We met with Luke in his office. His space was just as cold and unwelcoming as Seb’s. However, whereas Seb’s office was all browns and mahogany, Luke liked to keep things darker. Everything in here was a shade of black or charcoal, accented with ostentatious displays of his wealth. There were contemporary art sculptures and paintings everywhere you looked, and his desk was made of black marble.
Luke was behind his desk, conversing with a man whom I assumed was Dr. Grey. Dr Grey was dressed in a nondescript black suit. It wasn’t flashy. Nothing about him stood out, and if I’d seen him in a crowd, I would have immediately forgotten about him.
He looked to be middle-aged, with hair that was turning silver at the sides. He was formal and confident in his demeanor, and his eyes held no warmth as he stood to greet us.
“Dr. Grey. This is my son, Sebastian, and my godson, Jay Reynolds. Son of the late Steven Reynolds.”
“Pleasure to meet you both,” Dr. Grey said, extending a hand to shake with us.
Sebastian had slipped into the professional mask he hid behind at work and gave the man a warm smile.
“Pleasure is ours, Doctor. We’re excited and honored to have you.”
I shook the man’s hand next and did my best to ignore the cool once-over he gave me.
“Doctor,” I said curtly, squeezing his warm, dry hand a little harder than necessary.
The man cocked his head, giving me a calculating look before smiling.
“Mr. Reynolds. Your work precedes you. We’re very interested in the memory manipulation research you’re conducting.”
I nodded, pulling my hand away from his and resisting the urge to wipe his touch away on my pants.
“Yes, Sebastian was just filling me in.”
“Let’s sit down,” Luke said, gesturing to a more conversational sitting area in the center of his office.
“Can I get you something to drink, Doctor?”
“No, thank you. I’m hoping to keep this meeting short. I’m needed back at HQ.”
“Of course.”
We all settled into the seating area. I chose a chair facing the door, feeling uneasy about this whole thing.
Luke’s lip curled as he watched me sprawl out, clearly unimpressed with my cavalier attitude. What he didn’t understand was that my relaxed demeanor was also a mask. People like Luke and this doctor tended to underestimate people like me.
But I was anything but calm. My mind was whizzing, and I missed nothing.
The doctor helped himself to a seat next to Sebastian on the uncomfortable-looking loveseat, and I catalogued the way he held himself straight, but open. He did not cross his legs or arms. He was attempting to appear unassuming and non-threatening, but there was a tightness to his shoulders that told me this was intentional and practiced. He was trying to make us all feel at ease in his presence.
Fat chance.
“Mr. Reynolds.”
“Jay, please,” I replied politely, and the man’s lip twitched.
“Jay, then. Luke tells me you’re working on a prototype that will allow the user to manipulate memories. Could you tell me a little bit more about that?”
I didn’t miss the fact that he didn’t ask me to forgo his title.
It was a power play. A slow, subtle flex of muscle, showing me who he thought was in charge of this conversation.
I sat very still, making sure my face didn’t give anything away.
“We’re in the very early stages of testing. It’s not clear yet whether or not this type of technology is even possible. Right now it’s more of a…hypothesis.”
Luke glowered at me, but I diligently ignored him, holding the doctor’s gaze without flinching.
