In Plain Sight
La’Ron S. Readus
The Innovator: In Plain Sight
© 2013 by La’Ron S. Readus
Cover art by Brandon M. Wilmer
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means – electronic, mechanical, photographic (photocopying), recording, or otherwise – without prior permission in writing from the author.
Printed in the United States of America
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
About The Author
Introduction
Welcome to the 21st Century.
A phenomenal age where lessons are learned, history is created, and mankind has entered the Golden Age of technological advancement. And it is in the city of New York – now the very epicenter of both technology and the human race – where two gods of this brave new world fight for the very souls of mankind. One is the conglomeration known as Skylight Industries; a plague of a company that thrives off the greed of its owner Vincent Prospero, who seeks nothing less than global domination.
However, there is an angel to oppose such a devil that is Skylight Industries. A conglomeration itself, it seeks to assist its fellow man grow as a species and persists in staying a thorn buried deep within Skylight’s side. It is Guy Technologies; the thriving fore-running conglomerate in technological advancement and software development. Family-owned since 1986, the company is now owned and operated by billionaire engineer, philanthropist and software developer Abram Guy.
Unfortunately, such achievement came at a great cost.
During the year the twin towers fell and America was under high alert, Abram’s parents and original owners of Guy Tech – Thaddeus and Diane Guy – fell victim to a car bombing in their home in Queens, New York, while the twenty-five year old inheritor was helpless to save them from the explosion. The entire country was led to believe that it was an act of terrorism by the same individuals who destroyed the World Trade Center, but Abram knew better than to believe such an obvious cover, already being well aware of the corruption that was Skylight Industries.
Then five years later, as the newly made CEO of Guy Technologies slept, a dream – a vision came to Abram, instructing Guy on how to override the actions of the most mundane of items and machines around the world to create infinite uses, functions and possibilities for them, just as easy as locking and unlocking a door with a key. Abram followed the instructions perfectly, and by staying true to the established metaphor, fashioned such a device in the form of a skeleton key – the only one of its kind.
Now armed with the handheld Skeleton Key established within it technologies that would not be possible for human beings to personally achieve for another two centuries, Abram Guy vowed to use his newly created arcane device – along with his own knowledge and determination – to protect the people of the world from the treacherous hands of Skylight Industries, and any other evils that plague to do harm to the innocent, for he was now more than just Abram Guy. He is now the goggled guardian that fights for the sake of science, technology and mankind. He is now the one who will bring about change to the mundane and who will challenge the established order.
He is the Innovator.
Prologue
The breath of the security guard was heavy. The inhaling of pain and the exhaling of fear provided most of its weight. He kept his face low, keeping it concealed in shadow as a result and forcing himself to look into his lap as he continued to helplessly sit in the metal chair. The rope that kept his wrists together was tightly bound; barely allowing the blood utilizing the freeways that were his veins the free-flowing traffic they were used to at this time of night as they rested against the back of the chair. His ankles were given the same courtesy, and were kept captive by rope that felt as if it were reinforced by steel. The light hanging above him slowly bobbed back and forth, entrapping the guard in a revealing circle while another chair was planted just outside of it. The one inhabiting that chair however, was restricted by no such bondage.
“Are you ready to talk?” said a man concealed in shadow.
The security guard could feel his heart begin to race. His breathing left the comfort of escaping from his nose to the frantic spasms of escaping from his mouth. Nevertheless, he decided to look his fear in the eye and raised his head, allowing the light from the swaying lamp to show the black and blue bruises on his face and his right eye swollen shut. He twitched and he squirmed, looking at the figure who concealed himself in the darkness of the empty room.
“I’ve told you…everything you asked me,” the guard informed. “What more do you want?”
“The truth,” the freely seated man responded in a calm tone of voice. “What you have told me are lies, and I currently don’t have the time to entertain them.”
“Y-you’re not making any sense!” the guard projected in a state of panic. “How could I be lying when the proof is staring you right in the face?!”
“Because the face lies!” yelled the shadowy man, grasping the ends of his armrests and pulling himself to the end of his seat. “Every muscle, every movement of the eyes, every skin cell layered upon it, is capable of turning a human being into the mother of all liars! I have no such capabilities; no desires to lie, to cheat, to steal…to think irrationally!”
A moment of silence passed, and the man shrouded in darkness found the angered look about his face beginning to resort to a look of timidity and regret. He let go of his armrests and placed his elbows on his legs, clasping his trembling fingers together and keeping them close to his abdomen.
“…I take that back,” he uttered in a rather worried tone. “This…this is the most irrational thing I have ever done. But I’m frightened…and I’m desperate…and I’m running out of options; those are symptoms for irrationality if I ever heard of any. Once again, I apologize for my actions; I truly do. But one way or another, you are going to help me; even if I have to sacrifice you in order to do so.”
The security guard’s good eye widened in a sudden wave of fear as he continued to look at the man covering himself in darkness. His shuttering increased, and tears began to form from his own sense of frustration.
“Y-you…you wouldn’t!”
“I would,” the man said calmly, “and I will.”
The guard slowly shook his head as he allowed the tears to fall, succumbing to the fear that began to quickly overtake him.
“P-please,” he pleaded. “I…I don’t know what you want from me…”
The shadow-clad man raised himself from his seat and began to slowly step toward the light that revealed the captive. “A question answered,” he said, revealing his lower body to be clothed in black boots and blue jeans. “A very…simple…question…answered…”
By the time he was a foot away from the bound security guard, everything but the man’s head was revealed by the light. He was clad in Caucasian skin, and his upper body clothed in a loose-fitting wrinkled white dress shirt. Through the shadows, he looked at the seated security with cold eyes; his right hand clenching into a fist if need be.
“Who,” he began, “is Abram Guy?”
The guard began to whimper as he matched the man’s gaze, absolutely frightened by the answer he was about to give. Bravely, he took a deep breath, and se
aled his fate.
“Y-you are…”
A few seconds passed before the upright Caucasian reacted. He placed his left hand on the right end of the chair and proceeded to crouch down to look at the captive guard. His clenched fist stayed steady, even as he began to wash his face in the light that bathed the bound for quite some time. The guard began to quiver.
Abram scrunched his face.
“No…” he answered with a strong shake of his head.
The guard removed his gaze from Abram Guy and focused on his fist once more. Within seconds, his fist began to flash in a rhythmic white glow. After at least four or five of these queer patterns, the guard witnessed the result of the flashing glow and found it absolutely terrifying.
“…No, I’m not.”
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