SSV: Project STATIC Part 3: Game Over

Chapter 11

Anders pulled the van to a stop a block away from the funeral parlor. Pam and Ashley had changed into a pair of scrubs that Erin had secured for them on the way, and Jake had been sitting in the front seat mulling over possible points of entry and scenarios. Anders didn't say much throughout the drive. Ingrid seemed to have created a strong, silent type in contrast to Erin's boisterous and charismatic character. Speaking of Erin, Jake spotted her getting out of another car nearby. That neon blue hair was a dead giveaway along with the confident smirk she wore as she practically sauntered up to the van.

"Hey, kiddies, is everyone ready to go?" Erin asked as she pulled the door to the van open and climbed in, "How's my little brother feeling about playing dead, hmm?"

"Piss off," Anders grumbled, "Only doing this because you brought up a good point. I hope you've got what you promised, Red, over there. She politely declined the offer for a silencer."

Erin rolled her eyes, "Don't be such a baby, Anders, you've done this plenty of times before."

"Fuckinf hurts!" Anders argued, "Any idea what it feels like when your heart nearly stops? No, because I'm always the one doing this dumb shit!"

"You'll be fine, you always are," Erin waved him off, "Now, let's get you three geared up properly. Lucky for you, Ashley, the blade I've got is easy to conceal. Let's just hope that speed wasn't a one-off."

"Ideally, we won't have to worry about a confrontation," Pam pointed out, "We do this right, and we should be in and out without a hassle."

"That's the right attitude, sweetheart," Erin purred, "Still, always better to expect the unexpected when dealing with anything here in the city, honey. Gangers are wildcards, one wild hair and they'll be on you like flies on shit."

"Which is why we're planning on dividing to conquer," Jake said, looking back at Erin, "Specter and Ash are going to escort Anders in like you suggested. I'll be sneaking around and looking for a way to the rooftop. Anders mentioned skylights that we could possibly make use of. I can handle any potential threats from the shadows while they do their thing downstairs."

"Risky move, kid, but one that might pay off," Erin mused, "As long as you can do it without getting seen, that'll mean less chance of getting spotted on the way back out."

"I can handle it," Jake assured her, "I might not be the best shot, but working from the shadows is where I shine."

"Is that right?" Erin asked, looking at Pam.

"It's a specialty of his, and I trust him," Pam nodded.

"Alright, Anders, get on the gurney and in the bag," Erin shrugged, reaching into the bag she'd been carrying and grabbing a small one handed hilt to hand to Ashley, "Here you go, beautiful. Special carbon blade that I picked up a few weeks back. Flip the switch on the side to extend it out. One click for a knife, two for a full sword; how's that suit you?"

Ashley took the hilt and flipped the switch to test it. The first flip caused the blade to rise up to about six inches. A second flick and she was holding a two foot sword. It wasn't the largest she'd ever wielded, but a few swings told her that the blade was well balanced. She flipped the switch back down, and the blade quickly retracted and disappeared. "A fine weapon, Erin," Ashley smiled, tucking the hilt away in her waistband, "I can make good use of this, I assure you."

"Glad you're happy with it," Erin chuckled before pulling out three badges and a syringe, "Okay, so who's got steady hands? I'll be dosing my baby brother with the toxin, but I'll be hanging back while you work. Someone is going to have to revive Anders once you're ready to go."

Pam stepped forward and took her badge and the syringe, "I can handle it."

"Stick it in my heart once we're ready to go," Anders said, laying down on the gurney, "Erin, hurry up and get this over with."

"Yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on, little bro," Erin chuckled, grabbing the syringe containing the toxin and walking over to her brother, "Ready for this?"

"Get it the fuck over with," Anders grumbled.

Jake got up and walked to the back to watch. Erin had a sadistic smirk on her face as she raised her hand over Anders' chest. Erin plunged the syringe down into his chest and pressed the end down. Anders' body jerked and tensed as the toxins wormed its way through his system. Jake watched carefully as the color drained from his face. It lasted only a few seconds, but he could only imagine how painful it must have been. His body went slack after a moment, and Jake noticed that his breathing was virtually nonexistent. Erin pulled the syringe out and happily zipped the body bag up to seal her brother up.

"There we are, nice and cozy," Erin chuckled as she turned around, "Alright, let's see what you three can do. Raven, why don't you go on ahead while the ladies hang back for a moment. You'll want these, though. Consider it an advance on your paycheck, pretty-boy."

Jake looked down at Erin's hand to see three ear pieces resting in her palm. He took one and slid it over his ear, "Are these secure?"

"Linked on a secure channel between you three, myself, and Anders here," Erin smirked, "Best to keep a line of communication in case one of you fucks something up. No offense, but I'll start trusting you once the job is done."

"Business isn't personal," Jake shrugged, understanding Erin's point of view, "None taken, I'll be in touch once I'm on the roof. Let me know when you start to move, Specter."

"Copy that," Pam nodded, sitting back down as Jake started to exit the van.

He was stopped by Ashley who pulled him into an aggressive and passionate kiss. "Damn, now I really am jealous of the pretty-boy," Erin laughed as Ashley broke the kiss.

"I don't get to do that often," Ashley admitted, her voice a hushed whisper, "Be safe, my love, and radio us when you're in position."

"Will do," Jake smiled, "Love you, Ash, I'll be in touch soon."

Jake threw the door to the van open and slipped out into the encroaching darkness of the city. The Neon lights lit up the streets, but they cast plenty of shadows as well. A thick cloud of smog rolled in around this section of the city. The buildings here were rundown and in dilapidated states with several boarded up windows. People wandered around the sidewalks, but few paid him any mind as he fell in with the crowds shuffling through the street. It was better to blend in than stand out in this case.

He passed by what he assumed to be a few gang members huddling around the sidewalks, but they paid him little mind. His guess was because he kept walking rather than stop and stare. They didn't have time to waste fighting while Beth was still at Ingrid’s mercy. Jake hoped that Ingrid’s feelings might win out over whatever was going on with her. He didn't think that Beth was in any serious danger from Ingrid, but he worried about who she'd struck a deal with. Sooner or later, the bill was going to come due, and he didn't know if she fully understood just who she was dealing with. Hell, he wasn't entirely sure what they were capable of at this point.

He rounded a corner and spotted the funeral parlor in the distance. It was one of the few buildings that looked somewhat decent and put together in this mess of a district. The building was wide and gray with a single set of double doors in the front. Just outside of the doors was a small group of guys wearing colorful clothing with brightly colored hair. They seemed to be talking amongst themselves, but Jake could see a few of their weapons hanging off of their waists and backs. Some had swords, others had pistols or submachine guns dangling from their hips, but they seemed more engrossed in their conversation than anything else. He'd need to find another route to avoid drawing attention.

The building was nestled between two others, and an alleyway led around to the backside. That would work as well as anything else. Maybe he could find a ladder, or at least something he could use to pull himself up near the back. He ducked down into a lower stance as he carefully crept towards the alleyway. His nature took over as he fell into the shadows, and he slowly snuck around the group outside. He could hear them chatting and talking as he got closer. They were speaking Japanese, but he hadn't practiced it in a long time. He stopped behind a nearby car as two of them broke off and headed his way. They hadn't seen him, but he couldn't risk getting spotted this early.

Jake waited patiently as they walked by, and he cursed his luck as one of them broke off again to walk down the alleyway. If it was just the one, Jake was confident he could handle him. He waited until he disappeared into the darkness, and the other one had moved on, before making his way towards him. Light and sure-footed, Jake quickly made his way into the shadows after the gang member. He moved unseen past the small group that remained by the front doors as he skulked his way into the alleyway.

The alleyway had loose gravel and debris littering it. Trash was strewn about, but Jake didn't make a sound as he made it deeper in. Halfway through the opening, Jake paused when he heard a familiar sound. A stream of something running nearby. "Are you kidding me?" Jake mumbled to himself, "Easy pickings, I guess. I better not get pissed on. Virtual or not, that's too much for me."

Jake crept up behind the ganger as he finished relieving himself. He tried not to think about the possibilities of getting virtual urine on him as he stood up and grabbed the thug. He wrapped an arm around his throat to put him to sleep, and pulled him back slightly while wrapping his other arm around the top of his head. The young man struggled and tried to break free, but Jake kept a firm hold on him and applied more pressure. Slowly, his struggles weakened as his body went limp. Jake spotted a dumpster nearby, and decided that would be as good a place as any to store the body. He'd wake up eventually, but he'd more than likely just be confused, sore, and surrounded by filth. He opened the lid and tossed the body in with a thud.

As Jake closed it, he got an idea. The dumpster was beside the building, and he was pretty sure he could make it to the roof with a little bit of effort. "Raven, come in, do you read me?" Pam's voice came over his receiver.

"Reading you loud and clear," he whispered back, "About to make my way to the roof. What's your status?"

"Copy that," Pam said, "We're getting ready to head for the entrance. Once you're up top, try to get a visual on us. Make sure that we aren't walking into anything like a trap, and enter once we make our way downstairs. If you see anything out of the ordinary, let us know in advance. We've got one shot at this, and I'm not fond of the idea of fucking this one up."

"Roger, be safe," Jake replied, climbing onto the dumpster and beginning his ascent to the roof.

As Jake was getting into position, Erin was pulling the van to a stop across the street from the funeral parlor. Pam finished checking in with Jake, and she and Ashley guided the gurney out and into the street. The two of them made their way across the street and towards the parlor. A cold wind blew across the city streets as they walked, and a distant sound of thunder rolling could be heard in the background. A storm was moving in. Pam just hoped that it wasn't an omen about their mission.

A group of three of the gang members stood out front, and one of them held up a hand as they approached. "Hold it," he said, his English slightly broken, "What you have?"

"Got a runner taken down on a job," Pam replied, feigning exhaustion, "Wakano wants him taken here for processing."

"Got a name?" the ganger asked.

"Didn't ask, not paid enough to give a shit," Pam replied, "We just go where we're told. Can we move this along? It's been a long shift, and this is our last stop."

The man turned to speak with the others in their group. They spoke in their native tongue for a moment before he sighed, "You go, take downstairs and get out. Doors through the side, but be quick. Take elevator to bottom floor, and speak with Maize once down there."

"Yes, sir," Pam nodded, motioning for Ashley to help her through the doors.

That was one part down, and simple enough to boot. The inside of the parlor was dimly lit, and there were a few civilians hanging around inside. The wall in the back had a casket in front of it, and there were various religious symbols painted on it. It seemed all faiths were accepted here. No sense turning people away needing to grieve, she supposed. The doors to the back were on the right, and another gang member stood in front of them. A woman with brightly colored clothes and hair frowned, but she shrugged as she held the door open for them.

The back room was more well lit, but there wasn't much to see. A stairwell led down to the morgue, but a service elevator could be seen not far off. Pam looked up to check the ceiling, and she barely caught a glimpse of Jake. "Specter, there's two guards on the top floor," his voice came over the receiver, "I won't have visual once you two are downstairs, but I can slip in and take them out once you're in."

"Do it quietly, and wait for us to be in position," she whispered back.

"Understood, I'll hang back," Jake replied as Pam and Ashley took the gurney towards the elevator.

Ashley and Pam walked through the back to the elevator. One turn to the left, a vending machine, and another brightly colored gang member. This one was a woman, but she seemed fixated on figuring out what she wanted to eat. Boxes, bins, and other things sat around cluttering the area, but Pam spotted another gang member sitting atop one of the boxes as she and Ashley walked into the elevator. It might not have mattered, but she was trying her best to commit the layout to memory. Hopefully, their little job would go smoothly, but she'd been on the losing end of more than enough to know it was better to be prepared. Mistakes were more likely when you become overconfident; a lesson she'd learned the hard way.

The door to the elevator closed, and the short ride down was over before they knew it. The basement level was filthy and consisted of three small rooms separated. A small hallway led into the morgue, and two doors and cheap walls acted as dividers for examination. There was a door in the back that was open, and Pam could see what appeared to be a furnace of some sort back there. A crematorium, they must have burned the bodies once they were done with them. Given that this was gang run, it probably wasn't just limited to those brought in. Her guess was that the filth beneath her feet was ash and soot along with the usual dust and debris.

There were three men down here too. Pam saw one standing over a slab in one of the rooms. He was checking a body, and she tried to recall if it was the one they were looking for. There were drawers in the back behind him. If they were lucky, the kid they were looking for would be out on a table, but he could have been in one of the drawers. One of the other gangers walked out and stopped them, "You two making delivery?"

This one was big, bigger than any of the others they'd seen so far. She wished she had some of her powers looking at him, but she was thankful Ashley was here. Her abilities had been left unaffected by the programming. She must have read like a glitch in Ingrid’s game since she was attached to Jake. "Yeah, got a runner," she replied, studying the large man in front of her.

"Take him to back," the burly man ordered, pointing at the room with the furnace, "Drop him, and get out, now."

Pam and Ashley nodded and he turned to walk back into the room he'd come from. A sword was strapped to his waist as he turned around, but he didn't appear to be carrying any guns. He paid them little mind as he left, and the two of them made their way towards the back room. Ashley stepped forward as they got close. Inside the room with the furnace was another gang member with his back to them. They'd need to be quick and efficient to secure the bottom floor. Ashley held up her hand to signal Pam to wait. They'd need to deal with this one first before they could wake Anders.

Ashley ducked down into a crouch and practically glided across the floor. She pulled her blade from her waistband, and carefully approached her target. In one swift move, she stood up and wrapped a hand around his mouth to silence him. In a flash, she had the edge of the hilt against his throat, and with a single flip of the switch, the blade extended and punctured his neck. Ashley caught his body and pulled him out of sight. That was one down, and now they could work on dispatching the others and finding the shard.

"Burn him or shove him in a drawer?" Ashley asked, dragging his body away from the window.

"Shove him in a drawer," Pam replied, wheeling Anders in and fishing the syringe out of her pocket, "The sound and smell could alert the others before we're ready. Radio Jake and let him know that we are in position, and let him know to get ready to head down."

"Good thinking," Ashley agreed, dragging the dead man over to a drawer and opening it, "Love, we're in position. Do what you need to do up there, and rejoin us as soon as you're able. Secure a route out, and we'll rendezvous soon, okay?"

"Copy that, but something isn't right," Jake's voice came over the comms, "I'm not sure what, and it could be a glitch, but a weird wave just shot through the air. I just saw everything shimmer for a second. I've got a bad feeling about whatever this is. Hurry up and get to the shard, okay? I don't think this is going to be as easy as we thought."

"What do you mean?" Pam asked, unzipping the bag and holding the syringe over Anders' chest.

"I've just got a bad feeling, okay?" Jake sighed, "Something isn't right, and I think we need to move fast."

"Understood," Pam said, "We'll move as fast as we can. Do your thing, and get down here. We'll use your entry route as our way out."

The line went silent, and Pam focused on reviving Anders. She drove the needle down and into his chest. With a forceful squeeze, the adrenaline was pumping through his veins in no time. After a second, he shot up and pulled his pistol with a trembling hand. His eyes were wide, but he stopped himself when he saw Pam. A quick look around, and he slowly lowered his gun. "We fighting?" he asked.

"Not yet, but maybe soon," Pam replied, "Come on, we still need to get the shard and get out. Raven is making his way down now. There's two more goons on this floor."

"Got it," Anders sighed, climbing out of the bag, "Let's move and dispatch them before we do anything else. No gunshots, if we can help it. Think you can handle working with your hands, Specter?"

"I think I'll manage just fine," Pam nodded, getting ready to move, "We need to work in unison, though. Ideally, we take them down at the same time."

"Agreed, let's move," Anders said, ducking down and sneaking towards the room closest to the stairwell.

No sooner had they started to get into position when Erin's voice came over the comms, "What the fuck is this?! Anders, get your ass up here now!"

"Little busy, sis," Anders whispered, but he froze when he heard gunfire, "Erin, what's going on?"

"Get the fuck back, you freaky bitch!" Erin screamed over the gunshots, "Fucking die, you piece of shit! Abort the mission, goddammit, abort it!"

"Shit, so much for the quiet approach," Anders growled, getting up and grabbing his pistol, "Take them down, and see what you can find!"

"What?!" Pam shouted as Anders blew a hole in the back of the gang member's head.

Anders fired another shot through the window and took out the guard that Pam was moving towards. "Find the damn shard!" he barked, pulling a sword out and moving towards the stairs, "Don't know what's going on, but Erin is in trouble. Find the shard, kill everyone that fucking moves, and get back up top!"

Pam shook her head as she started checking around for the body in question. Luckily, the one sitting on the slab matched the description Erin had given them. She checked his neck as Ashley ran into the room, and she pressed a small switch in to eject the shard. She put it in her pocket as Ashley asked, "What the hell is going on?"

"Anders!" Erin screamed as a strange static sound filled the air, "Run!"

The static seemed to fill the entire lobby, not just their comms. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Anders growled as he got to the stairs.

He was knocked off his feet as Jake was suddenly thrown down the stairs and into his chest. Jake had just finished knocking out one of the gang members when the wall to the building suddenly exploded. He caught a glimpse of a woman wearing black and red leather with long black hair. She looked almost like Ingrid, but she was easily a head taller than Jake. A trenchcoat covered the majority of her body, but he could see leather straps fluttering beneath the coat. The sleeves had been cut off just by her elbows, and her forearms had some sort of chrome lining them. She was faster than he was expecting, and she had him by the throat before he could react. The next thing he knew, Jake was flying through the air and down the stairs.

"Ugh, what the fuck?" Jake groaned as he rolled off of Anders and got to his feet, "Fuck, we've got company, and she looks pissed."

"Fucking bitch doesn't know what anger is yet!" Anders growled, "Erin, come in, Erin!"

"She's gone," the large Ingrid copy said, slowly walking down the stairs, "You'll join her soon enough."

"Fuck you!" Anders barked, unloading his pistol into her chest, but the bullets seemed to have no effect on her, "What the fuck?!"

"Pam, we need to run!" Jake shouted, realizing quickly that this situation was only getting worse.

Ingrid’s copy jumped into the air, and her arm morphed in midair. Her wrist folded, and a blade rose up out of her forearm as she flew down the stairs. Jake and Anders rolled out of the way as the tip of the blade landed where they'd been. The woman turned her attention to Jake, and she swung her blade at him. Jake pulled out the bat he'd picked up, and he just barely managed to block the incoming slice. He was pushed back and nearly knocked against the wall from the force of her swing. She was unbelievably strong! Was this part of the game? Anders rushed forward and drove his sword into her neck, but she remained unphased. She pulled the blade out of her neck without flinching, and tried to impale Anders. He dodged the edge of his sword, but she spun around and kicked him in the chest to send him flying backwards.

Seeing how quickly things were deteriorating, Ashley rushed out with blinding speed. She flipped the switch on her blade, and charged at the new arrival. With her speed, she was able to dodge the incoming attacks with relative ease. She blocked two swings, but Ingrid’s other arm switched to another menacing blade in a flash. Ashley struggled to keep up with a flurry of attacks, but Ingrid's duplicate was stopped as Jake opened fire with his pistol before she could connect. Again, she seemed to be unphased despite taking four direct shots to her back. What the hell was this?

The woman rolled her neck and held her arms out. The blades retracted, but two large barrels rose up in their place. Jake's eyes widened as he realized what was happening, "Shit, hit the deck!"

He ran forward and tackled Ashley as he ducked under the hulking woman's arms. Two grenades shot out of her arms, and the explosions that followed collapsed the exits. They were trapped with this monster. Anders got to his feet and felt a surge of anger. Pam looked around for some way of escape, but she couldn't see any way. Guns weren't affecting this monster, and direct attacks seemed to have no effect either. There had to be something she could do. She watched as Anders charged at her again, but she caught him and threw him back down the hallway. Then, this monster rushed forward and kicked both Jake and Ashley in the ribs to send them flying back towards Anders.

Pam was the last one standing, and she had to do something fast. She ran out of the room to stand in front of this Ingrid clone. The woman glared at Pam as she held her arms out to let them shift back to blades. Of all the times to not have access to her powers, this was certainly one of the worst. As Ingrid charged at her, Pam held up her hand in hopes of summoning something to stop her. With little to no hope, she closed her eyes and pictured Beth. The image of her beloved little Kitten whimpering and crying flashed behind her eyes. Maybe Jake and Ashley could escape and free her; she could hope at least.

The feeling of the blade crashing into her never came. Pam opened her eyes in surprise to see the monster seemingly frozen in place. She could see something in the air around them, but it was different than watching the weave. The air rippled and shimmered, but she wasn't sure what was happening. Then she saw it. A small strand of something ethereal floating by. Was she crazy, or were there numbers drifting off of whatever that was? It didn't matter, not at this moment. Pam reached out and grabbed whatever it was, and she felt something in her ignite. A strange feeling that was different from her spellcasting outside of this virtual world, yet somehow strangely familiar at the same time.

"What the hell is going on now?" Anders asked, getting to his feet and trying to figure out what he was witnessing.

Pam didn't have an answer, but she decided to try to use whatever was building within her. She took a step forward as Ingrid's character broke through whatever hold she'd been locked in. She pushed her hand forward, and the air seemed to bend and distort around the two of them. A shockwave of energy shot out from her, and the monster was sent flying backwards. Pam looked around, and she could see lines of something drifting down from the ceiling now. She reached up and clenched her fists around them to see if she could feel whatever they were. It was like holding snakes, but she quickly pulled down on them to see what might happen. The ceiling collapsed onto their attacker, and Pam felt a wave of confidence wash over her. Perhaps she still had a chance at tapping into something in this strange world.

Her moment of relief was short-lived, though. Through the rubble and debris, the arm of Ingrid's character broke free. She was pulling herself out. Whatever she'd made, it was clear she was nearly unstoppable. They needed to get out of here before they were trapped and out of tricks. It was a long shot, but Pam decided to try teleporting them. She turned and ran towards her group as the beast broke free of the rubble. She could see a strange shimmer of light appearing as she got close. She threw caution to the wind as she jumped towards everyone. The gateway opened as she latched onto the three of them. What came next was a strange feeling, even for Pam.

Her vision distorted as everything turned to a strange deep shade of green. Unlike when she phased through the material world, she was surrounded by numbers as she flew through the strange colored space. There was no sound, and she couldn't feel anything as the four of them hurtled through the unknown. All she knew was that they were no longer in that basement, but where they'd gone was a mystery, or rather where they were going. She just hoped that they wouldn't be followed too quickly by whatever that thing was.

The four of them fell to the ground in an alleyway that neither Jake or Pam recognized. They landed in a pile of trash, but they seemed no worse for wear as they got to their feet. "What the fuck just happened?" Anders groaned, as he brushed some of the trash off of himself.

"That's a good question," Jake sighed, helping Ashley up.

Pam shook off her stupor as she got up and out of the garbage, "She's chasing after us. I don't think that was meant to be part of the game."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Anders asked, "What game? Who the fuck was that, and how did she manage to survive everything? Oh, and let's not overlook how we got to this dump!"

"It's a long story, and one I'm not sure you'll like," Pam sighed.

"Pam, I'm not sure we should-" Jake started.

"Whatever rules were in place have already been broken, Jake," Pam cut him off, "Ingrid is bending the rules to eliminate us, and that thing just destroyed a pre-existing structure. I'm not sure how, but I don't think that building was supposed to be able to fall like that."

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, "And, I thought you couldn't use your powers here."

"I can't, and I don't think that was necessarily standard magic," Pam replied, "I'm not sure, but…I think I may have found a way to see the coding she's put in place."

"What, like the Matrix or something?" Jake asked.

"Again, I don't know," Pam sighed, "One thing at a time, though. The game has changed, and I don't see the harm in cluing this one in on things."

"He's a part of her game, Pam," Jake argued, "She could use him against us."

"What fucking game?!" Anders shouted.

"Maybe, or maybe we could use him against her," Pam countered, looking at Anders, "What if I told you that everything you know is a lie? That your very existence and purpose was determined by a preset of rules, limitations, and lines of code? What would you do if your actions were never meant to be your own, and if everything and everyone you knew was simply a pawn in someone's game?"

"Don't joke about that shit," Anders scoffed.

"What would you do?" Pam repeated.

"Fine, I'll humor you," Anders frowned, "I'd burn the entire mother fucker to the ground to find who was screwing with my life. There, is that what you want to hear? Now, do one of you want to tell me what the fuck is going on?"

"We're being hunted by the very person that she's talking about," Jake sighed, deciding to trust Pam, "She's not talking in hypotheticals, she's speaking facts. You, your sister, this city, and everything else here was made by a girl you've never met. That thing we saw was a manifestation of her, and I'm guessing she just killed your sister and erased her."

"This is a fucking joke," Anders scoffed.

"No, this is as real as it gets," Pam replied, "So, tell me, what do you want to do?"

"Someone has been fucking with me, my family, and my life, assuming you're telling the truth," Anders said after a moment of tense silence, "I want to make them pay, but first you're gonna need to convince me that you're not bullshitting me. Tell me everything, and don't leave out any fucking details."

"Jake, fill him in," Pam sighed, nodding as she found a spot to sit, "I'm going to see if meditation can reveal anything else about this. Maybe I can find a way to disconnect his coding from Ingrid’s system."

"This is insane," Anders muttered, sitting against the wall.

"You think you can do that?" Jake asked, not sure if he fully believed what Pam was saying.

"I'm not sure yet, but I believe it's worth a shot," Pam shrugged, taking a seat and closing her eyes, "If she is going to break the rules, then I'll do the same thing. I will not let her best me in a battle of wits. Ashley, can you keep an eye out and an ear to the ground for that thing?"

"On it," Ashley nodded, jumping and climbing up to get a better vantage point.

Jake sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Alright, buckle up, man, because this is gonna sound crazy. There's this girl, Ingrid…"