Rogue Shadow

Chapter 28 - To the Surface

Chapter 28 – To the Surface

12:40 Thursday, 2nd November 2017

Sitting at the dining table, pulling out her earphones, Nat leaned closer to the table, furrowing her brow in confusion. "Sir?" she asked, eyes flitting between computer and tablet in front of her. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

"What's going on? Where are you up to?"

"Here," said Nat, sliding the large tablet aside. "I keep getting found, but not every time. It's random. Also, how do I get past this?" she asked, pointing to the laptop screen. "It's the problem I keep getting stuck on. I take too long, and I get detected."

Wilson lent over Natasha's shoulder, glancing at what level she was on and then where she was up to in the mission, before checking over the computer screen.

"Do you know what's getting you found?" he asked after a moment.

"Uhh..." Nat looked over the screens. "It can't be me fiddling with this problem because sometime, I get found before I make it that far." She shifted in her seat, looking up at Slade instead. "But those times I take longer getting there or getting past the other ones... it's probably timing, right?"

There was a nod of confirmation as Wilson joined her at the table. "So what does that mean?"

"That I missed something when I took over the initial system."

"Good."

"I got the cameras, I got into the coms..." Nat rattled off on her fingers.

"But something is still alerting them to your movements," Slade hinted.

There was a gasp of understanding as Nat's spin straightened. She tapped her hands on the edge of the table with exuberance.

"Motion sensors!"

Slade hummed but said nothing, choosing instead to watch the kid repeat the level, much more enthusiasm in her movements than before. The tablet had a videogame style infiltration activity coded into it, one that Slade and Will had developed themselves to entertain his eldest son. It required hacking, decision making, memory, and a tactical mind. Before the level started, the layout was presented and expected to be memorised before moving on. It held almost every detail needed to pass the level. The computed linked was treated as the on-hand tech support. The tablet function rather like an interactive maze, and at each "problem" the computer would show a locked door to be picked or a code to be broken and a puzzle to be completed. After successfully achieving the objective, each level got progressively more difficult. Each level also had a different objective. Infiltrate, escape, retrieve, or rescue.

Tash opted to deactivate the motion sensors at the beginning this time, before continuing through the challenge, deactivating security doors when she reached them and hiding around corners when footsteps and voices played through her earphones. As well as environmental sounds, there was basic radio chatter, curtsey of Slade's team, as Tash had given herself access to the coms at the beginning. She progressed without issue, collected what she came for and was half way out of the complex before a warning flashed on the screen.

Slade smirked.

Her first fight.

Not like they could make an actual fight. Instead, this situation compared skills. Tash needed to weigh up the probability of survival based on what she could "see." The basic – would be visible – stats of her opponents appeared on the computer screen, telling her the number of opponents, their heights, builds, and visible weapons. The tablet showed a few options. Fight through. Run. Evade and escape. Surrender.