Edict 42

Chapter 2 - Ryan

Where is Troy? Ryan asked as his eyes focused on the commotion outside before turning towards her again.

She wore a long sleeved black sweater, pale blue long jeans, white sneakers and she held a red and white bag over her right shoulder. Her blonde hair looked frazzled. Her sunken blue eyes met his. “He’s staying over at my sister.”

Those eyes reminded him of the ocean and now they had the resemblance of a horrible tide that had come.

“I see.”

“Why did you do it?” his wife asked as her eyebrow arched.

She gripped his hand and Ryan felt the tears on her face upon his hand. Ryan placed his other hand on her shoulder.

I won’t let you die again, he thought, I won’t watch my family suffer never again.

Her oval face looked like a nightmare, but before he could respond to her, he felt another hand touching his shoulder. He turned in the direction and faced two men in all black behind him.

“Dr. Matters, before you leave, we would like to talk to you. We are with the Special Police.”

Ryan shook his head.“I will be back soon Diane. There is no need to cry anymore, everything is going to be fine.”

Ryan followed the two men as they led him slightly away from everyone before coming to a stop by another man who was seated. This man was different, he was dressed in plain clothes and to the naked eye he looked an average joe.

Ryan noticed the way in which this man carried himself, he had to have a military background. The two men formed around them almost blocking them like a shield as they took seats in the waiting area. Ryan could see his wife looking on at him at the other side of the room.

The man spoke, “Take a seat Dr. Matters and keep your head straight.”

Ryan sat down and kept his head straight.”

“I am sure that you are aware that the government has taken you out of jail.”

“Yes.”

“It’s not without reason Dr. Matters, we have heard the cause and what you have said, to take away some of the classified information. We can’t have you speaking out like that into the public, especially since it’s at a fragile time. Your words carry weight in society and having people think that something they have lived with for so long can turn into a problem, could turn into a national disaster.”

“You want me to lie?” Ryan looked at the man, but he did not return his look.

“You think what you said in there was true?”

“It is.”

“Listen Dr.Matters even if what you said is true and I had to buy into that. What do you really think would happen telling the whole country about it?”

“We would be able to plan and organize better and we would be able to stop the problem before it can occur. I know the date that it happens, December 23rd 2025.”

The man laughed. “Three years from now? It seems like pure nonsense hearing you say that. You see even if that’s true what do you think would happen? In a perfect world would be order and harmony working together maybe, but in reality that’s not what happens. You see those mass reporters being held back by the police outside? You know what they are waiting for? To hear about your fall, that’s it. Your words would only bring chaos, even if they were true, to the already brewing concoction.”

“That’s not---.”

“We are giving you two choices Dr. Matters. The first one: You deny the allegations that you took anything from that lab to the public. We destroy all the evidence from that room of you speaking nonsense and you walk out that door with your wife life goes on like normal. The second you talked to the public the way you have been talking in that interview and we write you off as having developed psychological problems killing Dr.Cox through your incoherent problems and you spend the rest of your life within a solditary confinement erased and forgotten.”

Ryan’s eyes looked across the waiting area watching the police go to and fro. Had he made some mistake in how he was going about things? For the most part he was panicking, but why wouldn’t he. They would if they experienced it too. He still felt the cuts upon his body from moment in which he had died. He shivered as he saw the creature above him in his mind.

Was the government aware of this somehow? That he didn’t know and why was Alina missing? He channel his thoughts back to five years before it all began. Was Alina missing then? He knew it had happened, but he couldn’t remember when and how? Was he disrupting the pattern with his new information? The government didn’t seem remotely interested in her only in the fact of how she could be used against him. They were too many things to think of right now and nothing seemed like it would pander to the desired outcome.

“I understand,” he said, without looking at the man.

“Good, glad for you to know what’s at stake. You may leave first.”

Ryan got up from the chair and left heading back to his wife who had gotten up too. She placed her shades on her face and with tissue had wiped away any telltale signs that she was crying.

“What was that about?” she asked.

Ryan nodded his head left to right in response.

She understood.

“Are you ready, he asked?”

“Yes.”

“Where did you park the car?”

“It’s in the car park to the left of the police station.”

Ryan nodded.

He extended his hand to her and took a deep breath with his hand now in hers, they walked outside. He was now behind a small barricade of police stopping the reporters from getting into the waiting room. He would have to make his way through or be bombarded with questions.

“Dr. Matters is it true that you took equipment from Bostic Labs?”

“No, I did not, it was a mistake.”

“Why were the police keeping you for almost thirty six hours?”

“Like I said it was an honest mistake.”

“What about the strange dissappearance of Dr. Cox. Do you have any idea what happened or where she might be?”

“No, I do not, but I am sure the police would be able to find her. Thank you.”

“Dr. Matters”

“No more questions.”

“Dr. Matters.”

“No more questions.”

“Dr. Matters.”

Ryan managed to push through the crowd thanks to some help from the police and now they were making their way into the car park. Before long they were standing before the car.

It was a new sedan only one year old that greeted them. Ryan had nicknamed it the lady because for him it seemed to have more of a regal appeal.

“Ryan can we talk now?”

Ryan looked around the car park, seeing the CCTV camera looking directly at him. He was tired, but he figured he would be able to make it home easy. He should let Diane drive, but she had to be in the same position that he was in.

He positioned himself by the driver side.“No, let’s leave here first, hand me the keys.”

Ryan got in the car and Diane followed both closing the door. Ryan started the car and pulled out of the car park on to the road. After some time of following the road in silence, he saw his wife eyeing him waiting for him to speak, he sighed.

She pulled out a cigarette from the cubbyhole. “I know something is wrong with you Ryan, I know it just tell me please I need to know.”

Ryan turned to face her.“I am going to tell you something, Diane and I know that you won’t believe me.”

She broke the window and lit the cigarette, taking a puff. “Try me, nothing couldn’t be more crazy than what I have been through these last days! The police said you were under arrest for theft of intellectual property! They wouldn’t allow me to see you and then you walk free saying you didn’t do anything. Her free hand came up to her head. They said you were on CCTV when you did it. What is actually going on?”

The road was light and hardly anything seemed to be on it. Most buildings they passed were closed and C 75s went around on the road cleaning the streets. It might be because of the time being near 2:00 am, as he came to a traffic stop. Diane took another puff as the smoke started to take the car.

“I have not been at work in two days,” Diane said, “Ellie’s been calling me. I might not have a job anymore. I haven’t even called nor has Troy been to school. How do you think I managed to find you? I came there the same night you didn’t come home and the police refused to allow me to see you. If there wasn’t a slip of the tongue I wouldn’t know you were there.”

“I understand.”

She flicked the ash out the window. “You understand Alina’s husband has been calling me for all of that time in concern about his wife and asking me if I know about her disappearance and what you did to her!?”

Ryan’s hand tapped on the steering wheel and he breathed out. “What I might say might sound crazy but just listen to me.”

“I am listening!”

“I came back somehow from the future.”

Diane removed her shades.“From the future!? What crap are you telling me?”

Ryan’s eyes shifted to the time in the car and then back to the road. “A few years back no---.”

He felt a hand pounding his shoulder. “I thought you were dead and this is the best story you can tell me!”

The sudden move made Ryan swerve the car before he hit the brakes and came to a stop.

“What the hell Diane!? I told you I am trying to tell you the truth, but instead of hearing me out fi---.”

“Hearing you out first? You’re speaking garbage, what future you are talking about?”

“You doubt me don’t you? I knew you wouldn’t believe me at all. What if I prove it to you. I will tell you how the next few days will play out. The Yankeers are going to win the game, they’re going to introduce a new robot to replace a new set of workers and they’re going to introduce a new type of food flavour. It’s called the…” Ryan bumped his hand on his head. “It’s called the Blue Poppers or the CFG2. It’s a food profile that will replace the current one. It will have more nutritional priorities for children and adults at a lower cost.”

“Right, you’re full of s**t. Were you having an affair too with Alina?”

Ryan paused for a moment. “No, I never had anything to do with that woman.”

She looked at him, but said nothing as she threw her cigarette out the window and put on her seatbelt.

He adjusted the car back onto the road and drove home in silence. He noticed she was on her phone the entire time.

#

He was tired when he pulled up to his house for Ryan it felt as though he was sleepwalking. By the time he pulled in the drive way. He was running on fumes to open the door to get inside the house. Diane had still been quiet this whole time and had not muttered a word to him.

She would understand Ryan thought as the lights came on and a C 75 that cleaned their home came forward and greeted them.

“Welcome home Mr. and Ms. Matters.” The robotic voice chided.

“Thank you Sam,” Ryan said as he passed it.

“When will we go to collect Troy, Diane? In the morning?”

He heard the sound of a car horn coming from outside their house.

“In the morning? I am going to stay with my sister for a while. Troy won’t be coming back here.”

“What are you talking about Diane?”

“Too many strange things are happening and I can’t understand them, I won’t put my child in danger. I am going by Uber and I am heading over there to stay with him. I just wanted to make sure you got home safe.”

Ryan nodded to himself it would be best not to rush her. Instead, he grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the information he had mentioned in the car. The Yankeers winning, CFG2 and the new line of robots being introduced. He wished he had paid attention to more things.

He handed it to her. “I know you doubt me, but I want you to believe me. The world Diane is soon going to come to an end.”

She took it and headed outside towards the car. Ryan watched her get in and leave before closing the door.