Chapter Twelve
Adin swiped his badge on the door’s security panel, and it automatically opened. He entered a small concrete corridor and continued walking through several other doors. Electronic eyes followed his every movement through the building. After a series of twists and turns, he emerged into a large lobby.
This was TERA’s main research and development operation in North America. TERA was the biggest, wealthiest company in the world. Inside this structure were all of TERA’s R&D projects. Adin was a project manager for the civil engineering and city structural planning aspect of the company. It wasn’t the best position, but he had worked hard to get where he was. Concrete walls and two gigantic pillars made up the lobby. Beyond them was a clear protective panel, with two security staff guarding the entrance. They looked like two bored fish in a giant grey aquarium. There was nothing flashy about this place – it was all business.
A loud voice projected into the huge, empty lobby. “Check your ID’s and clearance at the front desk.”
Adin approached the fish tank and scanned his badges into the computer console on the side. He smiled and nodded at the guards. When the scan was complete, a 3D image of his face projected onto the clear panel for the guards to inspect.
“Working late tonight, Mr. Roberts?” One guard spoke, while the other looked as if his face was set in stone.
“Just trying to keep my mind off of things.” His voice echoed in the empty space. “Hopefully, I can get some work done.” It was close to the truth. Searching for information on ore users would be easier now that everyone else was gone for the day.
The stone-faced guard hit a button on the keypad in front of him. “Fair enough. If you remove any property of TERA, have it scanned out before you leave the building.” A steel door behind the desk split apart and opened for him.
“Of course.” Adin waved and marched towards the elevator behind the guards’ glass box. The silver doors slid open and a large, red downward pointing arrow appeared above the doors. Most of the facility’s labs were underground. It made it easier to maintain ideal environmental controls. Security was always tight at work – everything was controlled from the inside, sealed, and required clearance. Luckily, Adin had access to nearly the entire building.
The elevator stopped, and he emerged into a large open room filled with cubicles and whiteboards. Adin continued on towards his office. For being underground, the place was bright and airy. The tall ceilings and artificial skylines lining the walls of the office made it feel like an actual office building, dozens of stories up, not a hundred feet below ground. He glanced down each aisle as he zipped past the cubicles, making sure no other hard workers were left hunkered down at their desks. All of the spaces were different. Some had schematics all over the inner walls, designs of technologies being retrofitted to use the ore as a power source. Others were covered with statistical data that some poor soul in the cubicle had to translate into something understandable. It was grunt work, and something he was happy he didn’t have to do.
As he neared the last line of cubicles, they increased in size, giving their residents a little more space to work. Adin twisted around and studied the room behind him. Nothing moved. He swallowed hard and ducked into the cubical. He was nervous. Stealing someone’s access key wasn’t something he would have ever considered. But he couldn’t go looking for the information he needed under his own ID – that would be a sure way to get caught.
“Come on,” he said in a hushed voice. “Where are you hiding your keys, Andrew?” Andrew was forgetful. More so than the average person -- a lot more. He was the only one on the floor who had an extra set of access keys for the terminals to the mainframe. It was the only way to keep him from getting constantly locked out of the system. “Gotcha.” Adin found the key. It was a thin slender piece of metal etched with a unique pattern that fit into the access port on the mainframe.
He scurried over to his office. With his hand pressed up against the palm reader on the door, he tapped his foot and waited. The door popped open as the reader flashed green. He slipped inside and shut the door behind him, letting out a huge breath. He needed to be smart about this. Use the right tools. Every computer in the building was coded with a hand scan, except one terminal. It was stationed in the IT lab three floors down. All that he needed was the key he had just pocketed from Andrew’s desk. Adin sat down at his desk, placing both hands down on the cool glass surface. The desk came to life and shone a beam of light upwards to become a 3D workspace. He opened several documents. His eyes scanned across the words and paragraphs, searching for a specific case number. He had read about something a couple weeks ago regarding the ore’s effect on organic life. It wasn’t anything classified, but it would at least give him a sense of where to start. There was the case file. CS: L914TZ. Once he loaded it on the mainframe, he could see what other files were linked to the document. Adin memorized the case number and left his office.
“I had forgotten how much you look like your father.” The voice nearly gave Adin a heart attack.
He twisted around. "Dr. Cymru!" The older man was bald on the top of his head, and the white hair around his ears had thinned since the last time Adin had seen him. His thin wire glasses perched on the tip of his short nose, his brown eyes as sharp as ever.
“Sorry to startle you.” Dr. Cymru eyed him. “I must say I’m surprised to see you at work – I thought I was the only one who was burning the midnight oil, as they used to say.” He smiled.
Adin controlled his composure. “Yes, well. Sitting at home was a challenge, with everything that’s happened.”
“Yes, I heard. Adin, I’m so sorry.” Dr. Cymru talked with his hands. “I never got the chance to see Calvin’s farm. It’s a pity that storm had to happen. Your father and I were partners for a long time – it’s odd to spend that much time with a man and never see his home.” Dr. Cymru looked mournful. “Your brother and mother were lost as well?”
Adin’s heart twisted as Dr. Cymru spoke. “Yes, my mother was lost to the storm.”
Dr. Cymru sighed. “A tragic end to such a beautiful woman. Please, let me cover the arrangements for the funeral. It’s the least I can do.”
“Thank you, sir.” Adin bowed to him.
“You’re like the son I never had. I’m always happy to help you, Adin. Never forget that.” Dr. Cymru’s face was intense. “I only want the best for you. And what of your brother? Any news?”
“Still missing.” Adin shrugged.
“So, he survived?” Dr. Cymru eyed him.
“Yes.” Adin thought before he spoke. “Although he vanished shortly after. I don’t really know what to make of all this. I just want to find him safe.”
“Of course.” Dr. Cymru held out his hand to Adin. “I want to be clear about this. If there is anything you need – anything at all – even if you think it’s crazy. You get in contact with me. Just ask.”
Adin shook his hand. “Thank you, sir. I …” He couldn’t help but feel relieved. Dr. Cymru had always been in his corner. Maybe he could help Gabriel.
“What is it?” Dr. Cymru put his hand on his shoulder. “You can trust me.”
“It’s nothing.” Adin stared at his feet. “I just wanted to thank you for everything. Not just for this, but when I lost my dad, too.” He smiled at the man. “I’m not sure where I would be if you weren’t there.”
“I never had the opportunity for family of my own, but I always thought of Calvin as a brother. I always treated you as my family. I know we don’t see one another as much as we use to, but I feel no differently about you. We are family. I only want the best for you.” Dr. Cymru opened his arms to him.
Adin hugged the man. “Thank you, again.”
Dr. Cymru patted him on the back. “Now,” he took a step back, “Take all the time you need to deal with this. Don’t worry about the HR nonsense. If it’s a week or a month, or even a year, you take all the time you need.”
Adin was moved b
y the statement. Dr. Cymru really did care. “Your generosity is greatly appreciated.”
“What is the point in having unlimited resources if I can’t use them to help my family? I’ll take care of the details. Oh,” He pointed a finger at Adin. “I forgot to tell you that I added Gabriel to your benefits plan – just in case of medical bills or whatever. Just as a precaution. I hope he turns up soon.”
Adin frowned and put his hands in his pockets. “Me too – I just hope he’s alright.”
“Yes.” Dr. Cymru stared into his eyes. “Strange he would vanish after the rescue team found him in the wreckage. Please, let me know once you find him – I’ll feel better knowing he is alright.”
“Absolutely, I hope one day we can all sit down together.” Adin fumbled with the key in his pocket.
Dr. Cymru pointed his finger at him. “That would be glorious. I haven’t seen him since he was a boy.” He paused. “Head home, Adin. There’s nothing here we can’t take care of.”
Adin nodded. “Forgive me, but I have something to do. Being home … it doesn’t help.”
“So much like myself.” Dr. Cymru nodded his head. “Fair enough – staying busy always keeps the devil at bay. You have a lifetime ahead of you to do amazing things for this company, but right now, you take some time to mourn; it’s human after all.”
“I will.” Adin watched as the old man wandered away. Perhaps he was the key. Dr. Cymru knew more about the ore than anyone. If anyone could help Gabriel, it was him. Maybe. The rumors about kidnapping ore users and using them as experiments swirled through Adin’s head. He needed to keep Gabriel safe. The elevator on the far side of the room dinged, and Dr. Cymru disappeared behind the silver doors.
Adin marched forward. He still had a job to get done. The IT room wasn’t far. He picked up his pace. The sooner he got the files, the sooner he could get back home. He would take some time away from work and focus on finding a safe place for Gabriel. Together they would find a way to get that shard out of his chest.