The world around her came to a crawl as the cybernetically enhanced reflexes came online. An alert came up on her HUD, indicating that air pressurization in the station was to be disabled in three seconds. First second: she engaged the light magnetic soles of her space suit’s boots, solidifying her stance with a soft, metallic click. Next second: she started toward the end of the corridor that the guards would be coming down any second. Third second: she drew her silenced pistol and leaped forward, flattening like a board in the air with her hands forward.

Gravity disappeared, and her momentum carried her through the air. The first guard came around the corner. The connection between her gun, her HUD, and her implants quickly calculated trajectory, distance, and movement, and a mental command fired the first round into the guard’s face mask. The next round hit a nanosecond later in the same spot and shattered through mask and face alike.

She kicked out to the wall on her right, let the magnetic field of her boot connect with the metal, then spun around to continue her run across the ceiling. The second guard peeked out from the corner then ducked back out of sight. She knew he was screaming into his comm about an intruder with hostile intent. She continued her path to the opposite wall and expended the mental effort to issue the reboot command on Alfred’s program.

She stayed on the left wall and reached down to her belt with her free hand. She threw a small square grenade past the corner and dimmed her HUD. She kick flipped to the opposite wall to keep them guessing even as she knew the flash pack would blind them.

Her flare compensation engaged as the flashes of light began. She pushed off the wall, took to the ceiling, and found both guards staggering away from the pack. Two shots per guard put them out of commission. A green arrow appeared to guide her, and Alfred said, “Well done, Miss Rachael. Please pardon my brief absence.” She smiled and nodded, but she knew there was more trouble between her and her target.

Rachael closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and jumped. She thought of missing the station and shivered, but she focused on her mission. She opened her eyes to look at her HUD which revealed a multitude of read-outs about her destination.

She issued mental commands to her implanted commlink, and Alfred said, “Good evening, Miss Rachael. Would you like for me to knock for you?” Alfred’s voice mimicked that of a butler from an old movie, complete with snooty British accent. She had always wanted a butler, but this was all she would get.

She gave Alfred mental acceptance of the offer. She was no hacker, but she knew her programs were now engaged in electronic warfare.

She got close enough to the air lock door that she could grab a convenient lip, then halted her movement with her feet against the door. She waited patiently for Alfred to finish his job, and after thirty-seconds of eternity looking out at the vast blackness, she heard a doorbell chimed in her ears. The air lock door slid open.

She flipped sideways into the air lock, and Alfred closed the door for her. A light above the door leading further into the station blinked from red to green, and the door opened.

Three seconds later, Alfred said, “I am sorry, Miss Rachael, but they have discovered my intrusion and. . . .” As his voice cut off, she heard people coming down the corridor. It was time to dance.

(By way of explanation, I wanted to make a really short story like one of the Chapter Openings in the new ShadowRun books. They have less than a page, which I figure is less than 250 words. This is 245. It was based off of the #FictionFriday Write Anything Prompt of “(Character) closed his/her eyes, took a deep breath, and jumped.” I hope you like it!)