Tiva stared at the screen, fingering the drive in her pocket, feet drilling a hole in the floor.
“Help! Someone come help me!” She heard down the hall as Limen struggled against the automated detainment unit.
“Tiva!” he cried.
It was time she straightened this out once and for all. Tiva pulled the drive out and plugged into her computer.
Damn. Encrypted.
“Or, you think you can decrypt this for me?”
“Don’t think so, Ti, without access to massive quantum computing resources I won’tt be abe to make heads or tails of this,” Orem said.
*Ding*
*Ding*
“Uh, Ti? You there? It’s me, Tom from HR.”
Panic struck. “Uh, yes boss. What’s up?”
“I’ve been looking at your productivity monitor for the last couple days and it looks like your productivity is way down. And right now it looks like you’re not even logged into our in-house app.”
“Sorry boss, I’ve just been super distracted the last couple days.”
“Well, that’s no excuse. You know you have responsibilities here. Tell you what. Take a couple days without pay to get your head straight.”
“No. Please. I’ll do better,” she pleaded.
“Should’ve thought of that before you slacked off for three days. I’ll see you Wednesday.”
Tiva slumped in her chair.
*oof*
“Limen!” Tiva darted out the front door, only to see Limen being cuffed and carried into the elevato.
An empty clank sounded from the end of the hall.
“I’m sorry ma’am, I must take you into custody. You are under arrest for. . . . aiding and abetting a murder. All surveillance logs can and will be used against you,” the loudspeaker voice chimed.
Tiva glanced down the hall to see the winch mechanism clanking against itself. An helmeted officer appeared round the corner.
“Stop! You’re under arrest!”
Before he finished, Tiva ducked around the corner into the stairwell. She sprinted down the stairs as fast as her feet would carry her, her mind racing through her options.
Out the side door she stepped onto the pavement, pausing to take in the shock of it all.
Bryan Appley 