CD8/9

 "Okay people, suit up and be ready outside in ten minutes. We're hitting Blue Sky before they figure out what's going on. Junior, you're driving. Roman, I want you in a patrol car. Neo…" She caught the girl's arm when she moved past. "You're with me."

[...]

The security guard backed up towards a door marked with an employee-only sign. "I'll go and speak to the head of R&D and see if she's free to come and chat with you. I'm sure she will be, but just wait here for a moment." He inputted the code into the door and pulled it open, but before he could step through, Yang threw out her hand.

"Wait!"

The man froze. With one arm extended, holding the door ajar, he turned towards her with a surprised expression. "Huh? What's wrong?"

"Your name," she said, smiling. "I didn't catch it."

"Oh…" He laughed and rubbed his head, and failed to notice the way the sleeve of his arm holding the door open ruffled – almost like a gust of air had passed beneath. It was not, however, and Yang breathed a sigh of relief as the ripple disappeared. "The name's Jake," the guard said. "Jake Goldman. Nice to meet you."

"Thanks, Jake," Yang said, sitting. "You've been a real help."

He was gone a second later, and the door clicked shut behind him.

"She's in," Roman whispered.

Yang nodded, keeping her voice low. There were cameras for sure, but there might also be voice recorders. "Did she get the codes?"

"I angled myself so he'd have to shield them from the left. She'll have been on the right. Believe me, it's a trick we've pulled before so it's second nature by now." He smirked and drew forth a cigar, lighting it and taking a quick puff. "We're in business, boss."

[...]

"Intruder in the facility," it echoed. "All security personnel to sub-basement two. This is not a drill."

Yang's eyes flickered to Roman's, who met her half-way, the cigar dangling from his lip. Hers demanded answers, while his held none. "Maybe she was caught?" he offered weakly, wincing at the impending explosion. "I said she was good, but they might have thermal cameras or something. No one's perfect, right?"

"You idiot," she snarled, leaping up. Damn him and damn Neo, as well.

[...]

He held out his scroll. "Here."

There was a message on it, the sender identified as Neo – and the content was what shocked her. "Not me. Still undiscovered. Code 1653."

[...]

"Those girls are doing a good job of keeping everyone busy," Roman said as she two of them leaned against the walls of a service elevator slowly descending into the depths of the facility. They hadn't been challenged thus far, and that was the only reason they'd made such progress.

"It won't last," she warned. "We went past at least a hundred cameras on the way here. Even if the people in the control room are distracted, they're bound to have noticed us and prepared a welcome party."

"You so sure about that?" Roman asked, branding his scroll tauntingly.

Yang sighed and snatched it, only to realise it was a connected video call, though without any sound. Neo's eyes appeared on-screen and the girl smiled happily and waved when she saw who it was. Behind and around her, Yang could make out numerous screens and terminals, and three unconscious figures slumped in chairs. She sighed and tossed the scroll back.

"You had her attack the security rooms?"

He shrugged. "Seemed obvious."

—CD8

[...]

The rest of the team were gathered outside waiting for her, both with the main APC the majority of them had been hidden in, and the patrol car she, Roman and Neo had arrived in. The diminutive girl in question was stood beside Roman, utterly unharmed despite her one-woman infiltration.

—CD9