Information: Dark Matter Volume 1

Chapter 9

Version of 2023 August 06

She collapsed her umbrella and slid into the booth across from her client—Colin/Spaceboy. He was looking out the window to where the Spring rain was soaking the city. Carefully she placed the chip on the table. "There it is!" she announced. He turned to look at her. His face was horrible. Dark rings around his eyes. She was startled by the change since she had last seen him. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"My bowl's gone."

He paused. "Might have happened just because I disconnected from the system."

"What do you mean?"

"We figured out how to break the programs in my gear. I was infected. You told me. So we started looking. Then we learned how to look at the code. Then we broke it all. I'm free. They can't track me anymore."

She looked at him. "Well they can. They don't need to have a hot monitor on you if they know enough about you. I already told you, they can run projective algorithms. Why do you think I asked you to meet me here? This is not a normal place for either of us. I selected it using a random number generator. That should put us outside of any immediate search pattern. But that's only a short term solution. They can also track holes in the system—the places you are not. Those add up as well. Put it together and you can't hide in the long term."

She went on, "If you really want to hide you need false positives. Those clog up the system so quickly that it breaks down. But for that you need to know what you are doing and have some high powered access to the system." She paused, and then went on, "But I'm guessing that your disconnecting had nothing to do with your disappearing bowl-alien-thing."

"Why not?"

"I think I know a little bit about what going on, but it's complicated." She wanted to tell him what she'd found, but she could tell he was still stuck in his horror. Empathy was not her thing, but sometimes you had to listen before you could do your business. "First tell me what happened." She smiled at him encouragingly—didn't even hurt to do so—"Let your little librarian know what was going on." Those words hurt, but they had the desired effect. The words poured out.

"I've been staying in an apartment the company leases. It's for captains and traders on lay-overs. People like me. It's cheaper just to keep the place than to put us up in hotels, plus more comfortable. It's a secure building."

She grimaced when he said that. She could imagine a dozen ways to get into a secure building, from just walking in to her own special approach.

"So I've been leaving the bag with the bowl in the apartment when I've been out. That's been fine, but two days ago I got back and it was gone. I think the door was open, but I can't remember. All I really remember was getting back and noticing it was gone.

"I checked with the concierge and they reported nothing. Of course people were coming and going, but there was nothing that looked like anyone had taken my bag. I reported it to the police as well. They told me that they'd note it and if it turned up they'd let me know."

He was distraught. "I don't know what to do. It could be anywhere by now. Halfway around the planet. Even off planet."

She looked at him carefully. "Let me see if I understand the story. You brought an alien artifact to Earth. It is literally priceless—and key to your own personal condition. You kept it in your bag in your room, not under lock and key, but sitting in the open. It was stolen by unknown parties who left no trace." She paused, "Are you a complete idiot? Fuck. Even a child could have done better. No security around a priceless artifact and you wonder how it disappeared? I'm only surprised it took so long."