Cadenza: Veritas
Chapter 14: Switch > Agree to stay at Carlos' house
You decide to heed their advice and just stay somewhere safe. But is Carlos really okay with you staying over?
"My daughter is with my wife at the moment, so you won't really disturb anything. I can just text her that we're letting you stay there for now. I'm sure she'll understand."
"Okay. Let's take her to your place first, before we head over to the warehouse."
Carlos gives Grace directions to his house. For the next ten minutes, that's the only conversation you hear. Rows of factories and industrial buildings transition into what seems to be an economically depressed residential area. Houses made of cheap materials are lined up in a series. Unlike the neon-lit cityscape where the clubs and restaurants were located, there is a certain dreariness to the place. At night, when at least a few houses should have their lights on, it seems like this part of Lower Ziara does not have access to electricity. Or perhaps everyone had gone to sleep.
"Okay, we're here." Upon hearing this from Carlos, Grace stops the car in front of a modest row house. It is taller than it is wide, and one of the lights seem to be open. You assume that Carlos is digging for his key in his pocket, since you can hear something jangling from it. He eventually pulls out a key, and inserts it onto the door knob's keyhole. He turns around to face his car, looking at the open window on Bella's side.
"Thanks for driving me home safely. Stay safe, and just return the car here when you're done."
Bella waves at him, and you can see Grace nod from the window. Carlos waves back at them, and Bella closes the window.
"My house is small, I hope you don't mind that. You're safer here than in the industrial district or the commercial areas."
You ask Carlos if he's sure with letting you stay over for a while.
"Well, I'm guessing you don't really know many people here, do you?" Turning the doorknob, Carlos opens the door and gestures for you to get inside.
The living room is modest, barely containing any decorations save for what seem to be school diplomas and a few awards close to the wall. There is a small television set with a table and three chairs. The only division between the living room and the pantry is a bar-table with three tall stools. The place smells faintly of air freshener. Just then, you hear rapid footsteps, much akin to a gallop. A girl wearing a pajamas set, seeming around ten years old appears in front of you. Carlos bends down and pulls her up, hugging her.
"Daddy, why do you smell weird?" The girl then gives you a quizzical look. "Who is this?"
"Oh, this is a friend. Uh." You realise that you haven't been properly introduced to each other. You then introduce yourself to Carlos' daughter.
"Hi! I'm Rose! Nice to meet you!" She seems to be appeased by your smile.
"Are you done with your homework?"
"Yes, daddy."
"Can we borrow your computer for a moment? Daddy has to do some work."
"Okay!" With a gleeful smile, the girl leaves your sight, and you hear her run up what seems to be stairs. You look to one corner of the room and find a narrow stairway. Carlos ascends through its steps, motioning for you to follow him. Instead of a full-fledged second floor, it seems more like a loft or a mezzanine of sorts. The narrow, short hallway greeting you as soon as you get up the stairs has two doors, one opened, and another closed. You can't see much of the room with the opened door, but it must be the guest room Carlos is talking about. Carlos knocks on the closed door, and opens it.
All that's inside the room is a computer table, a shelf for books, a large bed, a wardrobe, and a large mirror. There is a door Rose is laying down prone on the bed, reading what seems to be one of her textbooks. She is facing away from the computer table.
"Do you still have the router?", asked Carlos.
You reply affirmatively, and show him the red router. Following E's instructions, he aids you in taking it apart. Splitting the router into half through a crosswise crease that runs around the device, you see the usual chipboards and tiny parts that you anticipated to find in such a device. However, something seems to stick out like a sore thumb -- there's a plastic, light blue object lodged in one of the router's corners. You take it out and find that it's a flash drive. No wonder E couldn’t hack the server and needed to retrieve the physical device.
"I'm hoping that flash drive doesn't have any viruses," Carlos says as he boots his computer. He then asks you for the flash drive, as soon as the system restores from its previous session.
As soon as you insert the flash drive, its contents become visible to you.
"My daughter is with my wife at the moment, so you won't really disturb anything. I can just text her that we're letting you stay there for now. I'm sure she'll understand."
"Okay. Let's take her to your place first, before we head over to the warehouse."
Carlos gives Grace directions to his house. For the next ten minutes, that's the only conversation you hear. Rows of factories and industrial buildings transition into what seems to be an economically depressed residential area. Houses made of cheap materials are lined up in a series. Unlike the neon-lit cityscape where the clubs and restaurants were located, there is a certain dreariness to the place. At night, when at least a few houses should have their lights on, it seems like this part of Lower Ziara does not have access to electricity. Or perhaps everyone had gone to sleep.
"Okay, we're here." Upon hearing this from Carlos, Grace stops the car in front of a modest row house. It is taller than it is wide, and one of the lights seem to be open. You assume that Carlos is digging for his key in his pocket, since you can hear something jangling from it. He eventually pulls out a key, and inserts it onto the door knob's keyhole. He turns around to face his car, looking at the open window on Bella's side.
"Thanks for driving me home safely. Stay safe, and just return the car here when you're done."
Bella waves at him, and you can see Grace nod from the window. Carlos waves back at them, and Bella closes the window.
"My house is small, I hope you don't mind that. You're safer here than in the industrial district or the commercial areas."
You ask Carlos if he's sure with letting you stay over for a while.
"Well, I'm guessing you don't really know many people here, do you?" Turning the doorknob, Carlos opens the door and gestures for you to get inside.
The living room is modest, barely containing any decorations save for what seem to be school diplomas and a few awards close to the wall. There is a small television set with a table and three chairs. The only division between the living room and the pantry is a bar-table with three tall stools. The place smells faintly of air freshener. Just then, you hear rapid footsteps, much akin to a gallop. A girl wearing a pajamas set, seeming around ten years old appears in front of you. Carlos bends down and pulls her up, hugging her.
"Daddy, why do you smell weird?" The girl then gives you a quizzical look. "Who is this?"
"Oh, this is a friend. Uh." You realise that you haven't been properly introduced to each other. You then introduce yourself to Carlos' daughter.
"Hi! I'm Rose! Nice to meet you!" She seems to be appeased by your smile.
"Are you done with your homework?"
"Yes, daddy."
"Can we borrow your computer for a moment? Daddy has to do some work."
"Okay!" With a gleeful smile, the girl leaves your sight, and you hear her run up what seems to be stairs. You look to one corner of the room and find a narrow stairway. Carlos ascends through its steps, motioning for you to follow him. Instead of a full-fledged second floor, it seems more like a loft or a mezzanine of sorts. The narrow, short hallway greeting you as soon as you get up the stairs has two doors, one opened, and another closed. You can't see much of the room with the opened door, but it must be the guest room Carlos is talking about. Carlos knocks on the closed door, and opens it.
All that's inside the room is a computer table, a shelf for books, a large bed, a wardrobe, and a large mirror. There is a door Rose is laying down prone on the bed, reading what seems to be one of her textbooks. She is facing away from the computer table.
"Do you still have the router?", asked Carlos.
You reply affirmatively, and show him the red router. Following E's instructions, he aids you in taking it apart. Splitting the router into half through a crosswise crease that runs around the device, you see the usual chipboards and tiny parts that you anticipated to find in such a device. However, something seems to stick out like a sore thumb -- there's a plastic, light blue object lodged in one of the router's corners. You take it out and find that it's a flash drive. No wonder E couldn’t hack the server and needed to retrieve the physical device.
"I'm hoping that flash drive doesn't have any viruses," Carlos says as he boots his computer. He then asks you for the flash drive, as soon as the system restores from its previous session.
As soon as you insert the flash drive, its contents become visible to you.
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