#After (On Hiatus with possible random slow updates)

Unchanging Love, Constant Bonds

"Ah Kit! Did I RSVP for Sunday?"

"Yes you did Sir."

"Very well. What brings you to these parts?"

"Here to give Rose my greeting. She was a yearmate. Switched from Cardiology to Neuro a few years ago. We all missed her."

He smiled at Rose then pulled Kit aside. "How is Four?"

"Still the same."

"I'm sorry to hear it. I really wish he had a problem I could fix for you."

"I honestly don't think he'll be ok until he dies and sees Mina again. Cancer is a hell of a thing. Just when you think you found the key, it mutates again."

"A mass cure is seemingly impossible but one day we will get there. In the meantime it is all about the individual." They small talked some more before another doctor approached and pulled his Chief away.

Kit sighed and rolled his neck. He smiled and stood with Rose but they both knew that his day was pretty much down the drain now. She patted his back in comfort and gave him what support she could.

Ming timed Kit at the hospital. The Neurosurgical department had one of these welcome and goodbye things every year.  They lasted for hours and it made Ming wonder about the universe and why they were never interrupted during these trivial showboating events, but when Ming wanted a simple family dinner, Kit had to rush away.

He shook his head and tuned into his team. They were talking engines again. The latest changes they had tested were better than the previous, but not significantly better. It wasn't enough to be considered a breakthrough and that's what they needed. They were leading, sure, but the US was catching up and Ming wanted to keep them on edge. 

"Maybe the problem is that we are trying to build on what we already have. Scrap that. Let's go back to our basic Safe Engine." They looked at Ming as he suddenly pulled up the image on the screen. 

"This is what we want to evolve. The Safe Engine, so named because it is exactly that. We made it to last and to withstand any and everything we throw at it. Diesel, leaded, unleaded, hybrids with freaking potato skin fuel. It takes them all."

"Yes sir. "

"But it wasn't created for a race car. It was created for the family car. The average vehicle. We managed to modify it for heavy vehicles and trucks. Maybe for this, we can't modify but recreate from the ground up. Maybe there is something we can change or add to help us make that transition."

"But Sir. What about our deadline?" Ming's lazer eyes scanned the room.

"Fuck the deadline. Are you serious right now Manx?" Was he for real right now? They were the cutting edge. The deadline didn't matter so much as the durability of the product.

"Well I know you want to be ahead of the curve."

"I'd rather be ahead and on point than have it all fall down around me. Make your decision now. We either do it right or we don't do it at all and hope the competition comes up with a far better idea than we did."

They all looked around then looked at Ming. He smiled and stood. "We're going to take the night off. Yes. You're going to do whatever you want with whomever you want and not think about this until 8:00 am sharp when we all assemble here to get started. That's not a request by the way. That's an order. Are we clear?"

"Very," Manx said and stood. He knew his boss and that meant they were all about to be kicked out whether they liked it or not. The others had learned the hard way too.