The Lottery Council- Chapter XVIII: The Clock Is Ticking

richq11 (72)in #fiction • 7 years ago

The passwords David provided Jack supplied a treasure trove of information about the inner workings of the elusive council. Unbeknownst to David and the Nolans, they were not as alone as they had surmised... Jack and his merry band of hackers had implanted undetectable spider bots in the system that were constantly updating their information flow.. There was an entire network of dedicated individuals with one common purpose- the elimination and ultimate downfall of the nefarious culture of death. David and his sister were far too busy trying to keep their own family alive and avoid the constant surveillance to focus on defeating any evil empires.

David had instructed Ann how to go dark on the net in order to avoid detection while transferring funds- Metzger's goons may be able to observe that the accounts were dwindling, but were unable to see where the money was going. It seemed to David that this was almost turning into open warfare now. Their daily excursions with the enthusiastic Bart continued, playing their incessant game of cat and mouse with the ever-present van and it's internal surveillance equipment. At least the dog is getting something out of this, David observed wryly. Onward they trudged, heads close together to avoid being overheard... what a pair they must make, thought Ann.

At work, Jim was walking on eggshells, trying to appear as if nothing was wrong- but things were wrong, very wrong and Jim could sense it... there was an almost palpable tension in the air. He couldn't afford to trust anyone, but had to appear casual- nonchalant in his daily routine. One day while in the executive washroom, Leyland came in and spoke in hushed tones, almost conspiratorily, handing Jim a folded envelope secretively.

"Read this when you're certain no one else can see," he practically whispered.

Jim was taken aback, "Ok," he whispered back... it was all he could manage in his shock. Leyland disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. He was confused, looking first to his left then to his right to make certain they had not been observed. He noticed with some relief that there was no one else in the washroom. There was no doubt in his mind as to the danger he and his family were in, but did Leyland? Surely he must, being in the position he was in. Why was he going out on a limb like this, or was he, Jim wondered? Was Masters in fact on his side, did he even have a side? He chuckled almost bitterly. If Masters was on his side, he would clearly realize the peril he was putting himself in- not to mention his own family. Or, was this some kind of ruse... Was Leyland setting a trap using himself as bait?

Jim stuffed the envelope hastily into his pocket. He looked around once more and at the row of stalls in front of him before selecting one with no heater vent over the commode. Entering, he put his hand in his pocket to withdraw the message, but thought better of it. He would stop on his way home, at a random location that would not be surveilled. He would read its contents there, in relative safety. When he returned to his office, Sarah, his secretary was at her desk... how much could he trust her, he wondered? He would take no chances, he decided, the lives of his family were at stake and much to valuable to gamble away on a bad decision. He would really like a friend- an ally at work whom he could trust and depend on... this was a lot to attempt on his own. He went back about his work.

Meanwhile, closer to home, a different van was accompanying David and Ann on their walk... slowing long enough for David to catch a glimpse of the passenger- it was Jack. He nodded slightly and David nodded back... the van then drove on leaving David with a small modicum of relief. His first instinct, that he fought off, was to pull his cellphone from his pocket and call- but then thought better of it. He knew they were being watched and probably listened to as well. He did inform Ann in a very hushed tone that they weren't alone.

After work, Jim stopped at a coffee shop on his way home and ordered a cup. About halfway through he rose and asked the cashier for the restroom... safely inside he removed the envelope from his pocket and opened it...

'Jim, I'm putting myself and my family in great danger by disclosing this information to you. You and your family are under constant surveillance- by Bill Metzger and his men. They're aware that you and your brother-in-law are in possession of information that they want kept quiet... Council business. Do not trust Metzger and it would probably be in your best interest to resign from the Council. You can cite family issues, or something- say your wife is complaining about the time away- anything. Be careful what you say and do, especially at home and work. I can cover for you at work, you're a fine VP and doing a wonderful job- it's the Council that you need to stay away from. I'll communicate with you as much information as I can. I'm sorry I got you into this and will do whatever I can to get you out. ~Leyland

Well, Jim reckoned, it looked like Leyland wasn't the enemy after all... if he could be trusted- that was the $64,000 question. He tore the note into small pieces and flushed them down the toilet. The envelope he crumbled up and threw away. He wanted to trust Leyland, he needed to. Leyland would make a much better ally than enemy. He decided to take Ann for a walk to discuss what had happened. Perhaps, she would have some insight, women's intuition. After finishing his coffee, he headed home.

In his rooms above the garage, David went to work. The first thing he wanted to do was to send Jack a text on his encrypted phone. 'I'm glad you're here,' he wrote.

'I'm here, but I'm not here,' was the response. David wondered what was going on. Why was Jack in town... was there something else he needed to know? He supposed if there was, he would hear from Jack. Hungry, he went to the house for dinner. Jim was already home from work. David took his place at the table... they all smiled at each other- 'Let the charade begin,' he thought.