The Lost Emperor
Copyright© 2025 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 22
Waking up early, I put on my sweats and ran through the campus, sensing my way. A man was between the science lab and the canteen, taking my picture with a telephoto lens. Thinking fast, I stopped, faked a sore leg muscle, rubbed it, and did some stretching exercises. I covered my Emperor’s crest, walked to the man, and knocked him out. After giving him a swift kick in the balls, I searched him, and he was a PI named Robert Donner.
Then I read his mind, and IGRAM Industries had hired Robert. They wanted to know everything about me and my involvement with Professor Ren Kimura’s Nanotechnology project. I tapped my Emperor’s crest twice, paused then twice again, and told Robert to report that I was just a student programmer. He was to leave me alone, and Robert couldn’t remember what he had done for the last 12 hours. I took his camera’s memory card and finished my run.
Returning to my dorm room, I showered, dressed, and went to the canteen for breakfast. After breakfast, I went to the Nanotechnology lab, and Professor Ren asked me if I had a dress shirt. I told her no, just casual clothes and sweats. Ren said she had another meeting with her sponsors and needed me to answer programming questions if required. I followed Ren to the bookstore, and she bought me a white long-sleeved dress shirt with USC Trojans monogrammed on the left side.
When we arrived at the meeting, I saw Catherine Whittingham, so I walked up behind her and said hey baby, you look great, all dressed up. Catherine turned to confront the offender, then saw me laughing, and I got a hug. Catherine asked what I was doing here, and I told her I worked part-time with Professor Kimura. She looked surprised and introduced me to George and Meg Parker, and then the meeting started. I saw the two assholes from IGRAM Industries sitting two rows in front of us.
Luckily, there were no programming questions, but there were plenty from Catherine, George, and Meg. I told them I was in my senior year and majoring in computer programming. I help Professor Kimura half a day on Tuesday and Wednesday while on campus and take online classes the rest of the time. The meeting ended, so I said goodbye to Catherine, George, and Meg and followed the two men from IGRAM Industries.
When they went to the restroom, I followed them inside, tapped my Emperor’s crest twice, paused, and then twice again. Their eyes glazed over, and I told them to forget about Chase Reynolds and concentrate on Professor Kimura’s project. If my name ever came up, they would say he’s only a student and a part-time programmer. Then I hit both in the lower stomach, causing them to fall over and puke. Little did they know pissing would be a painful chore for the next few months.
When I exited the restroom, Catherine grabbed my arm and walked towards the canteen. Once inside, we sat at a table, and the questions started. I told Catherine I met Mrs. Davis at a Platinum Club meeting here on campus. We talked, and she hired me to assist her part-time along with another business friend. So, I have two part-time jobs outside of school and one here on campus. Catherine asked who else I worked for, and I asked for her complete bio and said I would tell her. She laughed and said nice, come back and then asked when I was returning to Arizona. I told her next Friday or Saturday, depending on the weather and Mrs. Davis’s schedule.
We parted, and I went to Coach’s office and got my locker number and combination. Then I asked for two tickets for my parents, and Coach said he’d have them at the ticket will call booth under my name. I thanked him, then checked my locker. It was next to Jamals, and I laughed. Then, I thought it would be too easy for him to set me up, and I needed a small camera inside to protect me.
Then, I returned to my dorm room, packed, and drove home. During my drive home, Paula called to tell me Catherine had called her with questions about me. I told Paula she asked me the same, and I told her I would share mine when I had her complete bio. Paula laughed and said that would shut her up for sure. Then I told Paula Catherine she was at a nanotechnology investor project meeting at USC when I saw her. I told her I assisted the Professor with the programming part-time, which didn’t satisfy her. Paula laughed and said Catherine is an information gatherer, so don’t worry. Then she told me to plan another long visit next weekend, and we said our goodbyes.
Mom and Grandmother had lunch ready for me when I arrived, and I told them their ticket to the game was arranged. They were excited to be able to see me play in person, and I told them we should go together and we could park in my dorm parking lot. They agreed driving one vehicle made sense and agreed. We finished lunch and went to the Great Ice Park in Irvine in Mom’s Arcadia.
Mom wanted to go ice skating first when we arrived, and we had a ball. We ended up skating with our arms linked and after several comical falls. I ended up being the pillar they held onto as we skated around the rink. Then, we took a tour of the facility and watched part of the Anaheim Ducks practice. It was past dinner time by the time we finished, so we ate at the Great Ice Park restaurant and then drove home.
Arriving home, we were tired and sore, so we said goodnight and went to our rooms. I sensed the area, went to bed, and immediately fell asleep. I felt a calming feeling radiating through my body. I went into a deep, relaxing sleep but knew what was happening around me. I woke up in the night sweating, so I took a shower, changed the sheets, went back to bed, and fell into a deep sleep.
I woke up at four a.m. Thursday, I dressed in sweats and went to the gym. After working out on the heavy bag and weights for an hour, I returned to my room feeling energized and pumped. After my shower, I dressed, went to the kitchen, and greeted Grandmother. We ate breakfast, and I drank my protein shake. Grandmother asked if I had another growth spurt. I looked at my pants and said it looked like it. She said we’d go to the mall if I finished early today, and I agreed.
The drive to Evans Investments took less than 30 minutes, and A1 Computer Service vans were already in the parking lot. Tad was glad to see me, and we went to the computer room, where they were setting up their equipment. Dave, the supervisor on the job, reviewed the work order with us. Then I checked the equipment to be installed, and we got out of their way.
In Tad’s office, he asked about the Nanotechnology project I was working on at USC. I told him the project was medically related, but the technology could be used in various industries. Tad said he was buying stock slowly in IGRAM Industries so it wouldn’t cause attention. Then, he asked if I knew anyone else involved in the project. I told him about George and Meg Parker, and Catherine Whittingham. Tad said shit, this could be really big. They wouldn’t be involved if it didn’t help them make money. Tad said he would also invest in their medically-related businesses, and I left to check on the crew.
The crew knew what they were doing, but I watched to ensure they didn’t screw up the active computer system. At lunchtime, I returned to Tad’s office, and he told me to go home for the day and that he would see me tomorrow morning. I called home and told Mom I was on my way. When I arrived, they had lunch ready, and we ate. Then Mom measured me, and I was now 6’ 7” and extra pairs of pants to my suits fit, so all I needed was jeans and slacks.
Mom put the short suit pants in a trash bag to drop off later at the Goodwill. The trip to the mall took two hours, and we went through several stores to find my size. Jeans weren’t an issue, but the slacks were a problem. Finally, a clerk told us to go to “the big and tall” store outside the mall, and they had everything we needed. When we arrived home, I gathered all my old jeans and slacks and added them to the trash bag going to the Goodwill.
We discussed tomorrow night’s game during dinner, and they hoped to have good seats. I told them Coach Thomas would care for them, so don’t worry. Then the weekend came up, and they wanted to go to the cabin if I was off Saturday. I told them to plan on it, but I’ll know for sure after work Friday. We finished dinner, discussing what needed to be done at the cabin and what supplies to take.
After dinner, I told them about my locker being next to Jamal’s and the risk it posed. Then I told them about my idea, and they loved it. Mom said they would get a small wireless camera to put in my locker while I was at work tomorrow morning. We said goodnight and headed to bed. I fell asleep right away for some reason and felt a calming feeling radiating through my body, and then I went into a deep, relaxing sleep.
Waking up early, I dressed in sweats and ran around our subdivision, sensing every house, and then returned home. After my shower, I dressed, went to the kitchen, and hugged and kissed Grandmother. We ate breakfast, drank my protein shake, and took off for work. The drive wasn’t bad, going against rush hour traffic, and the computer techs were already on site.
Tad said they finished the new computer setup last night and will power it up and test it this morning. We went to the computer room, and Dave, the supervisor, told us they had a programming error in the software. Tad asked me to check it out, and the crew moved away from the computer, mumbling who is this asshole. They watched me as I updated the bios and fine-tuned the computer. Then, I updated the server and the computer software. When I was done, I did a cold reboot, got up, and told them to check it out now.
Dave and his crew were shocked when the computer booted up without any problems. Dave asked Tad who I was, and he laughed and said, my computer expert. Tad and I watched them work for a few minutes, then went to his office. He said I could take off the rest of the day and tomorrow but asked if I could come in on Monday to be sure everything was running right. I told him I would be here Monday and took off for home.
No one was home when I arrived, so I changed and hiked to my rock atop the hillside. I sat on the rock, meditated, and reached my meditative plane faster. I absorbed the energy surrounding me and went deeper, and my vision started. George and Meg Parker, and Catherine Whittingham were discussing the Nanotechnology project.
George said I don’t like having Chase Reynolds involved in our project. Professor Kimura is under our control, but Chase isn’t, which bothers me. Catherine told George she knew me, and I worked for Senator Davis. She wouldn’t have hired Chase if he wasn’t trustworthy. George said I still don’t like it and asked Meg to do a background check on this kid.
Catherine warned them to leave me alone, or there would be hell to pay if Senator Davis or the University found out. Catherine added if Chase finds out, he’ll pull out of the project, and everyone will turn on you, including Professor Kimura. George said, alright, but introduce Meg to him so we can feel more comfortable and the vision ended.
I exited my meditative state, dressed, and hiked back down the hill. Mom and Grandmother still hadn’t returned, so I went to the study and researched George Parker. I knew he wouldn’t let it go, so I needed to give him something else to worry about. According to Google, George was CEO and chairman of the Board at Parker Industries. Then I opened the Parker Industries website, clicked on corporate officers, and found George’s email.
Then I sent George an email from my Hotmail account and attached a worm to it. The message said, “I hear you want information on Chase Reynolds.” I have all the good stuff, and I’ve attached a sample. If you want more, contact me, and we can discuss the price. I laughed as I sent the email, knowing George couldn’t resist opening it. Mom said she was home, so I shut down the computer and went to the kitchen.
While eating lunch, I told Grandmother and Mom I was off Saturday so we could go to the cabin. They were happy and said we’d leave early tomorrow morning and spend the night. Then our conversation switched to the game tonight, and I told them we should go at 3:30 p.m. in case of traffic. We can get your tickets, and then you can hang out at my dorm until it’s time for the game.
After lunch, I returned to study, checked my cloud account, and laughed. George immediately opened the email, and now I had access to his computer. First, I checked his photos and hit a gold mine. There were photos and videos of several young women in his office nude and having sex with him. I figured he had hidden cameras in his office to record his conquests. Next, I checked his emails, and George’s latest squeeze was named Karen. I copied his hard drive to my cloud account and shut down the computer.
I went upstairs, showered, and then lounged in my robe, playing computer games until it was time to go. At 3:15 pm, I got dressed and went to the kitchen, and Grandmother and Mom were waiting. Mom gave me an air freshener that had a miniature camera inside. It worked, and I also had six replacement air freshener cartages for the unit. I thanked them, and we took off for USC.
Traffic wasn’t bad, and we arrived at 4:20 p.m. We picked up their game tickets at the will-call booth and went to my dorm room. I looked up the arena seating chart on the university website, and their seats were right behind the team. I left them, headed to the locker room, put my new air freshener in my locker, and then went to the pregame meal. Damion was in the food line, and he looked up at me and said,” You’re taller.” I said no, you shrunk, causing both of us to laugh.
We joined Marcus at the table and asked how tall I was now. I told them I was 6’ 7”, and Marcus told me not to be surprised if the coach moved me inside occasionally tonight. After dinner, we went to the meeting room and reviewed the game plan, then went to the locker room to get ready. I opened my locker, thoroughly inspected everything, and changed into my uniform and warmups.
The team went out to warm up, and I saw Grandmother and Mom and waved. Marcus saw me wave at them and asked who they were. He couldn’t believe it when I told him my Grandmother and Mom and said I would have guessed Mom and older sister. I told Marcus they would cheer for you instead of me if I told them that, and we laughed. We finished our warm-ups and returned to the locker room.
It was game time, and we made our entrance to cheers. I was the starting point guard, and Tony backed up Damion and me. The first quarter was low-scoring, and teams were feeling each other out. The coach said enough of playing grab ass. I want points on the board, so that’s what we did, and we were leading by 15 points at the half. The coach told us we did a good job in the locker room but expected them to come after us in the second half. Avoid fouls, and I want to switch to man-to-man coverage on defense.