"Wrong extension," the man repeated. Had I really ended up talking to another machine?

"Why didn't you disconnect the call?" I asked. "When you realized that I had the wrong extension? Please, if you have anything, a number, an address: something that can help me get more information about this company - besides the stuff that the media's circulating - I could really use your help."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, and then he did disconnect the call. The static click of the line dropping was a terrible sound.

What was Department 809? I tried the number again, attempting multiple variations of 809 as an extension, but to no avail.

₊err-01. INVALID EXTENSION
₊err-02. INVALID EXTENSION
₊err-03. INVALID EXTENSION

That quickly became frustrating, and I started to lose focus, so I left the house, walking to a nearby coffee bar.