Page 76 of Alien's Love Child

"We don't have to."

Davin rummages through the desk drawers, tossing aside papers and data chips until he finds what he's looking for - a sleek black PerComm.

"Got it." His fingers dance across the screen. "The boss kept everything on this. Personnel files, safe house locations, blackmail material."

I lean against the desk. "And you know his password because...?"

"Because he never changed it after I joined as Tyren." Davin's lips curl into a satisfied smirk. "And he's not very good at hiding when he put it in. Not the brightest criminal mastermind."

The PerComm chirps as it syncs with Davin's. Data streams across both screens in a blur of text and images.

"There we are." He scrolls through files. "Everything they had on us. Pictures from the station where they found you, surveillance data, even Leo's description."

My blood runs cold. "They were watching him?"

"Not anymore." Davin's jaw tightens as he systematically deletes each file. "And now every trace of us disappears from their network."

"What about backups?"

"Already thought of that." He taps a few more commands. "Sending a virus through their system. By tomorrow morning, any mention of Jesse or Davin will be corrupted beyond recovery."

"What about Tyren?"

"Him too." Davin's eyes meet mine. "Though I doubt anyone will be looking for a dead man."

The PerComm beeps one final time. Davin drops it on the desk and crushes it under his boot.

"Now," he says, "about the local data…"

I scan the security feeds on my PerComm while Davin collects shell casings from around the dead bodies. "Found the main hub. Looks like they kept everything on a closed system."

"Smart of them." Davin drops a handful of casings into a bag. "Harder to hack remotely."

"But easier to wipe completely." My fingers dance across the interface. "There – uploading the virus now. Should corrupt everything beyond recovery."

"Make sure you get the backup drives too."

"Already on it." I point to a door across the warehouse. "Server room's that way. Want to do the honors?"

"You take care of that. I'll finish collecting evidence here." He straightens with a grunt. "Don't forget to check for offline storage."

The server room hums with cooling fans and blinking lights. I plug my PerComm directly into the main console, watching as the virus tears through their systems. Files corrupt and delete themselves in cascading waves of data.

"Found something interesting," I call out. "They've got a whole network of cameras covering the surrounding streets."

"Wipe them all."

"Already done." I yank the backup drives from their slots. "Let's ditch this place. It smells awful."

Davin meets me in the center and grins, staring down into my eyes.

"You know, you would've made an incredible bounty hunter. Didn't know you could snipe like that." He takes my hand as we walk out of the place.

"Mom wanted her little girl prepared for anything," I say simply.

"You say that like it's braiding hair or sewing a torn skirt"

"Well," I sigh. "She taught me those things too. They just didn't stick as well."

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