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Awakenings Chapter 3: Explorations, Page 8

DeMario noted Ed’s inquisitive look.  “Remember the Boy Scout Motto, always be prepared. ”

Firing up the 68 ‘stang, and after clipping in the 5-point racing harnesses, they headed out the driveway slowly, giving the car time to warm up as condensation dripped out of the twin exhaust pipes.  The pavement of Highway 168 was slightly damp from the morning dew.  As soon as the car warmed up and they hit a straight-away, DeMario put his foot into the gas, pushing both him and Ed hard into the bucket seats from the acceleration, with DeMario shifting each time the shift light flashed.  At 120 mph, which seemed to come in only a few seconds, DeMario backed off on the gas. “I guess it works”, grinning from ear-to-ear.  He glanced over at Ed, who was hanging on to the door handle with white knuckles, and definitely not smiling.

After passing through Clovis, they came into the warehouse district where the trucking terminal was located.   DeMario drove carefully, trying not to draw any attention to himself.  Coming to the street corner near the terminal, he decided that they needed a diversion.  He pulled over to curb, got out, and got some tire tools and a jack out to feign a flat tire.

While DeMario pretended to fiddle with a flat tire, Ed got out his notebook computer and turned it on.  After bootup he then used it to scan for nearby wireless networks.  Soon he came across one particularly strong signal.  A window opened up with the name ‘All Valley Transport’ and a log in prompt.   He quietly called out through the open passenger window, “I think we found them”.

DeMario quietly responded, “Click on the analyze button and wait”.

Ed did so.  The software then responded with a “looking for extraneous log in signals” message.

After a few minutes Ed saw a message pop up, “access achieved”.  The software had intercepted another external login with password and was able to access the trucking company system.  Ed softly called out, “We are in”.

About this time a black BMW M5 with dark tinted windows cruised slowly by.   DeMario took note of this car and continued to feign working on a flat tire.

Ed worked his way into the trucking company system until he got into an area that appeared to be the financials, where he ran into another login.  Without asking for help from DeMario, he clicked on the infiltrate button of the special software.  Within a few minutes, he had access to the financials.  Ed then clicked on numerous file folders and clicked the download button.  About this time the black M5 came cruising by again.

DeMario called out softly, “Better wrap it up, I don’t like the look of that beamer”.

Ed, feeling some pressure now, continued to download.  He saw that DeMario had placed the tire tools and jack back into the trunk and had moved the Ruger Mini-14 under a towel into the back seat of the ‘ stang.  He then slid into the driver seat and started the motor.

Ed glanced over at DeMario with irritation.  “I only need a few more minutes.  I think we have hit a gold mine.”

DeMario looked into the rear view mirror with tight lips.  “Better buckle back up, the beamer is coming up again, this could get interesting.”

DeMario pulled away from the curb slowly, trying to look innocent.  The beamer pulled up to a few feet from the ‘stang’s bumper and cruised there, matching speed.

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