Chapter 2

By the time he got out from the bathroom, he only had fifteen minutes to get to his first meeting. However, he wasn’t worried that he would be late to the meeting. He might be residing in New York, which was notorious for its horrible traffic jam most of the time, but he could always take the helicopter or travel underground simply by driving his car into one of the pods, one of the most advanced technologies to grace the twenty-second century. Then he wouldn’t have to be stuck on the road along with most people out there, or squeezed into the subway. Not that he was interested in the latter by any means. He avoided public transportation because, being who he was, he had a target on his back. There were people out there who would abduct him and demand a ransom.

Once he was done with everything he needed to do inside the bathroom, he went straight toward the walk-in closet to dress up properly and fix his hair before double-checking his reflection in the full-length mirror next to the entrance. He was admittedly rather vain about his appearance so he had to make sure not a single strand of hair was out of place before he strode briskly toward the elevator and got inside. He tapped his right foot impatiently against the tiled floor in the elevator as it descended.

“Here’s your suit jacket, Mr. Morris,” Harrison said the moment Jensen stepped out from the elevator on the forty-sixth floor.

“Is the car ready?” Jensen inquired as Harrison assisted him to put his suit jacket on.

“Yes, sir,” Harrison replied. “I’d already prepared your luggage for the Tokyo trip later this evening. It’s inside the trunk of the car. The members of the cleaning crew have already been informed that their services will be suspended for the next two weeks until you and Mr. Hawkins return from Tokyo.”

“Thank you, Harris. You’re the best.”

“You’re welcome, sir. I’m just doing my job.”

Jensen smiled at Harrison, but he didn’t utter a single word in response. Instead, he headed toward the main entrance to the penthouse. The door opened automatically, and he exited from his penthouse before heading straight toward his car, which was already waiting for him about three feet away. When the computerized system on the car detected his presence, he noticed the light on the camera scanning him from head to toe, including his retina. Then the door moved to the side on its own, allowing him entry. He stepped in and made his way deeper inside, occupying one of the large leather chairs before strapping himself securely with the seat belt. Harrison did the same next to him after keying in the destination the two of them would be going to into the computer at the front of the car.

“What do I need to know about this upcoming meeting?” Jensen inquired of Harrison as the car slowly maneuvered itself into the gigantic private elevator that was solely reserved for the personal use of the residents in the penthouse.

As expected, Harrison immediately took out a handheld tablet device as thin as a piece of paper, and passed it to him. He read through the concise yet detailed summary as the elevator descended quickly all the way down to the basement level. Then the car made its way toward the pod station, which was connected to the apartment building via a short underground tunnel. Jensen didn’t bother to look outside when the car abruptly came to a complete halt for a few seconds. He had made a similar trip many times before in the past. He knew that the scanner on the wall of the pod station was communicating with the one in his car, and it would ask for the payment required to use the pod. Since Jensen’s credit card information was already available inside the systems of all the cars he owned, he didn’t have to bother with it. The computers would do everything on their own, including the exchange of information with regards to the destination he and Harrison were heading to. He knew the transaction was completed when he heard the soft beep inside the car.

“Transaction approved. Thank you for using the Speedy Pod Transit. Good morning, and have a safe journey.”

Jensen ignored the robotic voice and focused his attention on the screen of the tablet in his hand instead. When he was done, he realized that his car was now the third in line for the next available pod. Fortunately, the two cars in front of him departed from the station in a matter of seconds, and it was now his turn. He observed as his car entered the pod. Once it reached the center, it was rendered completely motionless by the powerful magnetic field from the bottom of the pod. After that, the door to the pod shut tightly. The pod hovered in place for another few seconds before it zoomed away at the speed of five hundred miles per hour. Jensen knew he would make it to his meeting with plenty of time to spare. In the meantime, he had a brief discussion about the upcoming meeting with Harrison. It was just another Monday morning in his busy life. He was used to it. 2

“Stay still!” Milo shouted in Japanese as he pressed the thrashing man underneath him down onto the wet and muddy ground in the forest.