Cyber

by Terry Schott

  CYBER

  Terry Schott

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  WAIT!

  Before you read this book, understand that it is NOT A Game is Life book.

  This is a Companion story which means that it takes place in the Game universe, but it's not part of the series. If you like the Game, you will like this. It may contain information which is important later on in the series…

  ALSO… You can read this book by itself, but will like it better if you have read SHADOWS.

  If you haven't read SHADOWS and want to, you can find it here:

  http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Terry-Schott-ebook/dp/B00MJB6DIQ

  Okay, that's it. Hope you enjoy the story =)

  Terry

  Cyber

  Prefix taken from kybernetes, Greek for ‘steersman’ or ‘governor’

  #1

  In business news, Loredana Cyber, heir to Cyber Incorporated, the world’s largest theme park and resort conglomeration, turns twenty today. The board of directors has been running the company since her father, Oscar Cyber, died in an unfortunate accident five years ago.

  Loredana will be the first woman of her family to take over the reins of the company. Money markets from every nation will watch with interest to see how she handles herself over the next few fiscal quarters.

  Michael Taggert, Financial Daily Channel

  An attendant dressed in an elegant three-quarter length overcoat of crushed red velvet trimmed with gold opened the door and strode to the curb as the long, black limousine pulled up to the front entrance of the Cyber Incorporated Headquarters building. He reached for the door handle with his immaculate white glove and smiled at the automobile’s occupant as he straightened and opened the door. “Welcome home, Ms. Cyber.”

  One long, athletic leg emerged from the limousine, followed by the other as Loredana exited. Her eyes flicked to the front of the building and rose skyward, following the architecture as it disappeared into the clouds before meeting the gaze of her attendant. “Thanks, Karlson.” She placed one hand on the grey-haired man’s shoulder and smiled. “I’m so happy you are here to greet me, today.”

  Karlson blushed and lowered his gaze. “I pulled rank in order to be able to do so, Ms. Cyber.” He closed the door and began walking toward the front door, matching the young woman’s pace. “Everyone is so proud that you are taking control of your family’s company. It will be good to have a Cyber in charge once more.”

  “Karlson.” She shook her head. “That’s twice in the past minute that you’ve called me Ms. When Great Great Grandpa started this company, he asked to be addressed by his first name and that’s still how I intend to do things around here.”

  Karlson laughed as he reached for the door. “Of course you’re right, Loredana. Forgive me.”

  She furrowed her brows and nodded, a smile playing on her lips. “That’s better. I hear you get all formal and it makes me think something bad is about to happen.” She walked through the door and Karlson followed. She reached out to grasp his hand.

  Karlson chuckled. “Do you recall the first time you entered this building? You were three and your dad brought you in on a Saturday morning.”

  “I remember.”

  His smile faltered as the two of them waited for the elevator. “We miss him. Your dad was amazing.”

  She nodded.

  “I’m sorry, Loredana. You have important business to get to.”

  “Nonsense. There is nothing so important that two people can’t spend time talking with each other. Without relationships, there would be no Cyber Incorporated.”

  The older man nodded. “Knock ‘em dead, lass.”

  She kissed him on the cheek and moved to wait in front of the elevator, smiling at people as they passed her, nodding to some and greeting others by name. She pushed the button and waited.

  “Here she is.”

  “Damn it, Glen.”

  “What?” The man suddenly standing beside her smirked as he ran one hand over the breast of his black three-piece suit.

  “I never hear you coming. It’s like you’re a ninja, or ghost, or something.”

  “Alas”—he placed both hands behind his back and laced his fingers together—“only a man.” He looked up, watching the light above the elevator as it ticked closer to the ground floor indicator. “Are you nervous?”

  “Not at all.”

  Neither spoke for a beat.

  “Perhaps a little.”

  “I’m sure you will do fine.” The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Glen gestured toward the empty car. “After you.”

  “Thank you.” She stepped into the elevator and he followed.

  The door closed and Glen pressed the button marked ‘BR’. “Boardroom, coming up.”

  Loredana took a deep breath and sighed. “Life’s about to change.”

  He looked at her through the reflection in the closed silver door, smiling as his eyes met hers. “It certainly is.”

  ***

  Glen opened the door to the boardroom and Loredana entered. Twelve executives—an assortment of men and women—stood as they came into the room. They approached the head of a long black table and stood on either side of the empty leather-bound chair. He pointed to the seat, and Loredana sat, pulling herself closer to the table.

  “Ladies and gentlemen.” Glen stood to Loredana’s right, straight-backed with his hands clasped behind his back. “We are here today to witness Cyber Incorporated history. Some of you have travelled from the other side of the world to be here.” He nodded. “Thank you for coming.”

  Everyone sat and all heads turned to look at Loredana. She glanced down at the paperwork—a thick document with a black cover and the colourful logo of Cyber Incorporated—in front of her. She opened it and flipped through the pages, occasionally pausing to read the wording of the contract.

  “After today, this great company will make bold new strides. Our plans for the next two, five, ten, and even twenty years are solidly in place. With the—”

  “Excuse me.” Loredana frowned.

  Glen stopped speaking and looked at her, raising one eyebrow. “Yes?”

  She held two pages between her fingers, flipping back and forth quickly before looking at Glen. “Something’s not right here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “This clause.” She pointed at a line in the middle of the page.

  Glen leaned in and read it. “Yes?”

  Her fingers flipped to the second page near the end of the document. “And this one.” Another quick flip to the final page. “And this.”

  Glen frowned and shook his head. “They all seem clear. What’s the problem?”

  Loredana stared at him for a moment, then looked at the executives seated at the conference table. Their expressions remained blank. She closed the document and leaned back in her seat. “This document states that I am relinquishing my claim to run the company.”

  Glen’s eyes narrowed before returning to normal. He nodded. “That’s right.”

  Heat flushed Loredana’s cheeks as she sat up and opened the document to the final page. “What do you mean, ‘that’s right’? I’m here today to take control, not give it up.”

  The woman to Loredana’s immediate right spoke. “Glen? You assured us that everything had been discussed and she was in agreement.”

  Loredana turned to stare at the woman, who avoided her eyes. “Glen. I almost signed this document without reading it.”

  “Almost.” Glen rubbed his forehead and sighed.

  “You never intended for me to take over did you?”

  “Loredana.”

  She held up a hand. “No.” She sh
ook her head and looked at the executives. “For months, years, I’ve been preparing to take over this company and you”—she pointed at Glen, then swept her hand to indicate the rest of the board—“never had any intention of letting it happen.”

  No one said anything while the reality of her situation set in. Loredana rested one elbow on the table and placed her head in her hand.

  Glen spoke. “The agreement is more than fair.”

  Loredana rubbed her forehead, eyes closed. “What agreement?”

  “The one in front of you. It gives you an allowance of—”

  “An allowance?” She opened her eyes and glared at Glen.

  “Ten million a year, for the rest of your life.”

  “My family built this business from a small office in a tiny town into a multi-billion dollar international corporation, and you want to give me an allowance?”

  “Loredana, it’s extremely generous. If you’ll just hear me out I can—”

  Loredana stood, chopping the air with one hand. “It’s theft.”

  Glen laughed.

  “Something funny?”

  “You’re not capable of running something like this.”

  “My father thought I was.”

  “Your father thought you might be. You were young when he died.”

  “I know how young I was when he died.”

  Glen nodded. “The board of directors was forced to pass precautionary measures. Fail safes for you to meet in order to take control. This company is too big to let a girl take the helm.”

  “A girl.” She shook her head.

  “Cyber Incorporated employs more people around the world than the next thirty companies combined. Hundreds of billions of dollars are at stake with each decision that is made.” Glen shook his head. “I’m sorry, Loredana. We have thought long and hard about this. You simply aren’t ready to take control.”

  She shook her head. “I will fight this.”

  Glen shrugged. “You will lose.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes. She wiped them away. “My family trusted you all to do the right thing.”

  “Which is exactly what we are doing.” Glen looked up at the ceiling and smoothed the breast of his jacket with one hand.

  Loredana wiped her eyes once more, took a deep breath, and pulled her shoulders back. She touched the empty chair at the head of the table, running her fingers across the black leather. Then she turned and walked toward the door.

  “Loredana,” Glen picked up the agreement and began to follow her. “You need to sign this.”

  She opened the door and left the room.

  #2

  Cyber Incorporated is in the news today. The company is reporting record profits across all of their divisions and countries for the upcoming fiscal quarter. Their strength has always been in the theme park and resort markets, and those two divisions continue to outpace all other aspects of their growth, especially in the North American and European markets.

  In his most recent press release, Glen Dranton, CEO of Cyber Inc, credits a strong imagination and development team that is continually pushing the creative envelope to bring new cutting-edge technology to new rides and attractions.

  In related news, it has been two years since Loredana Cyber faded from the public spotlight. After announcing that she would not be taking over as CEO of her family company, she has seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. Inside sources close to the family say that she has not reported in, and no longer accepts any money from the estate.

  Wherever you are, Loredana, we wish you well and hope to see you again soon.

  “Reading?”

  Ivan looked up from his tablet and smiled. “Hey, Lori. Yeah, you know me. Always with my nose in a book.”

  Loredana entered the small workshop, watching her footing as she stepped over tall, crooked stacks of circuitry and wires strewn across both the floor and small benches in chaotic fashion. Ivan sat at the main workbench, his feet resting on the one empty spot on the crowded surface.

  She peeked over his shoulder and raised one eyebrow. “E-book. I like that.”

  Ivan smiled. “You’re not the only one.” He removed his feet from the workbench and sat up, placing the digital reader onto the table in front of him. “I have a few friends who still moan that paper is the only way to read a book, but I’d rather have fifty or a hundred novels in a compact tablet than have to worry about lugging around that many books.”

  “Until the power goes out.”

  Ivan shrugged. “When that happens, I won’t have time to read.”

  Loredana laughed. “That’s true. You would have a dozen or so angry people looking at you to help turn things back on.”

  “The price one pays for being a technical nerd.”

  She picked up the tablet and tapped its surface. “What were you reading? I need something new to try.”

  “A sci-fi story about virtual reality.”

  “Another one? Seems like that’s all you read lately.”

  Ivan picked a computer chip from one pile and held it up between them. “Yeah, I’m reading a lot about the topic, but it’s research.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Ivan shrugged.

  “Ivan.” Loredana leaned against him, nudging his shoulder. “Are you finally going to do more than fix computers for this shop? I’ve been telling you to make something since we met. Your brilliance is being wasted here re-soldering outdated motherboards and installing hacks on tablets for customers.”

  “Nah, I haven’t made anything.”

  “Oh my god.” Her eyes widened. “I was just fishing, but you have. You’ve totally made something.”

  “Jeez, Lori, don’t you listen? I just said I haven’t.”

  Loredana laughed and shook her head. “I listen too well. That mouth of yours says one thing while your tone and body language say something entirely different.”

  He frowned, then glanced at the door before leaning close to her. “Fine. I’m working on something, but I don’t want everyone knowing.”

  “Don’t worry, Ivan, I can certainly keep a secret.”

  “Yeah.”

  “What do you mean, yeah? I can.”

  “Oh, I know.”

  Loredana looked down at the tablet and read the title page of his current e-book. “The Game?”

  His smile returned. “Yeah. Great book.”

  “I think I’ve heard of it.”

  “It’s getting some good buzz. Word is they are going to try and make a television show out of it.”

  “What’s it about?”

  “Kids playing a virtual reality game.”

  She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

  “Of course, there’s more to it than that.”

  “Sounds interesting.” She held the tablet toward him.

  “Take it home and give it a look.”

  “I don’t want to take your tablet.”

  “It’s a shop spare. Don’t be silly. Give it a try.”

  “Alright, I will. Thanks.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “Okay. I gotta get back out on the floor.” She tucked the tablet under her arm and tiptoed towards the door. “If I don’t sell new computers, you won’t have a job.”

  Ivan laughed and looked around the room as he ran one hand through his shoulder-length black hair. “You already talk too many customers out of buying new machines.”

  “The ones they bring in are fine most times.” She pointed to the piles of computer components lying around. “Besides, it’s keeping you busy, right?”

  “I guess.”

  “See ya tomorrow, Ivan.”

  “Let me know what you think of the story, Lori. I think you’ll love it.”

  Loredana hopped over the final mess on the floor and into the hallway. “I’m sure I will.”

  #3

  Loredana entered the coffee shop and got into line. She tilted her head around the three people separating her from Ivan. He was looking at the m
enu board behind the cashier.

  “Psst. Ivan.”

  He looked to either side, before finally turning around and seeing her waving at him. “Morning, Lori. Get up here.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not cutting in line. You come back here.”

  “Okay, fine.” Ivan laughed as he came to stand beside her. “How ya doing?”

  “Awesome.” She looked at the menu board. “I’m buying you breakfast this morning.”

  “Why?”

  “You mean ‘thanks’?”

  “Yeah. Thanks. But also, why?”

  They inched closer to the counter. “I read that book you gave me last night.”

  “The whole book?”

  “And book two.”

  Ivan chuckled. “Guess that answers my next question. You liked it, huh?”

  “Oh my god, I loved it!” Loredana’s eyes lit up. “Great story. Riveting.”

  “It just gets better as it goes along.”

  “What are you having to eat?” She nodded at the menu board. They were getting closer to the front of the line.

  “Just a coffee.”

  She shook her head. “Then it won’t count. I will buy you lunch instead.”

  “Fine.” He sighed. “I’ll have a toasted western on brown and a coffee.”

  Loredana ordered for both of them, getting a toasted bagel with cream cheese and coffee for herself. They stood aside to wait for their food and Ivan looked out over the small cluster of tables. “Want to eat here? We have time before work starts.”

  “Sure. I’ll bring the stuff, you go get us a table.”

  “Let’s get a table together and then I’ll come back to carry the stuff.”

  Loredana punched his shoulder. “Aren’t you chivalrous.”

  “I guess.”

  She grinned and the two of them found a table. Ivan left and returned a few moments later with their food and coffee. “So”—he reached for the ketchup bottle and squeezed a dollop onto his plate—“tell me what you liked best about the story.”

  Loredana had peeled back the foil wrapping on her bagel and was about to take a bite. “The book is still so fresh in my head. I loved a lot about it. The story, the characters.” She shook her head. “The VR.” She nodded and bit into her bagel. “Yeah,” She paused in order to chew. “The virtual reality. It was so . . .”