Vessel

Jeremiah slipped into the building unnoticed, not having bothered to switch into any black tactical gear, or equip himself with a gun or knife, or anything of the sort. He knew that anyone else in his shoes would have been extremely tactical about their approach, well prepared for any possibility or obstacle that he might come across. Jeremiah was not that kind of person. He was unconcerned with the danger that he was putting himself into. Truth be told, as far as he was concerned, there wasn't much danger at all.

The alarm system was still fully activated, and he could see the small red dots along the lines which were where the invisible laser detection system was emanating from. They were tucked away in corners, and he could only see them because he had years of experience with them. He had set off quite a number of them in the past before he had really learned how to get around them. He slunk around them, observing where the lines were coming from and what their trajectory was in order to predict where they would be, so that he could avoid setting them off.

He moved fairly quickly and smoothly down the hallway, checking all of the doors. Most of them were locked, of course, and clearly set with alarms. But nine times out of ten, there was one idiotic staff member who forgot to lock their door, and from there Jeremiah would be able to find his way into the rest of the departments. Even without finding a set of keys inside, he could examine the lock of the door itself, learning how it was locked and where the alarm was connected to it. Then he would be able to pick the other locks until he could actually find a pair of keys. Sure, he could pick every lock - but keys just made life easier.

What he couldn't account for, though, were guards. Technology he could predict, but people he could not. So when an older security guard came around the corner, Jeremiah froze. The two stared at each other, unmoving, both not quite sure of what to do. Slowly, the guard pulled out his gun and pointed it at Jeremiah. "What are you doing here, boy?" he asked, trying not to show how much he was shaking. "How did you get in here?"

"Come on, old man, let's put the gun away and stay calm. Why don't you just turn around and pretend-"

The bullet hit Jeremiah squarely between the eyes, and his body crumpled to the ground. The guard was shaking - he had never actually pulled the trigger before. But there was something about the boy that made him do it. Something in how empty his eyes were.

And then Jeremiah stood back up, the hole still fresh and bleeding between his eyes. "How...?" the guard breathed.

"I'm just a vessel," Jeremiah replied calmly. "One more chance to turn and walk away. Forget you ever saw me. No one would believe you anyway."