Nikola Tesla [OPEN to Ark]

[Christian Moynahan]

Thoughts like a minefield
I'm a ticking bomb
Maybe you should watch your step
Don't get lost
- Foo Fighters, “The Sky Is A Neighborhood”

September 1, 2017
Ark Industries lounge

The door slammed closed and Christian sank into a chair.

He’d been tired for a while. His abilities had begun to normalize, but somehow he always felt winded. Barely able to eat, he had become almost dependent on his ability to draw energy from his environment, such as from lights or other electrical outlets. His cellphone had to be stored in a dense rubber case to make it harder for him to accidentally short the battery.

And he slept often. Maurelle had probably noticed.

Alain Jensen certainly had.

The door closed more quietly behind Alain. He had long since noted Christian withdrawing into himself. The typically sociable and warm man spoke less and seldom joked anymore. Alain had to wonder how much of it had to do with Reier Technologies’ sudden eclipse of them in the energy sector. Ark had hardly suffered; the company had not put all its eggs into that basket and had plenty more going on that had been successful. But often over the course of the two years Christian seemed to have taken it personally.

“Hey, boss,” Alain said. “Brought you a smoothie.” He placed a cup with a lid and straw on the table in front of Christian.

Christian barely stirred. “Thanks, man.”

“No problem. The health bar upstairs was such a great idea. Was it Teagan who thought of it?” Alain took a seat and leaned back.

“Yeah, I think so,” Christian said. “And Archie added that fancy microbial juicer.”

“Crazy kids,” Alain said.

The lounge fell silent for a bit.

“Christian, man,” Alain said. “If you don’t drink that smoothie, I’m going to call your wife.”

Christian reached for the smoothie.

“Want to talk about why you’ve seemed so miserable lately?” Alain asked.

Christian shrugged. “I’m just tired.”

“That much is obvious. Why are you tired?”

“Look, Alain, I appreciate the concern.” Christian sat up and stretched. “I’m fine. I’m better here than at home, actually. I’m low on energy. Ark has always had independent generators, so I can draw from here just fine. Elsewhere, that’s not the case.”

Alain peered at him. “Are you sure that’s all?”

Christian was not sure. But he wanted Alain to drop the subject, so he nodded and took a sip of his smoothie.

[Fiona Kingsleigh]

And then she was back.

To everyone at Ark, being reassigned from the headquarters all the way to Texas, in the little town of Odessa, appeared to be punishment and a big demotion.  Fiona was the head of the securities division, responsible for the safety of all Ark data as well as personnel, and then one day, she just cleared out her office and left.  She wasn't allowed to tell anyone why she was sent away, and everyone had their theories.  Maybe she finally crossed the line and fired one too many people in her ruthless management style.  Maybe she offended a higher up in a bad way.  Maybe she pissed the CEO off.  No matter what angle was perceived, Fiona was out of favour with upper management and rushed out the door in humiliating fashion.  She still remembered passing everyone while holding her belongings in a cardboard box, the looks they gave Fiona, and the smirks on their faces.

Christian told her it would happen.  Fiona had to endure it.  She had to stay low key.

It was two years ago when Fiona stepped out of the Ark building.  She was driven straight to the airport, where David was waiting after hearing the news.  They said their tearful farewells (for the time being) and within hours, Fiona arrived at an empty building in Texas.  

Alice came soon after, constantly chattering on her cellphone, orchestrating and organising the immediate renovations.  She was the administrator type, and if anyone was going to help build a new company from scratch, there was no one better to have than that blondie.  

And there they were, the two best friends, creating a new tomorrow for the world, with nothing but the shoestring budget of one billion dollars, the financial backing from the Kilvayne Corporation, and the most cutting edge technology that Ark Industries has to offer.  The brightest minds from across the globe were also quietly recruited to provide the expertise necessary for their venture.

That was two years ago.  Today, Fiona returned as the CEO of Monarch Interactive, a small virtual technology firm tucked away from prying eyes, with the sole purpose of research and development for Ark's Dreamscape technology.  Today, the egg that Christian Moynahan cleverly tucked away, is about to hatch.

Fiona was dressed casually, having been so used to the lack of dress code in Odessa.  In her hands was a metal box that was padded on the inside, containing the fruit of her labour.  This prototype was Christian's return on investment.  She knew her way around, and while the inept security guard manning the front door didn't give Fiona the proper clearance to reach the lounge, no doors had really been able to stop her anyway.

Fiona knocked quietly before letting herself into the room, with Alain and Christian apparently mid-conversation.  She waited until Christian finished the sip of his smoothie before she spoke.

"Did I catch you at a bad time, gentlemen?" she said, grinning from ear to ear.  Apart from Alice, the two men were probably Fiona's favourite people at Ark.