Box

Chapter 6

"This must be the code instructing the Helpers responsible for the final station to proceed to the location where they retrieve narcotics and place them into containers and packages." Box highlighted the words in red text on the screen. They were in Aydin's multifunction room, with Aydin and Lee sitting on the sofa and Box floating above the coffee table. It had just finished comparing the basic program for the customs warehouse Helpers and their station, showing them its results on the wall.

"Let me see." Aydin stood up and walked to the wall. "There's only a mention of one Helper." A moment of silence as he touched the eGlass and used the keyboard that drew itself before him. "It's not a warehouse Helper, but one of the station's two janitors. There are some easy commands that imply that it could be the one putting the parcels into the packages, but that's not possible, since it doesn't have access to the warehouse."

"It could be there as a safeguard to sidetrack investigators if someone were on the smugglers' trail," Lee said.

"Possible, but not likely. Let's look at its recording." A few moments later, Aydin's eGlass projected 335's recording on the wall. It only showed the Helper trimming the greenery and taking care of the station's buildings.

"See?" Lee said.

"The footage could have been manipulated." Aydin closed the player window, which brought the code document into the foreground. "The rest of the code looks like it's addressing the warehouse Helpers by their station. This makes sense since Helpers can move around with the incoming cargo. Since Helpers orient themselves in the space by making a grid layout of it...." He pointed at the second red line with G12. "This should be the coordinates of the place. Box, show me the warehouse plan, please."

Box, who was already connected and signed into the warehouse's system via Aydin, projected it on the wall.

"I should be able to find the layout of the grid in the Helpers Hive system."

"I can do it." Box went to the Hive system.

"You'll just overload yourself." A minute later, a light came from the edge of Aydin's eGlass and drew lines over the display of the warehouse plan. Letters appeared on its left side and numbers on the lowest line. Aydin came closer to the wall and pointed at the spot on the layout. "According to this, G12 is here. I would expect it to be at the front of the building since it's on the other side of the shield, not on our side."

The place he pointed at was at the end of the building. Box made the plan 3D and zoomed in on the spot. It showed a vent. "I was correct."

"It looks like," Lee said.

"Box, show me that spot from the outside, please," Aydin requested.

Box displayed the vent, half-hidden by a bush.

"I'll see if there are any cameras that have a view of it," Aydin said, and then after a few moments told them, "No, it seems that this is a blind spot, which is most likely done intentionally."

"I'll set a camera there." Lee stood.

"Give me the camera, and I'll take care of it," Box proposed since it wanted to be useful to Aydin. It lifted itself. "I can go right away."

"I'll set up cameras in the evening," Lee said.

"But I could handle it immediately." Box fixed one of its cameras at Lee.

"That's very nice of you to offer." Aydin patted Box. "But I think we should leave that to Lee. Remember, she has that cloaking device and you don't."

"But I have your beanie. It's essentially a cloaking device."