Page 2 of Hunt Me
“Direct approach?” I laugh. “Is that what we’re calling it when Dmitri terrorized you for weeks before you fell for his charms? Or when Erik literally kidnapped Katarina?”
Erik’s expression doesn’t change, but his hand slides over to cover Katarina’s on the table. “It worked.”
“You all set a terrifying precedent,” I mutter. “What am I supposed to do? Find a nice girl and lock her in my server room until Stockholm syndrome kicks in?”
“Maybe try conversation first,” Sofia suggests.
“Or showering regularly,” Dmitri adds.
I flip him off casually. “I showered yesterday. Maybe.”
“The Phantom has been occupying all his time,” Nikolai explains to the table. “Three weeks and no progress. Perhaps it’s a sign you’ve met your match, little brother.”
The reminder of my failure stings more than I want to admit. “No one is my match. I just haven’t... fully engaged yet.”
“Or maybe,” Tash says with a sly smile, “you’re enjoying the chase too much to actually catch them.”
“Enjoying the chase?” I scoff, but something in Tash’s words hits uncomfortably close to home. “That’s like saying I enjoy migraines or being stabbed repeatedly with rusty forks.”
I reach for the vodka again, pouring myself another glass while avoiding Nikolai’s disapproving stare. The truth is more complicated. This Phantom is the first worthy adversary I’ve had in years. Most hackers are script kiddies playing with tools they barely understand. This one... this one knows the game better than anyone I’ve encountered.
“Perhaps the Phantom is a woman,” Sofia suggests, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “That would explain why you can’t bring yourself to end the game.”
Dmitri chuckles. “Our Alexi, undone by a woman he’s never even seen.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I snap, but the thought sends an unexpected thrill through me. “Gender is irrelevant in code. All that matters is skill.”
Erik, man of few words as always, raises an eyebrow. “You sound defensive.”
“I’m not defensive!” My voice rises enough that Oksana peeks in from the kitchen, concern etched on her weathered face. I lower my volume. “I’m frustrated. This hacker is like a ghost—there and gone before I can lock onto them. They’re using a sophisticated bouncing protocol I’ve never seen before.”
“Maybe that’s your problem,” Katarina says quietly. It’s the first time she’s addressed me directly all evening. “You’re trying to catch something ethereal with a net.”
I pause, fork halfway to my mouth. “Meaning?”
“Sometimes to catch a ghost, you need to become one yourself.” She shrugs, suddenly self-conscious as all eyes turn to her.
I tap my fingers against the table, mind racing. “That’s... not entirely stupid. I’ve been trying to trap them, but maybe I need to haunt them instead.”
“God help us all,” Dmitri mutters. “He’s got that look.”
“What look?” I ask, already mentally coding a new approach.
“The one that means we won’t see you for days and should probably stock the fridge with energy drinks and frozen pizza,” Tash finishes for him.
I stare at Katarina for a solid five seconds. “Become a ghost. Huh.” My mind’s already racing, algorithms reconstructing themselves in my head like living things. “That’s... actually brilliant.”
“Don’t encourage him,” Erik mutters, but there’s almost a smile hidden in his stoic expression.
My fingers drum faster on the tablecloth as the idea expands, fractal-like. “I’ve been trying to catch them in the act, but whatif I create a ghost of my own? A digital doppelgänger that follows their signature, mirroring their movements, becoming their shadow.”
Sofia passes me the potatoes I haven’t asked for. “In English for those of us who don’t speak binary?”
“I’ll create a program that behaves like them, uses their methods. When they breach a system, my ghost will follow, attaching itself to their code like a... like a digital parasite.” The excitement builds in my chest, that familiar electric feeling when I’m onto something good. “I won’t just track them—I’ll haunt them.”
Nikolai studies me with those calculating gray eyes. “How long?”
“Two days. Maybe three.” I’m already mentally cataloging the components I’ll need, the structure, the failsafes.
