The young man three seats from the back of the bus pulled his sleeves down, then buttoned the cuffs. "I'm sure it's just a routine check, Nell. We'll be on our way soon."
Nell frowned as she looked at the anxious bus driver. "I hope so, Vance. I don't want to miss out on seeing the Alps."
Vance gulped, then reclined and shut his eyes.
Nell stared at him. "How can you take a nap? You don't even seem curious, yet nobody else can take their eyes off of our guest."
He stretched. "I guess the jet lag is finally catching up with me," he said around a yawn.
She frowned for a second, then watched as the young officer in the reflective vest made his way slowly down the aisle. He was holding a device that looked like a cell phone over each passenger, then moving on after smiling briefly.
"May I please ask what's going on?" she asked, when it was her turn to be inspected.
The officer smiled, but said nothing. When he hovered the device over Vance, it beeped rapidly three times.
His smile disappeared, and almost as fast, he produced a set of handcuffs. In one fluid movement he pulled Vance into the aisle, pinned him down, and handcuffed his hands in back of him.
Nell screamed. Rooted to her seat, she was unaware that the elderly man sitting in the very back of the bus had gingerly come forward and dropped a thumb drive in her purse.
She began to sob, but forced it down. "Don't hurt him. Please, he wouldn't do anything wrong. Vance is my brother-in-law."
The officer turned his head up towards her, as if seeing her for the first time. "You will come with me, Ma'am," he replied in perfect English.
Nell sniffled, then dabbed her eyes with a tissue before she nodded. "Thank you, I just don't want to get separated. This is my first international trip without my husband. I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding."
The officer nodded, now all business.
After a silent and awkward ride, the two tourists found themselves sitting in two different rooms.
When left alone, Nell took the opportunity to look around. "This is certainly not what I expected. It's so clean, and well lit," she thought.
"Hello, my name is Miss Weber. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," a young woman said from the doorway.
Nell smiled. "That's fine, I just want to get this cleared up, so we can continue with our vacation."
Miss Weber smiled back, as she sat in the grey hardback chair across from Nell. "Very good, the first thing I need is for you to tell me everything you know about Project Dunneresco."
Nell frowned. "I've never heard of it. I'm pretty sure it's not along our tour route, though."
Miss Weber coughed, then regained her composure. "No, it's not a place - at least we don't think so."
Nell's eyebrows rose. "Then what is it?"
Miss Weber looked in Nell's eyes for several seconds before she spoke. "That's what we're trying to find out. Anything you can do to help will be greatly appreciated."
"I'm sorry, I don't know anything about it. Am I in trouble?" Nell asked.
Miss Weber smiled. "Not at all, if you are telling the truth. But you might be able to help us."
Nell frowned. "I don't understand, how can I help if I don't know anything?"
Miss Weber leaned closer. "We found your thumb drive. Who are Chaos_Mage_Supreme and Quantum_Witchery?"
Nell's eyes widened. "I didn't bring a thumb drive. I have a new camera and my phone for pictures, and didn't bring a laptop. I've never heard those names either."
Miss Weber's mouth tightened. "Please don't lie, Ma'am. It was in your purse. If it's not yours, who gave it to you? Your brother-in-law?"
Nell ran her hands through her hair. "He didn't give it to me, I didn't even know it existed," she insisted.
Miss Weber nodded. "It may be that he or someone else slipped it in without your knowledge. A polygraph test will help to determine that."
"I'm innocent, and I'll do whatever I can to prove it," Nell agreed.
Miss Weber seemed to relax a little. "Would you like some refreshments first?"
Nell shook her head. "No, I'd rather get it over with. But I do have a question, if you don't mind? Why did that thing beep when the officer held it over Vance?"
"It was a microchip scanner. It reads them, much like a veterinarian or shelter would for a lost pet. But if this one encounters an encrypted chip, it beeps."
Nell frowned. "Why would he have a chip, encrypted or otherwise?"
"That's what we intend to find out," Miss Weber replied.
Fifteen hours later, the two were released, and promptly boarded the next tour bus.
"Are you sure it doesn't hurt?" Nell asked, looking at the small bandage on Vance's arm.
He looked at it, and grimaced. "Nah, it was just like a scratch. All good."
"But why? You said they took something. How did it get there?" she pressed.
Vance shrugged. "I don't know. This whole thing is like a bad movie."
An elderly man hobbled down the aisle, almost hitting Nell with his cane. "Excuse me," he mumbled, as he took the seat in back of her.
A few hours later, Nell opened the window, then gently shook Vance. "We're almost there. The gift shop is supposed to be something special, let's get off for a few minutes."
Vance yawned. "If you see anything good, get it for me? I'm still tired from yesterday."
As Nell rose, she saw the old man. His eyes were closed, and his head was resting on the window.
After she exited the bus, she went around to stand under the open window. She heard Vance's voice, distinctly wide awake.
"I told you, they couldn't decrypt it. It'll take them years."
"Even if you're right, Project Dunneresco needs that information!" another voice replied urgently.
Vance snorted. "I can't make it appear out of thin air."
"Without that chip, I'll never be able to infect Wall Street's computers on schedule. I put a thumb drive with false information in that woman's purse to get them off the trail. The one who always sits next to you..."
Vance grunted. "My little brother's wife. She's clueless, thinks we're here for a vacation."
Nell held her knees until they stopped shaking, then went into the gift shop. "Not only is this vacation a mess, my brother-in-law wants to throw the stock market into chaos too," she thought.
After randomly choosing a few items, she followed the other passengers back to the bus. Before she faced Vance, she steeled herself.
When she walked up to her seat, she found him napping. Nell quietly stowed the packages, keeping a small paperback out.
"I've got to call Miss Weber when I get to the hotel," she thought, unable to enjoy the scenery or book.
One day later:
"I hope Vance doesn't find this. It'll let the police in Berlin hear the whole conversation if it works," Nell thought as she dropped the bugged souvenir keychain into his pocket.
Vance and the elderly man declined to get off at the next stop. Just like at the gift shop, she had tried to wake him without success.
She stalked around the side of the bus, staying close so as not to be seen.
"You're in luck, fella. Boss sent another chip out, this time with someone from the organization. It'll be in Kochel a few days from now. And he said I didn't have to kill you - this time.
"Does this mean that I'm free to forget the whole thing?" Vance asked shakily.
The old man chuckled, but it wasn't a happy sound. "Kid, once you're in, you're in."
Nell slipped away, sweat pouring from her forehead. "It's finally over, at least for me. Now to restore some order to this vacation..."
Describe what you see:
I see a German policeman checking out a bus. He looks like he's holding a phone.
Describe what you feel:
I feel like it's a tourist bus, loaded with vacationers. I'm wondering if it's a routine check, or something more!
Participation link
Image source by @wakeupkitty and edited in Canva
