stepped back.
“Are you hungry or thirsty?”
“Both,” replied Marcus.
“Move over to the table. We need to talk. Alex, bring Marcus something to eat and drink.”
As Marcus stood, he cried out in pain, trying to put weight on the leg Alex had injured. He hobbled to the table and sat down, with Alex and Darcy sitting across from him. “I apologize for the pain you've endured. You have what we want, and we needed to be sure we weren't being set up.”
“Are you convinced yet?” Marcus asked, his voice revealing his disdain.
“I will never be fully convinced. That’s the nature of my predicament. I’m fighting for my people’s freedom, and you have been my enemy for too long. But now I find myself having to trust you.”
“I have to trust you as well,” Marcus replied. “At this point, I'm beginning to think I should have taken my chances with Leeson. I know the security system and could have disappeared.”
“You and I both know you wouldn't have lasted. Your security system would have worked against you. In the long run, you would have been chipped.”
Alex brought Marcus a plate of hot food and a glass of water. Quest let him eat for a couple of minutes before resuming the conversation.
“So, here we are. We both want something. In fact, we both want the same thing.”
“And what might that be?” Marcus questioned.
“Freedom,” Quest said, leaning back in his chair and waiting for a reply.
Marcus took a drink of water. “Agreed. How do we achieve that?”
“Through information,” Quest replied. “The information you possess will grant us our freedom, and in turn, yours. All you have to do is share it with us.”
“So I hold all the cards. I don't trust you. If I agree to share the information you want, what guarantees do I have that I will get what I want?”
“This is where trust comes into play. We will take you to our facility, where you can work with our technicians to share your information. You will be allowed limited access to areas within the facility. The more you prove yourself, the more access you will be granted. You will have a ‘companion’ by your side at all times, and you must remain within the facility walls.”
“And this is freedom? It sounds like a prison.”
“Would you rather go back to face Leeson?”
“That bastard tried to have me chipped. I would rather take my chances on the run.”
“What safer place could you be while on the run? Consider it a very comfortable prison. You won't be chipped, and once we've secured real and lasting freedom for my people, you'll receive yours as well. Think of it as an incentive. It’s the best I can offer under the circumstances.”
Marcus thought it over before reluctantly agreeing. “Okay, I agree, but we need to hurry. Leeson will be working on changing keys and codes. We need to stay ahead of him. The best way to do that is to set up a delayed virus—one that allows him to think he's made changes but reverts back to the original after a set period.”
“How much time do we have?”
“Twenty-four, forty-eight hours at most. I have access to AI with good coding abilities. If you have someone who can help me, we can get it done before then.”
Quest reached across the table and extended his hand. “It seems we have an agreement.”
Marcus accepted the handshake. “Yes, it seems we do.”
“Let’s get moving,” Quest ordered.
Alex and Marcus sat in the back seat of Quest's vehicle while he and Darcy sat up front. The windows were blacked out, preventing Marcus from seeing outside. The front compartment was sealed off so Quest and Darcy could speak privately.
“Well, Darcy, what does your intuition tell you?” Quest asked.
“He's afraid and feels cornered. I'm sure he doesn't really know what he's getting himself into.”
“That goes for both of us,” replied Quest. “That’s where the trust factor comes into play. We each have what the other wants. There’s no telling how this will turn out. If he has been planted by Leeson, letting him near our computer system could be the end of us. Please continue with your assessment.”
Darcy hesitated. “I'm not sure I'm good at this. If I'm wrong, it could cause a lot of trouble. Maybe you shouldn't be asking me to do this.”
“Darcy, I've made my own assessment of Marcus. I'm only asking for your opinion to help you develop what I see as great potential in your becoming an excellent intuitive empath. I’m not basing my decision solely on your intuition. You have a long way to go before I would do that. Please tell me what you think.”
The comment put Darcy at ease. “I think if he could find a way to communicate with Leeson, he might do it.”
“Oh really? And why do you say that?”
“Because I don't believe someone can change allegiances that quickly.”
“But now you are tainting your assessment by adding your own beliefs to it. Just tell me what your gut tells you. Think in terms of vibration. What were you picking up from him?”
Darcy thought about it for a moment. “I think he's willing to do whatever he needs to do to save his skin.”
“I think you are absolutely correct in that assessment. But just the same, there will be many sets of eyes on him every minute of the day.”
As they pulled up to the compound's entry, Alex attempted to hood Marcus. He complained about the treatment until Quest explained that the only alternative was to be dropped off in front of Leeson’s office. At that point, Marcus conceded. He was hooded, removed from the vehicle, and led into the compound through a secret door.
Once inside, Alex was assigned to him for security purposes. The hood was removed, and he was shown his living quarters and work area. Quest's top technician was assigned to double-check anything Marcus did before it was entered into the program.
Marcus knew he needed to prove himself. He immediately began designing a program that operated on a timed delay, reverting any changes Leeson made to his security system back to default after a set period. He ensured that Leeson would not be able to overcome it. Once the program received the green light, it was added, and Marcus was impressed by the hack the Unknowns had in place on Leeson's system. He suggested a couple of minor changes as the new program was installed.
From the time Marcus sat down at the computer until the new program was installed, fourteen hours had passed. He was tired, and it was late, so he excused himself and went to his room.
Quest was informed, and Marcus's work was monitored closely; everything was functioning perfectly.
Hours later, Marcus returned to his terminal, aware that his work was being monitored—something he would have done himself. “How is it working so far?” he asked the technician.
“Extremely well. You're very good at what you do,” replied the technician.
Marcus accepted the compliment. “I'm good, but apparently not good enough. If I were better, I would have known you had hacked our system. I obviously have more to learn.”
“I'll take that as a compliment,” replied the technician.
Quest and Dawson entered the room, having just discussed Dawson's fixation on finding another portal to return Darcy, John, and himself home. They decided to ask Marcus what he knew about other portals.
Quest introduced Dawson. “Marcus, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Dawson. He and two others were brought here by Leeson.”
“Ah yes,” replied Marcus. “I know about the three of you. Leeson thought you could help us with some issues regarding locating the Unknowns. He underestimated you.”
“He had us convinced of his 'noble intentions' for a time, but certain events led us to question his motives. It became clear what he was up to once we had all the facts. I’m hoping you can help me locate a portal other than the one we came through. My friends and I want to return to our own timeline, but not via the same route.”
“Gates are tricky. They're not always stable. I do know of two others. Leeson had them closed off. I actually thought he had the one you came through sealed as well, but I guess I was wrong.”
“Can they be reopened?”
“It's possible. I would have to do some digging to see what I can uncover.”
“Why don't you make that a priority?” suggested Quest. “These people are eager to get back home.”
“I can do that,” replied Marcus. “While I'm at it, I have a question for you, Quest. Instead of hacking into Leeson's system, why not just take it over?
“We've never had that capability.”
“We should talk,” suggested Marcus. “There may be a way.”
“By all means, we should prioritize that. But first, find a way to get Dawson and his friends back home.”
As the two men left the room, Dawson turned back toward Marcus. “If there's anything I can do to assist you, please let me know.”
“I will do that,” replied Marcus as he sat down at his terminal.
Quest went off to his office to consider Marcus's suggestion about taking over Leeson's entire system. This could lead to what the Unknowns had been after for years. If it could be done, it needed to be done right. He decided to sleep on it, expecting to have a clearer idea in the morning.
Dawson stayed up late, returning to see Marcus after Quest had left. He had questions about the quantum computer system Marcus was using and pressed him for answers. Marcus provided detailed responses to every question Dawson posed.
As the evening dragged on, Alex and the technician assigned to Marcus eventually brought the conversation to a close, and they all called it a night.
The following morning, Quest found Dawson, Marcus, and Alex in the garden area, conversing over breakfast. “Good morning, Quest. Join us?”
Quest declined the invitation. “How are you progressing with finding a gate?”
Dawson spoke up. “I think Marcus and I have a way to locate the key. We plan to run an experiment first thing this morning. If it works, we may be able to leave this evening.”
“That sounds great. I hope it works out for you. Marcus, regarding your idea about taking over the Elites' computer system, I'd like to discuss it further after you run your experiment with Dawson.” Quest walked out of the room, grabbing a cup of coffee on his way to his office, where there were plans that needed to be developed.
Along with Dawson and the technician, Marcus found the folder he was looking for, buried deep behind several layers of encrypted security. He easily bypassed the security measures and encryption.
“This information contains the locations of each known gate. They're easy enough to open if you have the right key. Believe it or not, the key to the freedom wall gate is here. Leeson didn't even try to hide it.”
Dawson looked over the locations. “I don't understand where any of these places are.”
Marcus pulled up a map of the continent they were on. “The map of this dimension is the same as yours; they just have different names. Where are you located?”
Dawson pointed to the West Coast of what he recognized as the United States. “Here, we call this Portland, Oregon.”
“That's exactly where we are now, except we call it Liberia. Aside from the one you came through, it appears the nearest portal is a full day's travel from here.”
“A full day?” Dawson was not pleased to hear that.
“That's not good,” replied Marcus. “Traveling that far would alert security. They would spot us before we reached the halfway point.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“The only alternative is to use the gate you came through.”
“Quest ordered it closed to prevent Leeson from using it. But now that you have the key, we can reopen it, correct?” asked Dawson.
“Yes, but not with the old key. Once the gate was sealed off, that key became useless. I can reconfigure it and reset it to open whenever you like. Once you all step through, it will close, permanently. No one on either side will ever be able to open the gate again.”
Dawson didn’t hesitate. “Let's do it. How about tonight... after six o'clock when no one is around?”
“If you can be ready by then, we can make that happen.”
“We'll be ready.” Dawson was excited about heading home. He had learned more than he had ever thought possible during his stay. Like Darcy and John, there were obligations that needed to be attended to. It was time to go.
Dawson met up with Quest and explained the situation. Quest had enjoyed the company of the three travelers but understood the circumstances. He would meet Dawson and the others in the garden room just before six.
Dawson found Darcy in their living quarters and filled her in. “Have you seen John lately?”
“I know he's been spending a lot of time with Kara, but I haven't seen him recently.”
As if on cue, John walked into the room. “Good news!” exclaimed Darcy. “We're going home!”
“When?”
“Tonight. Pack your bags and meet us in the garden room in an hour.”
There were no bags to pack. John walked out of the room without saying a word.
“What's up with him?” questioned Dawson.
“Like I said, he's been spending a lot of time with Kara. I'm sure he's not too thrilled about leaving her.”
“Well, let's hope he shows up on time.”
“I'm sure he'll be there,” remarked Darcy as she tossed her backpack onto her bed.
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