She dropped her head against the door and closed her eyes. Sleep loomed, just out of reach.
Numbers skittered across her implant. Her eyes flew open.
2ndcode. Was delayed.
She punched in the numbers, reining in her anger for fear of damaging the thin plastic.
Twenty-six mini stabs later, the door opened with a soft whoosh, revealing a thin line of light. The air that escaped through the slim opening smelled of disuse. Wherever she was, it had been closed up for a while.
She pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold, her helmet in a death grip.
The light in the next room had a bluish cast. A few more steps and she learned why.
Filled with enough computers to rival a corporate control room, this room was obviously a hacker’s playground. Monitors covered nearly every inch of wall and every flat surface was buried under other electronics. The contents had to have cost a fortune.
Two chairs—tricked out with more equipment—sat in front of the desks. The room looked empty, but she couldn’t tell if the computers were actively in use.
She stopped where she was, makeshift weapon ready. “Hello? Are you here?”
Dizzie spun in a slow circle, taking in the entire room. It was huge—at least four times the size of her quarters back at Tremaine Corporation. Dust coated every surface. The room gave off big missing-mad-computer-scientist vibes.
Why had she been brought here? Not for her computer skills. Coding and hacking weren’t part of her skill set.
She trailed a finger through the dust on one of the consoles, revealing a logo that made her gasp. This was top-of-the-line equipment, the kind that cost a fortune. It was probably cutting edge when it had been installed. The security made sense now, but the dust didn’t.
A cloud of dust erupted when she dropped her bag into a chair, triggering a series of sneezes. God, this place might kill her before Tremaine Security did. She backed away from the chair.
Time to kill two birds with one stone. Explore her temporary lodging and track down some cleaning supplies. She couldn’t stay here if she was going to sneeze the whole damn time.
Two rooms branched off the main room. The first was a small bedroom, with two narrow beds and a small attached bathroom. Compared to Killian’s guest room, this was more what she was used to.
The second door led to a tiny kitchen. The kitchen was the complete opposite of the main room, with low-tech appliances including a hot plate and fridge.
Dizzie opened the cupboards. They were filled with canned goods. She pulled a few off the shelf and studied them. The expiration dates were close, but they should be fine. At least she wouldn’t starve.
She found basic cleaning supplies under the sink. The cleaning cloths were dusty. She shuddered. When was the last time anyone had been here?
Dizzie pulled her shirt up over her mouth, bandit-style, and marched back into the main room.
Working quickly, she started with the chair in front of the main terminal. Billowing clouds of the dust filled the air and she sneezed again and again. Ugh. She felt grimy and disgusting. What she wouldn’t give for Killian’s big bathtub now.
When the chair and screen were as clean as they were going to get, she sat down gingerly, careful to avoid the neck support and the scary-looking port that jacked a hacker into the computer.
She jabbed the power button. This was her first chance to get online since Killian had carried her out of Tremaine headquarters. It shouldn’t make her nervous, but her clenched stomach proved otherwise.
The terminal flickered to life quickly. The screen brightened on a surge of power, then faded to black with a blinking cursor instead of the standard user-friendly interface.
She stared at the screen. Couldn’t this be easy for once?
The stress of the last few days finally overwhelmed her. “Dammit!”
The room muffled her shout.
All she’d wanted was to do her goddamned job and buy out her damn corporate contract. It wasn’t fair. Who the hell charged orphans for the food they ate and the clothes they wore?
“Fuck you, Tremaine Corporation!”
Yelling felt good. Better than good. It felt like freedom.
