Will's POV
We were ready to launch. The result of years of hard work had finally paid off.
The world had been boring lately. The media repeated the same stories of wars and conflicts that never got resolved, of deaths that only mattered if the numbers were high enough and leaders that only cared about their pockets.
It was never fair. Life itself.
Whilst others suffered, the rest flaunted riches. You choose your stakes the moment you are born.
However, what we were building didn't care about borders or wealth, with no one able to buy their way out.
A soft tap on my door pulled me away from my train of thoughts.
"Mr. Wagner. The report is here."
My assistant, Tiffany, walked in with her heels making quiet sounds against the hard tiles.
I kept scrolling through a spreadsheet on my phone. "Read it out."
She was taken aback.
That was expected. It was unusual for me to make such requests. In the years she had worked for me, she had always dropped every report on my desk and left.
"What?" I asked, finally looking at her. "You can't suddenly read?"
"My apologies," she quickly replied. "I was waiting for further clarification as your request was unusual."
"There is none. Go ahead," I said, standing to get a glass of water.
She took a deep breath. "I am now reading the profile details of Miss Tessy Hale. I'll now proceed. Height..."
"That's enough," I interrupted.
She stopped immediately.
"Drop it on my desk and leave."
"Yes sir." Her heels faded in the distance.
Tessy Hale.
The surname bothered me. I knew I had heard it before but couldn't place where or when. It was getting irritating.
I exhaled slowly and picked up the file.
Her passport photograph was attached to the first page.
I read aloud, "Twenty-two years of age. Impressive. Final year at Rutgers University, majoring in systems engineering." Her height was 5'9". No medical impediments.
I flipped the next page. I had told Tiffany to run a background check on her. She had no family left except her mom. Father died from a cardiac arrest and her sister was dead.
That was what caught my attention. Her sister, Emma Hale. She was reported dead after being missing for several days.
I checked her picture and felt a shock. Emma Hale was Emma Thompson. It was unexpected. I was unaware that she had a sibling. Little wonder the stance felt familiar.
Flashback — ten years ago
"Sir, we have some discrepancies. The model has too many backlogs and a lot of errors that were hard to fix."
Mr. Joe reported. We were ready to commence operations but our models kept crashing.
"No alternatives?" I asked.
"None available, but with the rising of artificial intelligence, we should have one."
I turned, my face distorted with built-up rage.
"And how soon would that be?"
He replied, nervously. "In a decade?"
"Is that a response or a question?!"
"In a decade. Sir. We have limited knowledge and human errors are a problem too."
"What about the girl?"
The words left my mouth calmly, but the room grew tense. Joe's shoulders stiffened, just slightly, as if his spine had forgotten how to hold itself.
"The— the girl?" he stammered, blinking too fast. "I— I'm not sure what you mean, sir."
I rose slowly from my chair.
"The one who tampered with the data," I said, carefully. "The one who thought it was wise to threaten exposure."
My jaw tightened. I could feel my teeth grind against each other.
Joe swallowed loudly. "S-sir… she— she was contained. We had protocols in place."
"And yet," I interrupted, "I'm asking about her."
Silence thickened between us. His hands began to tremble.
"She escaped," he whispered.
The word hung in the air, heavy and irreversible.
I nodded once, as if he had confirmed a minor inconvenience, and reached for my phone.
"Get me Steve," I said. "And the others. All of them."
I turned away from Joe as I spoke, already done with him. "I want every camera record and every exit traced." I ended the call and finally faced him again.
"You had one job," I said quietly.
"I can fix this," Joe blurted out, desperation getting the better of him. "We can still—"
"No," I said.
I pressed a button beneath my desk. The door opened behind him. My bodyguard stepped in, waiting for my next order.
"Clean this up," I told him. "Quietly."
Joe opened his mouth again, but nothing came out.
I picked up my coat and left the building.
Present
The coffee maker gurgled, interrupting my thoughts. I exhaled slowly, letting the memory fade.
I dropped the file on my desk with a soft thud. The office was silent.
I stood up and moved to the window. The city pulsed without care, oblivious to the danger looming ahead.
I calmly picked up the phone.
"Intel on Tessy Hale," I said. "Where is she now? When does she return to school? I want details on everyone she has spoken to in the last four weeks, including colleagues, friends, and anyone she has met. Track all interactions and locations."
There was a pause, and a voice replied.
"She's leaving Washington, sir. Heading to Ohio with her colleagues."
I traced patterns on the windowpane, listening without interrupting.
"Continuous updates. I want every movement noted until she reaches her destination." I ended the call and left for my penthouse.
Hours passed and my phone buzzed.
"She is in Glenn, sir. Current location confirmed."
I nodded once, and the voice on the line shifted, ready for further instruction.
"That will be all," I said, dismissing them. "Leave."
The line went silent. I took off my clothes, moving for the shower.
Warm water ran from the tap, with steam curling in the corners of the penthouse bathroom.
I turned it off and reached for the secure line, still damp from the wash. The line connected.
"Chairperson," I said. "It's time."