Chapter 10

Grumpy has just finished writing his last will and testament. It is a rather important document that takes more than one iteration to get finalized, yet he is able to do it in just one sitting. It only contained a few items – his bank account, personal laptop, external hard disc, and other specific instructions.

His phone rings as he is printing his will. It is a call he has been waiting for, so he answered it without even looking at the name on the screen.

“Sun?” he said immediately without any salutation.

“I'm sorry, my name is not Sun.”

“Sun! Is this you? Stop playing!”

“Easy Grumpy. It's me – your Snobby.”

“I'm coming home tonight, Sun,” said Dr. Helman sounding like being chased.

“Yey! But you haven't called me Snobby yet.”

“SUN! WILL YOU GET SERIOUS!”

“No need to shout. I'm just being sweet.”

“There's no time to play, Sun.”

“You sound scared Grumpy. What is going on?”

“I just wrote my will,” answered Exeter. At this, Sun playfulness disappears.

“What? Your will?”

“Yes. I'll explain everything later.”

“What is going on, Exeter?”

“I’ll send it to our family lawyer. He’ll know what to do next.”

“You didn't answer my question. What is going on? Why did you write your will this sudden?”

“Our boss made a mistake, Snobby – a grave mistake. He did something wrong with our project, and it cannot be corrected.”

“What do you mean? What does it have to do with you writing your last will?”

“I have to go now. I'll tell you everything when I get home.”

“Wait! Exeter!”

“Go to my house. I’ll meet you there with mom and dad. I love you, Sun.”

“Why haven’t you answered my questions?”

Someone taps Exeter in the back – Dr. Neenga. “The backups are done. Seb wants us in his office.” Dr. Helman nods in return.

“I have to go now, Snobby. I’ll see you later.”

“Wait! Grum…”

The line was terminated before Sun can finish what he is saying. He drops his phone on the front passenger seat as he asks different questions to himself: “What did Exeter mean by their boss committing a mistake?”; “Why can’t those mistakes be corrected?”; “What is his will for?” As he drives off to his Grumpy’s house, he can’t help but be curious and confused at the same time.

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“The backups have been completed, Seb,” said Doc P after entering their boss’ office.

“Have you got your copy already?”

“Yes,” answered Dr. Helman. Doc P nodded as well.

“This is what we’ll do,” said Dr. Seb after putting the last pieces of his things in a box. “I’ll initiate the destruct actions for the servers. That’ll literally fry them for good without any chance of someone recovering anything.”

“Isn’t that dangerous, Seb? That’ll cause an electrical surge throughout the entire building,” said Dr. Helman.

“That is exactly what I am looking for: the surge will cause the temperature to rise significantly. Once that happens, they will evacuate the entire building as a precaution. This is a great chance for us to escape the building sneakily.

“What then after that?” asked Doc P.

“We may not see each other again, Exeter, Pat. In fact, we may also not be able to talk to each other unless the mafia has been completely dismantled.”

“So, this is what it has come down to,” said Exeter who cannot accept it but must.

“Seb, your phone is still on the desk,” said Doc P, deviating from the current conversation.

“It’s bugged. It can track me anywhere, anytime even if it is off.”

Drs. Helman and Neenga are silent. They can only imagine how to live with someone else knowing where you are all the time.

“Are you done? Do you have what you need? I’ll start the destruct procedure now,” said Dr. Yankhun.

“I am,” Dr. Neenga replied.

“Me too,” said Dr. Helman as well.

Dr. Seb, then, faces his computer and starts typing something to it. Afterwards, he said, “Okay, the timer is running. Make sure you have all the files you need: you have less than two minutes to do it.”

He gets no answer from the other two: silence means yes after all. They all sit in silence as they wait for the two minutes to expire.

“Why did you do it?” said Exeter. He is not convinced with what Dr. Yankhun answered earlier.

Dr. Seb looks at Exeter, collecting his thoughts. “Prestige, Exeter. Aside from the funding, everything else is for the prestige. Imagine if we were funded properly, Demeter would literally change the world with us leading that charge. But, in return for those funds and honor is a sword that would cut my hand no matter which part of it I hold – even the hilt,” replied Sebastian.

“Despite coming down to this, I know one thing,” said Dr. Neenga, “It is an honor working with a scientist as talented in this field as you, Dr. Yankhun.” He stands up and extends a hand to Dr. Seb.

“Thank you Patrick. It is of equal pleasure working with you as well,” said Dr. Seb back, standing and shaking Doc P’s hand.

“Dr. Helman, it’s a pleasure working with you too,” said Doc P to Exeter, extending his hand. Exeter shakes it without hesitation.

“The pleasure is all mine, Doc P,” replied Exeter. After that, he turns to his boss to shake his hand, which Dr. Yankhun takes.

“If ever we survive this, Seb – if we are to get a second chance – I hope you would change,” said Dr. Helman.

“That is duly noted, Doctor Helman. It’s funny how one learns his lesson the hard way.”

The sound of an alarm disrupts them, and together with it, a woman’s voice echoes throughout the building.

“FIRE ALARM. A POWER SURGE HAS BEEN DETECTED. VACATE THE BUILDING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.”

“It seems that the two minutes is up,” said Doc P.

“The power surge is starting. Fire will break out once the equipments and batteries overload,” replied Dr. Seb.

“Did you set this up, Seb? The destruct thing you said earlier?” asked Dr. Helman.

“Yes, I did. I thought of this as a last resort in case we are compromised.”

A security personnel knocks at the door.

“You two act cool,” said Dr. Seb. He goes to the door to answer it.

“Yes, officer?”

“A fire has broken out of the Server Room, Dr. Yankhun. We need you and your colleagues to leave now.”

“Okay. Right away. Thank you,” said Dr. Seb, dismissing the officer.

“We have to go now,” said Dr. Seb to the two after the security officer left.

“Seb, the destruct sequence you just did, it won’t cause this entire facility to explode, will it?” asked Dr. Neenga.

“No. It will only overload the servers and power supplies enough to set them afire. Once done, the destruct sequence terminates on its own. Now that the Server Room has been lighted up, the sequence should have been terminated by now.”

This explanation offered a sort of relief, as they do not want their building reduced to rubble.

“Let’s go,” commanded Dr. Seb.

“Can I hitch a ride with you, Seb?” asked Dr. Helman.

“Yes, but I cannot take you to your house.”

“That is okay. I’ll get off at the marketplace in the city; I’ll ride the train from there.”

“Okay. And you Patrick?”

“My car is downstairs.”

They make their way to the service elevator, which Dr. Seb has access to. It is used especially when there is a machine to be transported to their lab, or when Dr. Seb is just in a hurry and does not want to stop at any other floors.

They alight at the basement floor. Despite the predicament they are facing, Dr. Seb is confident they have escaped safely. He has dropped earlier in his office his last card to play: it is charging on his table.