Episode 14: In the Wink of an Eye
Part 6
The awkwardness set in as Pearl walked alongside Nick to her lab, still trying to process the news that she had been brainwashed by the Wink app. Without getting into specifics, all Nick had told her was that it caused “strange behavior.” Only now did it occur to her that he’d been talking about the earlier incident in his dormitory. She suddenly remembered breaking into his bedroom… ripping open his shirt… reaching into his pants… taking off her clothes… kissing him…
Her cheeks burned with shame as she relived the events of that evening. Even though K and Jay had interrupted their little tryst before it went any further, Pearl felt like a teenage girl who had been pressured into giving up her virginity. Except Nick had never pressured her. If anything, she was the one who had forced herself upon him, freaking him out to the point that he had actually called out for help. How far would she and the others have gone if K and Jay hadn’t heard his cries and come to the rescue?
I would have gone all the way, she admitted to herself, which only made her feel worse. Pearl had always prided herself on the fact that, unlike his other so-called “Carter Girls,” she and Nick were just friends, nothing more. Maybe she had secretly fantasized about “something more” on occasion, but she had too much self-respect to sleep with a man who flirted and fornicated with so many other women. Deep down, she knew Nick had respected her for that, too, even if he didn’t always like it.
She gave him a sidelong glance, wondering how he could stand to walk next to her after the way she had acted that night. When he turned his head toward her, she quickly lowered her gaze to the floor, wishing she could melt through it. She didn’t see how she would ever be able to look him in the eye again without feeling embarrassed.
Thankfully, they had reached the door to her lab, where she could get back down to business and hopefully begin to feel like herself again. But when she opened the door and went in, Pearl’s humiliation flew right out the window, replaced by the raw fury of finding out her private sanctuary had been breached.
A kid with curly brown hair sat in her chair in front of her desk, working on her computer. He glanced up from her monitor when she and Nick walked in, raising one hand off her keyboard in an awkward wave. “Hey.”
Pearl’s jaw dropped. “Who are you, and what are you doing in my lab?” she demanded.
“Oh — you must be Professor Pearl! I mean, Ms. Pearl. I mean, Ms. Professor… or, actually, what should I call you?” Before she could answer, the kid added quickly, “I’m Seth, by the way. Seth Cooper. Your new assistant?” He rose out of his — no, her — seat and offered an apologetic shrug. “Sorry… I thought Mr. K told you I was coming.”
For a few seconds, Pearl just stared at him. Finally, she said, “He did. I just wasn’t expecting you to be here right now.” She glanced at Nick, silently asking, Did you know about this? The shit-eating grin he gave her in return answered her question. He had known full well Seth would be waiting here for her and hadn’t bothered to warn her. Oh well… payback’s a bitch, she thought, shaking her head at him.
“I should have told you earlier, Seth,” Nick spoke up. “She actually prefers to be called ‘Her Royal Highness, Princess Professor Pearl.’”
“Shut up, Blondie,” Pearl snapped, smacking him in the ribs. She no longer regretted her earlier actions, deciding Nick had deserved what he got. “Just plain Pearl is fine,” she told Seth through gritted teeth.
“Cool. You can call me Seth — at least until I get a nifty code name like the rest of you. 00Cooper, perhaps? It has a certain ring, doesn’t it?”
“No, it doesn’t,” Nick replied quickly. “It actually sounds really dumb.”
“But I thought you said your code name was–”
Nick cut him off. “You can’t be 00Cooper! You’re not even an agent, let alone a Double-0!”
“Fair enough,” said Seth with a humble tip of his head. “Then might I suggest The Ironist as a better alternative?”
“The Ironist?” Nick repeated, wrinkling his nose.
Seth nodded. “It was my superhero alter ego in a comic book I created in my youth.” He deepened his voice. “The Ironist, with the power of irony, able to disarm his adversaries with his quick wit!”
Nick raised his eyebrows. “Dude… you like drawing and comic books, too?” A smile spread across his face. “Did we just become best friends?”
“Oh god,” Pearl groaned. “Don’t tell me there are two of you now.”
“Don’t hate,” said Nick, grinning at her. “He’s a huge nerd just like you, too. You guys are gonna get along great — if you don’t kill him first.”
“I make no promises,” muttered Pearl, slipping past Seth to reclaim her computer chair before he could sit back down. She heaved a sigh as she settled into the cushy leather seat. It felt lower to the ground than she remembered. Had this guy really had the gall to adjust the height of a chair that wasn’t even his? Grumbling, she reached for the lever under the seat and fiddled with it until she had readjusted it to the right setting. Then she turned to her computer. “Okay. Time to tackle this damn app,” she said, cracking her knuckles before resting her hands lightly on her keyboard. “Tell me everything you know about Wink.”
Nick and Seth filled her in on what they had found out. As they talked, Pearl felt herself start to relax. She was back in her element. This new mission would be the perfect distraction to help her forget all about that night.
***
Nick’s eyes glazed as he watched Pearl and Seth at work. The pair of geeks sat side by side, hunched over Pearl’s computer with their heads so close together that they almost touched, occasionally muttering words Nick didn’t understand to each other as their fingers clacked across the keyboard. Just as he had suspected, Pearl seemed to have forgotten to be annoyed with her new assistant once she’d found out what he was capable of.
Seth had started by showing her how he had hacked into the Wink app to isolate the strange symbols and frequency that had lowered its users’ inhibitions. Then he and Pearl began trying to track down the app’s creator by tracing back one of the videos he had posted.
None of it really made sense to Nick, who enjoyed using technology, not analyzing it. He was just there to make sure neither of them fell prey to the app’s powers of persuasion again. But he had gotten bored of hanging out in the background, spinning on one of Pearl’s swivel chairs and wondering where his cellphone was. Maybe it was a good thing it had gone missing that morning; otherwise, he would have gotten sucked right into Wink, too. The realization brought him some relief, but he still wanted his phone back.
What kind of crazy stuff would I have done if Wink had brainwashed me? Nick wondered as he looked around the lab. Maybe nothing. I mean, what would I want to do that I wouldn’t normally just do anyway? He wasn’t known for his self-control in the first place, which was probably why he ended up in so many embarrassing situations without the influence of a mind-altering app. The machine gun bra incident came to mind as his eyes swept across the line of bullet holes embellishing one wall. Maybe Pearl would finally be able to let that go now that he had something on her. If he reminded her of the rape rhombus the next time she brought it up, she would probably never mention the machine gun bra again.
“Wait!” he heard Seth gasp suddenly. “What’s this?” Turning back toward Pearl’s computer, Nick saw a video pop up on the screen. He stood up to watch over their shoulders. Seth’s hand moved automatically to the mouse, hovering the cursor over the big play button in the center of the blank black background.
“Hey, wait,” he said before Seth could click on it. “Maybe we shouldn’t all watch it at the same time. What if it’s embedded with another subliminal message? We’d all be affected.”
“Good point, Blondie,” said Pearl, glancing back at him. “Why don’t you be our guinea pig? Seth and I will put on noise-canceling headphones and close our eyes while you watch. Then we’ll see what happens.”
Nick swallowed hard, wishing he hadn’t said anything. “Wait… why do I have to be the guinea pig?”
“Because Seth and I are too busy trying to hack this app to be brainwashed.”
“Seth and I?” he repeated, raising his eyebrows. “So you’re saying having an assistant is actually… helpful?”
Pearl rolled her eyes. “I did not say that. But since you’re not doing anything except hanging out down here, you might as well make yourself useful, right?” she replied, shooting him an impish grin.
Nick groaned. “You know, you might not even be able to tell if I’m brainwashed,” he said, remembering his earlier line of thought. “It’s not like I have many inhibitions to begin with.”
“Well, we won’t know until we try,” said Pearl with a shrug, handing Seth a large pair of headphones. “You can sit here.” She stood up, offering Nick her chair as she secured another pair of headphones over her own ears. “Tap my shoulder when it’s over. You’ll need to tell us exactly what you saw and heard, so pay attention!”
With a sigh, Nick slumped into her seat in front of the computer. Once both Pearl and Seth had closed their eyes, he clicked play and sat back to watch.
The video began with static on a black background. Then a white ring appeared, flickering in the center of the screen for a few seconds before a pair of eyelids closed over it. It was a winking eye, Nick realized.
The eye faded into the static. A series of seemingly random images followed, each lasting less than five seconds. A tentacle rising out of rushing water. The needle of a syringe. Cells dividing under a microscope. A microphone stand on an empty stage. A palm tree covered with snow. A pale, skinny man wearing nothing but a pair of white briefs trembling in a doorway. A severed hand twitching inside a wooden box. A pointy metal hook piercing the pad of a fingertip.
Nick winced as he watched a drop of blood fall into a bathtub full of water, his brain struggling to process the rapidly changing video clips.
The teeth of an afro pick combing through tight, blond curls. A cup of milk with a straw sitting on a table next to a small plate of graham crackers. A ferret scurrying across the floor. A penguin sliding backward out of frame. A close-up shot of an electric red eye staring straight at the camera.
“What a minute…” Nick muttered, his eyes narrowing. That evil eye looked familiar. So did the curly hair — not to mention the moonwalking penguin and the ferret.
The images continued to flash across the computer screen. Five more rings that interlocked to resemble the Olympic emblem. A female figure skater spinning on ice. A folded step stool toppling to the ground.
By the time the trippy video finally focused on a man straightening his long, black hair in a mirror, Nick was not surprised to find that he recognized him. “Damn it,” he sighed when Dr. Rough turned to face the camera, winking as he ran the flatiron over his hair. “Of course you’re the one behind this.”
The video went on and on, repeating some of the same imagery before it finally cut to a shot of a stone chimney in front of a wintery forest of barren trees. Nick watched, mesmerized, as a pair of white hands reached over the chimney top. Dr. Rough’s head rose slowly out of the chimney, followed by the rest of his body. He climbed awkwardly over the ledge like some creepy Santa Claus, although his velvet tailcoat was purple rather than red. Beneath an absurdly large top hat, his long black hair hung in his face as he staggered toward the camera, walking with an ungainly limp.
Nick stared, almost afraid to take his eyes off the screen in case Dr. Rough suddenly climbed out of it and tried to kill him.
But when Dr. Rough reached the foreground, he suddenly stopped right in front of the camera. He stood still for a second or two, then toppled forward. Just when Nick thought he was going to fall flat on his face, Dr. Rough tucked and rolled, performing a perfect somersault before springing triumphantly to his feet.
“Welcome, my followers,” he said, winking at the camera. “Welcome to my Wink app.”
“Wink…” Nick shook his head, feeling disappointed in himself for not figuring it out sooner. “We should have known this was the work of that twitchy asshole again.”
He watched as the video shifted to a shot of Dr. Rough’s face in front of a spiraling purple and green background filled with the alien symbols Seth had shown him earlier. Nick closed his eyes in case this was the part that was supposed to hypnotize him, but he kept listening as Dr. Rough began to sing a soft, strangely soothing ballad.
“Come with me, and you’ll be
in a world of pure imagination.
Take a look, and you’ll see
into your imagination…”
“What the fuck?” Nick fought the urge to roll his eyes beneath their lids. “Is this guy for real?”
“We’ll begin with a spin,
Traveling in the world of my creation.
What we’ll see will defy
explanation…”
“How extra can you get?” Nick muttered as Dr. Rough continued his song. He didn’t have a bad voice, but everything he did was so over the top that it was impossible for Nick to take him seriously.
“If you want to view paradise,
simply look around and view it.
Anything you want to, do it.
Want to change the world?
There’s nothing to it.”
Despite the cheesy performance, Nick felt compelled to download the Wink app and start browsing. He did want to view paradise… and do whatever he wanted… and change the world in the process…
“There is no life I know
to compare to pure imagination
Living there, you’ll be free
If you truly wish to be.”
“No!” Nick hissed, hitting himself on the head. Dr. Rough could try to hoodwink him into getting sucked into Wink as well, but it wouldn’t work. “I am in control of my mind, and it’s stronger than alien technology,” he whispered, repeating the mantra Seth had hidden inside the videos he’d sent to his colleagues.
It seemed to help. After saying it a few times, Nick no longer felt like looking at the app. He opened his eyes into narrow slits as Dr. Rough finished his song.
The diminutive supervillain now sat in a high-backed purple armchair on a platform in the center of a large, industrial-looking room. Men in purple shirts and white overalls bustled around him, pouring molten lead into molds to make bullets, putting metal parts together to build guns, and assembling bombs. “Oompa loompa doompety doo,” the minions sang as they worked. “I’ve got a perfect puzzle for you. Oompa loompa doompety dee. If you are wise, you’ll listen to me.”
“How long is this fucking video, anyway?” Nick asked, looking back at Pearl and Seth. Both had blank faces, their eyes firmly closed, headphones still in place. He sighed, refocusing his attention on Dr. Rough’s dumb musical.
“What do you get when you play by the rules?” one of the minions crooned in a high-pitched countertenor.
“Breaking the law like a felon is cool,” added another in a deep bass.
“What is the point of holding yourself back?” the baritone voice of a third minion rang out before the first one joined him in harmony. “What do you think will come… of… that?”
“That does not sound very fun,” a fourth minion’s voice descended, leading back into the chorus of their little ditty. “Oompa loompa doompety da… If you act freely, you will go far. You will live in happiness, too… like the Oompa Loompa doompety doo!”
“I am in control of my mind, and it’s stronger than alien technology,” Nick chanted to himself as the song ended. “I am in control of my mind, and it’s stronger than alien technology.”
The camera zoomed in, centering on Dr. Rough’s face. “Congratulations,” he said, smirking into the lens. “If you’ve managed to make it this far into the Wink app without succumbing to my attempts at alien mind control, you must have the strength of mind I admire. Maybe you’ll consider joining my organization, FANS. Lord knows I could use more intelligent min–” Dr. Rough suddenly coughed, then cleared his throat. “Pardon me. What I meant to say was more intelligent agents. Perhaps you’d like to become one of them?”
“Never,” growled Nick, glaring at the computer monitor. “I’ll never go to the dark side like Drums did.”
“You’ll be among some of the best and brightest… who weren’t accepted into other secret agencies,” Dr. Rough added, saying the last part so fast that Nick could hardly comprehend it. “As you’ve seen, my agents are multitalented and have many connections we can exploit. Why, I couldn’t have made this cinematic masterpiece without the help of a contact in Hollywood who’s related to one of my Rough Riders.”
“Cinematic masterpiece?” Nick snorted. “You literally just ripped off The Ring and Willy Wonka, but alright. At least now we know someone in Hollywood is working for FANS.” He made a note of this on the pad of paper next to Pearl’s keyboard to share with K later.
“If all goes according to plan,” Dr. Rough continued, “the world will fall into disarray once my Wink app goes viral, causing chaos and pandemonium across the globe as people let go of their inhibitions and engage in lawless acts. Cities will crumble, governments will collapse, and anarchy will reign. Those left out of the loop will look for a new leader, someone to right a world turned upside down. And I will be that leader.” His dark eyes gleamed with ambition, the left one twitching maniacally. “Soon the whole world will bow down to Dr. Rough, and I will finally have the respect I deserve!”
Nick had seen enough. “Fuck this shit,” he said, pausing the video on a frame of Dr. Rough in mid-wink. He laughed at the derpy look on the villain’s droopy-eyed face, then tapped Pearl on the shoulder until she took off her headphones. “It’s okay. You can open your eyes now.”
Pearl’s eyes flew open, widening further when they focused on the familiar face frozen on her computer monitor. “Dr. Rough!” she cried. “This is his doing?!”
Nick nodded. “We should have known, right? I mean, c’mon… he called his damn app ‘Wink.’ It even has a purple logo!”
Pearl smacked herself in the forehead. “Duh! Why didn’t any of us make the connection?”
“Because he was controlling your minds?”
She shook her head, looking furious with herself. “That twitchy midget…”
“Hey, how do you like his new ‘do?” Nick asked, smirking as he traced his fingertips over Dr. Rough’s long, silky hair.
Pearl snorted. “The Jesus look isn’t doing him any favors.”
Nick snickered. “I know, right? What a douche.” He started telling Pearl every detail he could remember from the video. Halfway through his explanation, he realized Seth was still wearing his headphones, rocking back and forth with his eyes closed as he clutched his toy moose tightly in his hands. “Hey, are you gonna tell your assistant it’s safe to come out of his sensory deprivation chamber?”
“Oh… yeah, I guess I should probably do that, huh?” Pearl replied with a guilty grin. She got Seth’s attention so he could join the conversation as Nick continued filling them in on what he’d watched.
“So his goal is to make this thing go viral until the entire world descends into chaos,” Nick finished.
“Kaos… like your old code name, right?” Seth grinned. Nick rolled his eyes and ignored him, reminding himself to get back at Grasshopper later for sharing that information with new recruits.
“Well, it almost worked on HimTak,” Pearl said with a sigh. “So what are we gonna do about it?”
“I say we go with the same solution that helped here: Post Nick’s dance video with a generic subliminal message that will bring anyone watching back into their right mind and make that shit go viral!” Seth suggested. “Then, once everyone’s been unbrainwashed, we have K contact the Federal Trade Commission about banning the app.”
Nick shook his head. “Seems too simple.”
“Not every mission has to be as convoluted as you tend to make ‘em, 00Carter,” said Pearl, smiling at him. “And I know you hate working with government agencies, but we have to accept help from them sometimes. I think Seth’s plan will work… for a while, anyway. We both know Dr. Rough is probably already plotting his next big scheme to take over the world.”
Nick raked a hand through his hair as he stared at the FANS leader’s face in frustration. “Yeah, Pearly… you’re probably right about that.”
***
“In today’s top story, a crime wave appears to be spreading across the country. Over the past few days, police departments in major cities from Boston to San Francisco and all the smaller towns in between have reported a significant increase in unlawful activity and arrests. Homes have been burglarized, cars stolen, businesses broken into, and parks and other public property vandalized. Stories have been pouring in from viewers nation-wide about violent acts including assault, arson, even attempted rape and murder. For more on this shocking story, we go now to our crime correspondent Mackenzie Horkheimer, who’s live with the New York City Police Commissioner…”
A sinister smile spread across Dr. Rough’s face as he relaxed against the purple pillows piled high atop his king-sized bed to watch the morning news. “Yesss, Dr. Twitches,” he purred, rubbing his palms together. “Everything is going according to plan.”
His pet ferret appeared equally pleased as he turned in circles on the bed next to him, burrowing into the blankets to build a small nest for his morning nap.
“Our Wink app has gone viral even faster than FANthrax! An unprecedented success! And the best part is that no one will ever be able to trace this crime wave back to it,” Dr. Rough went on triumphantly as the conversation continued on his television. “In another week or two, the world will be in shambles… and we’ll be there to pick up the pieces. Won’t we, Dr. Twitches?” He reached out to stroke the sleek fur on the ferret’s back. “Yes, we will! We’ll be the saviors this world needs! Once we stop the carnage with new subliminal messaging on Wink, the people will praise us for taking control! They’ll put us on a pedestal! They’ll practically worship us! We will be like gods!”
Basking in his glory, he picked up his phone off the bedside table and opened his beloved Wink app. How was it possible that an evil side plot he’d put together in a matter of weeks using the alien technology Drums had stolen from the FBI was working better than schemes he’d spent years developing? It didn’t make sense, but Dr. Rough didn’t mind. The important point to focus on was that it was, in fact, working. Finally! A win for FANS!
“And once we’re in power,” said Dr. Rough as he scrolled through the accounts he followed on his app, “our first act will be to dismantle the meddling agency known as Himitsu Takana.”
His eyes gleamed as they roamed over the profile pictures of the HimTak agents who had already joined Wink. Of course, none of them had signed up with their real identities, but his informant had found out their usernames for him anyway so he could keep tabs on them. He wasn’t surprised to learn that their leader, Agent K, had not created an account; the man was old-fashioned in many ways and seemed to view technology as merely a tool rather than a form of entertainment. But he had been disappointed to discover that his nemesis, 00Carter, had not yet hopped on the Wink bandwagon either.
“Only ‘cause I stole his phone,” the mole had admitted, laughing during last night’s status report. “Poor bastard’s been looking for it all day, dying to download Wink.”
Dr. Rough had joined in his laughter, relieved to hear that Nick was suffering without his cellphone. Judging by the fact that he still couldn’t find a profile for him connected to any of the other agents, he assumed 00Carter had yet to obtain a replacement.
“Ahh, but what do we have here, Dr. Twitches?” he murmured, tapping on Agent Jay’s profile. Unlike K, Jay embraced technology for all purposes, including entertainment. “Looks like HimTak’s second in command went live last night while we were getting our beauty sleep. Let’s see what he had to say.”
He clicked on the saved video, smiling when he saw his former roommate wearing a full face of makeup and women’s clothing — in his favorite color, of course. His smile only grew as he listened to Jay gossip about his colleagues.
“Are you hearing this, Dr. Twitches? Professor Pearl hates having assistants! And 00Carter keeps a one-eyed pink crocodile in his bottom desk drawer!” Dr. Rough crowed. “Now that we know their vulnerabilities, we’ll have an even easier time exploiting them!”
“Yo, dawg, it jus’ a croc missin’ an eye,” said Drums as he entered the room to deliver Dr. Rough’s breakfast on a silver tray. “It ain’t dat cool. I bet it don’t even have no robot eye like me.”
Dr. Rough stiffened. “Of course it doesn’t,” he replied brusquely. “I would never dream of making such a sophisticated prosthetic for a mere stuffed animal. Oh, and Drums?” he added as Drums set the tray down on his bedside table and turned to leave. “Don’t eavesdrop. Next time, knock before you enter my chamber, or you may find yourself missing an ear as well.”
“Right,” Drums muttered, rolling his remaining eye. “Sorry, D-Rough. My bad.”
“You are forgiven,” Dr. Rough said graciously. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten that the success of my latest great plan is the result of your success in DC. Dr. Rough rewards his faithful followers.”
Drums bowed his head, looking down at the silver hand Dr. Rough had fashioned for him. “I know. Thanks, dawg.”
Dr. Rough nodded. “You are dismissed.”
After Drums left, he put down his phone and picked up his breakfast tray. He smiled as he balanced the tray on his lap and took the cover off his plate to find his favorite morning dish: blueberry pancakes with butter, syrup, and a side of bacon. The minion who had made his breakfast had even shaped the pancakes like little ferret faces with blueberries for eyes, a raspberry for the nose, and narrow lines of nutella for the whiskers.
“Aww… don’t these look adorable, Dr. Twitches?” he cooed, cutting off a piece of pancake to feed to the ferret. “Kudos to today’s chef for putting forth such effort. Seems like someone wants a promotion!”
Chattering with delight, Dr. Twitches picked up the pancake with his fangs and carried it off to enjoy in a private corner of the room.
As he dug in, Dr. Rough turned his attention back to the TV, where the news anchor had moved on to other stories gripping the nation.
“Meanwhile, authorities are still searching for a missing Virginia man. It’s been one month since Steven Burns was last seen leaving a Whole Foods Market less than a mile from his home in Arlington, Virginia. His brother reported him missing the next day after neighbors heard his dog barking inside the house. In a recent interview with our local news affiliate, Burns’ brother Joe said it wasn’t like him to leave without notifying anyone of his whereabouts.”
The broadcast cut to a video of a young man wearing an orange shirt with a wide stripe of squares across the chest. “Steve is very routine-oriented,” he told the reporter tearfully. “He sets his alarm clock to wake him up at the same time each morning. He has seven sets of the same clothing — a green striped shirt and khaki pants — that he wears every day of the week. He makes breakfast, plays with his puppy Blue, and waits for the mail to arrive. Mail time is the highlight of his day. He… he just loves getting letters.” The man wiped away a stray tear. “And Steve would never willingly abandon Blue, not without leaving a note in his handy dandy notebook or some kind of clue for his family and friends to find.”
The news anchor reappeared on the screen next to a still photo of Steve’s smiling face. Dr. Rough frowned as he swallowed a mouthful of pancake. “If you have any information on Burns’ disappearance, contact the Arlington County Police Department at the number displayed on your screen.”
“Why, yes, I’ll get right on that,” Dr. Rough said sarcastically, spearing another piece of pancake with his fork. As he raised it to his mouth, he felt his wrist vibrate. He reached for his communicator, sliding back the black wrist cuff’s secret panel to reveal his informant’s face on the video screen.
“Bad news, boss,” the mole began. “HimTak’s onto you. Pearl has a new assistant who hacked into the app late last night and uncovered the alien code.”
“Curses!” Dr. Rough hissed, his heart sinking. “But I heard it on good authority that Pearl hates her assistants!”
The agent shook his head. “Not this one. Not anymore. He’s proven himself useful. They also found your video, so they know you’re the one behind Wink. They’ve already contacted the FTC, who are currently investigating. It’s only a matter of time before Wink is banned and removed from all major app stores.”
“Never fear,” Dr. Rough replied, trying to hide his disappointment. “Wink was only a pet project of mine, as you well know. I trust our main plot is still on track?”
The mole nodded. “No one here knows it’s me. But they’re becoming more suspicious. K and Carter both questioned me about where I was last night.”
Dr. Rough drew in a sharp breath. “And what did you say?”
“I blamed it on the app,” his agent replied smoothly. “Made up some bullshit about masturbating to furry fetish porn in my bedroom. They didn’t ask any more questions after that.
“Good,” said Dr. Rough, satisfied with his response.
“I also returned Carter’s phone to his room before they could find it on me — after removing any trace of my fingerprints, of course,” the mole added.
A frown creased Dr. Rough’s forehead. “How did you break into his room without being caught?”
“I guessed the right code to get in: 5-2-6-7. It’s his old code name, Kaos.”
Dr. Rough’s frown transformed into a smile. “Kaos, eh? What a fitting name for our obnoxious nemesis. And how clever of you to figure it out. I knew I could count on you,” he told his informant. “Stand by and try not to draw any more negative attention to yourself in the coming days. I’ll need your help to pull off my next great plan to take down HimTak.”
The mole bowed his head in reverence. “Yes, Dr. Rough. I’ll await further instructions.” Then the screen went dark.
As Dr. Rough returned to his breakfast, he heard the news anchor on TV say, “And now we interrupt our broadcast with breaking news. This just in: The Federal Trade Commission is investigating the hot new social media app Wink after reports that it may have contributed to the nationwide outbreak of criminal activity we reported on earlier…”
“Well, that was quick,” Dr. Rough remarked, rolling his eyes as he raised another bite of pancake to his lips. “But there’s no reason to worry, Dr. Twitches. This is only a temporary setback. It won’t stop us from destroying Himitsu Takana. With the alien technology we’ve acquired, we’ll be able to attack their minds more directly next time.”
He threw back his head with an evil cackle, which was cut short by a coughing fit caused by his choking on a blueberry. Eyes streaming, Dr. Rough pushed the rest of his breakfast aside for the ferret to finish.
***
Another meeting. Though, for once, Nick wasn’t terribly bored by it. In fact, besides the fact that he couldn’t quite look Lancy in the face any time soon, he was actually pretty amused by it. All in all, despite Dr. Rough’s best intentions, there hadn’t been too much harm done, which was a nice rarity in their world. Well, by not much damage, he supposed that depended on the point of view. But, no one was hurt beyond repair, and that was enough to be thankful for. Things could have gotten worse — a thought Nick didn’t want to repeat in his brain. Because those thoughts would lead back to Opal. And Brian. Neither were too far from his mind these days, but he tried to not focus in on them all the time. Because those thoughts hurt and in the end, life kept going. He yawned lightly. Kevin was up front going over the mechanics of how the Wink app worked, and he’d tuned most of it out. Not that he’d admit that to anyone.
“Wink is completely shut down.” Pearl’s voice caught his attention. She was looking down at her laptop, her cheeks flushing red. Ever since the rape rhombus she’d been blushing practically anytime she talked about Wink. “After we contacted the FTC… I may or may not have sent a virus after it and directed it towards the source of the app. I doubt it reached Rough’s base before it got shut down, but I’m hopeful it might give us a location and–”
Nick smirked, arching a brow at her. “What happened to simple solutions?”
“That twitchy bastard deserved worse.” Pearl shot him a pointed look that had him struggling not to laugh. She reached back to tighten her ponytail. “Anyway… my–” A pained look crossed her face that made it so he couldn’t hold it back anymore. “–assistant did a great job finding the alien source of the brainwashing embedded within the videos and creating a counter video to clear out the effects.”
“So, you approve of Seth, then?” K asked as the hints of a smile began to form.
All he received was a glare in response.
Red smiled. “Archie’s doing well, by the way, resting comfortably in his room. He’s lucky he didn’t overdose.”
“I’m just happy that it looks like Archie won’t be drug dealing anytime soon,” Nick quipped. “Or that we won’t be seeing Jay cross dressing again.”
Jay shrugged, stretching back in his chair. “I enjoyed it. And I look fucking great in pink or purple.”
He shook his head. “Either way… that’s good. Lancy keeps apologizing; he brought pizza and comics to my office earlier.”
Diamond shared a glance with Nick. “Lancy brought me flowers.”
K cleared his throat before going back to the screen in front of them. “I suspect that while FANS caused a lot of havoc doing this–”
“I’ll say,” Pearl muttered, typing along.
“Aww, Pearly, but I liked–”
“I was brainwashed, Nick. Brain. Washed. That’s it.” Her face got even redder — something he didn’t think was possible.
He couldn’t help but grin. Nick always loved what he couldn’t have. “You’re really cute when you blush. You know, we could get some one on one time, now that–”
“Brainwashed, Nick! Okay? We’re not speaking of it.” She closed her laptop with a sense of finality.
Diamond spoke before he could. “Do you want to go to the spa with me when things get calmer, Pearl? I think we could both use it…”
“I don’t usually do spas, but that sounds nice. Red, do you wanna join us?”
Red’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, we could make a day of it.”
The image of his three favorite Carter Girls having a girls’ day out brought back happy memories of the Playboy Bunny mission to Nick’s brain. The downside was that, this time, there wouldn’t be any fun footage to watch. But maybe instead…
“Any hopes of letting me crash, ladies?”
K coughed yet again, and the agents quieted down once more. Nick noticed that K was being more patient than normal, and he was somewhat impressed but figured he wouldn’t push it. Not today, anyway. “What I was saying was that I don’t think this was their main objective. It’s on a smaller scale than their typical exploits and too easily foiled. I suspect this was a distraction and nothing more.”
Vitruvian raised a brow at the suggestion. “But from what?”
Jay tilted his shades. “From finding their mole, most likely. Since we know there is one, they’ve likely tipped off Rough that we’re on to him.”
“What were you up to, by the way? None of us have seen you since the last meeting,” Nick pointed out, realizing that no one had seen the effects of Wink on 009. He’d have to ask Pearl if she could dig up any footage from DiCrapio’s office during the chaos.
Leo rolled his eyes as if the answer was obvious. “What do you think, Carter? I was doing what everyone else was, being brainwashed and committing crimes. I just didn’t get caught at it.”
“Well, isn’t that convenient,” Nick shot back, not impressed in the slightest.
“You got something to say, Carter?”
K sighed, shaking his head. “That’s enough. On that note, I want everyone in here to continue the team-building activities. This inner bickering isn’t helping anyone and just goes to show how much we all need it. I also want all of you to up your training sessions. FANS isn’t taking a break in their schemes, and neither shall we. For now, you’re dismissed.”
As everyone else left the room, Nick glanced between Diamond and Pearl, torn on who to go talk to. He knew both still felt pretty bad about the incident. He needed to clear the air and let them know that he understood. But who to go to first? He watched Diamond, whom he hadn’t had a good chat with since the rhombus. Nick then looked over at Pearl, whom he hadn’t chatted with at all outside of work matters.
Leo immediately strolled over to Diamond. As annoying as it was, Nick decided to let it go for now. One thing at a time. Pulling out his phone that he’d finally found back in his room, he sent a quick text asking her to stop by his room later. God, he was happy to have his phone back. How it had landed so far underneath his bed and into one of his shoes, he had no idea. But who cared? At least now, he had his phone and no chance of being brainwashed. He hadn’t even had the time to go through his missed messages yet. Last he’d looked, there had been over fifty.
Shaking away his thoughts, Nick hurried out of the room, picking up his pace behind Pearl as she started to make a beeline back to her lab. “Hey, wait up, Pearly.”
She blinked with surprise, shaking her head. “I already told you, I wasn’t in my right mind.”
“No, I’m not asking — well, I am, but not like how you think.”
Pearl kept walking down to the lab but slowed down so that Nick wasn’t chasing her. “What is it, then?”
He smiled gently at her. “I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
She paused at the door, letting the retina scan process before entering. She then waited for him to come inside as well before shutting the door. A good sign. “I’m fine. Embarrassed that I let that twitchy asshole’s app get in my head.”
“Are you sure?” He leaned against her desk as she sat in her padded gamer chair. “Because you have this habit of pretending everything’s okay, and you can fool a lot of people with that.”
Her fingers flew across the keyboard, her eyes trained on the screen. “Sometimes it’s not pretending, you know.”
“I think it is now.”
“Nick–”
He reached over and tilted her chin up so he could meet her eyes. “You can’t fool me. Come on; we’ve known each other since the beginning here. Back when you thought you’d be an agent before you started picking apart the security system, and K realized you’d be better off as the girl in the chair.” Nick grinned down at her. “I know I’m easily distracted and shit, but you can come find me instead of bottling everything up.”
“I–”
“Don’t say you’re fine.”
She rolled her eyes, reaching for her water bottle. “Actually, that time I was planning on saying I know.” Her expression softened. “Really, I do.”
“Okay.” He leaned against the chair beside hers that he assumed must be Seth’s because it was new. It was black, leather, and decidedly smaller than Pearl’s. “‘Cause I’m serious. I don’t want you shutting me out. Things aren’t great right now. Not just ‘cause of Wink, but with Opal and the mole, too. And I want you to know you can still come to me about all this. The way you always used to.”
Pearl was quiet for a few moments before sighing softly. “Okay.”
Nick smiled, pulling out his phone when it chimed to give it a glance before shoving it back in his pocket. “Good. Don’t forget I’m here. That’s all I’m asking.”
Slowly, she nodded. Pearl stood and hugged him, and he sensed there were a lot of unsaid things going into that hug. That was just the kind of person Nick knew her to be. He tightened his arms around her and gave a gentle squeeze before letting go. She grinned up at him and shook her head. “You know, you actually sounded pretty mature there for a second, Blondie.”
He snorted. “Hey, I have my moments.”
“Thank you, by the way.”
“For what?” Nick asked.
She laughed, hugging him again. “For being my friend. For seeing through me the way you always manage to do. For being someone I’ve been able to talk to since I got recruited.” Pearl poked him in the chest playfully. “For being you. No matter how annoying you can be sometimes.”
“Does this mean I can finally convince you to have a night out with me?” Nick wiggled his brows teasingly. “We could go to dinner and then afterwards come back… have some fun in the car you made for me.”
She swatted him in the shoulder. “In your dreams!”
He held his arm dramatically.“Owww. Okay, fine. But one day!”
“How about some hot cocoa instead?” Pearl smirked as she pulled away and went to log off her computer. “I’ll even tell the waitress at The Little A’Le’Inn to shake it instead of stir it.”
Was Pearl deciding to take a break? “We’re still on lockdown.”
“I’ll tell K it’s a team-building excursion.” She headed to the doors of the lab.
Nick snickered, following behind her. No, they didn’t talk about the rhombus incident outright, but Nick didn’t think they needed to. Their friendship was an easy one, natural in the way that they understood each other. It always had been. He knew Pearl was sorry, and she knew that he didn’t hold it against her. She knew that if she needed to talk about it, Nick was there to listen. That was all he wanted. “Deal.”
***