The woman in the front of the building was still trying to log Steven into the system; however, the first question was immediately shut down when he passed the secretary and went down the A hall.
"They're in the F hall, sir!" she yelled, and Steven u-turned, re-adjusting the small bag with the cubic in the pit of his arm. He walked past her again, and she re-closed all of her tabbed screens. She sarcastically rolled her eyes as he ran down the other hall.
"Good morning to you, too."
He busted into room F4, and instantly regretted not asking the door number. He entered what was considered the "Main Research" hall. This hall was spent on forming secure porn that is best fitted for the population. It was like a marketing research collective, but for the most searched and bought porn of the week.
He left blushing a bit. Gay porn was surely on the rise this week.
He moved another door down, and dramatically bust in... again. Mr. Cogne was running frantic at all the revenue they had lost from the website. "Someone tell me where the hell it came from, now--" He eyed him a moment, and then eyed the bag in his hand. He must've already knew what Steven had, because he ran up the room's ramp and yelled "You didn't touch it, didn't you!?"
Steven tried to tell him what happened, but was cut clean.
"Oh my god, Steven! If you touch it, there could be a chance that it could've recorded a few print fragments! You need to be more methodical you pickled-peppered prick!"
Cogne pulled metal prongs out of his pocket - as to why he had them was of no importance - and grabbed at Steven's arm pit bag. He tossed it over to a table before shaking it open with one of the prong's hands. He then picked up the cubic object and called a computer server over.
"Container 1900017 please!"
A small man from another computer got up and brought over a cylinder. Cogne set the cubic in it with the prongs, and it floated in the cylinder.
Steven eyed it a moment in confusion.
"The cubic must suspend an inch or two away from any potential technology," Cogne explained, " for if it would touch any tech, it could manipulate it and inject anything into any network it wants. I've seen it, and it shivers me to my bones."
Cogne could safely touch the cylinder knowing that the cubic was contained, so he carried it over to the main screen's private keyboard. The cylinder clicked in like a key. He typed slowly, knowing that if he opened a suicide-bombing file, and didn't close it quick enough, the cubic that he had would be rendered utterly useless.
Typing. Typing. Waiting.
Cogne could see miles and miles of documentation from every street camera for about two years. He could see doubles snapping their poppers of down in Maplewood Drive, and he could spot a couple doing ... the do near a highway in their backyard. He searched and looked at every video in sequence.
After a minute or two, he made it to '8:20 PM' the night prior. He searched through all the streets, and stopped just short of Exit 172. He could see Steven's appartment complex, and he could see Steven throw a computer from his window. He turned around and eyed Steven suspiciously.
"Steven, we might need to take you to... a different room. Just until you're cleared."
Steven was lead down another hall, Hall H, and was sat gently down in what looked like a concrete room with a single mirror. He checked his phone and tried to text Lorraine that he would be late. He never knew why he was still trying; Lorraine already probably left in the click of a button. Doubles would usually help one to move if they paid well and they asked nicely.
Thirty minutes passed before he saw the small pinhole camera in the corner of the room.
Mr. Cogne threw the door open and smacked a board down violently, preparing it to open its floating, rectangular screen.
"How could you?!" Cogne acted more hurt than usual. He opened up the screen, and started slideshowing evidence that his team had found.
"We saw you throw the computer you used out of the window, and we know that the hack that demonetized everything came from your computer because we traced it back! You leave a sloppy trail, you monster!"
"This is all so clear now." Cogne's voice didn't sound as sonorous or natural.
"It's why you were the only name to pop up when we searched for a translator, and it's why you took the weekend off! It's why you have the cubic; it's because you're the new associate!"
Cogne paused, contemplating his next line of action. He was starting to hold down a small smirk, like he had found a solution to the puzzle.
"We're going to detain you here for now, or at least until we get our case fully organized. You'll sleep here tonight and, hopefully, be prosecuted tomorrow."
Cogne looked at him and said "Ni vidas vian planon, kaj ni gajnos." before slamming the door shut, letting it reverberate in the room and in his head.
We see your scheme, and we will win.
Wait, what scheme?
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