Johnny pushed open the inside set of doors and stopped short. A few feet from him stood a young man. Johnny pulled his gun out again and waved it in Jason’s direction.
“If you don’t want to get hurt get out of my way,” Johnny growled to Jason.
Something came over Jason and he remained where he was. He felt no fear as he looked into Johnny’s eyes. "It will not fire."
Johnny's eyes locked with Jason's through the eye openings in the balaclava and though he wanted to look away or move forward, he found himself frozen to the spot, those eyes holding him there. As he watched, the eyes seemed to take on a fiery life of their own, round and burning like orbs from the sun.
Suddenly, there were strange words coming from an unfamiliar voice, not spoken from outside his body but somehow filling his mind. Where were they coming from? He dropped the bag and gun and grabbed at his ears trying unsuccessfully to block out the voice.
“This is not the answer to your needs Johnny,” the voice softly filled his mind, “What help will you be to those you leave behind? Is it not more important for you to be there for Amanda and Cooper?”
“Go away,” Johnny screamed.
Jason did not flinch but took a small step towards him hands reaching out towards him, not saying a word.
“How do you know about them?” Johnny screamed.
The voice carried on as if Johnny had not interrupted, “All will be as it should be Johnny. Believe in what I’m telling you.”
“How can I believe? I can’t get a job to support my family. My poor little boy is sick and we can’t afford the doctor or the medicine. This is the only way to get enough to save him,” Johnny cried out in despair.
“Believe,” the voice soothingly commanded, “Leave those items there, the money and your gun will be of no use to you now. Go back to those you left behind in the back. You will sit on the floor in front of the safe and wait. Do not fear that which you cannot control Johnny.”
Jason turned and stepped back through the outer sets of doors, opened his umbrella and continued back to work at the museum. He would do his banking another time.
Johnny stood for a moment staring at the doors to freedom. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and turned back to the office area. He slumped to the floor in front of the safe, dropped his head into his hands, and began to sob, his thoughts on his family.
I don’t understand what just happened. Who was that guy? How did he say those things without making any sound? His thoughts were chaotic, but there was an inner sense of calm, a tingling feeling that ran through him and suddenly he truly did “believe”. He raised his head as he felt the heaviness around his heart lift. He was ready to face the future. Somehow, he knew it would be okay.
“I believe!” he spoke out incredulously looking up and staring at the ceiling, still unsure what was going to happen to him but suddenly feeling better than he had in many months. He slowly closed his eyes and smiled to himself.
Chapter 9
The woman in the bed was sleeping peacefully. Her breaths filling her lungs and passing out through her partially open mouth.
Beside her bed holding her hand, sat a man. His eyes intently watching the chest rise and lower. He drew his free hand through his thick hair and let out a sigh.
A nurse stood outside the ICU window watching them. She shook her head sadly. It’s always hard when a loved one is in a coma and you feel helpless. It was worse for this man she thought. I know he blames himself for her being here but he didn't cause that accident. It was unfortunate, but it was an accident after all she told herself.
A young man in the shadows of a doorway behind her watched the pretty nurse. He moved to stand beside her and smiled into the window.
“Are you family?” she asked him politely.
“One could say that.” He smiled as he turned and walked away.
She followed him with her eyes until he turned the corner out of her sight. Okay, that was strange she mumbled as she pulled out her stethoscope.
Entering the room quietly she made her way to the bed and smiled down at the man in the chair. He looked rumpled and exhausted.
“I’ll look after her for a while. Why don't you go get a coffee?” she mouthed to him trying not to disturb the patient.
He nodded thankfully and gently lifted the woman's hand and laid it gently on her stomach as if to protect her while he was away. She stirred but did not wake.
He smiled at the nurse then made his way to the cafeteria and while he drank his coffee, he called into the station.
She watched him leave. Her eyes took in the six foot muscled frame, from the dark wavy hair curling over the collar of his tight shirt to the faded jeans outlining the tight butt and long firm legs. It was hard not to appreciate the relaxed sexy style of the man.
She looked down at the woman. "You got one fine looking man there Seraphina." She shook her head and went back to work.
********
“Murphy here, anything I need to look after?” he asked the desk sergeant.
“Got a weird one for you! Bank robbery but the robber never left and we can’t find him,” replied the voice on the other end of the phone.
“Come again Dalton?” Murphy asked.
“Seriously! They just found the guy’s clothes and a gun,” Dalton stated.
Murphy sighed. “Got an address for that bank Dalton?”
He could hear the papers rustling as Dalton searched through the mess on his desk.
“The Commerce Credit Union on the corner of 14th and Main Street. Jack is already there,” Dalton finally said.
“I’ll head there now.” Murphy hung up and swallowed the last of the strong black coffee.
Murphy pulled the nondescript white sedan to a stop in front of the credit union and turned off the lights flashing through the front grill.
He nodded to the young police officer standing watch by the doors.
“What have we got Stephens?” Murphy asked.
“Well sir, it’s a strange one. The staff and customers all say a man robbed the credit union at gunpoint and the surveillance camera backs them up but after locking them in the safe he seems to have just vanished,” the young officer responded.
“What do you mean ‘vanished’?” Murphy asked.
“Exactly that sir! There's no camera footage of him leaving, just a pile of clothes and the gun he took from the guard just outside the safe door. The manager contacted the security company from the emergency phone located in the safe. Once the victims were released, they were able to identify the clothes as the ones worn by the perp. He didn't take the money or his own gun either. He just seems to have dropped them in front of the inside set of entry doors before he went back to the safe. No identification was found in the clothes,” Stephens replied.
"The lack of identification doesn't surprise me. Did you notice any prints on the guns?" said Murphy without emotion.
"Nothing detectable, he was wearing gloves which we found with his clothes. We've bagged the guns and sent them for fingerprint analysis," Stevens answered.
“What about the other exits?” Murphy asked.
“One in the back but it’s alarmed and the camera didn’t show anyone coming or going through it,” Stevens replied.
“Are you trying to tell me this guy is a ghost?” He held up his hand to stop the young man from answering.
“Check the businesses around here and see who might have video surveillance of the area around the credit union and see if they have anything. Canvas the area to see if anyone might have seen something. Let’s see if we can get a picture of this ghost. Don’t forget to ask about service people in the area as well. People tend to forget about them. Oh, and Stephens, would you mind getting me a strong cup of black coffee while you’re about? Thanks.” He ran his hand through his hair, yawned deeply and plodded into the credit union.
His partner, Jack Richards was intently listening to a small skinny man at the back of the credit union near the wickets.
Murphy stopped just inside the door and watched as the small little man waved his hands in the air. He seems a highly-strung individual Murphy smiled to himself. Continuing to wave one of his hands in the air the man put the other one over his heart.
Murphy was just about to move in their direction when the prissy little man pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his upper lip, the moustache beginning to droop.
Murphy grinned as he made his way toward his partner.
Jack shook his head and turned away from the man. Catching sight of Murphy heading towards him he rolled his eyes and came forward to meet him.
“I bet you enjoyed that,” he growled to Murphy nodding towards the prissy bank manager.
“Better you than me.” Murphy laughed, “Anyway, what did you find out?”
“No one knows anything after the safe door closed. The safe is virtually soundproof. I already checked the security feeds and they show the guy coming in and herding them to the back. The front camera doesn't face the doors head on, so you can't see anyone until they come through the second set of doors. It also shows him heading back to the front door afterwards and here’s when it gets strange. The guy pushes open the first set of doors and then just stops and it looks like he’s talking to someone. He then drops the bag and gun, and grabs his head as if he’s trying to rip it off. Next thing you see he turns around and goes back into the safe area. He just left the bag and gun on the floor in front of the doors. We got him entering the safe room but then he moves into another area that isn’t covered by a camera and we got nothing again until the responding officers come into the credit union. The strange part is this guy would have had to pass through at least one other camera to get out through the front of the building and if he had gone out the back the alarms would have gone off and one of those back cameras would have picked him up. But we’ve got nothing. Why would he leave without the loot? He was in the clear?” Jack shook his head.
Murphy can’t believe it. “I want to see those camera feeds for myself. No one just vanishes especially without the money. Where’s that security guard?” he hollered.
The man stepped forward. “I can show them to you but like the Detective said there’s nothing there. This is an old credit union and to retrofit it to have the proper number of cameras would cost too much so they put up what they had to and made sure they got the maximum amount of coverage from each one. It didn't seem that important to have one just on the front doors. That one in the front is set up to cover the area from the time the person actually enters the credit union by the guard's desk right up to the teller lines and one full side of the credit union where people fill in their forms.”
"I want to see them anyway," Murphy said and followed the guard to a room behind the guard’s desk at the front of the credit union.
Murphy continued to study the camera feeds and was almost ready to admit defeat. “Let me see the camera at the front door again one more time, but this time let's go slowly frame by frame.” The guard sighed and clicked on the monitor to the camera.
Murphy studied the frames intently. He watched the perp enter the credit union and then when it came to where it started to show him leaving he had the guard freeze it.
He studied every small detail in the frame.
“There!” he pointed to a light shadow just off to the left side of the inside doors.
“What’s that? Can you move in closer?” He poked at the shadow on the screen.
The guard magnified the spot to the maximum rating possible.
The shadow appeared to be a figure but the shape was too grainy and distorted to distinguish if it was male or female.
“That’s it! There was someone else involved somehow, maybe an accomplice, the getaway driver? Was there a getaway car outside at the time of the robbery? I can't imagine a robber trying to flee on foot and having no car to get away in. It just doesn't make sense any other way. I’ll need to take that video. Maybe we can get a better idea from the forensics lab,” Murphy said excitedly.
He met up with Jack outside the credit union still coordinating the door-to-door search.
“We might have a break. There was someone standing at the door when our perp was leaving. Whatever they talked about somehow convinced our guy to go back. Picture is really distorted though so I’m going to run it up to the lab. Do you need me here?” Murphy said.
By now, a large crowd of spectators had gathered along the barricades, reporters, and camera people jostling each other in an attempt to secure the best location to capture any comments made by the crowd or police in the area.
Jack shook his head, “I'll handle them, and you get going. Drop that off and go on up to Seraphina. How’s she doing anyway?” Concern etched the weathered face.
“She's still unconscious,” Murphy replied, “The doctors are very hopeful and they’re doing their best. I just wish she would open her eyes. Anyway, if you need me just call me. I’ll be at the hospital.”
He turned and walked away, too choked up to continue.
Jack watched him and shook his head sadly. He’d been at their wedding just a few years ago. They certainly deserved better than this. He turned to survey the crowd, took a deep breath, and made his way over to the reporters.
Questions began to fly from the group but Jack just put up his hand to silence them. "I know you want a statement but all I can confirm at this time is that there was an apparent robbery attempt at this location earlier today however the identity of the individual or individuals is unknown at this time but we are continuing our investigation. We will update you with additional details as they become available. That's all I can tell you right now."
He quickly turned away from the microphones ignoring the screaming questions and hurried back into the cool interior of the credit union. He always hated that part of his job.
Chapter 10
Harvard Professor Dr. Phillip Greer played with the microphone placed in front of him wanting to make sure it was in the right position for his audience to hear him through the broadcast.
He had agreed to appear on QB195 Talk Show to discuss his findings on the "God Virus" that had both governments and the public so concerned. His research would dispel some of the more extreme and dangerous theories currently advanced on the effects of this purported virus.
Dr. Greer was a rather pompous individual consumed with his own importance. Recognized as an expert on computer viruses and their impacts he was confident that he had the only solution and that this would be the end of any further discussions on the subject.
He cleared his throat and sat up straight.
The host of the show looked at him and nodded. "Good evening everyone. It's time now for 'Expert's Corner', I'm your host Jerry Cameron, and our guest today is the world-renowned expert on Technological Viruses, Dr. Phillip Greer. Dr. Greer has agreed to join us tonight to discuss this rather puzzling virus they've dubbed the 'God Virus'.
"Good evening Dr. Greer and welcome to the show. What can you tell us from your analysis of this virus?" asked Jerry.
"Well let me just start by saying thank you for having me on your show tonight Jerry. Well, I must say, this 'God Virus' has caused quite a stir among my colleagues. We've been monitoring various critical systems around the world for any signs of tampering or manipulation of data but I am happy to report there does not appear to be any effect from it," replied Dr. Greer.
"If that is the case Dr. Greer what is your opinion on the communication breach we experienced?" followed up Jerry.
"This is either the work of some extremely intelligent individual or group of individuals with far too much time on their hands playing a very dangerous game or the work of a terrorist cell testing our systems perhaps with the intent to upload something at a later date," said Dr. Greer.
He was however, quick to point out, "We know this can happen, just recently our comrade buddies hacked into and stole over a billion people's user names and passwords. Obviously we don't know what they plan to d
o with this information but we are assuming that it is not for a good reason," his tone was filled with sarcasm.
"Do you think this is the case with the 'God Virus'?" asked Jerry.
"Absolutely not!" Dr. Greer expressed vehemently, "My esteemed colleagues in both private and government agencies have spent many hours combing their data files and have confirmed there have been no dormant files uploaded into their systems to-date nor has any information been downloaded. Of course we are continuing to monitor the situation, but the longer the delay in anything being detected the less of a threat it appears to be."
"So let me ask you then Dr. Greer, how do you think these people were able to take over every form of communication out there?" Jerry asked.
Dr. Greer was at a loss for words and pulled at his goatee while he contemplated what to say.
"Well Jerry that may be a bit of a mystery that we may never be able to definitively solve. At this moment, it is like trying to explain the unexplainable, but something of this magnitude generally unravels over time.
"If it were the work of many individuals this planning would have taken place over a long period with input from various different sources. Either way, it's on a level of sophistication on a scale we've never seen before. Unless we can find the individuals, we would only be guessing. What is more important is what the damage such a virus could have caused. Take for example the latest viruses that are capable of accessing the databases of the most powerful organizations in the world. They are able to access every piece of information on security systems, strategic plans, personal identity information, and health information. Some of these viruses are far reaching and can be very damaging. A potent virus can take down an entire network system and cripple a country. Can you imagine what a well-placed virus could do to the world banking system?"