Episode 3.4 "Cut Off"

It had taken a good half hour of walking to confirm what we both knew deep down: the entire lobby had been fenced off from the inside. I stared helplessly at the passing clouds and Omni-Com’s well-landscaped courtyard. We were in a cage, and as far as I could tell, there was no way out. That’s when an idea hit me thirty minutes too late.

“Hey,” I began, clearing my throat, “Why don’t we just call the cops? I’ve got my cell phone with me and…”

“I already tried that, Ira,” Veronica sounded defeated, “My phone wigged out as soon as I dialed out. It’s completely dead now. The land lines are fried too.” Curiously, I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and switched it on. Full bars, no problem.

“Hey, my phone’s fine. Look.” Veronica snatched it from my hands and quickly scanned its screen.

“You’re right…the Nebula Drive must not have…wait, did you sync your phone with Nebula?” Nebula was Omni-Com’s own online storage space. We had this whole long staff training on how to sync all of our personal electronics with Nebula, so no important information would get lost or compromised. Little secret: I never synced my stuff with Nebula. I don’t know why, but the whole process made me a bit nervous.

“Um…no?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

“Telling you?”

“Dammit, Ira! Did you sync your phone with Nebula? Yes or no?”

“Oh. No.” Another smile crept across Veronica’s face.

“I swear, Ira,” She began, “If Omni-Com still existed, I’d fire you. But, since it doesn’t…thanks for being such a slacker.”

“You’re welcome, I guess,” I blushed slightly, “So, will my phone work?”

“It should.” There was an uncomfortable silence as I waited for Veronica to reach the police. She was pretty, despite the fact that she was soaked in sweat and blood. There was something about her cold blue eyes that made me not want to trust her…but that made her all the more alluring. My ogling was interrupted by Veronica’s diamond-hard voice.

“Yes, I’m stuck inside the Omni-Com building. There was a security malfunction and…” She was cut off by the operator.

“You what? No, ma’am, this isn’t a prank…what? No, you don’t understand, I’m stuck…no! Wait! Dammit!” She pressed her fingers into her eyes. Her teeth were clenched tightly, and I could see the delicate skin covering her neck crease with tense veins.

“What happened, Veronica? Are they coming?” I asked softly.

“No, dammit. They’re not. Apparently, the police department received notice this morning that Omni-Com’s phones would be malfunctioning, and that calls received from the company or about the company should be disregarded. Basically, they think we’re a phone line malfunction…how in the hell did this happen?”

“But you called from my personal phone,” I began, “How can they ignore that?”

“Anything about Omni-Com isn’t getting attention. The company has hundreds of different phone lines…there was no way for the police to distinguish yours from theirs. Dammit!” At this point, the facts were right in front of me. Whatever Veronica is keeping secret has done the following terrible things today: First, it called the police and diverted their attention away from Omni-Com. Second, it called all of the company’s employees in and killed them. Third, it locked us in and won’t let us out. I may be a nerd for fearing the possibility of an AI attack, but really, what else could this be?