The Uncanny Adventures of Adam Honey

Chapter 4: Hole

Chapter 4: HoleUntil he died, Jezebel was head of Sekite, Inc., a large software firm. Unlike many other big corporations, Sekite, Inc., never started out small. It was created and developed by Henry Swansson not sixty years ago as a branch of Big Crown. Big Crown was just venturing into the deep waters of creating artificial intelligence—actual intelligence, not merely a robot dog programmed to fetch and play dead, not merely a car that identified its owner by their fingerprint, or a toaster that was capable of predicting the weather. While Big Crown specialized in the hardware, they wanted a reliable, capable and, for tax purposes, independent provider for software; a provider they could control. Sekite, Inc., took shape.

The main office was in Portland, Maine. It was here Jezebel Jacob Honey III commuted to every morning, and every night he returned to his Cape Elizabeth mansion. On most days he was accompanied by his wife, Judith Elaine Honey, vice president of Sekite, Inc., and former Board of Trustees president of Big Crown. On the days she didn’t go to the office with him, she visited with the Big Crown board, of which she still was a member—albeit not listed, to keep the two companies’ records separate. Judith Elaine Honey was an influential woman and she knew how to use her power. It was thanks to her efforts that Maine was one of the states who supported the growth of technology, and thus one of the reasons why the United States of America were unable to sign the International Petition for Peace Throughout; an agreement for a worldwide technological ban—the only hope environmentalists saw for the future of mankind.

Sources whispered she was having doubts about that now. That she was beginning to listen to the environmentalists. People watched her every move. Reportedly they did not like what they saw.

Judith Elaine Honey and Jezebel Jacob Honey III were involved in an unfortunate car accident on their way home on Wednesday night.

* * * *

From Portland Lighthouse Internet Newspaper, April 30th, 10:37h:

Main Street Blocked Again

Portland, ME, USA: Another victim of city’s pretentious construction project

Main Street is a mess. Citizens have been complaining about this for over six months. The Cemetery Loop, as the feeder between the I-295 and Broadway is locally known as, has been under construction since the beginning of the year. Officials keep promising a smoother transit from Main Street onto the Interstate, broader lanes, and a whole new traffic light set. So far the only thing that was delivered is a huge chasm in the middle of the road. Numerous accidents happened here in the last months, enough to prompt a local cult to set up tents and advertise the End of Days on the west side of the construction site.

“We needed, like, twenty-seven different permits to get to work,” complains foreman Singer, “and then stuff kept popping up. It just delayed us big time. If I was on the superstitious side, I’d say somebody’s sabotaging the project.”

Foreman Singer hits the nail on the head: Ever since the beginning of the project, there were powerful voices that spoke up against it. One of them is the Big Crown Corporation, whose Portland branch office borders on the feeder. The firm’s press agent told media that a massive construction site keeps visitors away. The Portland office is where we handle all public relations, meet clients, hold press conferences.

Then again, if Big Crown really were the one blocking the project, they’d be cutting into their own flesh. The longer the work gets delayed, the longer the chasm stays put. And, according to Khalif Honores, cultist activist on a mission, “the rift gets deeper. And at night, at night you can hear voices from down there.” Surely, Big Crown wouldn’t want rumors like that to spread.

Yesterday’s accident was the latest in a long line. Jezebel Honey III (forty-three) and his wife Judith Honey (forty-six), president and vice president of Sekite, Inc., respectively, were on their way home when their chauffeur, Dawson Kane (seventeen), lost control of the automobile. A witness saw the limousine swerve across the narrow beltway, crash through the construction barrier, and dive headlights first into the hole. Police arrived on the scene half an hour later but were not able to tow the vehicle out of the chasm until two o’clock in the morning. “It’s pure luck,” Constable Martinson states. “The car kinda fell onto a ledge and got stuck. If it had plunged all the way down to the bottom, we wouldn’t have been able to pull it up at all. It goes down pretty damn deep.”

Paramedics found no survivors. The Honeys leave behind a healthy corporation and a son (six).

The Cemetery Loop is blocked in its entirety until further notice.