Chapter 7: Earl grey tea

From the chip manufacture, I was taken to a hotel with an underground parking garage. Where I disembarked without anyone seeing me. Rode up an elevator with a different security agent and was handed off to Nick, who was waiting for me. It was then that I realized that the girls hadn’t been in the reports as Nick and his agents had been, yet I knew now from the other night that they were a part of my security as well. Just how they fitted in, I had yet to find out. But they were an open question mark.

It used to be that I would have given no thought to being watched. For the most part, I was like everyone else, more or less invisible to anyone else. Caring no more about the next person than they cared about me. Now I was almost paranoid about being seen. It’s funny how being nearly assassinated can change your perspective on life. Well, not really funny who wants to be murdered.

Okay, I wasn’t really a nobody. I was next in line to be the most powerful man on the planet. The head of my family. I had never pictured myself being that. Neither of my parents had actually indicated that was to be my future role. It was almost a given that my parents thought my grandfather was going to live forever.

Father would grumble that he was the heir, mother planning extravagant parties in the newly redecorated manor that was my grandfather’s home.

That night with Nicky and Wind Song manipulations having their desired effect, I was ready to go the following day. Really? Do you want me to go into details? Not happening.

The following morning, I was helped to dress. I guess I wasn’t used to being dressed and was surprised that the girls had my gym suit ready for me to wear.

The girls will be traveling with me today. They looked sharp in their business suits and looked every inch the high-powered executive assistants I rather suspected they could be.

Today was to be a visit to what seems to be an ordinary 3D printer manufacturer. I was aware of the strides being made in the field, though they have been around for nearly twenty years. I used a few myself in my work and personal life. So, what would be the big surprise here?

When I arrived in the garage, there was yet another vehicle. I had no doubt it was as formidable as the last. I was just going to have to get used to the fact I was no longer a carefree youth that didn’t need protection. That is if I ever had been.

As I was being driven to my next appointment, the girls briefed me on the company’s details. To be sure, none of it offered the particulars I most wanted to hear, but it was pleasant to have them do the briefing rather than reading it myself. It was, of course, an innovative company and was turning a profit. Still, it wasn’t the sort of thing that one would associate with world-shaking advances.

Pulling in, I could see it was definitely a profitable company. This was more like it.

We arrived and were greeted by the public relations person. Talk about starting off on the wrong foot, but I let it slide. Who knew who was watching, and it might not help if the CEO greeted me personally, though I rated such a welcoming?

I was given the official tour and frankly did see some important work on new developments. Though still not what I was looking for. I remembered my last lesson and forced myself to be patient with the whole thing. It was easier when I recalled it was all part of the game. Finally, I was introduced to the CEO but almost immediately recognized he was not the man I was looking for. Just what was going on here?

Eventually, I was guided to my grandfather’s office. The CEO seemed to be surprised at its existence. But when he inquired about it, he immediately stopped asking questions, realizing my grandfather had been the company’s principal and controlling stockholder. I don’t think he realized yet, that now I was and thought I was just here to collect a few of my grandfather’s personal effects. He was correct up to a point, but I didn’t think I needed to educate him on his misconceptions.

I was there now,

The office was laid out much as the others were, even to the pictures on the wall, only these were not autographed, but I knew there would be no clues there now. So, I went to the center of the room to again take stock of what I saw. I slowly turned, and nothing struck out to me. Well, if it were meant to be easy, there wouldn’t have been any point to it.

I slowly surveyed the room again, noting the placement of earlier clues. It had to be here, I was becoming irritated, but I quickly recognized that as a distraction and forced it down. I hadn’t beaten my grandfather by being quick to anger. Maybe it was that before he had been there in front of me. Here I knew he was dead, and I wouldn’t be getting the reward of seeing his satisfaction. That had meant a lot to me.

I calmed myself to do it again. Still nothing, there was nothing different about this room at all, and nothing in all my interactions and shared interests with my grandfather stood out. There was just nothing out of place that I hadn’t noticed before.

Well, perhaps Adam would help me this time. So, I spoke out loud, “Adam?” Not surprisingly, there was no answer. So, I repeated it, “Adam?” and still nothing. Okay, nothing there. So, I tried saying, “Grandfather?” Still, nothing, though that was not as surprising as Adam’s non-responsiveness. So, what else was different? I looked at the girls, not really expecting anything there.

Apparently, I was having a brain fart moment. But of course, how could I have been so dense? The girls were what was different about this room. Well, not so much they were here, but where they were standing. They had been with me before, but now. But now, there was my grandfather’s approving look on the portrait that they were flanking. I looked at them again. It couldn’t have been that easy, could it?

Okay, granted, I hadn’t really known them that long. But, come to think of it, there had been no mention of the girls in the briefing folder I had seen in the last office. It was only after that first black moment that I learned they were protecting me. Another brain fart moment that couldn’t have been a coincidence. Had they been protecting from the very first time I had seen them?

“OKAY, girls, you’re it! Tell me what clues you are that will lead me to my answers.”

The girls looked at each other and giggled. Then, the portrait slid up, revealing a safe. With that, a desk drawer opened, and Grandfather’s voice spoke to me. “Do not blame the girls for not helping you earlier; they were instructed not to aid you until you recognized them as the clues.” There was a lesson here; I would have to mull it over.

The folder I retrieved from the desk gave me the information I was looking for.

The safe was a decoy, but on the off chance it wasn’t, I opened it.

I jumped back, startled as a gun popped out, and I’m embarrassed to say that a flag popped out of the barrel, and a banner that read ‘BANG!’

To add insult to injury, a monitor came on, and I watched a recording of myself jumping back from the fake gun. Then the voice of Porky the pig saying, “Th-Th-Th-That’s All Folks!”.

My grandfather didn’t do it often, but when he did, he got me good. I just knew that would not be the only time I would see that video. I shivered at the thought of the next time I might see it.

I looked back at the girls thoughtfully. I couldn’t help but think Grandfather had still not told me anything about them. OK, later then.

Going over the notes, I called in the lead Scientist, A Dr. Trek, on the advanced research project I was led here to learn about. We did the whole password handshake thing, and he looked at the girls with recognition, but I pointedly ignored them, so he shrugged and started his briefing. He started with almost the same thing I had seen and heard on the tour. “Yada, yada, yada,”

I thought, yes, it was rude for me to be feeling it, and I had to chastise myself. That was no way to be thinking about a man who was to lead me to something that could only help humanity. Well, what I had yet to learn.

This whole mess thing had been worse than cramming for finals. My grandfather was gone, me being pressed into responsibilities I wasn’t prepared for. He had made Grandfather’s list, I reminded myself.

Yes, my grandfather’s damn list. I don’t know what upset me more him dying or knowing he had been murdered. I recalled something my grandfather said to me, life is not fair, son, and it never has been. So, you take what you have and do the best with it. That is all any man or woman can do.”

My grandfather was never one to think small. Dr. Trek went on, not even noticing my mind had drifted. I heard that they were working on higher definition and faster 3D printing.

Shaking myself from self-pity, I said, “OK, why am I here?”

Dr. Trek smiled, nodding his head as if confirming something to himself. Maybe he had noticed my mind wondering. He took me over to the far wall, the same sort that had concealed the labs behind it in the other offices. He placed his hand on the wall, and an almost seamless opening appeared. OK, a square the size of a microwave, and in fact, it looked like a microwave oven. Then he said, “Green pea raw.” What? It took a moment, but then there it was. I think I had seen it form through its window but couldn’t really be sure.

Opening the door, He said, “go pick it up.” I did so. It felt like a pea, I guessed. I couldn’t be sure, never having handled one before. I don’t usually play with my food. At least I couldn’t recall doing so.

“Smell it,” It had a distinct scent to it, not overpowering but delicate and fresh. I guessed it smelled like a pea.

“Put it in your mouth and taste it.”

OK, I hesitated at that, it was one thing to hold it, but another to put in my mouth and taste. While I had faith, the medical nanites would protect me from poisons; I couldn’t be sure it might not be an explosive that could take my head clean off. Sure, I had seen the candy printers. I even had one in my home. But so far, they hadn’t made one could make a sandwich, let alone a pizza. If they had every dorm in America, they would have had one of them. But this was not candy, and it didn’t look like any 3d printer I had ever seen. I had not seen the mechanism that had formed it.

He took it from me and popped it in his mouth; I guess he chewed it and swallowed it. He smiled. As he said, “It never ceases to surprise me about its texture and how good it tastes.”

I had to admit I frowned. OK, what was so special about that. Other than not seeing the mechanism as I could have with my candy printer, I didn’t see the point. That one pea wasn’t going to feed the hungry masses. Heck, it wouldn’t even provide nourishment to the one man in the room.

Then he said, “Green pea raw.” Again. He picked it up and handed it to me. Try it.

Okay, two peas. I did this time, not knowing what to expect, and yes, I have eaten peas, but with a fork. It did taste like a pea. A very fresh raw pea. Okay, still not seeing the point. It was an edible pea.

Then he said, “Water, cold, with two ice cubes.”

I watched as it formed, a bit slower, first a tiny sampling cup, then what I assumed was water, formed in it, along with two small cubes of ice. The water had not flowed to the cup but seemed to form within it, as did the ice cubes.

He took it out and handed it to me. OK, this time, I drank it, and yes, it was cold, and for all, I could tell water, fresh, clean, and refreshing. The ice cubes crushed as I chewed them, leaving no doubt in my mind that they were indeed ice cubes. Possibilities.