Rachel was a bit shaken by the conversation she just had with her son. She walked past the kitchen table, where she had left his breakfast. And exited the apartment. The words of her son are still fluttering in her mind.
Because of her distractions, she failed to see the time. As she walked to the mag-lev terminal, her mind went back and forth with hypothetical situations. She imagined what she would say if Marcus were in front of her, his face and reactions.
The woman finally noticed the time when entering the terminal. She rushes to get to her mag-lev, but it is in vain. The mag-lev for the industrial sector was already leaving when she arrived at the boarding platform. She decided instead to take a sky-cab as her son does.
The idea does not sit very well with her; to her, it was unnecessary spending, but there was no other choice. While Rachel walked to the terminal's entrance, she downloaded the sky-cab app to her comm-pad and ordered a ride. After a few minutes, her ride arrives, and she sets out on her way to the factory where she works.
For the first time in a while, Rachel was comfortable going to work. The mag-lev carts are very crowded, and there is very little space to stand, much less sit. It was then she understood her son's fascination with this method of transportation.
As soon as Mark crossed her mind, her turmoil began once more. Was she right in taking Mark away? The woman shook the idea; if she had not done what she did, her beautiful boy would have become a lab rat for Marcus's father. Her only regret was leaving her love behind.
However, if she had to do it all over again, she would. But leaving without so much as a word was a cruel thing to do. Marcus deserved better. In her mind, he had to be married by now, with a gorgeous wife and happy children. She did not want to cause him more pain.
She looked around. "One good thing about the Mag-lev, there were tons of noises and people to distract you from your thoughts. The sky-cabs are too quiet." Rachel looked out the window. She was arriving at the gate to the factory where she works.
As she got out and paid the sky-cab fee, she saw there was not much difference between the sky-cab and the mag-lev fee. "I may never run the mag-levs again." The woman walks to the factory gate and finds a crowd of workers waiting at the entrance.
Tina calls her to a corner. Reva and Daphne are with her. Rachel walks up to them. Girls, do you know what's going on? Why is everybody outside?
Tina talks first. It's a surprise inspection. "Apparently, a lot of complaints have piled up, and the safety commission took notice. Even the senior Inspector is here. I saw him get out of his car."
"I wish they would fire that creep they got as the new manager. I'm tired of his bedroom eyes." Daphne added with resentment in her voice.
An Older man wearing a white helmet and an orange jumpsuit comes to the gate. The man raises his comm-pad to his mouth and starts talking; the device amplifies the sound of his voice. "Hello Workers, I'm sorry to inform you that this factory has been deemed unsafe and will be shut down until further notice."
Some people applauded, and some people protested. The man continued his message. "For the duration of the repairs, you will be granted the unemployment benefits stated in your contracts. I ask all of you, for the time being, go home."
Reva got her comm-pad out. "I'm going to start filling up the paperwork for unemployment."
Daphne looks at her savvy friend. "Hey, Reva, can you help me with mine? I'm all thumbs when it comes to filling out forms."
Reva looks at Daphne with an annoyed face. "You are killing me, girl, you are killing me."
Rachel looked at her friends. "Girls, since we have time, I need some advice. Why don't we go to the cafe near here to talk?"
Tina smiled at Rachel. "Is this about love affairs?" The other two women stopped what they were doing and looked at Rachel. Expectation showing in their eyes. The blond woman nodded in confirmation. Without losing time, they all moved to the cafe near the factory.
In another part of town. Marcus had finished dressing and was about to go out of his room when a call sounded on his comm-pad. Looking at the caller ID, he saw it was Rowan Bowen. A friend, co-worker, and partner. "Good morning, Rowan. Why are you calling so early?"
The voice at the other end of the call sounded excited. "Good Morning, Marcus. We got a breakthrough on our Humphrey revival project. I have been reviewing some new actuator designs, and they are perfect for updating the old machines. Even the materials that the actuators are made of fit our needs."
Marcus walks as he speaks with his friend. "How did you find this breakthrough?"
The excitement in Rowan's voice was almost palpable. "It literally fell on my lap. My daughter found an A.M.S. player with a creator's account. He was the one who designed these. An eighteen-year-old was able to make what we could not."
Marcus was a bit incredulous. "Is this boy that good?"
Rowan saw that his friend needed some convincing. "Marcus, this kid is not good; he's a genius. I'm sending you the designs of a variant he made for the McCain Mark 1. Without using different components, he turned a D-grade mech into a B-grade mech. I could not do that."
Marcus stopped walking and sat on the stairs of his home. He opened the attachment Rowan sent to him. As he saw the blueprints, his incredulity melted away. "And you say this boy is eighteen?"
Finally, Roan got the reaction he expected. "Yes, my daughter played with him. She said he recognized the rifle you made as a mass driver just by looking at it; he even knew about dynamic camouflage."
Roan's excitement infected Marcus. "We need to get this kid before anyone else poaches him. I can get my guy to find him. Do you have more information on him?"
Roan looked at the info his daughter sent him. "The game ID he is using is The Marked Guardian. The name of the workshop is the Grease Monkey Workshop."
Marcus could not quite put a finger on it, but the words Grease Monkey sounded familiar to him. Ignoring this feeling, he decided to take note of the information and later call Mr. Hawk. "Roan, I'm running a little late. I will talk to you at the office.
The man got out of his house and into his fancy sky-car. After instructing the vehicle to take him to his office, Marcus takes his comm-pad out again. "Call Mr. Hawk."
The call rang, and Mr Hawk answered. " Good morning, Mr Parker, how can I help you today?"
After hearing the news from his partner, Marcus was in a good mood. "Good morning, Mr. Hawk. I hope to find you well. I am calling you because I find myself in need of your services once more."
After the pleasantries, Marcus cut to the chase. "We have found a promising person, and my partner and I need to find more information about them. We have very little information to go on. All we have is a Game ID and a workshop name in A.M.S. Do you think he can be found with that?"
Mr. Hawk thinks for a moment. "It depends; that's little to work with. I will have to get in contact with people from A.M.S., and that always takes a while. What is the Game ID and the name of the workshop?"
Marcus lowered his expectations after talking to Mr. Hawk. "The game ID is The Marked Guardian, and the name of the workshop is The Grease Monkey Workshop."
Mr. Hawk stays silent for a moment. "Sir, I do not know if it's connected or not, but the young man I was talking to yesterday, Rachel's son, has a jacket with those words. It's in the video file I sent you."
When Marcus heard these words, he suddenly remembered. Rachel's father had a jacket like that. "The Marked Guardian, ...could it be ...Mark?"
"Sir, the surname Warren comes from a language that dates all the way back to Old Terra. It is derived from the French name Warin, which means beloved protector, hence the association with the word guardian." Mr. Hawk added.
"How do you know this, Mr. Hawk?" Marcus asked, amazed by Mr. Hawk's wisdom.
Mr. Hawk answered cryptically. "Let's just say Miss Rachel and her son are not the first Warren I have run into."
Marcus accepted his answer. He had been working with Mr. Hawk for a while. Marcus learned that whenever Mr. Hawk spoke ambiguously, it was something related to one of his investigations. It was best not to ask.
Marcus decided that making sure was worth the cost of Mr. Hawk's fee. "Let's make sure that this is accurate. I would hate to be wrong."
After discussing the particulars of the request, Marcus ended the call. His sky-car was about to arrive at his company. A Brawl between hope and managed expectations raged in his mind.
The moment Marcus finished the call. Mr. Hawk's comm-pad rang again. A feeling of irony fell over him as he saw the caller ID.
On the other side of the city. At the cafe near the factory, Rachel had finished telling her friends about her situation and asked for their advice. "Well, what do you think?"
Tina, as always, was the first to talk. Rachel, I don't know what to tell you. This whole story sounds like it was taken out of a soap opera.
Daphne followed with her opinion. "Well, to me, it's like a cheesy chapter of a comm-grid novel.
Reva was the first to make a suggestion. I think you should call that investigator. Hear what he has to tell you, then make a choice. You can do it right now. We will give you moral support.
Tina looks at Reva with suspicion. "You just want to investigate this investigator," the four women laugh.
"Just call him already. If he's a creep, just cut the call. He can not hurt you through a comm-pad call." Daphne's logic was sound, and it gave Rachel the final push she needed to make up her mind.
Rachel took her comm-pad and the card Mark gave her out of her purse. With a bit of trepidation, she initiated the call.
The call was answered almost immediately. As if the person on the other side had been waiting with their com-pad in hand. "Good Morning, Miss Warren ...and company. My name is Edward Hawk. Thank you for calling me."
Rachel's hand trembles a little. "Hello, Mr. Hawk. Might I ask why you are looking for me?
"Yes, Miss Warren, I was getting to that." Mr. Hawk clears his throat. "I was hired by Marcus Parker some time ago to find you." The man takes a deep breath, searching for the right words. "Given certain ...situations with Mr. Parker's family, he was worried for you."
Rachel's face looked stoic. "I understand, but because of the situations you have mentioned, I don't think it's a good Idea to reconnect with Mr. Parker."
Mr. Hawk's face softened a bit. "After what Mr.Parker has confided in me, I understand your position. But I feel you must know that Mr. Parker has cut all ties to his former family."
Rachel was caught off guard by this information; her stoic face faltered. "Since when?"
"Why don't we set up an appointment for you and Mr.Parker to talk? You can choose the place and time. I recommend a public place with people around. If you want, you can bring your friends or someone else." Mr. Hawk suggested.
Rachel looked pensive. Her thoughts were running all over her head. Unable to decide, she remains silent.
Tina spoke from behind her. Rachel, I think you should face him and end this thing one way or another. Waiting will only prolong his suffering and yours.
Mr. Hawk pressed on Tina's advice. Miss Warren, what your friend is saying sounds like good advice. Even if you do not resume your relationship, both of you need closure.
Rachel came to a decision. I will meet him. Tell him I want to meet at Old Man Choi's. It's a familiar place to me. I want to meet around 7:30 pm.
Mr. Hawk smiles with a gentle expression."That is acceptable. I will accompany Mr. Parker. We will be waiting for your arrival."
After the call ended, the women discussed the conversation. Reva and Daphne were Skeptical about the whole ordeal. Tina thought otherwise.
"Whatever the case, you need to get ready. You have a date today, and we are going to dress you." Reva looked at Tina and Daphne. The three women agreed.
Daphne adds to Reva's words. "We will dress you to kill."
Rachel could only smile awkwardly at them. Wandering why, she thought getting her friends involved was a good Idea. "Let's take it easy, it's not a date, it's an appointment."
Rachel, sweetie, that man said appointment to lower your guard. You have to learn to read between the lines; it's a date. Tina added with her usual flair.
At Parker Technologies, Marcus was inspecting a mech inside one of the facility's labs. A man with ebony skin wearing a suit came by. "Hey, Marcus, were you able to talk to your guy about finding the boy we talked about?"
Marcus extends his hand and greets the man. "Yeah, about that. Remember the issue I was talking to you about the other day? Mr. Hawk, this kid might be Rachel's son."
Roan looks at him. "Well, if he is your son, that explains why he is a genius. Is this the Humphrey we will install the actuators on?
Marcus looks at the partially disassembled mech he is working on. "It sure is. I have some technicians printing the actuator designs you sent me. But these are only for the hands."
Roan smiles at the man. "I will use them as a base for the others. Don't worry, I have already started. If we don't get this kid, I'm confident that I can recreate his technology."
Marcus's comm-pad receives a call. The caller ID read Mr.Hawk. The man loses no time in answering the call. "Hello, Mr.Hawk, has there been a development within your investigation already?"
"I'm afraid not, this call is related to another matter, ...I think." Mr.Hawk spoke with his usual calmness. "I spoke to Miss Warren, and she has agreed to meet you."
Marcus, surprised by the news, accidentally drops the tools he was using for the inspections. "That ...That is great. When are we meeting?"
"The meeting will be tonight, at 7:30 pm. She chose the place. A restaurant called Old Man Choi's. It's a well-known restaurant on 22nd Street. I have not been there before, but I know of the place." Mr. Hawk relates the particulars of the appointment to Marcus. I will pick you up around 7:00 pm at your building."
Marcus was still shaken by the news. Roan, being nearby, heard the entire conversation. " Marcus, you can not work like this. Go to your office and take a break. I will finish the inspection."
For Rachel and Marcus, the day went by in a haze. Rachel went to salons, clothing stores, and shoe stores. Her friends dragged her all over town. The four of them ended out at her apartment. Mark was not home. He had apparently resumed his normal behavior and was probably at the Pit by now.
Marcus spends his day inside his office, writing down speeches and rehearsing in his bathroom mirror. At some point, he asked his assistant to get him a new suit with shoes and cufflinks. Mr. Hawk arrived in his sky-car as planned. The two men left for the restaurant at the agreed time.
Rachel and her friends got ready in the nick of time. While her friends looked good, Rachel looked like a goddess. The work her friends had put in was worth the effort. The woman used her new sky-cab app to call for a ride to pick them up at Miller Hills. They arrived at the restaurant a little late.
"Mr. Parker, they have arrived." Mr. Hawk's words felt like a bucket of cold water.
Marcus stood up from the chair. With a mix of trepidation and excitement, he looked at the women entering the VIP room at the restaurant. The hostess was the first to come in, followed by Rachel's friends. One by one, they entered the room and looked at the man. He felt judgment in their gazes.
Then he saw her. To him, the room went silent as he admired Rachel's form. She was dressed in a long black dress with a tight fit that seemed to glisten in the light. The slit in the dress let him take a peek at her beautiful, long legs. Her blond hair is arranged in elegant braids that shine with vigor.
Then Marcus saw the silver locket around her neck. That little trinket he had bought for her all those years ago put all of his doubts to rest. In his Mind, he knew this flame never died.
She was the first to talk. "Hello Marcus, ...you look great."
"You look amazing, Rachel. Just like the last time I saw you." Marcus said while looking at her blue eyes. With a hand gesture, he asked her to sit.
Once seated, Rachel bore her feelings. "Marcus, I'm sorry I left. I had my reasons, but still it was unfair to you."
Marcus looked into her eyes as she spoke. "I just want to know if you left because of Mark or because my father did something to you?" In his eyes, she saw no reproach, only worry.
Rachel took the chance to explain herself. "The moment I knew I was pregnant, I had to leave. I did not want our child to go through the same things you did. I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings. But the truth is that if I had to make that choice. I'll do it again.
A smile formed on his face when he heard the words our child. I understand, Rachel. I do not want him to go through that either. But if you had told me, I would have gone with you.
In fact, the week after you banished, I decided to cut ties with my family and use my savings to do 2 things. Start my own company and hire an investigator to find you. Mr Hawk over there is the fifth investigator I hired.
Rachel felt guilty. "I'm sorry you had to go through that because of me."
The truth, Rachel, is that I did not go through this because of you; I did it for myself. Your banishing gave me the strength I needed to cut ties with my family. In truth, I did this thanks to you.
Marcus asks the questions he waited 19 years to ask. Having heard the answers, his heart filled with resolve once again. "I have one final question."
Rachel prepares for the question.
"Rachel Warren, would you take me back?" As the words left his mouth.
Their moment was interrupted by the sound of Rachel's comm-pad. She looked at the caller ID. It was Mark. "I'm sorry, I have to answer."
Rachel takes a deep breath. "Hello, baby."
Mrs Warren, this is Steve, Mark's friend. You need to come quickly. Someone has taken Mark!