Friday - September 17

Start from the beginning
                                        

The person presses the close button to converse privately. After ninety seconds, the person presses the open button, and then exits. As Gerald watches the person stroll away, the person turns around, and says, "I'll tell you when."

Gerald nods his head, and says, "I'll be waiting." He watches the person exit through the glass doors and into a waiting limousine.

Gerald steps back into the elevator and starts to press the LL button when he hears Victor calling, "Gerald! Hold the elevator!" Gerald pushes back the elevator door to keep it from closing, as he waits for Victor and Georgia to enter. Once all three are in, Gerald presses the LL button, and in silence, they descend to the basement.

When the elevator stops at basement level, a young man waits to give Gerald an envelope. "Here is the information you wanted, sir," says the young man.

"Thank you," says Gerald, as he takes the envelope and locates a computer not in use.

Gerald pulls out a chair, sits, and opens the envelope. As he flips through the contents, he summons Victor to discuss the findings.

"These just arrived. Let's see what they show," Gerald says.

Gerald looks through the papers he removed from the envelope. Flipping through them, he looks up at Victor and says, "It doesn't show anything that can connect us."

"Nothing?" Victor asks.

"Not a thing. All of the tests that were performed have absolutely no connection. Won't they be disappointed?" says Gerald.

Georgia overhears their conversation. Disgusted at them both, she rolls her eyes, and walks away.

"Well, at least that gives us some more time," says Victor.

"Yeah, well, time may be running out for all of us if he doesn't decide what to do next, and fast," replies Gerald.

Victor looks down at the floor and notices a button. When he bends down to pick it up, he realizes that it's a button from Claire's coat that she wore on Tuesday when they were reunited again after seven years; the day he saw his daughter and his unborn grandson's ultrasound. He rubs his thumb over the button and secretly tucks it into his vest pocket, knowing that it's the only thing he has left of his daughter, besides memories of her. Victor looks over to see if Georgia had noticed what he had found. She had not, and he was thankful for that.

"Well, I guess we better get on with the next step. It's going to be a much rougher road than we expect, Victor. I hope Georgia is able to handle the pressure," says Gerald.

Victor looks at Georgia again, and though she's working, he knows that her heart is suffering from the loss of their daughter and her unborn son. "She'll be fine," Victor whispers.

"I hope so. Either way, keep an eye on her, Victor. Nothing can go wrong now. Is that understood?" Gerald warns him.

"Understood."

"Good. Let's go see if Stevens is doing what he was told."

Gerald gathers up the papers and stuffs them carelessly back into the envelope, folding it in half before slipping it into his pocket.

Georgia watches her husband and Gerald leave the basement as they search for Stevens. As she turns her attention back to her duties, she reaches into her lab coat pocket for a pen. Instead of finding a pen, though, she finds a small white envelope with GP written in cursive on the front. The envelope is sealed, so Georgia tells an assistant that she'll be right back.

As she walks down the long, dark hallway, Georgia looks over her shoulder to make sure there's no one following her. As she nears the end of the hallway, she notices a stairway leading to an exit. Unsure where the exit leads to, she takes the stairs and carefully pushes the door handle to see if it opens; it does. She steps outside the plaza into an area that she has never seen. The hillside is captivating as virgin snow glistens in the sunlight. She slowly draws in some of the cool air and exhales it, watching her warm breath as it mingles with the atmosphere. She cracks a smile, and then retrieves the envelope in her pocket.

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