The Gambit by Allen Longstreet Page A

corporate the money was taken, because if he does, the crime he committed will be visible. If he doesn’t stay quiet, he will shoot himself in the foot. That is what will keep me off the radar. Plus, part of the script I’m going to write will make it seem like the money just vanished. I will leave no trace that I was ever there to begin with.”
    “Goddamn man, you’re a fucking genius!”
    He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and stood up.
    “Why thank you, Owen, for complimenting me with such eloquent wording.”
    “Smartass…” I mumbled.
    “In the meantime, though, you’re going to need some cash.”
    He walked around to the side of his bed and picked up the edge of the mattress. He pulled out a handgun and laid it in front of me. I stared at him in disbelief.
    “You can’t be kidding me,” I said.
    “Owen, you’re already a terrorist. What’s a little armed robbery gonna hurt?”
    “My reputation! I’m not a real criminal, man.”
    “But, you’re a politician,” Grey retorted with a sly smirk.
    “Good one,” I quipped.
    “Dude, regardless of what you do, you are the media’s bitch right now. They are going to tarnish you any way they can. Whoever is feeding them this false information knows they have the power. We have to shake them up a little bit, and prove to them that you aren’t just going to give up without a fight.”
    I shook my head in agreement.
    “You’re right, Grey. I think you’ve got a good plan.”
    “It’s a damn good plan, at least for now. I know I can execute the script properly, too.”
    “What a résumé you have, you went from hacking the school computers to hacking banks.”
    “Progress is key,” he said and winked.
    Grey sat down and started opening programs on his desktop. I carefully picked up the handgun and held it in my hand. The weight of it alone was formidable, and thoughts about robbing a bank tomorrow with it were even more nerve-wracking.
    “All right Owen, I put some fresh sheets and pillows in our guest bedroom. It’s one door down.”
    I gave him a peculiar look. “Are you trying to get rid of me already?”
    “No, but with the kind of stress you’ve been under today, you should probably get some rest. You’ll need the energy for tomorrow.”
    I felt a wave of anxiety as I imagined what the coming days might bring.
    “You’re probably right,” I admitted.
    “Plus, I highly doubt you would want to stay up all night and watch me write script.”
    “You thought right,” I agreed. “You aren’t going to sleep? You’re crazy man.”
    “Most people of my caliber would take a couple days to a week to encode a script as complex as this. We don’t have that kind of time. So, it’s not crazy, it’s necessary .”
    “I’m glad you see it like that,” I said.
    He glanced at me with a serious expression. “Owen, if you don’t want to rot in a federal prison for the rest of your life, every single thing you do from here on out has to be necessary.”
    I nodded and let his comment settle.
    “Also, if you don’t mind, can you make a pot of coffee before you hit the sack?”
    I shot him a dramatic, exaggerated glare—as if his request was too difficult.
    “Of course man, of course.”

- 5 -
     

     
    I set my coffee on the faux wood of the table. Grey refilled my cup. The pouring sound, along with the bold aroma helped calm my nerves. Simple pleasures before a chaotic day. Grey sat down in front of me. I noticed he had dark circles under his eyes.
    “Did you get any sleep?”
    “No. I’ll sleep when it’s done.”
    “How did everything turn out?”
    He pressed his lips together and appeared nervous.
    “The script looks great, but there is no way of being sure it will work until I hit enter. Once I’m remotely in their server, one incorrectly written command could mean a rejection—a failure in the execution of the script.”
    It dawned on me why Grey had stayed up all night. This kind of hacking wasn’t to be taken