Chapter 7: The Unexpected Encounter

It’s a fair question to ask: why did I consider Amahle’s request so readily? Why did I not dismiss it as a joke as most would? It’s even sillier when I realize I only learned why I had to agree with her mission so late. Perhaps she should have told me earlier.

I was now on edge, knowing the full extent of my mission and knowing that it was only just beginning. I tried to go about my daily routine as normally as I could, but it was difficult. How is one supposed to behave normally when they know what’s to come? I suppose I felt like one of those doomsday prophets, who steel themselves for the end while humanity lives in ignorance. I walked around Echo City, hearing snippets of conversations about sports, drama, and more than once, Antler Industries. It was impossible to escape the topic even for a moment.

The development team had asked me what I thought the day after the conference. and I had to explain in scripted words that we would be working on integrating the tech into our phone and gaming devices, while the marketing team and I would follow up on some potential ads. None of it was a lie, but I had grown to like the people I worked with, and it was a natural inclination to tell those whom you were fond of the truth.

Today I was up early, walking around a new street in Echo, attempting to relax. It should be common knowledge that putting effort into something synonymous with little effort is drawing a perfect circle slowly. If I really wanted to relax, I would be lying in bed. Instead, I was here, three streets over from 49th Street, pacing up and down the block. I was thinking, planning. Amahle had taken a plane out of the country a few hours prior, the destination a mystery to me. I had to sever my ties to her, even more so than before. From an outside perspective, I was a new employee who quite annoyingly messaged my boss despite her rare responses. When phrased that way, I wasn’t nearly as charming.

It would be a few days until the theft, and I could do nothing to speed that up. There was a caterpillar on the edge of the sidewalk, perilously close to wandering into a land of danger in the form of boots and high heels. It paused, turning its body left and right like a cautious pedestrian. It turned and turned, stuck in indecision or some other reason I could not comprehend. Then, it went back to the root of the Gingko tree it came from. I suppose it was a constant throughout the animal kingdom to save one’s own skin, or whatever a caterpillar had, perhaps some sort of fuzzy and disposable coat.

By the time I was to go back to work, I had neither caffeine nor focus in my system. It wasn’t until I was walking into my office on the third floor that I finally woke up. There he was, sitting in my room, stern and angry.

“I know who you are, Nathaniel.”

“I’d hope so.”

I never liked it when people said that to me. I did not appreciate their tone when they said it, nor the look in their eyes.

“You are a criminal. A terrible, wicked criminal who is so wicked and terrible that even when caught for his crimes, he faced no punishment, no justice. You condemned others to face the fate that was destined for you and were rewarded for it. You are a threat. Despite your demeanor, you might be the most evil man I have met, if not in motivation then in accidental consequence. I have no doubt that whatever you do, it will be a vile and catastrophic action.”

“And you are not who I thought you were. I suppose we have that in common.”

There was a pause as we locked eyes. He turned away. I spoke first.

“Why did you come here to tell me this, Will? I thought we were friends.”

The happy-go-lucky receptionist swiveled his eyes back to me, now filled with hatred.

“We aren’t friends. I’m surprised a criminal like yourself is so vulnerable to deception.”

“Can you stop calling me a criminal? It’s not quite necessary.”

“It is necessary. You are still a criminal, so it is the most necessary of all descriptors.”

I took a seat at my desk, my head still clearing. It was not a lie when I say that despite my surprise, I was calm. I suppose even when a friend declares themselves anything but, I still see the face of a friend. That, by itself, is calming.

“Will, I assume you were the one following me.”

He laughed a raspy, hollow laugh.

“Yes, I did. I can excuse you for not noticing that. I’m good.”

“Then I assume you went and spoke to the detective?” I questioned. He stopped smiling. A look of trouble fell on his bushy eyebrows. “So that’s it. I see.” I sat back, thinking.

“She-”

“That still leaves the question, my dear friend, why did you come into my office?” He raised his hand to interrupt, but I made no pause. “If you were trying to get evidence, it wouldn’t be effective to get it from me. At the very least, you could convince someone else to look into me. Someone a bit more official.” Will sat up, clearing his throat.

“The reason I’m here is-”

“Then again, you might be trying to get me to say something incriminating while you record it. If you’re the kind of man to stalk me, you would probably also do that.” I picked up a pen, twirling it in my hand. “Ah, I see. You aren’t against me, or at least, you don’t hate me as much as you hate someone else. You don’t care if I’m a criminal or if I’m clean. You just want something to hold over me. You probably tried to do this with other hires, probably even Amahle. She, of course, was as non-criminal as you could get.” I smiled, thinking of how confused Will must have been learning who Amahle was. “So, you’ve tried to uncover dirty secrets of those in important positions for some reason. I do not envy your job. However, you clearly aren’t trying to take me down. Who are you against, I wonder? Who are you doing this for?”

A furious Will stared at me. It was saddening to see my friend change like this.

“You talk a lot,” he said.

“I’ve been on the other side of talkative people recently. Thanks for letting me ramble, Will.”

“You’re right,” he grumbled. “I hate someone else more. I do hate you, though.” I bobbled my head in disagreement. “I won’t tell you who. Anyway-”

“Anders?” I asked. Will stopped, confused.

“How did you know that?”

“Will, my friend, did Henrietta get angry at you? She doesn’t like people who are bad at negotiating. Trust me,” I advised. Will bit his lip. “You laid out too many of your cards. You don’t hate me-”

“I do hate you.”

“Sure. You got this ‘information’ on me, and yet you don’t try to get me in trouble. You want to use me to take someone down. Who is the toughest to take down? Well, the man in charge of it all.”

“Okay, fine. I want to take down Anders.”

“There’s the friendly banter I was missing!”

“We aren’t friends.”

“We agree, we disagree. We laugh, we frown. To me, that’s a friendship, even if you don’t see it yet.”

“I don’t think you know what a friend is,” Will retorted.

“Well, whatever. What do you want me to do?” I asked.

“What?”

“You know, what exactly did you come here for? I know you hate Anders, but what’s your plan?”

“There are two things I want to discuss. One, I know you’re planning something. I’ve followed you long enough to know that.”

“I can’t tell you.”

Will sat forward in the chair.

“Tell me what you’re planning to do, Nathaniel.”

“Will,” I narrowed my eyes, “I cannot tell you.” After a brief silence, he backed off. Even he could get scared.

“You really are a criminal. Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll find out anyway. Second, I have a demand. I want you to help Amahle.”

Now this caught me off guard. Here Will was, pretending to be a harsh investigator, but instead, he was a romantic. I only wondered which of his demeanors was more honest. I was also a bit annoyed, seeing how this was the second demand made of me. Not only that, this was a much more difficult one.

“Help her? What do you mean?”

“Well,” he sighed, “I used to like Anders. I did this work for him. I would look into new hires, vetting them to ensure they were going to help the company. No ulterior motives.”

“I can understand that, though having the receptionist do that is a bit strange.”

“Then, Amahle Imada was hired. When she arrived that first day, I was determined to find out her secrets. Since she was made COO immediately, I had to be more thorough than ever. The boss never explained to me why he hired her, but once I met her, I understood. She was human, and she was good. I’ve looked into a lot of people, and usually the more you learn, the less good you find. Take you for example.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Amahle was the same on the surface as she was at her core,” he continued. “Honest.”

“She can also be rude,” I argued.

“That too, but it’s the same all the time. She’s brash, but as brash with a close friend as she is with a small child. It’s the same with kindness.”

“So, Will, do you love her?”

“No!” He exclaimed. “I just realized that she was the person that I should be supporting. Anders is, well-”

“I understand what you mean.”

“Usually I would report you. But I think Amahle needs help. She was off the grid for weeks after she met you. I don’t know where she went, but when she came back, she had changed. I think something happened to her. She shouldn’t be working here, under Anders.”

As it turned out, Will and I had similar experiences with Amahle, though he didn’t know as much as I did.

“Okay, so you want to get her out of this business, and you think I can make that happen.”

“Yes.”

I turned my chair around and faced the window. Outside it was beginning to heat up. I heard the birds and saw the people flooding the streets. This city grid, designed by a man’s greed to reflect his authority, was inhabited by animals who knew nothing of him. I could see why one might want to escape such a place. I turned back around.

“It just so happens, Will, that you can help her if you want.”

His eyes softened, nearly back to their original warmth.

“Really?”

“The plan you believe me to have, which I will neither confirm nor deny, you can help.”

“That’s just helping you. I am not a criminal.”

“That’s debatable. What I mean is, if you help me out with this hypothetical plan, you would be achieving your own goal.”

“Okay, what do I do?”

I nearly laughed at how readily he agreed.

“All you need to do is be my friend,” I stated. His jaw clenched. “And, when the time is right, you are going to make Anders Askeland absolutely furious.”

This was the first genuine laugh Will and I shared.