Blue is waiting on the couch, talking to someone on the phone, but the moment he sees me, he stands up. I catch thebrief, assessing look he gives me. I wonder if he also thinks I look better in a suit than in a T-shirt… Then again, it doesn’t matter. Our relationship isn’t the kind where I need to care about his opinion of my looks.
Soon we leave together and take the elevator down two floors.
Blue opens the door and says, "Hector, Ruben, please stay in the security room. I’m going with Gabriel."
Hector raises an eyebrow slightly. "Mr. Lowen, are you sure that’s wise?"
"Yes," Blue says, then presses the close button. Just like that.
Both bodyguards stay behind, looking a bit stunned.
So now I’m alone in the elevator with Blue.
"Wow, you really surprise me," I say. "For someone who’s survived twenty-three assassination attempts, you’re sending your bodyguards away to ride with a guy who was involved in one of them. That’s… a little quirky. Call me crazy, but it doesn’t make much sense."
A subtle smile appears on Blue’s face.
"I like thinking outside the box. That’s what my entire scientific career is built on. I think differently than most people. I look at things from unexpected angles. When I notice potential, I follow it, and I see it here."
He says all of this while still holding his tablet, tapping something on it with a stylus. His ability to split his attention is impressive.
We ride down toward the lobby, getting closer to the first floor. I deliberately focus on activating my ability. It takes effort, some level of concentration, but I decide to do it anyway. I don’t use it this way in everyday life, so it feels foreign.
My talent always activates on its own if tense or threatening situations are about to happen to me, but now I may need to be even more cautious.
Blue expects me to take this seriously, and maybe I actually do. Perhaps I really am approaching this job with full commitment? Well, at least I’m willing to try, even if just as a test.
"Where are we going?"
"Parking G, spot 3A."
I notice the elevator doesn’t stop at the first floor. It keeps going down.
We step out into a small underground parking garage.
I walk slightly ahead, scanning carefully, but nothing happens.
It’s a separate area, a private parking section for upper management. The exit is right by the building wall, with a guard booth nearby.
We approach a black limousine with a driver already inside, an older beta who tips his cap when he sees Blue.
"Good morning, Gerard," Blue says.
"Good morning, Mr. Lowen. Where are we headed today?"
"The AO Cultural Center."
"Of course."
We step into the limousine. The interior is sleek and understated, with leather seats along the sides facing each other. A subtle built-in minibar glows softly in the corner behind frosted glass. The floor is polished dark wood, and dim LED lighting runs along the edges of the ceiling, giving the cabin an elegant atmosphere. The windows are tinted, and everything about it feels almost intimate.
Blue sits down with his transparent tablet on his lap.
I have a general idea where the cultural center is, so I know the drive will take a little while.
Since I’m sitting across from him, I can watch him the entire time. I can’t stop marveling at how much younger he looks than his age. My internet security professor was around that age and looked like he could be Blue’s father. Mr. Lowen truly looks about twenty-five.
His skin is smooth, soft-looking, very youthful, as if his collagen production is still operating at peak levels.
