Finders keepers no secrets left in the dark

It’s dark now. That should help, but Chris doubts it. He puts on the blinker and prepares for the exit. He still can’t believe this is happening. How can anyone be in a predicament like this? Especially in this day and age. This stuff only happens in the movies. Or AI videos. The exit leads to the hotel, and right now he just needs a moment to gather his thoughts. Maybe things are not as bad as he thinks.

There was no way to imagine his discovery would trigger such a backlash. In fact, it is something he never expected. That’s why he shared his pictures online. He needed to find out if anyone else knew anything about his discovery. It was in a cave after all. Therefore, it had to have some historical importance. But things went downhill so fast, he still can’t understand what happened.

Suddenly all his pictures were wiped from existence. Furthermore, it happened all at once. Then he gets a warning about his online profile. He is being investigated for speech infractions. That’s when Chris knew it was all about his discovery. In fact, the immediate backlash helped form some of his current theories. Like how important it might be to get on the move. Between that, and the letter he received, the decision to take flight was an easy one.

Finders Keepers

With this in mind, Chris makes his way to the hotel. Of course he has their attention, and they are following his every move. They’ve been watching him for a couple of hours now. Although he has some idea of the situation, it is unlike anything he imagines. Or has ever imagined. It is important to monitor first. They need to know everything he knows. The real depth of his activity.

Furthermore, it is important to know who else knows about his discovery. They have many hot spots to monitor these days. However, this one was unexpected. An anomaly. Until this one, they were certain everything was locked down. Obviously they still have some oversight issues. Furthermore, it’s actually not a small world. The technology makes it feel small. And there’s no such thing as finders keepers.

There are places in the world no eye has seen. Levels of existence no mind can fathom. It is a mysterious and magical world, but only for those who know where to look. Or how to look. For centuries the work continued. Unseen and out of mind. Now, the time is near and things have begun to take shape. There can be no distractions. No delays. Therefore, this anomaly must be dealt with. But not before all connections are considered.

Finders Keepers No Secrets

He is far enough away to breathe easy now. Julian feels relieved to be away from the skip tracer’s focus. Especially now that he’s with her. The vehicle turns at the next intersection and accelerates onto the highway. He’s the only one in the vehicle, but he’s not alone. Furthermore, he spends his time studying this new player. She’s right. They are moving to cancel the guy. It’s understandable, considering what he found.

However, it was a major mistake posting the pictures online. But Julian knows the guy has no idea of the depth of his mistake. The view outside the vehicle changes as they leave the inner city. It would take an hour to reach the hotel. Even then it might be too late. They are fairly certain no moves will happen until the mission parameters are met. Actually, she, is fairly certain. Julian doesn’t trust them, even a fraction. Therefore, he assumes the worst with them, always.

His mission is to reach the hotel before they do. According to her, the guy and his pictures are critical to survival. Furthermore, they have no choice but to hurry. According to her information, this situation has the attention of the highest authority. In fact, this has grown beyond Julian and any skip tracer. This is now a full blown battle for survival. And a photographer is now on the front line.

Finders keepers In The Dark

The hotel has brightly lit signs and feels friendly. It’s exactly the sort of place Chris needs to calm his nerves. The feeling of being foolish hangs on him like a wet paper sack. He’s got a great apartment a hundred miles north of here. So why is he at a hotel two hours away? You know why. His internal voice sounds more confident than he feels.

Thirty minutes later he’s in his room. A standard economy suite. It has cable, and wifi, so he’s got everything he needs for a mini vacation. And that’s just what this is, he decides. A mini vacation. A chance to catch up and spend a little time relaxing. In fact, now that he’s sitting in the room with the TV on, and sipping his coffee, the idea of being on the run, feels ridiculous. So his pictures vanished. It could happen to anyone’s pictures. He just needs to find out why.

Secrets

His confidence lingers, right up until he discovers he no longer exists. In fact, he is so non-existent that he has to finish reading his obituary to be sure. In all his social media, and all the places where he has accounts, the news has already spread. Chris feels the room spin. His breath comes in short, quiet gasps, as he tries to comprehend what he’s seeing. It’s impossible, yet everywhere he looks, he’s been erased. The panic is just beginning to leach its way into his system, when a loud knock on his door, sends his pulse into overdrive.

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Finders Keepers

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