Cory Ainera Black sits at her computer, fingers interwoven looking at the screen. She is about to purchase a limited edition boy doll from Loongsoul. For no reason too. Not that she wants to look at their little elephants.
"Finally I have enough for him." Cory's voice horse from squealing over the doll.
The limited edition Swallow Fairy doll.
"Swallow Fairy is so beautiful." She puts her finger against the screen. Her heart flutters in excitement.
"I wish I was that beautiful." She sniffles wantonly as she looks at her dark hands. Turning to the mirror on her desk she gazes deeply at her visage with abhorrence. Her deep blue black skin is reflected back at her. She sighs as she looks at her short coily hair.
'Maybe in another life I will be as beautiful.' She sighs audibly.
She shakes her head and breathes in, clearing her mind. She has a goal and she isn't going to miss her chance.
When she hits the purchase button.
Out of stock, it reads.
"No! No!!!!"
Cory throws herself to the ground in anguish.
"I was so close! Just when I scrounged up enough!" She cries.
Cory heads to work the next day.
There isn't much important or special about Cory's life. She came from a well off family. She had no troubles in life, joining a tech company that makes software with her major in computer science and minor in Mechanical Engineering.
Cory now gained a new thing to her list. Depression.
She marches into work with a solemn look on her face and stares at her colleague and best friend.
"Cory, you look a mess. What happened, yeah?" Maddy said in her bright German accent.
When Cory doesn't answer, Maddy assumes the worst.
"Oh no, did another Indian marketing company call you? Last time vas very insane. Police showed up to your house and you vere shot." Maddy asks concerned.
"I didn't do anything wrong, I just hacked them back! I just didn't expect they would send the police my way." Cory yells, throwing her hands up.
"So then vust wrong?" She asks.
"I missed out on the preorder for a doll I wanted."
"Oh no. You poor thing." Maddy frowns pulling Cory into a tight hug.
'Is she disappointed in me?' Cory thinks.
Cory has been thinking for a month now about asking Maddy out on a date.
Just as she was about to make her feelings known, Julia, her lazy co-worker runs up to the two of them.
"Cory the boss wants you."
"What is it this time?" She slurps down her coffee and says bye to Maddy wistfully.
In the boss' office the air is stiff.
"Ah, here she is. This is Ms. Black, our most talented computer programmer."
"I can tell. The police force under us shot you."
The man steps forward and puts his hand to Cory's chest where she was shot.
"Don't touch me." Cory snaps.
"Inappropriate. I am sorry Miss Black." He says saluting.
Another agent walks into the room and eyes Cory.
"This is your best?"
"What do you mean by that?" Cory growls.
The new man ignores her and turns to the boss.
"Whatever. The FBI will be taking her in for investigation."
"No way. I didn't do anything wrong this time!"
"Yeah, yeah save it for the ride to headquarters." The second agent says hand cuffing her.
She was shoved into the back of the car.
The two men get into the front and drive away.
"Why are you doing this? You arses!"
"You know why Miss Black. Or should I say Miss Cory?"
"Enlighten me." She huffs.
The first agent chuckles and turns to Cory.
"You don't remember writing a code that destroyed time and space?" The first agent says.
"That?! I just wrote that for sh!ts and giggles. It's not necessary to arrest me for it."
"You are a threat to national security. Your apartment is being searched right now." The first agent says.
On the radio a voice comes in.
"Bad news! The computer is nowhere to be found. The place was ransacked before we entered. Intel says it was the Chinese spies who were eyeing her."
"Damn it!" The second agent swears.
"Do you have a password on your computer?"
"Yeah, but it won't help if they can just plug in their computer to it." Cory says, soon cut off from a loud outburst by the driver. Both of them whip their heads toward the commotion.
"Sh!t." The second agent slams the breaks as a Chinese food truck starts barreling towards the FBI agents.
"No way. I can't die like this."
Cory gets down and a deafening crash is heard as metal crashes against each other.
"Am I dead yet?" She asks.