by Potts, Allie
“What incompetence! I think I am going to have to have a word with the management.”
Juliane froze and scanned the crowd for the source. An opening broke through the sea of people. At first Juliane only saw a slim woman with blonde hair laughing in response, but then the woman stepped back. Standing with his arm wrapped around the woman’s waist, his face flushed, was Louis.
Juliane sucked in her breath as Louis looked her way. He looked as if he had gained a little weight around his waist over the years but was mostly unchanged. Juliane screamed to herself, No, no, no! as he began walking toward them with the woman, who had to be Elena, in tow.
Juliane looked to Alan as she tried to come up with a way to avoid the situation, but Alan appeared oblivious to Juliane’s distress. If anything, he looked pleased.
Louis, dressed in the opposing team's colors swayed from side to side as he walked. “Juliane! I never expected to see you here. Visiting old friends? We should catch up. How long are you in town?”
Juliane felt a pressure build behind her eyes at Louis’s easy manner. He smiled boldly as he approached, as if greeting a long-absent friend. His body showed little of the discomfort she felt at seeing him so unexpectedly. Juliane ground her teeth. He still doesn't regret how he treated me at all, she thought.
Louis leaned into his wife and whispered something in her ear. Elena looked at Juliane and let out a quiet, musical laugh. Juliane's muscles tensed as she steeled her nerves. She reminded herself that she had grown in multiple ways since he had so casually tossed her aside. Factories filled with enough people to populate small cities cowered in fear of her displeasure. She was a force into herself and needn’t shy away from anyone. Even Louis. She drew up her back like a queen.
“I never left, as I am sure you know.”
Louis stumbled, and the grin momentarily dropped from his face. His eyebrows wrinkled together as if he had trouble deciphering her words.
“Actually, I didn’t. I am sorry to admit that I haven’t exactly been following your status updates since you left the ACI. For some reason, Elena tends to look down upon that sort of thing. Don’t you, my dear?” He attempted to nuzzle Elena’s neck, but in his state, he slightly missed the mark, leaving a mark of saliva on her shirt collar. Elena didn’t seem to mind, giggling at his gesture.
“If you aren’t aware of what Jules here has been up to, it’s no wonder we are losing our competitive edge,” said Alan without humor in his voice.
Louis glanced at a passerby rubbing a delicate ear clip. "Ah. Yes. That's your work then?”
“Yes, and has been for some time now.”
“Alan, I'd hardly call her little trinkets a serious threat, but you are right. I should know the faces behind the competition.”
“Honey, the game is going to start up again, and I am still thirsty. Why don’t we let these two get back to enjoying their date?” Elena patted her husband’s arm, breaking the tension.
Louis rubbed his free hand over his face. Juliane watched as his eyes widened as his gaze darted between their faces. A sly grin crept back onto his face. “Tsk, tsk, Alan. Surely Betty deserves better.”
Juliane did not need to look in Alan’s direction to feel the heat generated by Louis’s words. Louis, on the other hand, was either blind or too drunk to care. He continued, “Well, I can’t say I am entirely surprised. I always thought there was something between you two. Ah look, Elena, Jules is blushing!”
“It’s Juliane,” she hissed.
Louis swayed, falling onto Juliane while pulling on his wife’s waist. Elena had been holding a cup; the sudden movement sent a portion of the contents spraying onto Juliane’s shoe. Juliane struggled to maintain her composure as the liquid spread its stain. It took every ounce of her will not to run back to their seats.
Louis smiled at his wife. “It can't be that great of a date. Those two are much too serious." Alan pushed him upright as Louis continued, "Aren’t these games supposed to be the great American pastime? You should be relaxing and having some fun.” At least that was what Juliane thought she heard him say. His accent combined with his inebriated state made the words swim together.
“You are thinking about baseball.” Alan using a clipped tone that reminded Juliane of her old professors.
“Well, aren't you a fountain of information? I bet you are a blast at parties.” Louis suddenly leaned in, nearly bringing his wife down with him. “Speaking of party tricks, you two should appreciate this.” Louis removed his arm from Elena’s waist to block the room’s light from one hand with the other. He cupped the hand in the shadows while Elena leaned back to sip her drink.
Just as Juliane began to wonder if Louis had forgotten what he was going to say, his shadowed palm began to glow. “I sometimes forget which house I am in and couldn’t find a light switch anywhere. After I stubbed my toe for the hundredth time, all I could do was think of how badly I wanted a light, and then, the next thing I know, poof! I’m glowing. If Edison could only see me now . . .”
Louis glanced back at Elena, who grinned as she enjoyed another sip. As he straightened and returned his arm around her waist, she handed him the cup. He finished its contents with one large swig before crumpling the plastic and tossing it into a nearby garbage bin. “Well, my dear, it looks as if I may have stumbled across yet another unanticipated discovery. Alan, isn't that what am I paying you to do?”
The pair lurched back toward the concession stand, but before they had taken more than a few steps, Louis turned back. “On that note, I think, Alan, that you may have just outlived your usefulness. Consider yourself a free agent.”
"I always have," whispered Alan as Louis and Elena walked away.
Juliane watched Louis order and consume another round of drinks. Instead of stopping him or urging him to cut back, Elena just stood there, enabling him. Juliane was disgusted. “I’m suddenly not thirsty anymore.” Spinning on her heel, Juliane walked back to their seats.
The box was no longer vacant when they returned. Damien stood near the back of the room deep in conversation with Eithan Yuan. At their entrance, Eithan cocked his head to the side as if he was trying to place where they had met before. Juliane allowed a small smile, which Eithan returned before bowing and departed. “Damien, did you know that Louis would be here when you asked Alan to bring me today?” asked Juliane.
Damien’s eyebrows rose as he answered. “I assumed he likely would be. He does own the Suns, after all, but I wouldn't have expected him on this side of the stadium. Perhaps, they cut him off at the concessions closer to his box." Damien shrugged. "In any event, I hope he didn't cause too much of a problem for you.”
Juliane drew herself up straight. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”
“I never doubted it. You are the mother of enhanced reality. The ACI should never have let you go. He should never have let you go. You are singlehandedly going to bring his company to its knees.”
Juliane smiled at the pep talk.
Alan produced a sound which was a cross between a laugh and a gag. “Well, Damien, as long as we are talking about bringing down the competition and launching a whole new world order, I should mention that I will no longer be able to serve in my current capacity.”
“No?”
“It seems that our dear friend Louis has decided to make a few organizational changes of his own.”
“That is a pity, but that can only mean that he is feeling scared, which means we must be doing something right. I think it may be time to start upping the ante.”
“Exactly what I was thinking.”
Juliane waited for Damien to elaborate on his plans, but there was no further explanation.
The stadium began rocking as speakers blasted music and the crowd regained its roar. Walking up to the edge of the glass, Juliane stared at the players as they returned to the field. They seemed different from the first half. She gazed at the monitor. “The team looks even larger than they did before halftime
.”
When Damien spoke up, he was directly behind her ear. “I decided to stop by the locker room to give them a little pep talk before heading up this way.”
The enormous scoreboard flashed to the interior of the visiting owner's box. Louis and Elena waved to fans as the players lined up below. As they represented the opposing team, Juliane expected to hear some boos but instead heard some applause.
Just before the camera panned away, Juliane saw Louis’s hand creep up the side of Elena’s blouse. “I would never have anticipated that they would still be together after all these years, especially after such a short courtship period.” Damien must also have noticed their display of affection. “It is enough to make you wonder if there might be some truth to those rumors.”
“Down in front!” Alan shouted, bringing Juliane’s attention to the movement on the field.
“Do you think we have chance in beating the Suns?”
“His team may have speed and agility, but just like their namesake, they will eventually burn out. My team, on the other hand, has strength and stamina. They won’t just beat the Suns, they will rip them to shreds.”
"Juliane?" Damien asked.
Juliane realized that she had allowed her eyes to drift back toward the opposing owner's box.
"I think you've hidden long enough."
"I haven't been hiding. I've just been busy."
"I know you have, but I have plans, and I'd like to know you can be counted on to play a big part of them. Don't you think it's past the time the world recognized you? I mean the real you."
Twenty Six
The second half began with a kickoff return for a touchdown, and the Suns never regained the momentum. As Juliane and the others left the stadium, the car's newsfeeds were alight with stories about broken records and interviews with several of the most outstanding players of the game. The interviews had begun to blend together—many of the players were products of multi-generational dynasties and thanked their parents as well as their coaches—and Juliane tuned the noise out. It had begun to sound more like an animal breeder announcing their fine pedigrees than news.
The following morning, Juliane awoke completely disoriented. It took a few seconds before she realized that she had fallen asleep in her own bed rather than the couch in her office. As she regained her bearings, she stretched her fingers out against the surrounding fabric. Her sheets were still nearly as crisp as they were upon initial purchase, even though she hadn’t updated her furnishings in close to a year.
Her feet screamed in protest as she stood. She must have walked more yesterday than she had originally thought. After being sheathed so long in heels, her arches ached as she padded flat-footed across the room. Doing her best to ignore the pain, she entered into the kitchen and its promise of coffee on demand. Juliane allowed herself a smile as she placed a coffee pod into the machine. One of the first things she had done after leaving the ACI was to buy a French press, only to produce mug after mug with floating grounds. She had thought of Chad with every cup. At least with the machine it was the proper temperature, but perhaps she had been too hard on him.
The various gears whirled as the machine came online and the liquid began to drip into her cup. A message indicator flashed in her vision, signifying that her inbox had been working overtime while she slept. Alan was right; it had been too long since she enjoyed the convenience of her home. She ignored the alert. It could wait until after she had eaten some breakfast.
The message indicator flashed again. Juliane disabled the alert with a thought. Another indicator flashed informing her that someone was trying to place a VoIP call. Juliane disabled that alert as well.
Once her stomach had been satisfied by a quick breakfast, she returned to the living room. As much as she had enjoyed her morning's peace, Juliane knew that she could not afford to be off the grid for much longer. With a sigh, she re-engaged her messaging protocols as she scanned the newsfeed.
Juliane sank into her couch. Her breakfast felt like an anchor as her feed was filled with hundreds of variations of the same headline. Louis had been involved in an accident at some point following the game. Images of his automobile accompanied many of the stories. It was hard to imagine that crumpled ball of bent metal and shattered glass could have carried anyone from one place to another.
No one seemed to have firm details as to the cause of the crash or the conditions of the victims, but all the reporters were free with their individual speculation. There was no mention of who drove the car when it happened. Surely Louis arranged for a driver, especially after consuming as much as he had, thought Juliane. Or at least Elena should have taken care of it. Perhaps the alcohol wasn't a factor then. Juliane read further. There was no mention of it.
Reporters were now reaching out to anyone, regardless as to how tenuous the connection to Louis might be, for their comments and initial reaction.
By mid-morning, additional details had been gathered, although there was still some doubt as to the authenticity of the sources. According to an individual who wished to remain anonymous, Louis had been at the wheel at the time of the accident. He had been driving at excessive speeds when he lost control of the vehicle. The reporter commented that Louis had been lucky. He had been thrown from the car just before it ignited into a fiery inferno. He condition was listed as extremely serious. His wife, however, was not as fortunate.
Lacking any further comment from hospitals, friends, or family, many of the outlets chose to cobble together featurettes on the charitable contributions of the late Mrs. Evans. Previously submitted press photography showed her caressing children’s faces in their hospital beds, feeding children in developing nations, or otherwise looking angelic. One might think Elena was on her way to canonization by the way the stories were positioned. Everyone interviewed bemoaned how the world was made a little bit darker by her loss.
Then, the stories began to rehash the details of Elena and Louis’s whirlwind romance. They described Elena as Louis’s true partner and love of his life. Juliane felt her eyes tighten as reporters reminded their audience of the rumors regarding those days and how early their relationship truly started. Juliane even saw her own image and old name referenced in a couple of stories.
Juliane’s phone alert flashed once again. She glanced at the identification code in the corner of the screen and accepted the call.
“Durham, did you see the news?”
“Good morning, Juliane. Yes, it was hard to miss. Do you need to tell me anything?” Durham asked.
“About what?” Juliane frowned. Over the last five years, Durham had never acted once like he recognized her from the time when she and Louis were together. Is he be calling about the factory? That could only mean that the news had leaked to the media, and she still didn't have a satisfactory report from the production heads.
“About last night.”
“I was at the game last night with Alan.”
“Exactly. You were there. Alan was there. Louis and Elena were there.”
“Damien and Eithan too, as well as several other thousand people. What difference does that make?”
“There are witnesses who saw you together, claiming that there was a somewhat heated exchange.”
“Louis made a fool of himself and terminated Alan, but it was hardly a heated exchange. If anything, Alan acted happy about it. We walked away and watched the Sharks beat the Suns in the second half. That’s all. What are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything. I am merely trying to understand the facts so that I can get out ahead of any rumors that might come out of this.”
“The man was practically a bottle of antiseptic; he had so much alcohol in him. I don’t see why you are worried that there could be any other rumor. Certainly not anything that would involve us.”
“Except that you just confirmed that Alan was fired. Not only that, but fired very publicly. And what about you?”
“What about me?”
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“You haven't been seen in public in years, and then, the first time you are, you just happened to run into your ex-boyfriend? Some people might question anyone's mental stability in the situation.”
Juliane bit back a quick retort as Durham’s words registered. “So you recognized me after all?"
“Juliane, I am not an idiot. Of course I recognized you. I've was never fooled by that avatar you insisted on always using. None of us were. Well, at least most of weren't," Durham amended.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Damien told us before the meeting began that you wanted a fresh start, and after what Louis did to you, I chose to respect your wishes." Durham paused. More softly he said, "I would have hoped you had more confidence in my memory. After all, you were a big part of the reason I sought other employment.”
Juliane looked out her window. The day had started out with brilliant clear skies, but clouds were beginning to roll in. She realized she had been pacing around the room’s perimeter. It was one of the rare times she wished she still maintained a separate phone device. She had read some classic novels over the years and finally believed she understood why the characters would waste time twirling cords.
Durham's voice was once again all business. “So, back to my question. Is there anything, anything that I should know about last night?”
“I went to the game. We saw Louis and his wife during halftime. The Sharks came back in the second half to win. I was dropped off here. Nothing else.”
“And you stayed in your condo all night?”
“That is what I said.”
“I meant that once home, you didn’t log into your virtual reality program?”
Juliane frowned. Durham had undergone a version of the upgrade procedure too, the same as all of Damien's high-level officials. If he hadn't recognized her program's benefits yet, he likely never would. Some people were just blind.
“No, I had promised Alan that I would take a night off. But it is beginning to sound like I shouldn’t have. Are you satisfied yet?”