don’t drop anything

expensive coffee
expensive furniture
expensive cushions

expensive consequences

it’s evening
the apartment is lit with the dim glow of small round down-lights
outside the murmurs of the city softly fade through the glass

Cairo holds her coffee in both hands
a short black
they never really drank anything else
– how much do you know? she asks Auckland
– nothing at all
he’s still standing in the kitchen
pours himself a short black
returns to the living-room area
– nothing until i saw you on the other side of my door
he stands
– i’m sorry – i didn’t know where-else to go
– don’t be sorry
he takes a sip of his coffee
sits down on an arm-chair
– so how much do you know? Auckland asks
she puts her coffee down on the low table
doesn’t trust herself not to drop it
– i don’t know what’s happening
she doesn’t know where to begin
but he’ll wait patiently
– i don’t use the tightest ice you know i mean, that stuff just screams speciality you know, so i code up something that anyone with enough money could buy, but a little better right
Auckland nods
– i’m telling you, no-one could have cracked it without making a big noise
– no-one normal, Auckland adds
– yeah well, one of us could have done it
she leans forward, drinks, sets the cup down, continues
– everything was intact. no hacks or hammers, nothing. my system wasn’t touched…
Auckland’s eyebrows raise
– except it was on
he stares
– someone got into my apartment, switched it on, left it in idle. no password hack, no buffer-switch, no casing damage – it was never opened.
Auckland stares
– you didn’t leave it on?
– i didn’t leave it on Auckland. it was off. i switched it off. and if i didn’t it would have turned off as soon as i left the apartment.
her voice gives the gentlest of shakes
– hey – it’s alright. we’ll figure it out, just tell me what happened
she inhales
exhales
stills herself
– all of my emails dated today were left unread, but they were already sorted in their sub-directories, exactly as if i’d done it. there was one email in the inbox
she stops and he waits

– inflex.coredata, €129,000,000

Auckland puts down his coffee