That day was bright and sunny, the sun shining brightly, the sky empty without any annoying white clouds, revealing the beauty of the refreshing blue sky.

Birds chirped, decorating the peaceful morning, fluttering here and there across the blue sky.

People started waking up to begin their activities, and so did Alice.

Alice is a tall, slim woman with beautiful white skin, blonde hair, and thin black eyebrows. She might catch the eye of many people in town because of her looks, but apart from that, her communication skills are something to admire too.

Alice isn't super smart, but she's not stupid either because she managed to work at ReTecs, known for its tough selection process. She passed the selection because of her ability to understand others, which is useful for comprehending ReTecs' product users and bridging different divisions or teams at ReTecs. Alice is what you'd call a social butterfly.

Working at one of the world's largest tech companies is Alice's dream, as she loves tech-related things, even though she's not as smart as the experts at ReTecs. At least, being part of the Project Advanced Gaming Alternate Reality (PAGAR) as a Project Communications Manager is a huge pride and honor for Alice. Moreover, she believes that PAGAR can bring significant impact to the world, not just in the video game industry.

###

Alice woke up a bit late that morning. As usual, she had to make sure the communication channels between divisions were secure and check for any leaks about the ongoing project in her division from spreading in public spaces.

Just like her routine, she lay in bed, playing on her smartphone. Checking social media, news sites, and the company's internal communication channels was more of a hobby for her than just work.

Once she fully regained her awareness, she got up from bed and went to her kitchen to cook something simple like a sandwich with bread, ham, some vegetables, her favorite sauce, and of course, making coffee to stay fresh for the day at the office.

She had her breakfast in the kitchen, not because her house lacked a dining room or table, but because she preferred eating there. It saved her the hassle of moving the food to the dining table and then back to the kitchen for washing up.

While having breakfast, Alice also continued her task, given her recent recognition as one of the 100 Best Employees of the Month. This time, she focused more on reading news about PAGAR, which had been making waves in the public after its announcement a few months ago.

While engrossed in reading and enjoying her breakfast, she received a call from Brune. Alice could tell from Brune's voice that something was wrong.

"Still at home, what's up? Is there a problem?" Alice replied to Brune's question.

Alice quickly finished her breakfast and packed up her stuff for the office, while Brune explained what was happening.

"Okay, I'll do what I can. See you soon," replied Alice, locking her house and getting into her car.

Brune continued speaking a few more words, but Alice barely listened as she was busy setting up her car's autopilot. When Alice wanted to respond, the call had already been ended by Brune.

Since the call was cut off by Brune, Alice activated the autopilot and started contacting several people, including her subordinates, to address the issue.

###

Alice finally arrived at the office without any problem. She immediately set her car on auto-pilot for auto-parking in the office while she rushed a bit to enter the office building and head to the lobby.

Once in the lobby, she set up her tablet to check the real-time situation reported by her subordinates.

Not long after she arrived at the office, Axel came as if to greet her, offering a snack in the form of coffee-lemon-flavored candies. It was an odd combination for Alice, but one that Axel liked. However, Alice declined.

"Have you heard the report?" Axel asked.

"Brune already informed me, but you can tell me the updates," replied Alice, still looking at her tablet screen.

"Not much progress. There are still many system and program code errors, some I've fixed and are waiting for processing," said Axel, enjoying his favorite candy. "And for the subjects, they are all upset, but there's one person who stands out. Subject A101."

Alice glanced at Axel still munching on that candy, "Why do you like that candy so much, isn't it weird-tasting?"

"At first, it was. But what can I do? Coffee keeps you from falling asleep, and the lemon keeps you awake because of its acidity. You know, programmers need something like this because we get so sleepy from staying up all night to manage the program."

Alice just smiled seeing Axel's expression while eating the candy, looking like someone forced to take bitter medicine mixed with the face of someone eating a lemon. Doing it out of necessity.

"Thanks. I'll let Brune know as soon as he arrives, which shouldn't be long," said Alice, then sitting on one of the benches in the main lobby.

"Alright, oh... I almost forgot," replied Axel, about to leave but not quite, "can you tell Brune to meet me in my office soon? I think I found something strange, and for some reason, there's a comment from Brune with random characters."

Alice looked at Axel's face and asked, "Sure, but is it urgent?"

"Not really. But at least he should meet me today."

"Okay, I'll pass it on."

Axel once again offered his favorite candy to Alice, but Alice still refused it for the hundredth time.

Refused, Axel left. Meanwhile, Alice was still waiting for Brune.

However, before he could go far, three people from the SAT or Security Audit Team approached them and told Axel to stop.

Alice moved closer to hear what they were talking about, but she was denied by the SAT members. As the Project Communications Manager, Alice insisted on listening to what the three SAT members had to say to Axel, who was still in the same project with her.

"Okay, if you insist," a spokesperson for SAT, one of the three, allowed her. "Both of you, follow us."

The SAT spokesperson and the other members escorted Alice and Axel to a seldom-passed corner of the lobby. After that, two SAT members stopped a bit farther to make sure no one approached them.

"I'm Ghito from SAT. Our system, the special security protocol, is the most confidential security system and can only be accessed by a few employees, understand?" SAT spokesperson asked Alice and Axel.

"Of course. So what's the problem?" Axel asked.

"The system is designed with separate networks and power to maintain independence in case of an attack on the main security system. Both of you, as the heads of each department in the priority project, the project of advanced gaming alternate reality, have access to level 1, designated ONLY for crucial situations that could disrupt the smooth progress of your project. Do you understand?" Ghito asked again, emphasizing certain words.

Axel nodded, while Alice said, "We understand that. We know you have to dictate the special security protocol allocation according to SOP to us, but there's currently an issue in the project that we need to address immediately. So, can we get straight to the main of the problem?"

Ghito glanced at Alice and then shifted his gaze to Axel, "Sorry, the core issue is our system found a report coming from the director's room in underfloor 3, specifically designed to your boss, Brune Salmith. The report should only be generated when security protocol level 1 is activated. The problem is, our system doesn't show that security protocol level 1 has been activated. Also, the report content is just random characters that don't mean anything except for the last message that says 'from Axel.' Did you intentionally activate and deactivate it or do something to the system?"

Alice and Axel exchanged looks.

As a SAT member, Ghito had received training to read facial expressions and body language, so he carefully observed the movements and expressions of Alice and Axel.

Alice and Axel did the same, their faces frozen for a moment, as if frozen gas had been sprayed on their faces when Ghito was explaining the issue. Their bodies reacted similarly. Their faces froze and didn't show any brief expressions that could arouse suspicion that they were hiding something, somewhat proving that they also didn't know what was happening.

"Uh... I don't know, sorry," Axel said nervously when Ghito gave him a sharp look to intimidate.

"Are you sure there's no issue with the system or maybe it's a false report?" Alice asked. Even though Ghito gave her the same sharp look, she seemed unfazed.

"No. We've made sure of that," Ghito replied.

Axel tried to calm down as he was about to speak again and somewhat shifted his attention to not directly stare at Ghito. "You've checked thoroughly. You can examine the ID that accessed or provided the report. Besides, you can track when the report was issued. You can also do a comprehensive trace with level 2. I'm sure your boss, Hector, has access to level 2. He should check everything."

"Like I said, we've confirmed it," replied Ghito. "You seem to know the loopholes in the security system."

Alice, seeing Ghito intimidating Axel, quickly came to the rescue. "Of course, Axel and Brune are part of the design of the security system. Ask Hector."

Axel looked at Alice, who smiled at him, then turned back to Ghito. "System errors can be seen from the results provided, not just from AI warnings. Whether the report is compiled using the correct mechanism or, if you look closely, maybe you can find errors like the use of non-standard characters in the system, or incorrect formatting, or wrong IDs. Also, for level 1, it might be inactive due to a system override. If so, you can check from a higher level. If they're active, there's a possibility that's why level 1 is inactive."

Alice was just stunned, listening to Axel's rapid words when he was talking about programs, something that was Axel's expertise and her weakness.

Meanwhile, Ghito opened his tablet and checked it while listening to Axel's words.

"Wait here for a moment," said Ghito, then walked away from both of them.

Meanwhile, the other two SAT members remained on guard.

"Do you get it perfectly or are you just saying things?" Alice asked with a low voice, making sure only Axel could hear her.

Axel looked at Alice, "Are you saying I lied?"

Alice winked her left eye, "You know what I mean."

"No, I really explained it. There's something strange I found this morning, something-"

"Okay, Hector told us to let you go. But do you know where Brune is?" Ghito interrupted Axel's whisper, slightly surprising both of them.

"What did Hector say? Is it an Error?" Axel asked, knowing his old partner would think the same as him.

"System error, currently Hector is checking it. The clues you provided match what Hector found. Now, do you know where Brune is?"

Axel shook his head, "No."

"Brune will be here soon, is there also a problem with Brune?" Alice asked, checking the time on her smartwatch.

Ghito looked at Alice, "Are you waiting for him?"

"Like I said, we have an issues."

"Sorry, but can I go? There's a program I have to work on," Axel interrupted.

Ghito didn't shift his attention but replied, "Sure. You have been cleared from our suspicions. But Alice, we will stay with you until you meet Brune, Hector's orders."

Axel touched Alice's hand to get her attention, "Don't forget."

"Don't worry," Alice replied to Axel, then she turned to Ghito, "Okay, I'll wait for him in the lobby. If you guys have nothing to do, you can wait, but don't disturb me. This is a priority project and we need to finish it quickly."

Ghito grinned, "Sure thing."

Axel then went to his office, while Ghito instructed the other two SAT members to return to their offices.

Alice and Ghito walked back towards the main lobby and waited for Brune.

###

"Do you know anything about Brune?" Ghito asked, interrupting Alice who was busy dealing with an issue on her tablet.

Without looking at Ghito, Alice simply said, "I told you not to disturb me."

"Sorry... but have you noticed anything strange about Brune? Wha-" Ghito asked again as if he had nothing else to do except bother Alice.

Alice smiled at Ghito and said, "Are you new here or do you not know him at all?"

His question was answered with another question from Alice, leaving him confused. Ghito just said, "Sorry."

"If you say something strange about Brune, there's a lot. He's someone free from the strict rules of the company, and that alone is a strange that I still can't figure out to this day."

"Sorry, what do you mean by free from the strict rules of the company? I don't understand."

"Are you a newcomer? Everyone who has been working here for a long time knows exactly what Brune's true personality is like. Adaptable and flexible, he can even bend the rules."

"Meaning, he's not bound by rules and acts as he pleases?"

"More or less, but more precisely, he's the rule-maker. Most SOPs are created by him or at least he's involved in it. Including the security SOP you're currently running. So just keep quiet and ask Brune directly if he has an issue with security. I have to ensure that the PAGAR subjects stay in line and don't cause trouble, or your workload will pile up." Alice explained, then went back to her tablet.

"But-" Ghito's words were stopped by Alice's hand, which raised to cover his mouth.

Without being given a chance to ask, Ghito returned to his tablet.

Ghito is indeed a new employee promoted from ReTecs' subsidiary. Even though he had achievements and respect in his previous company and also at ReTecs, according to SOP and direct orders from Hector, the SAT leader, not to disturb the heads of departments and PAGAR division leaders too much because of the privileges they have, Ghito couldn't do much.

Alice and Ghito are waiting for Brune again. While Alice is busy with her work, Ghito is occupied reading the security issue handling SOP for the highest-priority project on his tablet.

###

It took less than ten minutes before Brune finally arrived in his high-priority car.

Alice spotted Brune entering the office building from afar and heading to the lobby, so she quickly fixed herself up before heading over to greet him.

Meanwhile, Ghito noticed Alice's sudden movement, so he also fixed himself up and followed Alice to greet Brune.

"How's it going?" Brune asked while still walking, not stopping or even slowing down a bit.

"Everything's okay. Some things are under control, just one subject, A101, still protesting. As for the technical side—"

"Let's handle that later. Let's focus on the subject first. I trust our expert team to deal with the technical stuff, but when it comes to the subject, your expertise is unmatched," Brune said, giving Alice a quick wink. Brune also noticed Ghito standing near Alice, patiently waiting for an opportunity to speak.

Alice smiled and chuckled softly, "Thank you for the praise. I really appreciate and respect that, especially coming from the best employee around here."

Brune kept an eye on Ghito and finally gave him a chance to speak, "SAT?"

Ghito replied, "Yes. Ghito from SAT, sorry for in-"

"Problem?" Brune interrupted Ghito's introduction, stopping in his tracks.

Ghito glanced at Alice, then back at Brune, "Sorry, but this is confidential."

"Just talk, no one cares."

"Again, I apologize. I can't disclose it, it's top-secret." Ghito said, occasionally looking at Alice, signaling that she shouldn't know.

"He's under my watch, so share it. If it's not too important, come to my office later after the AGAR issue is sorted. Maybe tonight," replied Brune, about to continue walking.

Ghito reached out his hand in front of Brune to ask him to stop. Brune stopped and looked at Ghito, "If this is important, then share it."

Ghito's gaze shifted to Alice, and Brune alternated, confused about what to say. Finally, Ghito said, "Sorry. I'm just following the SOP for secu-"

"I can change that SOP if needed. I'll contact Hector," Brune replied with a smile.

Hearing that, Alice couldn't help but hold back her laughter and smiled. Meanwhile, Ghito glanced at Alice, as if saying that he now understood what Alice meant earlier.

"Actually, Hector himself ordered this," Ghito replied after taking a deep breath.

"Security protocol level 2 or higher, if Hector directly intervenes, because only he in SAT has that access, except his special team. Is that right?" Brune asked Ghito straight to the point.

Both Ghito and Alice were shocked, each for different reasons. Alice was shocked because she didn't expect the issue to be so serious, it was the first time she heard about a problem with security protocol level 2. Meanwhile, Ghito was shocked because Brune knew about the problem he kept secret.

Ghito stayed silent for a moment before saying, "You're right. Hector asked you to go to the SAT interrogation room on the floor-"

"I already know the room, thanks. But wait a sec," Brune interrupted, turning to Alice. "Send the progress report now. Then, head straight to the test prep room for a discussion and handle Subject A101. Ask Hyo for the instructions. After you're done, if there's still time, go to Axel and check on the trial program. If it's ready, proceed. Got it?"

Alice double-checked the orders, "Send progress report, handle subject, ensure trial readiness with Axel. Understood."

"Good," replied Brune, then turning to Ghito. "Okay, are you leading, or should I?"

"I'll do it, following SOP," Ghito said, leading Brune to the SAT room.

Alice then chose the report she'd sent to Brune and sent it before leaving.

###

The preparation test room only had two people, Subject A101 and Alice. Meanwhile, in another adjoining room, separated only by a one-way mirror —similar to a police interrogation room— there were the main warden of Subject A101 and the subject department head.

"Subject A101 is a male who claims he's straight but shows a tendency towards being bisexual. He's 177 cm tall, weighs 65 kg. He volunteered for this in exchange for seven BC..." Alice briefly skimmed through Subject A101's background on the holobase before closing it and gazing at Subject A101, who is bound all over his body.

She then uncovered the subject's mouth and said, "You volunteered... So what's bothering you?"

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Subject A101 looked cynically at Alice and, in a serious tone, said, "Fucked with your money! You've been testing us multiple times."

"Sorry about that, but you should have understood that testing would occur multiple times. It's in the contract," Alice replied.

"FUCK YOU! There's no sudden termination in the contract. You know how painful that is, dying multiple times..."

Alice reopened the holobase and looked at the mirror, intending to ask Hyo, the subject department head, about this. However, she found no sudden termination in the test results on the holobase.

"Could you explain what you mean by sudden termination? Our data doesn't show any sudden termination," Alice said to Subject A101.

Subject A101 remained silent, breathing heavily as if he'd just run around the city before saying, "Fuck!"

"Sorry, please don't keep swearing. We need your answers to figure out the issue, and we promise to fix it soon. So please cooperate," Alice said in her soft, persuasive tone.

Subject A101 glared at her, "You know, FUCK YOU! You guys never solve this issue and keep asking the same thing, what's really going on, or are you just pretending to be stupid, FUCK YOU! You know that, BIT..."

Subject A101 was just cursing and talking nonsense, not answering any of Alice's questions at all.

Finally, unable to take it anymore because she didn't get the result she wanted, Alice decided to leave the room and head to the preparation test observation room.

"How, can you handle him?" Hyo asked as soon as Alice entered the room.

Alice took a deep breath and sighed, "He's really rude," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, that's him. We recruited him in Ventus, OLA, what did you expect?" Hyo replied, also smiling as he offered a cup of coffee to Alice.

Alice declined by pushing the coffee back to Hyo, "Thanks. By the way, the subject mentioned sudden contact termination, but I couldn't find it in the holobase. Did I miss something?"

"We've checked it multiple times too. But like you, we couldn't find any sudden termination."

"Can I get a copy of the test result to show the subject, so he can tell us himself?"

"We're not sure if that's allowed. Test results are confidential information, not even subjects are allowed. Unless you get official permission from Brune."

"Unfortunately, he's dealing with his own issues."

Alice took another deep breath and sighed, "I'll go back and approach the subject. If there's any danger, please protect me."

"Understood. Yanto, be ready."

Alice then grabbed the coffee Hyo had offered earlier, "I'll take this. Thanks."

Alice then left the observation room and returned to the test preparation room.

When entering the preparation test room, Alice was greeted with a smirk from Subject A101, "You're back, bitch?"

Alice ignored the insult and walked up to Subject A101, then offered coffee in front of his face, "Want some coffee? I'll spoon-feed you."

Subject A101 looked at the coffee, then looked at Alice, who smiled warmly at him. "You trying to charm me?"

"No, I know you're upset, so if you drink coffee, maybe you'll relax a bit."

"Is it poisoned? Are you trying to kill me, bitch?"

Alice drank the coffee as proof that it wasn't poisoned, "Want a sip? Or should I finish it?"

Subject A101 nodded.

Alice then fed Subject A101, but after that, an unpleasant incident happened. Subject A101 spewed coffee on Alice.

Alice put the coffee on the table and wiped her face with the bottom of her shirt, "You're really rough. But I forgive you."

Soon, Yanto entered the room and was about to take Subject A101, but Alice stopped him by waving to Yanto and shaking her head. "No need, I can still handle it."

"Don't you ever learn after this keeps happening, you stupid moron." Subject A101 said.

Alice knelt to make her face level and moved the chair occupied by Subject A101 so that they could face each other directly.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I've used polite ways, but you still don't want to tell me the problem. So I'll ask again, what do you mean by the sudden termination because our database didn't record it? If you keep swearing or not answering, I'll instruct the guy earlier to take you back to your room. Just so you know, I'm here to communicate; I'm not like those who are rude."

Subject A101 just smiled, playing with his tongue, "I can't wait for you to get killed, and I'll kiss those sexy lips of yours, bitch."

Alice stood up and signaled to Hyo behind the mirror to take Subject A101 away.

The main warden of Subject A101 returned to the room and quickly escorted Subject A101 out, leaving Alice alone.

Alice reopened her holobase to once again search for the sudden termination mentioned by Subject A101.

Shortly after, Hyo entered the room. "Are you still looking into it?"

"Did he have any mental issues after the last test?" Alice asked.

"According to the test results, everything's fine. Why?"

"He insists on his statement and shows no signs of lying or anything," Alice looked at Hyo, "He believes that it really happened. So there must be a problem with the test."

"Do you mean the sudden termination really happened?"

"It seems so, or maybe when the test entered another reality, he felt like there was a sudden termination. Can you help identify this?"

"Okay, what do you need?"

"Not much, just the last few tests, from the start of the testing time, what was tested, and when the testing ended. If there's an issue, you can inform Brune or me if Brune still can't be reached. Thanks in advance."

"Understood."

Alice then left the room, but just before walking away, she smiled at Hyo and glanced at the coffee on the table, "Thanks for the coffee, it tastes good."

###

Axel's office is quite far, but not too far because it's still within the same project. The office is equipped with super-advanced computers and the best network connection. Of course, it holds the highest priority status, specifically designed for programming the PAGAR. The office is exclusive to Axel and his two assistants, while the other programmers work in a different room next door.

As the Project Communications Manager, Alice has limited access to enter that office. When Alice entered the office, Axel was alone, busy tapping the screen and using a holo-keyboard, surrounded by several holograms. Obviously, Axel was fixing a program.

Noticing Alice, Axel break for a moment after saving every change he had made.

"How? Did you inform Brune?" Axel asked.

Alice forgot Axel's message to her due to the SAT issue involving Brune, so she didn't have time to tell Brune. She only remembered after Axel asked about it again.

"Not yet, but he sent me to ask if everything is under control," said Alice, trying to hide that Brune was having a problem with a special security protocol level 2 that's secret.

"Some parts of the program are secure, now I'm working on the rest. But still, there's some weirdness I can't explain for sure, so I need Brune to make sure," Axel explained.

Looking around, Alice smiled. "Just looking at all this makes my head spin. How do you manage to stay sane?"

Axel pulled something out of his pocket and showed it to Alice. "With this candy, of course."

Alice just smiled and stifled a laugh. "But that doesn't help you get a girlfriend, does it?"

"Come on... I'm already stressed with all of this, let's not talk about girlfriends anymore. Please," Axel pleaded.

Alice still smiled and then left. However, just before the door slid closed, she winked and said, "Fighting."

But when Axel thought he was finally not bothered by Alice, that's when Alice returned, shouting to startle him.

Axel was surprised, but his surprised expression just froze for a moment before he continued with what he was doing.

"Aren't you startled?" Alice asked.

"You're like a kid," Axel replied.

"You're like a robot," Alice retorted, mocking Axel, and sat in Axel's empty chair because Axel was busy handling holograms filled with programming that made Alice dizzy just by looking at them.

Alice just stayed silent, watching Axel work seriously. Occasionally, she opened her tablet to check reports from her team members or other departments.

Hyo had just sent the report Alice requested, and Alice saved it by giving it a star as a sign of priority. However, she didn't read the report immediately.

"What did you want to talk to Brune about, actually?" Alice asked.

Axel, In the middle of his hustle, just said, "Be quiet, can't you see I'm working?"

"Sorry."

Finally, Alice just stayed silent and didn't dare to bother Axel anymore. Axel isn't the type to be strict or easily angered, but he still doesn't like to be bothered when he's working.

While looking at the report she received, Alice also looked at the holograms displayed throughout the room.

The holograms were the source code crucial for the project they were working on. Highly confidential information. That's why all networks on the floor where Axel's office was located were locked down to ensure that no network could go in or out. This was Brune and Hector's initiative to ensure PAGAR's security against hacker attempts to steal the source code or other malicious activities.

The same goes for the tablet used by Alice, which has a special security system with a unique network that can't —very hard to almost impossible— be penetrated by hackers. The tablet was designed by Brune and Hector together with the Jackie siblings for the hardware part.

So, only Alice's tablet can receive information from outside, as long as that information uses the designed unique network. But even so, Alice's tablet still can't give any information to other devices while on that floor. This ensures that Alice won't publish or send anything she encounters to external parties.

Not gonna be long for Alice to wait for Axel to sort out some work, fixing the program.

After successfully fixing the program, Axel returned to his department room. Meanwhile, Alice stayed in Axel's office.

Alice looked at Axel's work result, fixing that confusing program in a short time. Deep down, she was like, totally blown away by how awesome Axel is, putting it on the same level as Brune's achievements.

She felt small when she had to face two super geniuses in her opinion, while she didn't consider herself smart at all.

Shortly after, there was a message on one of the holograms being looked at by Alice. The message was a notification that the program fixed by Axel had run perfectly.

Not long after that, Axel returned to his office. Then, Axel goes back to his program and he seems to see something strange.

The program did run successfully, but SIS-PAGAR gave it a security warning code at level 3. This warning usually happens if the entire program has some issues like errors or is missing.

"Is there a problem with SIS-PAGAR?" asked Alice, who also saw the security warning code level 3 alert.

"Yeah. And this is really weird, level 3 shouldn't be issued. It's only when the whole program has a problem. Strangely, before this, the program ran perfectly," explained Axel.

"So, let's check the program," suggested Alice.

"I'm also thinking about it and already doing it."

"I mean, let me help. You just tell me what to look for, give me the easy stuff, and you can handle the tough ones. It can save time."

“Why don't you just go back to Brune?” Axel asked, staring at Alice. Axel felt Alice's presence was pretty bothersome while he was trying to figure out what was going on.

Alice actually wanted to tell Axel about Brune and SAT, but she was still considering it, so she just said, "Everything's done, besides, Brune has some business to attend to."

There was a moment of silence between them, then Alice responded to Axel's gaze while leaning towards him and smiling, "Don't you want my help?"

Axel went silent for a moment, then he said, "You understand about program, right?"

Alice's smile widened, she looked cheerful. "Of course, what can I help with?"

Axel waved his hand towards Alice, calling her to come closer. Then, after Alice approached, he pointed to the hologram containing the program he was checking. "Just check it. If there's an error or something wrong, let me know immediately. Don't change anything. You can also run it to test. Understand?"

Alice looked at the program, even though her head was starting to ache, but that was okay.

Indeed, Alice wasn't as skilled as Axel or Brune, but she wasn't a fool either. Being the Project Communication Manager meant Alice had to build her own communication system, and that also required programming skills to ensure a secure and controlled communication system.

So, the task given by Axel could be considered quite easy, even with the skills Alice possessed.

Alice nodded, "Check, don't change, can be run for testing, report immediately if there's an error. Understood. Then, what do you want to do?"

Axel looked at Alice, "I'm pretty sure my program and my department's program are not wrong and have no errors. I've run it and succeeded without any mistakes. So, I think this might be a mistake in SIS-PAGAR. So, I'll let you check my program while I'll check SIS-PAGAR."

Alice listened to Axel's explanation, just nodding, and said, "Alright."

Axel then stood up and walked a bit away from Alice, then opened the SIS-PAGAR program in a different hologram.

Alice carefully examined the program that Axel and his department had worked on. She wasn't as meticulous as Axel, but she still did her best and paid attention. Even when doubt crept in, Alice did a double-check occasionally.

"Sorry, but what are you looking for in SIS-PAGAR?" Alice asked, still paying close attention to Axel's program.

Axel took a slightly deep breath, he felt really bothered by Alice. He preferred a quiet environment when working, which is why he requested a private office, and even in that private office, not just anyone could enter.

Without responding, Alice asked again, "Are you listening to me?"

Axel closed the hologram of the SIS-PAGAR program and looked at Alice with an annoyed expression while chewing his favorite candy, "Can you be quiet?"

Alice glanced at Axel, noticing his annoyed expression, so she said, "Sorry. I'll be quiet."

Axel tried to control himself by taking a breath and chewing more of his favorite candy.

After calming down a bit, Axel said to Alice, "Did you find something strange?"

Alice looked back at Axel, seeing that his annoyed expression was gone, so she smiled and said, "Not yet. Are you done with your SIS-PAGAR?"

Axel approached Alice, "I can't concentrate if you're still here, so I'll just help you."

"Sorry," Alice said.

Axel, now sitting beside Alice, watches how Alice works.

Watched by an expert, Alice feels a bit intimidated and nervous. Alice glances at Axel, "Are you going to keep watching me?"

Axel looks at Alice, "Yeah, because I can't do anything as long as you're here."

Alice, with a pouty face, said, "I must be too bothersome for you."

Axel sighs. "When working... only when working. By the way, when will Brune finish his business?" Axel tries to change the topic because he feels uncomfortable seeing Alice's pouting face.

Alice stays silent for a moment, and her gaze shifts away from Axel. "I don't know. He's being interrogated by SAT regarding the special security protocol level 2 issue."

Alice finally decides to tell Axel after careful consideration. Even though the special security protocol level 2 is a secret, seeing Brune casually mention it in the lobby instead of a secure place makes her believe that Brune intentionally did that. Especially since Brune insisted on having Ghito say it in front of Alice, this is what makes Alice confident to share this information with Axel.

Axel's eyes widen, not because his favorite candy is starting to work, but because of hearing information from Alice that reminds him of something.

Alice then shifted her gaze back to Axel and saw Axel's face, wide-eyed, mouth slightly open, and everything frozen in surprise.

"Is there a problem?" Alice asked, then she quickly correcting herself, "Sorry... I know it's a problem when it involves SAT and the special security protocols level 2."

Axel shifted back to attention with Alice's question. Without answering, Axel immediately closed the program Alice was checking and opened his own program in the comments section.

Axel pointed to the comment, although it seemed unnecessary as Alice had already seen it. "Did you read that comment?"

Alice read the comment Axel was pointing at. The binary code containing 0s and 1s was understandable to Alice, though it took a moment.

After understanding, Alice was also surprised. She then looked at Axel, "You already knew?"

Axel still didn't answer Alice's question. Axel opened a log on his program to track his own comments and find out who actually wrote that comment.

Alice just watched what Axel was doing and didn't demand any answers from him.

After successfully finding what he was looking for, Axel read it carefully. Beside him, Alice, who was watching Axel as if reading, also read what was visible to her.

Then the two of them, with held breath, exchanged glances.

"Error?" Alice asked.

Axel stared back at the hologram.

"Maybe. Because there's still about," Axel checked the time in the bottom right corner of the hologram, "eight minutes before that comment was written."

"But when did you get that comment?" Alice asked again, now walking behind Axel who was looking at the hologram and pressing some things on it.

"Since I noticed something strange about the program and the comments with Brune's ID containing random characters."

Alice looked at Axel, "Brune's ID, in the comments? Can you track the time?"

A new display opened, and Axel was checking it, "I've done it."

Alice looked back at the hologram, which had opened a new display.

Alice continued to walking behind Axel, "That's even longer ago."

Axel just stayed quiet and opened some comment logs to check their creation time. But only those two comments showed a time from the future.

"That's definitely an error, isn't it?" Alice asked.

Axel finally replied, "If it's just Brune's comments, maybe. But my comments really happened, SAT approached us, and now they're interrogating Brune. If it's an error, it might be just an error in time, but..."

Alice stopped, "If it is indeed from the future, let's assume that. Can we prevent SAT from approaching Brune by writing a message to be careful?"

Axel glanced back at Alice. "What do you mean?"

Alice approached Axel and squeezed his shoulders, "I have a weird feeling about this, I can't explain it. But maybe we from the future are telling ourselves in the past to be careful with SAT. If that's the case, then we need to clarify the message."

Axel just stared at Alice, "You're joking, right? Something like that is not possible."

Alice looked at Axel, "But there's no wrong in trying. Besides, it's just a comment and won't disrupt the program. And even if the comment is found, it might become some kind of easter egg?"

Axel stayed quiet for a moment while his shoulder continued to be squeezed by Alice. Shortly after, Axel grabbed his favorite candy again.

"It seems like I should try making a new comment to test whether there's an error in the time format program, or maybe I can spot the mistake." Axel replied with a smile to Alice.

Alice, happy and instinctively hugged Axel immediately, "Thank you."

After releasing the hug, Axel's face turned red, and he couldn't hide it, unless he faced the hologram directly. However, without realizing it, Alice had already caught a glimpse of his face, and she just smiled.

"Alright, what do you want me to write? I'll write it down with my ID and your ID, so I can check if the universal time format is an error or just the time format when using my ID," Axel asked while pressing the hologram in front of him.

"Okay, you can write, 'If you're reading this, it's from the future. Check the time tracking. Be careful and inform Brune about the problem with special security protocol level 2 before SAT arrives.' That's it, thanks." Alice slowly dictated her message to Axel.

Axel then wrote down the message, using the exact words Alice had spoken, "Okay, I've written it and turned it into a comment."

Alice smiled watching how Axel worked. In her opinion, Axel looked very satisfying when working, doing it quickly and smoothly.

Axel glanced at Alice, "I've done your request. So, what do you want now?"

Alice opened her tablet and checked the time on her tablet. She just realized that she was late to meet someone she had promised.

"I'm going, you can get back to your work," Alice said with a smile and left.

Axel just stared as Alice walked away.

Alice was still smiling when she was in front of Axel's office door. Then, just before the door slid closed, she winked and said, "Fighting."

###

When Alice arrived in front of Lucy's room, it was already filled with some people from the socialization program led by Lucy who were leaving Lucy's room. Alice just stayed quiet and waited until the crowd ended so she could enter Lucy's room.

As Alice entered Lucy's room, Lucy was seen organizing some files.

"So, how was it?" Lucy asked.

"Sorry, I'm late. Did I miss something?" Alice approached Lucy.

Lucy looked at Alice and smiled, "A lot, but not important. So, what about the offer?"

Alice returned Lucy's smile, "I'm in. But only if you want to tell me about that,"

"In that case, we're in agreement," Lucy replied while handing some files to Alice. "These are Ghiovani group's files. I don't know why they picked that name for their group. But most importantly, this group will be your responsibility, and their current schedule is to learn about AR and AGAR, which your division is developing."

"It's Giovani, not Ghiovani, just a correction," Alice replied with a smile.

"Whatever."

"So, what should I do?"

"Just do whatever you want. The main thing is you have to tell them about AR and AGAR and answer their questions. It doesn't have to be precise, but don't sound too silly."

"Alright. By the way, what do you want for lunch?"

"I don't know. I'm on a weight gain thing, so maybe a fatty steak, if you're paying."

"Don't be silly... You still owe me."

"Don't be like that. How about I treat you to lunch, and you forget about that debt. Deal?"

"Nope." Alice then walked out of the office with the files given by Lucy. "I might skip lunch today, I have a bad feeling about it."

Lucy laughed sarcastically. "If your feeling is right this time, I'll treat you for a lifetime."

"Just pay your debt. Bye."

###

The Giovani group consists of seven students and one accompanying teacher. Alice approached the group, who had been waiting in the lobby for a while.

As per Lucy's assignment, Alice took on the role of a guide, explaining nearly everything about AR and AGAR and answering a few enthusiastic student's questions, while the rest were busy with their own things.

"Alright... next, we'll take a look at the prototype of the latest generation AR developed for three years by ReTecs," said Alice, still guiding the Giovani students.

###

Alice took them to various places, including the entrance to PAGAR.

"This lift will take you to a floor specially designed for the PAGAR division or Project Advance Gaming Alternate Reality. Unfortunately, you can't enter the PAGAR floor because it's still confidential..." explained Alice, greeted by the disappointed voices of the students.

Most of the students were very excited to discuss PAGAR, the latest innovation they had been waiting for in their favorite games, including popular ones like World of Worlds, Liberty March, and other games.

A student raised his hand, and Alice, seeing that, quickly said, "Okay, Patrick, what do you want to ask?"

The student named Patrick asked, "When will AGAR be mass-produced and implemented in games?"

Alice smiled because Patrick had been asking a lot, especially about technical issues. Alice felt like Patrick was a younger version of Axel.

"As for that, we still don't know, but I'll spill a little for those of you who seem excited about PAGAR. The development phase is almost done, so probably around two or three years at most."

The disappointed voices of the students turned into joyful ones.

The question session continued, but Alice received a notification on her tablet that the trial of Project AGAR had been reactivated.

"Sorry for your question, Natasha. There's an emergency call, so you can go back to your place or take a break," Alice said, stopping the Q&A session because she was confused.

As far as Alice remembered, neither she nor Brune had asked for the trial to be postponed, so the notification shouldn't have happened. Unless Axel had postponed the trial, but when Axel did it because she didn't get a notification that the trial was postponed at all.

Confused, Alice immediately used the nearby lift to go to Axel's office.

There was nothing strange or confusing people due to the trial notification being reactivated during Alice's way to Axel's office.

"Maybe another error," Alice said in her mind.

When Alice was almost reaching Axel's department room, just a few meters away, a power outage occurred, shutting down all things requiring electricity in the office, including the door Alice would use to enter Axel's department room.

Because of the procedure during a power outage that required all employees to leave until the power could return to normal, Alice just followed along.

But Alice wasn't in a hurry like most employees who were running. She casually walked out, but paused for a moment in the corner of the room. Besides avoiding the crowd, she was also waiting for Axel to come out of his room.

Unfortunately, within a few minutes, the medical team came to where Alice was and told her to leave immediately.

As an emergency handling procedure, Alice was immediately given oxygen masks and taken to the ambulance.

However, strangely, Alice felt that the more she breathed in oxygen from the mask, the worse her vision became, and her head also felt increasingly dizzy but light.

Alice had a bad feeling as soon as she saw the medical team members staring at her.

It didn't take long for Alice to completely lose consciousness, precisely when she reached the base floor.

####