194 Not Now Not Ever

The next day when the two of them are once again leisurely staying at home, Amber received a call.

It came from her flip phone, the phone she only used during the times she acts as the Pianist.

"Long time no talk I suppose," she answered.

"We need your help," Luke was serious as he spoke.

"I can hear that, what can this humble one do for you?"

She opened her laptop and started typing away. At the same time, Ashton opened his.

She glanced at him and he looked at her, giving her a nod.

A smile crept up in her face as she realized what he would be doing.

As Shield, he will be strengthening the security surrounding her computer, her address and database. Allowing her to go all out without letting anyone, no matter how small, to find her.

He was ensuring that she wouldn't be found while helping the police.

They may be the police but Pianist was still famous enough for the police to look for.

"For you to call me only means that what you need is a countrywide view of all the CCTV cameras. Whether privately owned or not," Amber then said as her hands danced through the keyboard.

Luke glanced at the chief of police, the chief nodded.

"I'll be sending you a photo of the one we are looking for this time, he was notorious of kidnap for ransom but somehow was able to evade the police for so long," Luke started explaining as he send the photos she will be needing.

"And? This doesn't sound like a normal hunt, what is it that makes you this focus? Your voice tells me everything," she said as she waited for the photo he was sending.

Luke glanced at the chief one last time.

"He seemed to have thought highly of himself, he had taken his game on the next level…" Luke started explaining.

Amber saw the photo and she started her own search.

"Why do you keep delaying, just tell me who I am supposed to look for. The victims I mean," she said while her hands didn't stop moving.

"I'm sending their photos now, they are the latest kidnapped victims," Luke replied.

Amber waited for less than a minute before seeing the two pictures of two young children.

Her hand movements stopped for a bit before they started moving again, this time much faster and much fiercer.

Both were boys and each of them have similarities to two people she was acquainted with but never truly met.

"Then I guess we should hurry up to look for your children then," she said.

Luke's head snapped to the chief who was behind him. Both had this shock look in their eyes.

The Pianist knew of their children?

He knew of their family?

"Don't be too scared I wouldn't collaborate with anyone I have no idea who they would be. I just run some background check. I have no desire of going below and try to use those families of yours against you. Not then not ever."

"Now then, where could these people be? How long was it since they were kidnapped? And tell me where they were last seen."

"Ah.. Uhmm. At XX Academy during their lunch break. The two of them were seen together near the playground, which is also near the gate…"

Luke started explaining everything and Amber started typing out the places near the academy.

"That academy is a private one boasting off with their high security, why would your children be abducted within it?"

"They said that it was a delivery car that entered the premise before the two kids disappeared," Luke explained.

"With all those children surrounding them, I suppose the target was already set in stone. And? Have they contacted you already?" Amber asked.

"Regarding the ransom, but we couldn't trace the phone they used."

"Obviously being a notorious one, they would surely know what they are doing," she said.

Just then the search she was doing come up with a result.

The delivery car that was used and how the children were taken.

"Funny to use ice cream to lure the children," she commented.

Luke and the chief looked at each other, their children loves ice cream.

Despite having superior-junior relationship, both was actually good friends and so did their children.

"You have found the video already?" Luke realized what she said and asked.

"That part is quite easy but the follow through would be the difficult one," Amber replied as her fingers kept moving.

She started following where the car was going, this part was still easy but it wouldn't be if they were to change the outside appearance of the car.

Just as she had thought, the car's appearance has changed but this made her furrow her eyebrows.

Ashton noticed this but he didn't react and allowed her to concentrate.

The chief and Luke watched intently, at some point in time, Amber have already hacked one of their computers. What she was doing is being broadcasted on that same computer.

She was not that overconfident, she knew that there could still be minute changes that she wouldn't be able to notice. So having other people watching what was going on is a good way in succeeding in this operation.

Upon reaching the third change, which was already at the edge of the city, Amber stopped typing and a smirk appeared on her face.

Luke and the chief became confused when the car just moved away from the frame and there was no longer any change.

They then heard Pianist spoke on the other side of the call.

"Let him in."

Ashton just stared at her, there had been someone trying to pry open his defense in order to get a hold of the Pianist.

"What's going on?" Luke asked on the other side of the call.

"I guess one reason he stepped up his game is because he found out that I am helping you one way or another," Amber spoke to him once again.

"His after the pianist?"

"No, he is after the three of us. The chief of the main police force in Celestial country, the top hacker of the same police force and their helper," Amber chuckled before saying this.

She looked at Ashton and Ashton nodded at her.

Just then a message appeared in Amber's screen.

"It is my greatest pleasure to finally meet the Pianist, the most renowned hacker slash programmer of the whole world."

Amber replied, "Why bother with the kids?"

"Well, they are the best bait after all. Anyone would move as long as the kids are involved."

After reading this, Amber could tell that the person on the other side was laughing.

"So all you can do is to take kids because they are the easiest to get?"

She gave Ashton another look, Ashton fully understood what it meant as he started typing away on his own laptop.

Despite being the Shield, he was still very much acquainted with hacking for he too was half head of the security part of their own company.

He knew what Amber wanted him to do.

It was to strengthen her security and his then he would exchange with her and act as if he was the Pianist while she will be the one searching for his whereabouts.

"I have sent you all the CCTV shots, follow that truck closely, I'll go and search for his IP address," she then said to Luke.

"I understand."

Being a hacker himself, Luke was obviously one of the best.

It's just that he couldn't go all out and instantly get all the shots of every possible CCTV camera out there. The police force still had restrictions on private cameras.

Only the Pianist could and wouldn't mind doing it.

"That's where you are mistaken, I took them because the parents would work harder than anyone to get them back. If I take the parents then the children wouldn't be able to do anything."

"And? What do you need from me?"

This time it was already Ashton whom he was speaking with.

"I just want to have a challenge with you, the first to find the other?"

"Quite confident aren��t you?"

"Not really, it's just you barely come out so whenever you do come out and make a move, everyone thinks that you are still the best. They haven't noticed that it was already I..."

"Snake," Amber spoke as she looks at Ashton.

Ashton looked at her.

"That's his code name. The code name he gave himself," she added.

Ashton didn't have to ask as she kept going, "There is one hacker that has been copying what I have done in the past and he would play around the database of the police."

"Are you saying that he is just a psychopath?" Luke couldn't help but to ask as he follow the truck that was just going around town.

As if it was asking them to follow it.

"Someone who loves kidnapping children is but a psychopath, there's nothing you could call them," she answered.

"A weird psychopath," Ashton said on the side.