Chapter 20

Nari was a genius, as far as Marc could tell. He felt a little amateurish working with her, but it was thrilling to have someone on his side who knew what they were doing. Not only that, she just got him. Ok, he wasn’t the greatest hacker in the world, but he tried, he knew as much as he could manage. No formal education, no training. He just learned and read and watched videos and practiced. That’s what his friends never saw, and he hated the way they disrespected his talents. Nari was better than him, sure, but so cool about it. Guided him through the process each step of the way.

That process looked to skip the CaliaCorp website entirely, because that was locked down tight. Nari suggested looking at the systems the company used. Even if they were part of CaliaCorp they would be less strict about access and passwords and encryption. Not just that either, she knew all the exploits to try. Looking for outdated software, poor password policies, accessible cloud storage, and more. Marc was blown away just watching her screenshare as they chatted. Her voice sounded so cute too, kind of a drawl with this hint of an accent from the other side of the world. Youthful and enthusiastic, delighting in every move she made even if to Marc it seemed to send her ten steps back in her efforts to break into CaliaCorp.

The cloud storage service was a bust. Just as secure as the main website, maybe moreso. Nari was clever, though. She got into the payroll company next, looking for Ben’s home address. But that didn’t work either.

“It’s so tight,” she groaned.

“So tight,” Marc agreed.

“I’ve got some more ideas, ok? We’re gonna find your buddy.”

“Thanks, Nari.”

“De nada.”

She continued to work, and Marc watched in awe as login screen after login screen flashed before his eyes. She typed so fast. She must be talented with her hands. Her voice had him wondering what she looked like. He imagined pale, smooth skin and long, dark, straight hair. Maybe glasses. She would suit glasses. And he could almost create her in his mind, sitting at her desk in a tank top with spaghetti straps and a pair of teeny denim shorts. Why that, he wasn’t sure it just seemed right.

For all her skills though, she hadn’t actually gotten anywhere.

“Marc, it's really hard.”

“I can see that.”

“I mean I know it was hard when you were doing it alone, but do you think it’s even harder now?”

“Probably, you’re doing some advanced stuff.”

“Yeah, I know I just didn’t expect to be railed by all this security. They’re fucking me everywhere I go,” Nari said.

Marc took a moment to think. He found Nari swearing just a little bit more distracting than he expected. Like hearing something forbidden, something innocent turning corrupt. He found it phenomenally attractive.

“Ok so you’ve tried cloud services, payroll, emails, expenses… what’s next?”

“Hardware. Physical hardware. You know? Stuff you can touch.”

“Like, their computers?”

“Cameras, remember?”

“Right,” said Marc, “the security cameras.”

“Let me see what I can do here. There’s just one company that installs these things in the city, of course. CaliaCorp Workplace Safety and Logistics. Let me get on their site.”

Marc watched Nari work. The speed she parsed a webpage was incredible. Like she knew exactly what information to ignore. She must have done this so many times before, it was uncanny how fast she jumped to the base of the page, found the right link, a staff only login, and tried names and passwords.

“You’re incredible,” Marc said.

“Thanks cutie,” Nari replied, the sound of her typing coming through as she spoke.

Her hands moved at speed. She found an email that the system recognised as a user. Marc wondered where it came from then assumed she had more than one monitor. He could see the work on a single screen from the other side of their video call. Nari tried a password with the username she found. It didn’t work.

“Fuck,” she said, “thought I got in.”

“Almost there,” said Marc, “you can do this.”

“You’re so damn sweet.”

The next password left the screen hanging for a moment. A circle spun, loading. Marc held his breath.

“I think we’re in Marc.”

The circle spun on, spiraling before his eyes. Marc didn’t dare move. If she managed to get access to CaliaCorp, Nari was definitely a genius. The whole thing was impenetrable when they started, and it had only been a couple of hours. Nari felt like an old friend already. Listening to her talk about hacking, listening to her encourage him, it was something he needed so badly. A peer. An equal. Someone who understood the things he did, who got him on a level that his friends never could. He loved them all, he did, but they were luddites. They didn’t know how to use a computer to its potential. They did surface level things like use social media. Nari though, Nari was an artist with a mouse and keys. Effortless too, naturally brilliant it felt like. Working at speed as if it were totally normal. Marc would have taken days to do the things she had done in minutes. He wondered if she could meet him offline. Maybe he could ask her out. If she lived in the city. Working with her he could do anything, achieve so much.

He should be thinking about Ben. That was the point, wasn’t it? The screen flickered and they were in.

“Fuck yeah!” called Nari.

“You’re amazing.”

“Don’t make me blush Marc,” she said, “it’s taken me forever to get into anything come on.”

“I mean it,” he said.

“Well, thanks, I appreciate it. Now let’s see what we’ve got here.”

Her cursor floated across the screen as Marc scanned the page. He saw a client list. Hundreds of camera systems in hundreds of offices, businesses, on streets, everywhere. Right at the top was the one they came for. CaliaCorp Headquarters.

“There you are,” Nari whispered.

She clicked on the link and the screen displayed video feeds from ten cameras. Nari scrolled down. There were many, many more. The entire CaliaCorp building was there for them to explore. Anything, anyone there could be found. Ben could be found.

“What are we looking for?” Nari asked.

“You know what Ben looks like, so, I guess a guy like that.

“Gotcha, this may take a while.”

Nari clicked on the first camera. The lobby. A delivery driver left a package at the front desk. Nothing exciting. She changed to another camera. It was just a different view of the lobby.

“You weren’t kidding,” said Marc.

Nari let out a giggle as she clicked on another camera. This one seemed to be an office, with several people hunched over computers. Again, nothing happened but Marc could have sworn that the computers all had the same image on the screen. Nari clicked again.

“What the…”

Her voice trailed off as Marc stared, his eyes wide. In this room, a woman holding a bullwhip paraded up and down, cracking it over the back of a man strapped to what could be best described as a torture rack. She was tall, clad in leather or latex, with flowing hair and enormous heels on her boots.

“So, this is different,” Nari laughed.

Marc stayed silent. This display of raw sexuality, of domination, was not something he was accustomed to and seeing it while on a call with Nari made his stomach churn, butterflies all taking off at once. It also boggled his mind that something like that would be going on in an office, of all places. Hardly looked like work.

“Y-yeah,” he managed.

“Not really helping us, is it?”

“No, I guess not.”

“Kinda fun to watch them shooting though, right?” Nari teased.

“Shooting?”

“See the camera?”

Marc hadn’t realised before, but the whole thing turned out to be some sort of production. One of those Calia softcore TV shows. He laughed. Nari switched cameras. This time, he saw a room of four women in business suits, a meeting. They were looking over documents. The camera switched again. Now he looked at a man strapped into some strange metal contraption, with a virtual reality headset on. He was naked. A woman in a lab coat sat in front of a computer staring intently at its screen as the man bucked and writhed.

“What is this?” asked Marc.

“Let’s just watch.”

Marc did as Nari suggested and saw another woman enter the scene. Also in a lab coat. She approached the man, restrained at the wrists and ankles, and placed a hand on his cock, stroking it gently. He twitched and spasmed at the touch.

“What do they do in that place?” Marc asked.

“Shhh let’s see what happens.”

The woman quickened her pace and the man in the headset began to fight against the restraints. At the computer, the other woman nodded, pleased with their results. With his cock now being massaged rapidly, a robotic arm moved forward with a syringe toward the bound man. It pierced his thigh, and his movement began to slow. The hand on his cock though, moved faster, yet he barely reacted now. His twitching subsided; he stopped fighting against his restraints.

“Nari, what the hell is this?”

“How should I know, messed up isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty weird.”

“Are you into it?” she chuckled.

Marc didn’t answer. The man’s headset was being removed now and the restraints unlocked. He stepped down from the machine in a daze. The two women directed him to another room and Nari switched cameras. There, he was gently nudged toward a computer at a desk. He immediately sat down and started typing, fully nude.

“I think the show’s over,” said Nari, changing to another camera.

A break room, where a woman ate a sandwich. Nari changed cameras again. Now on the screen Marc saw a woman with pink hair, wearing a school uniform. Short skirt, button-up shirt, and knee-high socks. She beckoned someone from off-screen to come to her. A man walked into frame, wearing a tight pair of boxer shorts.

“No way,” Marc said.

“What?”

The man knelt before the pink-haired woman, and she lifted her skirt. His head vanished beneath it, and he gripped her thighs with his hands. The woman’s head rolled back.

“It’s Ben,” said Marc.

“Let me zoom in.”

Nari pushed the camera closer, and the woman and Ben filled the screen. Her eyes fluttered between open and closed and she planted a hand on the back of Ben’s head. She spoke, but the camera wasn’t sending audio. All Marc could do was stare at his friend as he pleasured this gorgeous creature on the screen. She looked incredibly pretty, and Marc, for a moment, let his mind wander to the idea of being in Ben’s place, but it was Nari in the uniform. His cock twitched at the thought.

“Looks like your friend is having a good time,” said Nari.

Marc’s mouth fell open, jaw slack.

“Marc?” said Nari.

“Yeah, yeah, I can see it. I just… don’t know what to say.”

“Not much to say, no wonder he likes his new gig.”

“That’s crazy, it makes no sense. He’s at work.”

“People have sex at work, Marc.”

“I know but, it’s like he’s… worshiping her.”

Ben’s head appeared from beneath the skirt, coming up for air, and he started up at the woman above him with a glazed expression.

“People are into that stuff Marc, that’s why they were shooting a show about it. Are you not interested in that kind of thing?” Nari asked.

The woman on screen pushed Ben to the ground and placed her foot on his face. He began to lick it.

“I just,” Marc began, searching for the words, “I should tell everyone I found Ben.”

“Floor 40. That’s what the camera is marked as.”

“Ok… finally, something to go on. Thank you.”

Nari giggled, “why don’t you thank me like your friend thanks his boss sometime.”

Marc feigned a laugh. “Can I contact you again, if I need more help?”

“I’m always online.”

“Thanks, Nari.”