by VK Fourstone
“He watches TV all the time, plays sports in the evening, when his nanny tells him to.”
“He is a vegetarian now. That’s in the contract too. He has everything he needs and he is happy with everything.”
“A kind of happy bus driver. Riding along the same route all day and delighting in life.”
“At first I tried so many times to shake him out of it. Looked through our school photo albums with him, remembered adventures we had together. He remembers everything. ‘Those were great times,’ he says. ‘I’ve changed now,’ he says, ‘and I like different things.’”
“I hate the stinking Einsteiner. And I started hating Pascal too. We were like brothers, and Vicky was like a sister to both of us. I trusted him like I trust myself. And his indifference now is like a knife in my heart.”
“A long, long time ago, when we were students, there was this incident when we went swimming in a storm, and he started drowning. I dragged him out. I would never dreamt of deriding him for it, but I did remind him about that incident when I asked for the money for Vicky. And he still refused. I hate him for it. Veggie or not, downloading his energy was his own decision and he basically told us all to go to hell.”
“So you’ve succeeded in making me waste several minutes of my life on listening about this worthless idiot,” Bikie responded, but the sympathy in his voice was clear.
“Losing creativity made him like that, and when the professor pumps his OE back, who knows what will happen?”
“That professor has some brain!” said Bikie, changing the subject. “He really radiates charisma. A real predator! He seems like an ordinary middle aged guy who’s getting on a bit, with this strange expression on his face. Drinks his coffee, puffs on his cigar. But when you think of that juggernaut he blitzed us all with, it’s terrifying!”
Isaac understood what he meant. It always feels a bit strange when someone you have only known by reputation simply talks to you, accepts you as being no fool, someone worth talking to, even working with. Especially such a behemoth of science! Associating with someone like that sets you on the next step up in your life. You are not the old you any longer, you are new, updated, on a different level.
It’s especially flattering if that person is a genius who has made his mark in the history of mankind. The name Jeremy Link was inscribed in the annals of the age to which he belonged. The generations to come would undoubtedly venerate his greatness, study his life in school, and name streets, buildings and stars after him. He was a living legend who had put the world on its head. Isaac’s head started to spin at the thought of Link becoming a member of his team. Just imagine!
Finally the border of France and Italy. Monaco is just twenty kilometers away. After passing the border, Isaac remembered his promise to call the police upon his arrival.
“Hey, Bikie, I didn’t want to mention it in front of Link, and then it slipped my mind. I got a call from the police about that old incident. Some commissioner Pellegrini, who emphatically requested me to contact him when I get home.”
“You were right not to tell Link. The old fogey would have shit himself. What was it they wanted?”
“I don’t know, nothing special. Just, call us when you get here.”
“Well, that doesn’t mean a thing. Why would they scare you ahead of time? What have they got on you?”
Isaac related the events of that day blow by blow, recalling all the details he could. Of interest was the only fact that when he was at the police station, the terrorist gave him a computer board. Nobody but him, and the terrorist behind bars could know about this. “So no one knows the board’s decision went your way?”
“Nope. That crazy Elvis-guy isn’t likely to have told anyone. Again, in their eyes he’s just an ordinary madman.”
“OK, I’ll think about it. So far I don’t see any problems, to be honest. I was surprised how easy it was to copy the lists onto the computer. Usually information like that is kept on the server or in the cloud. The guy in the office who copied it onto his computer is a common idiot. He either won’t remember what was there, or just to be on the safe side he won’t admit he kept the lists on his own machine instead of on a protected server. I found all sorts of other trash on that card, terabytes of files and folders. The absolute mess some folks have on their computers is worse than the history of the Middle Ages.”
His friend's reasoning reassured Isaac. Nothing terrible could happen.
Isaac asked Bikie to drop him off near the hospital, thus, he immediately went to Vicky, to make sure her condition did not change, it was stable. He felt relieved, well, that she didn't get worse while he was gone. To solve the question of money there remained a whole month.
Previously he had been thinking all the time about her surgery and the money he didn’t have. Now his head was more occupied with Link and Michelle. It came to his mind that it was cowardice on his part to be glad that everything was still the same that Vicky had not gotten worse.
He sat down by her bed, the sensor measuring her pulse rate chirped quietly. The transparent mask over her mouth and nose made it hard for Isaac to imagine that she was simply asleep. Isaac realized how badly he missed her. He took Vicky’s hand and started talking to her quietly.
He told her that as he was finishing the work on his invention, he didn't have enough time to sell or even to patent it. She urgently needed an operation, and to pay, he had to go and download his creativity. There was no other way. The Agency Collective Mind massively buys the orange energy responsible for creativity, making it the most popular resource in the world, contributing to Einsteiner, leaving people little chance to break through. They flooded the world with first class technology, negating the efforts of individuals, making them not competitive. But he lucked out at the receiving station and everything fell through because of the religious fanatic under the guise of a donor who staged an attack. He furiously crushed the Central computer, calling it the "heart of the devil". When the Police arrived, they took Isaac for a partner and took him in together with the terrorist.
In prison, the terrorist introduced himself as Elvis and handed him a piece of the computer board. Isaac was still shocked and confused, so he took it. When he realized what he had done, he was terribly frightened, but couldn't throw the board anywhere. Fortunately, his innocence was quickly proved, and he was released without getting searched, so everything was okay. It turned out the board contained a memory card with lists of those who downloaded their creativity, those who did not pass, and other different tables and ratings. There, among those whose orange energy was not downloaded, was Professor Link; it led him to think that he's still alive.
There Isaac found Bikie. They met and befriended. In social networks he openly criticized donors who gave away their creativeness, he only called them veggie and berated the Agency. Overall, the right candidate. Together with him I made a plan to find the Professor and open his eyes to what is happening. Along with Bikie he persuaded Peter Wolanski to help. He offered his house at their disposal. Peter is chill, nice guy. Just that he is young, I think he's scared. Isaac was telling Vicky about Bikie's jokes, about how funny Peter can be, how he lives in the new house. It seemed like his sister listened carefully.
Isaac told her about the travel, including to Sardinia. About how they found the Professor, met this unique man and opened his eyes. He created Einsteiner, and can attempt to stop the vicious system, which exploits the talents of ordinary people as just the firewood in the furnace of the power of the computer. Despite all its great achievements and discoveries, it gives rise to a generation of dummies. Isaac told her everything as if she could listen to him. Apart from one single thing – that he’d had a hallucination, a moment when he thought of Vicky as not his sister, but as a coveted girlfriend. That absurd delusion was completely gone by now, thanks to Michelle. He told his little sister about his new relationship too.
Isaac, as he finished talking, felt relieved, he kissed his sister and went to Michelle's house. S
he left his calls unanswered, and hasn't even read his texts. In order to join her trip to Miami, Isaac was late by at least two days, though he already decided to tell her everything, as he was sure that Michelle will understand.
Concierge recognized him, and although he wasn't allowed to do that, he said that Madame Blanche left a few days ago with two large suitcases.
What happens with a loving heart in love when receiving dismissal is impossible to describe. In Isaac's enamored soul was a mixture of love, despair, remorse, and resentment. It was so unfair! She didn't even want to hear him out, and he could explain everything! On the bright side, he found Link; however, the downside was exactly matching up the upside as Michelle left Isaac.
In such depressed state, he still had to make the one phone call to Commissioner Pellegrini. He felt no fear, he didn't care.
The Commissioner, who was going to finally return to Paris, was surprised to see Isaac Leroy's number popping up on his phone. He has already closed this case that promised to be good but, in the end, turned to be nothing worthwhile. He remembered how he scared the young man in vain and felt embarrassed. Though he answered the second call.
“Hello. Are you already back in Monaco?” He was trying to sound friendly to mitigate the guilt.
“Hello. Yes, I'm back,” Isaac's voice sounded depressed.
“You did something wrong?” asked Pellegrini.
“No. Got seasick on the ferry from Sardinia. The sea was stormy. Then the road again. Just tired. Unable to visit you.”
"Sardinia?” the Commissioner felt struck. Memory didn't fail him, he quickly looked at his notes and saw that Isaac, in a telephone conversation, said that he was in Spain!"
“I’ll expect you tomorrow at eleven. Don’t be late,” Pellegrini chose the place of meeting, and again being upset with the conflict in his schedule, cancelled his flight to Paris.
Then Pellegrini called Grace Kelly Hospital. Pellegrini had learned that Monsieur Leroy had come to visit his sister. In the most polite tone that he could muster, Pellegrini asked them to always call him in the future when Isaac shows up and also, if he does not come alone, to take a note of the names of the people with him.
In the evening, Isaac and Bikie discussed the summons to the police, but came to the conclusion that if Isaac insisted that he hadn’t been given anything – and no one could prove he had – there wasn’t any particular problem, they thought. He could go with a lawyer, but that would arouse the police’s suspicions of something shady. They decided that Isaac would go alone, but just to be on the safe side Bikie promised to clean up the computers and erase all traces of the lists including the results of the search and other indirect evidence.
The interest from the police had to be snuffed out before it took hold. The last thing they needed was for the police to decide to visit Isaac at home, with Link just about to arrive.
3
The commissioner asked various questions, seemingly innocent. To most of them Isaac had the answers ready.
“Have you remembered anything after the terrorist attack that you didn’t mention before?”
“No, nothing.”
“Have you suffered any post-traumatic syndrome?”
“No, I’m fine, thanks.”
“Any nightmares?”
“No, they don’t bother me.”
“Where are you staying now?”
“At Peter Wolanski’s villa.”
“Just taking it easy at Wolanski’s place?”
“Working.”
“What do you?”
“Security, we keep an eye on the house, the pool, the lawn.”
“Who with?”
“Bikie, just a friend. We work together.”
“Have you known him for long?”
“No, we met at the job.”
“How did you find the job with Wolanski?”
“From an ad.”
“Who do you spend time with?”
“No one in particular.”
“Where did you go to?”
“To Spain, to Ibiza. To see a friend.”
“What’s the friend’s name?”
“Alfredo.”
“Does he have a surname?”
“Yes, of course. Martinez.”
“It must be a nice place.”
“For a break, not for working. Of course it’s nice.”
“Did you talk to Elvis?” suddenly said the commissioner, changing his tone abruptly.
“Who is Elvis? That schizo?’
“Yes. The terrorist. You were in the same cell for several hours. Did you talk on that day?”
“My head was killing me. Your idiots – sorry for that – clouted me so hard I got concussion.”
“You mean to tell me you didn’t say anything at all to each other?”
“He muttered something. The screwy freak but I didn’t listen to him. I just wanted him to shut up quick.”
“Did he give you anything at all?”
“No, he didn’t.”
“Maybe he did and you don’t remember?”
“How could I not remember? I came home afterwards. They gave me back my things. If he’d given me anything while I was out of it, I would have found it afterwards for sure.”
“You, I heard, found the money for your sister's surgery?”
“I hope. My employer Peter Wolanski is a rich heir. One of his bankers promised to consider a loan application for my invention. It is a portable device against rain. Something like electro-umbrella.”
“I don’t have any more questions. On behalf of the police, I apologize for the incident once again. I hope you’re well already and your sister recovers. Here’s my card and if you remember anything, call me.”
Isaac left the police station in an excellent mood, thinking the devil wasn’t as black as he was painted. He went into a café two blocks away, where Bikie was waiting, told him everything in brief and handed over Pellegrini’s card. Bikie decided to look up just who this commissioner was.
Isaac said goodbye until the evening and set out for a stroll. He called Michelle’s number but she didn’t reply.
Pellegrini successfully lulled Isaac, he didn't want to frighten him prematurely. First, he wanted to follow him, to understand who were Bikie and Peter Wolanski. The game must be observed to find out where he goes, what he does, where he feeds. And he needed to see if his future victim is alone or there may be a whole flock.
That same evening he was convinced that the suspect lives there, where he said he lives. There lived Bikie, also known as Laurent-Marie Afr. None of them appeared on any crime report. Bikie's father in the past was repeatedly arrested, in the end, got imprisoned and forced to get downloaded. His potential role was not clear, according to tax returns, hired by owner Peter Wolanski on the same day, and this was after the attack. Nothing suspicious at a first glance. But to jump to conclusions fast is also not wise, so he wanted to watch them closely to see what will happen next. Let them, as they think, off the hook. The Commissioner decided to return to Paris and tap Isaac's and Bikie's phones as well as the lines at the Villa for two weeks. You never know what turns up.
4
To the day of arrival of the Professor Isaac carefully prepared his guest room, believing that Link will come with an assistant. He checked if the room has all they need for their comfort. He himself moved to Bikie's. “I don’t understand why you haven’t put their beds together,” said Bikie, glancing into the room Isaac was getting ready for Link.
“Why don’t you shut up, stop making vulgar little jokes and help…”
Professor happily observed the territory, and tramped straight across the lawn and disappeared through the glass doors of the main building.
The professor settled into Wolanski’s master bedroom and sent his assistant to the guest room. Isaac tried to protest, saying that Peter, the owner of the house, had asked them not to occupy his room, but the professor ignored these comments.
“Just say you’re upset because th
e idea didn’t occur to you first. When Peter comes, I’ll settle everything with him if necessary,” said Link.
“Professor, it’s an intrusion into his personal space!”
“Isaac, I’m an old man, I cannot sleep in a room with a bad view. I would be tossing and turning all night long, thinking about how I could have settled in more comfortably. It is bad for my nervous system. Why don’t you just find me a set of fresh towels?”
“We are pretending to be servants or some sort. Taking the master bedroom will blow our cover.”
“Well, so keep playing servants. I’d rather play the master’s one. You have to have someone to serve, after all, don’t you?” the professor chuckled.
It was pointless to argue. Like all geniuses, the professor was slightly off his rocker. Isaac would have to clear everything up with Peter later. Hopefully, he would not descend on them out of the blue in his typical manner. In any case, it was good that Isaac hadn’t told Peter about the professor moving in with them.
For Isaac, security was the top priority but the professor easily ignored things as long as they didn’t bother him personally. He took quick decisions and generally did not change his mind. But then, his fast judgments have not let him down so far, so Isaac resigned himself to letting the professor do what he wanted. “Sorry, Peter, every contract comes with overheads,” he thought.
That evening they had supper by the pool and talked. Link, having finally escaped from the bounds of Sardinia, was on a high, enjoying the new place, and even recited poetry.
Bikie, picking up on the professor’s inspiration, hummed and whistled another of his rock composition about women.
“I’ve never seen you in my nightmares,
So could not make you out that day.
Your fat paw pinned me down real hard
So I could never get away.
You captured me by hitting hard
Just like a boot, between the eyes,
