The labs behind windows only required a personal code, which Daiyu didn’t bother to hide from me when she used it for the third time.
Daiyu greeted a woman in her thirties, who was tall but stocky, her black hair pulled back in a tight bun. The overall effect would have been severe if not for her face lighting up with pleasure when she caught sight of Daiyu. “Miss Jin!” she exclaimed. “What an unexpected surprise.” The woman stood beside a long white table with a light blue suit laid across it. It was unfinished, but one sleeve was lit in an intricate webwork of silver stars.
“I was working on a project with my friend”—Daiyu nodded toward me—“and had to stop by to see my favorite designer. How’s the new suit coming, Vivian?”
Vivian nodded, barely giving me a glance, but waved Daiyu over to the table. “You came just in time. I was beginning to set the design.”
They discussed what Vivian was working on for Daiyu’s newest suit: a star theme. Daiyu talked enthusiastically about her favorite Chinese constellations and the stories behind them. I glanced around the large lab where everyone worked diligently at their stations. The entire room was filled with white furnishings, glaring almost in its lack of color other than what was displayed on work screens. One young man in his twenties gave me a curious look. He obviously knew who Daiyu was but went back to his work a moment later. I saw a life-size 3-D rendering of a suit design projected on the back wall of his station.
During their animated discussion, a message flashed across my Vox from Lingyi: Got it. We’re good.
A copy of Daiyu’s brain wave scan had transferred successfully from Lingyi’s device.
By the time we left Jin Corp, over two hours had passed. Ah Ming was still seated in the grand vestibule, and Daiyu gave him a smile as we exited. “Have a good evening, Miss Jin,” he shouted after us.
It was past nine, and her white limo pulled up to the curb a minute later. “Want to grab dinner?” Daiyu asked.
I was caught off guard and didn’t hide my surprise. “I can’t,” I said. “I’m meeting someone.”
I wanted to report to Lingyi immediately, but I also couldn’t go because I did want to spend more time with Daiyu. I liked being with her too much. I liked her too much. And it needed to stop. When we parted ways, she drew closer for a hug, but I blocked her by putting a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you for the private tour, Miss Jin,” I said.
She smiled a small smile, but not before I saw the disappointment in her eyes.
I had gotten what I needed from her.
My job with Daiyu was done.
? ? ?
Twelve days after Jin’s big announcement at the memorial hall park about the cheaper suits and the collapse of Patient Zero, the death toll had risen to over two dozen in Taipei from Jin’s flu strain. Although the disease was spreading rapidly, the government had yet to officially declare a state of emergency, as only poor meis had been affected. Many who died were already suffering from illness and had compromised immune systems or were homeless and living on the streets, but Arun assured me that this avian flu was bad. “It can wipe out half of Taiwan if we don’t do something to curb it,” he said. “You have to return to Jin Corp and steal a sample for me.”
So three days after Daiyu gave me the tour, on a Sunday in the dead of night, I went back.
Just after two a.m., I took my airped and flew to Jin Corp. I was fully suited but disconnected from the com sys so my whereabouts couldn’t be tracked. Armed with Daiyu’s security code and the capture device that had recorded and could “ghost” her brain waves for the scan (Lingyi had assured me that it should work), I let the euphoria overtake me. Racing faster than two hundred mph, I soared over Taipei, the trendier districts filled with young yous and meis alike, looking for a good time. The flashing signs and lasers in these areas were a stark contrast to the dark, quiet buildings in places that were abandoned or occupied by the less adventurous, who were fast asleep.
It didn’t seem the youth of Taipei were taking notice of the flu epidemic, too jaded to care about another outbreak, and too oblivious to know how lethal this one actually was. So many lives depended on whether I could smuggle one of the samples out for Arun. Failure was not an option.
I guided my airped back into the shadowed labyrinthine streets behind Jin Corp, parking on a narrow, deserted street. Without hesitation, I wound my way through the dank alleyways, my path illuminated by my helmet and suit. This time, I had half a dozen knives hidden on me, although they would be useless if I triggered security and Jin Corp went into lockdown.
Ignoring my increased heart rate displayed in helmet, I found the back entrance that Daiyu wanted to sneak me into the first time we tried to visit Jin Corp. The touch pad was dark but took on a faint glow when I punched in Daiyu’s personal code with a gloved hand. I waited, heart pounding in my ears, and the door clicked open quietly after five seconds. I used the motion detection enhance Victor had gotten for me to search for any signs of movement beyond the thick walls. Seeing nothing, I slipped inside.
I was on the ground floor of the emergency stairwell, maybe one I had passed while touring with Daiyu. We had exchanged two brief messages the day after the tour, and nothing since. Maybe she got the hint, I thought with regret. Annoyed my mind had wandered to her, I forced myself to focus. Detecting no motion beyond the emergency exit leading into the main part of Jin Corp, I tinted my helmet and stepped into the wide, empty corridor. It was in a part of the ground floor I hadn’t passed with Daiyu, but I recognized the general decor, and headed in the direction of the elevator.
Soon, I passed the main vestibule entrance, the Jin suit models and global displays, and stopped at the elevator. The building felt deserted, but my enhance had picked up the security guard sitting at the main entrance. I punched in Daiyu’s code, and the elevator came to life and opened its doors to me twenty seconds later. I pressed the third-floor button, praying that Dr. Lu or anyone else would not be pulling an all-nighter this weekend.