casually, Sigrid thought. They were more concentrated on a shared bag of nuts and candy than the security monitors. Good. Then they didn't know she was missing.
A third man appeared. He entered through an armored door behind them. He looked like a doctor, maybe a lab technician. He smiled cheerily in greeting, and his eyes lit up at the sight of the salty snacks.
Now was her chance. Though whatever she did, it had to be done quietly. She couldn't risk an alarm, and she was very aware of the large, red button next to the elbow of the female security officer.
It was time to access the old program . This was the gift from her mistress, given to her on the night of her first mission. Sigrid called it to her, drawing it from the many databases stored within her PCM. The algorithms were long and complex, but there was a beauty to the coding, one that went beyond logic and the simple adding of ones and zeros. But such was the genius of Lady Hitomi Kimura.
It took all of Sigrid's focus, but the moment she initiated the program, something extraordinary happened.
She vanished.
Not completely, not entirely. If one concentrated enough—stared long enough—a faint, shimmering outline of her body could be seen, if barely. Of course, the hospital gown she wore was still plainly visible. The "cloak" only worked on her and not her clothing. Sigrid removed it, chucking it back down the corridor.
Silently, swiftly, she moved toward them.
Neither the guards nor the doctor saw her coming. She killed the doctor first, snapping his neck. A knife plucked from the belt of the male guard took care of him. Sigrid caught the startled look on the face of the female guard—she was reaching for the security panel and the large button that would signal the alarm. Her hand never made it and she gasped aloud as she stared at the heavy blade plunged into her chest. Her head slumped forward, dead.
Sigrid pulled the blade from her chest, pausing to wipe it on the woman's sleeve. Three more bodies lay at her feet. She didn't doubt that more would die before she made her escape. Of course, if they tried to stop her, that was their own doing.
Sigrid leaned into the security door, which refused to budge. Glancing around, she looked for an override or lock release. The guard's monitor was switched on; the cursor blinked for her attention.
A few quick taps on the screen found the door release, and the metal portal ground open. All her training, all her instincts told her to run, get out of there as quickly as possible, find a safe spot, hide and then figure things out.
But as she stared at the security terminal, she knew she wasn't going anywhere. Not until she had answers.
Shoving the body of the female guard aside, Sigrid slid into the empty seat. A blinking cursor welcomed her. In the search field she typed: "Query. Sigrid Novak. All information."
PROCESSING.
Sigrid waited. And then waited some more. It was only seconds, but it felt like an eternity. How long before more guards came? How long before someone realized she was missing? And, dammit if the computer wasn't taking its sweet time.
Just as she was about to give up, the screen went dark, then promptly lit up again.
SUBJECT 42: SIGRID NOVAK.
Subject 42? What on Earth?
ALL INFORMATION CLASSIFIED. SEARCH STRING FORBIDDEN.
"Forbidden? Bloody hell. That's my file, and I'll be pleased to retrieve it, thank you very much."
When it came to decryption, Sigrid might not be in the same league as Trudy or even Suko, but her databases came with a host of decryption protocols. One such algorithm blinked for her attention now. The program required very little guidance from her. All she had to do was unleash it upon the unsuspecting data core.
The program was unstoppable. Barrier after barrier was smashed aside. There was no attempt at finesse or hiding its tracks as it stomped and crashed its way across the network.
Within moments she had access to the security systems. From here, the entire
A third man appeared. He entered through an armored door behind them. He looked like a doctor, maybe a lab technician. He smiled cheerily in greeting, and his eyes lit up at the sight of the salty snacks.
Now was her chance. Though whatever she did, it had to be done quietly. She couldn't risk an alarm, and she was very aware of the large, red button next to the elbow of the female security officer.
It was time to access the old program . This was the gift from her mistress, given to her on the night of her first mission. Sigrid called it to her, drawing it from the many databases stored within her PCM. The algorithms were long and complex, but there was a beauty to the coding, one that went beyond logic and the simple adding of ones and zeros. But such was the genius of Lady Hitomi Kimura.
It took all of Sigrid's focus, but the moment she initiated the program, something extraordinary happened.
She vanished.
Not completely, not entirely. If one concentrated enough—stared long enough—a faint, shimmering outline of her body could be seen, if barely. Of course, the hospital gown she wore was still plainly visible. The "cloak" only worked on her and not her clothing. Sigrid removed it, chucking it back down the corridor.
Silently, swiftly, she moved toward them.
Neither the guards nor the doctor saw her coming. She killed the doctor first, snapping his neck. A knife plucked from the belt of the male guard took care of him. Sigrid caught the startled look on the face of the female guard—she was reaching for the security panel and the large button that would signal the alarm. Her hand never made it and she gasped aloud as she stared at the heavy blade plunged into her chest. Her head slumped forward, dead.
Sigrid pulled the blade from her chest, pausing to wipe it on the woman's sleeve. Three more bodies lay at her feet. She didn't doubt that more would die before she made her escape. Of course, if they tried to stop her, that was their own doing.
Sigrid leaned into the security door, which refused to budge. Glancing around, she looked for an override or lock release. The guard's monitor was switched on; the cursor blinked for her attention.
A few quick taps on the screen found the door release, and the metal portal ground open. All her training, all her instincts told her to run, get out of there as quickly as possible, find a safe spot, hide and then figure things out.
But as she stared at the security terminal, she knew she wasn't going anywhere. Not until she had answers.
Shoving the body of the female guard aside, Sigrid slid into the empty seat. A blinking cursor welcomed her. In the search field she typed: "Query. Sigrid Novak. All information."
PROCESSING.
Sigrid waited. And then waited some more. It was only seconds, but it felt like an eternity. How long before more guards came? How long before someone realized she was missing? And, dammit if the computer wasn't taking its sweet time.
Just as she was about to give up, the screen went dark, then promptly lit up again.
SUBJECT 42: SIGRID NOVAK.
Subject 42? What on Earth?
ALL INFORMATION CLASSIFIED. SEARCH STRING FORBIDDEN.
"Forbidden? Bloody hell. That's my file, and I'll be pleased to retrieve it, thank you very much."
When it came to decryption, Sigrid might not be in the same league as Trudy or even Suko, but her databases came with a host of decryption protocols. One such algorithm blinked for her attention now. The program required very little guidance from her. All she had to do was unleash it upon the unsuspecting data core.
The program was unstoppable. Barrier after barrier was smashed aside. There was no attempt at finesse or hiding its tracks as it stomped and crashed its way across the network.
Within moments she had access to the security systems. From here, the entire
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