We lined up in front of the big, principal screens. I was with all the First Citizens. Numbers and codes, codes and numbers, then numbers and numbers… this went on for at least 20 minutes. Everyone around me seemed to know what was going on.
Suddenly, a long number appeared on the screen for a moment then disappeared. The screens went black, and everyone started clapping with joy. After a moment, Ube said, “Congratulations, the system booted successfully,” The First Citizens left very happy, congratulating me for the successful start.
The monkeys opened up a bottle of champagne in the lobby room. I was very perplexed, watching the whole circus with a kind of ironic perspective. Is the whole thing just a geeky fantasy? Maybe, because what I saw wasn’t much.
Back in my office, I called my top engineer and sent a message to the three monkeys to collaborate with him to secure more workspace. I instructed him to check the timeline for the full functionality of the machine, because as of now, it didn’t look at all like what I was expecting. Meanwhile, I sent a mission assignment to Kadar to start preparing my trip for the secret meeting between Banume, Oris, and me with the second citizen. I planned to keep the Services in the loop officially, as I know that they have already been briefed by the First Citizens. I know that Kadar knows about the meeting already as Wonfuse certainly told him that right after I left his house. He seeks his advice all the time, and he is counting on him to keep an eye on me. Then, I went to the box of isolation where I could make a secure call to Oina.
“Hi, how are you?” I said
“Konu! I will call you back from a secured device” she replied
“Okay, but meanwhile, please call them first. I’m coming with the gift.” I said. She waited a brief moment, then replied with a touch of fear and hesitation, “Okay.”
One hour later, she called me back. “Hi, I can speak now. Oris is hard to reach right now, but Banume said he will consult with his trusted circle.”
Oina already spoke with them personally a month ago as I asked her to tell them that I may change sides to avoid the Big Filter, the filter that will send us again to the Stone Age. She told them that I think that the machine will kill us all and I may destroy it before they strike the Amians and start a nuclear holocaust. Probably they didn’t believe her, and I don’t blame them.
I replied, “…meaning he is not coming? He is not sure what's going on, and he prefers to wait and see? Call them again and say that I am coming with a gift, a gift that shows how serious I am to prevent the war. If they don’t, I’ll keep my side safe, and everyone can go to hell. Tell them literally what I said”
After another hour in which I waited inside the isolation box like a hamster, she called back. “They accepted.”
Watching the clock second by second, my top engineer came back to keep me updated on the situation. It turns out that the machine booted correctly, and now it's reading all the collected data from Consoft. That could take another week before the main process starts. Other than that, he is not sure if the principal engineers are in the right set of mind, a thing that everyone started to notice.
Everything is set now. I am waiting for the call from the Second Citizen since I asked Wonfuse, the First Citizen, to send ONC’s boss as a participant and a witness to that secret meeting. I instructed him, through our services, that he will need to play the role of the betrayer so Oris and Banume could believe in our story, at least that’s the plan. ONC’s CEO, the Second Citizen, called after a moment. I asked him to talk generalities as the empire’s services are picking up everything on his devices. It’s war time. He said he knows and that the First Citizen explained everything, and he agreed to assist me in my plan. At the end of his call, he couldn’t contain himself and said, “This is brilliant!”
I hung up, looked at Dismar, and said, “Let's call it a day.”
Chapter 15
Solitude and Betrayal
“Konu, I’ve got the green light to create the army's tournament of cuisine. Cooking can be very beneficial for the soldier’s mental health... I'm serious! Could you pass that cocktail, please?”
~ The Chief
A lone, tired, and sick – that’s is my state two days before the meeting. The drops are not working anymore as I started to drink them straight from the bottle. Confined at home, thinking, doubting, and then thinking again. I’m exhausted. I’m getting suspicious, hypochondriac, and feeling feverish all the time. I’m tortured, and I wish I would have a panic attack right now, so I could throw up my guts and rest, but my body is resisting.
Every healing technic or medicine is useless when the body is not complying. All knowledge on meditation, mental strength, and spiritual guidance is impractical when the mind is distracted. The best thing you can do in those moments is to let yourself accept the stress that your body and mind want to inflict you, as they will reveal something important down at the end of the nightmare trip. You must stress, fall sick, welcome the panic attack with open arms, accept that you are not in charge, and let your heart race like a crazy horse. Those are the symptoms of how scary the revealing will be. Wish for the heart attack and the worst death ever, like jumping naked in a moment of madness from your balcony while all
