Chapter 12: Golden Wind
Unfortunately, Judy wasn't in her basement computer lab. Which was a shame meeting more central characters was always something that Helen wanted to do.
"Right, so if I am gonna get in, lets do it in style." Helen mutters as her eyes glow.
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Jeremy Isawa was the afternoon security guard at Arasaka Industrial Park.
Doing his usual rounds at the change of shift he came upon bay number three, Jeremy's heart sank as he stood before the vacant space where the AV should have been in Arasaka Industrial Park. His breath caught in his throat, a mix of disbelief and unease settling in the pit of his stomach.
"How could this have happened?" Jermey mutters as he sounds the alarm.
Wwith any luck this would get blamed on the last shift.
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Helen stepped out of the sleek black AV, her demeanor poised and her expression determined. She had shed her usual edgerunner attire in favor of a sharp corporate dress that exuded professionalism and confidence. The fabric clung to her frame in all the right places, tailored to perfection. The crisp lines and monochromatic palette conveyed an air of authority as she strode into the AV entrance of Arasaka Tower.
The Kiroshis were doing their job of masking her face from the cameras, as she made her way to the sole security guard at the AV entrance. The black Arasaka AV takes off behind her disappearing into the city's skyline. Only for its next plotted mission to crash out in the badlands. Helen had already overwritten all Auto Pilot protocols.
"Miss I am going to need to see your credentials." A man with a Japanese accent says
Helen looks up and sees what is without a doubt a 'Saka ninja as they were called, the man was half borg and without a doubt could put up an even fight with most Afterlife Solos.
"Ich bin wegen einer branchenübergreifenden Inspektion hier. Es ist am besten, mir nicht in die Quere zu kommen." Helen says
It took a second for the auto-translation software to translate her words.
(I'm here for a cross-branch inspection. It's best not to get in my way.)
"I am going to need to see proof of that." the Ninjas
"Ze point of ze surprise inspections is to nicht notify ze office of iz inspection," Helen states with a frown.
The guard stands there no doubt communicating with someone.
"We can let you do your surprise inspection, however, It will need to be with supervision."
"Zat is nicht what I signed up for in being sent over here," Helen says audibly angry.
"The other choice is to either wait for Jenkins to approve or head home and we'll get back to you in two to three business days."
"Fine, can you show me ze elevator? I don't get paid enough for zis." Helen asks
"Down the hall to the right." The Guard says
Helen walks right on by the security checkpoint fully armed, not raising a single alarm.
She was in.
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Helen had managed to hack and spoof the building security. To the people watching the systems, it looked like she took the elevator down and exited, while in actuality she was sitting back with her feet resting on Saburo Arasaka's desk.
The office was fucking massive, a fusion of traditional Japanese aesthetics and cutting-edge technology. It is a testament to the Arasaka Corporation's legacy and innovation. The entrance is marked by sliding Shoji doors adorned with intricate designs, leading into a reception area where a minimalist waterfall feature soothes the senses with its gentle cascade.
The centerpiece of the office is Saburo Arasaka's imposing desk—a work of art in itself. Crafted from rich, dark wood and accented with gleaming metal details, the desk exudes authority and gravitas. A holographic interface seamlessly integrates with the physical surface, allowing Saburo to interact with the digital realm with a mere touch.
Although right now it was dark, everything was off and Night City outside the window was as bright as ever.
Helen was looking at her watch, a piece of tech that doesn't really belong this far in the future. She liked the office it was big and roomy, although the greatest part of it was without a doubt the piano in the corner of the room.
It was nearly time to cause the distraction.
Tick Tick Tick Tick
Helen sits up with a sigh placing her feet on the ground. Looking back over at the piano she stands up.
It was time.
Kicking the rolling chair behind her into the window was enough to set of the silent alarm, soon guards would be rushing the office, time to hide.
Those corporate fools would be swarming this office any minute.
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Helen had activated her Sandevistan just in time, she had just barely gotten behind the Grand Piano right as the room's laser motion detectors lit up everywhere in red and green lights like Christmas.
Hacking the camera she was watching the entrance elevator, waiting for the doors to open.
The first woman to walk out was what could be called a borg lite followed by a squadron of Saka Ninjia's and security personnel.
"Elevator's clear… Everyone do a sweep." The woman says
Suddenly on the comms channel, there is a return.
"Good to hear Valerie we have more men on the way up. They are coming with dogs."
Helen stops looking through the eyes of the camera as her normal vision resumes.
Several minute pass and Valerie is standing alone in Saburo's office.
"Boss, I swear there is no way anybody is here." Valerie went silent for a moment
"Yes, We've swept the entire office with 50 guys, the lasers are activated, and we even managed to bring out a dozen dogs for a patrol," Valerie says
In the corner of her eye, Valerie saw movement. An abrupt pivot in response to the unexpected movement caused her to blink in surprise. V's eyes widened as they settled on a sight that was far from what she had anticipated—a grand piano nestled in the corner of the room. With a woman leaning over the Keys.
View: https://youtu.be/WUuKAPHHefE
Helen smiled crazily at Valerie while her eyes glowed uploading a file to the Arasaka system. Suddenly the exact same speech which had found its way onto Arasaka's subnet 52 years earlier was there again, popping up on every single computer screen in the building as the entire security system activated.
Toppeling a Monument to Corporate Colonialism.
"What have you done!" Valerie shouts.
"Oh V, you fail to understand the fun had just begun!" Helen cheers over the alarms.
Valerie draws her pistol and shoots at Helen who is at this point running towards the panoramic window.
Helen touched the window and the bulletproof glass shattered like a wine bottle hitting the floor, and Helen was gone.
Successful distraction.