‘Don’t you have the autopilot?’ she asked, looking at him, frightened, noticing mirrors emerge from the sides of the vehicle.
‘Oh, I do, but I try to steer manually as much as possible. I appreciate the autopilots, but I think they make us too dependent on technology.’
‘I’m sorry,’ she interrupted him, reaching for her seatbelt buckle, ‘but I think I’ll take my own vehicle after all. It’s not you, it’s just that I...’
‘There’s no need to do that,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it made you feel uncomfortable. I will use the autopilot, it’s not a problem. Here, I’ll just program it.’
His calm tone of voice immediately settled her down.
He pressed a couple of buttons, and the joystick immediately disappeared. A small touch-screen lit up on the side panel. Daniel found the location on the displayed map of New York, and confirmed it with a double tap of his finger.
‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘It’s done.’
‘Thanks.’
She sat back and tried to appear relaxed.
They didn’t talk on the way, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable. Maybe it was because it was so early in the morning, and silence strangely fitted the ambiance of the city. Or maybe it was because they knew they would have a lot to talk about later, and at this moment words weren’t necessary. Or maybe, it was simply because the morning was stunningly beautiful and they both enjoyed it best in silence.
After days and days of grayness and depressing gloominess, the sky above New York City was finally crystal clear again. It was still very early, but there was no doubt they were witnessing the birth of a perfect spring day.
Yes, spring had definitely arrived.
Daniel’s vehicle kept climbing up until it finally reached the top hoverway. Amaranthine saw the sun emerging from the sea, its golden glow growing bigger by the minute. Only the tops of the tallest skyscrapers were lit up at this time, touched with the sunrays, the rest of their bodies still submerged in darkness.
She suddenly realized that they were heading for the heart of Manhattan, while she was subconsciously expecting him to take her to some mortal bar in the middle of Brooklyn. She promised herself to clear her mind of all stereotypes, and open it fully. To let him show her who he really was.
His hovermobile slowed down and started climbing up vertically, way above the highest hoverway. It moved along the wall of the tallest skyscraper in New York City. She knew now where he was taking her. The Horizon, the best and the highest revolving restaurant in the city.
‘Are they open at six am on Monday mornings?’ she asked, surprised.
‘Strictly speaking, no,’ he smiled. ‘And the full menu won’t be available of course. But who knows, we may get lucky with a wee bit of breakfast.’
‘You seem pretty confident that we will get served,’ she said, intrigued. ‘You’re not just taking a chance, are you.’
He just smiled in response. They arrived at The Horizon and the hovermobile stopped.
‘Ladies first,’ he said, pointing at the restaurant portal that started opening and stretching out to the hatch on her side of the vehicle.
Amaranthine got out and stepped inside. She had a few moments to look around the restaurant while Daniel’s hovermobile made a hundred and eighty degrees turn to let him out. The restaurant wasn’t open, that was obvious – the tables weren’t set, and didn’t even have table linen on them. It wasn’t open to the public, she corrected herself. But somehow it was open for Daniel.
She was impressed. She’d only been there a few times before, with her most important clients, and every time Nectar had to pull a few strings to get her a table. How Daniel could get served here on a Monday at six in the morning, she had no idea.
The answer was coming soon, though.
‘Let’s poke our heads into the kitchen, and see what’s on offer,’ he said, standing right next to her.
‘Poke our heads into the kitchen?’ she couldn’t believe her own ears. ‘Do you own this place or something?’
‘I wish,’ he laughed, and then winked. ‘But no, I don’t own it. I just have a few contacts of my own.’
He headed towards the kitchen. Amaranthine followed him, shaking her head in disbelief.
A mixture of the most amazing smells hit her nostrils as they walked in. Freshly ground coffee. Smoked bacon. And some herbs she couldn’t name, but inhaled with pleasure. The kitchen was big, L-shaped, with a long counter in the middle, a few sinks on the left and a row of stoves on the right. They heard someone singing around the corner as they moved along the counter.
There was a tall man, with his back turned to them, busy breaking an egg into a pot of boiling water. He was the only person in the kitchen.
‘Morning, bro,’ said Daniel. ‘Any chance of a decent breakkie?’
The man turned around and looked at them.
‘Anything that is created in my kitchen is decent,’ he said slowly, but his face immediately lit up. ‘Where have you been hiding, big man?’ he gave Daniel a hug. His accent was the same as Daniel’s, but stronger.
‘Well, you know what it’s like, have to keep the crowds entertained,’ Daniel said. ‘This is Amari Quinn, our companies work together on Carpe Diem’s tour,’ he explained. ‘This is my little brother Gerry, the head chef of this lovely establishment.’
Gerry shook her hand.
‘Nice to meet you, um…’
‘Amaranthine,’ she reminded with a smile. ‘Amari works just fine.’
‘Ok, then, Amari,’ he said. ‘What do you fancy on this gorgeous morning?’
‘Whatever you recommend,’ she replied, ‘I had the pleasure of dining here a few times and every single dish was absolutely delicious.’
‘Dump him and marry me instead, gorgeous,’ Gerry said with a cheeky smile. ‘I could use some compliments around here.’
‘Don’t pay attention to him,’ Daniel said, ‘he proposes to every female within earshot. What we really care about here, is how he cooks.’
‘Thirty years of brotherhood,’ Gerry lowered and shook his head, pretending to be upset, ‘and not a scrap of appreciation.’
Daniel opened a cupboard and took out two cups, then grabbed a jug of coffee from the coffee machine and a small one of cream from the fridge.
‘We’ll leave you to it,’ Daniel patted his brother on the shoulder. ‘We’ve got to set our table. Thanks, bro.’
Gerry resumed his song as soon as they started walking back towards the restaurant.
‘He’s funny,’ Amari said with a smile. ‘Your little brother, huh?’
‘Aye,’ Daniel said, ‘six years younger. He’s an excellent chef. Just not very good at accepting compliments.’
Daniel stopped at some cupboards and opened one of them. He grabbed a table cloth, napkins and two sets of cutlery.
‘So,’ he said when he had everything. ‘Which table would you like? I’m afraid we won’t be able to turn on the rotating mechanism.’
‘Oh, that would be far too much to expect. That one over there will do just fine,’ she pointed at a table for two that was facing east.
‘Perfect,’ he smiled. ‘Let’s set it, then.’
She took the table cloth from him and spread it on the table.
‘How long has he worked here for?’ she asked when they sat down.
‘Gerry? About three years now, I believe.’
‘He must be incredibly talented,’ she said. ‘I mean, this is one of the best restaurants in New York and he is so young.’
‘Yeah, he’s always been good at cooking,’ Daniel said, pouring them coffee. ‘He loves it.’
‘Why is he here so early on a Monday?’ she asked.
‘He likes to be alone in the kitchen,’ Daniel explained, watching her pour cream into her cup. ‘He says it’s the only time he can create new dishes. Experiment. Plus he always does the inventory by himself. Every Monday morning, after the weekend, he checks his stocks and writes out the orders
for the week.’
They were silent for a while. Amaranthine sipped some coffee and looked at New York. It looked stunning. The sun slowly climbed higher and higher, its golden rays touching the buildings, and lighting them up, floor by floor.
She realized he was looking at her. She put her cup down.
‘Can I ask you a personal question?’ she said.
‘Fire away.’
‘Mark Collins is your father, isn’t he?’
‘Yes, he is,’ he said, looking a little surprised. ‘How do you know?’
‘I remembered what you said on Friday about the hovering engine,’ she explained. ‘When I got home, I researched it.’ She made a pause. ‘Why didn’t he ever fight for recognition for his role in the invention?’
Daniel finished his coffee and started pouring another cup.
‘A couple of reasons,’ he said slowly. ‘First, he doesn’t like a fuss being made about him. Even I didn’t know he’d invented it until ten years ago. When I found out – by chance – I was a wee bit angry with him. I didn’t understand what he meant when he said it didn’t matter. I wanted to climb to the tallest building in New York, and shout about it so loud, that every single person in the city would learn the truth about my dad’s genius. But the second reason you couldn’t argue with. He had a family to support, and he was offered a settlement if he didn’t demand recognition. It happens a lot, actually. It’s all about the money and the image. The company felt it would be better to say that a team of Immortals did it.’
She nodded, not knowing how to comment.
‘It was very generous of you to hear me out today,’ she said. ‘I don’t think I would give someone another chance like that, if they acted like I had.’
‘I’m sure you would,’ he said. ‘I, on the other hand, am not sure I’d find enough courage in myself to do what you did today.’
‘You wouldn’t have to,’ she said, ‘because you wouldn’t do what I did on Friday. Besides, someone told me recently that granting forgiveness is harder than asking for it.’
‘I doubt that,’ he said. ‘Can I ask you a personal question?’ he added.
‘Of course.’
‘On Friday,’ he started slowly, ‘you said you had many reasons not to like Mortals, and they had nothing to do with prejudice.’
Amaranthine quivered. Very lightly, but he noticed. Her right hand travelled to the Ankh cross pendant adorning her cleavage.
‘I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer.’
‘No, it’s ok,’ she said. ‘My parents died in a car crash when I was three and a half years old. A Mortal caused the accident. He was showing off in front of his buddies, speeding on the wrong side of the road. I guess till now, I have been collectively blaming all Mortals for it. I grew up in an orphanage and even though my foster parents were great people, it’s not the same as having... a real family. My parents could have lived forever, they could have been here with me right now, but that guy took them away from me.’
‘They could live forever? How –’ he started, confused, clearly trying to add things up in his head.
Amaranthine smiled.
‘Yes, I know it’s hard to believe,’ she said. ‘I’m 80 years old. I was born in 2025, one year before TAMI came into force. At that time, my parents were allowed to have me and remain immortal.’
A brief shock that flashed through his face proved that he appreciated the magnitude of her confession.
She was quite shocked herself – real age was the biggest taboo in the world of Immortals. People wouldn’t reveal it to their closest friends, never mind work colleagues or someone they had known for just a few months. But she felt strangely safe speaking to him. For reasons she couldn’t grasp at this moment in time, he just inspired trust in her.
‘Now I understand your dislike towards Mortals,’ he said.
‘It doesn’t justify it. I know that now. Thanks to you.’
‘You are overestimating me.’
‘I am not,’ she said. ‘You have no idea how much you opened my eyes to the truth about Mortals. After finding out the role that your father played in the creation of the hovering engine, I did more research on other inventions, and I was shocked to find out that in the majority of cases it was a Mortal who made the crucial breakthrough. It puzzles me. I don’t understand how the Immortals can be so convinced we are the smartest lot, when in reality it’s the Mortals who achieve so much more.’
‘It’s a huge overstatement,’ he replied. ‘My father would quote: ‘It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer’. Do you know who said that?’
‘I have no idea.’
‘Albert Einstein.’
‘Really? It’s very ironic, don’t you think? I mean, you would have thought that the Immortals, having all the time in the world, would stay with problems longer, and not the Mortals, whose lives only last for a few decades. Why do you think that is?’
‘You don’t give up as easily if you know you only have one shot at it. You know your time is limited, so you make the most of it.’
‘I guess… But there must be more to it, I mean those Immortal teams were under huge pressure from investors, so it’s not like they didn’t try. They just couldn’t crack it.’
‘Well, I guess our good old evolution is still working,’ he smiled. ‘The potential of the people who are already here only stretches so far. We need new blood to push science forward.’
Gerry emerged from the kitchen carrying two plates. He was wearing kitchen gloves.
‘Ok, my dears,’ he said with his usual cheeky smile, ‘watch out for the hot plates.’
‘Wow,’ Amari said, ‘we are being served by the head chef himself! Thank you so much.’
‘You are most welcome, gorgeous,’ he said, putting the plate in front of her. ‘Enjoy.’
‘Mmmm,’ Amaranthine inhaled the smell of the dish. ‘Eggs Benedict. I love them.’
They ate in silence. The food was first class, the yolk from the perfectly poached eggs trickled down the crispy muffins and slices of lean, grilled bacon. She only now realized how hungry she was. With all that had been going on, she’d hardly eaten since Friday!
When they finished, Daniel took the plates back to the kitchen and came back with another pot of coffee. She sipped it slowly, glancing at the city. The sun was high enough now for its rays to illuminate the skyscrapers from top to bottom. The traffic had significantly intensified over the last half hour.
‘A penny for your thoughts,’ she heard Daniel say.
She apprehended that she’d been silent for an unusually long moment, her eyes fixed on the panorama of the city.
‘Sorry,’ she said with a smile, ‘I was just going over some things in my head. And I remembered that Athos McLaren asked to be sent a contract as early as possible this morning. You probably want to do it when you get back to your office. Also,’ she added, taking her idatron out of her handbag and switching it on, ‘I need to give you the details of his friend who is interested in a similar deal.’
‘Why don’t you do it?’ Daniel said. ‘I mean, I don’t mind doing it, of course, but I think the way our tasks are divided now works pretty well, don’t you?’
‘You mean you still want to work with me?’ she said.
‘Why wouldn’t I?’
‘Well, I was hoping you would,’ she smiled. ‘But after the way I acted, and the terrible things I said to you, I didn’t think you’d ever want to work with me. I didn’t want to assume that just because you accepted my apology today, everything was back to normal. Most people wouldn’t forgive this sort of thing easily, they would hold a grudge for…’
‘Life’s too short for grudges, Amari,’ Daniel interrupted, ‘well, at least as far as I’m concerned. I would love to continue working with you. I was being honest, you know, when I said you were the best in the business. And you have already proven that.’
‘Are you sure? You see, I thought you seriously hesitated. There, in y
our office. Before you suggested we have breakfast together.’
‘It wasn’t hesitation. It was shock. I’d never known anyone capable of admitting their mistakes like you did. Plus, I’d never heard you call me by my first name before.’
‘I suppose... your name – it’s a Christian name, isn’t it?’
‘Yeah, it’s Christian,’ he said. ‘Biblical, probably. Though that’s not why I was given it.’
‘So why were you given it, then?’
‘My grandmother,’ he explained with the kind of smile one has when remembering an embarrassing situation from their childhood. ‘She named me after some actor who was apparently famous for his very blue eyes, and my grandma seems to think mine are just as blue.’
‘That’s funny. But she’s right. Your eyes are amazingly blue,’ she felt a blush warm her cheeks as she said it and she lowered her eyes.
‘How about your name? It’s very unique. And beautiful.’
‘Thanks,’ his words didn’t help her overcome her blushing. ‘My parents gave it to me because amaranths were my mother’s favorite flowers. Also, it was their wish that I remained immortal. My father even put it in his will.’
‘Your parents? I had assumed you chose it when you turned immortal. Amaranth has a meaning related to immortality, doesn’t it?’
‘It does,’ she said. ‘Literally, it means unfading. But actually, that’s just a coincidence. Most people think I chose it when I decided to become immortal, and I don’t usually set the record straight,’ she smiled. ‘But the truth is, I’ve had it since I was born. This – ’ she said, touching her Ankh cross pendant ‘was also a gift from my parents. It’s an ancient Egyptian symbol of immortality.’
‘It’s amazing,’ Daniel said. ‘It’s the biggest and purest ruby I’ve ever seen. It must be one of the rarest pigeon blood stones in the world.’
‘Pigeon blood?’ she asked. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You wear this thing every day and you don’t know? Really?’
‘I have no idea… I mean I’ve always known it’s precious, but never thought about what it is. I just like it because it belonged to my mother. I got it when I turned eighteen and left the orphanage.’