The janitor was only called in to clean after 8 pm when the scientists were done with their testing and home. As she had been working there for several years, she had clearance to clean the rooms requiring high access. This came with a pay raise and a stricter non-disclosure agreement. The happenings of the lab did not concern her very much as she knew the Director of the company was a decent fellow. She had been screened by him at some point during her admission into the company.

Life had not been as kind as it could have been to her. The early loss of her husband had left her with little financial support, resulting in trouble making ends meet. That is until she was promoted as a trusted janitor. The boost in pay secured her budget and would most likely enable her to retire before she could no longer work.

Personality-wise, she was a perfectly considerate human being who rarely lost her temper. On the other hand, she was rather numb in the sympathetic part after losing her husband. These two parts of her personality were part of the reason she was promoted. Besides her ability to clean thoroughly and quickly, of course.

The people in charge were very careful about these promotions. They had to be. The subject of their work was very precious in their eyes. No harm would befall it. This specific way of requiring certain personalities per job allowed their work to remain free of corruption. Every person was carefully selected based on personality and work. It was often hard finding the right people for the jobs, but they also offered very good classes in English, so they could often hire foreigners to become part of their company. 

The janitor waved to the camera to say hello to the security guards. They were a perceptive and alert group, and not only had to watch over the complete facility but also the scientists' apartment complex. The janitor liked to wave to them once in a while because she wrongfully assumed they would lose focus, so she waved as a common courtesy of a work zone. She swiped her security card backwards in the nearly invisible slot between the door frame and the wall. After the locks clicked apart, she opened the door.

The fluorescent lights were already on as she passed into Test Room 02. The cleaning cart was rolled in too and settled near the wall. She checked that she had her gloves before starting. They were on and she was about to start, but she paused. Something felt... different.

She immediately froze and searched for the discontinuity. The tables, lab benches, chairs, and cabinets were all in place. As always, nothing had been accidentally left out, everything safely locked away. The room seemed to be as it always was, matching her memories perfectly. The door on the other side was closed and still locked close. The floor had the expected dirt from shoes, but nothing else like stains or broken glass. What was it? She was supposed to notify someone of whatever it was, even if it was only her gut feelings, but felt she should pinpoint it first. She took a deep breath through her nose in an attempt to focus. As she left it out, her eyes widened slightly.

There was a sweet smell lingering slightly in the air. The aroma was light and fluffy. Vanilla, something fruity, and something unique swirled into a calming scent. No perfumes or fragrances were worn by employees and any smell of shampoo or body wash would certainly have dissipated by then as a courtesy of the ventilation. With her answer, she quickly reached out and pushed the button on the wall. It went to the security guards and also to the offices of head doctors.

"There is a sweet aroma in Test Room 02. Nothing else is amiss. I noticed it due to a gut reaction of something being different." She stated calmly, not sure whether it was enough to cause worry about keeping her elevated status as a trusted janitor. She had followed all the protocols so far and would follow anymore given, so she doubted any consequence would face her.

"Please stay in the room Janitor Kline. Do not leave the room. The call will remain open. Tell us anything else you notice that is odd and follow all further instructions." One of the security guards replied in a strict tone.

She responded back an acknowledgment of the directions with a quick "yes, sir." The janitor preceded to settle herself against the wall next to the cleaning cart to remain out of the way but to still be close to the transmitter. She was not too startled as the lab followed many precautions and the directions made perfect sense; she had expected as much. What she did not expect were the lights dimming slightly three times before returning to normal as an announcement was made.

"Code 72, I repeat, Code 72. Elite personnel act on planned procedures and instructions over radio. All general personnel should remain out of the way where you are and follow pre-directed procedures." A low chime marked the end of the announcement.

For Code 72, she was to not engage with anyone unless asked directly to do something by the elite personnel. It was the same instructions the general personnel followed for Codes 40-75, but she assumed each code was titled to quickly tell the elite personnel what happened. Elite personnel was mainly made of doctors, scientists, and guards whereas general personnel were mostly janitors and lab assistants.

The guards were easily heard roaming the halls at a faster than normal pace. Some came in Test Room 02 while others entered the other rooms connected to the hall. She was asked a few questions which she responded to with precision to not waste time. Then, the guards guided her out of the room and to the scientists and doctors' lounge in the next hallway. Probably to ensure she did not have access to anything in the test room, despite the locks. The door locked behind the guards, but she knew if she absolutely had to leave, she could ask through the transmitter.

Nothing else of significance was learned by the janitor for the rest of the night. She was extremely bored after a while of waiting. Her thoughts slightly drifted back to the pleasant aroma multiple times, but she began to think less of it as her mind instead focused on different matters such as the footsteps in the hall and what she would do when she was able to go home. 

The Code was changed to Code 74, but her directions remained the same. Long after her normal work hours had ended, the code finally changed again to Code 15. She was allowed to leave after being questioned by a guard. A scientist also briefly questioned her on the smell, but she could only remember it as sweet by that time.

In the end, she did not give much thought to the incident once she learned she would keep her elevated status and she was paid for the overtime despite not cleaning anything. It would probably have crossed her mind more if she knew what the codes meant.