Characters:
MAYA (20s): A sharp, determined programmer. She's dressed for comfort.
ALAN (50s): A security guard, bored, with an authoritative manner.
Setting:
The lobby of a sleek, modern tech office building late at night. The main doors are locked. A security desk is well-lit.
(ALAN is behind the desk, watching a small TV with static on it. MAYA approaches the locked glass entrance doors from the inside, her laptop bag slung over her shoulder. She tries her key card; the light flashes red.)
MAYA: (To herself, frustrated) Come on!
(She walks to the security desk, tapping her card on the glass partition.)
MAYA: Mr. Security Man? My card's not working.
(Alan slowly turns off the TV and looks up, unimpressed.)
ALAN: Name?
MAYA: Maya. Maya Sharma. I’m in engineering.
ALAN: Ah, the night shift coders. Always causing trouble. (He checks a list) Sharma, Maya. Your access was revoked at 6:00 PM.
MAYA: Revoked? That’s impossible. I have a deadline. The whole project goes live at dawn.
ALAN: (Shrugs) Company policy. When the bosses leave, the building locks down. Anyone inside is an unauthorized presence after 6 PM.
MAYA: But I was here before 6 PM! I’m still working! I just need to get out to grab a coffee and come straight back in.
ALAN: Policy is policy. You’re in, you stay in. If you leave, you don’t come back until 8 AM.
(Maya stares at him, incredulous. She looks at the bright city lights visible through the glass doors.)
MAYA: Are you serious? I can’t leave?
ALAN: Serious as a heart attack. You want coffee, there’s a machine in the break room that tastes like battery acid.
MAYA: Listen, Alan—
ALAN: Mr. Sanders.
MAYA: Mr. Sanders. The "Synapse" project is due. It’s huge. It’s for the CEO. I just need five minutes outside.
ALAN: (Leans back in his chair, folding his arms) 'Synapse', eh? Heard about that. Big deal. Big security risk, too. That’s why I'm here. To make sure no one compromises the system.
MAYA: (She points frantically at her laptop) I am the system right now!
MAYA: (A sudden idea strikes her. She puts her bag down and opens her laptop.) Okay. You have a little security problem. If I can't get out, that means the system is flawed, right? A bug. A security vulnerability.
ALAN: The system works perfectly. The card flashes red, you stay put. Simple.
MAYA: (Typing rapidly) Oh yeah? Let’s test that. (She connects a cable from her laptop to a port on the wall near the desk.) What’s the Wi-Fi password for the guest network?
ALAN: can’t give you that!
MAYA: Doesn’t matter, I’m spoofing a MAC address. Okay. Now... your computer. Is that Windows XP? Seriously?
ALAN: It’s reliable!
MAYA: I’m going to bypass the lobby lock. If your system is so great, you should stop me.
(Alan looks nervous now, leaning forward.)
ALAN: You can't hack the physical door lock from my desk computer! That's a different subnet!
(A silence. Maya stops typing and looks up at him.)
MAYA: How do you know that?
(Alan realizes his mistake. He stiffens, adjusting his collar.)
ALAN: I'm the security guard. I know things.
MAYA: (Smiling now, typing even faster) No, you know network infrastructure. You're not just a guard, are you, Alan?
ALAN: My name is Alan Sanders, security specialist.
MAYA: (Her eyes light up) I bet you were the original architect for this entire building's security system twenty years ago, and they pensioned you off to the front desk when the new boss came in with his fancy 'cloud security' nonsense.
ALAN: (Scoffs, but it's weak) That's ridiculous.
(A loud BEEP. The main doors unlock. Maya triumphantly closes her laptop.)
MAYA: You just gave me enough information to override the system using a basic injection. You know your system intimately.
ALAN: (Sighs, shakes his head) Fine. Go get your coffee.
MAYA: Want one?
ALAN: (He looks at his static-filled TV) Only if it's black, strong, and not from the break room machine.
MAYA: Be right back. And Alan? Your system is brilliant. It just needs a little update.
(Maya walks out the door. The sound of a fresh coffee machine kicks in somewhere.)
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