{"id":3135,"date":"2014-02-01T15:44:46","date_gmt":"2014-02-01T07:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/entropy2.com\/?p=3135"},"modified":"2014-02-01T15:44:46","modified_gmt":"2014-02-01T07:44:46","slug":"twelve-month-challenge-january-everlasting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/entropy2.com\/chaosfactory\/2014\/02\/twelve-month-challenge-january-everlasting\/","title":{"rendered":"The Twelve Month Challenge: January Everlasting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note: This is getting posted a day late, but I finished before the deadline…barely. It’s only month one and this project is already reminding me of university. However, this month has been a special case. I traveled to Hong Kong to renew my visa and also had to do an apartment search and move because my lease was up on the 31st. So no, I’m not entirely happy with the final results of my first story, and I would like to make some more edits. But, I am very proud of myself for not allowing for any excuses and getting it finished. A younger version of me would have given up. <\/p>\n

All that being said, I’m reserving the right to do some edits on this story later, due to all of the extenuating circumstances involved. I know that’s technically breaking one of the rules<\/a> I set for myself, but when it comes to writing exercises, rules are made to be broken, as long as it’s not out of laziness.<\/p>\n

Also, each of the twelve stories will be set in a fictional universe that will be the setting of a future series of novels. I’m using this experiment to help me with the world-building. Hopefully it will get you interested in reading more. <\/p>\n

Please let me know if you see any typos. I have not had the chance to proofread this the way I would have wanted.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"JanuaryEverlasting\"<\/p>\n

January Everlasting
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was hired by the Company to perform a straightforward task: the impossible. Failure, while not unexpected, was never going to be tolerated forever.<\/p>\n

The Company treats its executives as aristocracy. We are pampered, trotted out on public occasions, and segregated from the masses. Our progeny are provided for in perpetuity. But, also like aristocracy, should the day come when we no longer serve the pleasure of the King, we are in danger of having our heads cut off. Or worse yet, our pensions.<\/p>\n

______<\/p>\n

Please state your name and title for the record.
\n<\/em>
\n“My name is Dr. Thomas Patrick. Until a few minutes ago, I was the Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Life Sciences at Wong Industries.”<\/p>\n

Those are still your titles, Dr. Patrick, until a decision as to your future is made.
\n<\/em>
\n______<\/p>\n

My day of reckoning has finally come.<\/p>\n

I stand at my window and see a peaceful sunset on the horizon, with the black silhouettes of cranes and geese flying in front of pink and orange clouds. To the east, an ancient lighthouse stands atop a hill, a beacon that once warned ships during a storm. Perhaps it is meant to conjure up some form of nostalgia, but I can see it only for what it is: a projection.<\/p>\n

I wonder what the bay truly looks like these days. It has been more than forty years since I have actually seen outside. I remember my last glimpse, through the window of one of the old jetliners. There was still some green then, and a trickle of water that used to be the Colorado River. Now I imagine it has dried up like everything else, and all that\u2019s left are stones and deadwood.<\/p>\n

______<\/p>\n

What is your educational background?
\n<\/em>
\nMany people find the asking of questions when the answer is right there on a screen to be an example of our era\u2019s Kafkian dystopia. I find it soothing. There\u2019s a ritual to it, a releasing of dopamine every time I\u2019m able to answer correctly. It also represents a prolonging of questions I won\u2019t be able to answer to HR\u2019s satisfaction.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was educated in America. I have advanced degrees in bioengineering, medicine, and gerontology. I graduated top of my class from the Sony Institute in seventy-seven. I am what is known as a high-functioning autistic, meaning I am a genius, but I\u2019m also a real shit to be around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tell me about your work before you came to the Company.
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cI previously worked at Huawei Technologies for thirty years. I was recruited right out of University. My main research project was looking at oxidative stress in mammals. My supervisor and mentor was Dr. Munisai Kimura.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why did you leave Huawei Technologies?
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cWe had a disagreement about the direction of my research. That\u2019s when Wong Industries offered to let me supervise the labs here without any restrictions.\u201d<\/p>\n

What was the nature of your disagreement?
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cDr. Kimura adheres to a strict ethical code and believes that some things should not be studied lest we subvert the natural balance. I felt differently, that everything should and must be studied. Once we know what is and isn\u2019t possible, then we can make a decision about right or wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

And how old are you today?
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cI am 107 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n

______<\/p>\n

We aren\u2019t given much notice prior to termination. An executive assistant shows up at our office and asks us to meet with HR. Though they happen often enough not to rouse suspicion, these meetings are never pleasant. HR is an impenetrable branch of the Network that follows her own set of protocols, and her intrusions into all other departments are met with frustrated protests that are always ignored. <\/p>\n

Once your crimes have been explained in a polite but straightforward manner, two security officers escort you back to your office, where you\u2019ll be carefully supervised as you clean out your belongings. You\u2019re not allowed to take even the smallest bit of Company property as a souvenir, not a packet of sweetener, not a single byte of information.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve worked at the Company long enough that none of this process is a surprise. I have nothing at the office that I would consider precious, other than the quaint photographic print of my son I keep framed on my desk. Everything else of value is stored on the Company network, which I\u2019ve already lost access to.<\/p>\n

An awkward silence hangs in the air as I stand at my window with nothing to do, the security officers watching me with their kindly expressions. They\u2019ve been well-trained, but their faux empathy does not sit well with a man who\u2019s about to be fired. I\u2019d rather they were outside the room so that I could await my sentence in private.<\/p>\n

______<\/p>\n

Please explain what your main tasks with the Company are.
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cThose fancy titles I mentioned earlier don\u2019t mean much, not to me anyway. There was only one essential task I was charged with as an executive to the Company. For the past forty-four years, I\u2019ve overseen the Company\u2019s life extension program. It was my job to find a cure to aging.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou probably haven\u2019t realized this, but it was 98 years ago today that Chief Executive Lee declared that humanity had defeated aging.\u201d<\/p>\n

I am well aware of the anniversary.
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cYes, well then as you know, those breakthroughs were expected to have finally overcome the damage caused by telomere shortening and, theoretically, extend animal life indefinitely. The celebration, as we later learned, was premature. Although aging was severely interrupted by the new technologies, they did not work indefinitely. It was several decades before we realized that there was a biological barrier that caused the body to stop working right about when a person reached age 150. Wang Mei died at age 152 in the year 2088. She is still the oldest living person in recorded history. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy job, for the better part of two decades, has been to discover why all of our anti-senescence techniques are failing to work beyond the 150-year barrier–and to find a cure. The fact that I am here with you today means that, in the eye of the Company, it\u2019s time to finally replace me with someone younger and, most likely, more aggressive in their research techniques.\u201d<\/p>\n

How would you grade your research efforts at the Company?
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cIf we\u2019re grading pass-fail, then I have failed.\u201d<\/p>\n

_______<\/p>\n

I turn away from the window and eye my escorts. The pair of them, Mr. Morin and Ms. Ortiz, stare straight ahead, refusing to make eye-contact unless I engage them. They are high-level, clad in the casual teambuilder colors rather than a security uniform, and their stunners are discretely hidden beneath their shirts. <\/p>\n

My communicator buzzes. Morin and Ortiz both turn their eyes in my direction before glancing away. As well-trained as the security detail is, I see that they are nervous. It\u2019s not often a vice-president gets fired.<\/p>\n

\u201cHullo,\u201d I answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi. Is now a good time to talk?\u201d It\u2019s Aubrey. She knows that it must be, otherwise I wouldn\u2019t have answered. But this is part of our agreed upon code. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have a few minutes.\u201d In other words, it\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wanted to check in on when you\u2019re going to be home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t wait up for me.\u201d There is a silence.<\/p>\n

Morin and Ortiz are pretending not to listen, though it doesn\u2019t matter if they are. They can only hear my end of the conversation with my ear bud in. But we all know that someone in the Company is listening. They have all my access points on active surveillance at the moment, rather than leave it to the regular supervisory network. I turn back to the window. I don\u2019t want my escorts to see my face.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d Aubrey is trying to stay neutral, but I can hear the sadness in her voice. <\/p>\n

\u201cIs Jack there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t get home from academy for another two hours.\u201d That means he is safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell him that I love him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can tell him yourself when you get home.\u201d This isn\u2019t part of the code. Aubrey is supposed to hang up now and leave the house as quickly as she can. As long as she\u2019s under surveillance, she won\u2019t be safe, not if the exit interview goes the way I expect it to. But we can\u2019t bring ourselves to say goodbye.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish things had happened differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don’t have to say anything, Tom. I know everything there is to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know. You better go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to.\u201d<\/p>\n

The silence returns. I can hear her crying. There\u2019s a part of me crying too, but I hold back the tears. There\u2019s still hope. I choose to believe that I will see Aubrey and Jack again.<\/p>\n

I hear my door open behind me. I turn around and see Mr. Wong enter. It\u2019s hard to say who is more surprised, me or the security officers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAubrey, I have to go. The Chief Executive is here.\u201d<\/p>\n

______<\/p>\n

What is your relationship with the Chief Executive like?
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cThere was a time when I looked up to Mr. Wong.\u201d<\/p>\n

You\u2019re reputation for bluntness is well-earned.
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cI think that\u2019s why Mr. Wong hired me. Very few people dare to tell him the truth when they know it will displease him. I\u2019m hard-wired so I can only tell the truth. People have always said that I have no filter. I guess in this instance, it has served me well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Please continue with what you were going to say. You once admired Mr. Wong.
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say that I aspired to be like him. That\u2019s never been the way I think. But mention the word greatness to me, and a picture of Mr. Wong appeared in my mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have always understood the shortcomings of intellect. I know that people look at me and see a shepherd. It\u2019s just that instead of sheep, I\u2019m in charge of corralling the network. There\u2019s so much more to it of course, but even at that young age, I knew that perception often mattered more than reality in this world of ours. I may find everyone stupid for doing so, but I couldn\u2019t help but envy the way they fawned over Mr. Wong. <\/p>\n

\u201cI can recall an early conversation with him. I realize now that Mr. Wong was feeling me out for the position, but I was in a way doing the same thing with him. I had begun to question why I would work for the Company, whether the security, and the access to the labs and network, were really worth it.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven then it was unusual that Mr. Wong was conducting this interview himself. He\u2019d ceded most of the day-to-day supervision to HR. But this project was always most important to him, so there I was in his office, the words of warning that I had received from every single person who knew Mr. Wong flashing in my mind, \u2018Don\u2019t say anything that might anger him.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cBut when he asked me if I had any questions for him, my curiosity got the better of my judgment. <\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Do you believe in a higher power, sir?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Of course,\u2019 he answered.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018You do?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018That\u2019s why I work so hard. To make sure that I am the highest power.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the moment I decided Mr. Wong was the type of Chief Executive I could work for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why did that moment leave such an impression on you?
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cBecause it made so much sense, was so blatantly true. Everyone else was bogged down by politics and entertainment. No one cared about the things that really mattered. No one believed in honesty. If we were going to do something that could profoundly alter the nature of what it meant to be human, I wanted us to be able to tell the truth about why we were doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

______<\/p>\n

I close my connection and greet Mr. Wong. He is dressed casually, in dark blue slacks and a light blue blazer, both immaculately pressed. Mr. Wong is short but very strong. He grips my hand tightly in a warm greeting and I recall the videos of his workout regimens that he\u2019s circulated on the Company net, swinging 40 kg kettle bells or holding a plank for more than 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

When he smiles, I notice the crow\u2019s feet\u2014I can\u2019t help calling them that now, thanks to one of Aubrey\u2019s colloquialisms I\u2019ve always found so endearing\u2014around his eyes. They are the only signal that Mr. Wong is nearly 120 years old. He doesn\u2019t look a day over seventy.<\/p>\n

The security officers are visibly flustered. He\u2019s not supposed to roam the Company unannounced, and if he has an escort, they are waiting outside. They immediately flank him on either side, shooting me especially dark looks that suggest the Chief Executive\u2019s presence is somehow my fault.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou two can wait outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYessir.\u201d They immediately turn around and exit the office.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat would bring you to my end of campus, Mr. Wong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Chief Executive doesn\u2019t need a reason, Thomas. I wouldn\u2019t let my top researcher leave without personally saying goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s very kind of you. Please, sit down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI prefer to stand. I can\u2019t stay long.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Wong takes a quick circuit of the office, surveying the sparse furnishings before stopping before the window. He gazes at the scene for several moments, contradicting the stated need for brevity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis office never suited you. You haven\u2019t even changed the projection from the default setting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was rarely ever here, sir. I spent most of my time in the labs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just the office. I think the job never suited you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always done my best sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m disappointed that it\u2019s come to this.\u201d All pretense of friendliness has been removed. Mr. Wong has never been one for pretense, another reason I admired him. \u201cThere was a time when we all saw great promise in your research.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps it was just never meant to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you remember what I said to you after you were first appointed? You asked me whether what we were doing was right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir. You said that it didn\u2019t matter what we thought. Someone was going to develop this technology regardless. Every corporation in the world was working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but that\u2019s not what I\u2019m talking about. And it seems our enthusiasm has been misguided. No one has made a significant breakthrough in twenty years, not since Monsanto eliminated cancer. But I\u2019m referring to what I said later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t recall what you mean, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe run the company, Thomas. We decide what is meant to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to say that Mr. Wong has changed. That the power\u2014nearly limitless power\u2014has corrupted him. But I know that isn\u2019t the case. Mr. Wong has always been the same, governed by his ambition, willing to do anything to get what he wants. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s me that has changed. I wish I hadn\u2019t taken more than a century to figure out the type of man I wanted to be. I know it\u2019s too late for me now. I only hope I can protect Aubrey and Jack from what\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n

______<\/p>\n

Tell me about your family.
\n<\/em>
\nMy parents were both from America, on the East Coast. They were of the old economy. My dad was a school teacher and my mom was a lawyer. I was the youngest of three children, a big family even at the time.<\/p>\n

And how did your parents die?
\n<\/em>
\nMy father died of leukemia when he was 58. My mother lived to be 108. She died of complications from senescence. My older brother died in a plane crash when he was in his thirties, and my sister died last year, from organ failure.<\/p>\n

She chose against life support?
\n<\/em>
\nYes.<\/p>\n

And what about your current family?
\n<\/em>
\nI got married a little later than average. My wife Aubrey was a design engineer with the Company, but she retired when our son was born. John is 8 years old.<\/p>\n

________<\/p>\n

Before he leaves my office, Mr. Wong picks up the photo of Jack. Seeing the picture in his hand makes me anxious.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s very handsome. You waited very late to have him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always so obsessed with work. Aubrey wanted children, but I kept putting it off, to the point where I honestly think she\u2019d given up on me ever coming around. I always thought I\u2019d have plenty of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat changed your mind?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI finally realized we weren\u2019t going to live forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Wong puts the picture down and looks up at me. For just a second, I see an anger flash across his face, and all the stories of his temper, and the unfortunate accidents that follow after it are called to mind. He\u2019s about to say something, but he hesitates. When he finally turns toward the door, I feel like I\u2019ve been given a reprieve, if only for a few more hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t keep you any longer. I know you\u2019re waiting for your exit interview. These are usually a formality, but yours will be a very important one. Your entire future could depend on the answers that you give.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

______<\/p>\n

The exit interview determines whether you\u2019ll be allowed to stay within the auspices of the Company, or if you\u2019ll be forced to go ronin. It\u2019s the difference between having your entire livelihood provided for or your family being forced to live on the outside.<\/p>\n

It should be a simple process. If you answer all the questions to HR\u2019s satisfaction, you and your family will be secure. But in my case, I know that my fate depends on which questions they ask.<\/p>\n

HR is civil, articulate, and cold. She has played out the interview 10 million times in order to project the most likeliest outcomes, and so she\u2019s prepared for pretty much any scenario. It\u2019s very unlikely I could surprise her with one of my answers.<\/p>\n

Mr. Morin and Ms. Ortiz are inside the room as well, standing by the doorway. I\u2019ve played out the scenario a few times myself, and in one of them, I snatch a stunner and make my escape. But I\u2019ve been an old man too long to try something like that. I will await my fate stoically.<\/p>\n

I wonder if that\u2019s a scenario in HR\u2019s database. Most likely. That\u2019s why the security officers are present in the first place. <\/p>\n

_______<\/p>\n

Tell us about the security breach last year.
\n<\/em>
\nIt\u2019s the line of questioning that I\u2019ve been dreading.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone got into the system–we still don\u2019t know how or who–and deleted the information on several hard drives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was this sensitive information?
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cYes, it included the data on our Alpha subjects, all of whom have been undergoing the trials since before I joined the Company. And although we haven\u2019t had the major breakthrough that we\u2019ve wanted, we\u2019ve had a number of minor successes that have pushed up the average lifespan in out test subjects significantly.\u201d<\/p>\n

So you\u2019re saying that this research might be compromised?
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cWe think this was an act of vandalism, that\u2019s why the information was deleted, but we can\u2019t rule out theft, no. The hacker may have been covering up her tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was any information lost?
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cNo. Everything was safely backed up on numerous secure servers. The attack did happen during a routine reformatting and upgrade, which we think was probably just a coincidence, but all security protocols were followed and no research was lost. Only the temporary caches and that hour\u2019s communications and surveillance data for the lab.\u201d<\/p>\n

________<\/p>\n

I know how this will play out if things go wrong. I have clung to optimism, more for their sake than for my own, but the reality is that it\u2019s very hard to fool the Company. If HR knows what I\u2019ve done, there will be no escaping.<\/p>\n

She won\u2019t let me leave until she is satisfied I don\u2019t have what they are looking for. If there\u2019s any doubt, they\u2019ll take whatever measures necessary. They\u2019ll have had Aubrey under surveillance long before they approached me with my termination. The Company will apprehend her as soon as they realize I\u2019m unwilling to cooperate.<\/p>\n

Aubrey knows what we are facing and agrees we have no other choice. She only cares that Jack is safe. He was taken to the Kimura\u2019s after I left for work this morning, rather than to school. They have agreed to raise him should anything happen to us.<\/p>\n

The Company will want Jack too, more so even than Aubrey. They would use him as leverage against me. They won\u2019t be able to get to him, however. The Kimuras have the full protection of Huawei on their side. <\/p>\n

They\u2019ll interrogate me. Past generations would refer to this as torture, but the word has fallen out of use. The network has perfected the techniques to the point where it is no longer considered inhumane. There\u2019s no actual physical pain, just the illusion of it. Of course, it\u2019s all semantics. The pain feels the same whether its real or not.<\/p>\n

But HR also knows me well enough to know no amount of pain will be enough to make me give up what I refuse her. Because I would no longer have it. It\u2019s been deleted. The test subject has been eliminated and all records of his existence erased. It would be illogical of me to have kept any trace of the breakthrough. If I\u2019m willing to risk my life and the lives of my family to keep it away from the Company, then I\u2019d be crazy to keep any traces of it anywhere. There\u2019s no place where I could put it that the company would ever find it. <\/p>\n

The interrogation is therefore perfunctory, just another one of the Company protocols we\u2019re all forced to live with.<\/p>\n

_______<\/p>\n

What are your plans for retirement?
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cI want to spend time with my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

No plans to continue your research? Or go back to your old firm?
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cNo. I would be available as a consultant for the new research head, but I believe in letting the next generation look at the problem with a fresh set of eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

After devoting your life to finding a cure for aging, won\u2019t it be difficult to give it up and walk away?
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cI\u2019ve come to peace with what\u2019s to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

What do you mean, Mr. Patrick?
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cI mean that I\u2019m tired of questing after the impossible for the sake of Mr. Wong\u2019s obsession. What difference does it make if we prolong death by a few more years, a few more decades, or even for centuries. Death is still waiting at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

And you are willing to accept oblivion?
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cBetter that than to work for the Company any longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

I see. I\u2019m sorry that you feel that way.
\n<\/em>
\nIf I thought HR were really capable of such emotions, I\u2019d say that I have hurt her feelings. She certainly sounds disappointed.<\/p>\n

________<\/p>\n

The interrogation might be pointless, but Mr. Wong will be there to watch. I doubt he\u2019s actually capable of self-analysis at this point in his life, yet if he were, he might rationalize the torture by saying that he has to be thorough. It\u2019s possible I\u2019ve made a mistake after all. <\/p>\n

In reality, he\u2019ll want to punish me for daring to act against him. <\/p>\n

Yet though I may be old, I have not entered this fight without a weapon of my own. I did not destroy every record of the breakthrough. There\u2019s one copy of the subject\u2019s DNA left, and I\u2019ve placed it somewhere that Mr. Wong and the company will never be able to get it.<\/p>\n

I left a clue in my office. Mr. Wong had it in his hands. I willed him to open the frame and look at the back of the photograph, just so I could see his face when he saw the combination of numbers and letters written in ink on the back. In any case, I\u2019ll reveal the code at some point while I\u2019m being interrogated. I won\u2019t be able to hold out forever. And they\u2019ll want to know what the code means, and I\u2019ll keep telling them that it\u2019s meaningless, and they\u2019ll believe I am lying and it will drive them crazy that they can\u2019t crack the code. But I won\u2019t be lying. It really is just a string of random numbers and letters. <\/p>\n

I suspect that it will be Mr. Wong who will figure out the truth. The code isn\u2019t hidden in the picture. It\u2019s hidden inside Jack himself. Jack of course doesn\u2019t know I\u2019ve put it there. He\u2019s too young to understand. But I\u2019ll leave the choice up to him of whether to destroy my breakthrough. Aubrey thinks it isn\u2019t fair to place the burden on him like that, but it\u2019s no greater burden than life itself. We don\u2019t get to choose our destinies. We only choose whether to follow them or to fight against them.<\/p>\n

As badly as Wong will want the breakthrough once he\u2019s learned of its existence, he won\u2019t risk starting a war to get it back. Not because he\u2019s scared of what a battle might do to the Company, but because he won\u2019t want anyone from outside to know how important the boy is.<\/p>\n

And so I will be the one to have the ultimate revenge. He\u2019ll know that the breakthrough exists, but he won\u2019t be able to get his hands on it.<\/p>\n

______<\/p>\n

This is all just my conjectures. Perhaps I\u2019ve been worried for nothing.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s it, Mr. Patrick. Everything seems in order. Thank you for your time.
\n<\/em>
\nPerhaps the company doesn\u2019t know. Perhaps I\u2019ll be able to retire and they will allow me my pension. Perhaps Aubrey will evade capture and be reunited with Jack. <\/p>\n

Perhaps I will be able to stand up and walk out of HR and go to them. Perhaps I will be free.<\/p>\n

Oh, there is one last thing I\u2019m curious about.
\n<\/em>
\nPerhaps, perhaps, perhaps.<\/p>\n

Do you know anything about an Alpha test subject known as January?
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cJanuary?\u201d<\/p>\n

I have an old screenshot of the test results, it\u2019s dated 2120. It was located on one of your labs’ networks. I almost missed it, but it got flagged while I was doing a routine background check for the interview.
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s important about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Probably nothing. It\u2019s just that when we compared it to the current database, we found there was an extra subject, code-named January. An asian male, born 1980 in Guangzhou, China. The data isn\u2019t included in the screenshot, but there is a note. It says he\u2019s responding well to treatment.
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know of any subject with that code name. Do you have any other references to him anywhere?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nope, just the one. Probably just a mistake. But it\u2019s curious. I don\u2019t know how that could have happened, unless someone went in and changed the list of subjects.
\n<\/em>
\nOr he was deleted. But if that had happened, Mr. Patrick, you certainly would have remembered. Everyone knows what kind of memory you have.
\n<\/em>
\n\u201cWho\u2019s network did you find it on?\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the weirdest part. It was your network, Mr. Patrick.
\n<\/em>
\nPerhaps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Note: This is getting posted a day late, but I finished before the deadline…barely. It’s only month one and this project is already reminding me of university. However, this month has been a special case. I traveled to Hong Kong to renew my visa and also had to do an apartment search and move because […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[648],"tags":[2635,2696,2697,2694,2695,73,79],"class_list":["post-3135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-short_stories","tag-12-month-challenge","tag-aging","tag-human-resources","tag-january-everlasting","tag-life-extension","tag-science-fiction","tag-the-future"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/entropy2.com\/chaosfactory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/entropy2.com\/chaosfactory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/entropy2.com\/chaosfactory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/entropy2.com\/chaosfactory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/entropy2.com\/chaosfactory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3135"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/entropy2.com\/chaosfactory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3137,"href":"http:\/\/entropy2.com\/chaosfactory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3135\/revisions\/3137"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/entropy2.com\/chaosfactory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/entropy2.com\/chaosfactory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/entropy2.com\/chaosfactory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/entropy2.com\/chaosfactory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}