V1 – C14 (2/2) – Infiltration
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Alonzo’s chest moved up and down rhythmically, indicating that I hadn’t committed anything I couldn’t go back from. I let him be, as I looked through his lab.

Beyond the little plastic trays with gross-looking meat-like stuff in them, and the refrigerated bags of dead snails, there wasn’t much to steal. Although, his box of surgical gloved did catch my eye. I quickly replaced my leather gloves with those, and pocketed an extra pair, just in case.

He had a desktop setup that I tried to turn on but failed to log into after trying ‘password’, ‘tree’, ‘forest’, and ‘123456’. I decided to leave my attempts at that, as I didn’t want to lock it, or send some sort of security ping to the central network, if it even was connected to one.

I then looked through the other lockers and drawers. I managed to find a lab uniform that would fit me well enough and a spare key card. I assumed it was deactivated and that Alonzo kept it for sentimental value, as I could see no other reason to keep a key card inside the room you’d need a key card to access.

With that thought, I headed back toward the unconscious man, and went through his pockets. I found the key card he’d used to get in, as well the keys for his apartment. He also had a thin wallet on him, with only a few cards, and no coins in it (not that I was planning on stealing anything).

I got up, and looked at the lab outfit. I wasn’t sure if I should change into it or not. On one hand, it would make it easier to blend in, on the other I wouldn’t have anywhere to hide my sword, which just about fit at an angle under my jacket.

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Doctor Rossi.” A female voice called out. “Is everything alright? I noticed some unusual activity on your computer. May I come in?”

“Damn.” I swore under my breath.

There wasn’t enough time to hide the body, plus there was no way I would be able to do it silently. Then an idea popped into my mind.

Mocking Bird

English

Alonzo Rossi

Possible word choices:

I

Imagine (d)

Forest (s)

autumn

Run (ing)

Errand (s)

Solomon

Like (d) (es)

Stop (ing)

Hike (ing)

that

you

lunch

Thursday

++ more to display++

 

MP - 2

 

“Doctor Rossi?” the voice asked again, more instantly this time.

I mentally cursed at the man on the floor. Why was his vocabulary so restricted? But I had no time to waste. So, I chose the ‘display more’ option.

A long list of all the words he’d said ever since we’ve met appeared before my eyes. As I tried to think of a sentence to say, the words began arranging themselves in a different order, like automatic suggestions on a smartphone.

“I am a bit busy. You need to come back later.” I said, in a perfect imitation of his voice.

MP - 1

 

“It is my duty to check on your safety, doctor. Could I come in for just a second? I won’t disturb you for long.” The person on the other side of the door insisted.

I bit down my lip. Then I looked at the body, and back at the door. There seemed to be enough space between the door and the wall for a person to hide.

“Yes, alright. I will let you in.” I said, once again using his voice and not mine.

Mp -1

 

I crept behind the door and readied my blade. I only hoped that this unwanted visitor wasn’t wearing a helmet. Otherwise, plan B was to sneak out while they weren’t watching.

I pushed on the handle, just enough to creak the door ajar. A strong hand pushed it open from the other side, as its owner asked, in a worried voice:

“Doctor Rosssi?”

Then, having noticed the body, they exclaimed:

“Shit! Are you alright?”

The guard rushed toward the unconscious doctor, leaving their back exposed. In one swift movement, I hit the back of their neck with the pommel of the katana, using just a tad more strength than last time, just in case.

They fell onto the floor, landing over Alonzo’s legs.

I quickly shut the door, and went back to check that they were still breathing. As I did so, I felt that same warmth emanating from my blade. For a split second, it seemed as if the sword was asking me to pierce both the bodies with that while, polished metal. In one smooth and swift movement, they would have both been gone. No witnesses, no problems.

I blamed those thoughts on the stress of this whole situation and put the blade away. Then, I kneeled by the unconscious guard and started going through their pockets.

They wore a simple uniform underneath a bulletproof vest and had a key card hidden within a pocket of their trousers. They didn’t seem to have any personal belongings on them, but they did carry a firearm.

I pulled the gun out of its holster. It was a heavy thing, a mixture of plastic and metal with a thick barrel and an even thicker handle. It was definitely on the larger side for a pistol, but too small to be anything else. I wondered if it shot actual bullets or rubber ones. I wasn’t sure what would have made more sense in this context, and taking out the magazine did not help with the matter.

With great caution not to wake the guard up, I took the holster off their belt and tried to unclip the bulletproof vest of their body. That last part yielded no results, and I quickly gave up. But I did find a spare magazine clipped onto their utility belt. I had to undo a good portion of the belt to get that magazine (and the plastic holder it came in) off, before realising that it had a clip at the back and didn’t have to be slid off.

After hiding both my weapons under my jacket, and making sure that I had both key cards with me (Alonzo’s card was labelled with his lab number whereas that of the guard had a sticker with the letter ‘S’ and a serial number on it), I took a deep breath and headed back into enemy territory.

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