Ghost in the Shell by James Swallow

Author:James Swallow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Titan

6

GHOST HACK

Even though she lived in a far more elegant part of town that could only be afforded by politicians, top executives and corporate scientists, Dr. Sonia Dahlin’s apartment was not extensively furnished. Like most Hanka personnel, she didn’t spend much time in her personal dwelling. Tonight, though, she had taken her current project home with her and was up late, working. She could have remained in the lab, and protocol dictated that she should, but by the end of the regular workday, she had desperately needed a nap, a shower and a change of clothes in that order. There were places to sleep and even wash up at the Hanka Tower, of course, but she didn’t have a clean shirt with her and the thought of having to go on working with her own sweat clinging to her was more than Dahlin could take today.

Moreover, Dahlin felt uneasy on this project. She had been directed to find every last bit of information that could be excavated from the geisha bot’s systems, but with all of the scientists who’d been killed in their laboratories or semi-public settings, it seemed safer to work from home at night, getting in before dark and not venturing out again until dawn.

So here she was in her living room, rested, clean, with a cigarette dangling from her mouth, overflowing ashtray at hand. The hacked geisha bot was spread out on a table before her, with a hologram reading SECURE—PROJECT 2571 hovering in the air. In smaller words, the hologram also read, ENCRYPTED FOLDER STRUCTURE—DR. OSMOND.

Dahlin scanned a hologram of the geisha’s head in order to access the encrypted file folder that the bot had hacked from Osmond. She reached out and manipulated the hologram to decrypt it.

The decryption brought forth a new hologram: HANKA—PERSONNEL FILES.

Dahlin frowned. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble—not to mention expense, bribery, and murder—for a directory that could have been obtained in far easier, less bloody ways. What information was in here that was so important?

There were armed doormen downstairs in case of intruders and Dahlin always set the lock code on her door as soon as she stepped inside. There was no reason for her to fear that someone might break in, and consequently no reason for her to be on alert. So, as the scientist poured through the data streams, she did not notice her front door opening silently.

But then a shadow moved where no shadow should be, and Dahlin turned to see Kuze standing right behind her. She could only see a glimpse of his face, pale beneath the hood.

Kuze reached out and plucked the lit cigarette from Dahlin’s trembling lips. She was terrified, but not paralyzed by it. Her hands were still on her console, and she palmed the thumb drive from it, causing the holograms to disappear.

Kuze didn’t seem to care about that. “Look at me,” he commanded.

Dahlin peered at his face under the hood. Her own features registered revulsion and pity.

“Tell me what they took from me,” Kuze continued.

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