A Step into the Unknown

Alisia woke up early, feeling a sense of nervous excitement bubbling in her chest. The past two weeks had been an intense learning curve, but they had only deepened her resolve to become one of the best in the field. Today, she was heading back to SyTech Solutions, where the team would be running live penetration tests—real attacks on their own systems, simulated of course, but still the closest she'd come to experiencing a real-world cyber threat.

The company car arrived at her doorstep just after dawn, as it always did. She climbed in, her mind already racing with thoughts of the day ahead. The streets were still quiet, the sun barely rising over the skyline. She thought about how far she had come, from the grief and isolation after David's death to this moment where she was starting to feel like she had a future again—one she could control.

As they pulled up to SyTech, she was greeted by the familiar sight of the tech hub, with its towering glass buildings and the constant hum of innovation in the air. The offices of SyTech stood out, sleek and modern, nestled among some of the most renowned tech firms in the city. For a brief moment, Alisia allowed herself a smile of satisfaction. She was here. She was really doing this.

Inside, Jessica was already at her desk, typing away furiously. The senior employee had been an invaluable mentor to Alisia, guiding her through the complicated maze of cybersecurity concepts with patience and expertise. Today, though, Jessica seemed a little more on edge than usual.

"Ready for the big day?" she asked, glancing up as Alisia approached her desk.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Alisia replied, trying to hide the nervous flutter in her stomach.

Jessica nodded approvingly. "Good. Just remember, this is all part of the process. We're testing vulnerabilities to see where our defenses hold up and where they don't. You'll get a lot out of this experience."

They headed to the main operations room, where several other team members were already gathered. On the large screen at the front of the room, Alisia could see the system they would be targeting today—a mock-up of a corporate network, complete with client databases, email servers, and sensitive financial records. It looked just like the real thing, and that's what made it such a valuable exercise.

"Alright, everyone," Jessica began, addressing the team. "Today's objective is to expose vulnerabilities in our systems. We've set up a series of challenges for you to break through. Use all the techniques you've learned—SQL injections, phishing simulations, brute force attempts—you name it. The goal isn't just to break in; it's to understand how to prevent these attacks in the future."

Alisia took her seat and cracked her knuckles. She was ready to prove herself. The next few hours were a blur of coding, testing, and refining. She started with a basic phishing simulation, sending an email that mimicked one from a popular social media platform. The email contained a link that, once clicked, would grant access to a user's account credentials. To her surprise, the simulated system fell for it, revealing the vulnerability in the network's email filters.

"Nice work," Jessica said as she passed by, giving Alisia a nod of approval. "But don't get too comfortable. The real challenge is coming up."

Alisia knew what she meant. The second half of the day would focus on more advanced penetration techniques—specifically, finding and exploiting backdoors in the system. It was the kind of work that required precision and an understanding of how hackers think. And it was exactly the kind of challenge Alisia had been preparing for.

By late afternoon, she had uncovered three major vulnerabilities in the mock system—enough to impress even the senior staff members who had been watching from the sidelines. Alisia couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. She was making a name for herself here.

As the day wound down, Jessica gathered the team for a debrief. "Excellent work today, everyone," she said. "We've got a lot of data to sift through, but the insights we've gained will help us strengthen our defenses. And I have to say, Alisia, your work today was exceptional."

Alisia beamed at the praise, feeling more confident than she had in a long time. It seemed like everything was finally falling into place.

But then, just as she was about to pack up and leave for the day, something caught her eye. Her phone buzzed on the table, the screen lighting up with a notification.

It was an email. Nothing out of the ordinary, or so it seemed.

The subject line simply read: URGENT.

Curious, Alisia opened the email, but what she saw made her heart stop.

The message contained a single line: We know who you are.

Attached to the email was a file—an encrypted file. And somehow, it was familiar. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over her as she stared at it, her mind racing. She had seen this kind of encryption before. In fact, it was identical to something David had worked on before his death.

Her fingers shook slightly as she clicked on the file, her mind replaying memories of David's old projects. The file required a password to open, but Alisia had an unsettling feeling that she knew exactly what that password was. David had always used the same phrase for his most important work.

With a deep breath, she typed it in: Remember the stars.

The file opened.

And what she saw next made her blood run cold.

It was a document. But not just any document—it contained detailed information about a dangerous gang that operated in the shadows, their illegal activities spanning multiple countries. Alisia's heart pounded in her chest as she scrolled through the document, realizing that this was the same gang David had been investigating before he died.

David had uncovered something. Something dangerous. And now, it seemed like that secret had found its way back to her.

Her thoughts raced. Had David's death really been an accident? Or was there more to the story than anyone had realized?

Alisia's hands trembled as she quickly closed the document and deleted the email from her phone. But the damage had been done. Someone knew. Someone had sent her that file for a reason.

She grabbed her things and rushed out of the office, her mind swirling with fear and confusion. The sun had set, and the streets were dark as the company car picked her up for the ride home. Alisia's heart wouldn't stop racing, her mind replaying the words from the email over and over again.

We know who you are.

As the car sped down the quiet streets, Alisia glanced nervously at the buildings passing by. What had she stumbled into? What had David been investigating before his death?

And more importantly, who was watching her now?

The world outside seemed eerily calm, but Alisia knew better. There was something coming—something she couldn't escape. And as the car neared her house, she couldn't shake the feeling that her life had just taken a turn she was completely unprepared for.

The truth about David's death was still out there. And now, it was coming for her.