4. Decensio

"How on earth is that a plan?" Jace shouts at me, but I choose to ignore him.

"Because we need Silvio to think he won." I state, looking back out the window as I visualize what I need to do next.

"Are you on crack? We can't just blow up a building! Blowing up a building won't make Silvio 'think' he won because he 'will' have won! I don't care whether the building is yours or not. The destruction to the area, not to mention the lives at stake, are far too great to risk. I will not partake in this idiotic plan of yours." Jace shouts, stomping towards the door.

"I can't say I disagree. How is blowing up your building a good plan?" Jakob asks before Jace reaches the door.

"Because we won't really be blowing it up." I state.

"O-kay... You've lost me." Jakob retorts, furrowing his brows to look in my direction. I turn around to face both of them, Jace in particular. The moment I replied to Jakob, Jace stood frozen at the door. I can tell he knows what I'm suggesting. He tilts his head to look at me as if daring to explain further. I open my mouth to respond. However, Jace interrupts me before I even have a chance to form a word.

"NO!" He shouts, sending me a look of 'don't you dare say another word.' I remain calm, knowing that this is what we need to do. Jace matches my stare until he can no longer take it. Storming towards me so he's so close that we are a mere inch away. Jace leans in and furiously whispers in my ear so Jakob can't hear.

"I know what you're thinking, but no. We won't use it." He whispers.

"We have to." I whisper back.

"No, we don't." He whispers once more, taking a step away while remaining close enough for us to continue our silent conversation without the risk of being overheard.

"Yes, we do. We don't have another way. Unless you can figure out how to stop this from happening." I state, watching him, knowing full well we are out of options.

"Decensio is not the answer." Jace whispers. My gaze shifts as I see a figure behind Jace. I pause from answering to realize that Jakob has silently approached us. Jace turns around, seeing my attention lost to see what has captured it. Without looking at him, I can tell Jace has paled, realizing that Jakob must've overheard us.

"Decensio? What's that? And how will it solve our problem?" Jakob asks, infuriating Jace further.

Before choosing to respond, I lower my gaze to Jace's to gauge his response. I notice a slight twitch at the corner of his lip, indicating that he's about to lose it. Other than that, he remains composed. I roll my eyes, knowing we're only wasting time. Decensio is our only answer.

Just as I'm about to explain, Jace turns on his heels to raise a finger at me.

"NO!" Jace shouts, stopping me from replying. I shake my head and grab his hand, pulling it away from my face. I pull him closer so only he can hear me.

"I don't care about any government contracts right now. If we don't do this, there won't 'be' any government contracts to be concerned about since we'll either all be dead or my only purpose in life will be gone. I will not sit back and watch my daughter be killed. I will do whatever, and I mean 'whatever'..." I state, looking him in the eye before continuing.

"...I need to do to ensure the safety of my family. Do. You. Understand. Me?" I state, emphasizing each word.

Jace narrows his eyes at me and pulls his hand from my grasp. He shoots both Jakob and me an annoyed look before storming to the back of the room. I watch as Jace paces in the far corner but that doesn't stop me from continuing.

"Decensio is a prototype I've developed. It's a government program designed to train the military." I begin; however, I see the confusion spread across Jakob's face. Other than the occasional annoyed sigh from Jace, he remains silent as well, allowing me to explain.

"It's a sort of simulator, so to speak, that uses advanced Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality to create lifelike scenarios." I explain.

"What do you mean?" Jakob asks. I take a chance to look over at Jace, who is staring at me in turn. The death glare he's sending me is unfathomable. But at this moment, I don't care. I meant it when I said there wasn't anything I wouldn't do to keep my family safe. So if that includes divulging secret government information, then so be it. 

"Similar to when firefighters train, they use real-like scenarios to demonstrate how to overcome the problem, such as having a training house that is set on fire to show them how to put it out safely." I see recognition appear on Jakob's face as he focuses on my explanation.

"So you created a computer simulator." Jakob states as if making sure he is understanding.

"Yes, and no." Jace replies, making my eyes go wide. I look to him for an explanation, wondering why he decided to help me all of a sudden.

"I've worked with you long enough to know there's no stopping you when your mind is set. So while I don't agree, I'll work with you. But only because our time is limited." Jace points out. I nod my head in agreement but otherwise say nothing to respond, allowing Jace to continue.

"It's a simulator, yes. But it's not computer-based as you would think. Rather, the technology allows us to create scenarios in real-life. Suppose we use the burning building as an example. Decensio creates what it would actually be like to be in the burning building. From the heat, the smoke, the destruction, and the feeling. However, it's completely safe as there are no actual flames. Everything is created to look real and feel real, without the risk of injury." Jace explains, looking to me for confirmation. I nod my head, allowing him to continue. Jace takes a quick breath before finishing his response.

"We know Silvio is planning something for the meeting. We realize now that the meeting is his target. Knowing how Silvio thinks, it's not hard to guess that he wants the both of you to pay with your lives. The easiest way of doing that is with a bomb. Silvio doesn't come across as a compassionate person. So he won't care about the loss of life that will be involved should the building blow up. Our best bet is to use Decensio." Jace states.

"Decensio..." Jakob murmurs.

"It's Latin for the tenth dimension. Decem, meaning ten. And Dimensio, meaning dimension. I consider it to be the tenth dimension because, unlike other simulators, you can interact with it. So if the program designs a rock, you can touch it, feel it, and hold it. Pick it up from the ground or even throw it. What makes it unique is how the program learns from its interactions. So if we use the example of firefighter training, it will make more sense. In a fire, a firefighter is presented with many options. They can try to put it out, perhaps help it to breathe, or even rush in carelessly, trying to save someone. So if they choose to collapse a wall, the real-life implications of their choice will act out. Perhaps the building will collapse, or debris to fall down. Decensio is programmed to make each interaction as life-like as possible." I state.

Jakob nods his head in understanding before turning to look at me.

"But how will this program even work?" He asks.

"We will create a real enough appearing scenario making it appear as though Stone Enterprises has been blown up." I state.

"But how? I understand you have this fancy program. But what I don't understand is how this piece of software could solve our problems?" Jakob remarks.

I walk back to the computer and motion for Jace and Jakob to follow. I point to the screen as I explain my plan to them.

"The building schematics I just pulled out show that the best place for optimal destruction would be to target here, here, and here." I comment, pointing to three distinct areas in the blueprints. 

"Is that right?" Jakob asks Jace as we all study the blueprints.

"Yes. Those would be the best places to hit to ensure a full building collapse.

"It won't be easy, and unfortunately, we won't even know if it works until it's too late. But, in order for this to work, I need to design a real enough looking simulator that will make Silvio think that Stone Enterprises did, in fact, blow up." I state, looking at my watch to see how much time we have.

"Do you even have time to prepare something like this?" Jakob questions.

Jace goes to respond. However, I interrupt him, seeing as the meeting is to be held in under six hours, giving me virtually no time to prepare.

"I would love to answer all your questions, but if this is going to work, I need to start working on it. We're running out of time as we speak. I need to have this ready to go by 3 pm when our meeting is supposed to start." I say, walking from the meeting, no longer caring about niceties.

"Jace will stay behind to answer any further questions. But I need to go now if we're going to do this." I state, heading to the door.

Jakob shares a look with Jace before Jace turns his attention to me.

"Let my team know of anything you need. I'll make sure you have all resources at your disposal." Jace comments. I smile slightly before nodding my head in gratitude. 

I hope this works. I think to myself as I make my way to the elevator.

Without knowing the full details, we're putting all our eggs in this basket, so to speak. This could be the thing that saves us or dooms us. Unfortunately, we won't know which one it is until it's too late.