Free RETALI8ION: The Cobalt Code by Amber Neko Meador Page B

announced.
    “Put it up in the background of my environment for me, please,” said Regina.
    “Roger,” replied Galatea.
    A video feed opened up a few meters away from Regina.  She couldn't help but smile when she saw the headline that was scrolling across the bottom of the screen.
    “The Market Marble and The Necronomicron have both posted stories about the white supremacist comments made on the social network accounts of Mr. Daniels re-election campaign,” said Galatea.
    “Ah, the tip of the iceberg has come into view,” Yosha said proudly.
    “You wanna go ahead and drop the package to MPHarm?” Regina asked.
    “It's done, of course.  But I thought you wanted to drop it later?” Yosha questioned.
    Regina shrugged.  “No time like the present.”
    “Dropping now,” said Yosha.
    Regina turned her attention back to the virtual phone, and opened up the next e-mail account.  Reading through the first few messages, she got the driving sense that this was the one she was after.  Keywords like 'package' and 'the job' were common in this e-mail account's recent activity.  “Found you, you son of a bitch.”
    “You find what you need, kid?” Grendal asked.
    “I think so, and I think this goes real deep.  Looks like the chief needed a big boost before some upcoming event or another.  There's a timeline and some bullshit I'm gonna have to work through,” Regina replied.
    “Get 'em all, kid,” said Grendal.
    Regina opened the fourth e-mail account Mr. Daniel’s phone was linked with.  This one appeared to be used for online gambling and porn mostly.  “Galatea, go ahead and share this fourth one, as well.”
    “Will do,” Galatea replied.  “What about the third one?”
    “No.  That one is mine,” Regina stated plainly.
    “Understood,” Galatea replied.
    Regina pushed the email accounts out of her way, and started going through the most recent calls the phone had made.  “People should really start requiring a password to open phone apps and programs.”
    “Is Mr. Daniels one of the ninety-nine percent of the world that just leaves his phone logged into all of his apps?” Yosha asked.
    “He sure is,” Regina replied.
    “I suppose it's time we teach him a very valuable lesson then,” Yosha said.
    “Yeah.  And that lesson is not to fuck with me.”

-6-
     
    It had taken the three of them diving for three hours to get what Regina thought was enough to pin Koto Daniels for everything, then another two to assemble a thirty minute 'special' about Mr. Daniels to broadcast to the world.  Yosha, Artemis, and Regina now stood on the platform and watched as the two biggest news stations in the country, and four of the biggest in the region, started broadcasting their special to everyone who was watching.  It seemed that the SecFor Chief that Koto was working with had contacts at the Aeroyin Defense Company, who was looking to sell some new equipment to the region’s security services.  A contract that would have to be approved by the Prime Minister's office.  It also turned out that more than six hundred million had been working its way into pockets of several elected officials from lobbyists working for Aeroyin.  It went deeper and darker, but the biggest fish would definitely be fried.  A few industrious and dedicated net rats had even pieced together a small scandal involving Koto Daniels and a local mobster who were running a sex slave trade.
    “Ya know, I don't think we even had to put this together.  I think the news orgs would have pieced this together on their own,” Artemis said.
    “Maybe.  But it might have taken them a few days,” Regina replied.
    "You don't give the news outlets enough credit.  They aren't all owned by politicians and billionaire playboys.  Some of them actually earned their reputations as great news organizations," Artemis said assuredly.  "Take, for instance, WMGNG already had a reporter outside of Koto's office.  Granted, they were literally just