Zero-Day

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The sliding door at the entrance made a small chime as it sensed my presence and let me in. I only had to take two steps inside to be dazzled by what I saw.

"Oh, eternal Father!"

I was greeted by a vast, circular lobby, surrounded by cutting-edge technology everywhere I looked. The floor was made of a glossy, dark gray material, perfectly polished, embedded with blue-lit circuits that ran across the surface in fractal patterns, as if I were walking over a network of living energy.

I took a few steps forward to approach the kinetic sculpture at the center. It was a kinetic statue of a stylized humanoid figure, crafted from matte black metal plates and transparent glass, which seemed to float in midair. The tall figure was in a forward stride, one hand reaching out as if reaching for an invisible horizon.

"Whoa! It's incredible!" I swapped my steps for strides and quickly reached the foot of the sculpture, then started examining it from every angle. "Does it use holographic tech? Kinetic? Quantum? Who could've made it? This is just...

"Excuse me."

"Wah!"

I spun around sharply, trying to hold my bag close to my body so the computer inside wouldn’t break. Behind me appeared a woman with blonde hair and sapphire-colored eyes, which matched the blue light on her forehead. An Anima who resembled my Hakase, but feminine... and more serene.

"Can I help you?" she asked as an information symbol displayed on her forehead over a white background, like a digital screen.

"Oh, yes, um... it's my first day," I stammered, trying to compose myself.

"Please, follow me."

The Anima turned and walked behind me without further ado. As I turned around, I noticed a slightly elevated reception area flanked by glass walls with digital panels displaying what looked like data streams.

I set off to follow the Anima, who only looked back at me once she had reached one of the reception windows. I caught up in a few seconds, noticing just before I arrived that another female Anima was waiting.

"Welcome, miss," the amber-haired automaton said. She then looked at her companion for a moment, presumably exchanging information, before turning her gaze back to me. "Please place your hand on the reader."

I noticed a slanted square biometric reader that started blinking, its blue lights forming a hand shape indicating it was ready to capture my signature. I obeyed the Anima.

"Good," she nodded. "Now, please repeat 'Anima, towards the future.'"

"Anima, towards the future," I complied.

Biological Vibration Signature. That was the method used for identity verification at the time. A system that identified people by scanning the microvibrations in their blood flow and muscle tone. An authentication method said to be inviolable, as each person produced a unique and unrepeatable signature.

Immediately, the lights on the reader began flashing in dynamic wave patterns, which soon turned green. The right side of the glass at the counter lit up, reflecting a crisp image of my face, and a machine began emitting both mechanical and ethereal sounds.

"User confirmed. Kikushi, Kaori. Cybersecurity analyst, authorization level 1. Please take your physical access card."

The Anima promptly slid a white card with my photo printed on it under the glass.

"They still use these? Really?"

The Anima behind the glass didn’t respond, despite my skepticism. She simply fulfilled her role.

"Welcome to Anima Tech," she concluded with a bright smile.

"Please follow me, Miss Kikushi," the Anima who had guided me there instructed without missing a beat.

Just as before, I began walking behind her through the spacious lobby until we reached the elevators—modern, high-speed, glass tubes that disappeared beyond the ceiling.

We boarded the elevator along with several other people, and as soon as the doors closed, I felt my feet grow light. The lift took off at high speed, nearly as impressive as the view offered through its rear window.

"Wow!" I exclaimed, gazing out as much as the other passengers allowed. "I can see the entire Biwa Lake bay from here!"

"Miss, please keep your voice down."

I quickly noticed the elegant smile of the Anima guide, hiding a firm order. Around me, the eyes that fell upon me didn’t exactly reflect the same expression.

"Oh, sorry," I reined in my excitement and resumed facing forward.

Almost immediately, the door opened, and some of the passengers got off. But my attention shifted quickly to the wall above it, which could project images and emit sound that I was only just noticing.

Anima Tech’s contribution is fundamental to tomorrow’s society. As employees, we are committed to Project 2060, a year when every person will have their own Anima, and unhealthy, tedious, or stressful work will be banned for humans. Humanity will have the peace it has always desired, and the Animas will continue the legacy of efficiency begun by Professor Idrisov.

I let out a quiet whistle of admiration, even though I was already familiar with the implications of the 2060 Law—a project spearheaded by Anima Tech and multiple international movements. Of course, not everyone agreed, and enforcing the law worldwide would be a challenge.

"Innovative, but delegate the work? Ha, in your dreams!" I smiled confidently. "They won’t take away my joy of working here."

The elevator finally stopped on the 14th floor, and the Anima indicated I should follow her through the automatic sliding door in front of us.

"Mr. Kariya is waiting for you in his office," she said, communicating with the signature reader to open the door.

"My new boss?"

"Correct, Miss Kikushi."

Beyond the entrance, I found myself in a space where the technology was even more evident and immersive. The floor was lined with panels of a dark, shiny material, with soft-toned light lines delineating hallways and workstations. The desks, floating without visible cables, seemed to levitate above the floor. On each side, interactive panels projected data into the air, generating holograms that ranged from real-time graphs to digital network maps, adjusting to the movement of passersby. Additionally, charging and rest stations for the Animas were arranged in an orderly fashion, each with a screen displaying a log of activity and energy status for the humanoids. Against one end stood a small wall of adjustable polarized glass and a small door of the same material. That’s where we headed.

The Anima rang the electronic chime with her mind, waiting until a small beep and a green flash from the device indicated we could enter.

"Mr. Kariya. I have Kikushi, Kaori with me."

"Kikushi..."

The man looked up from his computer to scan my face, figuratively speaking. He was short, solid, with broad shoulders and large hands. His skin had a slight tan, and his closely cropped hair somehow emphasized the determination in his eyes.

"Ah, the new analyst!" He stood up abruptly with a smile worthy of a salesman, extending his right hand. "Pleased to meet you."

For some reason, Mr. Kariya’s gesture was so charged with energy it made me shiver. Nevertheless, I quickly responded.

"Likewise, Mr. Kariya," I said with a smile.

"Please, just Aguri. Kariya, Aguri. Offensive Security Manager at Anima Tech Kyoto for three years."

My eyes lit up at the words "Offensive Security." Because that was the professional and ethical term for "hacker." This man, dressed in a sleek black suit, did what, in movies, guys in black hoodies and gloves did: infiltrating systems, breaking encryptions, and manipulating restricted data.

"Here, take this—it’s your backpack. It has everything you’ll need. Laptop, mouse, keyboard, headphones; you won’t be missing anything," said the hacker, who already seemed to me like a mastermind. "All right, follow me. Your new workstation is at the end of the hallway."

So my new boss was a criminal? No. A hacker, yes. An ethical hacker. Just like me, at least as an amateur. Ethical hackers access systems they shouldn’t, break encryptions that are supposed to be secure, and gather data that should be secret. But not to exploit it or sell it to a third party. That would be illegal. Instead, we report the vulnerability to the system’s owner so they can fix it before a real attack occurs. That’s the job of an ethical hacker: to simulate being an attacker so the real ones can’t succeed.

"Playing hacker as a profession." The moment I heard that phrase, I fell hopelessly in love with this world.

"Sorry for the rush," Kariya remarked as I continued daydreaming about action scenes in the background. "We’re pretty short-staffed, and we have a big presentation next week."

"Oh, no problem. I’m very excited to start," I smiled, upbeat.

"Good to hear. All right, here’s your workspace. Sit wherever you like."

The space had a minimalist and futuristic design, with sleek white desks arranged in a semicircle around a central console. Each workstation was equipped with transparent floating monitors that could be tilted or resized using touch controls on the desk. From what I could tell, about eight people could work there at once.

"It’s beautiful."

"Well, Kaori. I have a meeting now, but I’ve left your first tasks in the computer. Your credentials are on a note inside, remember to change them after logging in. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me when I return."

Before I could even respond, Mr. Kariya was already walking back down the hallway we’d come from.

"All right. Thank you," I called after him.

Finally, he was gone. Now it was just my new backpack and me, alone in the empty workspace. I pulled out the laptop with great excitement, and the thin, black device lit up softly as I opened the lid, the keys glowing with a gentle blue light. The feeling of a new beginning was almost tangible; each click echoed in the quiet space, amplifying my enthusiasm.

I noticed the paper with the credentials Mr. Kariya had left and used it to log in. The computer displayed a blue background with the letters ANIMA TECH in a sleek, modern design. I couldn’t help but smile: I was finally in.

"Gah! I really did it—this is amazing!"

And on the bottom bar, among all the application icons, there was an open notepad.

"What could it be? Traffic interception? Phishing drill? Ransomware simulation? No, no, focus, that’s too much for a start."

I maximized it.

"Anyway, I’m ready for..."

Review compliance documentation (75 pages)

...

"EEEEEEEHHHHHH?"