The Tellurian Threat: A Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Thriller (The Tellurian Archives Book 1)

by Debashish Das

  “I apologize for dragging you up here so early. I had something come up later in the day.”

  Kyle froze in his place. The man who had spoken smiled and gestured for him to sit. “I’m sorry. I must have the wrong room,” he stammered and made to exit.

  “Kyle, right?”

  He stopped and nodded dumbly. The man was still pointing at the chair beside him. Kyle walked over nervously and sat down.

  “I reckon you know who I am.”

  It wasn’t even a question. Kyle could only nod his head in affirmation.

  The man’s smile widened. “Drink some water, relax. I don’t bite.”

  “You’re not the VP I was supposed to meet…”

  “True. But you did say you wanted to talk to the guy in charge, so here I am,” he said leaning back in the chair.

  “Andrew said…”

  “Your team leader?” the man asked dismissively. “He doesn’t know anything about what’s going on, and I’d like to keep it that way. He’s only told you what I thought he should know. But you said you wanted to talk, so fire away.”

  Kyle gulped down some water trying to organize his thoughts.

  “Just cut to the chase, okay,” the man said noticing Kyle’s hesitation. “You came in here having made a decision already. No need to be diplomatic or polite. Say exactly what you came here to say.”

  Kyle nodded. If he wants straight up honesty, that’s what he’ll get.

  “I don’t think I can continue working on this project anymore and would like to go back to my team.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “The last two weeks have been the worst experience I’ve had since I joined Exel. I’d much rather go back to where I was rather than continue here, even if it means I won’t get promoted.”

  The man didn’t say anything for a few seconds and just stared at Kyle. “Feels good, doesn’t it? To be able to finally get it off your chest?”

  “You knew I was going to say that?” Kyle asked with consternation.

  “It’s my job to know what people think, especially the ones who work for me.” The man shrugged. “What would you say if I told you that some people would have enjoyed the experience? What you thought was a trial would be a… proverbial walk in the park for them. What do you think of that?”

  “I guess you should have thought of that before you assigned me to this project. Or at least told me what it was going to be like.”

  “Hmmm, it’s funny, don’t you think? How a few strong… emotions can make us so forgetful?

  “If I remember correctly, you were told exactly what was going to happen and the conditions you would have to work in. You said yes, in spite of all of that. Now you come in here to accuse me of not telling you anything.

  “What else do you think I didn’t tell you? How you would react and feel a few weeks later? Maybe I should have looked into the future and told you about this meeting that we’re having now and how you would willingly walk away from the promotion you so desperately wanted.”

  Kyle couldn’t tell if it was the conversation or the man he was having the conversation with that was throwing him off-balance. He was certainly not prepared for what was happening here. One thing he knew for certain, though, he wouldn’t be able to talk his way out of this. “I’m sorry for that outburst. The frustration piling up over the last two weeks just… and this meeting was so unexpected…”

  “It’s alright,” the man said waving away Kyle’s apology. “I knew this was going to happen. That’s why I picked you. What I want to know is what made you change your mind? What is it that is worth risking the promotion for? Maybe even your career?”

  Kyle gulped down some more water. The man’s brusque way of talking was starting to grate on him. But he had come too far to back out now. He breathed deeply before replying.

  “For the first couple of days, I was very uncomfortable. I had never worked from my apartment, but I thought that I would get used to it, which never happened. In fact, it got worse each day. I dreaded waking up in the morning knowing what awaited me. I was miserable. I was unhappy.”

  “So you’ve decided to choose happiness over your career?”

  “No, not exactly. I mean, even the work was similar to what I was already doing. I thought it would be something… more than the usual, something exciting. But if I have to keep doing the same thing, I’d much rather do it in a setting where I’m happy.”

  “Interesting,” the man said stroking his jaw. “You were also able to get your work done faster, weren’t you? Seems like you were more efficient in the absence of the usual… distractions?”

  Kyle frowned. “That is true, but let me ask you this. Are a few weeks of improved efficiency worth getting zero output for the next few months?”

  The man smiled. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you just threatened to quit your job.”

  Kyle raised his hands in defense. “All I’m saying is that this kind of efficiency is not sustainable in the long term, at least for me.”

  “Okay. But getting your work done faster must have given you a lot of free time. What did you do when you were not working?”

  He thought about it for a few moments, not sure how to answer. “Honestly, more of the same things I usually do. I played some video games, watched movies, and went out for lunch and coffee.”

  “But you didn’t try to meet your friends or go out partying with them? ‘Kyle from Analytics’ has quite the reputation, I hear.”

  Kyle could feel anger bubbling up inside of him. He had a feeling that they had moved far beyond what this meeting had originally been set up for. It felt like he was being played and he couldn’t help but keep his emotions from his voice. “I would have, but I had been asked not to talk to them. It was made quite clear in the instructions I received.”

  The man gave him a curious look. “So you cut yourself off from them completely? Just to comply with the instructions?”

  “What do you want me to say? That I was an idiot? That I was desperate for the promotion? Fine, I was. Maybe I’m still being an idiot for asking to go back to my old position, but that’s just who I am. So please, can you just end whatever this is and tell me what’s going to happen next?”

  Kyle knew he had messed up a lot of things in the hope of a promotion, but having it shoved in his face like this hurt. He knew he shouldn’t be rude to this man, of all people, but he couldn’t help it. He could almost picture the fit Andrew would have when he heard about this. Although, he might be more angry that Kyle had managed to lose his job. There didn’t seem to be any way he was walking out of this meeting still an employee of Exel Corp.

  “Now that we know you don’t want the promotion as bad as you thought you did, there are a few different ways this could go. But I put you in this… predicament for a reason,” the man said, leaning back in his chair.

  Kyle opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. He decided to settle for a frown instead.

  The man continued as if he hadn’t noticed. “You are very good at what you do and would have been promoted within the next couple of years. So, when the opportunity came to get there sooner, you jumped at it. But what if this project had never happened? What if you had eventually been promoted to a position where you had to work by yourself? Not exactly in your apartment, but no teams, fewer socializing opportunities, and no way to go back to the way things were?”

  Kyle crossed his arms across his chest. This was eerily similar to what Becca had said. He wasn’t sure where this was going, though.

  “I’d say your… struggle of the past two weeks has given you a taste of the future. But what you just told me a few moments ago, proves that there are things that are more important to you than a promotion. You might just have discovered what drives you from deep down.

  “I’d say you are lucky. Most people go their entire lives without this discovery because they avoid the struggle. Yes, I did manipulate you into accepting this position, and you can blame me for your suffering. But you
wouldn’t have changed, evolved even, if it weren’t for your struggle.”

  Kyle certainly hadn’t expected a frank admission, not that the man seemed sorry about it. But something still rankled him. “But why me?”

  “Because you have the potential to accomplish much bigger things, but not if you had stayed on the path you were on. You had become too used to the comfort and might never have fulfilled your potential.”

  “No,” Kyle said shaking his head, “there are hundreds, if not thousands of people like that. Everyone wants to accomplish great things. Why not one of them? Why did you pick me?”

  “That’s exactly why I picked you; because you’re not one of them. I do not place blind bets, Kyle. Dreams and potential are not enough. I needed a proven track record. You did not let your… circumstances hold you back. You have faced a lot of hardships, more than most, but you overcame all of them. Fortune favors the brave, as they say. And so do I.”

  Andrew was pacing in the corridor when the elevator doors slid open. I should have known, Kyle thought smiling to himself. “Hey, you lose something, dude?”

  “Oh, Kyle! Thank God!”

  “How long have you been out here?”

  “Never mind that. What took you so long? What did Mr. Sanders say?”

  “Who’s Mr. Sanders?”

  “The VP of Analytical Operations,” Andrew said looking at him oddly. “The man you just met?”

  Kyle shook his head. “I did meet someone, but it definitely wasn’t Mr. Sanders.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? I set up a meeting with him. What did you do?”

  “I didn’t do anything. I went exactly where you told me to go, and you won’t believe who was in that room.”

  “Who, are you going to tell me? Or are you going to draw it out like a cheap thriller film?”

  “It was Patrick Silva.”

  Andrew stared at him, dumbfounded. “The Patrick Silva! You’re sure?”

  Kyle nodded.

  Andrew let out an appreciative whistle. “And I thought I was lucky to even get a meeting with Mr. Sanders.”

  “Yeah. You must have rattled every door in the building to get the meeting. I guess that got the attention of the guy at the top.”

  Andrew closed his eyes and grimaced. “There’s going to be hell to pay.”

  Kyle clapped him on the shoulder. “That I do not doubt. But I don’t think you’ll be the one paying it.”

  “We’ll deal with it when it happens. Still can’t believe you actually met Patrick Silva. I’ve been here longer than you and I haven’t even been in the same room as him.” Andrew said shaking his head. “I assume you’re not coming back to the team.”

  He looked at Andrew. “You knew about this?”

  “No, but it isn’t that hard to put everything together. Meeting preponed, I’m asked to stay out of it, and you get Patrick Silva instead of Mr. Sanders.” Andrew looked sharply at Kyle and added, “I hope you had the good sense to accept the new offer…”

  Kyle sighed. “It’s not that simple.”

  Andrew suddenly turned around and grabbed Kyle by the shoulders. “Yes, it is. Do not turn down this promotion just because you won’t be able to come back to the team. When Patrick Silva makes an offer, you do not refuse.”

  “I’m not sure it’s exactly a promotion,” he said sweeping Andrew’s hands from his shoulders. “But he did offer me a choice, so I think I can say no if I want to.”

  Andrew exhaled sharply. “That’s not how it works, Kyle.”

  “Really? You’ve never met him. Maybe he actually did offer me a choice?”

  “Fair enough. So what else did he say?”

  “I don’t recall it word for word, but he got under my skin, dude. It was like he wanted to see how far I’d go. I didn’t like it one bit.” Kyle thought about it for a second and added, “I don’t think I like him.”

  Andrew chuckled darkly. “That describes him quite accurately. From what I’ve heard, he can be blunt, borderline offensive even. But I guess you don’t get to be one of the most influential men on the planet by being nice.”

  “That’s putting it mildly. I felt like I was a pawn in a game he was playing.”

  “Of course, you felt like a pawn. You work for the guy, we all do.”

  “No, not like that. It felt personal. He even said…”

  “Dude, I think you’re over-reacting because you didn’t get what you wanted. So relax, let’s go out for lunch with the team, and you’ll feel better.”

  Kyle sighed. “I guess. I do have till Friday to make my decision. Maybe hanging out with the team again will give me a better perspective.”

  “Well, I can’t say I haven’t missed having you around, and the rest of the team would love to have you back too. But please don’t let that influence your decision. You’ll never get an opportunity like this again.”

  “What opportunity? You don’t even know what the offer is.”

  “I don’t need to. When it’s official, they’ll tell me. But if Mr. Silva himself made the offer…” Andrew shrugged.

  Kyle shook his incredulously. “I don’t get it. I want to come back, you would like me to come back, the guys would love it, and I have the freedom to make that choice. Why do you want me to say yes to this offer?”

  Andrew started walking toward the office door without answering. He turned back when he was halfway there and said, “If you had really wanted to come back, you wouldn’t be considering Patrick Silva’s offer. You’ve already made your choice; you just don’t know it yet.”

  Kyle followed Andrew into the office, confused. He needed to get this sorted out, and he knew just the person who could help.

  Chapter 6

  Kyle swirled the glass around in his hand, watching the whiskey slosh against the sides. The music was playing softly in the background and was catchy enough that he found himself tapping to the beat. It was a wonder there weren’t more people here. Just like her to find an off-beat place like this, he thought smiling to himself. Hidden gems, she called them.

  He looked around at the sound of a chair being drawn up. Becca had just dumped her bag on it and stood there with a smile.

  “How do you like the place?”

  He got up and greeted Becca with a hug. “It’s nice. Right up your alley, I think. But a little too empty and quiet for my taste.”

  “You said you wanted to talk over drinks. Empty and quiet is good for that, unlike your fancy clubs where you can barely hear your own thoughts.”

  “I’ll give you that,” he said taking in her wrinkled lilac shirt and black trousers. “You came here straight from work?” he asked incredulously.

  “Like that’s new,” Becca replied crashing into the chair across from him.

  “It’s eight in the evening. Eight.”

  “Oh, come on, I doubt anyone can tell I’m in my work clothes.”

  “Seriously? Shirt and trousers and you think people won’t notice? At a bar?”

  “Give me a break, man. I came here to drink and talk. So screw you.”

  Kyle laughed. “I wonder if changing into a prettier outfit might make you nicer. Would definitely give you a better chance of being wooed by one of the nice gentlemen here,” he said gesturing at the bar.

  “Well,” she said picking up the glass of whiskey the waiter had just brought, “in that case, let’s wish those gentlemen luck.”

  He grinned and lifted his glass in a mock toast.

  “Seems like you’re in a good mood,” Becca said. “You sounded pretty wound up when you called this afternoon.”

  “Yeah, I had lunch with Andrew, Oz, and the other guys. Then I spent the rest of the day helping them sort out some stuff. It really helped me loosen up.”

  “You were in the office today? Weren’t you working from your apartment? On that secret project thing?”

  Kyle snorted. “Yeah.” He downed some whiskey before continuing. “One way or another, that is over.”

  “What do you
mean?”

  “That’s why I was at the office today. I had a meeting to talk about getting out of the stupid project and going back to Andrew’s team.”

  “So are you? Back in Andrew’s team, I mean?”

  “Not yet. I could be if I rejected Patrick’s offer. But that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Who’s Patrick? What offer?” she asked confused. “You didn’t say anything on the phone.”

  Kyle downed the rest of the whiskey in one go and gestured to the waiter for another. “I was supposed to have a meeting with a VP or something. But I walk in and see Patrick Silva sitting in the chair. I thought I’d walked into the wrong room, but he said he was there to talk to me.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Patrick Silva wanted to talk to you? Alone? I wish I could have seen your face,” she said leaning back in the chair and getting comfortable. “I think this is going to be a fascinating conversation.”

  Kyle told her about his meeting with Patrick. How he fumbled his way through the meeting, how Patrick kept throwing him off-balance with every sentence and had managed to get under his skin. He told her about his outburst and how that had suddenly changed the direction of the conversation completely. He could tell Becca was listening closely, and could almost see the wheels turning in her brain. He finished by telling her about Patrick’s offer and the conversation he’d had with Andrew afterward. He was still not sure how to react to what Andrew had said and hoped Becca would help sort it out. She was good at these kinds of things.

  “If it helps, I’ve heard Patrick can be a bit of an ass. I’m sure he didn’t have anything against you personally,” Becca said with a smirk.

  “That’s it? I laid it all out for you, and that’s the best you could come up with?”

  “What do you want me to say?”

  “Well, I’ve got till Friday to tell Patrick about my decision. Should I accept it or reject it?”

  “Really? You’ll do exactly as I say? No arguments, no tantrums?”