Mind Trace by Holly McCaghren

all times!"
    Eric studied the charts. Instead of the normal areas
colored on the brain scan, practically the entire area was lit up with
activity.  His eyes narrowed.
    "Have these machines been calibrated lately? The last
prototype showed inaccurate readings because it would not hold the calibration
values."
    "I checked them twice myself only this morning,"
Dr. Eichmann replied.
    "There is definitely more going on here than meets the
eye. Have this entire machine sent to engineering to be re-evaluated."
    "Yes, sir. I will take it myself."
    The doctor unhooked the machine and wheeled it from the
room, shutting the door behind him as he left.
    "What do you think of all of this, Grant?"
    Eric inquired to the man that stayed behind, lingering in
the shadows.  He trusted Grant with his life and would occasionally seek his
invaluable insights.
    "I won't pretend to understand what is going on here, sir.
But, I do agree with you. There is more to her than she is letting on. She has
a keen eye, and is not as innocent as she claims," Grant gruffly replied.
    "Yes, but what could she be hiding? We need more
information. How are the analysts coming with her laptop?"
    Grant looked back at him, eyebrows furrowing. "It's
virtually impossible to hack, sir. She has levels of security on there that no
one has ever seen before. The engineers themselves are baffled. We don't
even have anything that advanced."
     "How did she manage to do that? And where did those
drawings come from?" Eric wondered out loud.
    "Well, I think it's unlikely that she was responsible.
She's just a girl, barely out of college. She's not even old enough to drink
yet!"
    Grant sighed, running his hands through his peppered hair. "But,
we should not underestimate that one, sir."
    Eric paused for a moment, considering.  "Well, she won't
be able to cause any trouble from here," he finally answered. "Keep
an eye on her, Grant."
    With that, Eric turned and left him. He needed to ensure
that his teams were aware of the critical nature of their task. The sooner they
could access her files, the quicker they would have some answers. 
    Time to put some pressure on the engineers.
     
    ***
     
    Alice was unwillingly brought back to her room. One guard
unstrapped her restraints, while the other stood in the doorway, hand resting
on what appeared to be a tranquilizer gun. 
    Now's not the time to try anything. These guards are far
too alert. Maybe after the shift change?
    She moved back near her bed and the two men exited, steel
door swiftly clicking back into place. Alice sighed, feeling as if she could
almost taste the freedom that lingered somewhere on the other side, just out of
reach.
    The computer side of her brain offered her model numbers
and specifications for the door and hardware, but that knowledge would not help
her break through the massive steel barricade.  It just reaffirmed her
suspicion that she would never be able to get escape with any of the means
currently at her disposal.
    I might as well see if there's anything useful around
here.
    Her earlier assumptions about the room were correct. A
small bathroom was behind one of the doors. In it was a set of cabinets,
toilet, small shower, and an even smaller vanity. The vanity also had a cabinet
underneath which, of course, was empty. 
    Nothing.
    The other door housed a small closet. Inside, all the
clothing she had packed was hung neatly on coat hangers. Upon closer
inspection, she saw that they were built-in hangers, permanently attached to
the rod they hung on.
    Figures. I don't know what's more alarming…the fact that
I'm being held prisoner by EngineerCorp, or that they took the time to so
neatly unpack my clothes.
    She turned back to the rest of her room. She knew by
looking at it that it was approximately 300 square feet, including bathroom and
closet. Accessing the wiring diagrams, she also knew that there were no
security feeds in her quarters.
    That's a relief. Good to know no one will be spying on
me while