Part 17
She walked for miles,
weaving through crowds,
cutting through department stores.
She changed jackets,
bought a cheap hat,
and finally slipped into a subway station.
She boarded a train,
waited until the doors were closing,
and stepped out at the last second.
The agent tailing her,
was trapped inside the car,
glaring at her through the glass.
She smiled,
gave a small wave,
and disappeared into the crowd.
She bought a burner phone,
with cash,
at a convenience store.
She dialed the secure number,
memorized in her head,
and waited for Julian to answer.
"It's me," she said,
when he picked up.
"Are you okay?" he asked,
his voice tight with worry.
"The office was raided,
but they didn't get the package," she explained,
walking down a dark alley.
"I need you to come back,
I need you to open this drive."
"It is not safe for me to come to the city," he argued.
"Then I will come to you," she decided,
checking her surroundings.
"Rent a car,
pay in cash,
and take the old logging road," he instructed.
"I will see you in four hours,
be careful, Eleanor."
She hung up,
crushed the burner phone under her heel,
and tossed it into a dumpster.
The drive up the mountain,
was treacherous and dark,
with heavy rain slicking the narrow roads.
She kept her eyes on the rearview mirror,
paranoid,
expecting headlights at any moment.
But the road remained empty,
winding higher into the pines,
far away from the city's grasp.
She arrived at the cabin,
hidden behind a grove of trees,
just after midnight.
Julian stepped out onto the porch,
holding a rifle,
lowering it when he saw her face.
He pulled her into a hug,
tight and desperate,
relieved she was alive.
"You took a massive risk," he scolded,
locking the heavy wooden door.
"We don't have the luxury of safety,
not anymore," she replied,
pulling the USB drive from her pocket.
Arthur Vance was sitting by the fire,
looking slightly better,
but still on edge.
"Is that it?" Arthur asked,
nodding at the drive.
"The keys to the kingdom," she said,
handing it to Julian.
Julian booted up his offline laptop,
plugged in the drive,
and started running his decryption software.
The screen filled with code,
cascading in green lines,
as the program chipped away at the security.
"It is military grade,
but old," Julian observed,
typing commands rapidly.
"I can break it,
but it will take an hour,
maybe two."
Eleanor sat on the sofa,
exhaustion finally hitting her,
making her bones ache.
"Rest," Julian told her,
without looking away from the screen.
"I will wake you,
when we have the devil's true name."
She closed her eyes,
May you like
just for a moment,
and let the darkness take over.
