INT. OBCO MEETING ROOM – DAY

Four people sit around a conference table. VERA, an unkempt beauty, leans way back in her chair and stares at CARL with resigned disbelief and no small measure of agitation. ALAN, an old soldier and senior to all present by some 20 years, surveys the group with expressionless, distant calm. VILLE is a young computer programmer, a geek, a lanky, bespectacled blonde in need of a shower, and he is not at ease in the presence of his superiors. Carl, equal parts prim professor and puppy-footed boy, leans forward toward Ville bearing the weight of his importance as inquisitor.

CARL
(Enunciating with care; holding a print-out.)

The personnel security traffic report from yesterday indicates that you coded out to the balcony at 1400 hours, 36 minutes and that you later coded out for the day at 1900 hours, 56 minutes.

VILLE
(Not sure where the line of questioning is going.)

Hunh...?

CARL

Did you leave the door open or not?

VILLE
(Still uncertain.)

Um, you can't leave the door open when you leave the building.

CARL
(Looking with an “I told you so” face at Vera and Alan.)

The balcony door Ville. Bal. Con. Eee. I don't know how you do it in Sweden.

VILLE

Finland.

CARL
(Ever polite but so superior.)

Finland. Yes. Fine. I don't know how you do it in Finland, but here in America, in California...

VERA
(Cuts off Carl; exasperated. Russian accent.)

Carl, he went out for a smoke.

CARL
(Disgusted and suffering the insufferable.)

Nicotine is no excuse for a company wide security breach.

ALAN

Ville, thanks for you time. Would you excuse us for now that Carl has made us aware of the situation?

VILLE
(Now he understands the point of the meeting.)

Uh. Ok. Sorry. Sorry sir. It won't happen again. I was concentrating so hard on the Bluetooth frequency hogging bug that I wasn't thinking. The solution just hit me, and I went in to fix it straight away.

ALAN
(Comforting Ville and nodding him out of the room.)

Yes, yes. Good work yesterday Ville. I saw the fix sheet. Thank you. We'll discuss it later.

Ville shuffles out of the room. Alan, posture erect and alert, moves his clear eyes carefully from Carl to Vera and back, and breathes in to speak.

VERA
(Before Alan can say a word. Voice raised.)

Jesus Carl! You can NOT fire him. It was a cigarette. Dammit. Didn't you hear? He fixed the Bluetooth frequency hogging bug. We've been trying to fix that bug for months. You finally get me a programmer who can code his way out of a corner. You bring him over from fucking Finland, a zillion miles away. He has been here three weeks and he fixes a major bug. Our MOST MAJOR bug.

CARL
(Right back in Vera's face; voice ascends in pitch.)

Maybe you don't remember 9-11? We are a nationwide logistical systems company. We are responsible for the effective transporation and delivery of two-third's of the goods coming out of southern California's ports. We have state and federal government contracts with MAXIMUM security obligations. We are held to the highest standards. The American people are counting on us...

ALAN
(Conciliatory; mediating.)

Vera. Carl. Hold up.1 Back down a bit you two. Carl has a valid point. A security breach is a security breach. Personnel presence must be accounted for at all times. Carl, you are head of security protocol enforcement for this company. Firing Ville is your prerogative, but is it necessary to go that far? It took a lot for us to get Ville here. He's young, but he's good, and he will be very hard to replace.

CARL
(Nods forcefully.)

Absolutely sir. No exceptions allowed.

VERA
(Shakes her head in disgust.)