Hackers and Hotties -a serial

False Information

Ken was back at Glitterball, the club his father had designated as their meeting point, munching on free peanuts. There weren't as many people there as on Saturday, probably because half of them were working on finals of some sort for college.

Ken didn't have that problem. He'd finished his programing project in a day, and there were no other classes for him to worry about. For the next three days he was actualy worry free. Maybe the move to America was actualy an improvement, things were much looser over here, as opposed to Japan, when it was a blessing if Ken was allowed to even see the light of day.

He was just contemplating this strange change of fate when /she/ showed up. Ken hadn't even noticed her come in, and by the time he did see her, it was too late. She walked right up to him, perfictly sober, and although he desperately wanted to, Ken didn't run. That would look extremely suspicious.

At least Ken knew her name now. His playing with the school database at least told him that. "Uh. Hello Miss DiAngelo."

"It's Tina."

"Oh, Tina."

"Yeah, hi Kenny. You mind telling me where you got my address?"

"You told me-"

"No, I didn't. Don't lie Kenny. You couldn't lie for you life. Now tell me how you got my address, and why yours is in an abandoned warehouse."

"Where?"

"An abandoned warehouse for Christ's sake! I found your ID card on the ground, so I went to give it to you, and I end up in front of this stupid run down warehouse which I /know/ you don't live in. Explain Kenny, before I suck the answers out of you."

This was not good. Defenitly not good. Ken wasn't about to explain anything, so he looked for a way out.

"You just found my ID on the ground."

"Yeah, when I came back from class."

"And you didn't give it to me then?"

"You left too quickly. Listen, are you going to answer my questions or not?"

"No, I'm not." Ken put down his bowl of peanuts and left the club as calmly as he could. Stupid girl, she didn't know what she was getting herself into. He could feel her staring at him, and he willed himself not to look back.

Walking home, Ken tried to asses his options. He couldn't tell his father about Tina, or she'd be dead the next day. He couldn't tell Tina about his dad either, or they'd both probably end up blown away. He couldn't ignore her, she was way to intimidating, but if he antagonized her she might try to dig deeper.

Ken reached the small room he used as his apartment and opened the door. The lights were already on. Freezing, Ken tried to see if anyone was already inside. A figure steped out behind the computers, and Ken didn't know whether to breath a sigh of relief or curse.

<Good evening Kenichi. We have a special job for you.> Yomoto spoke in Japanese, like all the other members of Ken's father's operation. <Have you finished our latest job?>

<Yes, I have.> Ken handed Yomoto the finished disk.

<Good. The breifcase is on your kitchen table. You will contact us the second you are finished breaking the code. I don't think I have to remind you to be very careful.>

<No, you don't.>

<I didn't think so.> Yomoto gave a quiet grin, and Ken cringed. <You had better get this one Kenichi. If you do, I can assure you your father will be very happy.>

The pale man was gone the next second. Ken watched him leave in his beatdown car from the only window not shuttered up. Just like Yomoto had said, there was a breifcase on the kitchen table, and he started looking through it's contents, mentaly reminding himself to go shopping for better locks.