Phia's Fragile and Fantastic Fingers || ONC 2023

Data Mag

When I was nine my mom left with a guy name Russel from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Not that she was around much before that, but Loretta was good for a meal, and about once a week she would leave a tenner on the counter for me that I could stretch for days.

I knew how to stretch ten dollars.

But Loretta didn't come home from Grand Rapids for fifteen days, and when she did it was with a guy named Pete. Pete stuck around for seven months and didn't hit my mom all that much. He taught me how to hot wire cars, and pick wallets out of stranger's pockets. He also taught me how to build a computer and make a slip and slide with black plastic and soap. Pete wasn't all that bad. But eventually he found drugs and mom's cousin and after that he didn't come around much.

The next time my mom disappeared for fifteen days I was eleven, and knew the drill; Don't tell teachers, find food where you can, stay out of trouble. For fun and extra credit, try to guess the name of the guy mom would bring back, or the new way she would promise to make it up to me before breaking that promise as well. She didn't notice me spiraling, and I didn't either.

The frequency of Loretta's disappearances increased as I proved how good I was at taking care of myself. By twelve I was alone and in charge even when she was around. She didn't notice me taking jobs hacking and tracking and I wasn't about to tell her.

Loretta disappeared two more times before I turned thirteen at which point I traced the head of YEPP down to a Denny's in Florida and almost got paid big money for the catch. Instead I got three square meals a day, a top bunk in a room with Mercy and Penelope, warm clothes and all the tablets and tech I could get my hands on.

I'm still convinced that YEPP will disappear with a guy name Pete. John says that's why I'm so dead set on getting YEPP to kick me out before I can be abandoned without my say.

I've been banned from a lot of things, but YEPP hasn't kicked me out yet. With every transgression they insist harder that they're keeping me. Probably because if they don't I'll sell all their secrets to the dark guild or something.

Even I wouldn't stoop that low.

Still, even on my worst days they don't threaten to kick me out.

It's infuriating.

Before the door opens I dodge to the side and choose my distraction wisely. It's a weak power, but my ability to distract people long enough to steal their wallets can also be used to sneak past them. If I do this right, I can get maybe five minutes. The only thing I have on me is my phone and my data magnet. I chuck my phone down the hall making sure it skitters as far as it can. I cringe when I hear glass crack, but at least that way they won't be able to open it and know immediately who it belongs to.

I stay plastered to the wall, and watch with a clenched stomach as my distraction works. The data center staffer walks past me toward my phone. I recognize her as Nannette. She lost her powers about a year ago, and is staying on at HQ until she can find something she wants to do that isn't superheroing.

I slide into the room behind her and lock the door. I have maybe five minutes before YEPP security comes knocking. I yank the data magnet from my pocket and run to the fastest of the two monitors in the room.

I have the list of files I want, and I'm a quick typer. Tracking people for various contracts in between writing papers on my chromebook in middle school study hall made me quick.

I find half of what I need in the first three minutes. I prioritize after that and only go for the things that will give me the most details.

I set up a background search to crawl the database for 23 b230 n2i3 203. Then I go back to downloading the full reports from the lab and satellite imagery, and helicopter damage reports.