Sarah Zen was jubilant today. It was maybe the fourth or fifth time that her husband, Arnold was sitting right in front of her. Moreover, he seemed in a wonderful mood which was so unlike his character.
“ I am so proud of you Sarah! You acquired the ‘Network Jamming Chip’ for me. You are the best.”
Sarah’s brows furrowed in confusion. How could she have helped him to acquire something when she didn’t even know what it was?
“I think you are mistaken. I don’t even know what that jamming thing is.” Sarah said honestly though she was tempted to lie just so that Arnold spent some time with her.
She gazed at his perfect face, high jawbones, prominent features and full, cherry red lips. He was the epitome of perfection. It was like the creator had created him without any flaws.
“You might not know about the chip but you played an important role by helping me acquire it. Do you remember Plutonic Enterprises?” Arnold’s words snapped her back to reality.
That rang a bell in Sarah’s mind, “Isn’t it the one I helped out with legal issues. You were furious with me for that.”
“ Hmm…..I know…..my mistake.”
She did a double-take. Had Arnold just accepted that he made a mistake? The sun must have risen in the west today. She pinched herself a bit too hard, her sharp nails drew blood and she winced. It was real after all.
“Mr. Weilan is the chairperson of Zuretta Enterprises too.”
“No way!!!!” Sarah gasped, her pupils turning a shade of silver.
“Request for help was just a test to identify the person deserving of the chip. Turns out, you were the only one to help him. So, he gave the only chip he ever made to us.”
“Gosh!!! That was a huge coincidence, isn’t it?” Sarah said. She couldn’t still believe that a single selfless act could give such drastic benefits.
“ You should have seen Mr. Xono’s face. I bet he turned purple with envy when Mr. Weilan put my name on the contract in the secret physical meeting.”
“Mr. Weilan arranged a physical meeting!?”
“Ummmm hmmm…,” Arnold said pressing his lips together in a thin line.
Sarah’s eyes widened with surprise. It was rare for people to host physical meetings.
Looking at her shocked expression Arnold explained, “As I told you earlier, Mr. Weilan is very traditional in approach. He wanted to hand over the chip in person like good old times and…..”
“And what?
“ This was a secret meeting. There are no digital records for this meeting. So it’s like this meeting never happened.”
“Wow!” Sarah couldn’t believe that she was witnessing something like this.
“ How is our little Zubie doing? Have you resolved the complaints made by the playtime supervisor?” Arnold asked distracting her from her contemplation.
Sarah wanted to say that this incident had happened a year ago and it was too late for him to ask but she bit her tongue and said, “ Zubie has been doing well. He has made a best friend too.”
“ Is it? What is his name?”
“Steve.”
“ What!!! Are you crazy? Tell him to stay away from him.”
“ But….why?”
“Do as I say! Don’t ask too many questions when you don’t know anything.”
Sarah trembled when she heard his raised voice but she had to put forth her son’s point of view. She said in a shaking voice, “ It will break him if I ask him to stop talking to the only friend he has.”
“ You don’t understand Sarah! Steve is Xono's son! He is as vile, crafty and sly as his father.”
Sarah felt as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Steve was Xono’s son!? Why hadn’t she run a background check on him? How could she be so careless in a matter related to their son!
Arnold’s eyes burnt with fury as he regretted trusting her with his son’s welfare. He should have just hired a professional to look after their son. At least he would get regular reports.
Suddenly, the screens flashed a few warnings in red but Sarah and Arnold were engrossed in their conversation.
Then, all at once, all the whole room started buzzing with shrill sirens. The screen flashed the picture of Zuben lying lifeless on the floor.
Both Sarah and Arnold jolted out of their chairs in shock. Sarah was glued to her spot too stunned to give a reaction.
Arnold was used to handling high-stress situations. So he got to work immediately. He called up the Zen Medical Facility.
“My son is critical, sent the whole resurrection team.” He commanded and rushed towards Zuben’s room.
Sarah regained her senses and followed behind him. When they arrived Cuppy Cake had already laid Zuben on his bed. He was checking his vitals and scanning his body.
“What is the report, Cuppy Cake?” Arnold asked moving in for a closer view.
“Zuben is dead. He can’t be revived.” It said in a mechanical tone.
“ What rubbish! The Revival team is on its way….”
As if on cue there was a deen….da…..deeeen……da sound from outside. Sarah pressed a button and the west wall of the house slid in making an open entrance.
A team of five robomedics and two doctors had arrived. They set to examine his body. One of the robomedics opened the Zuben’s fist and handed a small pin to the doctor.
The doctor’s eyes widened in horror. He checked the pulse and performed about a million tests, working as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, the robomedics used many devices to infuse medicines and energy into Zuben’s body.
Arnold and Sarah waited patiently for the doctors to give them the verdict.
After five long minutes, the doctor faced them. He was drenched in sweat and his face was flushed.
“ Zuben can’t be saved, sir.” He said in a shaking voice.
“What do you mean by that? There is no illness, no virus that we can’t treat with the extraordinary team we have! Mind what you are saying. I can ruin you with the click of a finger.” Arnold roared as he grabbed the doctor by his collar.
“ His heart isn’t functioning.” The doctor croaked out.
“Transplant.”
“His brain is fully damaged!”
“Perform a brain transplant! Hell! Use a clone if needed but I want to see him revived. You know I can afford it.” Arnold said tightening his grip on his throat.
“Si….r……your….son…..has injected…...himself……with……plumbic cyanide….” The doctor said struggling to catch his breath.
Arnold grip loosened as he realized the gravity of what had happened. The only poison from which human beings couldn’t be saved was plumbic cyanide. No medicine or transplant worked on a person affected by plumbic cyanide as it altered the DNA of the cells making all treatment ineffective.
The doctor staggered backward as Arnold released him. A robomedic took a wand and healed the bruises on his neck. in moments it was as if the doctor was never injured.
“How………,” it was the only word that came out of his mouth as he slumped to the floor. This was the first time he had been rendered speechless in his life.
As for Sarah, she stood there like a statue. She had still not been wrap her head around what had happened.
“How did a pin covered in plumbic cyanide reach my son’s hand? I want to know the answer as soon as possible!” Arnold roared at the group of detectives who had gathered for the video conference.He felt irritation and fury bubble within him as he looked at the faces of the useless detectives and security personnel. He wondered why he spent so much money on them if they couldn’t even guard his son! He picked up the transmuter on the table and threw it at the screen releasing some of his pent up fury. He felt that he would explode i
Arnold made Sarah sit comfortably on the bed and then taking her hand in his, he said, “ Sarah, Please talk to me. I know I am wrong. I was the one who was never there for you. What I did was wrong. I should never have accused you. I was never angry with you. I am angry with myself, with my incapacity to save my…our son.” When Sarah still didn’t respond Arnold felt disheartened and hopeless. He squeezed her hands and said in a pitiful voice, “Please…..”Sarah’s resolve broke when she saw her mighty husban
Sarah’s arms ached and she stretched herself to relieve some pain. Her hands landed on something soft and warm. This jolted her awake. She had slept alone most of her life. So, she sat up quickly to investigate the source. There lying in all glory was Arnold himself. Her cheeks reddened as she recalled their passion-filled lovemaking. A loud gasp escaped her mouth as the realization of what they had done, sank in. “Gosh!! What will we do now?” Sarah exclaimed loudly.
Sarah moved up and down the room like a caged tiger. Then she sat down but she kept shaking her legs and wringing her hands. Then she got up and started pacing again. She felt the knot in her stomach tighten as she waited for the clock to strike 10:00.The moment the clock struck ten she tapped the call button on her screen. “What was the verdict?” Sarah asked before Arnold could even say hello.
Arnold paced around his office deep in thought. He felt his blood boil at the thought of what Mr. Rendall did. “The nerve of him to mess with me! Did he think that making me dance to his tune is a child’s play? Just wait and watch as I turn tables on him.” Arnold muttered resolutely and tapped on the screen.He called an emergency video conference of all the detectives and security personnel under him via his private satellite that was designed for emergencies such as this. Within moments all were online.
When it was 5 in the evening Arnold signaled his trusted Assistant Roasty. He had designed the robot in such a way that it couldn’t be controlled by the others and it responded to the commands given only by him. If someone else tried to control Roasty it would shut down instantly.“Roasty, You have to keep a watch on, screen number five. You should be able to see me at all times. In case you see me in danger deploy Squadron Spice ( A team of robots that have varying capabilities just like spices) to rescue me. Is that clear.”
“Brother…..” Rendall said clapping Arnold’s back.“When I decided to invite you here, the only thing on my mind was to persuade you…….persuade you to withdraw your application. So that my path to becoming an immortal is clear.But, now that you are all trussed up and helpless, I feel that this is a wonderful opportunity to weed you out forever! What say, brother? Ha…ha….ha…” His evil laughter boomed in the room.
Sarah had begged Arnold relentlessly but he still went. She was left alone with her panic and worry. She tried hard to focus on the huge pile of work that had accumulated over the previous week but it was useless.Suddenly she started feeling a bit queasy in her stomach, bile rose to her throat and she had to rush to the bathroom to throw up. She came out of the bathroom and wiped her mouth with a towel. Drops of sweat beaded on her forehead.
Ron managed to convince the Council that the best place to set up a secret inventory and development wing was the Sentinel island. Sia handed over the Zen Enterprises to Jay and moved back to the island with Ron. They lived together with Wrick and Myra. During the day they would work like the normal residents but at night they visited the underground tunnel created by the Viridian which was now their research station. Viperous cliff remained Sia’s favorite spot from where she watched the sunsets with Ron.
“Do we really need to do this, Sia…” Ron said in a disgruntled tone. “Umm…hmmm… we owe this to our friends. Don’t forget they played an important role in bringing us together.” Sia lectured adjusting Ron’s tie. “Okay… fine… let us get over with this stupid reception. But, after that, I am going to keep you trapped in my arms forever. Sia blushed at the implied meaning. She turned to look into the mirror to avoid his gaze. Today she was
When Ron’s eyes fluttered open he was delighted to see Sia sitting beside him. She was staring at the space in front of her, lost in thoughts. A smile crept his lips as he recalled the time she was pointing the gun at him. She looked hot as hell and he had a hard time focusing. He was glad that she hadn’t arrived before he trapped the Viridian, else he would have found it difficult to capture him.Sensing Ron’s glare on her, Sia turned to him. She felt a jolt of electricity flow between them wh
Sia, Mr. Ben, and Jay were seated in the display room of the healthcare center. Their faces lit up when they saw Dr. Burming walking towards him. The gloating expression on his face indicated that he had been successful. “Mr. Ben, Sia, Jay…” He greeted them before taking a seat facing the three of them. Then he sat there staring into the space in front of him. When he didn’t speak anything for a long time, Mr. Ben prompted, “Did you figure out who the real Ron is doctor?” &l
“Don’t listen to him, Sia. The man that is standing in front of you is the Viridian. Think about this carefully. Would I have appreciated that you came to this lonely place alone?”Sia felt stunned by his statement. He had a point too. When Brown-eyes started walking towards Sia, she whipped out the laser gun from her pocket. “Don’t move or I will turn you to nothing in a moment,” Sia warned pointing the gun at him. Brown eyes raised his hands and said, “I don’t kn
Sia and Jay emerged in a large and deserted street. The sides of the street were piled with debris similar to what she had seen near the warehouse. It looked long abandoned; debris and ruins of old structures stretched on either sides as far as the eyes could see.Sia tapped on the PCID to track Ron's GPS. The red signal indicated that they were close to Ron’s CID. Sia walked in the direction of the signal cautiously. Jay followed behind keeping a watch on the surroundings.After searching for some time she found a CID on the ground. She looked around before picking it up warily.
Zen Digiola was decorated with ornate flowers. The Probots were busy moving around and touching up the decorations. After a lot of debate Ron and Sia had agreed to keep a grand wedding, just like it was shown in movies. The debate wasn’t whether they should have a physical wedding or a digital one. The controversy was regarding the setting of the wedding. Sia wanted to take her vows in an artificial garden setting while Ron wanted a castle setting. In the end, Ron decided to give in. He wanted to make the
Sia ran and grabbed Ron by the hand, forcing him to face her. She cupped his face in her hand and said, “These are tears of joy, Ron. I… have never felt so happy before…”“You are just trying to console me, aren’t you?” He asked, eyeing her suspiciously. “No, Ron… what you tried to do was outstanding… My heart is so full of joy that there is no place to hold it, so they are flowing down my cheeks as tears…” Sia said, giving him one of her dazzling smiles.
Two days later…Sia squealed in protest as Ron grabbed her from behind. The next moment darkness greeted her as something was placed on her eyes. “I have a surprise for you…” Ron whispered into her ears as he blindfolded her. “But… why are you covering my eyes? How will I see?” Sia whined.“Don’t worry… I will take off your blin