Genesis (Man vs Machine #1)

16 | VIOLATION

Sol awoke pressed against the wall, gasping for air. It took him a moment to remember where he was, what he was doing - how long had he been out for? The elevator had closed, and the lights of floor fourteen had dimmed. The familiar whine of the air conditioning had petered out to a heavy silence, and the thick heat began to creep up on him.

He swiped the back of his neck and his hand came away sodden with sweat. Why had he blacked out again? He'd figured last time it had happened because he felt sudden emotion - but this time, he'd been – for the most part - relaxed.

What was causing the lapses?

He'd figure it out later. Right now, he had to get home.

But the near-emptiness of floor fourteen was tempting him. This was a perfect opportunity to find out what was really going on, and he couldn't resist it. Cautiously, he swiveled his head to look from side to side. It was - as he'd expected - empty. But he knew that along with the thrill of sneaking around came the fear of being caught.

He'd have to be careful. Especially now.

'Sol,' hissed Meda as she caught on to his intention. 'What are you doing?'

'Meda, come on,' he hissed back, ignoring her concern. He slipped down the corridor, trying to make no noise, but the rustle of his clothes was unmistakable in the silence. He winced and moved faster, Meda trailing behind him, and within what seemed like seconds he was standing in front of the cubicle that housed the Slater.

It was unlikely that the scanner would allow his chip through, and he was right. Every attempt resulted in a bright flash of red light and an 'ACCESS DENIED' that was too loud for comfort.

'Oh, crap,' Sol muttered to himself. He was drawing too much attention to himself. Any minute now someone would find him and he'd be fired. Or worse – sent into the very room he waited in front of.

He scurried away from the cubicle and pressed his back to the wall of the next hallway, breathing heavily. Then he caught sight of the plaque of the cubicle across from him: DR. KIRK THOMPSON.

'Sol, no-'

It was a long shot, again, but still he slid his wrist under the scanner. An agonizing second passed as the scanner's camera read the chip.

And then blinked green.

Sol allowed himself a tiny grin of triumph, but it was quickly slapped off his face by the sound of two sets of footsteps behind him. They were slow, leisurely; but not too far away. Sol slipped into Tom's office as quietly as he could, only just managing not to get his sleeve caught in the doors as they slid shut.

The office was nearly thrice the size of his. It had white walls and a long, white table like the meeting room, but this one had been pushed against a wall that held one of the largest screens that Sol had ever seen.

Files were stacked neatly upon the table's surface and sorted by color: red, blue, and grey. Sol picked up one of the red files – it was similar to the one Tom had been scribbling in the last time they'd met - and opened it gingerly, as if there were a bomb inside. But was difficult to read Tom's sinuous handwriting, and after a futile minute he closed the file and slipped it back into the stack.

Next he opened the lone grey file that lay haphazardly below the holo-screen, as if discarded in a hurry. This one held several printed sheets of paper; medical reports, a page titled RISKS AND SAFETY and something in shorthand that Sol didn't understand. He was just about to close the file when the last page caught his attention.

It was a diagram – no, a blueprint. Sol pulled it out and peered closer, letting the file drop back down to the surface of the desk in his surprise. 'Is that...?'