Mind Trace (26 page)

They went down a series of hallways, through many doors and
up several floors before they reached Eric's personal elevator entrance. Like
everything else in the building, Alice already knew where it was. Two of the
guards broke off to wait at this entrance for their return.

The remaining two guards went with them on the elevator, up
to Eric's office. It seemed like the trip took ages and Alice began to feel
claustrophobic in the confinement of the elevator. Finally, the door dinged
open on the top floor and they walked into Eric's office. 

After the door shut and everyone stepped away from the elevator,
the bookshelves surrounding the entrance shuddered and then began to move along
tracks set in the floor until they completely covered the elevator, clicking
into place. The effect was eerie. It seemed as though there had never been
anything along that wall except the bookshelves that now covered it.

Alice gazed at the room in front of her. For all his wealth
and power, Eric's office was not a reflection of the depth of his riches.
Instead, it seemed coldly efficient, with only the barest amount of
furnishings. This room was clearly a room for work and nothing else. There were
no pictures or any personal effects anywhere. For a brief moment, Alice almost
pitied the man in front of her.

He's so alone. Even though it's self-inflicted, it must
be miserable at times to be so isolated from everyone else. I don't envy him.

They did not stop in his office, but instead went to one of
the other doors leading out of the room. It opened to what was originally a
small meeting room. The left wall was lined with windows from ceiling to floor.
It was an extraordinary sight. From there, she could see for miles across the
EngineerCorp campus. It was still early evening and the sun would not set for
several more hours.

What was perhaps more impressive was the table that used to
be the centerpiece of the room had been converted to a dining table. It was
covered with an elegant, white linen tablecloth, complete with
expensive-looking dishes and utensils. The centerpiece was an arrangement of
candles, each set at different heights and all pre-lit.

Seriously? He has to be joking...I hope.

Alice almost laughed aloud, but thought better of the
gesture. She could not help but wonder what it was that Eric was trying to do.
Was he trying to "woo her into submission?" The idea was so absurd
that she suppressed another laugh and tried to think of something else. If Eric
wanted something, he certainly did not have to stoop to this kind of petty
behavior.  However, that thought was equally disturbing. If not that, then what
was he up to?

This time, the guards waited outside the door and it was
shut behind them, leaving her and Eric alone in the room. Suddenly feeling
nervous, she walked to the opposite side of the room and pretended to look at a
generic piece of art that hung on the wall.

Eric looked at her oddly, but did not question her behavior.
Instead, he walked over to the table and motioned for her to join him.  Two
place settings were set near the middle of the table, one on each side. She
hesitantly approached her side and sat down. The table was relatively narrow,
so she was only a few feet away from him.

There was a small, wireless console sitting on the table
near Eric. He pressed a button near the center and, a few moments later, a man
with a cart of food entered the room. The man was stoic, silently setting the
food down in front of them.  Alice tried to make eye contact with the man, but
he apparently had strict instructions to do his job and nothing else.

Her eyebrows rose when he set out a bottle of wine, but she
said nothing. Then, as swiftly as he came, the man was gone and they were alone
again. She glanced at Eric, unsure what to do next.

"Please, eat. That's why you came, isn't it?" 
Eric smiled at her.

Not really…

As she started to pick up her utensils, he stood, poured
two glasses of wine and offered her one while setting the other next to his
plate.

"No, thank you."

"Are you worried about being underage?" He gave a
deep laugh. "Your secret is safe with me."

"I'm not really into wine." Her answer was short
and clipped. She had no desire to engage in a conversation about her drinking
preferences or lack thereof. All Alice really wanted to know was why he brought
her to dinner in the first place.

"That is a shame. I had this brought up from my personal
cellar. It is an excellent red Bordeaux, a Chateau Cheval Blanc. This bottle
alone is worth several thousand dollars. But, of course, if you are not a
connoisseur, then that is meaningless to you. It really is one of a kind…
However, I meant no offense; the choice is yours."

He sipped his wine and appeared satisfied, then began to
eat his own meal.

As the dinner went on, Eric asked her questions, mostly
about her past. How she chose her career path, where she grew up, and about her
family. At first, she considered refusing to speak of it, but she realized that
he would already know all of that information. There seemed to be no harm in
recalling the past. 

He did not have her particular spin on the events, but the
events were no secret. So, she answered his questions. At first, she answered
with short, hesitant responses. Then, she became more enthusiastic as the
nostalgia brought her out of reality, taking her back to a time when things
were happier.

Soon, she had almost forgotten who was seated across from
her, and she was still talking long after they had both finished their meals.
Alice was beginning to consider that she had been unfair in her judgment of him
after all, when he suddenly asked a question that broke her out of her happy
reverie.

"What happened that night, Alice? The night you burned
your hand?"

So, here's the real reason…

That was a question that she simply was not prepared to
answer. No matter how much he seemed interested in her past and getting to know
her, she could never tell him what truly happened that night.

"What are you talking about? I already told you what
happened. It's no secret."

"No, Alice. You told me
part
of what happened
that night. But, I suspect the truth is truly much more than that."

She was beginning to feel nervous at the direction the
conversation was taking. Alice had to steer him away, and fast. 

"Right. Well, if you want to think that, go right
ahead. But, I already told you the truth."

He sat forward in his chair, leaning over the empty dinner
plate. His eyes were intense and bored into her.  Alice shuddered and leaned
back as far as she could into her chair.

"Alice, you can't expect me to believe that. You have
always been extraordinary, doing things well before your time and doing them
better than most people could. But something changed that night…something that
you haven't told anyone. Suddenly, after that night, you start displaying
almost supernatural intelligence and abilities, skills you never exhibited
before. Do you expect me to believe that all of that was hidden beneath the
surface your whole life? No, don't be foolish. Something happened to you,
Alice. It changed you."

As he fixed his glittering eyes on her and spoke, she could
not help but feel her heart beating faster with each word. She silently reached
for the glass of wine and drank some. Alice hoped it would relax her. If she
did not calm down, she would surely give something away. The wine warmed her
insides, helping to rid her of the trembling nervousness she felt.

It seemed to give her more courage with each sip. She had
to stop this line of conversation.

With her newfound courage, she pushed her chair back
dramatically and said, "You're right, Eric."

His eyes widened in surprise and then changed to eagerness.
He never expected her to agree with him, especially so quickly. Eric was not
about to let his astonishment interfere with the breakthrough he believed he
was experiencing. He inhaled deeply and opened his mouth to speak, but Alice
interrupted him.

"I agree with you completely – this wine is
excellent
!"

With that, she cut off any further conversation and walked
over to the window to pretend to enjoy the view.

She had intended to just get away from him, but once she
was there, her pretensions melted away. The view seemed impressive when she
first walked in, but now she felt dizzied by the height and magnitude of what
she saw.  The wine had probably not helped that sensation, but she hadn't drunk
enough to affect her reasoning. 

It was a clear evening and by her brain's estimate, her
vision extended just under two miles into the distance. She was already
identifying the buildings scattered about, comparing them to the campus map she
held in her head.  Her mind was reveling in all the information. She knew the
floor plans of each building, the height and relative distance to her own
location, and the endless geometric patterns she found in their positioning.

She barely even noticed the sunset, but now she turned her
attention to its descent on the horizon. The sunset veiled the campus in a rose-colored
hue, making it seem almost peaceful.  Without realizing it, she had forgotten
about Eric, took a deep sigh, and began to relax.

"It really is extraordinary, isn't it?"

The voice over her shoulder caused her to jump. Eric had
approached her silently as she was wrapped up in her surroundings. She turned
around and took two large steps back.

"You really shouldn't do that, you know. It's just
creepy."

Eric laughed at her, but did not respond. The intensity of
his gaze had lessened, but it wasn't completely gone.  He joined her at the
window again and looked out.

He spoke, but his voice was directed to the glass. "All
of this... This is only the tip of the iceberg. I am the head of an empire,
Alice. An empire that covers almost the entire planet. But, even I have
limitations."

His voice grew deeper and more powerful. "Look out
there, Alice. Can you see it all? The world could be ours. All you have to do
is work with me. Think about it. Can you imagine the possibilities? With you at
my side, nothing would stand in our way."

He turned his eyes on her again and she was terrified by
the expression on his face. He seemed drunk with power and greedy for more. She
could not help but step back. He started to approach her, prompting her to
retreat further. Alice made it only a few steps when her back hit the wall. She
found herself in a corner, with Eric rapidly closing the distance between them.

Alice was truly frightened then, of what he was capable of
and what he would do. He smiled as he stood over her, placing one hand on the
wall next to her head and leaning in so that his face was only inches away from
hers.

"I'm ss-s-ure we can talk more effectively seated at
the table," she offered weakly.

He smiled wickedly. She could feel his breath on her face
and she was claustrophobic. Her fear temporarily clouded her mind and she
fought to push it aside.

Eric had always been maniacal and power-hungry, but this
was more than that. It almost seemed as if he had lost control of his carefully
disciplined emotions in what appeared to be a fit of greed and lust for power.
The effect was truly frightening. Even her mild attempt at humor had not
elicited a response.

His voice was low and intense. "Alice, you will tell
me…one way or the other."

"I already told you. Leave me alone!"

She attempted to push him back but he would not yield.
Instead, he took both of her arms and pinned them against the wall.  Alice was
frozen, afraid of what would happen next and not wanting to antagonize him
further.

"Do you know how hard I have worked to make this
company? Do you know the sacrifices I made to get here? Then, you come along
and jeopardize my entire life's work in one moment. One moment and everything is
on the line!"

He was breathing heavily, distracted by the intensity of
his thoughts. Suddenly he paused, his eyes focusing on hers.

"It occurred to me that the only reason you can do any
of this, is because you have something that no one else knows about…something
that would change the playing field forever…something that I must have. "

Her arms were starting to go numb, but she had not noticed.
She was riveted by the intensity of his expression.

"No one defies me, Alice. No one. That includes you."

Alice knew she had to bring him back to his senses before
he did something rash. Where she was positioned, she could not bring either of
her legs around to provide any worthy defenses and her arms were uselessly
pinned to the wall.  If she could somehow get him to relax his hold the
slightest bit, her mind had provided her with multiple ways to disarm him from
there.

How could she distract him? In the awkward position she
found herself in, she suddenly thought of one thing that would distract him.
She shuddered at the thought, but if it meant saving her from a worse fate, she
had to accept it.

In the brief moment that her mind was busy with thought,
Eric tightened his grip even more and cut off the circulation in her arms.

Without thinking or hesitating further, she acted. She
pushed herself forward, closing the tiny distance between them, and…kissed him.

She put aside all emotions and thoughts and forced herself
to ignore her internal shouts of protest. Eric initially went rigid and then he
relaxed, dropping his hands down to her waist. It was not as horrific as she
thought it would be. She was surprised, but she ignored that too. Alice took
that moment to fling her hands forward, escaping his grasp. Then, she planted
one karate-style blow to his throat, using one of the moves that her brain had
so nicely laid out for her.