Behind the Puppet Master

Moving Forward

"Good morning. It is 6:45AM and today is Monday, October Sixth 2036. The weather will be in the cool 70's with a low of 50. Cloudy skies all throughout Southern California. Reminders for today: Progress meeting 10:30AM, Meet Dr. Cho Takahashi at 1PM-"

I turn off my alarm, and open the curtains to reveal the beautiful, colorful, autumn morning. It's been about six months since my whole fiasco with Nick. My dad reached out to William, and told him that he was concerned for our safety. They discussed the best course of action, and somehow William managed to convince Nick to move to England- to pursue his own business ventures. I don’t really question it- I’m just glad Nick is gone. With Nick out of the picture, I was able to put my full focus onto the new facility. Well- as full as I could manage. My small crush on Alexia only intensified as the months went by. Alexia reached out to me after everything happened, and we started hanging out more often. I didn't care if nothing happened between us- all I wanted to do was be around her. I would constantly find myself looking forward to the times we got to spend together. She may have felt that we were only hanging out as friends, but I'd be lying if I denied that I fell harder every time we met up. I fell for her, and I fell for her hard. I love the way her eyes light up and glimmer when she talks about her passions. Her mesmerizing smile still gets me- it gets me every-single-time. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of seeing that smile. Her natural aroma is intoxicating to me, and her voice is like a drug. I snap back to reality, and realize I’ve spent fifteen minutes thinking about Alexia and not getting ready.

I rush to shower and get ready for the day ahead. I might have Wayne stop and pick up some breakfast on the way to headquarters. Once I’m done with my shower, I run to change into my business attire. I pick out a dark grey outfit for today. I go for a quick, nude, makeup look, and focus mainly on my eyes. I change into my tailored, dark grey, twill pants, with a matching elbow-length blazer. I have a white, cotton, buttoned down shirt that I’ll be wearing under the blazer. I finish off the look with a leather belt, my custom, silver, Bvlgari watch, and 4-inch, black, leather pumps. Normally, I’d have my hair up into a messy updo, but I don’t have the time for that today, so instead, I tie it up into a slightly messy ponytail. I spritz some perfume on myself and head downstairs. 

I gather my belongings and make sure to have everything before 7:45. I go into the kitchen, and my dad still seems to be sleeping. It’s strange, because for the past few months, my dad seems to be getting more and more fatigued. I’ve told him countless times to go see a doctor, but he refuses. He insists that he’s fine and tells me I worry too much. I shake my head and try not to overthink; I already have so much on my plate. I grab myself a smoothie from the fridge, and head outside just as Wayne is pulling up. "Good morning, Ms. Monroe." He greets me and opens the door like always. 

"Good morning, Wayne. Thank you very much." I get into the car, and settle in for the ride. While we drive towards headquarters, I go over the notes for the meeting today. Ever since the facility opened up, I have been conducting bi-weekly progress meetings, to assure we’re heading in the right direction. So far, I’m very happy with the progress my team has been making. I meet with all the supervisors and leadership of the divisions, and they update me on their progress. If they complete their tasks, I give them something bigger to complete. My goal is to push the creativity of my team, and come up with something extraordinary. Apparently, Dr. Takahashi has made a, potentially, sensational breakthrough in her cancer research. She seemed extremely excited, and informed me that it should be ready to be presented by Monday. I have Wayne stop and grab me some breakfast from my favorite pancake spot: Stacked Cakes. Surprisingly, traffic isn't awful today, and before I realize it, we're pulling up to the facility. 

I still marvel over the beauty of this building. Honestly, the BIM William and I went over did not do the facility justice. It is very sleek, white, and modern looking. The glossy sign that reads 'Fayroe Research' shines at the top of the building. I thank Wayne as he opens the door for me, and I head into the facility. The new security guard buzzes me into the facility, and I’m immediately greeted by my assistant. 

“Good morning, Ms. Monroe.” She takes my jacket, and some personal belongings from me.

“Good morning, Emily. Can you come get me 5 minutes before the meeting? In case I lose track of time.”

“Of course, ma’am.” She smiles, and we start walking towards my office.

We make small talk. She updates me on any morning reports, and reminds me of any small tasks at hand. We reach the giant, cylindrical, glass elevator, at the center of the building. The elevator was designed to look like an extremely large test tube, with the measurements indicating the floor number. Normally, the ground floor would be indicated as 0, but there are 3 sub floors that go deep into the ground. Instead, the very bottom floor is indicated as 0, so the security/entrance floor is actually the 4th floor. It’s a little confusing, but William figured that it would confuse anyone attempting to infiltrate the facility. It definitely took me a few days to remember it. My office is located on the 7th floor, which is technically only three stories up. The facility is massive, and takes any new employee a few weeks to get used to it. Looking up to the top floor, you can see a platform that surrounds the elevator on every floor. From the platform, there are three walkways that connect to different parts of the facility. The walkways are made of reinforced frosted glass, and the railings are made of glass with metal handlebars. Honestly, the architectural brilliance of this facility is breathtaking.

We get into the elevator and head up to the 7th floor. The elevator rides up smoothly, and Emily is just about ready to finish her morning report. I nod to acknowledge what she said and she hands me the itinerary. We reach the top floor, and walk straight ahead on the main walkway. This walkway leads off to my office, and the conference room. We head to my office, and I thank Emily before she leaves me. 

My office is stunning, it has marble flooring, with a sleek, round chandelier lighting up the room. I have giant windows behind my desk, overlooking the premises. It has a very modernistic look and I love everything about my office. I sit down to eat my breakfast at the small dining table in my office. There’s a giant TV in the office that I can use for conference calls. I read over the itinerary Emily handed me earlier, sign some papers that needed my approval, and go over the notes one more time. Before I realize it, Emily is back to get me for the meeting. I thank her, and she cleans up the table as I head to the meeting. 

I reach the conference room, and the other supervisors are already there. “Good morning.” I greet them all.

They all greet me back with a uniform “Good morning.”

I sit down and take out the notes for the meeting. I look around the room and they’re all very excited to tell me their progress. I’m already feeling proud. “Well, we all know how this meeting goes, let's start with B.” I begin.

We all look over at Bernard Stanton, who prefers to only go by B. He’s our program developer and he’s an expert hacker. He's only 25, but I hired him because I knew that if he can develop a program that only he can hack, then most of our programs will be impenetrable. B has a long heart-shaped face, with a slightly droopy nose and matching brown droopy eyes that hide behind a pair of glasses. His brunette hair is styled into a quiff, and he dresses very casual. He clears his voice, and pushes his glasses back to read off his notes. 

"The software for the vault took longer than I anticipated, but I was able to successfully secure the vault. It will require a retinal scan, all your fingerprints, and a DNA sample."

We all raise our eyebrows at the DNA sample. 

"Well it'll be collected through a mouth swab." He quickly clarifies. "I was able to develop a software that can analyze your DNA in an instant, based on DNA already collected from those authorized to enter the vault." 

A quiet applause fills the room, and I give the celebration a minute before I ask my questions. 

"So, B, did you create the failsafe that I asked for as well?"

He looks at me and panic fills his eyes. I can tell it slipped his mind.

"N- No, but if you give me a few days I can come up with something."

"You have a week," I tell him, "I want you to create something incredible and not have to rush for something that will just be mediocre."

He thanks me and jots down the notes. I look towards Jenine Walters, who's in charge of the medicinal production. She looks like the average woman in her 30's. Her hair is a light brown color and cut into a bob. Her eyes are hazel and her lips are thin. She smiles at me and looks down at her notes. 

"Productivity is up 20% from last week. With the new safety protocol in place, everyone feels more safe and satisfied, further increasing productivity and job satisfaction." She says, satisfied. 

Again, applause fills the room and I give it a minute. I then congratulate her. "That's very good. Have you started the training procedure for the new devices? Production starts next week." I remind her.

"Yes, Ms. Monroe, over half the line is trained already. The trainers have been cross training everyone on the new builds. By the end of this week, everyone should be trained on most of the line."

"Excellent, thank you, Jenine. Keep up the great work."

Applause again, and I look over to Howard Young, who's in charge of the weapons production. Now, I hired Howard straight from the military. He has the gun experience as well as field experience. Who would be a better candidate to oversee weapons development than him? He has a buzz cut, typical to what you'd see in military folk. His hair is graying, but his eyes are grey, ambitious, and determined. He politely nods and looks down at his notes. The way he speaks reminds me of how my father always spoke. 

"Productivity is up 35%, ma'am; the new weapon is still underway. It will take a few more weeks for it to be fully functional." 

"Thank you, Major Young. What remains for the new weapon I commissioned?"

"Ma'am, the solar powered weapon you commissioned still needs recalibration. The weapon remains simply too hot after use." He says, regrettably. 

"Not a problem, Major, I tasked you with a nearly impossible weapon, but I see much potential when it succeeds."

Another small round of applause, and I look towards Dr. Takahashi, who is obviously beaming with excitement. She is an adorable Japanese woman, with round Asian eyes, wide set lips, straight, medium-length hair, and a slightly upturned nose. She's got the perfect balance of beauty and brains. She has a slight accent and she is almost always in a white lab coat. Her family has been leading the cancer research back in Japan for over three generations. I personally invited her over here, due to her vast knowledge and experience in the field of cancer. This is the moment we've all been waiting for, to find out what news she brings.

"Dr. Takahashi," I address her, "I've been on my toes all weekend. What is this big news you have for us?" 

"Ms. Monroe," she answers, a smile wide across her face, "I believe I have found a way to cure cancer." Excited gasps fill the room, and all eyes are on her. I'm completely intrigued. I nod for her to go on, "it's a little unorthodox, but I believe we can use HIV to cure cancer."

Everyone is stunned, waiting for more of an explanation, I'm the first to question this, "HIV to cure cancer? Unless there's something more, I don't think we should be killing the sick patients even sooner. I'm sorry, I just don’t think I can approve this."

She giggles, which throws me off completely. "I'm sorry," she starts, "allow me to clarify, we wouldn't be infecting the patients with the virus itself, but we would be using a genetically engineered virus, based on the HIV, to attack the cancer cells."

"Please, go on." I implore her.

"We know that HIV interferes with the body's ability to fight any infections, but, one day in the lab, I had an epiphany: what if, we were able to alter the way HIV behaves, and have it attack the cancer cells? In theory, if it succeeds in killing all the cancer cells, it will also prevent the cancer cells from redeveloping!"

Looks of astonishment fills the room, with curious whispers between the supervisors. I give this a minute before I raise my hand and silence fills the room again. "This is a beautiful theory, but how can you prove this will work?" I ask her.

"I've already tested my theory on lab rats and the results have been astonishing!" She exclaims. "This is what I wanted to meet you about at 1 today. I wanted to show you the results." 

Applause fills the room and I'm staring at her in awe. I raise my hand to silence the room again and think carefully of what to say next. "What everyone just heard, remains between us. I do not want this getting out to the public and then having it cause backlash. If the media somehow catches whiff of this, everyone in this room will be in question and your careers will be at stake. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Ms. Monroe." They all say unanimously. 

"Good. Keep up the incredible work, everyone. I'm very proud of this team I've assembled and you guys will single-handedly change the world. Meeting is adjourned. Dr. Takahashi, I will see you at 1. Thank you." I gather my notes and leave the room. I check the time, and it's almost noon. I have my assistant pick me up some lunch while I go back to my office and do some paperwork. HIV to cure cancer, imagine that. If this actually works, it would change the healthcare world. As I wait for my lunch, I check my emails one more time, sign more papers that need my approval and keep checking the time. Eventually, my lunch gets here and I start enjoying my lunch. Alexia and I are texting each other, and I find myself blushing and smiling uncontrollably. Soon enough, time flies by and it's time for me to go meet Dr. Takahashi. 

I head towards the elevator and go to the 2nd floor, where the research lab is located. Once I’m on the 2nd floor, I press head into the decontamination chamber. A strong gush of air rushes down and some disinfectant fills the room. In seconds, I'm completely sterile and am permitted to enter the lab. I find Dr. Takahashi with some scientists surrounding her taking notes around these lab rats. "Dr. Takahashi." I call out to her, and she snaps back to reality.

"Oh Ms. Monroe! I lost track of time. Please, please come over here!" She says with a lot of enthusiasm. 

I head over and she directs me to look into the microscope. I look and see a virus strain eating away at cancer tumors. Before I can ask, Cho tells me that they took a sample of a cancer tumor out of a rat, and put a strain of the engineered HIV. How incredible! She tells me that so far, eight rats have been cured of cancer, and no tumors have been able to redevelop. 

"This is amazing work, doctor! Congratulations, you have probably changed the world with your creation. If you want to move this further, we'll need to conduct clinical trials." I tell her, and the scientists jot down the notes. "You'll need to collect all the research findings and write up a report for FDA approval. You'll need to find volunteers who are brave enough to be a part of this clinical trial; although, let's be real, most patients fighting cancer are some of the bravest people you'll meet. I need this all ready within two weeks so I can present it to the FDA. Great work, everybody, I'm extremely proud of what you guys have done!" Applause explodes throughout the room and I pat Cho on the back. She smiles and I stay around to personally look at all the cured rats. I'm in extremely high spirits when I leave the lab and head back up to my office. 

My assistant must be on her lunch break, which is fine because I don't need her right now. I head into my office and just as I open the door, I catch a glimpse of someone in my office. "Alexia?" I call out to her.

She turns around and excitement fills her eyes, but there's also the unmistakable look of worry inside her. Before I can ask her anything, she comes over and hugs me tight. The smell of her perfume turns me on almost just as much as feeling her breasts press against mine. I try not to get turned on, but I can't help it when it involves her. 

I ask her how she got into my office and she tells me my assistant let her in. I don't mind, I'm spending the afternoon with her. She asks me how I'm doing, and I tell her I'm doing amazing. She smiles, but this time the world doesn't melt away, because I can see something else in her eyes. "Are you okay, Alexia?"

She tries her best to smile, but then she sighs. "I don't want to alarm you, but I overheard my mother talking on the phone today. I think-" she pauses and looks deep into my eyes. Normally I wouldn't mind, but I'm worried for her. 

"What is it? I ask her.

With a grim look on her face, she regretfully says, "I think Nick is back."