The Centre: Tuesday, 4:32pm
Parker leaned against her car in the Centre parking lot, steeling herself for what she was going to do next. When she finished her cigarette (and anyone who wanted to give her a hard time about that could go in there with her, thanks) she ground it out beneath her heel, straightened, and headed for the front doors. If she could pull this off, there was no going back.
Easiest way in was through the front doors.
She breezed through the front lobby to main reception. "Parker. The usual pass."
The receptionist was new, and had to search for it. Parker amused herself by tapping her nails and looking pissed off in the woman's direction, while rolling her eyes at a nearby security guy, who looked apologetic on her behalf. "Sorry, ma'am. It's been a while since you've been here."
"Four months," Parker snapped. "No excuses." She clipped the tag to her lapel, and made a show of memorizing the receptionist's - Jennifer Mueller, the nameplate said - face. "Don't let it happen again."
She stalked past the receptionist, hearing the whispering start behind her, and suppressed a smile. There. That would make sure she was remembered, and not fondly, which was the point. The best alibi was not being seen, where you would definitely be remembered.
She walked past her father's office without a glance, heading for the elevator and Sydney's labs. Getting off at the correct floor, she ducked into the restroom and a stall. Slipped the amulet over her head. Pressed the red stone.
There was no one to be seen in the mirror. Go, Willow!
She slipped off her shoes and quietly walked back up eight flights to her father's office. Not bumping into people in the halls took some doing, so she hugged the walls after the first near-miss. Finally, she made it to Daddy's office.
When his secretary looked away for a moment, she slipped in through the frosted Art Deco glass doors, and stood on the other side, gasping for breath. Almost there. She tiptoed over to his desk, and took the cotton gloves out her jacket pocket. Better to leave as little evidence as possible.
"Now." A whisper, too low to be picked up on any audio pick-ups, except for the one on her brooch.
Somewhere in the interior of the Centre, Angelo made the server seize up. Seem to crash. She could hear a noise of defeat from the administrative assistant outside. Parker put the portable drive into the USB port of her father's computer. Opened it up.
Typed in ANGEL for the password. Thank you, Angelo.
And began to download everything, every file, every folder, every single thing on the drive. Three minutes. Four. Five.... At ten, she stopped the download. 83% full. Most of it. Hopefully enough.
She disconnected the drive, wiped down the keyboard with the gloves that she could feel but not see-- so odd, to watch the keys move in front of her, without her hands on them-- and erased all traces of her presence, before shutting it down.
Another surge, concealing her presence on her father's computer from the internal server records. And she slipped out the door when the admin left the room for a moment.
Back down eight flights to the restroom, and she removed the amulet, carefully folding it up inside the gloves and putting it back in her purse. Costume jewelry and accessories for dinner at a fancy restaurant, if anyone dared ask.
The drive she put inside her cigarette case.
"Sydney?" She wandered in, hands behind her back, twenty minutes later than when she'd started. But no one would have a reason to check. And Angelo could splice the corridor surveillance tapes, if it came to it. "You're not busy, are you?"
"Would it matter if I were?" he asked, looking amused. Then his gaze narrowed on her. "What have you been up to?"
Her grin widened. "Nothing. At all. What could I have done?"
Sydney gave her an admonishing look. "I shudder to ask."
"I think it's time I took you to an early dinner." Parker cocked her head at him. "Your blood sugar is low, you're getting cranky."
Sydney shook his head, but smiled.
Later that night, she lay back on her bed, throwing the tiny drive in the air, then catching it. Toss, catch. Toss, catch.
She'd stolen from her father. Forget the problems with breaking in, that was just strategy. Nerve. Planning. But today, she'd gone into her father's office, sat down at his sacred chair, and ripped out files from his computer. They wouldn't be the most important ones. And some she probably couldn't get into. But whatever she found would be enough.
She'd done it, and hadn't backed down. Loyalty to Daddy didn't stop her, fear didn't stop her... I'm sorry, Daddy. I'm sorry it has to be like this, I'm sorry I have to lie and steal from you, maybe there's something on here that'll make me trust you, or tell me how to make you trust me, but until then... This is just the beginning.
Parker looked at her phone. Thought of Jarod. Guess what I did?
Then she crossed the room, and carefully put the drive in front of the photo of her mother, and went downstairs to watch TV until she fell asleep.
[ooc: NFB due to distance, no interaction possible for same reason.]
Easiest way in was through the front doors.
She breezed through the front lobby to main reception. "Parker. The usual pass."
The receptionist was new, and had to search for it. Parker amused herself by tapping her nails and looking pissed off in the woman's direction, while rolling her eyes at a nearby security guy, who looked apologetic on her behalf. "Sorry, ma'am. It's been a while since you've been here."
"Four months," Parker snapped. "No excuses." She clipped the tag to her lapel, and made a show of memorizing the receptionist's - Jennifer Mueller, the nameplate said - face. "Don't let it happen again."
She stalked past the receptionist, hearing the whispering start behind her, and suppressed a smile. There. That would make sure she was remembered, and not fondly, which was the point. The best alibi was not being seen, where you would definitely be remembered.
She walked past her father's office without a glance, heading for the elevator and Sydney's labs. Getting off at the correct floor, she ducked into the restroom and a stall. Slipped the amulet over her head. Pressed the red stone.
There was no one to be seen in the mirror. Go, Willow!
She slipped off her shoes and quietly walked back up eight flights to her father's office. Not bumping into people in the halls took some doing, so she hugged the walls after the first near-miss. Finally, she made it to Daddy's office.
When his secretary looked away for a moment, she slipped in through the frosted Art Deco glass doors, and stood on the other side, gasping for breath. Almost there. She tiptoed over to his desk, and took the cotton gloves out her jacket pocket. Better to leave as little evidence as possible.
"Now." A whisper, too low to be picked up on any audio pick-ups, except for the one on her brooch.
Somewhere in the interior of the Centre, Angelo made the server seize up. Seem to crash. She could hear a noise of defeat from the administrative assistant outside. Parker put the portable drive into the USB port of her father's computer. Opened it up.
Typed in ANGEL for the password. Thank you, Angelo.
And began to download everything, every file, every folder, every single thing on the drive. Three minutes. Four. Five.... At ten, she stopped the download. 83% full. Most of it. Hopefully enough.
She disconnected the drive, wiped down the keyboard with the gloves that she could feel but not see-- so odd, to watch the keys move in front of her, without her hands on them-- and erased all traces of her presence, before shutting it down.
Another surge, concealing her presence on her father's computer from the internal server records. And she slipped out the door when the admin left the room for a moment.
Back down eight flights to the restroom, and she removed the amulet, carefully folding it up inside the gloves and putting it back in her purse. Costume jewelry and accessories for dinner at a fancy restaurant, if anyone dared ask.
The drive she put inside her cigarette case.
"Sydney?" She wandered in, hands behind her back, twenty minutes later than when she'd started. But no one would have a reason to check. And Angelo could splice the corridor surveillance tapes, if it came to it. "You're not busy, are you?"
"Would it matter if I were?" he asked, looking amused. Then his gaze narrowed on her. "What have you been up to?"
Her grin widened. "Nothing. At all. What could I have done?"
Sydney gave her an admonishing look. "I shudder to ask."
"I think it's time I took you to an early dinner." Parker cocked her head at him. "Your blood sugar is low, you're getting cranky."
Sydney shook his head, but smiled.
Later that night, she lay back on her bed, throwing the tiny drive in the air, then catching it. Toss, catch. Toss, catch.
She'd stolen from her father. Forget the problems with breaking in, that was just strategy. Nerve. Planning. But today, she'd gone into her father's office, sat down at his sacred chair, and ripped out files from his computer. They wouldn't be the most important ones. And some she probably couldn't get into. But whatever she found would be enough.
She'd done it, and hadn't backed down. Loyalty to Daddy didn't stop her, fear didn't stop her... I'm sorry, Daddy. I'm sorry it has to be like this, I'm sorry I have to lie and steal from you, maybe there's something on here that'll make me trust you, or tell me how to make you trust me, but until then... This is just the beginning.
Parker looked at her phone. Thought of Jarod. Guess what I did?
Then she crossed the room, and carefully put the drive in front of the photo of her mother, and went downstairs to watch TV until she fell asleep.
[ooc: NFB due to distance, no interaction possible for same reason.]