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damned_institute2008-07-11 03:18 pm
cnflctofintrst.livejournal.com) wrote in damned_institute2008-07-11 03:18 pm
Entry tags:
Nightshift 33: Staff Research/Medical Reference Library
[from here]
For some reason, Mello had expected stale air and the scent of moldy books, but the space the doorway opened into was as pristine as any laboratory. He cast a quick beam of light around the room, following it with a slower one, and spent a second listening for any reaction. Nothing.
Landel certainly knew how to spend a swollen budget. Mello walked past a few pricey-looking bookshelves and leaned over a leather chair, resting his weight against the tabletop with one palm. The computer was new, with the type of aesthetic detail that indicated it probably cost the institute four times what it would have cost to buy six months later, though its overall design placed it about a decade behind what Mello was used to.
His thumb pressed into the power button and he listened closely, watching the screen. No immediate reaction, but he waited, hand not moving. Maybe it just needed a second to register. Even the best turn-of-the-century technology was moody.
For some reason, Mello had expected stale air and the scent of moldy books, but the space the doorway opened into was as pristine as any laboratory. He cast a quick beam of light around the room, following it with a slower one, and spent a second listening for any reaction. Nothing.
Landel certainly knew how to spend a swollen budget. Mello walked past a few pricey-looking bookshelves and leaned over a leather chair, resting his weight against the tabletop with one palm. The computer was new, with the type of aesthetic detail that indicated it probably cost the institute four times what it would have cost to buy six months later, though its overall design placed it about a decade behind what Mello was used to.
His thumb pressed into the power button and he listened closely, watching the screen. No immediate reaction, but he waited, hand not moving. Maybe it just needed a second to register. Even the best turn-of-the-century technology was moody.
no subject
Loading. Loading. He continued watching as his hand found its way back to the tower, and his fingers traced the power cord to the wall. It disappeared into a small hole with no evidence of an outlet. The bar was a third of the way full when the computer issued a curt beep.
Insert password to continue.
Password. Mello yanked the keyboard onto his lap and pulled up what he could remember from the one book he'd read about network security.
Common passwords: password. admin. 123456. querty. letmein. root. god.
Likely suspects: landel. martin. alec. doyle. jack. institute. hell.
Each series of stars was met with another beep and a reset of the screen. He hadn't expected any of them to work. Mello shoved the keyboard back onto the table. He knew there was a reason he'd been happy to see Matt.
He inspected the tower, but without a sturdy tool, there was no way he could open the case or get past the lock fixing it to the table. Another night, then.
Mello stood up and walked over to a case that seemed to hold the most recent issues of a few well-reputed medical journals. He'd seen some of these titles: New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, The Lancet. He grabbed a thicker issue and paged through it, skimming titles before turning back to the cover. July, 2008. What?
The computer seemed older than that. The drugs seemed older than that. If the cover could be believed, the current date was only two years before he'd...
Mello tossed the journal back to the desk and directed his flashlight at the rows of books lining the shelves, following the alphabet down to S. Schlipp. No entry. The fact was met with a mix of annoyance and relief. Had Artemis been taunting him, or was that particular author too obscure or recently published to be included in a collection like this?
He recognized many of the titles and found no surprises. For all outward purposes, this was just a small but well-stocked medical library. Onwards to the pharmacy, then.