caravan of firetrucks, police cars and
ambulances had blockaded the collapsing building, a crowd of onlookers gawking
into the flames with mixed looks of wonder and horror.
I’d screamed and twisted and torn at the firefighters like a madman,
but they’d held me back, told me the building was empty. They hadn’t understood
that the building could appear empty, when it was not. They couldn’t have known
that while they’d held me down, my wife had been inside.
Maybe I was crazy, but I knew one thing: Marie was alive.
The door to our world was gone, but I would find another way in. I had to.
A round noon, I dragged myself
from bed and returned to the office. An unmarked stone building along the
Chicago North Shore, it had a second-floor showroom, a first floor jammed with
massive industrial printers and a basement full of discarded attempts to find my
wife.
Someone had stuck a sign to the front door, imploring me to repent
of my evil ways. Needless to say, not everyone thought highly of my gift. I
pulled the sign down, wondering again what good it did to have an unmarked
building when everyone already knew where you were.
I fumbled with my keys a moment before realizing there was no longer
a keyhole in the door. I frowned at the keypad on the wall. Kensuke, my curator,
had recently convinced me to upgrade the security system. It made sense,
considering the inventory in my basement was valued in the billions; I just
hadn’t ever used it. When had he found time to get it installed ?
I scratched the back of my head and stared into the surveillance
camera, struggling to recall the eight-digit passcode. It was probably so
obvious I’d never remember it. I threw up my hands in exasperation, suddenly
regretting I’d asked Kensuke to leave off the buzzer.
“Might I have a word, Mr. Ward ? ”
I sighed and turned around. The man had the distinct look of a
weasel in a suit, which was disappointingly unoriginal. His peppered hair was
receding, the little he had left slicked back in greasy curls.
Couldn’t these people stick to the phone, instead of ambushing me at
my front door ? At least the phone I could
ignore.
“What is it this time ? ”
“I represent Renkoda Pharmaceuticals,” the representative said. He
straightened his tie and flashed a smirk that turned my stomach. “We are the
world’s largest—”
“I know who you are,” I said, waving a hand. Everyone knew Renkoda.
They had their claws in a lot more than pharmaceuticals. “What do you want ? ”
“I have been authorized to extend you an exclusive offer to work for
our company.”
“Exclusive offer to work or offer to work exclusively ? ”
The man pursed his lips, pressing them together in a flat line. “The
latter,” he said.
“Let me make this easy for you,” I said. “Not interested.”
The representative seemed taken aback. Obviously, he wasn’t used to
being turned down.
“You haven’t even . . . what about the offer ? ” he said. “You haven’t heard the offer.”
Maybe I was being reckless. Why shouldn’t I work for a powerful
company like Renkoda ? I’d already sold myself out
to the world’s so-called elite. How would this be any different ?
And yet . . . it was different. I might sell to the elite, but never for them. I did
this for Marie and no one else. It was a thin line, but one that kept me
sane.
“You’re right,” I said. “I forgot to wait for that part. How about
this ? You write the number on a piece of paper
and I’ll take a look.”
While the representative fumbled in his briefcase for a pen, I
turned back to the keypad with a flash of insight and punched in the eight
digits. The door unlocked with a click and I briskly stepped through, swiping it
closed behind me. I left courtesy behind a long time ago.
A hand scanner awaited me in the foyer, one security measure even I
couldn’t screw up. I took the stairs to the showroom floor, expecting to find
Kensuke preparing for an auction. The room
ambulances had blockaded the collapsing building, a crowd of onlookers gawking
into the flames with mixed looks of wonder and horror.
I’d screamed and twisted and torn at the firefighters like a madman,
but they’d held me back, told me the building was empty. They hadn’t understood
that the building could appear empty, when it was not. They couldn’t have known
that while they’d held me down, my wife had been inside.
Maybe I was crazy, but I knew one thing: Marie was alive.
The door to our world was gone, but I would find another way in. I had to.
A round noon, I dragged myself
from bed and returned to the office. An unmarked stone building along the
Chicago North Shore, it had a second-floor showroom, a first floor jammed with
massive industrial printers and a basement full of discarded attempts to find my
wife.
Someone had stuck a sign to the front door, imploring me to repent
of my evil ways. Needless to say, not everyone thought highly of my gift. I
pulled the sign down, wondering again what good it did to have an unmarked
building when everyone already knew where you were.
I fumbled with my keys a moment before realizing there was no longer
a keyhole in the door. I frowned at the keypad on the wall. Kensuke, my curator,
had recently convinced me to upgrade the security system. It made sense,
considering the inventory in my basement was valued in the billions; I just
hadn’t ever used it. When had he found time to get it installed ?
I scratched the back of my head and stared into the surveillance
camera, struggling to recall the eight-digit passcode. It was probably so
obvious I’d never remember it. I threw up my hands in exasperation, suddenly
regretting I’d asked Kensuke to leave off the buzzer.
“Might I have a word, Mr. Ward ? ”
I sighed and turned around. The man had the distinct look of a
weasel in a suit, which was disappointingly unoriginal. His peppered hair was
receding, the little he had left slicked back in greasy curls.
Couldn’t these people stick to the phone, instead of ambushing me at
my front door ? At least the phone I could
ignore.
“What is it this time ? ”
“I represent Renkoda Pharmaceuticals,” the representative said. He
straightened his tie and flashed a smirk that turned my stomach. “We are the
world’s largest—”
“I know who you are,” I said, waving a hand. Everyone knew Renkoda.
They had their claws in a lot more than pharmaceuticals. “What do you want ? ”
“I have been authorized to extend you an exclusive offer to work for
our company.”
“Exclusive offer to work or offer to work exclusively ? ”
The man pursed his lips, pressing them together in a flat line. “The
latter,” he said.
“Let me make this easy for you,” I said. “Not interested.”
The representative seemed taken aback. Obviously, he wasn’t used to
being turned down.
“You haven’t even . . . what about the offer ? ” he said. “You haven’t heard the offer.”
Maybe I was being reckless. Why shouldn’t I work for a powerful
company like Renkoda ? I’d already sold myself out
to the world’s so-called elite. How would this be any different ?
And yet . . . it was different. I might sell to the elite, but never for them. I did
this for Marie and no one else. It was a thin line, but one that kept me
sane.
“You’re right,” I said. “I forgot to wait for that part. How about
this ? You write the number on a piece of paper
and I’ll take a look.”
While the representative fumbled in his briefcase for a pen, I
turned back to the keypad with a flash of insight and punched in the eight
digits. The door unlocked with a click and I briskly stepped through, swiping it
closed behind me. I left courtesy behind a long time ago.
A hand scanner awaited me in the foyer, one security measure even I
couldn’t screw up. I took the stairs to the showroom floor, expecting to find
Kensuke preparing for an auction. The room
Similar Books
