Ghost in the Machine

[MBCE]

Sammy stood across the street from the four story office park that housed the Albright Institute. Before coming all the way out ot Hanover, he had taken a little time to check up on the place. Sammy was surprised that the institute was working to understand superhumans.

'This must be the place where all the do-gooders go to get their wounds licked. Not a bad place actually. I wonder if they fix anybody up? I could have used a real hospital after that mess in the sewers. My arm is still sore after getting patched up. I guess that's what I get for going to an underground doctor. At least I know he keeps his mouth shut.'

Not wanting to picked out by any eyes that might be watching the street, Sammy began walking away.

'Place doesn't look like all that much,' Sammy thought as he moved down the street. 'It's not like the Museum of Natural History. I should be able to simply walk through the front door. Worse case would be for me to head in saying I was some kind of superhero. They would want to stick and prod me, I'd guess.'

Sammy gave a shudder at the thought of a doctor using him as a guinea pig. He wasn't into having people exert control over him and his recent exposure to just such a situation left a bad taste in his mouth. No, he would need a better way of getting in than offering up his body. Perhaps after lunch he would come up with a plan to gain entrance.

[MBCE]

Sammy wiped his mouth with the napkin. His lunch was plain seeing that he wanted to stay near the Institute as well as grab a quick meal.

'So, Sammy, how are you going to get the information? A day heist? A night heist? Either would be interesting enough, but I need to know the layout of the area. Perhaps a simple visit will work.'

Sammy stood and walked back to the Institute. With a smile upon his face, he walked through the main door and approached the receptionist.

"Hello. Um, I heard that the Institue was insterested in having volunteers. Can you direct me to where I should be?"

The rexeptionist looked at Sammy for a moment before taking out a clipboard and handing it to him. "First, please fill out this form. When you're done, someone will be along to take you to the testing room."

Sammy took the offered clipboard and moved to an empty chair. 'I hope this works.'

[MBCE]

Sammy looked down at the questionaire and frowned at the questions it asked.

Designation:

Origin:

Power source:

Please Describe your Abilities in detail:

Any Known Weaknesses:

Do you use your powers actively in Freedom City? Yes No

If yes, in what way?

The simple form didn't have much on it but neither did Sammy really want to answer with the truth. 'Hmm, how do I answer these to the extent they want without giving away important information about myself? I could wipe the information later when I complete the job, but who knows. Best to cover my tracks now as well.'

Sammy took the pen and began to answer the questions.

[MBCE]

"Okay, Mr. Jones. You can get dressed now. We'll be giving you the results of the tests in a few days time."

Sammy smiled at the nurse. "Well that wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. You guys do good work. Now, what is the policy on seeing patients outside of the work place, Nurse Chandice?"

The nurse Chandice returned the smile but it never reached her eyes. She had been hit on numerous times and knew how to deflect the advances of most of the men she had to examine. "I'm really sorry, Mr. Jones, but it is against the institute's policy to partake in such activities."

Sammy shrugged his shoulders and sat up. "Can't blame a guy for trying, can you?"

"No, I can't," Nurse Chandice replied as she left the room.

Sammy moved over and began getting dressed. His usual black jeans and black shirt, which was his main attire when working, was absent this time around. Today, he wore more normal clothes, better to blend in with the day crowd within the building.

Once dressed, Sammy took a short moment to look outside the window. He was on the second floor and his target's office was somewhere on the third. 'I've got about five to ten minutes before they get worried about me. Not very long to get the job done, but it's going to have to do.'

Sammy moved to the table and stood above it. He looked up at the ceiling and after taking a deep breath, jumped up into the ceiling. His body moved smoothly through the the material and he found himself within the ventilation system.

'Now to find that office!'

[MBCE]

It didn'T take Sammy long to find the room. It was clearly marked and there were very few people here at the moment.

'This is going to be like taking candy from a baby!'

Sammy again looked down teh corridor to make sure that no one was in sight to bother him before he opened the door and entered the office. A small computer sat on a desk and Sammy took a moment to make sure that there was no hidden traps around. His eyes roamed around the room, but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

'You would think this place would have some kind of security features in place. Man this Albright fella is an idiot.'

Sammy took a moment before moving over to the computer. Quickly, he moved the mouse and sat down to examine the system.

[MBCE]

Sammy's fingers moved acroos the keypad smoothly yet quickly. He had recently improved his computer skills and typing was just another part of that training. He had little time to get into the system, retrieve the information and get out before anyone noticed his absence.

The first security measures almost ended the job before it even got started. Only the blessing of the Lady of Fortune saved Sammy from alerting the admins that he was in their system. Teh second security measure was a joke.

'Was is placing that here going to keep people out?' Sammy thought as he breezed passed the security feature. It seemed that his moment of inflatted ego was enough to displease Lady Fortune as the next security feature caught him easily.

'Damn! I thought I was free! I need to speed things up before they locate me and kick me out.'

[MBCE]

Sammy's fingers flew across teh keyboard. He had limited time now that his presence within the system was known. He knew he ahd to get what he was looking for and get out before they locked down upon his location.

'Ah ha! Gotcha!' Sammy thought as he found the files. 'Once I get them on this flashdrive I can blow this joint. Since they know I'm in the system, there's no need to cover my tracks other than to leave this room before they find me.'

The computer gave a soft ping alterig Sammy that the files were successfully copied. He removed the drive and moved away from the computer. Sammy smiled while watching the computer screen. It wasn't long before the connection was located and once Sammy saw that it was, he let his body pass through the floor.

It didn't take Sammy long to slip back into the examination room and put on his clothes. With the flashdrive safely placed in his pocket, Sammy walked out of the Albright Institue, just like a Ghost.