Neri holds the pendrive in her hand, examines the slip of plastic and metal closely. Ah, how wondrous! This small thing will help pay for her needs for the rest of this year: food, shelter, clothes. A few additional creature comforts, and treats for her crows. She whistles lightly, tosses it into the air and catches it again.
She strolls out of the building, looming large and lustrous behind her. In her mind, it explodes into a towering inferno as she walks away, a billowing beacon of smoke, flame, with corporate hopes and dreams melting into nothing.
Nothing of that sort happens, of course. But it's fun to imagine.
The corporation purchasing her services were to contact her within 48 hours of successful extraction to arrange a pick-up, so in the meantime… all she needs is to lie low. Easy enough, with her ability. The young woman tosses the drive into the air again, smiling.
With an unnatural slowness, Neri twists her neck to look in the direction of the voice. Eyes widen and twitch - a faceless man stands in front of her. For a moment - roar in her ears. Pressure, clamping down on her skull - dizziness - a sense of falling, sidewalk rushing up to meet her except it isn't concrete, instead it has jaws and it's going to devour her whole and this faceless man is watching and laughing with eyes of frozen flames - she's stretching, a rubberband pulled to its snapping point, thins in the middle - stretch - streeeeetch - sna -
The roar quiets. The pressure dissipates. She is breathing, still.
Neri is standing, she hasn't been devoured; she is not a rubberband pulled to its breaking point.
Another deep breath, and she looks at the man. Not faceless, but absolutely a man in a mask that covers his entire head, with bright blue lenses for eyes that make her shiver and hunch in suit jacket, not liking the intensity. White hat, long white coat with a high collar. Most importantly, she sees the hand tucked into coat pocket, not moving, with the outline of gun pressing through the fabric.
"Who are you?" She asks, finally, voice high and clear.
The masked man tilts his head, and she sees those lenses…squint?
"Because," he says, "I come to you in good faith -"
Neri's eyes flicker to the gun. He holds both hands up and above his shoulders, showing them empty.
"I come to you in good faith," he repeats, "and my name is Cypher."
Her eyebrows raise. "That is not your real name."
"Neither is Neri," he says lightly, with a little laugh.
And she hisses in response, but he doesn't comment on that, as if she'd done nothing more banal than sneeze. She can't see his expressions, and it's throwing her off, unsettles her.
"I have an offer for you, on behalf of my employer. You work for us, we provide everything you might need. Better pay, too. In exchange, you give us the drive in your hand."
Neri considers this, face blank.
"You won't remember me after this," she says at length.
Cypher laughs at that, quick and reedy. "Ah, that is where you are wrong. I see everything, you included, and I know how to -."
"Okay, Cypher. Sure. Why not?" With a snappy little movement, she tosses him the drive. He catches it with swift ease, and once he nods, Neri turns and walks away, disappearing quickly from view.
Out of sight. Out of mind.
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