“Please read your Installation ID, a 54-digit number, block by block.”

Then his phone buzzed. Mrs. Gupta: “Is Word working yet?”

The entire law firm’s document system was locked. Thirty lawyers, a dozen paralegals, and a screaming managing partner named Mrs. Gupta, who had just reminded him that “billable hours don’t stop for Microsoft.”

Then, a click. A human voice. Tired. Eastern European accent.

He pressed 3.