Wellsprings

  December 1st

  2069

  Sophie took a deep breath, steadying herself before making her move. She slipped over the ledge onto a small electrical box, then dropped silently onto the balcony below, rolling with her shoulder first to absorb the fall. As she came up, she immediately pressed herself against a low wall, eyes tracking the security camera mounted at the far end.

  The camera swept across the balcony slowly. Sophie watched its pattern, counting the seconds between each pass. Five seconds to reset, three seconds to sweep…so eight seconds total. As soon as it swiveled away, she moved.

  She stayed low, slipping under the camera and pressing her back against the same wall it was mounted on. There was a sliding glass door to her left, her most obvious entry point, but a quick scan with her optics revealed that it was locked tight. A deeper probe into its security system showed she had no chance of opening it. Her burgeoning netrunning skills weren’t enough to break through the encryption.

  Sophie exhaled sharply before refocusing. That route was out. She glanced toward the far end of the balcony, waiting for the camera to turn again before dashing across the open space. As she reached the far side, her eyes caught on a narrow staircase leading upward. It had been hidden from view in her previous position, blending into its surroundings.

  Keeping close to the railing, she began creeping up the stairs. The wind stirred strands of her hair, but she ignored it, ears straining for any movement beyond the next landing. As she neared the top, she froze. She could hear faint beeping, followed by the faint shifting of weight. She peeked over the top stair and spotted a robot guard.

  She pressed herself against the wall, making sure as much of her body was hidden as possible. The robot stood near an entrance into the apartment, its glowing optical sensor casting a faint red glow onto the polished wooden floor.

  Sophie took stock of her options. The entrance it was guarding was likely her best way inside. But she needed the bot to move so that she could access it.

  Fuck. Doesn’t look like it has a patrol route…Can I get its attention somehow? I’d need to throw something at a wall though…She looked around but didn’t notice anything that could serve as a distraction while also not leaving any traces. Then her eyes lit up. She fished out one of her flash pellets. I just have to throw it carefully.

  With her plan ready, she strained to move herself into the correct position without alerting the sentry. Once she was situated correctly, she tossed the pellet through the bot’s line of sight. It flew exactly where she wanted it to, falling over the edge of the balcony towards the street below. Why was I trying to find something to throw at a wall when I could do that? Stupid Sophie.

  While she was chastising herself, the bot clanked over to the spot she’d thrown the flash pellet through, beeping furiously. Sophie took the brief opportunity before it began tracing the pellet’s flight path, dashing over to the entrance. Just as she went to pass through the boundary, she skidded to a halt.

  There was a red, holographic warning across the entryway. Fuck! Panicking slightly, Sophie spun ‘round, searching for another method to enter. The system in front of her would register an unapproved biometric reading in seconds, alerting the apartment’s automated defenses. She couldn’t afford that risk.

  Then she spotted safety; an air vent, set into the wall just a few feet to her left. It was small, but easily big enough for her to squeeze through. She quickly unscrewed the vent cover as quietly as possible. The second it was loose, she slid inside, pulling the grate back into place behind her. It was a bit wobbly but the sides sat snugly in their small recesses.

  Behind her, the robot guard had stomped over to her previous location, scanning the area.

  Damn. That was way too close for comfort.

  Dust and stale air filled her lungs as she crawled further inside but she pressed forward, careful not to make a sound. It was hard work trying not to cough due to the dust. However, the vents carried sound easily and she couldn’t afford to make any sharp sounds. One misplaced movement or sound and anyone inside the apartment might hear her crawling.

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  She moved slowly, occasionally pausing to listen for any signs of movement beyond the vent walls.

  Finally, she reached an exit point. Through the slats, she could see the second floor of the apartment. It was a hallway that led into an unoccupied room with beautiful wooden furniture and soft lighting.

  From the inside, Sophie carefully damaged the securing screws, allowing her to unlatch the vent cover and push it outward just enough to slip through. She eased herself out of the confined space and landed in a crouch, scanning her surroundings further. A minimalist aesthetic dominated the apartment. There was fancy furniture and expensive materials but also an eerie lack of personal touches. Whoever lived here had plenty of money, but there were no signs of warmth, no indication of a life beyond business.

  She took a step forward, then froze as a subtle whirring noise reached her ears. A moving camera somewhere nearby. She slipped into the shadows, blending into the darker recesses of the room as she ran her eyes across the room, searching for the security device.

  Edging forward, she peered around a corner and spotted the camera. It was monitoring a hallway that led deeper into the apartment.

  Pressing her back against the wall, she studied the camera’s movement, noting its blind spots. She had only a couple of seconds to move once it turned away. Taking a steadying breath, she waited for the exact moment it panned away from her position, then darted forward, keeping low to the ground.

  In a single smooth motion, she rolled into cover behind a small decorative pillar just before the lens swung back. The moment it looked away again, she finished crossing the hallway, slipping into the next room without a sound.

  The apartment was spacious, and very bright due to the massive windows. Still, there was an occasional shadow she could use to her advantage. Her target destination was the main study, where the data she needed was supposedly stored.

  As she rounded a corner, the sound of a security drone, similar to a fan, reached her ears. Freezing in place, she glanced up and caught sight of a compact, hovering drone drifting slowly along the ceiling, its blue optics scanning the room below.

  Immediately crouching low, she tracked its movement, noting that it followed a simple patrol path. The moment it veered away, she crept forward, using furniture as cover.

  A sudden beep from the hallway almost made her heart jump out of her throat. Another drone? No…Is there someone here? Fuck! Sophie barely had time to slide behind a large sofa before the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the room.

  A careful look revealed a robotic guard, humanoid in design but with a reinforced frame. It walked further into the room, its heavy steps making the floor tremble slightly. It stopped just feet away from her position, its optics glowing a faint red as it surveyed the area.

  She breathed slowly while keeping her body as still as possible. The machine stood there for a few agonizing seconds before continuing its patrol, thumping toward another section of the apartment. Only when she was sure it was gone did she allow herself to move again, creeping forward with even greater caution.

  After several tense minutes of navigating past cameras, drones, and robotic sentries, Sophie finally spotted her destination; a large set of double doors, slightly ajar. Slipping inside, she quickly scanned the study. It was a well-furnished room, lined with bookshelves and expensive art pieces. Her target though, was a normal looking computer that sat atop a massive wooden desk.

  Sophie wasted no time. She pulled her personal link out and plugged it into the terminal’s port. The moment she connected, the ICEbreaker Padre had sent her activated, bypassing the security protocols. Lines of code scrolled across the screen as the breach process initiated. Glad he sent me this. But I really need to improve my ‘running. I can’t keep relying on this kind of thing.

  There was a soft beep as the device opened, followed by rapid tapping as her fingers hovered over the keyboard, navigating through the system. It didn’t take long to find what she was looking for. The titles suggested it was a collection of reports and despite not actually looking at the content, she knew they would detail something bad. Still, it wasn’t her business. Sophie transferred the data, watching as the progress bar filled.

  Just as she prepared to disconnect, something caught her eye. It shouldn’t have, but it felt important for some reason. Yet it was just a normal folder labeled with a simple, unassuming name. She opened it. What she found inside made her blood run cold.

  The folder contained a series of files; images, videos, and documents that detailed some of the horrific crimes committed by the apartment’s owner. The level of depravity was staggering. Her jaw clenched as she quickly downloaded everything, sending a copy to Padre along with the original data. She could only hope that the extra info would ruin him. If not, she was always willing to do things herself.

  Almost instantly, she received a brief acknowledgement message from him. With her mission complete, it was time to leave.

  She disconnected her link and moved swiftly back toward her entry point. The study remained undisturbed, but she could still hear the hum of drones patrolling nearby. She retraced her steps, avoiding every camera and sentry just as she had before.

  At one point, she had to freeze in place for nearly a full minute as a robotic guard lingered dangerously close to her position. When it finally moved on, she seized her opportunity and slipped past unnoticed.

  Climbing back through the vent, she crawled her way back to the hidden balcony staircase, pausing briefly to ensure the robotic guard below still had its back turned. She crept down the stairs and back onto the exposed balcony, timing her movements with the camera sweeps once more. As soon as the camera panned away, she vaulted up to a handhold before clambering up towards the roof’s ledge.

  The rooftop was still quiet, but Sophie didn’t let her guard down. She made her way back to the elevator access point, then rode the lift down, keeping to the shadows when the doors opened. The lobby was her final obstacle. She needed to get through it without alerting anyone.

  As she stepped out of the restricted hallway, she heard voices nearby. She looked over, noting that it was the security guards talking casually as they patrolled. She stuck herself against the wall, staying out of sight. The moment they moved past her, she swiftly crossed the floor, blending in with the scattered guests in the lobby.

  Just as she neared the exit, a sharp voice called out, “Hold up.”

  Her heart pounded as she turned slightly, ready to react. A security guard was speaking to another guest, not her. Fighting the urge to move too quickly, she maintained a natural pace as she walked toward the entrance.

  A moment later, the front doors slid open, and she stepped outside, breathing in the crisp afternoon air. Only once she was a few blocks away did she finally allow herself to relax.

  Ugh. That sucked. I prefer killing people.