A single glance at his desk was enough to make Neville's jaw tighten.
The holographic screen of his quantum computer was dead. Not hibernating—it was shut down. A black, lifeless void where there should have been a soft, pulsing light. He had made a point of leaving it in hibernation. Always.
His gaze flickered sideways, catching Ethan already buried in his work, looking deceptively innocent.
Liar, Neville thought, a cold knot forming in his gut. 'Just checking,' my ass.
Keeping his expression neutral, he ordered. 'Shelly. Full diagnostic on my workstation. I want a sweep for unauthorized access, physical tampering, everything.'
[On it, Host! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧] Shelly exclaimed.
'Just do it.' Neville cut in, his internal voice flat and cold, almost rolling his eyes.
[Diagnostic complete! No viruses, no unauthorized mods, no hardware flags! Your workstation is squeaky clean! ✨]
His eyes narrowed. Too clean.
It was the kind of clean that only came from someone meticulously covering their tracks. If Ethan had been poking around, he should have left a digital footprint, however small.
Unless… a chilling possibility slid into place. Unless he was just scouting. Figuring out his approach before he strikes.
His mind was made up. 'Shelly. New protocol. I want to upgrade surveillance on my workstation. Any proximity or access attempt while I'm away, you alert me instantly.'
[Surveillance Mode Upgraded! But Host, that kind of advanced algorithm requires more Good Points. Are you sure you want to spend them?]
'How much?'
[500 points for basic proximity alerts. 1000 for the premium package: full video and user identification!]
A thousand points were high, but catching a snake was priceless.
'The premium package,' Neville confirmed without a flicker of hesitation. 'And log everything. I want a downloadable file of any incident.'
[Transaction complete! Your workstation is now fully protected by Fortress Shelly! (•̀ᴗ•́)و]
…
Neville's fingers danced across the holographic interface, and he had intense focus as he tore through the morning's tasks. At the corner of his vision, a bottle of sickly-sweet electrolyte drink sat like a hand grenade wrapped in fake kindness.
It was the third one today. After getting caught red-handed at Neville's workstation, Ethan began to put all sorts of 'food' on his desk. Every hour, like a cuckoo clock from hell, he would appear with another offering.
His face held a mask of such profound sincerity it might have fooled anyone else. But Neville had seen the calculating gleam that flashed in Ethan's eyes when he thought no one was looking.
He could still hear the man's voice from an hour ago, a low purr laced with poison.
"You really should stay hydrated," Ethan had said, placing the bottle on the desk with a gentle clink.
The threat was coiled in the slight pause before saying. "Especially with your… condition. It can be dangerous, you know."
The way he let the word 'condition' hang in the air had been a direct threat, a reminder of a secret only they shared.
Neville had offered a tight, polite smile, waiting until Ethan was safely back at his desk. Then, with practiced silence, he would tip the contents into the small potted succulent Sarah had gifted him.
At this rate, the poor thing was going to die of a mineral overdose.
A small price to pay for sanity.
Just as the lunch break came, Shelly's voice flooded his mind, practically vibrating with excitement. [Host! You are not going to BELIEVE what I found on the terminal!]
Outwardly, Neville showed nothing. He calmly rose from his desk and headed for the men's room, securing the privacy of a stall before responding.
'Report.' Neville said.
[Someone's been accessing your terminal remotely!] Shelly's animated avatar frowned in the corner of his eye. [And they weren't very good at it either. Left digital breadcrumbs everywhere. It's so sloppy—almost like they were trying to mark their territory.]
Sloppy, Neville thought, a sliver of ice tracing its way down his spine. Or arrogant.
The kind of arrogance that came from someone who thought they couldn't possibly get caught.
The words sent a jolt of ice through Neville's veins.
He clenched his knuckles. 'Someone's been monitoring my terminal? For how long?'
[Since day one! o(≧v≦)o~~] Shelly's giggle was maddeningly cheerful.
A cold fury, sharp and precise, cut through Neville's shock. 'And you're only detecting this now?'
[Not exactly. I gave you other information, right, host? And Host, you haven't exactly been splashing out on points, have you?] Shelly reasoned, her tone unapologetic. [My deep scans are only as good as the budget you give me. This time, it was enough. Isn't finding out late better than never knowing at all?]
Neville let out a slow, frustrated breath. He had been running several checks almost every day, but he couldn't argue with the logic, as infuriating as it was.
A budget security system gets budget results.
'Fine. What else?'
[The interesting part is, apparently, they weren't targeting you specifically. It seems you just happened to be assigned to the workstation they had already prepped for their little operation.]
So it wasn't even about him. He was just random collateral damage, a ghost in someone else's machine. The thought wasn't comforting; it was infuriating.
Just my fucking luck, he thought, the bitterness tasting like acid.
[This is a good thing, though!] Shelly chirped, ever the optimist. [Now you have evidence you can give to Sir Maxwell!]
'It's a double-edged sword,' Neville countered, his voice low and serious. 'Leveraging this makes me a pawn in their game. I'm not interested in being a pawn for anyone, Shelly. Not for Maxwell, and certainly not for them.'
[Fair enough,] Shelly began. [I'll send—]
Shelly's reply was cut short by a voice from the door of the bathroom—a cloying, syrupy voice that made the hairs on Neville's arms stand up.
"Well now~ Look what we have here."
Neville froze. His head snapped up.
The narrow gap at the bottom of the stall door showed three pairs of feet. A quick glance at the bathroom entrance revealed it was now blocked by two beefy Betas, arms crossed.
He was cornered in.
The door was shut with a loud bang, with three Omegas shut inside with him. They were all showing identical, villainous smirks.
The fuck?