Brain(56)
“I need to see the video, but yeah, that was my first thought.”
I made a mental note to let Abbott know about Detective Appian. Humans on a mission needed to be handled before they found proof of us. Abbott was the Master Vampire of the area, and also kind of the top dog of every supernatural in the surrounding four or five states. I didn’t owe him my loyalty or fealty, but I respected him, and knew he’d handle the situation in the most humane way possible.
“Bingo!” she said with a little happy shake. “I’m gonna copy it to a server in Turkey. It’ll mirror to a Russian server, and I have a tunnel already set up to bring stuff in from there.”
I grinned at her. “You have the sexiest brain on the planet, Buttercup.”
Ten minutes later, we were watching the video footage, and the other MC guys were total asses, while Duke had been advocating for everyone to back off and chill out, telling the RTMC members to stand down while they tried to work this out. However, when it became apparent a fight was inevitable, the RTMC had wiped the floor with the other club.
We watched it a dozen times, and I cycled through it slowly, pausing and rewinding to be sure of some specifics. When I finished scrutinizing it, I paced the floor a few times, debating. Finally, I turned to Ice and said, “I’m doing this for the Duchess, so she’ll have Duke back. But I’ll only do it if you’re okay with my helping the Chattanooga RTMC, after the way they treated you.”
“Honestly, I still have mixed feelings emotionally, but logically, I know I probably got off easy, considering what I did to the club. I don’t think I could stand being in the same room with Gonzo or Bash, but it makes me sad to think you gave up your friendship with Duke because of me. I mean, if you were still friends with him, I’m not sure I could’ve let you in, but at the same time…” She shrugged. “I don’t know, Brain.”
“Okay. I won’t leave you alone to help them, but while the nurse is here tomorrow, I’d like to drive into the city and take a bus to a coffee shop with free wi-fi. I have access to a business close enough I can use the coffee shop’s wi-fi signal with my external directional antenna. I’ll upload the edited video to YouTube, send mail to a list I’ve gathered over the years of various decision makers at large news organizations, and then hack into the DOJ in Washington and bring it to the right person’s attention there.” I sighed and scratched the back of my neck. “I’ll be using my family ties to put the kibosh on this, because my dad and brother don’t want the RTMC to make the news, as they’re afraid I’ll suddenly come back onto the radar. They’ll quickly jump into motion to get the judge to make the issue go away here, and then pay off the news organizations to keep them from posting it.”
“Tell me the personal precautions you’ll take?”
I nodded. “Besides the obvious cyber security stuff, I have a disguise, plus I know how to avoid the cameras in the area. I’ll have my tablet set to fire everything off in a matter of seconds, before scrubbing the files, and then I’ll leave through a back entrance, my tablet in a bag with no evidence of what I’ve done, just in case I’m picked up. I’ll walk a few blocks to a hotel, go in the back, stop in the bar and buy a drink with cash, and then go out the front, and have a taxi take me to a mall, again using cash. I’ll get in my car and take a circuitous route home.” I sighed and added, “I won’t have a cellphone on me at all, so you won’t be able to reach me while I’m gone.”
“You’ll set up ineffective proxies, so they’ll trace it to the coffee shop, but it’ll take them a while?”
I nodded and added, “It’s supposed to be sunny tomorrow, so I can get away with sunglasses, and I have a wig so my hair is longer, and a different color. I’ll dress snappy, and with my leather shoulder bag to hold my tablet, all the gay guys will hit on me.”
She smiled and said, “I can’t wait to see this.”
I shook my head. “I don’t normally have my disguise with me, but thought it might be necessary to travel with you incognito at some point, so I brought the wig, shirt, shoes, and shoulder bag just in case.”
“I’ll be okay for a few hours, Brain. Don’t wait for the nurse — figure out the best schedule for when there’ll be the most people in the coffee shop, the busiest time at the mall, when the bus will be packed with people. Is there anything I can do to help plan?”
“I think I have it under control. Want me to make you a salad?”