1 A

Conspicuous group of muscle smashed a brunette head into a wall and promptly stuffed the body into a duffel bag. All because she wore my jacket. Terrible choice of friends on her part. I, on the other hand, did great. Picked her precisely because she looked a little like me – and investment has borne fruit. Decoy took a blow in my stead and not a moment too late, as I was about to join up with her. Instead, I dove right back behind the corner and made myself scarce.

Suspiciously brawny students picked a perfect blind spot. Meaning, I wasn’t aware there was one here.

Whole campus was packed with surveillance and cameras were pointing both ways in that passage. This could have been bad. Really bad. It could have been me there. Nearly was.

Nothing went right today. Troubles started since early morning, when a lecturer called me out. I loathed public speaking. To top things off – I had come in unprepared. That has thrown me off-kilter for the entire day. Oddest thing to get in a tizzy about. I wasn’t here to learn to begin with. I mean I was, but not whatever was taught around here. This institute was a place for the next generation of the most affluent to start forging alliances and I needed to know all about that.

Nobody of importance learnt anything here, yet that episode affected me so tediously. Looking stupid in front of crème de la crème was nothing out of ordinary. It was expected. By them and me as well. I wasn’t even meant to stand out with a staggering amounts of brilliance. I was in hiding. Perhaps that was it – having the spotlight shone my way.

I needed to stop thinking about it. There were far bigger, scrappier problems reaching for me. Just who could have taken offence, and what for exactly?

My snooping was bound to get noticed. I could hope the attack was due to my offending low-class presence or stepping on some noble heels, but it wouldn’t amount to murder. Not here. A lot of things were overlooked, especially when the high echelon was involved, but that was one thing universally frowned upon. After all, nobody wanted to lose a fully grown heir. And hence this taboo was far too risqué of an affair even for the most powerful to bridle. A beatdown or humiliation was far more entertaining in first place.

Which meant there was a serious reason for the grief I’ve almost suffered. I might have uncovered something important, just did not yet know what.

The attackers had no insignias. I’ve instinctively scanned them up and down before fleeing. Those physiques could belong to bodyguards of any private security, as well as the thugs from underbelly – which I also had strong reasons to avoid.

Still hoping for this to be a local problem, I rushed back to my room. Needed to check my personal tap on the cameras and see if something warranting this final of a response had been recorded. Blackmail never solved anything, but leverage was a leverage. And a direction would be worthwhile.

Upon entering, I found my room ransacked. Stupefied, I slunk sideways down the narrow crevice. It wasn’t even my official lodging. Nobody knew I was squatting here. This wasn’t even a room! Here was a lovechild of storage closet and maintenance shaft, a god-awful nook that suited needs of nobody. And luckily, that was me. Or so I thought.

Who could have even found this? Somebody with eyes on me, that’s who. Timing was worrisome. Feeling the ants scurry around on my back, I squeezed through the noisy pipes and dared to wade further into the possible ambush. I was halfway there anyway.

Unexpectedly, the nook up ahead was empty. How… anticlimactic. Whoever was hounding me could have just quietly waited in here and I’d have perished without any pesky cameras to witness it. Strange.

Right. The cameras. I was here for a reason.

I shuffled through the wrecked brackets and other leftover construction trash. Picked and pulled on the various wires as the dread began setting. There was nothing behind panels. Nor under the junk. Not there either. Anywhere. It wasn’t here! My computer was gone. I desperately kept looking, even knowing it wouldn’t miraculously resurface.

The data didn’t even matter! Nor all the effort spent on gathering dirt on these snobby children! The blackmail material could potentially prolong my life, but my continued existence was worthless without the precious device anyway.

My most prized possession. My only possession of any value. Something most people don’t even get to see anymore. I was utterly crippled without it. Even if I somehow managed to land my grubby fingers on another one, it wouldn’t have all those specific capabilities. Software cost bigger favours than the rare instrument itself. It would take me years to recover from this and I didn’t even have my previous contacts anymore. Some hunted me.

This was the end.

Calm down. Think. Think.

I swallowed the panic and forced the violent beating in my throat to slow down.

Whoever took it wasn’t the same party that resorted to murder. Not yet, in any case, or they would have been here. So now I had two extermination parties on my back, and in a very close proximity. That’s a perfect reason to count my losses and get the hell out, but I needed my lifeline. Without the device and information within it I was as good as dead anyway.

It would take time for the mystery burglar to break my passwords and then some more to find relevant data to get incensed about. It was code-worded and encrypted too. I could still put out that fire. The previous one might solve itself afterwards too. Not all was lost.

Finally deciding on an action plan, I got up. Changed my clothes and strode around like I’ve had all the time in the world. Hiding in plain sight worked wonders, especially for people of average build and nondescript short hair.

I put an advert on the bulletin board about buying high-end tech. Whole, and in parts. The price of that thing was really only affordable to the top echelon, so common thief would be disinclined to come forward. And who knew, perhaps they’d even put it back if impression of messing with someone of infinite funds was believable enough?

Dropped by the robotics department next. Security was through the roof, both coming in and out. This place was full of valuable assets. An unlikely place to find my missing device, but sometimes the tech-savvy would bring in their own matrixes to work on. As disinclined the environment was for education, some determined souls still tried to forge path out of the gutter. At any price.

Sadly, didn’t see familiar parts, nor heard any chatter about new acquisitions.

Moved onto the campus’ watering hole next. That’s the place for loose lips to do some bragging. After all, to everybody but the wealthiest it was a hoard of a lifetime. Somebody had to slip up and reveal the truth.

It might have helped to change into body-fitting dress and a wig for the occasion, but I didn’t have a useful fool to run errands in my officially assigned dorm anymore. The audacity to just up and die like that. Who even surrenders so easily? Well, whatever. Water under the bridge. The girl did her real job adequately. I’ll miss her at times like these, but it was necessary.

Mingling with a drunken crowd until dawn has been complete bust as well. The thief was being too careful. Or indifferent, which would be a whole other problem. I’ll need to start asking direct questions of a wider range of people. Subpar development.

My long day was nearing a morning. I slunk towards the cafeteria in defeat. Both path and the see-through pavilion itself were deserted. Despite slight tipsiness and a sleepless exhaustion, all my senses were on high alert. Such deserted environment was a prime real estate for a hit. Countless glass eyes called for peace, but witnesses might not be an issue for pursuit this determined. They knew where to sneak up on me. Moreover, they obstructed the constant surveillance, as there’s been no manhunt.

I entered cafeteria unmolested. The hall was as desolate as it appeared from outside. No tell-tale knuckleheads lurked, although I had no doubt they kept an eye on the sole food dispensary. Tall windows offered me many routes of escape if it came to that. I knew exactly which latches weren’t all the way caught. After all, sooner or later somebody would have gotten on my case.

Just as I was picking out the most basic food items from an automated dispensary, a sect of completely hairless attendants spilled out from the kitchens with a selection of covered trays. Such a feast and it wasn’t even breakfast! Their master was likely bursting at the seams.

Easy enough to imagine, but much harder to actually believe it. Positions of the military leaders had become somewhat hereditary, but constant skirmishes ensured that only the most fitting actually filled them. The offspring either performed or died.

It wasn’t all that unlikely for paupers to rise in ranks either. This establishment’s original purpose was to train people of promise, disregarding the background. Any one of these no-names could become elite. It’s why I was here, too. To hold hand on the pulse of current affairs, but also – to acquire some dirt for decades to come. I was trying to think ahead. With limited success.

Perhaps I’d have had a better time vying for a spot at some general’s feet too. Alas, whilst people with no past got this opportunity, it was just the opposite for individuals with too much past. Reprobates on the run didn’t get to be publicly acclaimed persons.

Chatter shook me out of my tired pondering.

“That’s her, isn’t it?”

Very peculiar.

Attendants on their way out were being really quiet. However my augmented ears were made just for this.  

“We should warn her.”

“Mind your own well-being,” someone older scolded. “You know what mistakes cost.”

Hint of a threat stomped out the do-gooder’s beneficent spirit. Had to love people of integrity and immovable values. Pale woman looked back at me one last time before stepping through the door. I hurriedly drew a laptop-sized rectangle with my hands. Her eyes widened, she nodded vigorously and darted out.

Well. My eavesdropping abilities finally got me a lead, but this was not something I’d ever want to follow up on. Even if by some miracle it had been the same thing we communicated about, what was I supposed to do with this information? I was just warned about being caught by the top echelon. Even the servants knew enough to pity me.

I should just go. No packing, just leave as I stand now - tumour jerky in my hand and all. This failed endeavour will leave me so deep in the red I’ll never see the light of day again, but at least I’ll be alive.

Who was I kidding? If my life was over either way, I could at least try getting it back on track. Get the device back. Simple. I can do it. I really could. Probably. I was literally made for this. So what if the foe was some important lordling this time? How much different could it really be? That was but a title. Very heavy title, but nevertheless. It wasn’t yet his. This was but a brat for now.