Evann rubbed the bridge of his nose as he walked the staircase up to the main lobby of Sorts of Ports. The prior evening had taken its toll, and he’d gone the entire way without a wink of sleep, with only a couple of cigarettes to help keep him awake. No matter how he thought about this operation, the only way he could see it ending was poorly.
“Calm yourself, Evann,” Avina said. “I will assist you.”
“What are you going to do?” Evann muttered just loud enough to hear his own voice.
“Exactly as I told you once you were done speaking with your commander. I can see what you see, feel what you feel, hear what you hear. I will be the guiding hand you need in order to keep your identity hidden.”
Evann frowned. “I don’t like this one bit.”
“Yes. I gathered.”
As they neared the entrance, Evann shut his mouth and quietly made his way back to his desk. Loading the device Sang gave him would prove to be useful, but he’d need to last at least a day or two in his work environment to garner any trust. Catching Sang doing something illegal or damaging to the company would be too convenient, too perfectly timed to be a coincidence. Patience was key, and that meant he’d have to convince his co-workers of his ability to do his job.
“Good morning, Mister Shephard.” Evann turned to the source of the sound to see a man just a few inches shorter than him with his hand extended. He wore a white suit and a gold-and-black-speckled tie. His hair was black and cut crew style, framing a face with strong and defined features. This man was Matthew Kramer’s son.
“Good morning, Mister Kramer,” Evann said, gripping his hand and shaking his hand firmly. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
The man smiled. “Just wanted to make sure you’re settling in. I know Sorts of Ports can look a little intimidating, so I want to help you round any corners you might be running into.”
Evann felt the grip in the man’s hand weaken, so he let go. It was important with the big wigs to always let go when they were ready. Let go too early and they’d assume you were searching for an exit from the conversation. “Well, I have to admit that you and your father have built something incredible here.” Evann looked to his left, then to his right to make it look as if he was taking in the sights. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure what was going to be worse—finding my way around here, or doing my actual job,” he laughed.
Matthew laughed with him. “I know the feeling. Been coming to this building my whole life and I’m still figuring things out.” He shrugged. “But you’ll get the hang of it.” He flicked his head toward something behind Evann, then gently nudged him to the side as someone passed them by in the hall. “Have you had a moment to take a look at the memo for this morning?”
Evann gestured to the briefcase in his hand. “Just got in, so can’t say I have.”
“Ah.” The man paused. “Well, take a look at it as soon as you can. Important stuff.”
“I’ll do that.” He offered a casual wave. “Have a good rest of your day, Mister Kramer.”
“You too, Shephard.”
They passed each other, and Evann made a point not to look behind him. He’d need to keep a careful eye on him, but for the time being, it was more important to avoid suspicion anywhere he could. Considering they were on the hunt for a rat, even a simple gesture like looking over his shoulder on his way out could offer the smallest semblance of suspicion.
“You handled that well,” Avina said.
“Comes with the territory,” he whispered just loud that he could hear himself. He made his way to his office and shut the door behind him. He threw his briefcase onto the desk, taking note of the datapad on the desk. It lit up with a notification at the top of the screen. “Can’t wait to see what this is about.”
Evann brushed his finger against the screen and an email attachment popped up in his inbox. “Good morning, faculty and family,” he mumbles, rolling his eyes, “we hope to find you well. As you know, we have suffered a recent security leak and are working hard to discover the cause. During this time, we ask that you refrain from extracurricular activities.”
“They intend to tighten their grip,” Avina said. “Are all humans this paranoid?”
“Some of them,” Evann admitted, “those it seems to get worse the higher up you go. More to gain, more to lose and all that.”
Avina hummed.
The email went on about a number of security features which would be tightened and the reasoning behind them. The entire thing read like a conspiracy theory. Sorts of Ports offered free food and drink to those who would abstain from visiting stores for food and pleasure, offering an additional stipend to those who used the employee transportation service exclusively.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Yep. Reads like a bunch of paranoid mumbo jumbo,” Evann said, then chuckled as he set the datapad on the desk. “Well, doesn’t change anything about our situation.”
“If anything, this may bolster our opportunity.”
Evann nodded. “I agree. The company keeps a record of who uses the transportation system. They have my address on file as well, so they’ll see I’m going straight home.” He leaned back in his swivel chair. “This might work out better than I thought.” A moment of silence passed. “And you’re sure you can help me with my job?”
“Without a doubt. Despite the setback I suffered, I am still equipped with more than three dozen different programming languages. My software recognition is second to none. Additionally, I am learning more and more each day about humans and how your technology progressed.” She hummed, and Evann got the sense that she was satisfied.
“Well, we’ll be putting it to the test in about twenty minutes.” He wanted to trust Avina, but right now he was more focused on retaining the information relayed to him by Lara. “That reminds me. How is your recollection?”
“Perfect,” Avina said. “I can recall any event with perfect clarity.”
“So, then the conversation with Lara has been recorded.”
Avina paused. “I sense apprehension in your voice. Is this a problem?”
A little bit. Kind of weird to know that she’ll remember every instance of me being naked or taking a piss. “It doesn’t matter what I think since we don’t have much of a choice. So, let’s make the best of it. I’m counting on you.”
“You will not be disappointed.”
---
Disappointment was the understatement of the century. With Avina’s help, he’d be every bit the Senior Tech Advisor as his title implied. The introduction as the team’s newest advisor was a quick and snappy discussion, and thankfully his job was mostly as it implied. Occasionally, however, when a team member ran into an issue regarding a line of code or needed a suggestion for how a particular type of weapon or implant could be improved, Evann was there.
This is kind of making me nervous. I need to step away so I can tell Avina to cool her jets. Avina had made a point that each one of her suggestions would improve performance or resolve the issue the engineer or programmer was facing. Even for a senior employee, this is going to look weird if they see a sudden spike in performance like this.
“All right, guys!” Evann said, clapping his hands together. “Let’s take five!”
“You got it, boss!” one of the men said. The others nodded their approval, and Evann made a brisk return to this room, speaking only once the door was shut.
“Okay, we need to talk.”
“Is something wrong?” Avina asked.
“You’re doing a little too well. This is going to put me in the bullseye if we keep this up.”
“I do not understand. Is your job not to improve performance and resolve issues?”
She really didn’t understand. Evann chuckled and ran a hand over his hair. “It would take too long to explain right now. Can you give me tips that will offer, ah, smaller improvements?”
Avina hummed. “Yes.”
“Great. Do that instead. If we get everything right, it’s not going to look great on me.” He steadied his breathing when he realized he’d been hyperventilating. “We don’t need to the answer to everything, we just need to do well enough that that it fixes a problem or gives some minor improvement. That’s it. If we overshoot—”
“Yes. I understand,” she interrupted. “We have been in this room for approximately two minutes. We should return to the floor.”
“All right.” As soon as Evann swung open the door, a man was standing there with his hand raised, ready to knock. Evann had to fight back the kneejerk reaction to have him by the wrist and throw him to the ground. He spoke when he was sure his voice wouldn’t crack. “Hey. What do you need? We’re on break.” He kept his tone firm, hoping to assert his authority.
“Y-Yes, sir,” the man said, stammering. “My apologies, but this is really weighing on my mind. Can you please help me with recalibrating the targeting protocol on the RX-133?”
Evann paused. He had no idea what that was.
“The RX-133 is a type of missile launcher mounted on the shoulder. The technology is highly experimental and uses X-rays to locate its targets,” Avina supplied. “It is also worth noting that the man standing before you is Adam White, the one who originally pitched the idea. His project has been in development for well beyond the acceptable allotted time.”
“Uh, sir?” Adam said. “Did you hear me?”
“I did. I’m just absolutely appalled by the lack of progress on this project,” Evann snapped. This was one of the more awkward things about having Avina in your head. Sometimes the information would have him standing there for a few more seconds than would’ve been normal. Thankfully, it wasn’t a difficult thing to cover for, so long as he acted like an asshole. “How much more of the company’s funds are you going to spend before you get it right?”
Adam blanched. “I-I, well… that is…”
Evann sighed. “Get it right this time.” He gestured for Adam to get out of his way, then shut the door behind him. “Take me to it.”
“Yes, sir.”
---
By the day’s end, Evann had found a rhythm. Soon, he’d be known as that guy who thought too much and had a lot to say whenever he opened his mouth. His reputation was spreading around the office like wildfire, and he’d even caught a few of them saying shit about him under their breath. That was good. He needed a reputation strong enough to warrant his title, but not so strong that it came off like he was trying too hard. A good balance had been struck.
“What did you think?” Avina asked with an excited lilt to her tone.
Evann took off his coat and tie and sat on the edge of his bed in his assigned apartment. “All right, fine. You definitely got the know-how to get me out of this.” He clicked his tongue in utter disbelief. “We might actually be able to pull this off.”
“I am most pleased to hear this. Perhaps we may be able to wait one day until implicating Mister Sang.”
The idea of doing that didn’t sit well with Evann, but Sang seemed to be just as aware of the importance of this mission as he was. “Yeah,” he said after a pause.
“Do I detect hesitation?”
“Somewhat. But I’ll get it done. I always do.”
