"Hmm, catch them in the act? I haven't run any scans within our own system to check for any breaches… It's a long shot, but I might as well try."
Roland set off some software he'd made to check for any intruders in the system. He was immensely proud of this software, but he rarely had a chance to put it to use.
Usually, the company's systems would be scanned once a week to ensure their security was airtight. As a software company, any breaches in their firewall would be embarrassing. The software the scheduled scan used was one of their own products, something based off the software Roland had just started up.
However, Graycastle's software was a watered-down version of his own; Roland's version was the real deal. Roland's version of the software was highly invasive and required a lot of computer power. Very few people had systems with enough power to run it, and the invasiveness of the software scared away those who did.
As such, the version of the software on the market was much less effective. However, that was still enough for the average Joe, which was why they marketed it as personal or home software, rather than business or industrial software as he had originally intended.
Due to the vastness and complexity of Graycastle's system, the software approximated that it would not be finished until the following morning.
"Ah, well, I guess I'll go home now. I don't expect this to work, but it does no harm to run it overnight; no one's systems will be affected."
It goes without saying that any software with such high requirements would be a colossal drain on the system's resources; other users would undoubtedly be affected. However, at night, only some basic, necessary systems would be kept on, meaning he could run the scan without worry.
…
The Gilen mansion was eerily quiet for a house with a young child in it.
The dark, mahogany furnishings had been decorated in a bid to brighten up the rooms. Toys were present throughout the building, making the mansion seem more like a daycare center than a high-end personal residence.
In the living room, Veronica sat in silence as she watched Maggie, who was sitting on the couch opposite her.
Veronica, better than anyone, understood that this young, fragile girl wanted time and space. This child's world had been torn apart, and in her mind, no one else could possibly understand the pain. The condolences, the sympathy, the attempts to get through to her, all of that was pointless because they didn't understand.
Of course, Veronica truly did understand, but it was hard to convince someone else of that.
Before she attempted to convince her, Veronica was trying to win Maggie's favor, or rather, she was trying to buy Maggie's favor.
"Maggie, we have some ice-cream here, would you like some?"
"Goo." A timid, quiet goo.
It had taken a while, but Veronica reckoned she had a good understanding of Maggie's goos.
"That was a yes mixed with a thank you, correct?" she asked as she placed the bowl before Maggie.