Chapter III

Cleo

    As soon as Hera got home she went straight to the back door and went out back. She crossed the yard and headed for her work shed. She looked over the gate at the main road. She wondered why she didn’t just come in through that way.

    Once the thought was over she shook it off and continued into the work shed. She put the shoulder cap on one of the tables and went to the back of the shed. She pulled back the bed sheet she had hanging from the ceiling and dropped down and opened her safe.

    She dug around for a while she found an old outdated transmitter for an AM radio, a shell to a phone she had once used as a wallet, and she found a tiny box filled with gold wire. In the back of the safe there was a folder. When she saw it she went to go grab for it but decided it was best to leave it. The safe starting ding slowly.

    “You have three more minutes before the safe signal jammer is cut off,” the computer announced.

    “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Hera said as she reached for a big tin box in the back of the safe. She pulled it out and stood up. As she was walking away she tapped the safe door closed with her foot.

    “Another phone lost,” the computer asked Hera as it scanned the box in her hands.

    “Don’t get smart,” she replied. “Did you get all of the files I backed up?” she asked.

    “Yes, and while I was browsing over them I saw something a little strange,” the computer responded.

    “Cleo how could you see something strange your just a computer?” she asked.

    “What did you just call me?” the computer asked.

    “I called you Cleo. You said you wanted a name so I gave you one,” she explained.

    “Oh,” Cleo said surprised. “Anyway as I was saying. The last thing that you uploaded was a woman eye cam. But I bet you didn’t notice that you also hacked into the one her baby had too,” Cleo said.

    “Wait a minute there was an eye cam in the baby?”

    “I know it’s a shame. Anyway while the mother was looking at the tragedy in front of her the baby saw something else,” the computer said pulling up the video. “If you look closely in the back you can see,” Cleo tried to explain before Hera cut her off.

    “Who’s the nerd with the laptop?” Hera asked.

    “Well that’s the strange thing I was trying to point out. Everyone is either running away from the area. Or watching the pool crack, but this guy seems fixed on something else. Or more like someone else.”

    “The woman and the baby?”

    “No,” Cleo said. “You he was looking at you. I believe this guy is the reason for your phone be breached.”

    “Well I got away okay so there’s no point in trying to pursue him. Also I need to get the shoulder cap fixed so I can get this new job,” Hera picked up a phone out of the tin and turned it on. Then she walked over to the shoulder cap and began giving it a closer look over. “Cleo could you please sync up the new phone, and update the security software?”

    “Yes, I can. Would you like me to keep you posted on anything?”

    “Yeah, could you let me know when they rescued the lady from the pool?”

    “They already have. They got her out just moments ago. Looks like her and her spouse were having an argument and things turned for the worse,” Cleo told her.

    “Huh,” she said. She just stood there staring off into space wondering if it really could be that couple from earlier on that day. “Cleo you can go to sleep now.”

    “You don’t need any help with whatever your working on?” she asked.

    “No, it’s pretty basic work I should be fine fixing it all by myself,” Hera told her.

    “Well just to let you know that I looked over the pictures you auto backed up of the shoulder cap and it looks like your going to need to weld the cracks. Would you like me to warm up the,” Hera cut her off.

    “You know for a computer you have a lot of opinions. One would think you were human,” Hera slyly said as she began warming up the welder.

    “Psht nah. You know I can’t stand the human race. You guys are so fragile and vulnerable,” Cleo explained.

    “This coming from something that can be shut down by a kitchen magnet,” Hera looked at the main screen with her hands on her hips.

    “I keep telling you there was a wire loose. You don’t put my power cord all the way in and it fell out,” Cleo whined.

    “Good night Cleo,” Hera waved as she powered her down,

    Hera then walked over to the back corner where the safe was and opened it. She grab the box of phones and put it back in. Then she bent down even lower than before and pulled out a brown box. She got up and tapped the safe door closed with her foot once more. Then she walked over to a lone table sitting at the front of the work shed and placed the box down. She then turned around opening one of her work cabinets and pulled out a solar panel. Then she returned to the box. She pulled out an old CD player and put it on the table.

    The welder machine beeped twice signaling that it was almost warmer up. Hera hurried up and hooked up the CD player. Then she went to the bottom of the box and pulled out her favorite CD and popped it in, and just in time to. As the first track started to play the welder machine let out a long beep for four seconds, signaling that it was done warming up. Hera picked up the shoulder cap and thought to herself.

How hard could this really be?