Jacob looks around him with a smile on his face as the chopper flies by.
The sight of New York at night has always had a calming effect on Jacob. The miracle of the world is looking beautiful at night, is a major belief of his, and that’s the main reason why he prefers to come in to work at night. Well, that plus the fact that he usually has to go around meeting different sorts of people to discuss the new techs he’s developing during the day- they just don’t let him be.
Those stupid people only want others doing things for them, never trying anything themselves, Jacob thinks, annoyed whenever he remembers the number of times the people he meets gives him an advice on how to better a product they haven’t seen nor tested yet; and most of them aren’t even scientists or tech developers. “Well, they can go shove all their advice up their asses,” he says, turning away from the sight before him with his mood ruined.
Mia winces as her headache goes up another notch. She has felt like that the whole day, and even then, her condition is showing no sign of receding any time soon. That’s the prize you have to pay for your freedom,she reminds herself and is fine with it.Andrew, on the other hand, doesn’t like any bit of what is happening to Mia. He can see her in pain; and although she’s doing a good job of hiding it well behind a brave face, he can tell that it’s killing her.“You know you can stop whatever it is you’re doing, right, Mia?” he finally says to her from the driver’s seat after some time, very concerned.“No need to worry yourself, Andrew” she replies, giving him a reassuring smile. “It’ll soon pass.”“That’s the same thing you’ve been saying for the past five hours!”Andrew can't understand why Mia is being so stubborn. Her life is on
Joseph can hardly contain the fury brewing inside him. Sixteen years of relentless efforts to get close to Tekna and his men blows all his efforts right out of the water in less than one hours, and after almost tasting victory too.Now, it’s been weeks since what Joseph calls “The Chicago Debacle” but the pain raging inside of him remains as brand new as the original day.Perhaps I should dispose of these useless fools I call my employees and start all over again, he thinks to himself. Of course, it’s a threat he can’t carry out and he knows that. No matter how bad his workers are, they’re what’s standing between him and total defeat.A knock sounds on Joseph’s door just as he’s about to start venturing into the realm of how he can get his incompetent workers replaced with competent ones and still not lose the footing he’s gained over the years in the fight to win who’s no doubt Earth&rsq
Andrew can’t believe what he's hearing. Well, he can. He is speaking to Joseph Lewis, the man who came up with the crazy idea to start messing around with people's brains after all.What he can't believe in truth is that Joseph will really the guts to behave as if they’ve been friends forever; and casually involving Mia in it too like the history between them means nothing.The nerve,he fumes to himself, desperately fighting off the urge to tell the man where they are just so he can have the chance to put a bullet in his skull.But Andrew doesn't. As with most things with him in the past few days, he considers how that action will affect Mia; and to be honest, it won't affect her well.“Joseph, why don’t you drop this good man act and get on to the real reason why you called. I haven’t got all night,” he decides to say instead. The faster we begin this, the faster we end it, he thinks.&ld
Gary physically fidgets as he makes his way to the conference room; and the reason for that fidget is quite understandable to be honest. That morning, no sooner after he clocks in to work, he receives a text on his phone that the boss himself, Jacob Londermann wants to see him immediately, and he’s as sure as hell that it’s not to drink coffee and talk politics.To be honest, Jacob Londemann has always been an alien to Gary; and although it’s not exactly in the green, “Take me to your leader, Earthling” sort of way, he has to admit that the man has assumed a role befitting an out-of-space sci-fi character in his mind.Now, he isn’t just referring to the fact that he doesn’t know a damn tangible thing about the man other than he owns Alphatech, but the now an open secret in the company that he was beaten hands down by a sixteen-year old girl; and although no one makes any inclination to acknowledging it, Jacob has become less th
“God, I’m so stressed right now that I can sleep till Kingdom come!” exclaims Mia as she walks in through the rented room’s front door and proceeds to raid the fridge of its goodies.“That coming from a girl who just wowed at her entrance interview.” Andrew smiles on his way in after her. “They’d be stupid not to admit you.”In the light of having nothing to do and more money than they can actually spend- Andrew's exorbitant allowance from his work with Alphatech- Mia suggests that they go to register in a part-time tutorial school not far from the hotel they’re lodging in so that they won’t be behind on schoolwork. Apparently, a bunch of “Pain in the ass” schoolwork is her go-to whenever she’s feeling bored, as Andrew points out.Of course, he also points out the fact that the registration closed like a week earlier and that day is for the interview only, but after a few minutes
Port of New York, New York City.Mia hugs the coat tighter round her body as the cold night air blows in from the sea.Try as she can, she can't quite understand why Jacob will choose to meet at the seaport of all places. Maybe he likes the sea, she think, or perhaps he's a fan of the privacy of the setting as the movies will have us believe.Or maybe he's just an egomaniac who wants to show you how much control he has of the situation, her mind supplies.Whatever Jacob's reason is, Mia lets it slide and cocentrates back on her surroundings.On paper, the government owns the port. The truth though, is that Jacob Londermann controls over ninety percent of the operation going on there, just like he does almost every other business venture around the globe. It's like the reach of the man’s tentacles has no end.Soon the entire world will have Alphatech written all over it, Mia
“Who are you people?” asks Jacob, facing the men with no fear even at the sight of their big guns.“We’re Joseph Lewis’s own personal knights,” replies the man in front- Mia assumes he's the leader- with an air of importance. “Now if you don’t mind, we’ll take the girl and be on our way.”It’s obvious that Joseph’s men are at the advantage. Jacob has been so over-confident about his victory that he brought a few men with him, and even fewer weapons.“We can win this if we try, sir,” Quinn whispers over the earpiece.But Jacob knows better. “No,” he replies. “We’ll only end up dead if we do so.” This time he has to admit Joseph has gotten him and gotten him good.“Alright, you can take Tekna,” he says to the man, stepping away to give him access to Mia, “but remind your boss that this is far from over.”&ld
“You’re sure about everything you just told me, Mr. Londermann?” the detective asks, checking his notepad for the second time.“I told you that my men and I came to the port for a routine check when these men suddenly showed up and began firing at us. My men had to return fire in order to protect me and that’s why all the assailants are now dead. Tell me what part of that sounded unsure, detective,” Jacob returns as he tries really hard not shout at the man standing in front of him.To be honest, Jacob has never been a fan of cops. All talk and no action are what he thought of them. Left to him, he won’t have wanted them involved at all but unfortunately, some passer-by heard the shots at the port and called the cops.Seeing them arrive long after the exchange is over and the dust settle, Jacob recounts the incident- at least, the abridged, open to the public, and uncondemning version of it- to them, just as he repeats i
5 years laterParis, France. The lights in the condominium automatically switches on as Mia walks in through the front door. She shrugs off her snow-covered coat and places it on the hangar next to the door, removing her boots to walk barefooted across the brown fur rug to the kitchen cabinet just as the heater automatically comes on too. “Please, be careful not to get snow on my rug,” she says to Andrew who walks into the apartment after her. “It’s new and I’ll love to keep it that way”. “Gee, so protective.” He rolls his eyes exaggeratedly but complies anyway as he carefully removes his coat and places it on the hangar next to Mia’s. “I have to say that party was great,” Andrew says, depositing himself on the couch. “At least, it was until those two guys began dishing me more French than I could handle.” “Which was why you had me as your designated translator beforehand,” replies Mia wit
“You, my dear, aren’t just aTekna. You’retheTekna."The words ring in Mia's head like some alien language. It feels as if her mind can't make a decision on how best to react and so it doesn't- she just stares ahead with a numb expression on her face.Joseph means every word he's just said. Of that, Mia has no doubt; and the intense look in his eyes even then supports it, but not wanting to let herself be upended, she puts on her best mocking smile.“Wow, Joseph!" she says. "That sounds an awful lot like admiration.”“That’s because it is,” he returns.Before Mia can fully vibe the situation though, Joseph suddenly pulls out a gun and points it squarely in her face. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep you with me, Mia," he says, "even if you have to be in a cryogenic coffin for that to happen.”Mia's expression takes on that vi
Mia wobbles three steps forward before finally giving up and collapses against the wall. She watches her blood stain the wall as she slides uncontrollably to the ground.There's no need to sugarcoat this, I'm a failure, she thinks to herself as she pants helpslessly on the ground. It doesn't take a genius to see that she has failed in her mission to subdue Joseph, and as a result, she’s going to lose her life and Andrew’s too; if he isn’t dead already, that is.Well, guess it’s divine justice that I should die all alone and with a hole the size of the Mississippi in my side too, she laughs at the image in her mind. Irony be that she caused her own death and perhaps a billion others too- it’s a no brainer that Joseph will find a way to remotely control her mind to launch the missiles like he wants.To be honest, she knows from the start she may actually have been alright had she not been so insistent on her freedom.
“Is this the part where you kill me?” Andrew passes a look around Jacob’s men as they lead him down a deserted corridor. It’s thirty minutes after his rescue- if it can even be called that- and so far, the only interaction they’ve had with him is to cuff him and say, “Move.”He looks to Jacob. “You know, I don’t get it,” he says. “Why are you so scared of Mia?”“Of course not, Andrew. What ridiculous story is this?” he returns, scoffing. “I’m not afraid of Mia. She’s just a child.”“And yet, here you are.” Andrew shoots him a mocking smile. “Come on Jacob, you’ve crossed every boundary known to humanity in order to get her in your custody. Is that how much she haunts your nightmares?”“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jacob’s voice takes on a threatening tone as he grabs Andrew by
Mia’s gaze shifts from the footage of Andrew in his flooded cell to the world map of deathly red dots. A conflicted expression rests on her face. Do I want to save the world? She asks herself. Of course, she wants to. She won't have gone through all the trouble to resist Joseph if she doesn't want to. So now, the real question is, does she want to save the world at Andrew's expense? In all honesty, Andrew has become more than a friend to Mia in the past month; thinking otherwise is just self-denial. He has risked his life for her time and time again, and all without asking anything in return than she should remain safe. She owes him a lot. But can I let the world be destroyed just to save his life? She asks this time, sighing again as the conflict in her soul comes once more to the forefront. The truth, Mia knows that she will definitely lose Andrew if she goes along with Joseph's plan even if it is to save his life. No one wants to
Jacob looks down at the endless ocean as the chopper flies past and marvels. No wonder Joseph decided to establish himself here, he thinks to himself, smiling. Truth be told, Jacob isn't that big a fan of waters, but this one feels different. Looking out, he can see that Joseph's choice of the Atlantic ocean is more than just for security. The sight of it actually fills one with an aura of power. Anyone will give anything to remain in the presence of that aura. But ocean thoughts aside, Jacob concentrates himself back on the simple reason why he's made the trip all the way to Joseph: he has Mia and he needs to get her back. Actually, it’s a plan that he has envisioned for a while. In fact, it’s the particular reason why he warned Joseph of Mia’s coming to begin with. Get Joseph to stop Mia and then take her away from him. He smiles to himself. Brilliant, just brilliant. “We’re approaching the building, sir,” the pilot’s voic
A few days before Mia's arrival, Joseph is in his office doing his regular overseeing work when his office phone suddenly rings. A frown crosses his face as he takes a glance at the caller ID and sees no name or number on display, which isn't supposed to be possible.Thing is, all of Joseph's phones are tagged with a caller identification app that can hack into any signal- even military- and get him an identity, but the fact that it seems not to be able to work for this particular incoming call can only mean one thing: trouble.“Who's this?" he says cautiously into the phone.“Jacob Londermann,” comes the reply from the other side, “and I’m calling to help you, old friend.”“You!” Joseph grits his teeth so hard it's a miracle he doesn't lose one or two teeth. His heart gets torn between the feeling of anger at Jacob and excitement to hear his voice again after sixteen long years.However, a second lat
Thing is, Mia has been able to find out beforehand that Joseph mounted motion sensors in the water. If they get too close to his base, they will run into the sensors perimeter and trigger them. With a little bit of Tekna magic though, Mia has equipped the ship with a software that can easily detect the sensors and thus, avoid them, which it just does. “Ladies first.” Andrew makes an exaggerated gentlemanly posture with a wide grin on his face as he points Mia below deck. “Enough with the drama already, Cameron,” she returns, deliberately brushing against him when she moves. Surprisingly, Mia realises that she sort of enjoyed the contact. In fact, for the past few days, she has been "sort of" enjoying various contacts with Andrew; and has been fostering cases for them too to be honest. Not healthy, Mia, she warns herself. Andrew should be the last person she wants to "enjoy." He's still the same guy that caused you trouble in high
Somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Mia stares into the horizon as the cold ocean breeze whips across her face; a gentle reminder that winter isn’t far behind. It has taken a long time, and quite a lot effort, but she can finally say she has beaten Jacob fair and square; and now, she's ready to move on to her next target: Joseph Lewis. Finding Joseph hasn't been a walk in the park for Mia. The man is thickly hidden behind firewalls, shell companies, and general digital footprint animousity; and even with her Tekna ability out to play, following him ithrough all those veils still isn't easy. Fortunately, Jacob's data coin's information proves handy as despite the fact that the coin itself is a bait, and later destroyed, Mia is still able to make use of it- its source code, to be precise- to log on to and communicate with the other data coins in Alphatech; and by extension, use the company's servers and satellites to foster