Casper sucked in a breath. He didn't recognize this woman and that was never a good sign. Someone might have had a loose tongue or purposely sold information on him and his associates. It didn't much matter now. A chill ran down his spine, a poor omen that seemed to suggest he wouldn't be able to talk his way out of this. In any case, he'd be damned if he didn't try.

He attempted to use picking up his dropped items as a moment to gather his composure. He turned his gaze to the brow of the woman in front of him, hoping a bit of false confidence would cover for how unsettled he truly felt.

"Sorry, I think I've got the wrong room, and you've got the wrong person." Casper pretended to scroll through his phone, "Ah, yeah. I'm in 116," he cleared his throat, "I'll just be going then."

The atmosphere in the hotel was subdued. Not unusual for the time, 2AM wasn't exactly peak roaming hours. Still, Casper had expected more people to be celebrating victories, nursing bruised egos, or staggering in after late seminars from the CFT event at the nearby convention center. The multi-day gathering drew in a good crowd and he expected that at least a third of the rooms booked in the hotel that night were hackers like him.

He topped his categories, of course, the name Prometheus would hold claim to some notoriety, but he'd been still hungry for more of a challenge. Bug-bounty money was consistent at least, and messing with Rocket kept him entertained, but he was feeling a desperate need to test his wit. The message had come at the perfect time, perfectly encrypted. Room 109.

It wasn't uncommon for some less ethical hacking to take place under the cover of the larger event. Over time Casper and a few trusted names built up a circle that would compete with each other in disrupting a renowned organization, without malicious intention, even if the law didn't agree with their idea of good-natured fun.

He expected a server set up specific to their purpose behind the door. But he couldn't help but hesitate, hand on the knob of the propped open door. The lights were off inside. Even if he was the first there, it was too quiet. He heard no shuffling from hotel patrons down the hall, or weary cleaners rolling equipment over carpet. He hadn't kept his identity secret for so long by not being cautious. Casper turned on his heel, but even though his mind was ready for a fast getaway, his body hadn't been. His stumbled over his own foot and dropped his laptop bag with a thump that seemed to echo against the walls. "Shit."