by M. Modak
He had not considered what he thought of them. Before now, he figured he would simply adapt, as it had just been put, and try to fit in where he could, just like everywhere else he had worked before.
He caught himself looking for the hidden camera. He was sure someone was going to step out from behind the stage and tell him that this was all some kind of bad joke and he could get his prize at the door, on his way out. He said, “I’ve never been to a place like this before. You’ve all been employed here for a long time. Everyone seems to be relaxed and comfortable as if this was a second home. It’s like you’re all here for family dinner.” He said as they all laughed.
“Don’t get us wrong;” The man who looked like Tim said in a reassuring tone, “We fight like brothers and sisters too. It’s just a little more of a professional argument and for the most part we all respect the space Michael and Anna have provided.” His tone turned professional again, “We know you’ll be able to do the job, we won’t be giving you a work load you can’t handle, and after we discover your talents you’ll be getting additional training. As you know, we have the lowest turnover rate of any research and design company in the nation. It’s because our working environment is mostly stress free, we problem solve together and we choose a staff that matches us. The real question here is this; do you feel like this is the right place for you?”
“Yes,” Joshua said, “This is like a dream come true. I’m not really sure what is expected of me but if you’re asking me how I feel. I feel ready to do whatever is needed. This is a place where I can be myself. I’m inspired by everything I see here; especially the way everyone has treated me.”
The man nodded at that as a smile spread across his face.
Just then, Michael burst into the room, “Ok everybody listen up, I need some volunteers. Chase and I have whittled down the last seine of the pilot and I need to see it in front of me before I pass it onto the studio.” Everyone raised their hands. Michael looked at Joshua first but seemed to change his mind, “Ok Tiffney, Bell, Hakeem, and Isla can you queue up the Holo Backstage Images and ready the sound? “
“Frank and Joe I need you as my lead actors. Juliana you’re dead over there,” he pointed to the stage, “and Carter you’re watching from the window. The scripts should be on your personal flexphones.”
With that, everyone got up and moved in a hurry to take their places. Michael waited a minute then came and sat down beside Joshua and said, “When Carter, over there,” he pointed to the man Joshua knew as Tim from his dream. With a wry smile, Michael pulled out a prop knife that had a rubber blade, which slid back inside its handle with a simple touch. “When he says, “I didn’t know she was telling the truth!” You’re going to walk up from behind him and stab him in the back with this!”
Joshua took the knife with a smile and asked, “Where should I wait for my cue?” Michael pointed to a spot just off stage on the left not far from Carter.
The lights dimmed and dramatic music played softly in the background. The sounds from the aquarium quieted as holographic images from a typical office appeared around them. Juliana lay on the ground playing dead as the two men approach her on stage. Joshua moved quietly into position.
“I just called the police. I think her husband killed her,” the first man said.
“She said he was going to do it, but that bastard Judge Reynolds still let him go!” The second man replied.
The first man continued, “We never did any of those things he accused us of. She worked so late because of the tax season, that’s all it ever was. Rick said that someone had offered to sell him holograms of us having sex! I did my own looking around and found out that he owed a lot of gambling debts to some scary people.”
“What happened to the holograms?” the first man asked.
“There never were any holograms because none exist! We only did our jobs.”
Carter said, “I didn’t know she was telling the truth!” Then Joshua stabbed him in the back.
Carter whirled around on him, “What are you doing?”
Joshua shrugged and said, “Stabbing you in the back?”
Michael stood up, “Ok,” He looked down at Anna. “What do you think?”
“I think he stuck the part.” Anna snorted.
Michael looked at Joshua and said, “Exactly, the season ends with two deaths! We drop the fight between the husband and his wife’s boss, then no expensive police chase is needed, and we end it right there. Nothing significant in the plot changes because the husband dies anyway, and this seems more of a mystery teaser for next season.”
“I like it,” Anna said. Michael motioned for the lights to be turned up and asked the same question to everyone.
“I knew he was going to kill her,” Tiffney said.
“But, what about the ending,” Michael asked?
“I like it better than a car chase, Carter said, “but a fight might still be best. Instead of Joshua sneaking up on me like that, why don’t we have them fight it out for a minute?”
“Yea,” Michael said, “I like that. Drop the car chase but have the two killers fighting each other. We’ll need to draw up a fight sequence. Juliana, will you send an e-Holo of this and our conversation afterward to Chase and see what he thinks.” Juliana nodded as she started tapping on her flexphone.
Michael walked over to Joshua and asked, “Did you finish the tour?”
“We never made it past the aquarium,” Tiffney said.
“You like the aquarium.” he asked.
“It’s magnificent, but I love everything I’ve seen here, Anna did a great job,” Joshua replied.
“Yea, well at least I got to contribute something significant. We had a competition for the design rights and she beat me at nearly everything. I got the paintings and the Aquarium. I had to redesign this entire floor and then reinforce the load baring walls beneath us three floors down in order to spread the weight of the water. The permitting was a nightmare.” He looked at the aquarium again as if seeing it in its construction, “It was worth the trouble, don’t you think?”
“I think it’s the last thing I’d expect to see up here which makes it the coolest thing I’ve seen in years. My favorite part is the water falling from that cliff high in the ceiling. And I noticed it went silent when we started acting. It has a quiet mode. It was a little loud earlier. How did you get it so quiet?”
Michael said, “There’s a giant ball that extends into the flow of water when we need silence. The water starts it spinning, reducing the sound, and retracts when were done. Joshua’s eyes opened wide, “Where did you get the idea to put a large spinning ball in here?”
Michael turned and looked at Anna, “She said the idea just popped in her head one day. So after we built a scaled down model and saw how it would look and work, I climbed up there and installed it.”
“Can I go up there and see it?” Joshua asked excitedly.
“If you stay with us long enough I’ll take you up there the next time I have to clean the whole thing and show you how it all works.”
“I hope I get that chance,” Joshua said.
Michael looked around at the tables as if searching for something, “Is lunch here yet?” Joshua saw Juliana renew her typing on her flexphone and asked someone the same question.
The voice of the young man from the reception came in over the lightly playing music, “The pizza just checked in at the front gate. It should be here in five minutes.”
“Good,” Michael said, “have him bring it in here.” He turned to exit through the door Joshua had first entered and motioned for Joshua to follow, “We can finish the tour in that time and be back on the other side for pizza and wings.”
Michael walked faster this time though he slowed to point out his favorite art pieces. He stopped to open a few office doors showing him the rooms he liked most; each decorated with unique taste. They slowed as they passed several large frescos, everyone a picture from a simple life in different villages around the world.
>
They walked a few more feet and Michael paused and looked Joshua in the eyes, “Did they ask you what you think of them?”
He understood, “Yes, Carter asked me that just before you came in.”
“And?”
“And, I told everyone I feel like I’m at a place I could really grow, that everyone here made me feel welcome and comfortable. I’m inspired.”
Michael laughed as he nodded, “Ok you’re in Joshua. I’m not going to play games with you and make you wait to find out. We all like you and think you could be a great addition to the team. Just be here before 10am and help anyone you can. We have a lot going on at any given time. After you get a feel for the job, I’ll start sending you some leads. We have a reputation here for solving problems fast and in ways that are original. I expect you to think outside the box and bring your best ideas… and dreams every day.
“I’m going to start you off at 90,000 credits and then raise you ten each month for the first year, after that we’ll see about doubling your pay. We have bonuses for every project you help with to completion, the computer figures out the average on bonuses and sends the funds to your account so don’t ask me how it breaks down. I just know it’s fair. But if you have questions email Tiffany…”
“Oh,” He pulled out a platinum card marked 1000 credits and handed it to him,” take your wife out to dinner tonight and celebrate.”
Joshua’s heart jumped into his throat. He took a deep breath and broke into a painful smile, “Thank you Michael.”
Michael nodded. “I always wanted to be the kind of person who could do this. People like you make our team great. Each person you’ve met has brought this company success. I know you have all the talent to do the job, all you have to do is go for it.”
“You got it,” Joshua said.
“Good, now let’s go eat!” Michael took the few steps across the hallway, opened the door and walked in. Joshua followed and found himself on the opposite side of the Fun Room.
Several Warm Boxes filled with Pizza lay open surrounded by everyone like a pack of vultures. Michael joined the fray snatching two warm boxes marked, Hot Wings. He looked up at Joshua, “Can you get me a soda,” he motioned to 20 or so drinks sitting on the table, “and yourself a drink,” He nodded again, pointing to the cubical near the aquarium where the black bag he had seen earlier lay open, “and meet me over there?”
They sat down on opposite sides of the desk. Michael pushed the black bag over, placed the two boxes of hot wings next to it. The motion caused the top flap of the bag to open fully revealing a change of clothes and some other supplies.
He noticed Joshua’s look and said, “It’s an emergency bag. I keep clothes and other supplies ready at any time, if there’s a disaster. I provide one to anyone who works here. Everyone keeps theirs in the car or home. I can’t tell you how many times the change of clothes has come in handy.”
“I have one in my trunk,” Joshua said after swallowing a mouth full of hot wings.
Michael stopped and looked him in the eyes. He took a sip from his drink and said, “Alright, what happened to you. Why do you carry a survival kit without someone like me having to give you one and bugging you each month to keep up with it?”
“It was the last hurricane that hit Florida and wiped out Miami. I have a lot of family that was lost for days without clean water, power or anyway to reach someone for help. My uncle is a tour guide and camping enthusiast, so for him it was exciting but it nearly killed the rest of my family. That’s when I decided I would be ready if something like that happened to us. It was inexpensive and fun to put together. However, my wife thinks it’s a little extreme, as if I’m inviting disaster. I always tell her to stop paying the fire insurance on the apartment if that’s the way the world works.”
Michael gave a knowing laugh. Anna came over with a plate full of Pizza and sat down next to Michael. Michael said, “Joshua has a survival kit in his car.” The sound of his tone told Joshua that it was the answer to a long debate, “His family was caught in Hurricane Brianna too. He says he doesn’t want his family caught in an emergency without being ready.”
Anna looked Michael in the eyes, gave him a greasy kiss on the cheek, and said, “I know my baby loves me. I don’t care if you give everyone black bags filled with plastic containers and water purification straws if that’s what makes you feel better.” Michael smirked and shook his head as he continued to eat. “Did he offer you the Job?” Anna asked.
Joshua smiled, “Yes, and thank you for having me.”
She looked at Michael, “I would have offered you the job earlier but Michael burst in and ruined it,” She gave a mock pout to Michael.
He then returned her greasy kiss on the cheek, “Have you heard back from Chase yet?”
“Not yet,” she said, “he’s probably at lunch. You’ll be the first to know when he calls.”
Michael nodded at that. He looked at Joshua, “We have a special table reserved at the Crystal Ball Room.” Joshua recognized the name as the most elegant and expensive restaurant in Atlanta. Reservations were backlogged for months. “Anna and I would like you and your wife to join us there at our table tonight at 8:00pm, if you haven’t set your heart on somewhere else.”
Anna looked surprised but she smiled and said, “He may want to have a private dinner tonight with just him and his wife.”
“I know Rana would love to go to the Crystal Ball Room and meet you both tonight. It would be our pleasure.”
“Great!” Anna gave a bright smile, “it’s a double date.”
6 Void’s Revenge
Fael’s Universe
For two weeks, Yrrep had traveled across snowcapped mountains, down into the jungles and across the blessed water. He learned through bits of information, by way of old maps found in a crashed airplane and in abandoned cars and trucks that he had materialized on the southwestern edge of the South American Continent, in a place called Peru. It was going to be a long journey up to Atlanta Georgia located in the southeastern part of the United States.
Back home he would simply take a sea worthy ship across the ocean and be near his destination in a matter of days. However, he was on a special mission in a world hostile to everything living, he was sure he was no exception. Therefore, he would have to do it the hard way, and time was not on his side.
Sometimes the short way is the long way, he thought.
By charting the stars, he learned that he had three more weeks to save Whitman, the human who would play a vital role in the plan to save TOL. That was how long he had to get to Atlanta. He had also calculated his age in Earth years. It took his world a little more than three times what it took Earth to travel around its sun. He had just celebrated his 1250th birthday, which made him 3863 Earth years old. However, he didn’t feel a day over 57…
He had only stopped to sleep and drink water since opening his eyes on Earth. On his journey, he had seen many strange things. He had passed several old stone cities, each abandoned hundreds of years ago, which sat precariously on the sides of the mountains.
He briefly wondered what would have happened, how they would have reacted to his coming, had his entrance into this world been during their time.
Once he made it to the river, he paddled a canoe he made from a long dead tree, northeast along the main Amazon waterway, then up the Negro tributary and into Columbia.
He could not get over how small all the vegetation was here. The largest tree he had seen barely qualified as a small branch in the forests of his world. Nevertheless, this river was a great river and the mountains were spectacular.
The water was dark and the fish and other creatures that lived here were as varied as any he had ever seen. Many had big teeth and swam in groups, hunting. He thought, this has to be one of the greatest and most dangerous places on Earth. He was good at communicating with animals, especially those who lived in water. When he had sent his energy into the surroundings, a dolphin recognized his call, the same way they did in his
world.
They quickly became friends as the two shared their encounters with the deeply encroaching humans. Yrrep rarely let anyone see him, and those people he did encounter stared openly. He was very different looking. His height alone was enough to attract everyone’s gaze. In the towns he briefly visited, in search of information, the ones brave enough to approach him seemed more interested in what he was wearing, or not wearing, than anything else he did. These civilized people appeared only to care about the materials he possessed.
With images and shared emotions, the dolphin told him that most humans respected dolphins and he liked most of them too.
He spoke at length on how many people wouldn’t look him in the eyes fearing they would have nightmares for all their life if they did, and that some thought he could become a human at night. They both laughed at that, why would he want to be a human…