Rain still clung to his eyelashes when Lin Xiu arrived in the back alley of the abandoned hospital.
The Oracle System projected a pale blue structural map onto his retina. A red marker flashed on the east side of the third floor—the air vent disguised as a morgue.
He brushed his cuff, and the Nanite Swarm crawled along his skin into the gaps between his fingers, gathering in his palm as a silver speck the size of a grain of rice.
The swarm he had left beneath Brooklyn Bridge three hours ago was now surging here through the underground pipes, like a school of silver fish pulled by invisible strings.
"The target building's security system changes encryption keys every seventeen minutes." The Oracle System's mechanical voice sounded behind his ear. "Thermal sensors are installed in the ventilation ducts. Camouflage must be completed within 00:14:32."
Lin Xiu looked up at the rusted sign reading "Brooklyn Community Hospital," and the damp stench of mildew seeped into his nostrils.
He pulled down his hoodie, and the Nanite Swarm suddenly poured from his collar, weaving a maintenance worker's uniform across his chest—blue workwear with a gold-threaded "Federal Equipment Maintenance" logo on the left breast. Even the photo on the ID badge was identical to that of the maintenance worker transferred away three months ago.
In the surveillance room, Natasha Romanoff removed her headset and lightly tapped the console with her fingernail.
"Kevin." She turned to the technical support specialist curled up in a swivel chair. "There's something wrong with the static on Camera Three in Zone B."
The blond man's fingers flew across the keyboard. "Calibrating... wait, that isn't static." He enlarged the image. On-screen, the maintenance worker bent over to inspect the vent. "His shadow is seven centimeters shorter than his actual height."