Techno Fever [ONC II Round 1 WINNER | Asian Scifi | Complete]

Chapter 5

Meiha had never been inside Fubao Inc.'s headquarters. The company were notorious for keeping mum about their creations and employees were vigorously screened. No reporters were ever allowed exclusive interviews or sneak peeks before official announcements. The few attempts at sneaking into or stealing from Fubao Inc. were met with crippling lawsuits. Meiha could see why every breach were caught quickly; tiny black cameras monitored her every move. The security office registered her after confirming her identity with Tselong and confiscated the stolen Yanzhi model.

"The access code areas will scan you for your Bod Mod signature," said the man through the glass window, his face impassive beneath the panel of black metal of the modified Wenchang. "Having this still registered to its previous owner will flag up on our system and bar you."

Meiha didn't object. It was of some relief to have the heavy arm cannon out of her hands instead of reminding her of the crime she'd committed with every step of the way. Two of the guards took her ahead, pausing at every secure access — of which there were many — to scan their retinas, fingerprints, and Bod Mod signatures before the empty corridor opened up to an atrium.

The view took Meiha's breath away. The floor stretched before her as panes of clear glass, through which beams of blue-tinted light shone, bathing the chamber in an ethereal glow. Smooth steel pillars reached up from all four corners to the overhead dome where holograms of mechanical koi in brilliant hues of gold and violet swam, leaving sparkling trails in their wake. If not for the constant ripple of light cascading across their fins and the blue glow in their eyes, Meiha could have been fooled into thinking they were real, given how graceful their movements were. Glass chutes moved up and down on Meiha's far left and right, disappearing beyond the glass dome to the many storeys above. Soft ambient music filled her ears, which, coupled with the steady motions of the koi from above, the pale blue light illuminating the atrium, and the cool air conditioning, gave the area a calming, therapeutic atmosphere.

"Welcome to Fubao Inc.," chirped the hologram woman with sleek black hair in a bun and a crisp black suit standing nearby, turning to smile at them. "How may I help?"

The guards ignored her and took Meiha to one of the glass chutes. Again, their credentials were checked before the doors slid open and shut behind them.

"So, um," Meiha said, staring through the curved glass wall of the lift. The slight dark tint told her it was a one-way glass, which was just as well: several storeys below beyond the electrified fence were the huge crowd she'd seen on her way in. Some of them waved digital placards exclaiming 'Shut down corrupt Fubao!' and 'Answer for your crimes!' The crowd booed and threw objects, which bounced off the fence with no effect. A group of guards stood at alert, their weapons held visible before them. They gave no reaction to the abuse hurled at them through the fence. "How have folks been going home when facing that?"

"We haven't." The guard next to her made no effort to hide the sourness in his tone. "None of us have been home in over two weeks since that damn update came out. Boss said it's too risky."

"Yeah, and they still haven't found the mole—"

"Shhh!"

Meiha stared, startled by the sudden secrecy. One guard threw the other guard a dirty look. The one who blabbed flushed beneath his modified Wenchang, his lips pressed tightly together.

"What does it matter? She's Mr. Szeto's kid. She'll know anyway!"

"Not from us. Boss will have our hide!"

There was an awkward pause.

"Well, boss is right about one thing," said the guard who talked too much, turning away and staring outside. "Look at that bank robbery in Zhongwan. All the nutters are coming out of their caves."