Chapter 655: Heltier & Fianti (1/2)

Dextron immediately noticed the difference of v-Earth under the influence of the T-6. The colors, sounds, and smells were more vibrant, more alive. He appeared a few moments before the rest of the Bottom Feeders, who were similarly impressed.

[All satellites are online, and encrypted data feedback has been looped in. Overload is being rerouted to create a real-time stream. This connection is secure.]

Darsi was the first to notice that all of their avatars were dressed in sleek black jumpsuits. ”This your doing, Dex?”

Dex nodded. ”Starting today, the world is ours.”

Mongoose moved to the controls. ”Let's see what Geneva looks like at this time of the day.”

”Pretty.” Stiletto's duo-colored eyes scanned the city beneath them when it popped into view an instant later. Unexpectedly, she stopped hiding her heterochromia in recent days. She stood next to Dextron, the top of her head barely reaching his chest. ”You should make your Avatar shorter, Dex.”

Dex grinned suddenly; the hair color of the week for the tiny hacker was bright yellow. ”Only if you keep that hair color. It's very cool.”

”It is nice,” Darsi agreed.

Thumper nodded and patted the petite girl's head. ”It's quite striking.”

”Singapore sunset saffron,” Stiletto announced, smiling widely at the attention.

They were one hundred meters above Lake Geneva, near the southwest shore where the Rhône River fed it. It was an hour before sunset; the breeze coming off the water made the temperature pleasant.

Darsi pointed west of their position. A mirrored building with a peculiar pyramid shape stood out in the distance. ”H & F is in the

Charmilles-Châtelaine-Servette district.”

Mongoose and Gadget shared a glance but neither commented. Darsi was fluent in a half dozen languages, neither of them would have even attempted the words.

”Woah... talented tongue,” Dex said the words before analyzing its content.

Darsi favored him with a sexy smile before continuing. ”Their HQ is on the corner of Rue Liotard and Avenue De-Luserna. Bring us in, Dex.”

The vehicle moved suddenly, darting directly to the front of the building, approximately three meters above the busy sidewalk.

Dex stepped over the side, hovering in v-Earth while studying his surroundings. ”Remove all traffic, both pedestrian and automotive, within a three-block radius of this position.”

The area around their target grew suddenly quiet; they could still hear the distant hum of traffic accompanied by the occasional car horn.

”Holy crap, Dextron.” Gadget moved alongside the younger hacker while studying the building closer. Without a doubt, it was the most impressive thing he'd ever seen.

Darsi was already at the entrance, peering in despite knowing that there would be nothing to see. Their perception of the building came from the earth's orbit. ”I want the electronic schematic on the building; Gadget and Mongoose can handle that.”

Since it was Darsi's job, she was in charge of the delegation. ”Thumper and Stiletto get me detailed blueprints, everything you can find; ductwork, pipes, and any kind of conduit.”

Dex watched as the two teams split up and moved in different directions; he waited calmly, knowing that Darsi would have an assignment for him.

Darsi motioned for Dex to join her by the entrance. ”We need to fill in the blanks for this building, starting with the lobby.”

Dex nodded and dropped to the street level, his sharp eyes taking in everything. ”There!”

Darsi watched as he moved toward the intersection. ”Traffic cam?”

Dex nodded and motioned with his gloved hand; immediately, all the Bottom Feeders received the camera feed's pip (picture-picture).

The original feed showed the intersection's crosswalk; slowly, it panned toward the glass doors of their building's entrance.

Darsi stared at the pip on her HUD. ”Zoom into the building, focus on woman fixing her hair.”

Darsi moved through the closed doorway, suddenly thankful that an AI was assisting them. Syntax instantly filled in the space with everything the camera could see; the rest of the building was eerily empty. ”Create a static representation of the inside so we can explore a bit.”

[Of course, Quicksilver.]