by Aman Gupta
Emma and Eric headed towards the pond.
“What now?” asked Emma.
“Let’s look around. See if we could find any trace of someone else being here,” said Eric.
They searched around when Emma spotted an old hut.
Being too far away from Eric, she decided to inspect the structure herself. She saw some light in the hut and some shadows. She took out her gun and started moving forward. With every step she took, she thought someone was following her so she kept turning forwards and backwards as she moved ahead. The area around the hut was fenced high so she went around, hoping to find an entrance from the backside. She moved forward slowly along the leaves that were spread around the fence, as the dusk was almost upon the jungle. Focusing more on the sound that her feet were making while stepping on the dry leaves, she plodded towards an opening she found near the base of the fence.
As she got on her knees and entered the small opening, she saw someone’s shoes in front of her hands. As she looked up, she felt a blow on her head and fell down, unconscious.
Eric returned to the pond, to realize that Emma hadn’t returned. He went towards her direction to locate her. He noticed the fence and figured that Emma must have tried to enter it. He went around to locate an entrance.
He saw a person standing with their gun drawn, while the other one was on their knees, with their back towards Eric. He moved closer and shouted at them to drop their weapons. The person turned around. It was Kate. They had found Emma lying in a pool of her blood. Joey was trying to wake up Emma while Eric returned to the pond to get some water for her. After a splash of water, Emma woke up with a severe pain on her forehead and a bleeding wound.
“Here, press this against the wound,” said Kate.
Emma looked at her and took the scarf after few seconds of contemplation.
“Let’s get out of here,” said Eric, after looking around.
They went back to the pond and headed towards the bike that Eric had found. They picked up the bike, marked the tree under which it was located and retraced their steps towards the road.
After putting Emma in the backseat, they went to the station.
They walked Emma towards the couch in the station while Joey went looking for a medical kit. On hearing some noise in the sheriff’s room, Kate went to the room with her gun drawn.
She opened the door and found that Vik was sitting on the chair.
“Go ahead,” Vik said as he looked at her.
Kate lowered her weapon and said, “Clear!”
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Jenna,” said Vik.
“You know how to sew a wound?” asked Kate.
“Why?” asked Vik.
Joey had found a First Aid medical kit, while Kate and Vik talked to Emma.
“What happened? Ran into a tree?” asked Vik.
Emma laughed, but then said, “Oh, hurts, don’t make me laugh.”
Vik cleaned the wound and applied the stiches while Eric, Joey and Kate regrouped in the other room.
“There, you’ll live,” said Vik, after applying the last stitch.
“Thanks,” said Emma.
“You’re welcome,” said Vik.
“Where did you learn to stitch?” asked Emma.
“In another life, I was a serial killer who sewed people’s mouths,” said Vik.
Emma smiled.
“How did you know about that conversation?” asked Emma.
“You’re not the first girl he has told this story,” said Vik.
“Who’s the other girl?” asked Emma.
“Relax, you should get some sleep,” said Vik, as he put her feet up and laid her head down on the couch.
Emma kept looking at him, as he put the stuff back in the safety box.
“Fine. No one. You’re the only one,” said Vik.
Emma smiled as Vik shook his head in disappointment.
Eric, Joey and Kate discussed the events that had transpired during the day.
“How did you find us?” asked Eric.
“We didn’t. We were following the trail, and it led us to this spot where we found Emma,” said Joey.
“Did you find anything?” asked Eric.
“This small belt, looks like it belongs to a kid. Some footprints but lost them later,” said Kate. “What about you?”
“Found this locket. Might belong to someone we know,” said Eric, as he showed it to Joey and Kate.
“We need to pay Mr. Marrow another visit,” said Kate.
Later, Vik walked in while they were having a conversation.
He looked at Kate which Joey and Eric noticed.
“Vik, relax,” said Joey.
“Right now, we need to work together,” said Eric.
“I know. But things would be much smoother if Kate and I had a conversation first,” said Vik.
“Okay,” said Joey.
“Alone,” said Vik.
Joey and Eric exited the room, leaving Vik and Kate alone. Joey paced up and down the hallway while Eric sat on a chair. Half an hour later, they heard the door open. Kate and Vik walked out unscathed.
“Everything alright?” asked Joey.
“For now,” said Vik.
“Great, then let’s get to work,” said Eric.
Eric, Joey and Kate examined the case files again while Vik looked at the bike and the belt found in the forest. The next day, Emma remained at the station with Vik while Eric, Joey and Kate went to talk to Mr. Marrow.
“Sir, I must warn you, the guy’s nuts,” said Joey.
“Relax, Joey. I have handled a lot of nutcases,” said Eric.
“Good to know,” said Joey, as Kate and Joey asked Eric to lead the way.
Eric knocked on the door while Kate and Joey stepped away.
Mr. Marrow opened the door and pointed his rifle at Eric only a few feet away from him.
“See, told you,” said Joey.
Eric kicked the rifle with his right leg which took Mr. Marrow by surprise. Eric grabbed the rifle as it landed in his arms, and pointed it at Mr. Marrow.
“Let’s go,” said Eric.
“Show off,” muttered Joey.
“Awesome,” said Kate, as Joey looked at her.
“Keep it in your pants,” said Joey as he walked by. Kate grinned.
CHAPTER 7: ADUMBRATIONS
Jay was put into the Tech Leadership Team almost 2.5 months into his job, which meant that not only had he gained more access clearances in various departments but so had his visibility in the eyes of the few who mattered. Some congratulated him, some were jealous and some believed he didn’t deserve it, Jay felt. Thank god they didn’t know about his engagement with Sarah Daulton, he thought. ‘Otherwise I would forever be known as the Son-In-Law.’
Jay had to report to Dr. Gary Odine, the chief architect of Verati’s Tech accomplishments and patents. Dr. Gary Odine had spent over 50 years of his life connected to Technology, and had made and destroyed thousands of tech companies in his lifetime. His intellectual prowess was second to none, a fact that he conveyed in every opportunity he could create. He had got on Victor Daulton’s radar almost a decade ago and since, singlehandedly made Victor Daulton’s dreams into reality. One of his achievements was called SolFrame which was an advanced solar cell embedded inside frames of all shapes, sizes and properties, and vastly used to create mobile frames by all manufacturers. This led to creation of self-charging Infinite Battery which was Verati’s first technology achievement and had put Verati on the map, all thanks to Dr. Gary Odine. In most of his speeches, he always thanked the intellectual capabilities of Victor Daulton and would tell stories about how Victor Daulton was no stranger to technology, especially AI and machine learning.
Odine was a good boss to have, as long as you let him take the credit for every success while you took the blame if anything went wrong. Everyone knew that and so did Jay.
Jay didn’t want to rise any more levels, as it would invite more scrutiny into his personal life which was
a concern for all involved.
He was tasked with the management of the entire Tech Team and reporting any discrepancies to the senior management, which he felt, was just a fancy name for snitching. He was also responsible for assisting other departments of Verati, should they need any technical assistance, be it as minor as installing a software or as big as establishing a private server farm.
Jay hadn’t met Olivia since their awkward meeting after her return. A couple of times when they did run into each other, Olivia would pretend to see through him to the person standing behind him.
One morning, he was called to a meeting of Leadership Team of all departments. A big room rendered miniscule by the ego of those inside it. Big names, bigger bragging rights. Not many talked below having a coffee with Victor Daulton or Anthony Arnold every other day. If only those two were in the room right now to call the bluff, Jay thought.
Jay represented his team, Olivia represented hers. Only one member per department and still there were 53 people in the room.
“Where’s the IT guy?” said Brad, originally a microbiologist, who was responsible for conducting the meetings in a civilized manner. They had a tendency for getting out of control for unimaginable reasons, or so said his reports multiple times while emailing to his seniors. Jay would find the reports while they were travelling through the servers being monitored by his team.
“Right here,” said Jay.
“Keep an eye on him, he has a tendency of going away when you aren’t looking,” snapped Olivia without looking at Jay or Brad.
“That’s right. But in case you need me or miss me, please feel free to call. You know my extension number,” said Jay, not looking at Olivia.
“Yeah, must be 5375,” said Olivia.
“Actually, 5375 belongs to the HR department. It would be great if the Science department could keep us. It’s not actually rocket science,” said Brad.
The guy from Rocket Science department laughed.
“At least, it’s not 24824,” said Jay.
Olivia simpered for a millisecond. She was old school. She still used her fingers to dial numbers and that too from a keypad. Jay knew that.
“Actually, 24824 does belong to the science department. You too try to keep up Tech Dep,” said Brad. “I feel like they just send idiots to our meetings these days.”
“We need 25,000 more private servers setup by the end of the week. Configurations are in the file in front of you. So get on it,” said Brad, as he started reading the paper in front of him.
“25000? How big are the yeasts these days!” said Jay.
“Not for me alone. In total,” said Brad.
“Sure, that makes it okay,” said Jay.
“Ethan, congrats for launching 100th rocket into space. We love the work you do on Earth,” said Brad.
“And yet here I thought sending rockets to space meant nothing for your contributions here on Earth,” said Olivia.
“Nevertheless, we’re very proud,” said Brad, in a monotonous tone.
“John Fray has successfully tested Fraylitron. I am happy to say military is looking forward to it. You’re the alpha, John,” said Brad.
“Not what Mrs. Fray said,” said Olivia, turning head towards Jay, almost inviting him to a challenge.
“I would appreciate if the Science department could keep their thoughts in their books and focus on the dishes,” said John.
“Now, that’s what Mrs. Fray said,” said Jay. It was on.
“Our HoloTech department has made some wonderful strides. The holograms are extremely realistic and have been able to emulate all basic human interactions successfully, as found by the focus groups. We can’t wait for their integration with NeuroTech,” said Brad.
“That’s what you do when real males can’t satisfy your needs anymore,” said Olivia.
“That’s an extremely hollow argument,” said Jay.
“Congratulations to the Textile department for sending a million clothes made with our patented fiber, to the starving children throughout the world. I’m sure they appreciate the brand value of Girome, our Fashion symbol,” said Brad.
“Yeah, they might be starving but still want branded clothes,” said Olivia.
“Hope Girome tastes good,” said Jay.
Olivia and Jay were looking at each other the entire time, trying not to laugh, as the rest of the room wasn’t.
“Additionally, Robotics department will now be under the Science department. So, goodbye Bob. I feel that it’s the last time we’re seeing you here,” said Brad.
“Don’t worry, Bob. We at the Science department have a human heart like you,” said Olivia.
“Sponges don’t have a heart,” said Jay.
“So that means, Applied Sciences, Neurobiology, Deep Exploration, R & D, Biotechnology and now Robotics, all are now under Science Department officially,” reiterated Brad. “Good thing, I am in micro-biology.”
“Maybe that’s why they didn’t want it,” said Jay.
He and Olivia were just laughing now, looking at each other.
“As I’m sure most of you noticed in the sky today, we’ve successfully launched our second Sun in the last three years. The upgraded capacity will help Verati in expanding its technical operations as they work in conjunction with our moons,” said Brad.
“Remind me to buy everyone some bottles of sunscreen lotion,” said Olivia.
“What a waste would that be, of good lotions I mean,” remarked Jay.
The meeting lasted for an hour. At the end of it, Jay and Olivia had to hurtle out of there. They had 51 new enemies.
They rushed out of the conference room and locked themselves in an empty room.
“What was that? Trying to get me killed?” said Jay.
“Hey. You had no friends in there. I had at least 1..2..5..7..8.. 10,” counted Olivia.
“Well, you can have them back,” said Jay.
“No, I can’t. Just look at them,” said Olivia, as they looked out to the corridor through the glass door. “We didn’t just show them a mirror. We smashed it on their faces.”
“Can’t they see us in here?” asked Jay.
“Nope. But we can see them. Thank you, Applied Sciences,” said Olivia.
“Look at their faces. I feel like I stole candies from kids,” said Jay, as he and Olivia laughed for a minute.
After a minute, Jay said, “Can we go back to being friends? You’re right. I don’t have any.”
“Sure, till we find you one,” smiled Olivia.
“I hope it takes a long time then,” said Jay.
“Most people would say I hope I never find one then,” said Olivia.
“Most people don’t know you,” said Jay.
Olivia punched Jay in the chest. “Jerk.”
“Bitch.”
They smiled and shook hands. Olivia pulled Jay towards him for a hug.
“What’s her name?” whispered Olivia.
“Sarah,” said Jay.
“What a cliché name,” said Olivia.
“Said a blonde girl named Olivia,” said Jay.
“Too bad, you don’t like blondes now,” said Olivia as they stopped hugging.
“Well..” said Jay.
“No way,” said Olivia. “Traded one for the other, huh.”
“Nah. More like liked the first one so much, I just had to be friends with a second one. In the end, became more than friends,” said Jay.
“You can stop blushing when talking about her,” said Olivia.
“I could, but then I would miss out on your facial expressions reeking of annoyance,” said Jay.
They smiled. Olivia mentioned that she needed to go back to her lab.
“What’s with the takeover? What, Science department doesn’t like anyone else?” asked Jay.
“Anthony Arnold plays it pretty close to his chest. Maybe you should watch out. Maybe you’re next,” said Olivia.
“We have Odine and Daulton. I think I’m safe,” said Jay.
&nb
sp; “For now. But you should keep an eye open. Science might just snap up Tech just for themselves,” said Olivia.
“Thanks for the implicit innuendo,” said Jay.
Olivia stopped smiling and said, “If only I had been explicit.”
She walked out the door, and Jay left a minute later.
◆◆◆
Gary Odine went to the 129th Floor, to meet Victor Daulton. He was made to wait for a few minutes by the secretary as Victor was on an important call.
The secretary asked Gary Odine to go into the office as the clock struck 12 in the noon.
“Mr. Daulton, I would like to have a word,” said Gary as he walked into the office.
“Take a seat, Gary and please call me Victor,” said Victor.
“I have a few concerns about the applications of TS5125i,” said Gary.
“What concerns?” asked Victor.
“Legal,” said Gary.
“Don’t worry, I checked. We aren’t violating any legal laws. It’s my name and my life, and believe me, I care more about mine than yours,” said Victor.
“But..” said Gary.
Victor interrupted, “Like I said. I care more about me than you. I hope you know that.”
Gary gulped.
“I’m just saying it’s not ready yet,” said Gary.
“Then you should get it ready, Gary. Where’s the passion that I saw in your eyes when I pitched it to you!” said Victor.
“It’s so much more now. And I have been receiving new requests every day for more things to add, but I’m not sure what’s possible anymore,” said Gary.
“Then I suggest you go back to your whiteboard and start working,” said Victor.
“Let me be completely honest – TS5125i is a dead end. It’s not sustainable, anymore,” said Gary.
“You know what you have told me all these years when you were getting a patent every other day,” said Victor.
“Yeah. That I am the best mind in the world,” said Gary.
“Exactly,” said Victor.
“And with all due respect sir, the same best mind in the goddamn world is telling you that it can’t be done,” asserted Gary.
Victor looked at Gary with a baneful stare.
