I was on the ground floor of the emergency stairwell, maybe one I had passed while touring with Daiyu. We had exchanged two brief messages the day after the tour, and nothing since. Maybe she got the hint, I thought with regret. Annoyed my mind had wandered to her, I forced myself to focus. Detecting no motion beyond the emergency exit leading into the main part of Jin Corp, I tinted my helmet and stepped into the wide, empty corridor. It was in a part of the ground floor I hadn’t passed with Daiyu, but I recognized the general decor, and headed in the direction of the elevator.

Soon, I passed the main vestibule entrance, the Jin suit models and global displays, and stopped at the elevator. The building felt deserted, but my enhance had picked up the security guard sitting at the main entrance. I punched in Daiyu’s code, and the elevator came to life and opened its doors to me twenty seconds later. I pressed the third-floor button, praying that Dr. Lu or anyone else would not be pulling an all-nighter this weekend.

Crouching low, I exited the elevator, remembering the glass windows which allowed views into the labs. My motion enhance detected nothing, so I rose. The labs on either side of the corridor had dimmed lights, the eerie silence prickling my skin, even while suited. I walked toward the restricted area, then used my enhance to try and scan for activity behind the vault. The enhance flashed red in helmet: FAILURE.

Gods! The vault was too thick for the enhance to work. I had to risk it. Removing my helmet, I stuck the capture device back on the column of the scanner, drew a long breath, and stepped beneath the glass dome. It hummed to life, and I imagined what I’d do if Lingyi’s gadget failed. I wore a face mask, hiding the lower part of my face, but everything would be on camera. Our only hope was no one was watching or would have any reason to review tonight’s footage. My vision was bathed in blue light, then the scanner fell silent. Pulse racing, I waited for my fate; the steel door eased open several seconds later.