Repo Virtual Corey White (chapter books to read to 5 year olds .txt) đ
- Author: Corey White
Book online «Repo Virtual Corey White (chapter books to read to 5 year olds .txt) đ». Author Corey White
White ceramic planters lined the corridors, potted with plants that JD couldnât name. Their leaves were so brightly green and shiny that they looked plastic. JD pressed a wide leaf between his thumb and forefinger, felt the subtle grain of the plantâtoo fine to be anything but organic.
It was the most high-class residence JD had ever been insideâfloors laid with authentic marble tiles, corridor walls decorated with boring art that had obviously been bought in bulk, the kind you see in hotel rooms and the background of advertisements. The corridor was, by definition, a liminal space, but JD imagined the vapid interior decoration extended into the apartments themselves; the residents all wealthy enough to own a number of homes situated around the globe, each as lifeless as the next. It made JD want to spit, so he did. A moment later one of the squat cleaning robots passed over the sputum, erasing his worthless protest.
âKid, whatâs your status?â
âWhy âkidâ all of a sudden, bro? Itâs disrespectful.â
âItâs your codename.â
âBro,â Khoder said, dragging out the single syllable, apparently impressed. âShould I use your codename, bro? Whatâs your codename?â
âJust keep calling me âbro,â â JD said. âWhatâs your status?â
âIâm already in, bro.â
âReally?â
âYup. Theyâve got vulnerability scans running on the network perimeter, but thereâs always a way in. Usually management or internal bullshit means thereâs an IP range not getting scanned. I just had to find it.â
JD was certain that was the most words heâd ever heard Khoder speak consecutively. âSo, weâre good?â
âIâve disabled the internal alarms. Couldnât stop it from calling out, but I was able to change the number it calls. Any alarms you trigger are going straight to the nearest Reggae Chicken.â
JD chuckled.
âHeads up,â Khoder said; âsecurity coming your way.â
âAlright, thanks,â JD said. âKeep an eye out, and tell me what Shades is up to.â
âWill do, bro.â
According to Omar, the guards made regular rounds to earn their keep, but the first one wasnât due for another fifteen minutes. JD heard the guard before he saw himâthe thud and squeal of heavy-soled boots over tiled floor. He took the mop from Omarâs cart and began mopping just behind the cleaning robot, looking busy, pretending the bot missed a spot. It hadnât, but sometimes they did, and according to Omar that was the only reason they even had a human cleaner on-site. Clean up after the cleaning robots. Repair the repair robots. Soon, the only jobs left would be robot manager, robot foreman, or robot medic.
In the corner of his eye, JD saw the security guard round the corner and stop. âHey,â the guard called out.
JDâs stomach sank. He could feel the weight of the taser pressing against his leg, but heâd have to get close before he could use it. He turned and looked at the guardâa young, thickset Korean with unkempt hair.
âYouâre not watching the game?â the guard asked.
JD grinned with relief. He tapped his headset. âI am listening to it,â he called out, mimicking Omarâs overly proper speech patterns. They didnât look anything alikeâOmar was fifty pounds lighter and a few shades darkerâbut if the guard didnât want to see the differences, he wouldnât. âIâll watch the replay later.â
The guard smiled and called out, âDaehan Minguk,â in the singsong soccer chant for the Republic of Korea.
JD just smiled back, and the guard kept walking.
âBro? Whatâs happening?â
âMust be getting his rounds out of the way before the match starts. Have you got the game up on-screen?â
âYeah, bro.â
âLet me know when they kick off.â
JD continued to tail the cleaning bots, spot-cleaning here and there, but mostly just sweating in his coveralls while the polisher hummed behind him. When they reached the elevators, JD hit the call button and waited.
âYou found Shades yet, Kid?â
âNo movement on any of the cameras.â
âAlright. How you holding up?â
âBored as fuck, bro. I thought this was gonna be hard, like my cock, not easy like your mother.â
JD winced. âYouâre really not her type.â
The elevator doors opened and JD stepped inside. The bots crowded in around him in a vaguely threatening wayâtheir infrared sensors like dark angry eyes, the flat line of a seam in their casing making a distinct frown. JD checked his reflectionâthe disguise looked convincing, apart from the dark patches of sweat that seeped from beneath his arms.
Omar would take the robots up to level two and continue his cleaning route, but JD hit the button for the fourth floor and the skybridge between buildings.
âI see Shades, bro.â
âWhere are they?â
âFar side of the street. System keeps trying to spike to yellow alert when the cameras get a glimpse of all those delinquent losers, but Iâve got it clamped down.â
âI thought we wanted the system to flag them,â JD said.
âNot until after. Head of security will only come on-site for a big problem. They see it unfolding slow, maybe they think their lackeys can handle it.â
The elevator doors dinged open on the fourth floor, and a couple stood waiting to get inside. They stepped back and turned their heads to avoid even looking at JD, let alone acknowledging his existence or humanity. I hope you never feel safe in this building after tonight, JD thought bitterly.
The bots followed JD out of the elevator, and the residents disappeared inside the metal cube.
âKickoff,â Khoder said.
âThatâs the signal.â JD switched channel: âShades.â
No response.
The bots began cleaning the corridor, so JD left them to it and walked ahead, passing more bland art, smell like bathroom air freshenerâa nauseatingly artificial scent.
He rounded the corner and came to the skybridge, the hallway opening onto a long stretch of glass that thrummed in the breeze. Planters were spaced evenly along the suspended corridor, but otherwise it was clear. Both walls and ceiling were glass, and handprints collected at chest height all along the length of the bridge. Beyond the transparent pane, the city stretched out, seemingly endless, with lights reaching to the horizon and climbing into the sky.
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