Escape from New Sydney, Act 4
Posted on Friday 12 April 2019 @ 18:51 by
Edited on on Saturday 13 April 2019 @ 05:10
Mission:
Academy Days
Location: New Sydney
Timeline: 11 Years ago, Directly following Act 3
1557 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure
Stephanie was still elbow deep in the innards of Sarah's replicator when she heard the beep of the terminal from the spot she had left it by the Mattress. Leaving the appliance forgotten for the moment, she went back over to see what the fuss was about. Apparently her decryption protocol had finished.
She laid on the mattress on her stomach and began tapping at the keypad. After a few moments of scanning the data, Stephanie went pale... Well, paler. She softly said "Holy fuck".
Sarah, who had just emerged from the bathroom to hear this muted exclamation said "Did ya find it?"
"I don't know exactly what I found yet... I think I may have just decrypted Bokar's personal database."
Sarah gave Stephanie a disapproving look. "Why would you do such a thing?" She asked. "You know what will happen if he catches you?"
"No, An' with any luck I never will. You forget how good I am," She said defiantly and read on. Her jaw began to drop. Stephanie had the goods. This file was enough to put not only Bokar but half the Syndicate in jail for good. If Bokar found out she had this, death would be the easy escape.
She stood up and grasped Sarah gently but firmly "I don't want ya t' panic, but what I'm about t' say is gonna come as somethin' o' a shock to you. We need to get off New Sydney. Now."
"What did you do, Stephanie?" Sarah asked, her voice equal parts fear, and anger.
"I found enough dirt t' put him away forever. If he finds out I have this, none of us will be safe. Na you, na me, na m' family.... I'm gonna get us outta this, baby. I promise." She bent to work and started by logging into the back channel of the data net. She needed someone's attention and this was the best place to find him.
WarpDiva> TB, need a solid.
TargBreath> wu+ u n33d, ch1ka?
WarpDiva> 5 clean IDs. Super rush job.
TargBreath> h0w ru5h?
WarpDiva> Sooner is better. Gotta GTFO like yesterday. 4 hours = double your rate
TargBreath> B1+(h, u +r1pp1n. 2 mu(h 2 d0. |\|0 fuk1n w4y.
WarpDiva> Please TB. Desperate. No where else 2 go. You owe me 4 the backtrace cover.
TargBreath> 5 ppl? u, fam, & gf? H0ly fuxx0rz, g1rl! wut u d0?
WarpDiva> Better ya dont no. Hook a sista up. pretty please?
TargBreath> kk ch1ka. u ow3 m3 n0w. 1f y4 l1v3.
WarpDiva> Thx 4 vote of confidence. 4 hours. meet @ spaceport. COD
That done she stood and began tapping at the comm panel on the wall. When Michael answered the Comm line at the O'Hara residence, Stephanie didn't favor him with any kind of preamble and went straight to dropping the bomb. "Daddy, We need t' get off this planet... like now."
He gave Stephanie the same look Sarah had given her earlier. "What did you do?"
"Never mind that right now, Just trust me when I say It's na gonna end well f'r any o' us. You, me an' Liam an' Sarah have t' get off this planet."
"What about yer mother?"
"Leave that cunt t' the Syndicate f'r all I care. She'll find her way outta trouble between someone's bedsheets, I'd imagine. Ya can take the flithy whore outta the brothel..."
Michael favored his daughter with a stern look. "If th' situation's as dire as ya say, is there really time t' waste takin' pot shots at yer mother? She'll be comin' with us."
"Ya can have 'er if it please ya. I'm na goin' with ya. If I do, ye'll be in danger. There's only one place I can go. I need all o' ya t' be at th' spaceport in 4 hours. Pack light, take only what ya need, an' don' do anythin' that'll call unnessicary attention t' yerself."
"Jesus Harold Christ, Stephanie. What'd ya get us inta?"
"I found somethin' I shouldn've. We all need t' get off New Sydney before he finds out I've got it, or we're all in th' shite." She looked over her shoulder to Sarah. "You too, Babe. Pack a bag. "
"I told ya workin' f'r th' Syndicate'd bring ya t' no good end. Ya could've been anythin'. An architect, an Engineer, a scientist.... But ya chose to waste yer talents..."
"Save yer high horse, Da. I'm savin' ya as much as me. You owe Bokar money an' there's no way yer gonna have it to him when he wants it."
Michael sighed. It really pissed him off when she was right. "I'm not happy about ya makin' decisions f'r th' whole family without m' sayso... But it's too late now. We'll see ya in 4 hours." He cut the comm line.
Stephanie then set about getting to work herself. One of the perks of having this information was access to the Syndicate's account numbers and access. If she was going to get 5 people off world, it wasn't going to be cheap. She started coding, and when she was done, she had created a merry chase through almost every financial institution in the quadrant, including the Imperial Bank of Romulus, The First Treasury of Qo'Nos, and the Ferengi Commerce exchange. It would skim small amounts of assets from the Syndicate's accounts, not enough to trip any automated flags, but enough to afford five new IDs, Five one way tickets off-world, and enough to cover incidentals. It deposited the lot into an account registered to one Ms. Marilyn Manson. She was sure no one else would catch the reference. This was an ID that Targbreath had set up for her ages ago. She was about to burn it.
Stephanie searched in Sarah's closet until she found a long, hooded cloak and donned. and emerged with the hood pulled up.
"And just what do you think you're doing?" Sarah asked.
"Goin' shoppin'." Stephanie said. "There's some things I need."
Forty minutes later, Stephanie returned with two large shopping bags full of her new acquisitions, then disappeared into the bathroom. She emerged transformed, wearing an expensive looking black knee-length dress with white trim, and black stockings and black patent leather pumps. She was holding a matching black clutch, and wearing very intricate earrings and a matching necklace. What really changed was her face. She had done her makeup... Slightly dramatically. But what Stephanie hoped would make her unrecognizeable was that her signature red tresses had been tucked up under a black pageboy wig. Ms. Marilyn Manson was born. The effect made her look older, and somehow more important.
Sarah wolf-whistled. "So what's with that getup? Makes you look older. And taller. And are your boobs normally that big?"
"Yes, yes and no. Miss Stephanie O'Hara can' be seen withdrawin' money from th' bank. Ms. Marilyn Manson, didn't exist until I stepped outta tha' bathroom. She can be seen all she likes."
"So that's your grand scheme for getting us off the planet? Playing dress-up?"
"No, but it is th' means t' th' end. No financial institution on th' planet t'would would let a seventeen year old withdraw t' equivalant o' five hundred bars of latinum. Marilyn is thirty-five.
"No one is gonna believe you're thirty-five."
Stephanie cleared her throat and began talking slowly and breathily, trying to smooth over her Irish accent into something that sounded unlike her. The best she could manage was sounding slightly British, but it would have to do. "I have an excellent plastic surgeon."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "This is getting more ludacris by the second. You know you're out of your damn mind. This will never work."
Stephanie continued affecting the accent, working on perfecting it. "Ye of little faith, Darling, Sarah."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Fine. How long do I have to wait this time?"
"Wait? No, dearest. You're coming with me. I bought you an outfit as well. It's hanging up in the washroom."
Sarah walked into the bathroom and appeared in the doorway a few moments later. "I am NOT wearing this!"
"Come now, my love. Time is wasting."
Sarah emerged from the bathroom in the outfit. It was Stephanie's turn to whistle. Sarah was dressed in a very short, very low cut sequened dress in a shade of rose gold and matching shoes, and wearing a faux fur coat. Her hair was hidden under a long wavy blond wig. Her boobs weren't normally that big either. "I thought we weren't supposed to be drawing attention."
"Come now. Every successful executive needs a beautiful young trophy wife." She smiled. "Or you can stay here. Besides, you look ravishing. I'll be the envy of everyone having such a lovely young creature on my arm."
Sarah sighed heavily. "You win. Let's get this over with."
LTjg Stephanie O'Hara
Chief Engineer
USS Merlin
