Everything was going as planned. The ID cards worked as Zoe pressed it against the plastic hump sitting on top of the turnstile. A green light illuminated and the guard standing on the other side gave her a smile "Morning Mrs. Keneda." She returned his smile in kind, quickly making her way past the first hurdle of the operation.
Waiting in front of the elevator doors she made sure that her appearance were in check. Hair pulled tight into a bun. Her black knee length skirt free of any wrinkles while the matching blouse kept everything tied together in a casual but professional manner. Tightly holding the tablet she looked down at it. Swiping randomly generated appointments and other essential items off the notification shade. "Going to be a busy Friday huh." Zoe had built into her mission of curious onlookers, to keep any unwanted attention off of herself while she worked "Seems in that every week, everyone decides to either leave early or take today off." Feigning an air of annoyance "I hear you on that. Would rather be at the beach myself." The doors of the elevator opened and the crowd of people shuffled into the waiting car, along with Zoe joining them.
Being the last person to step off the elevator on the forty seventh floor, Zoe turned to her left. The frosted glass wall glowed slightly with a muted white light. An outline of a rectangle appeared as she walked up to the wall. Pressing the card against the outline it faded away leaving a green circle. Having already researched the security measures she pushed her thumb against the glass. Instantly the glass parted down the middle along a previously unseen seam.
Walking through the empty lobby of the QBL Group, Zoe could feel the unmoving eyes of the cameras watching her every step. Passing through the rear doorway she entered into the office area. Several QBL employees were busy with their own projects. The darkened offices flickered with the harsh light from their monitors. Zoe's destination was even further back behind another frosted glass wall. Again the rectangle outline appeared and she successfully made it past the security.
The chilled air greeted her as soon as the wall split. Moving quickly Zoe went past banks of humming servers. As she walked she pressed what would appear to the common person the power button on the tablet. Pressing it several times in a code she only knew, it popped up slightly revealing a hidden tray. Stopping in front of a particular server located near the rear of the room she pulled the tray from her tablet. Along with it were a series of wires, each tipped with pin connectors. Setting the tablet on the keyboard tray of the server Zoe went to work. Opening the front panel she pulled aside the bundled cabling that connected the various main boards. Finding the service port, she connected the wires of her bug one by one while watching the levels of activity on her tablet. Completing the process quickly. Keeping a vigil of her surroundings, she couldn't help in having a feeling of being watched. It was not from the camera's that she pressed into a continuous loop after entering the room from the uploaded virus as the door scanned the card. More in that someone was in the room, observing her. Reaching out to whoever it was, they were just out of her range of blood control.
Testing the connections of the bug as it began to listen in and siphon miniscule segments of data off to her own server in New York City via hundreds of proxies and false connections. She felt a slight change in the air. Moving to her right in time as a shrouded figure erupted out of cloud of filth. The flash of a blade struck out where she had just been standing.
Zoe instantly went into Pian Shen Ma, a deflecting stance. With well practiced motion, her movements fluid as she struck out at the figure. Controlling the figures dagger strikes towards her with well placed blood pulls or pushes. The figure used their filth based power to move from place to place within the tight confines of the server room, slicing Zoe's arms and palms at times. Zoe's blood soaking the sleeves of her blouse. She felt another presence in the room just as she blocked a strike from her assassin with her palm. The blade passing easily though her hand. Suppressing the pain as it shot through her arm, twisting her body to use the assassins weight towards her. She jabbed her other hand between the mask and their skin in a attempt to sever the jugular with a massive blood clot. Just as her fingertips connected with the skin, a wave of intense painful visions blasted into her mind.
Zoe's scream echoed within the room. Falling backwards the other presence she had felt during the fight erupted out of cloud of filth, very much like her attacker did. Between the visions of nightmarish scenes and the pain. Zoe watched as the new figure dressed in a black overcoat grabbed her attacker. Not one to simply lay down and let someone take care of things for her, Zoe quickly got to her feet. Digging into reserves she reached out. Feeling the pulsating blood flowing through the assassins body. Slowing the movements of the assassin to a point that the other figure had wrapped their arm around the others neck before driving an ornate blade into the side. Zoe could feel the blood erupting out of the tear in their heart. She pushed the rest of the blood through that tear, killing the assassin.
Zoe panted from the fight but kept her stance as stared to the figure in the overcoat. Her own heart seemed to have skipped a beat. Standing before her was herself only it wasn't. "I believe the words are thank you, sister." Unable to find the words, only disbelief as Zoe looked upon the face of Marli. "Thank you." With a sigh of relief she stepped over the lifeless body of the assassin "How did you know?" Zoe asked, picking up her tablet. "as they say, through the grapevine." Marli's attempt of humor came across flat "I have been tracking the others, Dr. Hashimoto's experiments."
His name caused Zoe to pause. To think of the man that had started everything wrong in her life. "I assumed that you were the only one left. Anyways, that is a story for another time. I've only allotted ten minutes and we're dangerously close to that limit."
"Perhaps we can...do an activity." Marli's question threw Zoe for a moment "sure, for now I just have to figure out a way in not attracting attention to myself." She watched as Marli disappeared in the cloud of filth. Shaking her head, Zoe made her way out of the room.
Waiting in front of the elevator doors she made sure that her appearance were in check. Hair pulled tight into a bun. Her black knee length skirt free of any wrinkles while the matching blouse kept everything tied together in a casual but professional manner. Tightly holding the tablet she looked down at it. Swiping randomly generated appointments and other essential items off the notification shade. "Going to be a busy Friday huh." Zoe had built into her mission of curious onlookers, to keep any unwanted attention off of herself while she worked "Seems in that every week, everyone decides to either leave early or take today off." Feigning an air of annoyance "I hear you on that. Would rather be at the beach myself." The doors of the elevator opened and the crowd of people shuffled into the waiting car, along with Zoe joining them.
Being the last person to step off the elevator on the forty seventh floor, Zoe turned to her left. The frosted glass wall glowed slightly with a muted white light. An outline of a rectangle appeared as she walked up to the wall. Pressing the card against the outline it faded away leaving a green circle. Having already researched the security measures she pushed her thumb against the glass. Instantly the glass parted down the middle along a previously unseen seam.
Walking through the empty lobby of the QBL Group, Zoe could feel the unmoving eyes of the cameras watching her every step. Passing through the rear doorway she entered into the office area. Several QBL employees were busy with their own projects. The darkened offices flickered with the harsh light from their monitors. Zoe's destination was even further back behind another frosted glass wall. Again the rectangle outline appeared and she successfully made it past the security.
The chilled air greeted her as soon as the wall split. Moving quickly Zoe went past banks of humming servers. As she walked she pressed what would appear to the common person the power button on the tablet. Pressing it several times in a code she only knew, it popped up slightly revealing a hidden tray. Stopping in front of a particular server located near the rear of the room she pulled the tray from her tablet. Along with it were a series of wires, each tipped with pin connectors. Setting the tablet on the keyboard tray of the server Zoe went to work. Opening the front panel she pulled aside the bundled cabling that connected the various main boards. Finding the service port, she connected the wires of her bug one by one while watching the levels of activity on her tablet. Completing the process quickly. Keeping a vigil of her surroundings, she couldn't help in having a feeling of being watched. It was not from the camera's that she pressed into a continuous loop after entering the room from the uploaded virus as the door scanned the card. More in that someone was in the room, observing her. Reaching out to whoever it was, they were just out of her range of blood control.
Testing the connections of the bug as it began to listen in and siphon miniscule segments of data off to her own server in New York City via hundreds of proxies and false connections. She felt a slight change in the air. Moving to her right in time as a shrouded figure erupted out of cloud of filth. The flash of a blade struck out where she had just been standing.
Zoe instantly went into Pian Shen Ma, a deflecting stance. With well practiced motion, her movements fluid as she struck out at the figure. Controlling the figures dagger strikes towards her with well placed blood pulls or pushes. The figure used their filth based power to move from place to place within the tight confines of the server room, slicing Zoe's arms and palms at times. Zoe's blood soaking the sleeves of her blouse. She felt another presence in the room just as she blocked a strike from her assassin with her palm. The blade passing easily though her hand. Suppressing the pain as it shot through her arm, twisting her body to use the assassins weight towards her. She jabbed her other hand between the mask and their skin in a attempt to sever the jugular with a massive blood clot. Just as her fingertips connected with the skin, a wave of intense painful visions blasted into her mind.
Zoe's scream echoed within the room. Falling backwards the other presence she had felt during the fight erupted out of cloud of filth, very much like her attacker did. Between the visions of nightmarish scenes and the pain. Zoe watched as the new figure dressed in a black overcoat grabbed her attacker. Not one to simply lay down and let someone take care of things for her, Zoe quickly got to her feet. Digging into reserves she reached out. Feeling the pulsating blood flowing through the assassins body. Slowing the movements of the assassin to a point that the other figure had wrapped their arm around the others neck before driving an ornate blade into the side. Zoe could feel the blood erupting out of the tear in their heart. She pushed the rest of the blood through that tear, killing the assassin.
Zoe panted from the fight but kept her stance as stared to the figure in the overcoat. Her own heart seemed to have skipped a beat. Standing before her was herself only it wasn't. "I believe the words are thank you, sister." Unable to find the words, only disbelief as Zoe looked upon the face of Marli. "Thank you." With a sigh of relief she stepped over the lifeless body of the assassin "How did you know?" Zoe asked, picking up her tablet. "as they say, through the grapevine." Marli's attempt of humor came across flat "I have been tracking the others, Dr. Hashimoto's experiments."
His name caused Zoe to pause. To think of the man that had started everything wrong in her life. "I assumed that you were the only one left. Anyways, that is a story for another time. I've only allotted ten minutes and we're dangerously close to that limit."
"Perhaps we can...do an activity." Marli's question threw Zoe for a moment "sure, for now I just have to figure out a way in not attracting attention to myself." She watched as Marli disappeared in the cloud of filth. Shaking her head, Zoe made her way out of the room.