The Audited Premises
An independent forensic systems analyst is called to Sterling Tower following the discovery of a deceased division director at the base of a service elevator shaft. The initial report notes a severed safety lanyard and a scene under tight corporate security. The investigation must reconcile the building's multiple, conflicting internal logs and the personal accounts of several executives and staff present during the critical period.
Initial Crime Scene
The first breath inside Sterling Tower is sterile, chilled air that carries the faint, electric tang of ozone and warm circuitry. Overhead, a bank of fluorescent tubes hums with a constant, flat drone. The primary visual field is dominated by three elements: the glossy, off-white surface of a carbon-copy access log sheet sitting in a printer tray, the grainy, blue-tinged glow of a bank of VHS surveillance monitors, and the brushed steel face of a keycard swipe terminal, its magnetic stripe reader housing clouded with a fine layer of dust.
Crime Scene Environment
The environment is a strictly controlled, late-1990s corporate enclave. Lighting is uniformly fluorescent, casting a flat, shadowless illumination that eliminates texture and creates high-contrast glare on polished surfaces. The air is dry and temperature-controlled to a consistent chill, maintained by humming ventilation systems. Acoustic density is low but persistent, composed of the hum of electronics, the distant whir of pneumatic tubes, and the muted echo of footsteps on polished concrete or thin carpet, creating a hushed, transactional atmosphere.
Investigation Constraints
Late 1990s corporate tech: proprietary mainframe email systems (XMail), early digital keycard access logs (magnetic strip), pneumatic tube message delivery, closed-circuit surveillance tapes (VHS), electronic time-stamp machines, and basic networked accounting software. No internet, no smartphones. Communication is via landline, internal memo, or fax.
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