Guardian Angels

Chapter 2

"How goes the whole 'playing dead' routine?"

I deadpanned at the buck in front of me. As much of a help he was, he really knew how to get under my nerves. I swear, one of these days, I was gonna haul of and buck Jack right in the face.

"The news crews tell me it isn't going so well." Jack continued.

"Well since when do you trust the news?" I asked.

"Since they had pictures of you on air." He snarked.

I shook my head, and turned away, walking towards my computer.

"What are you gonna do now?" He asked, walking in the glow of my computer. I could clearly see his cream colored coat and black mane now. His cutie mark stood out starkly, the green on the cartoon computer monitor on his flank reflected brightly in the pale light.

"Well I'm gonna have to figure out who this guy is, and how he found me. I thought I covered up pretty well!" I replied. There really was only one explanation for all of this, Daniel had to be the hacker from that bank job. There was no way he could have found me otherwise. Unless he worked for that hacker? HakNet could be willing to do that, expose that bank accounts weren't safe in the CTos. Maybe it was a fixer, a hired gun. I don't think that as likely, it may have been a HakNet operative. If they could expose me, try and get me to crack, then they could use me to reveal my hack on the bank account.

"You didn't manage to catch his name, did you?" Jack asked.

"No, just an alias. Daniel." I replied.

"Daniel?" Jack itched his chin, "Most anypony who uses an alias will use the same ones frequently. Maybe you could run a search and see if you could find a Fixer?"

"No, he's not a fixer, he would have just killed me then and there. This guy is after something else. I think he's related to the bank job." I admitted.

Jack gasped, "You don' think he was that other hacker, do you?"

I shrugged, "It's highly possible, or somebody working for them."

Jack sat down, thinking hard, "Can you run a search through the HakNet servers?"

I sighed, "That's about the same thing as asking me if I can sprout wings and become a princess. It's not gonna happen."

There was a pause, then Jack stated, "What if you got some help...from the inside?"

"What HakNet operative would want to turn on their own?" I asked, "Unless you know somebody?"

"No," He admitted, "Nothing like that. Maybe you could get one of them to work for you, earn their trust, and gain access that way?"

"It would take a miracle and a half." I stated.

"I think I know somebody who you can start with." Jack smiled, "I hear she's into melodramatic guys with radio towers for cutie marks."

I looked at my cutie mark, a radio tower. The few times I took that coat off, Jack always said something about it. Whether it was a joke or just a statement, he always noticed it. I never understood that, maybe that's why I put it on so much, like I was doing now. "Who?" I asked.

"A hacker, username ModPea115." He stated.

"Got a real name?" I prodded.

Jack smiled, "Miss Pie. Maud Pie."

I was already on my way to The Magic Dragon when Jack called me.

"Hey, just wanted to remind you to be careful. Daniel obviously has access to the CTos, so he can see you anywhere. He might be listening in to our talk right now." Jack said.

I grunted, "Then don't call me!" I hung up.

A couple seconds later, a ding erupts from my pocket. I pull out my smart phone.

NEW TEXT: Jack

Message: You didn't have to be rude! /)*0*(\

I grinned, pocketing the phone and looking up to see I was already at the buffet. The Magic Dragon was supposed to be where Maud met with Jack when they conducted business, so I'd be sitting in for Jack on this one. I just hope she gives her uninvited guest some less-than-friendly words and not some shoot-first-ask-questions-later ones. The last thing I needed right now was a gunfight. I turned the alley behind the buffet, and waited. Sure enough, something pressed up against the back of my head.

"Where's Jack?" The voice sounded...bored?

"I'm his friend, I wanted your help." I said, honestly.

"Oh really? Got any proof?" She said the proof like no matter what I showed her, she'd still shoot me anyways.

I pulled out my smart phone, and lifted it behind my head, showing her the text Jack sent me just a minute ago.

The barrel was removed from my skull, "Yeah, that's his number."

I sighed, and turned around to see...a teenager. Maud Pie was a teenager, about 17 or 18, grey coat, purple mane and eyes, and her cutie mark, barely sticking out from her grey overcoat, was a...rock? Yes, cutie mark is confirmed as rock.

"I guess I can trust a friend of Jack, but I've got my eye on you." She said, in a monotone voice.

"You-you're a teenager?" I asked, bamboozled.

Maud sighed, "Is there a problem with that?"

"Well," I said, "So long as you can make it on your own, I guess not."

Maud blinked, holding a bored expression, "Good."

Silence, and a cough. So much for a dramatic confrontation.

"So," Maud droned, "You got a name?"

"Oh, I'm Alex. Alex Parker." I stuck out a hoof for a hoof shake.

She raised an eyebrow, "I'm Maud Pie." She...gave me a hoof bump. She was certainly a teenager.

I cut to the chase, "Well, Ms. Pie. I was won-"

Suddenly, she was up in my face, nostrils flared, gun to my ear. She growled, "What did you just call me?"

I nearly wet myself. She was thin and quiet, but when she got in my face, I swear she seemed like she could break boulders. I stammered, "M-m-miss P-pie?"

She snorted, pushing the gun hard into my ear, "That's what ponies call my mom, and my mom is a whore. So, what did you call me?"

Now I got what she was saying, "I said Maud! Maud!"

The gun was removed from my ear drum, "That's what I thought." She backed off, "Now, what were you saying?" Back to the monotone bored voice. This girl was going to kill me.

"Um...w-well, I was wondering if you would be willing to help me tail a hacker." I asked.

Maud replied, "You do know who I work for, don't you?"

"Yes," I replied. This was where I added the hook, "He hacked into the monitor feeds last night. I got in a bit of a scuffle with him and he hacked the televisions on the Manehattan metro to send me a vulgar message."

Maud didn't even blink, it was impossible to read her, "Do you have any proof?"

Proof? I always have proof, "Right here." I pulled out my smart phone, and showed her yesterday's camera feed on the metro. You could clearly see Daniel on the screens.

"That's proof enough for me," Maud replied, "So if I help you get back at this guy, you'll help HakNet reveal him to the press?"

Now came the part where I lied, I was never good at lying. Well, here goes nothing, "Yes." Man, that was easier than I thought!

"You're lying."

Or maybe it wasn't...

"What?" I played dumb.

"Don't play dumb with me," I couldn't read her, but she read me like an open book, "There's some angle you have, so spill it."

I sighed, maybe honesty was the best policy here? What was the worst she would do, shoot me? That wasn't so bad. Let's try  honesty, "I need access to the HakNet servers-"

"So you planned on using me to get to them?" She stated, bored as ever. It was like she was reading my mind.

I simply nodded.

"Well if you asked I would have given you access in return for a simple chore," she monotoned, "but now you have to do something extra special."

Grand. Great job Alex. Great job.

"I need you to give HakNet access to the CTos." She stated.

I raised an eyebrow, "Doesn't HakNet already have access?"

She gave a ghost of a grin, "Complete access."

That wasn't going to be easy. You see, the CTos was connected to everything. Cameras, pipes, TV's, radio, you name it. Although, some portions of the CTos were blocked by extreme fire walls. It was basically impossible to get around them unless you had somebody on the other side. Maud just asked me to find all of these places blocked by fire walls, and hack around them. Not only that, but unless I wanted the HDF on me, I'd have to do it good too. I'd need help. Which meant I'd need help to get help. Sounds pretty backwards when you think about it.

"But..." she added.

I hate butts.

"...I'm not supposed to give you access. So I'll give you temporary access, then I'll revoke it, and nobody will ever know. Deal?"

I thought for a second, weighing my options. It was possible Daniel didn't even have a record on HakNet. Though, it was too risky to leave a stone unturned. It could cost me my life, "Deal."

She stuck out her hoof, and I nearly shook it. Instead, I gave her a hoof bump. I have to admit, it made me feel like a badass.

"Then I'll leave you to it." She said, and started to walk away.

As she did, I pulled out my smart phone and opened the profiler. I scanned Maud and she came up quickly from the database.

MAUD_PIE

WRITES MLH FANFICTION

Age:19

Occupation: Rock farmer

Income: $45,000

"Writes what?" I mumbled to myself.

Putting the phone down, I was greeted by Maud's snarling face, "Tell anybody, and you're dead." With that, she turned and galloped away.

Maud Pie, most confusing mare I ever met.

Time to call up some old friends.