Between the Door and the Elevator

Ethan White could see some flashy words on the widescreen on his front, the words "White Artificial Intelligence" standing out from the other words. He guessed that this AI was not only in charge of the elevator, but also the entire building. Probably, it even helped the workers in their jobs.

He was reminded of a time a dozen years ago when his parents were working on the Lunar Project. The Lunar Project consisted of going to the Moon with the objective of mining the resources of the satellite. It was an ambitious aim of the White Home S.A.

The project was divided into several parts: Earth, the flight, and the mining. To be able to take off of Earth, a rocket was needed, but not only a normal one.

It had to be cheap to produce and maintain, while also being safe enough for the workers to use. The company spent billions researching a rocket with these specifications, but after getting the blueprint, they found out another problem. The company had to research another rocket to be able to transport the minerals and the machinery.

The research took years to be done, heading to the second part of the project: the flight. The rockets needed to do weekly trips at a steady speed with the possibility of heavy load. This also included the taking off and the landing.

The rocket was equipped with top-notch technology, to control the rocket's state and also in charge of piloting the spacecraft. Ethan White only knew some details about this because he was little when the project started, but he remembered how busy and stressful his parents were at that time.

He had the slight suspicion that the White Artificial Intelligence was developed during these times to aid with the research, construction, and maintenance of the rocket, while also piloting the spaceship.

Lastly, Ethan White did not have much information about the mining. He only knew that a lot of flights failed until they were able to accomplish steady trips from Earth to the Moon and vice versa. He also knew that prior to the mining, many probes were needed to analyze the Moon crust and find the deposits of minerals.

"We have arrived at Loren White's Office." After thirty seconds, the elevator stopped moving, reaching its destination.

Ethan White took a mouthful of air, looking at the reflection of himself in the mirrors who were surrounding him from every side. When he found himself to be ready, he called for the White Artificial Intelligence to open the elevator's doors.

He felt weird about the elevator's doors not opening when the floor was reached, finding the AI to be smarter than he thought. Ethan White did not know how the White AI knew that he was not ready to go out of the elevator, but he was feeling thankful inside. Giving his thanks to the AI, he left the elevator, arriving in a large corridor.

There were a lot of doors in the corridor, but Ethan White was only focused on the double doors in front of him. A big golden plaque was placed above the doors with the words "Chairwoman Loren White" in black.

'Would I wait here to be called? Mum was told by the White AI about me coming… Maybe I would knock at the door… But what if knocking on the door interrupts her work and she gets annoyed at me?' For a moment, Ethan White doubted his course of action. He did not think previously about what to do when he would have arrived here. After all, he did not even give a call to her mother to tell her that he was coming today.

Ethan White got a call some days ago about his mother getting another Heart Core. Supposedly it belonged to a Russian Ascended who died in the war. Since the time he heard the voice of a human with Alzheimer's, he got suspicious about the coincidence; it happened only after absorbing a Heart Core.

He started to worry about getting a Golden Being's mind inside his head, harassing him until provoking his death. Therefore, he wanted to know from where the Heart Cores were taken in an attempt to live longer.

After getting his mother's call, Ethan White wanted to go to the company right away, but he was aware things were not going to be as easy as before. His mum was probably wondering what was the reason he needed a Heart Core, and he spent these days thinking of an excuse to no avail.

Ethan White could not tell his mother about the method to absorb Heart Cores because it also involved his master and his special body, but he still could not think of any good excuse to tell her. However, he prepared a small one, unsure about if it could work with his mother.

While Ethan White was unsure about what to do, the double doors in front of him got open, a petite man welcoming his sight. Ethan White remembered this man as his mum's secretary.

"Hello! Please, this way. Your mother is waiting for you." The small man greeted Ethan White with the utmost respect the son of the chairpersons deserved.

Ethan White entered into what looked like a typical office, except every piece of furniture in the room was very detailed, obviously expensive. A big and extravagant desk with golden details was placed in the front, with an elegant and comfortable chair being occupied by a middle-aged woman.

A small desk with a chair was placed on the side, Ethan White guessing it was the desk for the secretary. It did not have many details, but it still was costly. He knew that his mother cared much for the guest's impressions. After all, her office showed off how much money the company had, attracting more investors.

"Oh? Hello my little, how is going the school?" Loren White said, Ethan White's mother, after gazing at him briefly. She seemed to be so busy that she could not stop for a moment, even if it was to greet her only son.