Encrypted Escape

The capsule was cramped and claustrophobic, but Ava didn't mind. It was all she could afford in this part of the city. The neon lights from outside cast a glow on the walls. In the center of the wall, an old-fashioned screen flickered to life. Ava smiled as the familiar opening credits of Casablanca began to roll.

As she watched Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman on the screen, she felt like she was transported to a different world. A world where love and honor were more important than money and power.

Ava had always been into hacking, but her true passion was old movies. She loved the way they told stories, and the way they made her feel. She had a collection of her favorite movies on cloud storage she shared with a couple of friends. Casablanca was at the top of her list. She had always preferred watching the original, not the action-packed remake from 2029. It was a small rebellion against the corporations and their constant push for new and improved entertainment.

But as the movie reached its climax, Ava's thoughts were interrupted by a holo call. It was her friend Hiroki.

"Yo Ava, I got somethin' for ya," he said. "It's a fresh batch of movies I just got. These are some of the dopest I've come across in a minute. I thought you might wanna take a look.”

Ava's eyes lit up at the mention of new movies. She took a look at the files from Hiroki and eagerly began to scroll through them, her eyes running over the files as she looked for any films she might be interested in.

"Thanks, Hiroki," Ava said, looking up at him with a smile. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Hiroki replied. “I see you watchin' that old-school 2D black&white again?"

Ava shrugged and replied, "I like it the classic way. It feels more authentic and the experience is different.”

Hiroki shook his head "Suit yourself, but you're missin' out on all the immersive stuff.”

As Ava reached the end of the folder, her eyes came to rest on a black encrypted file, hidden amongst the glossy covers of the latest blockbusters.

"Hiroki, what’s this?" Ava asked, her eyes never leaving the intimidating black file.

"I don't know. It was just part of the batch I picked,” Hiroki replied, his expression showing confusion and indifference.

Without hesitation, Ava tried to scan the file. It was locked and could only be accessed with a password. Ava felt a thrill of excitement run through her as she realized that this file was not just some ordinary movie or music file, but something more intriguing.

Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she worked, her mind focused entirely on the task at hand. As the encryption began to unravel, Ava felt a sense of satisfaction and a bit of anxiety. She knew that whatever was on this file was something that someone had gone to great lengths to protect.

She had seen a lot of strange and dangerous things in her line of work, but she had never come across anything like this. The file contained information on Zure's agents that had gone rogue, with detailed information about their movements and activities.

Ava leaned back on her chair nervously, her eyes locked on the small file. "Hiroki, I need to know where this file came from," she said, her voice tight with tension.

"I already told you, I don't know," Hiroki replied. "It was just part of a batch of movies I bought from Retro Rascal. I had no idea it was anything special."

"Special? Hiroki, this file contains information on Zure Corporation's rogue agents," Ava said, her voice low and urgent. “If we can get this information to the right people, it could seriously hurt Zure.”

Hiroki's eyes widened in shock. "Are you serious? We could be talking about attacking one of the biggest corporations in the world."

Ava thought for a moment before answering. "We need to find a way to get this information to the right people, without anyone tracing it back to us.” she pondered out loud. “Put your pants on, I’m coming over.”

As Ava left her capsule apartment she was met with a harsh reality. Zure's security agents were already outside, waiting for her. They were dressed in black body armor, their faces obscured by tinted visors. One of them quickly grabbed Ava by the arm and pushed her against the wall, while another frisked her for any weapons.

"You're coming with us," growled one of the agents, his voice amplified by a speaker in his helmet, as he tased Ava.

Ava's heart was pounding as she was dragged into a waiting aerocar. She was in deep trouble.

Ava felt a mix of fear and anger as they flew over the sprawling metropolis. The reality of the situation was starting to set in and Ava couldn't help but blame herself for not seeing that the file had been coded with security measures. She should have been more careful. She should have seen it coming.

She tried to focus on the city below, but the view was a blur of neon lights and dark shadows. She could recognize the towering skyscrapers of the city center, the sprawling slums of the outskirts, and the vast expanse of the city's garbage dump, a never-ending sea of trash.

As the aerocar touched down on the roof of Zure's security station, Ava was roughly pulled out of the vehicle by a group of heavily armed security guards. They twisted her arms behind her back and pushed her towards a door that lead into the building.

Ava could feel her head still spinning from being tased, and her arms ached from the tight grip of the security agents. She was led through a series of dimly lit corridors, the harsh fluorescent lighting making Ava's head pound even more. Finally, she was placed into a  room. As she sat alone in the cold, sterile room, hands locked on the table by the magnetic handcuffs, Ava couldn't help but wonder what horrors awaited her. Ava took a quick glance around. The room was small and windowless, with a single table in the middle and a bright light overhead.

Ava's thoughts raced as she tried to come up with a plan, a way out of this situation. But before she could even begin to formulate a plan, a door opened and a man entered the room. He was tall, with short black hair, and a cold, calculating look in his eyes.

"Good evening, Ms. Garcia.” the man said, his voice as cold as his gaze. "I am director Blackwood, the head of Zure security."

Ava tried to steady her breathing and meet the man's gaze head-on. She knew that showing fear would only make things worse.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, her voice steady despite her racing heart.

The man's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Information," he said simply. He placed Ava's laptop on the table in front of her. "I think you have a file that doesn’t belong to you. Where did you get it?”

“I don't know where it’s from, I found it among some old movies,” she said her voice steady.

The man's smile disappeared, replaced by a scowl, “Your computer has a biometric password, open it.”

Ava shook her head, "I can't reach it with my arms handcuffed.” Blackwood glared at her, his patience wearing thin. He pushed the laptop closer to Ava’s hands, "Now, open it.”

Ava quickly logged into the computer. But to director Blackwood’s surprise, she used an alternative login that she had set up for emergencies. It was a failsafe account that she had created in case she ever found herself in a bad situation. As soon as she logged in, a series of commands began executing automatically. The first thing it did was lock her computer, making it impossible for anyone to access it. Next, it activated a self-destruct function that would completely wipe the data drive. Finally, it infiltrated any and every system it found nearby that was vulnerable and started making havoc. All of this happened in a matter of seconds, leaving Director Blackwood staring at smiling Ava in disbelief.

The magnetic cuffs around Ava's wrists went offline and sprang open. The lights in the room flickered and then went out, plunging the room into darkness. Ava could hear the sound of the door locks clicking open as the power to them was cut. Her computer had infiltrated Zure's systems.

Ava quickly took advantage of the momentary confusion. She swung her computer with all her might, hitting Blackwood square in the face. He stumbled backward to the floor, dazed and disoriented. Ava quickly made a run for the door. She knew the systems would be back online soon and that the guards would be looking for her.

She ran down the hallway, her heart pounding in her chest. She could hear the sound of guards shouting and footsteps echoing behind her. Her computer's screen provided a dim light as she navigated through the maze of hallways toward the exit signs.

She turned a corner and saw a group of security guards running in the opposite direction. Ava took advantage of the confusion to slip past them unnoticed, and headed quickly to the main entrance.

Ava exited the Zure building, her heart racing as she scanned the busy street for a way to disappear. She knew that Blackwood and his team would be hot on her heels. She needed to act fast. She darted into the crowd, blending in with the throngs of people as she made her way down the sidewalk. She tossed her laptop into a nearby trashcan, knowing that it was now nothing more than a brick after the failsafe protocol had been activated.

As she walked, Ava kept her head down and her arms tucked close to her body, trying to make herself as unnoticeable as possible. She weaved her way through the crowd, her eyes scanning for a way out.

Her heart was pounding with adrenaline and her mind was racing with thoughts about her next move. She knew that she needed to contact Hiroki and warn him about what had just happened.

She spotted a place called Byte Bites Cafe. It was a small net cafe, in a rundown building nestled between two skyscrapers. The neon sign outside flickered, and the windows were fogged up with condensation. Ava took a deep breath and pushed open the door. Inside, the cafe was dimly lit and smelled of stale coffee. A few people sat at the computers, typing away, but no one paid her any attention.

She found an empty computer in the back corner of the cafe and sat down. She quickly logged into her personal cloud service and called Hiroki. His voice was tense with worry. "Ava, what's going on? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine,” Her voice was shaky as she explained the events that had just occurred. “We need to talk. I'm at Byte Bites Cafe and I don't have much time."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes," Hiroki said. “But there’s something you need to know first.”

Hiroki's voice was grave on the other end of the line. "Ava, someone hacked into our Azure storage. They stole the encrypted file. I've been trying to track the IP address, but it's bouncing all over the place. It's a professional job."

“It’s still there,” Ava replied with a smirk. “Open the Casablanca file.”

“Hah, that was clever,” Hiroki said, a hint of admiration in his voice. “Wait, what did they actually steal then?”

“Let’s just say they’re in for a classic treat. Now get going, we have a corporation to take down.”