A Slice of Inside Job To-Go

Finding Orrin [Part 3]

To Reagan's surprise, there was actually something that the Shadow Government couldn't do.

"How is this even possible?! It must've been an Inside Job" she muttered as she finished her code. The elevator rang behind her and opened its doors, revealing Brett, who was holding two coffee cups, and Alpha-Beta, occupying too much space due to his wheels.

"Did you request me, my daughter/mother?" the robot asked, and Reagan stuck out her tongue as a gesture of disgust.

"Stop calling me your daughter. You and my mom never have, or will happen."

"Come on, sweetie. Just give me her email."

"Nope," with a hand gesture, she asked AB to walk until he reached her side. She flipped his head and connected a cable to his USB port, downloading the newly created program into his mind.

"Reagan, you did all of that in the half hour I was gone?" her ex-co-leader asked, worried about Reagan's mental health. When he suggested finding Orrin, he would have never expected his friend to get so fixated on achieving results.

"You are talking to the girl who graduated from MIT at 17, Brett. I've done more in less time." She didn't mean to brag, but fuck yeah, she was bragging.

The man extended his arm so Reagan could hold her cup of coffee. The woman didn't notice, but he was moving way more than usual. His legs were shaking, his feet dancing, and his neck was moving side to side to an invisible rhythm that only he could hear.

It could be his abandonment issues speaking for him, but a huge part of him didn't want Reagan to find Orrin. What if they have a lot in common? What if they have amazing chemistry? Would they become best friends? Lovers? Would Reagan completely forget about him once she began hanging out with Orrin?

That short coffee break destroyed him. Once he was alone with himself, the little mouse in his mind began not only to run, but jump, leap, exercise, consume experimental drugs and brake the little exercise wheel in his mind.

Suddenly, everything made sense to him. Never being able to reach the top of the favorite child list, being overthrown by a dog, having a treehouse outside his house property, his parents not being present at his birthdays, his siblings constantly bullying him, and his parents not giving a shit about it. He would have never imagined not being his father's son.

"What do you think of not looking for Orrin anymore? Maybe he disappeared willingly," he suggested. Reagan closed AB's head and the robot restarted itself.

"You kidding, man? This was your idea."

"I know, I know, but, what if it is a bad idea? What if he is a rapist? Or a serial killer? Or even worse, a lawyer?"

"Don't be dumb, Brett. He is going to be completely fine. You'll see once we find him," she hit AB's head twice, trying to wake him up. The robot frowned and hit Reagan's hand, offended.

"I will inform your mother of your actions."

"Sure, good luck with that. Now execute the new program," ordered the woman, and the huge screen that covered the lab's wall showed a simple, avatar creator app. Similar to The Sims.

"Woah, that's cute!"

"I hope I don't get sued for copyright. Okay, Alpha-Beta, listen carefully. We are looking for a kid between 8 to 10 years old, blond hair in a hilarious bowl cut," Brett chuckled as the description Reagan gave to the robot appeared on the screen, "braces, big black glasses, and super skinny."

The model was kind of what Reagan had in mind but still didn't look quite like the kid she remembered.

"Try to make him look less.. smart, and stretch his face a little. Let's try other nose styles."