It was night time when Leon walked back home, stopping at a well-maintained park to ponder about Dr. Irvine’s words in quiet. He sat down on a lone bench, his head raised up towards the stars.

  Countless things have changed over a century of sleep but the night sky would always remain the same.

  The darkness, the stars and the following consteltions forming between them.

  Leo, Cancer, Gemini and Taurus.

  His father always used to talk about them on a te night at work at his shop, sitting outside for a break as Leon joined him out of boredom. They would grab an old metal cylinder and make a low fire, slowly roasting meat jerky over the heat. His father was always smiling as he taught him different things, having a bottle of beer in his hand while a young Leon got a cold soda.

  He ughed as he thought back at the absurdity of things.

  The father he remembered to be a simple mechanic is written into history as one of the greatest scientists of his time.

  A brilliant mind whose st legacy remains hidden in the androids developed under the GenoTech Conglomerate, the mega-corporation built and led by Dr. Andrei Kotova, one of the lead researchers of Phoenix Project. Its supposedly never-finished AI technology serves as the base and foundation for the android’s mind.

  As Leon thought about that, he was reminded of the spiteful tone Dr. Irvine had when talking about their competitor. Five mega-corporations stand as the most powerful and influential forces in the United Human Territories besides the Enforcers, all of them restraining and complementing each other to maintain a sense of bance among society.

  It was rather normal that they would have rivalries and competitions to gauge and benefit from the other, strengthening their own power in return. However, in Leon’s eyes, Dr. Irvine’s hate was different from a standard rivalry. More invested and quite frankly, personal.

  Each of the five mega-corporations can maintain their power and influence because they have a practical monopoly over their respective industry sector, making their standing virtually unshakeable. A fact that hasn’t changed in decades.

  GenoTech in Biotechnology.

  Alpha Dynamics in Robotics.

  Fusioncore in Energy.

  Quantum Assets in Finance

  Skyline Realty in Real Estate.

  This bance, however, was on the verge of breaking apart with GenoTech’s advances in android development, a variable big enough to tip the scale of the robotics industry from Alpha Dynamics into the hands of GenoTech, making it the only mega-corporation to practically control two giant industries.

  Naturally, this isn’t something Alpha Dynamics can take lying down. Their status and existence is being threatened by GenoTech’s advancements, and Dr. Irvine as their head of development wouldn’t be feeling positive about it. And yet, Leon still felt that things didn’t quite add up.

  The Dr. Irvine he knew was incomparable to the man that emitted such an intensity of fury.

  Why is that?

  As far as he knew, Dr. Irvine was born long after Project Phoenix was discontinued with no connection to the people working on it. Only a few scientists and associates like GenoTech’s chairman Andrei Kotova, through prolonging his life with genetic serums, was still alive to profit out of it. It had nothing to do with Jim Irvine, and yet his hate was real and heavy.

  Sighing loudly, Leon shook his head with the increasing number of thoughts jumbling together. He was getting nowhere. There was skepticism in his eyes regarding Dr. Irvine’s intentions but he had no motive to expin it.

  “You seem a little troubled there, young man.” A weary voice brought him back to reality, making him turn his head to an old man who decided to join him on the bench. He was wearing a long, beige overcoat with an old-fashioned dark grey bowler heat on his head, giving him a rexed smile.

  Leon thought back to his prior dilemma before chuckling awkwardly. “Yeah, there is something that I can’t quite wrap my head around.”

  “Ha, there are many moments where life feels just like that. Personally, it is a calm pce like this where you can take a moment to think properly. This park is one of my favorite pces to be at whenever life feels a little bit heavy.”

  “You come here often?” Leon asked.

  “Sometimes,” The old man nodded. “I used to take walks in this park with my te wife before she passed. I’ve moved away now towards the outer part of the central territory but I still come here when I like to think back to those memories of her.”

  “You come here to have the chance to relive some… memories?”

  “Oh no, young man. They are not just memories. They are the best moments of my life. But enough about me. What troubles you today?”

  Leon looked the old man in the eye, trying to think of an answer. He wasn’t allowed to talk about Project Phoenix or other sensitive research to outsiders but it didn’t mean he couldn’t imply certain things.

  “Well, let’s just say there is this pce I’m interning at outside of university and I have certain doubts regarding a person there. The task I’m working on is going nowhere and that guy has unresolved problems regarding it. Like personal issues that shouldn’t belong at work. I don’t know if what I’m doing is going to backfire on me.”

  There was a stretch of silence in the air until the old man nodded in understanding.

  “Hmmm, that sounds troubling indeed. More complicated than I expected.” The old man nodded slightly as he kept looking at him with his gentle smile. “It seems you’ve been dealt some difficult cards at the moment but this doesn’t mean there is nothing you can do with them.”

  “What do you mean?” Leon asked, unable to understand what he was getting at.

  “How about this? Imagine you’re pying a video game where your starting character is given the worst traits with several challenges staying in your way. The situation might seem hopeless but there is always a way to work around it, to progress through the game. Often it is rather simple like trying to improve your character but sometimes, you have to think outside the box. Like trying a different game route to circumvent certain challenges or even better, find easter eggs or hidden pieces that can flip the situation upside down.”

  The old man’s answer left Leon speechless. He certainly didn’t expect such a unique analogy, especially about video games. Seeing his face, the old man chuckled as he understood his apparent confusion.

  “I used to be the CEO of a game company years back, when my wife was still alive. It was a lot of work and I was able to earn a Tier 3 citizen status for both of us, allowing me and my wife to move into a nice penthouse in the central territory. After she passed, however, I turned away from everything, losing myself in grief and depression. The company went bankrupt sometime ter and I couldn’t bear to live in that house any longer, not after my wife passed away. It was just too much at the time.”

  “What did you do then?” Leon asked with curiosity.

  “I sold it. Cleared out all belongings and moved to the outside of the central territory. I started a new job, owning a small but decent junkyard. A complete do-over compared to what I was doing before. It’s nothing big or great in society’s eyes but for me it’s enough. It gives me a lot of free time so I use the maglev train to come here every other evening or so.”

  “From CEO to junkyard owner.” Leon mumbled quietly but loud enough for the old man to hear.

  “Life is full of surprises and unexpected changes. I adapted to my situation and now I’m living semi-retired while thinking back to the good times with my wife.”

  The old man still had a gentle smile on his face as he looked at the bright stars. Meanwhile, there was something in Leon’s mind that clicked. A spark that resulted in a newfound resolution. Standing up from the park bench, he turned to the old man with a bright smile.

  “Thanks, old man. I think I know what to do now.” He already turned around to leave but was reminded of something, stopping once again. “By the way, I couldn’t catch your name.”

  The old man tipped his hat for a moment, his smile never-changing. “You can call me Howard. I’m sure we’ll meet again, young man.”

  “Got it. My name is Leon, old man. Don’t forget it. I’ll see you around.” Leon ughed as he started to run off into the distance.

  At the same time, he took his phone out of his pocket, dialing Trey’s number. It took about three seconds for the call to go through as he heard his friend’s sleepy voice.”

  “Dude, what’s wrong with you? I have an early day tomorrow.”

  “I have a way, Trey. A way for you to win the champion title.”

  “... Ehh, what? What are you talking about-” His friend was clearly confused but Leon just ughed it off.

  “Just meet me at the race track after csses tomorrow, I'll expin everything.” Leon said again before hanging up abruptly.

  He really started to have a good feeling about this.

  ……….

  “Humans’ ability to adapt to unforeseen circumstances is undeniably their greatest quality.”

  ~~Dr. Benjamin Harper’s Memoirs~~