Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
“Stick in the drive and turn on the power. I’ll do the rest.”
I sit back in my chair and watch the screen flicker as Alexan does his job. A command promptly appears, and text scrolls across. I hear him typing furiously at the other end. More prompts come and go as he does something. I get up and go to the door, listening for the guards, nerves jangling. Alexan murmurs something, sounding frustrated.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“He’s got better defenses than I expected.”
“How much longer do you need?”
“Can’t say. Two minutes maybe.”
I check my watch. “I have five total left. That’s just enough time to get back out.”
“I can do this. Just hold on.” He’s grunting as he types even faster. I go back, and the screen’s changing wildly. “Almost there.”
Something flashes out in the hall. I sit very still, staring through the office window. It flashes again, and I realize with cold dread that it’s a light bobbing along the hall.
Like someone’s carrying it toward me.
“Alexan,” I hiss, grabbing the laptop and dropping down behind the desk. “Someone’s coming.”
There’s a pause. Then he curses. “I was focusing on breaking into the laptop.”
“How close?”
“Right down the hall. Don’t fucking move.”
I go very still. Sweat beads my back. I’m tempted to peek, but I stay where I am. His typing resumes, but slower this time.
A beam of light brushes the wall opposite me like someone’s looking in through the window.
“Alexan,” I whisper, moaning in fear. This is too close. Way too close. “He’s right there.”
“Almost in. Hold on.”
The beam doesn’t move. The guard’s not going anywhere. What the hell are you doing? Go away! But he’s still at the window, and I’m freaking out.
“Alexan,” I hiss, trembling with nerves. I’ve almost been caught before, but never with the stakes so high. “Do something.”
The knob to the office clicks like someone just opened the lock.
“Got it,” Alexan says, sounding victorious. “Fuck yes. Contents downloading.”
“He’s coming in,” I hiss under my breath as the door creaks open. I move deeper beneath the desk. I hear the guard’s footsteps as he comes into the room. I tilt the front of the laptop lid forward to keep the flickering screen from showing on the floor and try to think quiet thoughts. Rock. Mushroom. Scream. No, no scream. The void between stars. The empty moon. Running and panicking.
Oh god, he’s going to catch me, and then what?
Then I’m fucked.
The guard stops near the desk. He’s a foot away from me at most. I’m hidden underneath, but if he comes to the other side, he’ll see me. I’m lucky Fong likes big, obnoxious executive desks; otherwise, I’d already be in cuffs.
“Ten seconds,” Alexan whispers in my ear. “Just hold on. Six seconds. Five, four—”
The guard sighs. “Fucking Fong. Stupid prick.” Then he turns away and heads to the door.
I nearly moan with relief. The feeling is visceral.
“Got it,” Alexan says. “Get the fuck out of there.”
I yank the USB drive from the laptop and shut the lid. I shove it back into the drawer, make sure it’s right where it should be, and sneak back to the door. All’s quiet on the other side. I grab the knob—
“Wait!” Alexan says. “He’s coming—”
But too late. I open the door and come face to face with a middle-aged man.
He’s tall and broad. His hair’s buzzed, and he’s got on a vaguely cop-like uniform. For a beat, he seems as surprised as I am.
“RUN,” Alexan yells in my ear.
That saves me. I react before the guard does and throw myself forward. He curses and lunges, nearly grabbing me by the hair, but he just barely misses my braids as I jolt down the hall back toward the cube farm.
“STOP,” the guard yells. He hits the wall, grunts, and pounds after me.
My heart’s screaming in fear. I’ve never run so fast in my life. My muscles feel like they’re filled with acid.
“Got an intruder on the second floor heading for the east stairwell. Mack, get your fucking ass up and run!” His voice is way too close.
Alexan’s shouting in my ear. “GO, GO, GO. Don’t you dare slow down!” The car engine turns over and roars to life. “Come on, baby, you can do this!”
I fly across the cube farm. The guard’s coming behind, and he’s gaining. The asshole’s bigger and faster than I am, and he’s going to close the gap any second.
I reach the stairwell and throw myself through the door.
And nearly fall down the steps.
I manage to grab the railing. I teeter and leap, flinging myself wildly, arms careening for balance. I let out a yelp as I land hard on the opposite steps, shoulder and face slamming into the wall. The guard is right behind me, but he’s stuck coming down the steps like a normal human, while I just bypassed half of them with one suicidal leap.