"Kyle." Jonathan's voice made him stop dead in his tracks, then turn back to face the man he had just been bitching about.
"Dad," he said and couldn't help the sharpness of his tone. "About time."
Jonathan arched an eyebrow, but had nothing further to say to that. "I actually came by to talk to Mr. Valentine," he said and turned his attention toward Bark, who had stopped trying to find take-out and looked like he was about to get thrown out of the window for past offences. Jonathan eyed him for a moment. "You look like you haven't slept all night," he added.
"Oh, I've slept," Bark said and stifled a yawn, then glanced at Kyle. "Just not very well. I'm a bit anxious about all this ... waiting around," he added and Kyle drew a small sigh of relief. He had the feeling that his father would not be too happy to know there had been drugs around.
"It has been brought to my attention that your incarceration in LPC was due to you hacking into Whitmore Enterprises' otherwise impenetrable network," Jonathan said, completely ignoring Bark's lie.
Bark paled and swallowed lightly. "Uh ... well ... yeah, I guess," he stammered.
Despite the absence of any visible emotions on Jonathan's face, Kyle was pretty sure the old man was enjoying this right now. "I also understand that you were sent to your doom without a trial," Whitmore Sr. added, to which Bark merely nodded. "Be that as it may ... I have been told by these experts working for me, that the network is so secure that it cannot be hacked. And this makes me very curious about why my lawyers would choose to have you not only incarcerated, but sentenced to LPC for doing something you technically shouldn't be able to do."
Bark was obviously uncertain about where this was going, but he couldn't help a small smile at that claim. "There isn't a network out there than can't be hacked. I don't care what your specialists say. It was actually fairly easy to circumvent all the firewalls and ..." He stopped bragging and shot a look in Kyle's direction. "Uh ... what I mean to say is ..."
"Never mind that," Jonathan interrupted him. "I have obviously been lied to by these specialists, and I have therefore fired them. They are of no use to me, or to Whitmore Enterprises, if I cannot count on the impregnability of my network." He narrowed his eyes a little while watching Bark squirm. "I hire only the best. And since you have been able to do what they claim you could not ... I want to offer you their job."
Kyle almost chuckled out loud. He had seen that coming, but was very sure that Bark hadn't. The stunned expression on the other man's face was more than evidence enough of that. "Uh ... what?" Bark asked.
Jonathan pursed his lips. "Since the responsibility is a big one, the salary I offer you will also be accordingly high. To sweeten the deal, you will also be awarded with an apartment of your choosing and, obviously, a company vehicle, also of your choosing," he continued. "I do expect you to do your utmost. If you need to hire more hands to help you do that job, then you should do so." He paused while watching Bark intently. "I will expect an answer by tomorrow."
Bark blinked and scrubbed a hand over his lips while staring at Whitmore Sr. with nothing short of shock. But he got over it fairly quickly. "Uh ... I don't have to think about it," he said and here Kyle had to admit that he had no idea which way Bark would jump. For a moment, the hacker just stood there and looked stunned, but then he reached a hand out to Jonathan. "I'll take it."
The corners of Jonathan's lips twitched, the closest Kyle had seen him come to a real smile in many years. Then he grabbed Bark's hand. "Very good," he said. "I suggest you take a week to get over your ordeal. If you start Monday at nine sharp, Marie will show you where your office is."
"Outstanding," Bark said, his demeanor now close to boiling over with excitement.
Jonathan turned his attention to Kyle then. "Where is young Mr. Parker?" he asked.
"I sent him to a shrink. Marie took him. There's too much crap in his head right now for him to function properly," Kyle countered.
"Mr. Whitmore, sir." Marie's voice interrupted any reaction, and Jonathan turned around to face her and Daniel. The kid looked a little tired.
"How are you feeling?" Jonathan asked and eyed the younger man closely.
"Fine, thank you," Daniel countered.
"That is good to hear," Jonathan said. "It is my understanding that you have graduated from MIT with honors?" Daniel nodded. "In that case, why don't you look me up when you feel a little better and we'll find a position suitable for your skills."
Daniel stared at him, obviously not sure how to react. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out, and after a moment he merely nodded eagerly.
"Good," Jonathan said. "Well, that was all. Marie, we have a lot of work to do," he added and took her arm.
"Just a sec, dad," Kyle cut him off.
Jonathan turned back to face him, his gaze vaguely questioning.
"First off ... are we still under house arrest here?" Kyle asked.
Jonathan glanced at Marie and then shook his head lightly. "No, you never were. The gag-order still stands, obviously. And I strongly caution all three of you to sign it. Other than that, all charges are dropped. You are all free to pursue whatever future you may want," he said.
Kyle nodded. "That's great," he said and waited until his father started to turn back for the door. "What about me?" he then asked.
Again Whitmore Sr. stopped moving, then once more turned back to face him. "What about you?" he asked, a light frown furrowing his brow.
Kyle couldn't actually believe he was about to say this, but he also felt it was long overdue. "Don't you have something I can do?"
The look in his father's eyes staggered him a little. It was as if someone had chipped away the cold stone and revealed a living human being behind it. "You want to work?" Jonathan asked, obviously stumped.
"I think I've wasted enough of my life doing nothing," Kyle countered evenly. "You've always put the company ahead of me, dad. Now I wanna know what the hell it is that is so wonderful about that place."
"You want to work for me?" Jonathan asked again, obviously needing verification.
Kyle smirked. "Yes, dad, I want to work for you. I wanna join the family business. I wanna know what it is that intrigues you so much about Whitmore Enterprises."
Jonathan frowned. "What can you actually do, Kyle? As far as I recall, you never finished anything you started, including school."
He chuckled. "I never got a degree because I knew all of that crap by heart and I didn't feel like showing off. But I'd be happy to start at the bottom and work my way up if that's what it takes. I just don't wanna drift around like I used to anymore. I want to get my hands dirty. I want to earn my keep."
For the longest moment in his life, Kyle waited for a response from his father, who just stood there and stared at him as if he had taken leave of his senses, and he was contemplating whether or not to call an ambulance. Then he smiled and that smile dredged up memories from his childhood that Kyle had all but forgotten; memories of a happier life. "Well, in that case, I expect to see you in my office as soon as you feel it is time. We'll find something for you too."
That said, Jonathan turned away and left the apartment with Marie hot on his heels. And Kyle just stood there and smiled.
***
Good night, sweet prince
For the first time in as long as he could remember, Kyle felt at peace. When he went to bed that night, he figured he would sleep the night through without a single dream and feel refreshed and in high spirits the following morning.
Darker memories crept in and disturbed his peace though; reminding him of the unseemly creature hiding on the Moon and the many lives it had on its conscience. Unable to find the peace he needed to sleep, he got up again and padded barefoot toward the kitchen to get a drink of water.
He found a lone figure sitting on a chair by the window in the dark. "Can't sleep?" he asked and forgot about the water in favor of Daniel.
The younger man looked around at him and gave hi
m an odd little smile. "Nope," he agreed. "That shrink gave me a lot of stuff to think about."
Kyle smirked and settled down on one couch, leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs while folding his hands. "Well, that's good, isn't it?"
Daniel shrugged. "I guess. But he also insisted that I come back. And ... he's not cheap."
For a moment Kyle considered that and then finally shook his head. "You don't have to worry about that. This one's on me."
"Do you actually have any money of your own or is it all your dad's?" Daniel asked, curious.
"It's all dad's," Kyle admitted and grinned. "But I'm gonna start making my own dough from now on. That'll be a different experience."
Daniel nodded. "Yeah ... but talking to this guy ... it dredged up all of these memories. And ... I just can't ... I wish I could just forget it ever happened, you know? But I keep thinking of the others. Of those we left behind. Of ... Stan and Jack and Andy and Stella." He broke off, looking a little pained.
"Me too," Kyle agreed. Truth be told, he hadn't really thought that much about what had happened up there. He was more inclined to just let it go and get on with his life right now. "Well, you know what? I plan on forgetting everything about LPC. It's not worth thinking about it."
Daniel didn't look convinced. "But what about the others? What about all the people still up there?"
It would be a hard thing to let go of for Daniel and Kyle briefly wondered if he shouldn't have pushed the younger man to choose the chem-therapy instead. "It wasn't a good place to be," he said. "And ... I don't know for sure, but when we left ... the lights in dome 2 flickered off. I don't think there's anybody left now."
"They're all dead?" Daniel asked quietly. "I don't like it," he said and met Kyle's eyes. "I don't like it at all. Isn't there something we can do?"
"Not unless you're in possession of an army. We have to sign that gag-order or they'll send us back up there, Danny. I don't wanna go back. And I'm fairly certain you don't want to either," Kyle said. "Am I right?"
A little uneasy, Daniel nodded. "You're right. I don't ever want to set foot on the Moon again. Or any other planet apart from Earth," he agreed.
"It was a nightmare. But it's over. And as long as we keep our traps shut about this, we're safe," Kyle said and smiled. "Go to bed, Daniel. Get some rest."
The younger man nodded and got up, smoothing his hands over the thighs of his pajama-bottoms. "Yeah, you're right. I am pretty tired," he said, gave Kyle a somewhat hesitant smile and left the living room.
Kyle listened until the door slid shut behind Daniel before he got up and stepped up to the window. The city below him was active; full of light and life, and the sky above was clear and filled with stars.
His gaze shifted to the fat full moon high in the sky and he stared at it for a long time, thinking of the monster up there, thinking of the lives lost up there. And there was a part of him that wanted to make it right, wanted to go back and slay the beast. But without knowing what it was or how to defeat it, how could he? In the end, it was hiding in darkness and the likelihood that it would ever make it to Earth was not that great.
The End
About the author
P.C.Rasmussen has told stories since she was very little and has actively been involved in the fan-fiction universe since the age of 12, including Star Wars, Farscape, X-Files, The Magnificent Seven and others. Her favorite genre has always been Science Fiction, which has later expanded into Horror as well. With a truckload of fan-fiction stories behind her, she has finally made the leap into original fiction, which this book is proof of.
Ideas for further tales, including a sequel to this book, are never far away. You can learn more about her fan-fiction on www.cathys-basement.dk or keep up to date on her original fiction on www.pcrasmussen.dk.
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