“WHO GOES THERE?” boomed the voice of the security guard.

Evan smiled in amusement. So far, his scheme was working. Crouching low, he peered around the corner of the stone wall. The guard whirled around in circles, visibly nervous. He hefted a large submachine gun, pointing it dangerously into the darkness.

Evan opened his mouth to speak, but his voice echoed from further into the darkness of the courtyard. “Point that thing down, man. You’re gonna get one of us killed.”

The guard shakily lowered his weapon. “Neill? Is that you?”

Evan slowed edged his body around the cold stone, eyes studying the guard’s posture and micro-expressions. He could make it to the nearest tree if he tried.

“Of course it’s me, you idiot!” Evan’s voice projected from the darkness on the far side, keeping the guard’s attention focused elsewhere. “I’m doing the same thing you’re doing. Keeping the intruders from retrieving the magnetic plasma inducer. One guard on every side, remember?”

The guard nodded rapidly, replacing the gun back in its holster. Evan reached the tree and hoisted himself soundlessly into the upper branches.

“No, you imbecile!” Evan spoke again as Neill. “Keep the gun out, but point it down. It’ll save you seconds if a Keystroke happens to show.”

Like me, Evan thought. The life of a Keystroke is all I’ve ever known. One day, though, I’ll be free of the Board. With the wealth from this job, I can afford my ticket out of this dump towards the Outlets.

Now concealed in the trees, Evan worked his way towards the cathedral turned laboratory. Religion was outlawed here. It inhibited the growth of society. Those who held to their religion went underground and never returned.

In a flash, he was raising the second-story window and peered into the darkness surrounding the room. He didn’t dare light a match or flip on the lights for fear of attracting attention. Electricity was rare in the Inner Circuits, and the Board hired… no, enslaved…master pickpockets and illusionists as thieves. For the Board, it was power, but for the Keystrokes, another day to stay alive and out of the prison he’d nicknamed the Trash.

Evan slid his small form into the room and hesitated a brief moment, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dim surroundings. A flicker from a street lantern cast what little illumination scattered throughout the room.

He removed a small device from his pocket. A magnetic field detector, stolen a few assignments ago but lent to him for this mission. If successfully completed, Evan would receive seven days worth of food, protection from the Firewalls, and enough Bytes for a month’s wages. And his freedom. The sheer amount of reward was enough for Evan to push past the peril of sudden death. Dark Web rumor had it the device was stored on a pedestal that would explode unless the proper code was typed in. Evan didn’t believe the researchers would destroy their own invention, but he would err on the side of caution.

Using the detector, Evan ambled over to the far corner of the room. A small panel rested on a chrome dome the size of a clock, numbers waiting to be pushed. Exhaling slowly, Evan removed a pouch of dust from his satchel and sprinkled it on the keys. The dust wafted down, settling on the smudgy fingerprints left on the panel.

Careless, Evan thought. The three, nine, seven, and five buttons bore prints, and the three was thicker than the others, meaning it was pushed twice. Evan held his hand over the panel, gauging the distance between his finger. The seven matched up with a thumb print, the nine with a ring finger, the three two taps with the middle finger, and the five the index. Someone did it right-handed. He studied the angles of the prints, rotating his palm and fingers back and forth.

Yes, he thought. 7, 5, 3, 3, 9. Without hesitation, he gently depressed each button, each one making a satisfied soft click. The dome opened, revealing a small rectangular piece of circuitry. The magnetic plasma inducer.

Reaching forward, he wrapped his fingers around the device and lifted. The room flashed red, the window slammed shut, and a deafening alarm sounded. He’d been caught.