The White Space. Chapter 13. The Test
Their cautious neighbor came up with an idea for how to test it.
— We could print a colored object, — he said. — Leave it where she'll find it and see what she does.
He paused for a moment, as if considering his own words.
— No one who truly supports the system would even touch something like that. Katrin — that's her name — would either walk past it or call the Purification Service. But if she really longs for warmth... for something different in this world... she'll definitely take it.
— Great idea, — Sirius and Kai said almost in unison.
— It could actually work, — Sirius added.
They began discussing what kind of object it should be. There were plenty of suggestions: desk lamps, colorful accessories, small decorative items. But Sirius wanted something more, something symbolic.
— I can scan the sculpture I have at home, — he said. — Scale it down a little. Make it out of metal so it doesn't stand out as much. And make the teardrop on its face colorful.
The boy immediately picked up the idea.
— And put a light inside that teardrop. Make it glow with color.
Sirius nodded approvingly.
— That would be very symbolic... A small warm light.
He got to work. Deep down, he felt slightly uneasy. It was as if he were turning that pleasant woman's artwork into a forbidden object. But then he remembered the look in her eyes. That same rebellious spark when she suggested a way to smuggle the sculpture out of the Colored World.
— Besides... a story adds value to art, — he quietly said to himself, recalling her words, and allowed himself a faint smile.
At first, they had planned to place the sculpture in her personal locker at work. But they soon abandoned the idea. Bringing a forbidden object into the factory was far too dangerous. Besides, she would immediately realize it had been planted specifically for her. It would look more like a Ministry inspection than a chance discovery. So they decided to do it differently. The sculpture had to lie as if it had been accidentally lost or thrown away, and in a place with no unnecessary eyes. Except for theirs.
After long discussions, they decided to leave it in the lobby of her apartment building, almost right next to the elevator exit. Not in the most visible spot, but so she would definitely notice it. On the windowsill of one of the windows. The place was almost perfect — one section of the window was covered with a white panel, making the space slightly darker and less noticeable. On the other side, near the elevator, there was a wall panel. Sirius slightly modified it. He created a small hidden compartment for a phone and left a tiny opening for the camera. This way, they could see everything that was happening without exposing themselves. In addition, Marcus had guest access, since he had spoken with the woman and had visited her a couple of times.
The plan was simple. Sirius and Kai would sit in a car nearby, watching the live stream through their glasses. When they saw the woman returning from work, they would send Marcus a message, and he would quickly place the sculpture on the windowsill. After that, he would go up the stairs to the next floor and wait for further instructions. They had thought through every detail, so everything had to go smoothly.
On the day of the test, Sirius, Kai, and Marcus were sitting in a car parked near the woman's building. Her tram was about to arrive. As soon as the white minimalist tram appeared on the street, Marcus stepped out of the car and headed into the building. Sirius turned on the camera feed in his glasses. A few seconds later, Marcus appeared in view. He quickly looked around, pulled the sculpture from under his coat, and placed it on the windowsill. One moment later, he disappeared from the camera's field.
Meanwhile, the tram stopped. The woman stepped out. White coat, white shoes, light hair — she looked no different from anyone else. The critical moment was approaching. But at that exact second, Sirius saw another figure appear at the far end of the corridor through the camera. A man. He was slowly approaching the elevator area. The outlines became clearer, and suddenly Sirius saw familiar glasses. He could not mistake them for anything else. A police officer.
— Tell your uncle to get out of there as quickly as possible, — he said quietly to his nephew.
A second later, Kai was already sending the message. Meanwhile, the officer was walking directly toward the window where the sculpture stood. There was a chance he wouldn't notice it. It was placed in the opposite corner of the windowsill, but he might still see it. A few more steps — and the officer was at the window. He stopped, turned his head, and looked outside. At Katrin, who was just walking toward the building. If he turned his head only slightly to the left, he would definitely see the sculpture. Meanwhile, Kai was telling the uncle to stay on the stairs for now.
The officer turned back toward the elevator, but suddenly stopped again. He looked down and crouched to tie his shoelace. Time seemed to stop. Everything moved slowly, unbearably slowly. Anxiety filled Sirius’s entire body. The woman had already entered the building. If she met the officer, she would definitely not take the sculpture.
Finally, the officer stood up and walked toward the elevator. He was no longer visible on camera, but Sirius could hear his breathing through the glasses' speaker. A signal sounded. The elevator opened. Only one set of footsteps could be heard. So the woman either took another elevator or was still downstairs. The doors closed, and a second later opened again.
The main character heard footsteps. Different this time. The soft clicking of women's heels. Relief washed over him. The woman entered the camera's field of view, turned left, and approached the windowsill. She stopped, looked around. No one. Then she curiously looked at the sculpture and reached out her hand. The moment her fingers touched the metal, a sensor activated, and the teardrop on the sculpture's face softly lit up with an azure glow.
The woman quickly pulled her hand back, looked around the corridor again, and listened. No one was there. Only Sirius was watching her through a tiny camera lens, sitting in his car. His pulse was pounding in his temples. She touched the sculpture again. The light went out. For a moment she hesitated, and then she picked up the sculpture and hid it under her coat. With it, she continued down the corridor.
Sirius exhaled deeply. Most likely, their team would soon gain another member. They waited a little longer until the police officer came out to the parking lot. He carefully looked at the parked cars. For a moment, his gaze lingered on Sirius's car. Too long. But then he turned away and walked toward the far end of the parking lot. A minute later, a police vehicle drove off and disappeared around the corner.
Kai exhaled and said into the earpiece:
— Come out.