“Bullshit, there is nothing on me in the new server. I was sure to erase those footprints.”
“Caiden, Caiden, Caiden. Of course, not now. There was only a small window of time when the switching of servers took place. But you simply weren’t fast enough. So, you will do this job for us. And, as promised, you will be paid handsomely for it should you succeed. A million Creds up front, and another million after the work is complete. If you refuse again, I’m sure those Psi-Corp dogs would love to sink their teeth into a big fish hacker like you. Hell, they'll probably arrest you before I get to you. So, it looks like you only have one choice. Mine,” Slavo stated menacingly.
“I suppose you expect me to just waltz right into the bank and just walk out with their money?” Caiden asked.
“I trust you will find the best way to infiltrate this bank, Caiden. The lives of you and your good Hybrid buddy, Vantz Marling, depend on it. I know some ZOBE fellas that would love to crucify a wealthy Hybrid like him at the drop of a hat,” Slavo callously replied.
“The Prime-1 digital security systems do a routine check and update a new system-wide security patch every forty-eight hours. It is during that time when they are most vulnerable. Their update cycle is happening at one o’clock this morning. That gives you approximately twenty-three hours from now to formulate your plan, access their terminal, and get my money! After you complete the job, you will contact me to confirm everything. If there’s even one slip up and you fail, you’re as good as dead. Chimera relishes in clean up duty, if you catch my drift. Don’t fuck this up!” Slavo yelled as the private audio chat was abruptly cut. Caiden went to check his CWR funds account and, true to his word, Slavo had deposited the first million Creds.
Blackmail huh? What a bastard. He should know better than to blackmail a professional hacker. I have some countermeasures of my own too, Caiden thought to himself with a sinister look on his face. This was the sort of thing that comes with the territory. Oddly enough, he began to feel somewhat at ease. He had already devised a plan to infiltrate Prime-1 Bank during their initial conversation. He had ulterior motives of his own that he planned on executing once the job was complete.
“Checkmate, Slavo.”
Caiden rested for an hour after his conversation with the gangster. Upon awakening, he took to his NeuraVisor and logged on to CWR. This time he began researching Prime-1 Bank to see if it had any outsourced services for maintenance or cleaning. He came across a janitorial company called Calvar Cleaning Services. Looking further into their file, he found that they had an extensive business relationship with Prime-1 that went back twenty years or so. It was the perfect way to infiltrate the building. Calvar Cleaning sent out workers to the bank five nights a week to do building wide cleanings and upkeep. They staffed ten employees a night to cover the entire building. The cleaning company had been suffering a great deal of employee turnover in recent months, so they were constantly in need of new employees.
Caiden successfully hacked Calvar’s Human Resources database and located the names of the employees who would be working the graveyard shift that night. He reassigned a member of staff, then added himself to the list of night shift workers under the name of Lupin Trice. A popup on the employee website indicated that all employees were required to put on Calvar attire at the locker room of the Prime-1 building, making the infiltration of the Bank as an employee a relatively simple one, with the mere push of a button from Caiden. After hacking the Calvar employee database, he then developed a virus to use as diversion for when the time came. All that was left to do was wait. The last thing Caiden wanted was to jeopardize his friend’s life.
“I can’t fail this. If I do, I’m dead.” He nervously laughed to himself. “What a shit show.”
The orange morning sun began to seep through the blinds, causing him to squint. He let out a long yawn, stretched, then crawled into bed.
CHAPTER 2
---usr/systems/server-x/PREPARATIONS---
Five hours of sleep later, Caiden awoke, fully refreshed. His chronic insomnia usually didn’t allow him any more sleep than that. As a result, his body had become accustomed to the short hours, without any noticeable effects on his functionality. He engaged in his usual morning routine; a two-mile jog, followed by an intense session of meditation and Kata training to keep his skills sharp. Since his youth, he had shown to be an extraordinary athlete. He had always been a fan of old martial arts films. His martial arts interests eventually led him to his sensei, Takamura Ao, at a boarding school he and Vantz attended as teenagers. Takamura taught Caiden and Vantz a dangerous blend of Hapkido and Muay Thai that he personally dubbed ‘Muaykido’.
In addition to ‘Muaykido’, Takamura taught them both to be proficient with a number of different weapons. Caiden took a liking to the practices of the sword, while Vantz enjoyed using the Tonfa. When he was younger,
