If Nebulous 2.0 was behind the threat, then it could take her weeks without help. She would keep looking for his digital signature, though it could have changed significantly over the years. Still, she should recognize his intrusion.

God, please let it not be Nebulous 2.0.

She hadn’t even considered the possibility until Alex brought it up, though she should have known. After all, Julian probably wouldn’t have been scared enough to warn her otherwise. She continued skimming the results of the queries so far, and nothing snagged her attention.

She was also searching emails for suspicious activity. People really had no idea just how much cybersecurity professionals saw. Or what they could do. Like right now. She started digging into her keycard access. Maybe she could give herself greater access in case she came across a lower level in the building, after all, or other rooms with limited access. But she couldn’t seem to expand the access and permissions on this keycard. Strange. There must be a master keycard.

She’d only been at it for a few hours when the phone at her desk rang. Oh. Was she supposed to answer that? Nora hadn’t given her much in the way of instructions other than to keep her real purpose here to herself. No problem. Finally, the ringing stopped, only to start up again.

Okay, she should answer it then. “Mackenzie here.”

“Can you come to my office?” Nora sounded short.

Great. Just what she hated about any corporate America job. Except she wasn’t actually employed here. She grabbed her iPad to take notes on, opened the door to her fake office, and stepped into the short hall that opened up into the expanse of cubicles. She tried not to make eye contact with any programmers even though she wanted to. After all, any one of them could be the insider. A few programmers huddled around a computer screen at one cubicle. She was invisible. Good. She didn’t need them asking why she, the new girl, got an office of her own with multiple monitors. She made a beeline for the stairwell at the end of the hallway. After last night’s experience in the elevators, she wanted to make sure she wouldn’t be caught again in the small dark space between floors.

On the first floor, she noticed someone exiting an office that was actually a hallway and then caught sight of another stairwell at the end of that hallway. And another set of elevators.

Bingo.

What she’d been looking for last night.

Okay, Nora, you’ll have to wait.

Mackenzie entered the doors unnoticed. Though she had no intention of taking this set of elevators, which were disconnected from the main elevators, they reminded her of her words to her sister.

“Are you sure you don’t have some lower level in the building where you’re conducting all sorts of mad scientist experiments?”