Cyber

by Terry Schott

  She grabbed a clean mug from his cupboard and snatched the pot from its burner. Then she joined him in the dining area and poured some coffee for them both.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” She looked over his shoulder as she raised her mug and took a sip. “How’s it going?”

  “Great. Maybe another two days and we will be able to go into the new simulation and take a look around.” Ivan half-turned to face her. “How did it go with the lawyer?”

  “Perfectly.”

  “You trust him?”

  “Her. And yes, Reiko was always loyal to my family over the corporation. She will draft all of the papers and file them quickly. By the time we begin to get press, it will be legally accepted that we are the originators of this technology.”

  “Good.”

  Loredana took another sip of coffee before speaking. “Are you sure you’re okay with that? Both of us listed as creators of the tech?”

  “Of course.”

  “But it’s entirely your invention.”

  Ivan shrugged. “Are you okay with both of us being listed as equal partners on the business end of things?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “The business end of things will be primarily your brainchild.”

  Loredana smiled. “I see what you mean.”

  “Separately, we are weak.” Ivan reached for his coffee and cupped the mug in his hands. “Most businesses would steal my ideas and technology and have me gone with only a small payoff for my efforts. And without the VR, you would have nothing to build a business enterprise with.” He nodded. “I think this is the best situation possible for both of us. I trust you, and you can do the same with me.”

  “Good. I just wanted to give you one last chance to change your mind.”

  Ivan grinned. “I appreciate that. How did it go with the other lawyer? The dirty one?”

  Sighing as she sat, Loredana nodded. “Equally as predictable. Evan was always the corporate lackey.”

  “So he will run to Cyber Inc. and tell them?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “It’s a shame he will give them the wrong information.”

  “Yeah.” Loredana pulled her chair closer to the desk. “That will be unfortunate for them.” Her gaze drifted past a small pile of books on the corner of the desk, then snapped onto them. “What’s that?”

  “What?” Ivan’s eyes followed hers, then he set down his coffee. “Oh, right. I’ve been meaning to show you those.”

  Before he could reach them, Loredana pulled the top book from the stack and looked at it. “The Game is Life?” She turned it over in her hands to scan the back cover before opening the front and looking at the title page. “Written by George R. Knight?” Loredana met Ivan’s eyes.

  “Pretty cool, huh?”

  “This is the book talked about inside Shawn Whitehurst’s sci-fi series we read. A character inside the story wrote this book.”

  “Yeah, that’s right.”

  “I don’t get it.” She looked back at the volume in her hands. “Did he write this book after his series took off?”

  Ivan shook his head. “Check the date on the copyright section.”

  Loredana flipped to the page and read it. “What the?” She looked back at Ivan. “This is old. Real old.”

  “Yeah.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. Shawn’s books came out only a couple of years ago. Maybe he based his story on this book.”

  Ivan laughed. “That’s not very likely.”

  “Why not?”

  “If you research this book, you will find no other mention of it. Anywhere.” He tapped the cover with a finger and shook his head. “I think this is the only one in existence.”

  “Wow.” Loredana’s voice trailed off as she looked down at it once more. “How did you get it?”

  “It’s been in my family for years. I remember seeing it on my Grandpa’s bookshelf, and he said it came from his Grandpa before that.”

  “Oh my god.” She set the book down on the desk and reached for her coffee. Her hands were shaking.

  “What?”

  “One of the characters in the book. His name is Samson Thorn. That’s the same as your last name.”

  Ivan laughed and shook his head. “I thought of that too, but it’s different. My name is spelled with an e at the end of it.”

  #7

  As Glen Dranton went down the hall toward his office, each person he walked past greeted him. Glen returned the smiles and salutations, stopping to chat with some team members and inquire about their current projects, or to request longer meetings later on in the day or week. He finally entered his office and nodded at his receptionist. “Morning, Jason. Anything good for me?”

  “Good morning, Mr. Dranton.” Jason smiled and extended a pile of papers toward his boss. “Evan Johnstone is in your office. He said it was important.”

  Glen accepted the papers and nodded. “Thanks, man. Hold my calls until Evan leaves, please.”

  “Sure thing, boss.”

  “Morning, Evan.” Glen entered the office and went to his desk, dropping the papers on one corner before sitting down to look at the man across from him.

  “Morning, sir.”

  “A personal visit.” Glen glanced at his desk, picking up a note and scanning it before placing it atop the other papers he had just brought in with him. “It’s been almost four months since you told me about Loredana wanting to break into the industry. Can I assume that you’re here to give me an update?”

  “That’s right.” Evan smiled and reached down to pull a folder from his briefcase. He opened it and flipped through a few pages before scrutinizing one and nodding. “It looks like the purpose for her initial filing was to confuse us. She never intended to open a new amusement park to compete with us.”

  “Of course she didn’t.”

  Evan frowned as he pushed his glasses upward on the bridge of his nose. “That’s no surprise to you?”

  There was a soft knock at the door. It opened and Jason entered with a tray containing a glass of green liquid and a silver coffeepot along with two cups, cream, and sugar. He walked to Glen’s desk and set it in the middle of the desk blotter.

  “Thanks, Jason.”

  “My pleasure.” The assistant turned and left the room.

  “I never asked you to be an intelligence agent, Evan.” Glen reached for the green drink and held it up to the light. “Don’t go outside your areas of expertise.” He tipped the glass back and began to drink, not stopping until it was completely empty.

  “I’m sorry. I thought that because I had brought you the original report—”

  Glen waved his hand, then set the empty glass back onto the tray. “Nothing to be sorry about, Evan. I appreciate your zeal. Coming to me the way that you did was perfect. Once I got that information, I put my professionals on the job. Now that I know she’s in play, I am keeping a very close eye on Miss Cyber.” He poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Evan.

  “Okay, no problem.” Evan sniffed the steaming liquid and smiled as he sat back in his chair. “You’re right, this isn’t my normal thing. If you have professionals on the job, then I will focus on my regular work.”

  Glen poured a second cup of coffee and raised it to his lips. “Perfect. Thanks, Evan.”

  “No problem.” He took a sip of coffee. “So what do you think of her new product?”

  Glen’s eyes narrowed. He placed his mug on the desk in front of him and tilted his head. “Pardon me?”

  “Her new product.” Evan shrugged. “Do you think it’s a threat to your company?”

  “Evan?”

  “Yes, Mr. Dranton?”

  “You know what I just said about leaving the spy work to the professionals?”

  “Of course.”

  “Forget I said it.”

  Evan frowned. “Why?”

  Glen laughed and shook his head. “Because it would seem you are a better investigator than the ones I pay large amo
unts of money to do the job.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “What you’re saying is news to me.”

  “Oh.”

  Glen took another drink from his mug. “Tell me all you know about Loredana’s new project.”

  #8

  Loredana paced backstage, stopping where the curtains came together every few passes, but refraining from opening them and looking out at the crowd beyond. She could hear muffled voices, but it was impossible to tell how many were in attendance from the sound alone. Ivan appeared out of the corner of her eye. “Well?”

  His expression was blank. “It’s a good crowd.”

  “How good of a crowd?”

  He shook his head, then laughed. “Of the three hundred we invited, almost everyone is here.”

  “That’s awesome.” She sighed and let her head rest on his shoulder.

  He patted the back of her head. “You disappeared from public view almost three years ago. Then, a few months ago, you announce through press releases that you intend to compete directly with your family business. And, as if that weren’t enough, you invite three hundred of the internet’s most influential game bloggers and video personalities to get a sneak peek of your new product.” He shook his head. “I’m surprised these nerds didn’t each sneak a dozen of their closest friends in to this event.”

  Loredana smiled. “It does sound pretty intriguing, when you put it that way.”

  “What can I say?” Ivan swept his hand toward the ground and bowed. “I have a gift with words.”

  “As do I.” She grinned and held out her hand.

  Ivan reached into his back pocket and pulled out a piece of Magic Tape, which he placed in her palm. “Sure you don’t want to announce a price today?”

  She shook her head. “Salesmanship is in my blood, Ivan. We will make them want it and tell them what it will cost later. Go grab a seat and watch the frenzy I am about to start.”

  He laughed. “This is exciting.”

  She smiled. “It certainly is, partner.”

  ***

  The curtains opened and Loredana looked out at the crowd. There was no music, no flashy signs, no fanfare. Just a young woman standing in the middle of a plain stage.

  The crowd hushed.

  Loredana reached down to the battery pack clipped to her belt and turned it on. She tapped the small microphone attached to her thin headset and smiled as she looked out at the audience. “Hi there. Can everyone here me? Yes? Good. How’s everyone doing today?”

  There was a smattering of greetings from the audience. “We’ve missed you, Loredana!” a member of the audience shouted and others in the crowd laughed.

  “Thanks, man. I missed you all too.” She strolled to one corner of the stage and stopped, looking out at the people in the first few rows. “I’m sure you’ve all heard by now that Cyber Inc. decided not to employ me.” A few of the audience members laughed. “That was a bit of a bummer at first.” She walked back to centre stage. “But after taking some time to think about career options”—she grinned—“I decided to go ahead and put those suits out of business.”

  Cheering and applause. Loredana smiled and nodded until the applause died down. “My family has a pretty deep history when it comes to entertaining people, but I’ve come to realize that what the controlling board did to me was actually a good thing.”

  There were boos and hisses, but Loredana held up her hand. “No, I mean it. As I’ve been considering the current state of the market, I’m happy that these greedy, cold, heartless, business men and women kicked the Cyber out of Cyber Inc. If I had taken over the company, I may very well have continued to do things as they are now. She shook her head and looked down at the stage. “If I had done that, it would have been a terrible mistake.”

  She paused for a moment, then smirked. “Wanna know what I intend to do?”

  There were shouts of ‘Yes!’ “The Cyber family has always wanted one thing: to entertain the world.” Loredana smiled. “The new ride I will put you on makes everything that you’ve experienced up until this point in your life seem like sitting still in a warm bath with your clothes on while a puppy rolls around on your lap.”

  Loredana walked to the edge of the stage and sat down, her legs dangling. She met the stare of one young man in the front row and raised her eyebrows. “What do you think, champ? Ready to give my new ride a try?”

  He nodded, and she clapped her hands together. “Great!”

  “When can we try it out, Loredana?”

  “When would you like to try it?”

  “Now.” A young man shouted. Everyone laughed and Loredana joined them.

  As the laughter faded she stopped and tilted her head. “You know what? That isn’t the worst idea I’ve heard.” She stood and looked toward the back of the hall. “Ivan?”

  “Yeah?” His voice came from the shadows.

  “I can’t think of a reason to make them wait any longer, how ‘bout you?”

  “Me neither. Let ‘em ride it now.”

  The crowd began to mumble and talk amongst themselves as pretty ladies walked down the aisles from the back of the theatre. They leaned in and handed pieces of Magic Tape to the audience.

  Loredana reached into her pocket and pulled out her piece of tape, holding it above her head. “These ladies are passing out these little fellas. Please take one and pass the rest along to your neighbour. Don’t keep any extra; there are only enough for the number of people here.”

  Minutes passed and Loredana waited as the tape was distributed.

  “Okay, I think everyone has one. Raise your hand if you do not.” She looked out over the crowd and no one raised their hand. She smiled and nodded. “Good stuff. Each of you holds in your hands, what we call, ‘the ticket’. It’s a piece of technology developed by my partner, Ivan Thorne. When I give the word, I want each of you to expose the sticky part of the ticket and then place it on the back of your neck at the base of your spine. Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly placed. If it’s in the general area, it will work. Once the ticket is stuck to your neck, lean back and close your eyes. Breathe and count backward from thirty to one. Before you get to one, your ride will begin. During the entire experience, you will remain safely in your seats. The ride lasts for ten minutes. When that time has passed, you will open your eyes and that’s it.”

  “What if we don’t want to?”

  “If you don’t want to experience the ride, then stand up and we will collect the ticket so that you may leave. Please do that now.”

  A dozen people stood up and moved to the ends of their rows. The ladies collected the tape and the unwilling participants left the room. When only sitting audience members remained, Loredana smiled. “That’s it? The rest of you want to know what the hype is all about?”

  Heads nodded.

  “Then go ahead and peel the backing off your ticket and place it on your neck.”

  Audience members did as instructed and then leaned back in their seats.

  “See you all in ten minutes.” Loredana sat down on the stage. Ivan walked down one aisle and climbed onto the stage, sitting beside her.

  ***

  Ten minutes later, the audience members began to stir, raising their heads and blinking as they looked around the theatre.

  “Welcome back.” Loredana remained sitting. “Take a minute to relax. Stay calm, and just think about what you’ve experienced.”

  When everyone was fully conscious, Loredana smiled. “So? What did ya think?”

  There was a slight pause, then the entire crowd sprang to their feet and roared.

  Ivan looked at Loredana and tapped her leg as the two of them laughed.

  #9

  Everyone is scrambling to buy a ticket to ride the newest sensation sweeping the globe. That’s right, folks, you heard me correctly. The new virtual reality ride known simply as, ‘sOar’, is flying out of supplier’s hands, worldwide. For the low price of twenty dollars, you can purchase a digital strip or
‘ticket’, as it is called—that allows you to enjoy a ten-minute experience of flying through the skies of a very realistic world like a superhero.

  There are some who claim that the concept is a bland waste of time and money, until they purchase a ticket for themselves.

  In order to prevent a secondary market from inflating the price of tickets, they are somehow linked to the purchaser when they are bought, which makes the ride non-transferable.

  sOar has been available for six months and, although it is impossible to know the exact number, business analysts calculate that Loredana Cyber and her partner, Ivan Thorne, have earned in excess of two billion dollars from sales during that time.

  It’s no surprise that sOar is pretty addictive. Users are buying as many tickets as they can in order to revisit the experience frequently.

  It’s a good thing the ticket burns out after ten minutes or sOar could become a very serious problem for society.

  Merna Jansklyn, Business News Daily

  Loredana sat in the booth of the coffee shop with her back against the rear wall so she could see every table as well as the front door.

  “Get ya anything, sweetie?” The middle-aged server stopped at the table, smiling as he retrieved a small notepad from his apron.

  “Not yet, thanks. I’m waiting for someone.”

  “Okay then.” He tucked the paper away and winked. “When I see another person sitting with ya, I’ll come back.”

  “Thanks.”

  The bell on the front door chimed and Glen Dranton entered. He smoothed the fabric of his designer suit and scanned the booths. She raised one eyebrow and waited for him to see her. When he did, he smiled and came over, extending his hand as he got close, but Loredana did not move to shake it. He shrugged and sat down across from her.

  “Hey there.”

  “Hi.”

  He smiled as his gaze swept over her. “You look well.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I appreciate you taking the time to meet me, today.” He brushed some crumbs from the table and sniffed. “Would have been nicer if you had agreed to meet me at the office.”