THE SEARCH

After that meeting it was diffcult to know if i was even making the right choices anymore.Before all of these crazy events of my life i was always sure of majority of the things I did.Since i was focused on one goal along the way i did not even realize that i had unexpectedly dragged in someone people who i used to accomplish all my tasks. but this time it felt like now i had to consider them.I could not continue to use them blindly.I sat at my chair and i tried to collect all my thoughts but it all went haywire.

It was hard to think about anything and at the same time, I could not stop the numerous thoughts going in and out of my brain. It felt like I had done something wrong. I never kept the end of my deal because of business reasons. External factors that I knew I had no power over. Even if I stood my ground or had gone against Daniel and Susan I knew it would cost others. it was as if I was in between two worlds of which were real. It was at that moment when I realized that I was making risky decisions blindly following everything that Miranda needed and the moment I wanted to do something of hers I could not convince others outside of our situation that the decision that I was

What could have I ever done? Should I just hold a press conference and tell everyone about what was happening behind the scenes of my complicated life.

"Hey,,, my girlfriend who is not my girlfriend at the moment who you thought was dead but isn't is here because that government agency which has provided for all of us maximum security and protection with all their advancements and hard work is evil and are a cause for war in a Gendwall for reasons I do not know yet and I am going off with zero evidence."

Even I would have not believed such an outrageous story it seemed too fictional to be my life. I never wanted to be in that situation again. I wish there was a restart button so I could just start all over again. To make matters worse the little tournament event that I promised to work on felt like added wasted work since I knew it would be ineffective in attracting a genius if there were zero stakes in it. I wish that XR guy never even existed. I wished that I could just go back to working on stupid apps and hacking random companies for the sake. That was a peaceful time where I never thought about death anytime soon. When all I worried about was to get better at coding and that was all the joy fulfillment I had in my life. When I thought I would just make dumb projects in a small lab somewhere with Miranda and Glenn there with us and just doing something peaceful in life.

I had always been a dreamer and dreamt of doing things that would be far from my reach and at that very moment when I was at my desk, I realized that people like me would never be allowed to dream and I felt a wave of depression flooding in. As depressing as that sounds it was funny how the majority of the time I was just a depressed adult in their 20s tired of life. That was the only feeling that made me feel like I could relate with others my age. We were all depressed and wanted an escape into mini heaven. I would never think that heaven for me would just be a basic life and sleeping without getting nightmares and constantly carrying guilt around with me. it was certain that I smelt like guilt by then.

I stood up on my desk and looked at the time and it was going to seven at night. I had already programmed DC to send the reports that the Executive wanted so that was not a worry for me at all. I looked outside my window to see if the night lights of Paradise would do something to lift my mood. A paradise that day looked different. My eyes were playing tricks on me. paradise used to be the most beautiful thing I could see in my life. With its lights and billboards colliding together with the cool colors of purple, blue, and cyan to form a beautiful fusion of colors that would give it a euphoric feel. That was what I used to see every night from my office. But that day it was different.

It felt like the colors were clashing and trying to push each other away. They were colliding the wrong way and I hated it. It felt like I was looking at light reflections fight each other for attention. The more I looked the more I felt like I was being sucked into the menacing center that was causing the trouble. I frowned at the sight. I felt like fifty men were banging on my head. I closed the long curtains.

"Well, that made me feel worse, "I murmured to myself with my hands covering my face.

A soothing bell sound chimed through my phone and i knew it was a notification from Glenn. He had insisted beforehand that he wanted a special notification which sounded like peace and tranquility and also sounded like joyful like being in a field of lowers on a hill with the sun just setting with good picnic food. His words not mine. I slowly reached for my phone at that point of time i would not be surprised if he told me that there was a nuclear bomb somewhere which was going to be set off and all we could do to stop it was make Miranda grow taller.It was a stupid and beyond impossible idea but that was basically my life. Difficult situations and bad luck followed me everywhere.

I took out my phone and the message popped up

"Sorry can't make it tonight i have a group writing project."It said. with a second entering,

"Now you have some alone time with you know who.Tell me everything tomorrow. winky face."

I sighed, I had hoped that I could get Glenn to advise or talk to me or walk in with something in hand with a smile on his face which would eventually transmit to me.Plus he was the only level headed person who would understand why i could not fully go with the plan.To be honest i was so scared that Miranda would get angry at me. She had already given up on the tournament and she wanted me to also give up on it. Honestly i could only spark a little hope in it ,but I knew that it would not be enough time.I could not stop her if i failed on my side and i hated knowing that.

I was too exhausted to even send him a proper text and i took like thirty times just to tell him okay. In hindsight sending a text would be easier but i was too stubborn on my voice message.I sat there and i had to be alone with Miranda to tell her that the tournament would not end anytime soon. She would flip out and i could imagine her pacing like a tiny monkey and giving me lecture about keeping the end of my deal.I could see it vividly with her tiny finger on my face.I was not prepared for all that. We already had separate opinions on how to access the files from The Executive ,our trust was now being held on a tiny string.

An hour had passed and i felt like more time was passing by with my useless thoughts and rambling.I was unproductive but I never knew what to do. I sat there and stared into space blankly.Slowly my office space slowly changed and i could see the room get darker and darker with a msit forming. I shook my head and honestly thought that i was going crazy. All those things that i was imagining were not normal and i decided that i should just go on ahead to X-floor before Miranda arrives. I stayed many nights in there and i felt like that was the only place that i was comfortable. If i managed to see scaring footages on hours on end down there without going crazy then it meant that there was something there that helped me relax.

I made sure that the other footage was on loop and entered DL. I sighed and prayed that there would a magical solution to my problem in X-floor.

"Welcome sir."DL said

"Hi,as usually X-floor."

"will do."

I looked at my reflection at the mirror with my hair a mess, huge dark circles under my eyes ,lines forming on my face and i could see that the excessive amount of times that i would frown had aided to the start of wrinkles. In short i lookd like i was hit by seven buses and landed into another world which was on fire and i stood there burning with the world.i looked that bad. Stress had taken a toll on my youth.I touched the reflective surface and now i had to worry about how i looked.Every turn i took was another thing i had to worry about. My life sucked and i was not afraid to admit it. I wondered if the other CEO's were riding their special elevators into their secret hidden lab to see if they could search for any solution to their problems.

"ahhhhh, probably not."I said sighing and holding the walls of the lift.

"Pardon sir."DL asked

"Oh nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"yeah.why are you so concerned today DL."

"Because you had arrived at your destination about six minutes ago and you have not left."

Lifting my head up i saw the elevator opened and I stared at X-floor.Time was slowly escaping me to the point that i was not even recognizing it.I really was not in a good state.

"Umm i think i got distracted." I said walking out the lift, and heading straight towards the chair.

I slumped myself on the chair and looked at the screens black and empty just like my soul at that moment. I had reached the state of being dead inside and i was slowly accepting that state of myself.

"Are you planning to put the screens on?"DC asked making me stir and shocked at the sudden sound.

"DC you're awake."

"I am awake 24/7 ,I would assume that the one who createdme would know that simple fact about me."

"Then why don't you put the screens on yourself then?"I asked tired.

"I like when you do it."It said all giddy.

For the millionth sigh in that day i put the screens on.

"Are you okay?"DC asked.

"Yeah just a bit distracted."

"You want to me to listen to your problems?"

" That's awfully kind of you, DC are you feeling alright!?"I asked in geninue concern. DC could never utter such helpful words.

"You do know that when your sad you tend to suck the life our of the whole area so before i also get depressed spill the beans."

"ah, you that makes sense." I said relieved that DC was magically hacked by someone and was acting kind.

it took me a minute to think about telling DC everything but i knew how i would erase everything i would tell it.

"Maybe talking about my problems could help."I said to myslelf.

That is when i turned my super computer into my therapist.

I told DC everything that was on my mind.I knew it inlovled a lot of rambling and going in and out of unrelated phrases and make believe situations. After i finished i took a deep breathe in and i actually felt like one percent better. Considering my situation feeling better even at such a small percentage was just a blessing.

"I have a question for you."DC said

"Go on ahead I'm done."

"Why don't you try to lure out XR with the event by making it as tempting as possible."

"Okay how?"

"I hope you remember you are more intelligent then most people even though you tend to act up when faced with difficulties and social situations--"

"Okay but how does that help now?"

"I hate spelling out things to you but for now it is necessary.Everyone knows you are smart but what sparks real competition is seeing someone being put down, dethroned."

"Not the best moral lesson of the day but go on."I said intrigued with this new idea.

"All you need to do is also enter the competition and set a time that is impossible to beat and with that everyone would want to beat that time. They want to dethrone you. That is what will attract people."

Those special moments when the light bulb goes on in your mind are always a pleasure. DC was the real solution to the problem. If only I had not wasted so much time moping around.

"We might find XR."I said in joy.

"yes your chances are even higher than the initial plan of just suddenly shutting it all down."

"If you had all these solutions why did you not tell us."

"I like seeing humans struggle."

"That is by far the most evil thing you could say right now, I do not need a sudden 'i was the true villain all along' from you, you need to spend less time with Miranda and more time with Glenn."

"No ned to worry global domination doesn't sound fun at all."It said making me look at it with geninue concern.

Other than DC's frightening words , that made me take a double take. After looking and thinking or more so overthinking I finally found something that would sniff out XR from where he was hiding.