Follow the story of Nadia, a quantum security expert in 2050 London
Nadia, a story by Miquel Morales.
—
Jumping in now? Catch up with previous chapters.
Chapter V
“You know, it’s not the first time I deal with the likes of you. Nor it will be the last, for that matter.”
There is something unsettling about empty houses. Especially when they aren’t yours. Everything in the living room looked tidy and ready to be used, with only a thin layer of dust betraying how abandoned the place was.
As Tom had suggested, Nadia had made it out of the city under the cover of darkness. The paycard he had left her at the apartment had been useful. Tom had left her a burner phone as well. Seriously, though. What on Earth is going on? She had been played by this EVE. But how?
Nadia had gotten herself a headscarf and a cheap regular-speed train ticket to Coventry, hoping her friend would be there and willing to let her lay low for a while. Tina was her name. Her family had a big country house surrounded by fields of barley, which they mainly used in the Summer months. Nadia had been invited for a barbecue a few times with other people from college. She had met Tina in a physics class.
Well, it wasn’t Summer, and there was no one in sight. But it was too late to go back to London, and she couldn’t risk staying at a hotel or something like that. RayStar had a big reach, and every modern establishment had AI-enabled security cameras these days. There was probably already an arrest order out there. She couldn’t risk any of her biometrics being picked up by the system.
Thankfully, Nadia was able to find a half-open window in the back of the house. Well, more like she had half-opened the window. Ooops. Anyway, she doubted they would mind at all. They had too much money in any case.
After hunting for snacks in the kitchen — cashews would do — Nadia did a full tour around the house and decided to settle down in the downstairs living room. It was nice and cosy, and the big windows would allow the upcoming morning light to wake her up early. She needed to devise a plan and get going. Staying for more than a day in that house would be too dangerous. But first, some rest.
She threw herself on a comfy couch and hugged a hand-knitted pillow with a big smile. Two seconds later she was falling into a deep slumber, her dreaming brain conjuring up old memories.
Nadia woke up in a fright, her face covered in cold sweat from one of those nightmares only the subconscious remembers. IT was still dark. A hellish sound was coming out of her backpack. The phone. She picked it up. Unknown number.
“Hello?”
“Hey. It’s me.” Her sister.
“What the… Where are you, what’s going on?”
“246 Reinford Lane. Meet me there at noon.”
“What?”
Nadia threw the phone across the room in anger. The call had dropped.
To be continued…
Read the next chapter: Nadia — Final Chapter
Need tips on how to find a job in IT? Check out our IT job hunting guide.
