As always, you've done your research: St. Basil's Hospital in Phoenix is a crowded, underfunded Catholic hospital that began as a psychiatric facility. It was corrupt even before the Cainites moved in, with multiple scandals involving patient abuse, embezzlement, and accounting fraud that reached the local papers. You've already noted exits, nearby safe houses, good places to park, and several abandoned buildings where you can hide if things go bad.
Julian calls you somewhere around Exit 200. "Do you want to know what's on the USB?" he asks. You glance at your duffel bag. The push-button lock isn't one of the cheap ones you can defeat with the tricks you know, and besides, the USB is probably encrypted. Then you glance at your phone. Julian is insane to call you. Anyone could be listening.
Before you can answer, Julian says, "St. Basil's is getting a makeover. Big floor-to-ceiling windows, a modern admissions systems, a new morgue. In other words, no place for rats like us to hide. The Eagle thinks it's an SI plot. I'm not so sure, though I bet they'd love to pick off homeless rats when they're forced to flee. Since the Eagle doesn't want that, the USB you're carrying contains instructions for how to freeze out the hospital's current director and keep things as they are.
"But we can do better, Krarr.
"Tucson's boss is a brilliant financier, I'll give him that, and the artificial paper trail he's created will bury the current director, force her out in favor of some brainless lackey, and keep his creatures safe. But it can also be used to transfer power to someone else.
"Someone like us."
You consider what to say. You shouldn't be having this kind of conversation over the phone, but so far Julian has avoided saying any keywords that might get flagged. You'll just need to do the same. And then get rid of the phone. Great, that's another hundred bucks.
"All you really need to do is make sure the boss doesn't understand your plan. You can do your job for the Eagle, too! As I said, I'm not here to interfere with that. Give the local boss the USB, tell him the Eagle is mad, hell, even knock the locals into shape if you want. But you just need to do one additional thing.
"The process is simple—gain access to the St. Basil's computer system and install the computer code I'm sending you. It's self-executing, so just drag-and-drop the little file and then double click it. Just don't let the local boss figure out what you're doing until it's too late. One last thing—there's a Motel 6 a mile up the road. Walk into the public bathroom on the second floor and leave your phone in the trash. Don't destroy the SIM. Aha, a little pun there. Anyway, I put a fresh phone under the bathroom sink. Do all of that, and the SI team on your tail won't find and destroy you. Good luck, Krarr."
Next