The Tech Reveal Party: Party Crashers

Sam and Velena were standing against a wall with cups of club soda. Sam's face lit up as he saw me approaching with Mom and Kimiko. Velena looked at us and grinned. I thought that she might be feeling self-conscious the way that she looked mom and Kimiko up and down.

"Hey John," Sam said with a giant smile.

"Hey Sam! Hi Miss Jackson!"

"Hi John. You're surrounded by lovely ladies again tonight," Velena said with a giggle. "I'm starting to think that you're a player."

"That's his mom," Sam whispered to her.

"Oh my God," Velena squealed as her cheeks darkened. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I never mind being called lovely," Mom said with a big smile.

"Velena Jackson, this is my mother, Thelma Walker."

"Thelma Walker? Wait, Thelma Walker of the Walker Protocols," Velena asked.

"What are the Walker Protocols?"

"It sounds like something that Rory came up with," Mom said.

"The Walker Protocols govern lab and project safety. They were created by your mother," Velena's eyes seemed to sparkle while she explained. "Every lab tech, scientist, project manager and department head receive a copy."

"You know," Sam started as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I never realized that the Thelma Walker was your mom."

"Imagine how I feel. All this time and I never knew that my mom was famous. It's amazing."

"You're hilarious," Mom said as she shook her head. "I don't know why Rory would put my name on it. It's just common sense."

"What did my father do now?"

Rich and Sarina walked up to join the group. Everyone laughed. Then Velena's eyes narrowed before getting bigger. Kimiko casually turned to look in the same direction as Velena while taking a sip of her drink.

"John, you should probably leave," Velena said.

"Trouble is heading this way," Kimiko said as she discreetly pointed behind me.

I turned to see what Velena and Kimiko saw. I subconsciously clicked my tongue as I saw the familiar face. Rich and Sarina glanced.

"Well fuck," Sarina said as her face darkened.

"Sarina... I've never heard you cuss before," Mom said before turning around. "Isn't that Yolanda?"

"Yep."

"Who is Yolanda," Rich asked out of curiosity.

"You remember that story about my stalker?"

"Yeah. Wait, is that her," Rich asked as he made the connection.

"Yeah. That's her," Sarina said.

"She is pretty."

Sarina slapped Rich's shoulder. Rich grabbed his shoulder with a pained look on his face. Everyone giggled for a moment before turning serious. She looked and our eyes met. She started towards us.

"You've been spotted now," Rich said.

"We can hide out in the lab," Sam suggested.

"No. She can come. She can't do anything in here in front of all these people. Besides, I won't let her have that kind of power."

"Well said. I'm proud of you," Mom said.

"Thank you. Besides I have you to protect me. You can beat her up."

"That's a no for me dawg. You have to take care of your own mess," Mom said before giving me a kiss on the cheek.

Yolanda bypassed several guests who wanted drinks to approach me. Her long cornrow braids stopped at the small of her back. Her server outfit was tighter than Kiyoko's and flaunted her curves. She had a brilliant white smile, but I knew the crazy that lurked behind it.

"Hi John. It's been awhile. I'm surprised that you're not here with that skank," Yolanda said as she glanced at Sarina.

"What skank are you talking about?"

"I think that she's talking about Sarina," Sam chimed in before Sarina glared at him.

"If you're referring to Sarina, then she's here with Richard Grayson."

"So, she's a gold digger too." Sarina started to move, but Mom stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Are you by yourself?"

"No."

Yolanda waited with an aggravated yet expectant look. I looked at her and sighed. Mom eased next to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. Kimiko placed her hand on the small of my back. Yolanda glared at her and gritted her teeth.

"I brought my mom and I'm with friends. Since I don't think anyone needs anything, can you please excuse us?"

I half turned towards the others, but kept an eye on Yolanda. Sarina glared daggers at Yolanda. Velena moved closer towards Sam. Kimiko took another sip of her drink and waved Yolanda away with a finger.

"You don't have to be mean to me. It's your fault for making me love you. But these foreign bitches keep getting in the way," Yolanda screamed as she looked between Kimiko and Sarina.

Yolanda stormed off as many people watched her and looked at us. Rich's face had turned crimson. I sighed and rolled my eyes. Kimiko looked across the room and locked eyes with Kiyoko. Kiyoko nodded and disappeared into the crowd.

"We need to take care of your stalker," Kimiko said.

"How did you know she's a stalker," Velena asked.

"It's obvious. She looks like a psycho stalker type."

Mom leaned close and whispered, "I like her. She's still probably trouble, but I like her."

I noticed Kiyoko talking to Meredith and a guy who looked like he was in charge of the servers. Meredith had her mean look on as she talked to the man. He nodded repeatedly before saying something to Kiyoko. Kiyoko nodded before heading towards Yolanda.

"I don't think that we will have to worry about her again tonight."

"Doesn't look like it," Rich said as he watched the scene too.

"Good," Sarina said as she smiled.

"I think your father is ready to start," Sam said.

Rich looked towards the stage. Rory motioned for him as he moved towards the stage. Meredith was walking behind Rory with a smile. Rich gave Sarina an apologetic look, but she patted his arm and nodded.

Rory walked onto the stage with a big smile and waved like a conquering hero. He slapped Rich on the shoulder and nodded at Meredith. The crowd cheered and Rory worked them like a master.

"Mr. Grayson is really hamming it up," Sam said.

"Yep."

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Grayson Industries. Tonight I would like to unveil the future of sustainable energy and the key to new worlds," Mr. Grayson said while making grand gestures with his hands.

I noticed that Yolanda had been corralled by Kiyoko and was talking with the supervisor. They looked like they were going to get heated. I saw some of the security detail slowly moving towards them.

"Rory still loves the sound of his own voice," Mom said in a hushed tone.

We all laughed quietly at Mom's observation. Mr. Grayson continued with his speech. He motioned towards Rich and Rich waved.

"I discovered this crystal years ago with my wife on vacation in South America," Rory paused at the mention of his late wife with moist eyes. "It has taken many years to safely unlock its power. With this crystal the world's energy crisis will come to an end."

There was a lot of clapping. Mr. Grayson waited for the applause to die down. Meredith was clapping, but I noticed that she was scowling. Following her gaze, I noticed what had her attention. Yolanda was resisting the security guards.

"Here we go," Mr. Grayson said before the power went out.

There were a few screams from those who hadn't been paying attention to the exhibition. There was the sound of breaking glass followed by a purple glow as Mr. Grayson removed the cover from the crystal machine. The power immediately came back on.

The scene was shocking. There were armed people wearing tactical gear and masks scattered around the room. I eased Mom and Kimiko behind me as I scanned the area. There were 20 attackers and most of the security detail had been neutralized.

"What's going on," Velena asked as she trembled.

"Trouble," I replied as I continued to assess the situation.

The leader of the group was on stage near Mr. Grayson. She motioned for a pair of her men to suppress the Graysons and Meredith. I recognized the gestures and realized that these people were military or ex-military. This situation was precarious especially if these guys had evil intentions.

"What do you want," Mr. Grayson demanded.

"Dad," Rich pleaded.

"No talking and no heroes," the leader said in a digitized voice.

She stepped towards Mr. Grayson and punched him in the gut. He doubled over holding his stomach. Rich tried to move towards him, but a gun in his face stopped him. Meredith raised her hands and didn't move.

"Everyone line up on that side of the room," the leader said. "We're going to collect your cellphones and valuables. If you behave, then you will leave here unharmed."

People slowly moved towards the specified area. A couple of guys headed towards us with bags. I noticed that I wasn't the only one who was playing it cool. Kimiko slipped out of her heels. Kenji and his mom were also rather calm. I noticed that Sam was looking down and whispering.

"Get up bitch," the leader said to Rory.

Rory stood up with a defiant gleam in his eye and straightened his suit jacket. Rich had unbuttoned his coat and was standing with his hands clutched together in front of his groin. Meredith looked nervous but her demeanor was calm. I was expecting Rory to do something. He wasn't one for being embarrassed or handled any kind of way.

"We'll be taking your fancy crystal too," the leader said while motioning for Rory to go to the machine.

"You're welcome to try, but I would advise against that. There's enough power there to vaporize you," Rory said.

"Turn it off."

"No," Rory replied.

The leader looked at one of her men on stage. He nodded then slammed the butt of his rifle into Rich's face. Rich stumbled back clutching his nose. The man forced him towards the leader. The leader put her pistol to the back of Rich's head.

"Let's try this again. Turn it off," the digitized voice said. "Or you'll be wearing your son's brain for a necktie."

"I can't," Rory said.

The leader tilted her head. She narrowed her eyes momentarily. She cocked the hammer back on her pistol.

"Wait! I can't turn it off. I don't have the access code or the key."

"Who does? Obviously you would have them nearby in case something went wrong."

Mr. Grayson sighed before saying, "Mr. Wilson and Ms. Jackson."

Velena's eyes grew large. Sam silently cursed under his breath. I noticed his watch before he pulled his sleeve down. Apparently, he was coordinating the security cameras and systems. He looked at me and mouthed the words "be ready".

The leader motioned for one of her subordinates to escort Velena and Sam to the stage. Velena was shaking as she walked. Sam placed a hand on her shoulder and it seemed to comfort her. She placed her hand over his and gave it a little squeeze.

"Shut it down," the leader's digitized voice commanded

Velena and Sam looked at Mr. Grayson. He nodded his approval. Velena approached the machine and stood in front of the console. She entered the code and the machine beeped. She stepped away from the machine.

"Don't try anything funny," the leader said as Sam stepped to the machine.

Sam nodded. He slowly inserted the key into the slot and turned it. He stepped back beside Velena. Rory moved towards the machine and looked at the leader. She nodded at him while pressing the barrel of her pistol into the back of Rich's head.

Just as Rory is about to turn the machine off, the doors burst open and Yolanda rushes in. Her crazed eyes lock onto Sarina as she is dropping her phone in the bag. Yolanda sprinted forward with a knife.

"I'm gonna kill you, bitch," Yolanda shouted.