The Liberation Paradox

The Safe

Marcio

13:50

(7hrs, 18min remaining)

Of course, Danny and Marcio didn't actually go to the canteen on the 15th floor as they'd told Sky they were. Though admittedly, Marcio could use something to eat. He hadn't eaten anything all day. He could use another cup of coffee.

Instead, they went to the forbidden 17th floor, the private domain of Mr. Daniau himself. Just as Marcio had hoped, they hadn't encountered anyone else as they'd climbed the back stairs. Though the stairwell doors on most floors were unlocked to allow easy travel within the secure zone, the door on the 17th floor landing was a different story.

Before he approached the door, Marcio stopped them about half way up the final flight of steps. "Hold up," Marcio cautioned Danny. "That door has an AI-equipped security scanner on it that I doubt will allow me to pass." He held up his access card for Danny to see. "If it doesn't, then I'll have only a short time to hack it before it sounds an alarm."

"Okay, you try first," Danny said.

Marcio didn't know what he meant by that, but he decided it probably didn't matter. Holding his card up in front of him, Marcio pulled Sid Stone's phone out from where he still carried it in his pocket. He climbed the last five or six steps to the 17th floor landing. As soon as he set foot on the landing, facing the locked door, Marcio heard the mechanical, pseudo-male voice of the security scanner admonish him:

"Warning! Access denied. Turn around immediately and step away from the door or I shall be forced to call security!"

Marcio dropped his security card and immediately went to work on the cell phone. He needed to get it to interface with the door scanner so that he could send an all clear command to the AI.

The AI was resisting him. It didn't want to allow the phone to connect to it.

He tried again.

The AI resisted again. He was about out of time. He could maybe try one more time...

"Access granted! Welcome, Chisel."

Marcio was confused for a moment even as the door lock chimed merrily and the door clicked unlocked. He hadn't even managed to get access to the AI. Then he was alarmed for a moment. Chisel was the name of one of Daniau's henchmen. Had one of the large men somehow quietly followed them up the stairwell? Was Chisel coming from the other side of the door? Then, Marcio figured it out.

Danny stood, reaching around him, with a Paradox Hotel security access card in his hand. It had the name "CHISEL" written on it in all capitals and a picture of the big man that Danny had apparently stolen it from.

"They were so interested in checking my tools when I got off that elevator, that they weren't paying much attention to their own stuff," Danny said. "Like I said, I hack people just like you hack computers, kid." Marcio wasn't overly fond of being called "kid" by somebody who was probably no older than himself, but just at this moment he couldn't complain.

Once through the door and on the 17th floor, they were relieved to find it deserted. With the lock down, housekeeping couldn't get up here to clean. Since the goons were understaffed, they had apparently left the top floor mostly unguarded. Perhaps they assumed that since the 17th floor had the best AI security, it didn't need additional security.

Danny handed Marcio something. It was his own security card. He'd already forgotten that he'd dropped it in his rush to try and hack the door AI. "You and Chisel both need to keep better track of your stuff," Danny said, his eyes twinkling with mischief.