The Crash Landing Part-2

"Hello?"

"Marhabban, Miss Bennett? Remember me?"

"Sheikh Zayd?"

"Good guess, I heard the news, my wife Emilia and I are quite devastated about the allegations."

"That's very kind of you, Sir. Please convey my thanks to Sheikha as well."

"My team also looked into the matter and I want to extend you a favor. Let me be your benefactor, Miss Bennett, you are a young brilliant scientist, and we have been keeping an eye on someone like you. That is why I called you personally to sweep you off from Wall Street."

"Thank you, Sir, but I am not sure."

"You can take your time to decide, let me help you with the legal fees and everything you cannot let this drag you down. I have seen the potential you are capable of."

"I appreciate your kind gesture, thank you so much."

"When you need something, you can call this number of my manager."

We soon head out to the FBI quarters.

"I will wait for you outside okay? Take care of her Mr. Jones. You sure you can walk? I have your wheelchair in the car."

'Yeah Xavi, I can manage. Thank you. I am really fine, I can handle it."

"I know. I will go get us some good takeouts alright?"

"Okay. Bye" I hug him

"You can tao your fingers on the table or the armchair if you are uncomfortable with any question, you can Plead the fifth amendment. You don't have to answer to anything if you don't want to."

"Okay. Thank you, Mr. Jones, for doing this."

Mr. Jones and I enter the room.

"We were not informed of your accident, Miss Bennett. Sorry to bring you here." The room is slightly dark with a center bulb and a glass pane, obviously with a CCTV too.

"Doesn't matter Officer."

"I am Special Agent Garcia, this is my partner Special Agent Sanchez. First, state your name and occupation just for the record."

"Cassiopeia J. Bennett, I used to be a Creator and developer, GreyX Tech ltd. IT/Mechanics team for the ATLAS project."

"That's a mouthful huh? Now we looked into your record, and we were surprised. Very interesting, right Sanchez?"

"Yes, Absolutely now again, can you confirm that you were recently engaged to Mr. Grey, your former boss and CEO of Grey Enterprises?"

"Yes," I reply, the pain in my head getting worse.

'It says here you were put into foster care when you were about 11 years old after the court orders of child negligence and abuse by your mother?"

"Yes, in her defense, she was schizophrenic, and she was sent to rehab after the accident."

"Oh, we have different definitions of an accident, Miss Bennett." When you were taken to the police at the age of 14, you showed no remorse for your action and showed signs of mental instability."

The detective read it out loud from the paper.

"That's way out of line, what that has to do with anything with my client in this case?"

"Mr. Jones, we have seen it all before. Corporate espionage is usually done by someone who is closest to the owner. In this case, it was a rather careful and orchestrated one just to get more profits, and securing more capital ventures for future projects that Miss Bennett may create. Now that is very cunning." Sanchez unfolded the paperwork with more shreds of evidence against me.

"Look let's drop the act, if you come straight, we can negotiate a deal."

"Negotiate really? The last time I was here I was told the very same thing."

I laugh.

I keep laughing.

I try to stop. I bite my teeth shut, but I just cannot stop.

"Miss Bennett, is this all funny to you?"

I continue to laugh like a clown in a circus.

I almost choke, I gasp for air as Mr. Jones hands me the bottle of water. He soothes my back.

"I do find it funny and sad."

"What? Miss Bennett! Are you stating you are not of a sound mind?"

The FBI Asshole in a suit Sanchez no.2 asks me.

"It is raining outside. "

"Excuse me what?"

Maybe you are not of sound mind after all.

"It's raining outside, and I did not bring an umbrella."

" Let me remind you that I have an IQ that is equivalent to both of your IQs combined."

"Miss Bennett is agitated, hence she laughed, she is not mentally unstable. It is a medical condition. Pseudobulbar affection. The accident you just mentioned was the cause of it."

Mr. Jones extended a paper with my medical condition revealed in ink.

"As per the schizophrenia mentioned by you, this paper reveals that Miss Bennett is beyond Ordinary. She is a promising scientist."

The assholes remain quiet as I look out the windows.

The pain in my leg and my head has subdued me because of my heart. Nothing compares to this.

"Okay Miss Bennett, let me ask you a simple question, did you share the intellectual property of Grey enterprises that is the details of the new software 'ATLAS' to another rival company or not?"

"I did not steal anything. I did not share anything.

I did not commit any corporate espionage. You may ask me that a thousand times and my answer would still be the same. I did not steal from Mr. Grey."

I look at Detective Garcia. "You're his friend right? You tell him -that I am going to claim all my intellectual property back. I will prove it myself that I don't need anyone."

"Not if we arrest you, we have tons of evidence after all who else can access Mr. Grey's personal computer and do this sort of technical steal other than his MIT graduate girlfriend, who also lived in his house for six months?"

"You think I stole my software, and not only stupidly stole only 30% of the program and sold it for 30 million dollars? That's just an insult to my intelligence and cunningness, as you have mentioned earlier."

"We are asking the questions, but if you want to explain, go on."

"Jeez thanks, Detective Garcia. Sadly, I don't trust you to share any information. After already think I am a genius gold digger who stole from your friend. You are biased and prejudiced based on my record. Let me guess he was your boss?"

"What? Who, are you talking about Special Agent Hank Smith?"

Sanchez curiously opened that case file.

"Here's a penny for your thought, your former boss was not a Catholic following law-abiding citizen, I know exactly what he did that summer. I was right there."

Garcia stands up feeling threatened, the fat asshole is sweating.

"Feels horrible, isn't it? You don't know anything about the man you worked with. That's how I feel right now. If you play nice, I will not go to the courts and not cause a hailstorm, since you already tried to connect this case with my last one. That was a petty mistake and has nothing to do with me now."

I clap back at them. I will not let them win this time.

"Garcia, why don't you sit this one out? Get some air."

He left the room and I sipped my water.

"Look, I am sorry about Garcia, he is under the edge, and I promise to be fair, can you explain about Special Agent Hank Smith?" I don't want to disclose anything, but he is facing several allegations of drug abuse."

"I have trusted someone before with that information, and it was swept under the rug. No, I can't help you. I will be going to the court and settle this between me and Mr Grey."

"Yes, but this whole thing jeopardized GreyX property, which was ATLAS. A lot of losses followed this scandal."

"Mr. Jones, please tell him that GreyX does not have the rights to the name ATLAS, and as for the losses, I will be offering a check to Mr. Grey personally. In return, I have prepared to take all my intellectual property, that is the coding system and the product designs, anything that came out of my mind for GreyX will be owned by me only."

"Show me the reparation costs whatever it is, I will settle it with Miss Bennett's benefactor."

"She has a benefactor? Who?"

"None of your business."

Mr. Jones passed on his visiting card.

I grab my crutch and leave the room.

I hold onto my tears and keep going.

It serves me right.

Fuck them. I will prove them wrong!! I just have to focus on my anger.

"Mr. Jones, thank you so much, and I need you to meet up with his lawyers now and see what they have and I need my work laptop back from them."

"Don't worry you will get it back. I promise."

"Mr. Jones, do you think I can win this thing?"

"Cassie, I don't want to give you hope but after your analysis and comparison, I know for a fact we can win this. Plus you have a royal as a backup."

I laughed

"Sheikh Zayd is a private man, but when I kept insisting on showing him my project, he was kinda impressed and almost hired me even."

"But why didn't you?"

"Fate? Sheikh Zayd was very nice, but the work involved in Saudi Arab and Mr. Grey impressed me with his reasoning."

"Really? How?"

"He guessed that I had a personal attachment to this program, and he made me believe that he will make sure everyone can access this program for free in schools, universities, and he would personally help in spreading awareness, and his friends at Harvard would do the very same. I swooned easily at that because he was right this program means so much more to me than just mere millions."

"I see. We will make it happen one way or another okay?"

"Thank you, Mr. Jones."

"Hey kiddo, you should call me Uncle Craig since you call Helen Auntie."

I smiled weakly as Xavier pulled upfront along with Ashley, she rushed in and hugged me, and I almost broke down.

"You must be hungry, let's get you back at the hospital okay? We got some Thai food, your favorite!"

"Yummy." They were gauging my reaction. Ashley supports my body and helps me with my crutch.

Ideas form in my mind.

I slept for hours straight. I feel disoriented almost. My heart is racing. I remembered his face that Sunday morning, he was going away farther

I jolt awake, I am alone in my suite.

I grab my work laptop, which thankfully Mr. Jones retrieved back.

My head hurts badly, but I need to go on. I check if something is missing. I run the program several times and check again on the coding and prototype.

The features are working fine on the iOS and Android versions, as well as the Windows system too.

Gosh, I was so close to release them to the world.

Cece!!

Stop it dufus I am busy!

Cece, I am stuck!

No, you're not!

Okay fine. You figure this one out!!

Okay, let me see. It's an audio question quiz.

This is not working, it's broken, this is the third one!

Calm down, I will bring my toolkit, and we can fix it okay?

Thanks!! I know you will always fix it for me!!

"Morning! How are we feeling today?"

"Much better Doctor."

"Your scans look fine, I want you to follow a strict diet and couple of exercises for your leg, we will limit your pain medication to one dose a day and so if it gets too painful contact me or Dr. Susanne Millers from Park hospital in Boston. she used to be my colleague and she knows your charts well okay?"

"Thank you. So I can leave now right?"

"Yes, and I see you keep using your crutch, use the wheelchair, you should not put pressure on your right leg, it needs time to heal, alright?"

"Yes, I will keep that in mind."

'Okay, so I am signing you off now."

"Yay, okay let's go back to the hotel and have a nice lunch yes?"

Ash beamed at me. Xavier ruffled his black hair as if he is relieved.

"Yes, but I need to discuss something with you guys and Craig of course."

"Hey, let's first get you out of here okay? And you are stinking a bit idiot!" Ashley made up a face and I laughed, so silly.

"No, I am not! But let's go I am not fond of this place either."

In the afternoon, I realized it's Friday. After such a tumultuous week, the time has no meaning for me anymore. Just a blur of moments, I guess.

You must think I am stupid, right? ... How about I control the narrative this time, no one else but me, not those idiots in their suits in glass buildings, but Me, a girl from nowhere?

"Guys?"

"Yeah?" Ashley and Xaviers asked in unison.

"Do you have something in mind Cassie?" Craig asked as we sip coffee in the living room in our hotel suite.

"I am want to finish what I started two years ago, I made the program and it deserves to be out there right now. I am not scared about anything anymore I just want to release the program myself free of cost as it was always supposed to be."

"Are you sure? What if you get sued by InfiniteTech again?"

"So what? I have got nothing to lose, I am going to borrow some funds from the Sheikh and once this is all over and my program creates a storm in the market trust me I will have enough money to pay him back and cover any other extra-legal fees. Look I am not saying this out of fantasy, the projections were estimated by the finance team at Grey Enterprises. They are the best analysts in all of the US. I don't want to regret it later. I have to fight this."

They all studied the projections and profit estimations document.

"Wow Cassie, this is very impressive. I did not know you had so much up to your sleeve!"

Ash was stunned at the figures estimated in those documents.

"Craig, do you think if I hire some ethical hackers and let's say I find the actual culprit, maybe you and I can go to Infinite Tech and threaten to expose them or file a plagiarism and defamation lawsuit against them?"

"I have to look into the details, but so far I can say it is plausible."

"Ash? Xavi? What do you think?"

"You're right Cassie you deserve to set this straight, you know we would be there for you."

I start to cry at their sweet gesture.

"I am so lucky to have you, I am so sorry for everything!!"

"Hey hey hey! You did nothing wrong! They are all just cruel and stupid enough to believe someone like you to do such a thing! They don't deserve you here! HE does not deserve you! Do you understand me? You are smart and compassionate, and YOU are so brave and beautiful Cassie, after all these years, you still managed to achieve this much ALL ON YOUR OWN! Half of these so-called billionaires got their silver spoons at birth, inheritance money, and straight to ivy leagues with donations, Cassie, I know their world, you did it all yourself, scholarships, part times jobs, and this program too! We can do this together like always right?"

I nod and hug her tight, and her strawberry shampoo felt like home, she is more than like a sister to me. I pick up my spirit and explain to them my game plan. I just have to hold onto my anger and be smart.

We began working on the first part of the plan, Find the thief/mole in Grey Enterprises. Secondly, I contacted my 3 of my classmates back at MIT for ethical hacking, they can get a quick authorization so I provided them a list of employees involved in and around the GreyX tech team. They were at least 32 employees on my office floor. To get the results they would do a sweep through their computers and see if they can find any traces of my work in those 32 computers, including Mr. Grey's computer.

We continuously worked for 2 days to make it work. Finally, I received the call from Sally Fox, she was my classmate.

"Hey? So did you find anything?"

"Yeah damn, right we did find shit tons. God what idiots they were trying to pull here, seriously you did a great job creating your program in a multi-faceted way. You were right about the surface level steal though like they could not get past your firewall and just scratched the surface, My god it's infuriating Cassie!"

"I know, so you have it all?"

"Yep, there were traces of another system in Mr. Grey's computer and we decoded it to search history and search and we are sure that it's employee number 23.. it's Chloe Hawethorn."