Collective Mind (38 page)

Bikie
went back to the hotel in an elated mood and invited everyone to his room.

“I
can’t allow the world to have one biker less, even for one hour,” he began
solemnly. “Who knows how all this will end? So I want to initiate Isaac as a
biker!”

He
took a scuffed, black biker jacket out of a plastic bag, along with a bandana
with the words “Harley Davidson” and a bottle of Aniversario Venezuelan rum.

“A
biker can’t live without a motorbike, so there’s a chopper as well. This kind
for now!”

Grinning
slyly, he took a silver key ring with a motorbike on it out of his pocket.
Isaac laughed, but meekly went through with the ceremony.

 “Isaac,
you are worthy of being a biker. You might never have thought about it before,
but you’re a right-on guy and the spirit in you is a biker’s anyway, believe
me. You’ve stirred up such a mess of trouble for the sake of freedom, right now
I can’t even believe it’s real! No one would believe it if they were told.”

Bikie
poured rum for everyone

“To
Isaac and to bikers’ traditions!”

“You
are still the good old Bikie I know, even now! I am not sure about the
traditions, but I’ll make them up and stick to them,” Isaac said and drained
his glass.

Bikie
gave Isaac a stern look.

“I
meant, I’d learn them.”

The
rum was totally mind-blowing.

“The
best I’ve ever had,” Isaac remarked.

“Venezuelan,”
Bikie explained. “Discovered using the method of multiple trial and error. My
favorite.”

Isaac
looked pretty good in the biker jacket.

“Never
thought it would suit me so well… To bikers!” Isaac proposed, and everyone
drank again.

Link
was lighting up a big cigar on the balcony.

“Know
how we really figured out where you were, Professor?”

“How?”

“Your
cigars. First we discovered you hadn’t stopped smoking. Then we found a shop
where you bought them. You blew your cover with the cards you used to pay to
get to Sardinia. Tracking down the only tobacco shop on the island led us to
your house.”

“Hmm.
Clever. I was told smoking would kill me. It hasn’t killed me yet, but it has
given me away. Maybe I really should give up?” said the Professor, coughing.

“The
important thing is not to give up drinking,” Bikie put in, pouring the
remaining rum into the glasses.

When
the bottle was finished, Isaac went to his room. Three missed calls and a
message from Wolanski were blinking on his French phone. Isaac dialed Peter’s
number.

“I
got my inheritance!” Peter told him delightedly. “So I’m ready to hire you back
again!”

“Congratulations!
We’ll have to see about the job. The day after tomorrow Bikie’s going to
download his OE. Today was his last boozing session. We tried once already, but
it didn’t work out.”

“You
already tried? But you promised to tell me when you went for it!”

“Sorry,
Peter, I forgot.”

“That’s
important! Okay then. Good luck. Everything will be fine.”

“I
hope so.”

“I
think we’ll see each other soon.”

“God
willing.”

Wolanski
said goodbye and Isaac decided to have a chat with Michelle - alcohol had put
him in a romantic mood.

The
next day they relaxed and didn’t do anything related to the project.
Downloading with alcohol in the blood was against the Agency’s rules.

Isaac
spent all morning texting Michelle and Vicky.

Link
brought the hacking device. He wanted to brief both of the guys, just to be on
the safe side. During the previous attempt he was planning to do everything
himself, this time Isaac and Bikie would have to operate it alone.

Link’s
hacking device was built into the housing of an old smartphone, which was
rather bulky compared with the modern models. Pascal’s compact amplifier easily
fitted in there as well. The alarm function was used as a timer.

The
hack did not beam back the OE itself, but it switched off the server’s magnetic
field temporarily. The creative energy sensed the magnetic field of its
original owner and skipped back to that person, which only took about ten
seconds.

Not
knowing if it is possible to switch on the hack in open view, Link had covered
all the keys with tape, except for the “on and off” key. Isaac slipped the
smartphone in his pant pocket, felt for the key and pressed it several times.
It was simple and worked easily. Then Bikie practiced for a while. They did not
know who is going to activate the timer, so both of them practiced how to do
it.

Now
they were fully prepared. However, Isaac still felt uneasy about Bikie becoming
a Veggie, despite his friend’s determination and Link’s confidence.

It
was something he couldn’t help.

In
the morning, Bikie was awakened by a knock on his door.

“Who
is it?”

“Link.”

Bikie
opened the door and saw the Professor standing there, holding out a Dictaphone.

“Here,
take this with you. It might come in handy,” said Link. “Hide it deep in your
pocket.”

“A
Dictaphone? Wow, a really cool number! Like the one in the movie about
Commissioner Jackson,” Bikie tried to switch it on.

“No,
no stop! Don’t you press anything on it for now, it’s not quite what you think,
just your little insurance policy. I’ll explain later. Better keep it in your
jacket, or you’ll lose it.”

“OK,”
said Bikie, shoving the dictaphone down deep in his pocket.

“Keep
in mind that the hack and your insurance policy both have to be on the minus
two level!”

“Don’t
worry, I got it …”

“The
floor and ceiling insertions screen off their signals. So bear in mind that if
you can’t carry them in, we cancel the operation! Or you’ll be stuck as a
Veggie!”

“Everything’s
understood, Professor.”

He
was in no mood for discussing what kind of insurance policy this was. He felt
too nervous about the downloading; it was his life now at stake.

The
Professor insisted once again that the hack and the safety-net device had to be
on the minus two level and had to be activated there.

Link
left and Bikie went to the bathroom, took a shower, trimmed his stubble and
called Isaac’s number.

“Hey!
It’s time, get ready and let’s get going. I don’t want to drag it out, or it
gets too frightening.”

Bikie
and Isaac walked into the museum through the separate entrance, on the left was
a special one, meant for those who came to download. One didn’t have to buy a
ticket there, just to present a picture ID.

Isaac
put the phone aside and walked through the metal frame. Bikie followed. The
metal detector started beeping. The security man looked at a monitor.

“Something
in your jacket pocket.”

“Ah,
yes, sorry, the Dictaphone,” said Bikie, recollecting.

Isaac
gave Bikie a quizzical look.

“The
Professor told me to bring it,” Bikie replied in a low voice. “An insurance
policy.”

Taking
back their phones, the hack that looked like a smartphone and the false
Dictaphone, the guys went down a broad stairway and found themselves on the
minus one level, at reception.

Bikie
was assigned a staff member as an escort and told to go to the lift. When Isaac
set off after him, he was stopped. Bikie immediately stopped too, pulled out
his contract and stuck it in the security man’s face.

“He’s
with me. My chaperone. It’s all in the contract”. Bikie was all ready to blow.

The
security man checked and let Isaac through. Once they were in the lift, Bikie
slapped his pockets twice, checking that the hack and the dictaphone were both
in place.

The
doors opened at the much-anticipated level minus two. How simple! No metal
doors or grill work, no sub-machine gunners, no bulletproof vests. Of course,
who would ever get the idea of attacking an orange energy server when there
were at least three copies in other parts of the world?

Bikie
tramped calmly along after the Agency man. They walked into a large, well-lit
office, where a man in a nice beige doctor’s gown was sitting with a young
woman in white, evidently a nurse or laboratory assistant. They seated Bikie in
an armchair, with Isaac facing him on a sofa. The lab assistant quickly checked
Bikie’s pulse and blood pressure and pricked his index finger.

“A
trace of residual alcohol, within the normal range, no traces of drugs, all
other values also normal.”

“Well
then, we can get started. Do you wish to make any changes to the contract?”

“No,”
Bikie replied curtly.

“Isaac
Leroy has been appointed your temporary guardian. Accommodation at the
Versailles Fields boarding house in Paris.”

“That’s
right,” said Bikie, getting slightly nervous. “Get on with it.”

“Here’s
your check. Congratulations, young man, you are extremely wealthy now.”

Bikie
glanced at the six digit figure on the neat little piece of grey paper. He gave
a crooked grin and stuck the check in his pocket.

“Can
you leave us alone together for a couple of minutes? To say goodbye.”

“All
right, take a moment alone,” said the man in the beige doctor’s gown. “But
relax. You’re not in any danger, it’s absolutely safe and doesn’t hurt at all.
You’ll still be a normal person, only with low creativity. Believe me, there’s
nothing terrible about that.”

Seizing
the moment, Bikie slapped his pockets again. Everything was in place. The timer
on the hacking device was set for thirty minutes, all he had to do was switch
it on. Bikie handed the check to Isaac, closed his eyes and pressed the key.

The
doctor in beige soon came back, accompanied by another colleague in a gown, who
was going to carry out the downloading of Bikie’s energy.

“Shall
we begin?”

Bikie
nodded.

They
put a helmet on Bikie’s head and connected several sensors to it.

“Let’s
roll!” Bikie exclaimed with affected gaiety.

Isaac
took hold of his hand. His macho friend usually didn’t like any signs of
weakness, but, this time, everything was different.

“Start.
Engaging the field… three, two, one,” the man in beige counted down and pressed
a button.

Even
through the helmet Isaac recognized that melody. Bikie seemed to be asleep
already. The whole downloading procedure took a minute at the most.

“That’s
it. Now he’ll sleep for fifteen to twenty minutes,” the man in the beige gown
said. “You can wait here or upstairs, on the sofas by the lift. There’s a
no-charge coffee-machine and a cooler; please, feel free to help yourself.”

Isaac
thanked him and asked to be shown upstairs. Once he was alone, the first thing
he did was cash the check and transfer all the money to Bikie’s account. Then
he glanced at his watch. Another ten minutes.

The
lift doors opened and out walked a member of the Agency staff and suddenly...
The Professor.

“There’s
his chaperone. You can wait here,” said the staff member. “You know each other,
don’t you?”

“Yes,
yes, of course. This is Isaac, my nephew’s friend.”

Isaac
nodded. He, of course, recognized Link at once. The Professor had used the same
makeup and costume as on the first day of the conference.

“Link?
How did you get in here? What for?” Isaac asked when the staff member left.

“I
couldn’t help. It’s all too exciting for me.”

“I
see. Sit down. Bikie’s already been downloaded, they’ll bring him here soon.
How did you manage to get down to this floor?”

“I
just waited for the first member of staff who approached the lift. I told him
I’d just come from the railway station and got lost. Said I was the uncle of
the downloader being processed right now. They explained that there was a
different entrance for that and checked that Bikie really was being downloaded.
Then they escorted me here, straight from zero level, not driving the venerable
old uncle round via the street,” Professor winked.

Soon
a lab assistant came to get Isaac and they went down to the downloading room on
the minus two level. Bikie had already woken up.

“Well,
how did it all go?” Isaac asked him

“Alright,”
Bikie answered with a feeble smile.

Isaac
felt an unpleasant deja vu of his conversations with Pascal the Veggie. A
perfect copy. The lab assistants muttered something about not wanting to detain
them.

“Of
course, you still have a couple of minutes,” one lab assistant said. “But you
can wait as long as you like near the lift on the next floor up. I’ll show you
the way.”

“Thanks.”
Isaac glanced at his watch. He had to stretch this out for another seven or
eight minutes. “Where’s the restroom?”

“Along
the corridor on the left.”

Leaving
Bikie in the room, Isaac went out, counted off eight minutes and came back. The
lab assistant looked annoyed, but Isaac couldn’t care less.

He
slapped Bikie on the shoulder and asked:

“Are
you all right?”

“Yes,
I’m all right,” Bikie replied curtly, not showing the slightest sign of
interest.

He
was clearly still a Veggie…

“Let’s
go then,” said Isaac, thinking about how to play for time. The lift was already
too close, but they couldn’t leave the minus two level, no matter what.

Isaac
stopped, retied his shoelaces and went on. Obedient Bikie tramped after him.

“It’s
all fine for him,” Isaac thought nervously. “For him these minutes are simply
passing by. But for me every single one is like a year.” Glancing at his watch,
Isaac discovered that he’d gained another thirty seconds. The lab assistant was
calling the lift.

Isaac
began creeping along the wall, already prepared to fall on the floor and act
out a heart attack, clutching at his chest, but at that moment someone pinched
him on the backside! He swung round:  Bikie was almost stony-face, but it was
clear from his eyes and the corners of his mouth that he was struggling to
resist laughter!

There
hadn’t been a power surge, the lights hadn’t blinked, in fact, there hadn’t
been any visible results of the hack at all. But by this time it must have
happened.

“Did
it work? But of course, it worked! Why would a Veggie pinch anyone?” Isaac
thought anxiously.

“We
can manage on our own from here if you like,” he suggested out loud to the lab
assistant.

“No,
I have to escort you up, that’s the rule,” said the lab assistant, walking into
the lift.

In
the lift, Isaac could barely restrain a smile. Could it really have worked? All
they had to do now was cut and run.

Getting
out on the level above the protected zone, the guys leisurely sat down on a
sofa. Bikie pretended he hadn’t recognized the Professor, but Isaac caught on
quickly.

“Come
on, don’t you recognize your own uncle?”

“Yes,
I do,” Bikie replied in a theatrically feeble voice.

The
lab assistant left without waiting for the mock relatives to embrace. He’d done
his job, the rest was none of his business. As soon as the lift doors closed,
Isaac sighed in relief and the Professor sprang at Bikie

“Well?
Did it work?”

Before
Bikie could even answer, they suddenly heard someone running down the corridor.
Could they have been busted?

It
was the girl from reception, and striding rapidly behind her was… Wolanski!

“Peter?”
Isaac was astonished. “Is this a special day for surprises?”

“Is
this man with you?” asked the girl. “He demanded to be let through to you.”

“Yes,
he’s with us, thank you.”

The
girl left. Peter walked up to Bikie, ruffled up his hair and asked:

“How’s
things, old buddy?”

“Thanks,
Peter, fine.”

“You
a Veggie?”

“No.”
Bikie grinned. “But there are cameras here, so be careful.”

Peter
held his hand out to the Professor.

“Peter.”

“I
know who you are. I saw your photos at the villa,” growled Link, reluctantly
shaking the hand. He was clearly annoyed by Peter’s sudden appearance. “Isaac,
I don’t understand the point of these unnecessary improvisations!” The
Professor did not try to conceal that he was angry.

“He
didn’t know either, Professor” Peter replied. “I was going to arrive this
morning, before the downloading, but my plane was delayed slightly.”

Wolanski
intended to continue, but, at this point, Bikie got up.

“Maybe
we should make tracks out of here first?” he asked.

The
plotters finally realized that it had all worked! Isaac and Peter exclaimed
“Yes!!!” in unison and dashed towards their friend.

After
hugging them, Bikie walked over to thank Link.

“Congratulations,
Bikie, and please return the dictaphone that I gave you,” the Professor still
looked agitated.

“Hang
on, Link, let’s get out…”

“Give
it to me right now!” The Professor’s voice was far from friendly or polite.

Bikie
frowned.

“Right
now? What’s the problem, Professor?”

“Hand
it over!” Link barked, taking a handgun with a silencer out of his briefcase.

“What
are you doing, Link?” asked Isaac, flabbergasted. “Have you lost your mind? Put
the gun away!”