The Painting

#75 Ego Part 1 - Ego Cuid 1

"What?"

Lyle held her phone open to a message from Frankie. I had to scroll down to read the entire message littered with two word sentences and techy lingo I couldn't even begin to decode. Luckily Lyle summarized it as I read. "He needs a connection on the thirty-second floor to get into that specific grid. Something about a fire wall, I can't understand the other half."

"Is he going up there?"

She shook her head. "He won't have space to work."

It was then that I looked down at her other hand. In it was a small black box with a plug in on one side. I recognized it from the drive over, Frankie had about eight of them all of which he'd given old Victorian names to. In metallic sharpie the name "Margarette" was scribbled onto the top of the box. The device as he'd explained more than a few times to me allowed his computer to access the server. "You're kidding me."

"You can stay here-"

I cut her off before she could finish the offer. "I'm coming with."

"Monroe will be there." She emphasized his name in a lower voice, the thought of him identifying me causing her jaw to tense.

Straightening the glasses on my nose I looped her arm in mine. "And now so will I."

The elevator was crowded as passengers cast the weight capacity as a suggestion rather than a warning. All of the riders got off at the top floor and we rushed out of the doors with the gravitational flood of business people.

"It doesn't look like he's gotten here yet." Lyle scanned the room as we stood close to the wall of the small lobby area.

There were a few people seated but most congregated by the glass walled office at the back of the floor.

"He's probably waiting to make his big entrance." I glanced at the television screen above us.

Less than five minutes.

"Wait here and I'll find an outlet closer to the conference room." She gave me a quick peck on the cheek then slipped into the sea of suited attendants.

Once the transmitter aka the black box named Margarette was plugged in Frankie would be able to do his thing.

I fidgeted in my seat as I waited for Lyle. I tried to avoid staring at the countdown but once it reached a two minutes it was impossible not to. Everyone around me appeared just as enthralled as we glued our eyes to the otherwise blank screen.

At one minute and thirty seconds the elevator dinged and he emerged. Surrounded by a human cloak of reporters and security they flowed out of the elevator like one organism, all surrounding and feeding off of Monroe.

The crowd parted as they made their way through. He was too deep within the crowd of impatient reporters to notice me. The reporters shouted questions his way as they stuck their microphones into the middle of the circle.

I followed.

I wasn't thinking as I did so, there was a magnetic pull that tethered me to Monroe. No one else noticed as I slipped my way through the crowd.

"Are you taking over X-Enterprises Mr. Monroe?" One reporter could be heard above all the others as she trailed the group.

The rest was muddled into the crowds quiet chatter as they stood still, waiting for Monroe to arrive. As we got closer I could see the set up of the glass conference room. Six men and one woman in suits sat around the oblong table patiently. At the head of the table stood an older gentleman with wispy white hair.