Prologue (2)

Edward and I shook hands and continued our way down the subtle trail through the grass. "We usually don't have such a...for a lack of a better word... 'specific' location." He casually shifted his head towards me and went on, "But because of your invention things had to take a turn!"

I breathed in for a moment, "So, you're saying that no one besides the company that the RG group has invited is present?"

"Yeah! That's basically what I said right? No one can reach this place; it's completely secure. The nearest town or gas station for that matter is exactly forty-six miles away; I personally checked!"

"That's nice," I managed to mumble. We continued to forge our way through the towering grass until we laid eyes on a single rock. The rock wasn't big or small; it was just average. And I think that was the whole point. Edward seemed to know what to do as soon as he saw it. It was the type of thing from the movies, where something might look inconspicuous unless you know what you're looking for.

"Grey, wait here for a moment will ya?" Edward pulled out a five-inch piece of metal which coated in what seemed to be a reddish tinge. He then punched a couple of buttons that made beeping noises. He punched in six numbers or letters to be exact. After he punched in all the numbers, we stood at the pinkish granite rock and waited.

"You sure you got all the numbers?" I asked. I was a little unconvinced about this whole secretive meeting thing at this point. It might as well be an elaborate plan to drag me into the middle of nowhere and shoot me in the head.

"I did. It just takes some time for the dude on the other side to MOVE HIS *SS!" His voice changed from a loud whisper to a yell filled with annoyance.

Just as soon as he completed his sentence, a static voice came into our ears, "Yeah, yeah, shut the hell up Ed! You wouldn't be so enthusiastic to open a damn door if you had to open the same one for sixteen years!" With that, the pinkish rock began to tremble and the golden grass that was behind it began to sway to opposite ends. In the end, the grass left a V-shaped 'door' way.

"That geezer!" Edward's eyebrows were furrowed very seriously, but then he relaxed and faced me. "Grey, step in through the grass and stay behind me. You still aren't completely safe."

"Sure," I responded. I let him get in front of me, and I followed him staying close to his back. We made six turns to the right, 2 turns to the left, and then one to the right followed by one to the left. Finally, Edward halted and took out his hunk of metal again. He punched in eight digits this time. This whole time we seemed to be traveling through a tunnel made of the tall grass that we had seen from the outside. The walls that we walked past were made of grass and the ceiling was some type of tree or leaves; they may very well be artificial. The place where Edward waited was a room made from the same grass, but the ceiling was nonexistent. Or it could be a transparent glass. We stared at the wall of grass for a solid minute before it made a large rustling sound. Edward walked closer to the wall and used his hands to separate the barrier into two.

"Come on in!" He pointed into the passageway, and I went with his guidance. The passageway this time around was much grander. The walls and floor were made of black and white marble. The ceiling was a transparent dome showcasing the stars in full glory. Right below the dome hanged chandeliers every nine-feet. The chandeliers seemed to contain over a thousand individual lights that flickered like candles. It brought a... warm feeling, for a lack of a better way to describe it. Edward tramped across the way and urged me to hurry up. He insisted that we were already a couple of hours late, and the investors would disregard the product. I picked up my pace. Maybe about five minutes of speed-walking, he finally slowed down and transitioned into an elegant stride. We were probably really close. I did the same except with a lot less grace. Suddenly, Edward stopped. He pointed at two humongous doors and then pointed at me, "Grey, listen to me," he whispered, "behind these doors is your one and only chance of making history. So, I don't want you to screw up. Okay?"

We interlocked gazes, "Ok." He nodded his head in an approving manner and slowly knocked on the door seven times. The fifty-foot, wooden, twin doors opened without a sound. As the opened I straightened my own tie and patted down my suit to make it look more... professional. I mean I didn't really know what to do, so I tried to improvise. When the doors went their separate ways, Edward strutted into the opening and made a loud sound. *Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

"Ladies and gentlemen, kings and queens, I am very honored to introduce to you the one and only Micheal Grey!!!" Everyone's eyes shifted to Edward and then to the door behind him. "Ahem... psst… Grey that's your cue!" I felt nervous, and my palms started to sweat. My head began to spin, and I'm pretty sure I didn't look as good because Edward started to walk closer. "Micheal are you okay?"

I stared at him with my pleading eyes, "I... I just feel a little queasy that's all."

He smiled a bit, "You're nervous! I didn't know geniuses get nervous!" He bent to meet me in the eyes, "It's okay! You got this. I mean you're the one that made this happen, and you are the man of the hour! Get out there and blow them away!"

I looked at him again, "Ok." I stood up from my knees, and I made myself step into the spotlight. All the eyes that wandered off a moment ago quickly refocused on me. My eyes swept across the entire hall. I was in a large auditorium filled with the top one percent of this world. Royalty, Crime Organizations, Multi-billion dollar heirs, all looking down on me from their expensive seats laced with gold and velvet. I looked back up at them, meeting their gaze. All of them flashed a smile showing off their perfect pearls and started to applaud. There were thousands of them. I retracted my eyes to look at the stage, where I would be pitching my idea- my reality. There were two ginormous screens, which I presumed were the screens in which my face would appear live. The stage itself was slightly elevated and had a glowing appearance. There were no tables or chairs or anything to rest me upon. They wanted me to present and leave; that much was obvious. One thing that did draw my attention was my picture on the walls. There were two of them in identical positions but on different walls facing the audience; however, they showcased a man twenty years younger than I was. I looked at myself in those pictures. How long has it been?

In the picture, I had a handsome face. Light brown hair, neatly shaven face, piercing green eyes, a sharp nose, light brown skin. Everything except the eyes and the skin, I had lost. My hair now was white and unkempt, my face had a scruffy beard and cuts in the places where I shaved, my nose was crooked, and my body had lost its once great presence. My name itself has lost its value in the scientific community. But, today was my chance to get it all back. One way or another.

I gathered myself and slowly made my way towards the stage. The blinding lights were in my eyes, and my head was pouring with sweat. I climbed onto the stage and looked my clients in the eye. "Hello everyone."