No. Whatever. His problem.
Willow stretched her arms out, trying to ease her tense muscles. Her keyboard and everything were ergonomic, but there was no preventing the inevitable twinges from the car wreck that almost ended her life four years ago. She no longer needed physical therapy appointments, but she still relied on regular exercises to keep her joints working right.
She caught the eye of her coworker Selene, someone who also needed PT. Her knee had been dislocated after a bad fall last year, but their company’s insurance had stopped covering it. At least she had gone with Willow’s former therapist. Sarah was a sweetheart and gave Selene a full list of exercises and videos to help. If only the surgery bills were that easy to solve. Willow hadbeen monitoring the donation page closely and that’s where the money from her next project would go.
A quick peek at the clock revealed it was finally 5:30, but her work for the day wasn’t completely over.
She powered her computer down and gathered her belongings. A few of her coworkers shuffled around, eager to get home for the evening. Selene offered a subtle wave and they all exchanged their usual departure fluff.
Willow’s eyes followed her shiny black boots as she trekked home. The same walk she made every day. Her apartment was only four blocks from work, which was quite convenient. She didn’t like to drive much anymore.
The walk passed quickly as she was lost in plans for the evening. Everything needed to be double-checked before it could be sent.
She approached the brick complex and fumbled with her key. It may be spring, but the chill in the air was damp.
With aclick, the lock disengaged and the door swung open.
Her modest living arrangement greeted her: a one-bedroom, one-bathroom space with a sizable kitchen and living room. It was perfect.
She didn’t need much anyway. Her most valuable possession was the custom-built PC. Well, that and her collection of bone specimens and neat rocks.
A series of meows accelerated toward her in the form of her fluffy white cat Stahma.
“Yes, I know,” Willow remarked softly as her feline companion climbed up her body until she was perched on her shoulder.Stahma rubbed her little face against her cheek and the rumble of deep purrs filled her ears. “I missed you too, my princess.”
Stahma probably didn’t know her real name at this point. Willow had named her after a character from her favorite sci-fi show, but she was always cycling through ridiculous nicknames: floof, snowbaby, and so on.
Her cat hung on for the ride through the apartment while she tossed things into the daily pile by the door.
Willow searched the fridge for the lasagna soup she’d pulled from the freezer the day before. That was the easiest way to eat normal—prepare a bunch of things once a week and freeze it.
She popped it into the microwave. It would probably take a few cycles with some stirring.
The microwave hummed behind her with occasional pops. It was covered, so there wouldn’t be a mess. Stahma’s automatic feeder and water dish were still good to go.
While her computer booted up, she reviewed her horde of sticky notes all neatly lined up on the desk. Once logged in, she messaged Landon.
Ness
We good?
His status said he wasn’t there at the moment, so she stirred her soup and started up the microwave again. It would probably be ready after this cycle. If it wasn’t, she was probably going to eat it anyway since she was starving.
He replied within a few minutes.
Astra
Go ahead, Crypty.
He always called her that since her online moniker was taken from the Loch Ness Monster. She liked it since it gave the impression of slipping away undetected. Plus, she loved cryptids. His nickname just came from loving astronomy.
She brought up the program, ate a spoonful of steaming soup, and hitLaunch.
Ness
Done.
And like that, she had sent off a ransomware attack to a couple of the nation’s health insurance companies.
