Luminous Beam

Chapter 24 - Shocking Revelation

Chapter 24 – Shocking Revelation

Friday, November 15, 2080
8:31 PM USA CT
Norwex Web HQ, Downtown Houston
Houston, TX

Alex entered the building, while everyone continued to protest outside. He was shocked to find it empty and the security systems, along with lights were turned off. Something seemed wrong. Alex kept looking around.

"Uh, guys? It's suspiciously quiet and empty in here. Something just doesn't seem right!" said Alex.

Then suddenly, the air vent in the ceiling opened. Four small drones flew down the vent. Each then pointed a camera out towards him.

"Ugh, not good!" scoffed Alex.

It was then a shadow appeared and walked towards him. Alex faced the shadow as it crept closer. The lights turned on. An elderly man, in his mid-sixties stood in front of Alex.

"Polanski?" said Alex. "I didn't think you were old."

"Not quite." The old man said, then he drew a gun and shot at Alex.

"Oogh!" grunted Alex in pain, he then looked at the bullet, which turned out to be a sleep dart, full of a heavy dose of cold medicine.

Alex fell to the ground the world blacked out around him. A few minutes later, he woke up, tied in another room. Hands and legs, both. In the room was another man tied up, seemingly in his late thirties. The door then opened after a while and in came in that elderly man. Alex was shocked. It then took a split second to realize the other man, was none other than Jeremiah Polanski, himself.

"If you're not Polanski, who the hell are you?" asked Alex. "And what the hell is going on?"

"You sure you haven't heard of me?" said the man. "Does the name Kevin Cross ring a bell?"

"Kevin Cross? Founder of JKZ Software and AI? Hero of Miami?" said Alex.

"I'm not him either, but I am a former employee of his at his company before he retired in 2071 and joint forces with Polanski who founded Norwex Web that same year! Name is George Holloway. Having been born in 2016, I grew up hearing of him, Zane Galnac and many others who helped to save the country from imminent threats. But, as I also grew older, I saw a workforce evolving with younger folks like you, who not only took away most of the world's jobs but made everyone lazy!"

Alex turned to Polanski. "What is this old coot saying?"

Polanski then turned to Alex. "Don't listen to him! He's behind everything that's been going on for the last few months now. Apparently, he is jealous that his generation and those before didn't get the comforts of our time."

Holloway then laughed. "You know it! Not only that, you lazy asses work only twenty-eight hours per week, max; leaving those before you stuck working at thirty-six?"

"Why do you think we have a universal basic income now?" inquired Alex. "To compensate for the rest of the salary from not working! Progress has a price; you damn well know already! And change is always there, no matter what!"

Unbeknownst to Polanski and Holloway, Alex had a hidden microphone in his ring, which via C.O.R.A and the other AI, he was broadcasting to everyone outside. Everyone had been listening to the whole thing. In the meantime, some script-kiddies, began to collaborate. Using holo-tablets to hack the firewall, along with Ross, who finally turned off the security defenses to the main reactor and server room.