by Jacob Long
The breathing technique that Doc recommended has us breathing in for a four count, holding for a four count, breathing out for a four count, holding again for a four count, and then repeating the process. It's a little strange to get used to at first. It's hard to know how much air to breathe in and how much to breathe out. After a minute of breathing this way, I feel a lot better. My head feels clear, and my stomach no longer hurts. I think I am ready for this. Maybe not one hundred percent ready, but I know that I will be able to get through this dinner. I have to remember that this isn't my Elena.
The taxi takes us past the gate and up to the mansion. The estate is similar to the one that my family had in California. I've only seen it in pictures, but I can tell that this house was designed with that one in mind. There are two large windows on either side of the front doors. They extend away from the mansion in a half circle. Rich Jayden pushes open the front doors and walks out to greet us. I don't see Elena, but she can't be far behind. Here we go. Real Jayden's door is on the side closest to the mansion so he'll be handling the initial greeting. I open my door and walk around the back of the car. "Travis! Roger!" Rich Jayden exclaims as he hugs Real Jayden. I walk around, and we hug as well.
"Thanks for coming guys. I'm glad you decided to let me know that you were in town," he teases. "Mindy and Sarah took the kids out of town, so it was a last minute decision," I reply. "Well it's good to have you here," he says. The taxi drives off.
Rich Jayden leads us to the front doors. The doors are unlike any that I've seen in the Extreme World or the Rich World so far. In fact, they look like the doors in the Real World. "What do you think about these doors?" he asks as he swings it back and forth holding the handle. "Elena and I wanted everything to be old school. Classic swinging doors." "They look great," I say. "It may take me a while to get used to those," says Real Jayden.
I smile and look at him as if to say, 'don't blow this with your jokes.' "Let's go in, and eat,' says Rich Jayden. "I'm famished." "Sounds like a good idea," Real Jayden adds. "What are we having?" Rich Jayden leads us through the doorway and into the hall. The hallway is spacious, and the ceiling is high. The interior design is very similar to the pictures of the old estate as well. "Chicken with rosemary and coconut sauce. You're going to love it. Doris made it herself-" He gestures to a woman who is standing by a long skinny table near the wall. She's holding a baby. "Well, I helped a little so it might not be as good as usual."
"And this is Porter," he says as he gently caresses and kisses the baby's head. "Thank you, Doris. If you take him upstairs, I'll finish preparing dinner." "Are you sure you can handle it?" she replies. "Well yeah, I mean, since you pretty much did it all," he replies. "I just have to take the toast out of the oven." Doris takes the baby up the stairs, and Rich Jayden starts down the hall again. "Follow me to the kitchen, and we'll see how the food is looking." We walk past a room with an elaborate computer set up. "What's going on in there?" asks Real Jayden.
"Oh, yeah. I have too many side projects going on and not enough time to work on them. It's bad though. I had my office outfitted with the best and most versatile equipment. It feels like a shame to be wasting it most of the time." Within a few feet of the door, I can tell which room is the kitchen just from the flavorsome aroma. Rich Jayden nudges the door open with a big smile on his face. "You guys are going to love this chicken." He walks in and checks the oven. He pulls out a pan with several pieces of Texas-style toast. He sets it on some pads on top of the oven. He looks at us and gestures to the toast. "Well, Travis, what do you think about that?"
I remember that I'm Travis, but it takes me a second to remember that Travis has a particular affinity for Texas toast. "Looks great. When can we start eating?" I reply. "Are you feeling okay?" he asks. "You seem kind of out of it." "Oh, yeah. Sorry, my stomach's been bothering me since we got into town. I think I ate something weird on the plane." "Ugh, planes. You won't have to worry about the airlines poor culinary quality for long." Rich Jayden holds up his right forefinger and thumb close together. "We are this close to mass teleportation" "Sign me up for that. I can't stand airplane seats," says Real Jayden. Rich Jayden smiles. "What do you think of the food?"
"Looks great. Smells great. You really went all out for lunch. I'm not sure how dinner is going to compete." "Oh, yeah. I'll probably just order a pizza for that." His watch buzzes, and he checks it for a moment. "Oh. It looks like Elena is stuck in a meeting. It's just going to be the guys. She says she might be able to finish up in time for dinner." I would think that I would just be relieved to hear that however part of me is disappointed. I guess I want to see her as much as I don't want to. Strangely enough, that makes a lot of sense.
"Should we just grab a plate and eat in the living room while we watch the game?" Rich Jayden asks. "Sounds great to me," Real Jayden replies. "Let's do it," I add. Rich Jayden hands us each a plate, and we fill them up with whole wheat pasta, asparagus, Texas toast, and rosemary and coconut chicken. The toast is whole wheat as well. I forgot that Xyla mentioned that her world was very health conscious. "The toast looks great. What kind of butter substitute did you put on it?" I ask as we make our way to the living room.
“It's olive oil based,” he replies. “I forget the brand name though. “Elena found it. It's the best I've tasted so far.” We walk down the stairs and into a large room filled with a pool table, dart boards, and several arcade games “This is the Rec room, of course. You guys are welcome to use the games if you like.” Along the wall is a bar. There are two fountains and several different shaped bottles strewn about. I wonder what kind of wacky health shakes they drink in here. Connected to the recreation room is the living room. There is a couch acting as the only barrier between the two rooms.
It's aimed at a huge screen that is nearly the size of the far wall that it is on. To the right and left of the couch are two chairs sitting a few feet diagonally away from it. Rich Jayden sits down on the chair to the right. He presses a button, and a tray comes up, hovering over his lap. "The couches have these too." He gestures. "They're meant for laptops, but I eat down here whenever I have to eat alone." Real Jayden and I sit down on either side of the couch as Rich Jayden turns the television on with his watch. "So how is the new headquarters building working out?" I ask.
"It's great. We had an extremely talented architectural team. We even brought in some Feng Shui experts to plan for what would be the most creativity inspiring layouts for each room. We can check it out tomorrow if you want." He takes a bite of his chicken. "That would be great," I reply. "Our schedules are pretty flexible so just let us know when you can fit us in." Real Jayden gives me a strange look. We can always cancel later. I project the sentence into his mind. Rich Jayden smiles. "Alright, let's do it. I'll send Marvin a message right now. He'll set us up." He presses a button on his watch and speaks into it. "Marvin, can you arrange a special tour tomorrow for my dudes and me?"
He takes another bite of his food. I stab a piece of asparagus with my fork. His watch beeps, and he looks over at it. "Oh, he says that is perfectly doable. How does two sound?" He looks back and forth between the two of us. "Works for me," Real Jayden and I respond in sync. "Well, look at you guys. Been hanging around each other for a while now huh? Man, part of me wishes I could have stayed out there in Cali, but this is where all of the action is for us right now, you know?"
"We understand," Real Jayden replies. "You need to do what's best for business." "Exactly," he says. "Speaking of which, how is your research going?" "It's going fantastic," says Real Jayden. We're on the verge of making an upgrade to the soldier suits. You've probably been hearing about that though." Roger has two degrees. One in neurology and one in robotics. He works for Lancaster Enterprises in their research and development branch. Specifically, he works on the team that specializes in the abilities of the super-suits that Lancaster Enterprises sells to the U.N. military and to government branches such as the IDPA. That group, of course, still resides in California for the time being.
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br /> "Actually, I haven't. I wish I had, but they keep me busy with quite a few other things over here on the east coast. That's good to hear, though. It's been a little while since we have had further progress on those. I knew that having you in there was a good idea." He turns to me. "And hows the law business? I still can't believe you didn't want to join our team." I smile because this is a long-running gag between Julian, Travis, and Roger. "It's not that I didn't want to join your team, it's that I wanted to practice a different kind of law."
Travis is a criminal lawyer. Julian said that he could get him on the Lancaster corporate team of lawyers, but Travis wanted to go in a different direction than corporate law. "I know, I know," he replies. "I still have to bother you about it. My dad still mentions it every time I see him." Even though Julian now owns the company, Maximus is still on the board of directors. Oh, yeah. My dad is alive in this world, and so is my mom.
I start to phase out. I can't believe that I am the owner and CEO of a billion-dollar company in this world. I can't believe that my family is alive in this world. I can't believe that I'm married to Elena in this world. A snapping sound jolts me back into reality. "Travis. Travis. Are you all right?" asks Rich Jayden as he snaps his fingers. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," I reply. "That was weird," says Rich Jayden. "I think we both phased out for a moment there." "Dude, you guys just missed an incredible play," Real Jayden says. I have a feeling that he phased out as well, and just snapped to a little sooner than we did.
My helmet makes a notification sound. I hold my forearm so that Rich Jayden won't be able to see it. I carefully look down at my manica. The text is from Xyla. It reads: 'Lancaster Enterprises is clean. Running out of leads.' I sit back in my seat to absorb this information. Where else can we check? I remember the crossover effect and close my eyes. Concentrating on Rich Jayden, I see myself sitting at his desk typing and looking at the array of computer screens. I take a deep breath and focus on one of the monitors. There is a message mentioning Senator Leroy. Something about him requiring safe passage.
I open my eyes. My breathing slows down considerably. I can't believe it. "Rich Jayden is working with the Ministry. I get up and excuse myself to go and grab another piece of toast. Once, I'm far from earshot; I press my comm button. "Xyla, the files are here." "How do you know?" "The crossover connection, or telepathy. I'm not exactly sure how, but I know." There is a brief silence and then. "We don't know the extent of his guilt if he is even guilty at all. It could be due to blackmail or even brainwash. They could just be framing him," she replies. "It's fine," I say. "Let's just focus on getting all of the information and then we can determine who is guilty."
Another few seconds of silence. I peer down the hallway to make sure no one is spying on me. “All right, don't do anything right now. Callum and I will head over and pose as your new friends that want to meet Rich Jayden. That way, you guys can provide enough distraction for me to get the files.” “Let me do it,” I reply. “I'm not sure that's a good idea.” “It may take you a while to hack in. I can read his mind and get the access codes immediately. I'm the best choice for imitating him.” “Are you sure you can do this?” “Yes, this I can handle.”
21
Xyla and Callum arrive shortly before the game is over. They use their imitation devices as well, making sure to imitate people that Rich Jayden is unfamiliar with. Depending on how deeply involved he is with the Ministry, he may already know about all of us. Before the football game is over, I scan Rich Jayden's clothes so that I will be able to look like him later.
He is still wearing his suit for work, without the jacket of course. He seems very comfortable in it. The slacks are black, and the shirt is dark blue. After it ends, Xyla convinces him to show us the estate. "I would love to. Let's go." He stands up, excitedly. We all stand up and follow him out of the living room, up the stairs, and out to the back patio. The view is spectacular. The wealthy safe house that we stayed at in the Real World pales in comparison. However, they are somewhat similar.
The pool is only a few yards away from the patio doors. To the right is an awning with a bar, a heating unit, and several benches for sitting and relaxing. To the left is an open space of lawn. The difference begins with a U shaped walkway that surrounds these areas and leads to a single walkway that extends out to the end of the estate. Rich Jayden gestures and explains all of this as we walk through. We stop at the bar. "Anyone care for a drink?" At first, I think of my recent sobriety, and then I remember that this world is all about being healthy. "What's the Special," I ask.
"Pina Colada with a shot of wheatgrass and an extra boost of digestive enzymes. Perfect for dessert," he replies. The look on Callum's face tells me that he's withholding comment. "I'll take one," Xyla says. "Count me in," says Real Jayden. "Make it three," I say as I hold my stomach. "My belly hasn't been treating me well since breakfast. I could use those enzymes." Rich Jayden looks to Callum. "Shall I make it five?" Callum forces a painful smile. "Trust me; you'll love it." I watch him pull down a screen. He selects Pina Colada. He presses a button for wheatgrass, and one for extra enzymes. He selects the number five and presses the 'complete' button.
He pulls five glasses from underneath the bar and places them. A mechanical arm with a nozzle attached slides over and fills the glasses within an inch of full capacity. The arm slides back to the side and disperses water into a sink. He grabs a glass and holds it up gesturing for us to do the same. We clink our glasses together and take a drink. I'm surprised. It actually tastes delicious. Doc could learn something from my doppelganger about making healthy drinks. "All right," says Rich Jayden as he pulls the glass away from his mouth. "Let's make our way to the garden."
The long stretch of walkway lasts several yards before we reach a tennis court on one side and a basketball court on the other. Several feet past those lie a garden that is on either side of the walkway. There are more narrow walkways that lead into the garden so that it can be easily tended to. We stroll down one of them so that Rich Jayden can show us what he refers to as his pride and joy, the avocados. "I eat probably two of them every day. There are so many things that you can do with them. Doris has been teaching Elena and me how to cook. We take turns choosing what kind of dish to make, and I always choose something with avocados." I make a face and hold my stomach. "What's wrong Travis, I thought you liked avocados?"
"It's not that," I reply. "I think I ate something bad for breakfast. Do you guys mind if I head back to the house to rest for a bit?" "Yeah, no problem," he replies. "Sometimes it takes a little while for those digestive enzymes to really kick in and make things better. Sitting down for a few minutes should actually help a lot. Feel free to use the beach chairs by the pool. Get your feet up. You're going to miss out on the stables though." "I'll try not to be gone for too long." I slowly walk back to the main trail and make my way back to the mansion.
Once I reach the awning, I set my glass down and proceed toward the patio doors. I casually walk to Rich Jayden's office. There is a bathroom near it, so if I am confronted, I will claim that it is the only one that I could remember the location of. Before sneaking into the office, I peer down both sides of the hallway. It is almost an exact replica of the hallway in the house where I grew up. For a moment, I expect Elena to pop out and try to scare me. I step toward the office. "Jayden, wait," RT warns. "I've detected multiple security cameras using your visor sensors." There is a brief pause. "All right, it doesn't appear that there are any alarms attached. I'll delete the footage once I'm connected."
I sneak into the office. I gaze around the room for some evidence of a camera. “They must be pretty well hidden,” RT says. The cameras are indeed very well hidden. No matter, RT we'll take care of them once he is inside the system. I sit down at the desk. I pause to see if I can figure out Rich Jayden's password before I create an interface. If I don't log in first before plugging in, I could set off an alarm. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and focus on memories of being in this office. Of course, I've n
ever been in this office before but Rich Jayden has, and we are connected.
So I do my best to picture myself, as him, sitting at this desk. My eyelids open. I can hardly believe it. I know the password. I type in the words; ELENA ANGEL MOYA and press the enter button. It's the same password that I have for my computer back home. Light from the screen flickers as the machine activates. On the home screen is a picture of Elena and Rich Jayden holding their baby boy. "Jayden, we need you to stay focused," RT says. "You can do this."a
He must be looking through my visors and realized that I froze upon seeing this image. I snap out of it. "Sorry." There are several spots for an interface so I choose the one that will be most comfortable for me to scan. I raise my forearm up in front of it, and press a few buttons. It only takes my hologram emitter a few seconds to create an accommodating device. Once it's complete, it slides into the computer easily enough. "Great work," RT assures me. "It'll take me about forty-five seconds to copy everything, and delete the footage from the security cameras as well."