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#we literally WATCHED HIM ON THE CAM enter the trap and eat all the food without triggering it
pangur-and-grim · 2 years
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I didn't want to talk about it until the whole horrible thing was over, but Wednesday slipped out an open door last week and (with the help of a motion-activated camera on the porch) we finally got him back last night!
he’s acting so sweet and cuddly today, it’s clear how happy he is to be home and safe inside.
#god though the day it happened was so scary#I've never physically exerted myself to the point where I thought I might fall over before#but we thought he might be hiding under a car so I walked around the neighbourhood  from 8pm to 11:30pm checking under cars#which was sometime a bending/squatting motion if the car was high enough off the ground#and sometimes involved actually lying on the ground if it was a fancy low-rise car#I very quickly grew to loathe the low-rise car#but yeah I still getting back into shape after the 6 month book contract so doing 3 and half hours straight of adrenaline-fuelled squats was#very inadvisable. for three days afterward I had a hard time bending my legs bc of the muscle pain#but like literally did not notice the exertion while it was happening bc I was in 'oh fuck we need to find this cat' mode#we ended up plastering the neighbourhood in signs and pestering all our neighbours#which lead to several texted sightings that let us know he wasnt straying far from the house#so we set up a raccoon trap on the porch that DID NOT WORK#like he kept getting inside and eating all the food without tripping the trap?#so we'd adjust the sensitivity and the same thing would happen 💀 shitty trap#on night 5 we set up a motion activated camera so that we could make sure it was him eating the food#and holy shit. the stress of seeing him on the camera and not being able to open the door and grab him bc we knew he'd run and not come back#we literally WATCHED HIM ON THE CAM enter the trap and eat all the food without triggering it#and then he sat on the steps and groomed his face for 8 minutes straight while we whispered about what to do#eventually when he left the porch and started walking off we decided we could open the door without scaring him#(bc he was far enough away)#and so my housemate did that and started calling his name and opening cans of wet food to make the Good Food Sound#and holy shit. it worked#when we heard him meow back it was such a relief#they were such horrible distressed meows that we thought something had happened to injure him#but I think he was just vocalizing the emotions of being lost for 5 days and finally hearing his owner's voice#it took a few more minutes of coaxing for him to actually enter the house#he was a stray before my housemate took him in so the fear instinct is STRONG#but now today he's been cuddling up to us and letting us hold him for way longer than normal#and like I'm trying not to anthromorphise. but he's clearly so so happy to be back home and with the people he knows
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midoridragonuus · 7 years
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from: [email protected] to: [email protected] cc: maeharamahouji subject: hey
hey gabe can you log into siims? thanks
- Secretary and Head of Divisions, Ellie Schwartz
- x -
from: [email protected] to: [email protected] cc: subject: RE: hey
hey elliepop! u ok??? this doesnt sound like one of ur usual mails dont think ive ever seen u write wo grammar n punctuation also y cc that guy
- gabe bar owner. business guy. stud.
- x -
from: [email protected] to: [email protected] cc: subject: FWD: RE: hey
ellie? gurl whats ^ reply soon i miss u
- gabe bar owner. business guy. stud.
- x -
from: [email protected] to: [email protected] cc: subject: FWD: FWD: RE: hey
ok ok ill be right on dont b mad at me ily
- gabe bar owner. business guy. stud.
- x -
gabe69 has signed into the Schwartz Ind. Internal Messaging System (SIIMS)
gabe69: hello??? anyone here?? woo hoo????
schwartzellie has signed into the Schwartz Ind. Internal Messaging System (SIIMS)
gabe69: ellie! hey honeybuns. ive missed u whats ^
gabe69: ellie?
maeharamahouji has signed into the Schwartz Ind. Internal Messaging System (SIIMS)
gabe69: whats going on here
maeharamahouji has uploaded a file: sserver470.exe
maeharamahouji: hey gabe. can you test this for me? thanks. send me a report when you're done.
gabe69: what
maeharamahouji has signed out of the Schwartz Ind. Internal Messaging System (SIIMS)
gabe69: whats going on
gabe69: ellie cmon what the hell
schwartzellie: Click the file, stupid.
schwartzellie has signed out of the Schwartz Ind. Internal Messaging System (SIIMS)
gabe69: fuck
gabe69 has signed out of the Schwartz Ind. Internal Messaging System (SIIMS)
- x -
> initializing sserver470.exe > protocol and logs will be erased upon exit > "hope it helps. - m."
gabe69 has signed into SSERVER470
gabe69: what is this place?
schwartzellie: Oh thank the Gods.
gabe69: elliepop? what the entire fuck is going on?????
schwartzellie: Look. I couldn't talk to you sooner. I wanted to. I really did. I couldn't... I was afraid to contact you.
gabe69: what? y? whats wrong with me? hon if u didnt want a follow up
schwartzellie: It's not you. It's who's listening. I'm pretty sure my office is bugged. My phone is too. I've had to be really careful with what I say in case it's distorted. I don't know how to explain it better than that.
gabe69: ellie i dont get what ur saying can u start at the top?
schwartzellie: Okay. Okay. Do you remember a few weeks ago when Carlos interrupted our dinner and told me it was an emergency?
gabe69: vaguely. i remember his smug ass ruining a nite w ur beautiful face ♥♥♥
schwartzellie: Right so, I went with him. He was silent through the whole walk to the archives.
gabe69: the archives?
schwartzellie: Yeah. Where we keep files on literally everyone and everything. You know. Contracts. Secret info? Well, we got stopped by security, so I know there's at least one witness out there that knows we entered the archives; that the whole thing really took place.
gabe69: what do u mean "took place" ???
schwartzellie: Shut up and let me type!
gabe69: k
schwartzellie: So we entered, and we walked into the middle of the room. I'm not sure if it was the exact middle or anything, but that's what it felt like neck deep in the rows of file cabinets and servers. Anyway, the archives are heavily guarded. I'm pretty shocked he had clearance but in hindsight, but also? Not really. I told you his files were a fucking mess and his permissions were probably redacted as well.
gabe69: uh huh
schwartzellie: There's cameras all over. Lasers. Devil's traps. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if any flat surface read DNA or heat signatures or something. Schwartz is really out-there about security. I mean, there's less than a handful of people who can get into the archives, and they're 99% accompanied by Schwartz herself.
gabe69: sounds high key
schwartzellie: It is. As far as I know, the only people with permissions to enter the archives are Schwartz, Irkalla, myself, and now... Carlos. It's under such heavy security that two people on shift have to watch it. One physically, and the other in a special cam room somewhere on site. Like... it's really guarded.
gabe69: and u 2 just waltzed in there huh?
schwartzellie: Yeah. And when we got to the middle, he just stood there and wouldn't look me in the eyes. He literally titled his head back and locked eyes with one of the, what I assume was, a camera. Stared into it the whole time we talked.
gabe69: what a fuckin weirdo. whatd he tell u babe?
schwartzellie: I don't.... I don't really remember. I was so weirded out by the whole experience... I remember getting goosebumps. My stomach hurt. I was feeling pretty nauseous and
gabe69: ok but it wasnt my food so
schwartzellie: Oh my Gods, I didn't say it was!
gabe69: just makin sure ;)
schwartzellie: Ugh. But...
gabe69: but?
schwartzellie: I remember staring at him really intense-like. Squinting and trying to figure out what his motive was. What he was saying. Like, his mouth was moving and words were coming out, but my brain couldn't figure out what they were! I even tried to remember later on, but none of the sounds or words I made felt right. I don't even remember leaving, or how I got back to my room... I slept with a diary that night in case I remembered anything in my sleep, but my dreams were blank. When I went to the security office, there was no record of us visiting the archives. And the guy on duty who stopped us outside the door? Gone. Vanished. I asked around and no one knew of anyone who matched that description ever working at SI. No one knew who I was talking about, and by then, his face was too blurry in my memory to ask again. After a few days of frustration, I asked Jade to help me. He reads lips, you know. So I tried to make the same movements I remembered Carlos making with his mouth, but Jade had no idea what I was trying to say. He said it was just gibberish.
gabe69: ellie this is fucking weird
schwartzellie: I know.
gabe69: so what ur telling me is that that dick took u 2 a place w heavy security did some mumbo jumbo magic shit that u cant remember and now ur phones being bugged and a guys missing???
schwartzellie: No, there's more to it than that. I think...
gabe69: ???
schwartzellie: So I tried to do some more digging about him, in hopes that it might.... I don't know... tell me something? Anything? But then more people disappeared.
gabe69: what do u mean? who disappeared?
schwartzellie: I... don't know.
gabe69: then how do u kno theyre gone??
schwartzellie: I have a list of employees on my desk for the monthly newsletter that have left the company. We publish goodbyes every month, but I don't remember any of them on this month's letter ever working here.
gabe69: well SI is a big company! surely a few slip by ur ever watchful eyes. u cant do everything doll
schwartzellie: No, but I sign every employment contract as Schwartz' witness. Even when they're mostly redacted. I've seen every person who enters this company, including business partners in different districts, contracted/affiliated help, and even have the names for people who work FOR our associates. But I don't know any of these names or faces.
gabe69: and ur sure they worked for SI
schwartzellie: The list is from Schwartz. I'm sure of that. But even she's been... off? There's something going on with her too. She won't reply to any non-related business mail.
gabe69: and ur surprised by that of all things?? ms unfeeling not talking about feelings?
schwartzellie: Well, no, but you don't know her, Gabe. It's like she's shutting down.
gabe69: uh huh
schwartzellie: With SI off the table, I told Wendy I had to look up something in Crowley's office, so I shadowed her to work. I wanted to check if maybe the city had those names on file, somewhere. They didn't.
gabe69: and?
schwartzellie: What they did have, though, was a blank space where those names SHOULD be. I don't think the person who was supposed to clean up got rid of the dividers.
gabe69: elliepop this is nuts like wacky pistachi kiddo! people fuck up on putting dividers in. it happens. i sometimes order double my stock on accident
schwartzellie: Okay, one? Wasteful. Two? I know I sound paranoid, okay? I know it. But something's going on. There's more, okay?
gabe69: more?
schwartzellie: Yeah.... After I left Crowley's office, Wendy stopped me on my way out. She asked if I found what I needed, and I told her I did. As she turned around to go back to work, I saw something around the corner. At first I thought it was a shadow. Maybe my eyes playing tricks on me. Shit happens, right? But I know someone was watching me.
gabe69: ellie
schwartzellie: No, listen! So I.... I didn't go straight home. I decided to take the bus, rather than get a cab, just in case. Better safe than sorry, right? And as I was waiting at the bus stop, I felt eyes on the back of my head.
gabe69: ellie....
schwartzellie: Gabe will you shut the fuck up? I know I sound crazy, but just let me finish. Please. You owe me this.
gabe69: ok elliecakes. im sorry :((
schwartzellie: I felt really antsy, rocking back and forth. I knew someone was watching me. I just knew it, okay? So I get on the next bus, not knowing where it was going. If someone was really following me, they probably wouldn't go somewhere random, right? Risk being seen by a lot of people? Turns out the next stop wasn't too far from Karen's, so I got off there. I went in, grabbed a latte, and sat down until my nerves returned to normal. I thought I was also being pretty ridiculous and letting weird events turn me into some sort of conspiracy theorist. Half way through my drink, I looked up and... there was nothing wrong. I didn't feel anyone looking. There were just some random people in there eating breakfast and drinking coffee. I was so relieved. Honestly, I felt so stupid.
gabe69: :( i love ur smarts
schwartzellie: So I paid my bill, and waited for the next bus. I rode back to SI, got off, and felt like a huge idiot for being so nervous. I was home! No reason to feel afraid when we have the best security in the District. I waved to Kat and sat in the lobby for a minute with weak knees. Like, I was just really relieved it was all in my head.
gabe69: that sounds good
schwartzellie: Until
gabe69: o
schwartzellie: I checked my phone for any alerts I might have missed while snooping, or trying to chill in Karen's. A few e-mails, a few texts, and then one weird notif from an iSpy app? But... I never installed anything like that. I checked my apps, but there wasn't one installed on the phone or the SD card. I started to get really freaked again. I mean, iSpy? Of all the alerts that could be the result of some virus or something... So I took the next elevator to the Tech Division. Mahouji was on shift, so I gave him my phone to look at.
gabe69: let me guess he found something
schwartzellie: He sure fucking did. He ran a scan while I was standing right there. The first one didn't pick up anything, but I insisted that there was something on it that I didn't put in there. After another unsuccessful scan, he ran his own with his.... I don't know. Whatever it is he works with. Personal code or program or something? I don't know. But he looked really disturbed. He fiddled with it, then downloaded an iSpy game from the app store.
gabe69: what
schwartzellie: Yeah, I was really confused too. He explained to me that it was probably just an advertisement for a new game that was mass spammed from a link I might have clicked and that, with the actual app in, he was able to turn off the notifications. But that's what he said, not what he showed me.
gabe69: what i dont get it
schwartzellie: While he was telling me all this and pointing my phone at me with his left hand, he pulled some paper and a pencil out of his own desk and wrote on it with his right hand. "Ellie, there's a nasty program on here. I don't know what it is, but I know it's not something anyone should tamper with. I don't even want to try to debug it. It has access to everything, including your cam and mic. Getting rid of the phone will only make whoever's watching suspicious. I recommend playing dumb while I investigate."
gabe69: holy shit
schwartzellie: I... I thanked him and left. I thought that it might just be a huge prank on me, but I don't think he's that kind of guy. I mean, we're not close friends or anything, but of all the people in this company? I think I can trust him.
gabe69: u sure u dont trust him just bc he validates w/e ur thinking is going on
schwartzellie: So you don't believe me?
gabe69: no elliecakes its not that. u kno im always on ur side. i just gotta play devils advocate yea???
schwartzellie: Yeah. Yeah. So.... Like.... I took the phone with me. I tried to keep it pointed away from me unless I had a message. I've been really jumpy and trying not to give too much info away in my emails or texts. I've tried changing my writing to kinda make it seem like it might not be me in case I disappear so people can figure out the dates things went wrong.
gabe69: ellie wtf nothings gonna happen 2 u. not when im around. i promise. u kno that.
schwartzellie: No, but-
gabe69: that y u emailed me the way u did earlier??
schwartzellie: Yeah, I wanted to leave a trail, okay? So anyone else who looked into it could tell something was up and I wasn't just making things up. And I thought that things were finally going back to normal, you know? I wanted things to be less weird, and they were, until earlier today.
gabe69: what happened??
schwartzellie: I was coming back to my office. I was thinking about finally getting back to my social life.
gabe69: so me
schwartzellie: Sure.
gabe69: :( cmon u love me
schwartzellie: Sure.
gabe69: ;*
schwartzellie: And on the way, I saw a guy standing in front of one of the windows in the hall. I didn't recognize him, so I asked him who he was. He didn't answer. I asked again, and still nothing. So I approached him from the side.
gabe69: ellie!
schwartzellie: I know it wasn't the smartest thing. Approaching some rando? But he was weird. Out of place weird. Because I know all of the employees. I know who has access to my floor. And this guy! Was just standing there! Looking out the window! I sent a text to security as a precaution, and then went to tap him on the shoulder. Then I blinked, and the window was broken. Alarms were going off. There was a woman screaming from below. The wind blew my hair out of place! I remember the tears coming down my face at the shock because what the fuck just happened?
gabe69: wtf i dont remember any alarm
schwartzellie: My legs gave out, and after a few seconds, I crawled to the window to look out. I was expecting to see the guy on the pavement below, you know? All bloody and broken and... yeah... But the window was fine.
gabe69: what
schwartzellie: The window! Was fine! It wasn't broken. There was no one below but regular day traffic! I was still on the floor, still with tears, but nothing happened? I checked my phone for the text I sent and it was in my drafts folder, saying "Message failed to send. Try again." I called the security office to ask for video of the hall, and got sent a video where I just walk by the window like nothing happened. Then I come back, sit down, and cry.
gabe69: ellie
schwartzellie: Gabe, please. Please just... I'm almost done.
gabe69: ok
schwartzellie: I called Mahouji and asked him to come pick me up from the hallway. He thought it was weird, because one? He was asleep. Two? We're not friends. Not really. And three? He's def. not security. So he was concerned.
gabe69: yea so am i y didnt u call me babe??
schwartzellie: Because when he got there, I showed him the video and told him that I must have not been paying attention because I was playing my iSpy app. He's smart enough to figure out the hidden meaning there. He asked if I needed to go to see a doctor in case I hurt anything falling down, but I told him that no, I'd be alright, but I did want to see you. Privately.
gabe69: oh hon hon hon baguette
schwartzellie: Can you be serious for one fucking second? Like, this is my life, Gabe!
gabe69: sorry go on
schwartzellie: Again, being the smart man he is,
gabe69: >:|
schwartzellie: he figured out what I meant. Told me that maybe it wouldn't be smart to go see someone if I was dizzy from the fall, and that I should message you instead using his computer.
gabe69: that y i had 2 click that weird file?
schwartzellie: Yeah. It's something he made to delete all records after we're done talking. It's safer that way. Because Gabe? I'm scared.
gabe69: ellie....
schwartzellie: I'm really scared. I don't know what to do now. Mahouji told me to try and back off. To forget the whole thing.
gabe69: suspicious
schwartzellie: No, I think he's really just concerned. He doesn't seem weird? Not like that hallway guy. Not like Carlos. I think he's worried. I think he knows there's something going on but I don't think he knows how weird it is. How twisted it is? There's something going on, Gabe, and it's so big. People are disappearing. Things are happening and not happening at the same time. Schwartz is off. I'm going crazy. There's something going on and someone who's not this deep in needs to know before I don't know anymore. Does that make sense?
gabe69: ellie where r u? u still in the tech div?
schwartzellie has signed out of SSERVER470
gabe69: fuck
gabe69 has signed out of SSERVER470
>initializing shut down of sserver470.exe >initializing self-deletion sequence >del470.exe in progress, authorization m confirm >ERROR >ERROR >ERROR >ERROR >ERROR >ERROR
- x -
from: [email protected] to: [email protected] cc: subject: HEY
um where are u elliepop? wanna get a coffee? nite cap? ;))
- gabe bar owner. business guy. stud.
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from: [email protected] to: [email protected] cc: subject: RE: HEY
Downstairs at the cafeteria. Why? Wanna join? lol
- Secretary and Head of Divisions, Ellie Schwartz
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from: [email protected] to: [email protected] cc: subject: RE: HEY
error
- Secretary and Head of Divisions, Ellie Schwartz
- x -
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