Six Months 3

As he knew nothing at the moment, he asked, "Well, what do we know about her? What's her relationship to our casualty?"

Jacob nodded to his assistant, who clicked a few buttons on her tablet before she began to speak.

"I'll start with Darren Kershaw. He was born to Maria Helena Ramirez, a Venezuelan immigrant, and Alan Kershaw, on the 24th of September, 12005, in Oakland, California. They were a low-income family as his mother worked as an English teacher for Spanish speakers, and his father worked as a security guard. When he was five years old, the family was in an accident when a truck hit their car. The mother died. The father fell into depression, alcohol, and drugs. He could barely hold down a job. Darren Kershaw raised himself while taking care of his father, who was, more often than not, drunk. Eighteen months later, in November, Alan Kershaw disappeared, leaving the seven-year-old Darren to fend for himself.

"Although we don't know the exact date, we do know that it was around that time that Darren was seen with a young girl around his age, which we now know to be Etora Carlisle. The two of them lived alone for about a year until they were hit by a car in the streets of Oakland that the authorities came for them and placed them in the foster care system on 14 December, 12013. They moved to and from group homes until they were sent to a permanent orphanage to house them.

"When they graduated high school, Etora went to the Air Force Academy in Colorado. At the same time, Darren attended Sauren College on a scholarship in 12021. He was 16. He graduated Valedictorian with double majors in Engineering and Computer Science in 12025. A year later, he went on to MIT that same year for his Master's in Electrical Engineering in 3 years. He started working for Houston Rail on developing a train system with strong electromagnets throughout all of Texas. Over the past ten years, his work has been used for the new rail systems all over North and Central America.

"He left Texas on February 12 for Los Angeles to come to Etora Carlisle's birthday party on Sunday, which is why he was at the park and was struck by Electro's lightning. As far as we know, he's gone into a coma. We also found mister Kershaw in our database as he participated in our Discovery program but was found to have no enhanced human abilities. "

"And what of Etora Carlisle?" asked the Warren.

"Well, it was more difficult for her, so I asked one of our contacts at the DOD to access her file," Jacob replied.

Just as he finished, a video came up on the projection screen. "Hello, everyone." A woman came online. "As for Etora Carlisle, she was just Etora when she entered the system. When she entered the Air Force, she was the best in her class and the best the Air Force had ever seen in the past few years. She trained as a pilot, but her major was in Systems and Astronautical Engineering. She was on the team that engineered the Barton F-32 Hawk. She led the team at NASA that made the engine for the Stardriver in 12034. The spacecraft was predicted to fly past Pluto in 20 months, half the time it takes for most of our current spacecraft engines. She was also on the team that went into space to fix the Air Force's communications satellite when it was offline due to getting hit by space debris. However, she resigned from the Air Force in 12038 after the death of her adopted father, General Jordan Carlisle."

Jacob picked up from there. "She was offered a job to stay at NASA but declined. She was offered a position at the spacecraft manufacturing company, Starset, but she refused that too. Instead, she applied for a job as an undergrad engineering professor at Sauren College."

"What about her origins?"

"That's a bit more complicated," said the woman on the video. "Based on her name and birthday, the Air Force did an investigation that led them to her birth certificate at Winkler County Memorial Hospital in Winkler County, Texas. Born on February 13, 12004, her mother abandoned her and her twin brother at the hospital. The twins went into foster care, but they suddenly disappeared from their foster home. There was an extensive investigation by the local police and even the FBI. The case became cold, and they were never found.

"Her mother's name was Shanice Johnson while the father was unknown on the birth certificate.

"She was missing for over eight years until that accident with another child, Darren Kershaw, and was placed in the system as she had no identity or any living relatives. They gave her the surname Smith. After entering the Air Force Academy, she became very close to General Jordan Carlisle and his wife, Miriam. The Carlisles filed for an adult adoption and gave Etora their surname. To this day, her file has no record on her for the first eight years of her life, and her twin brother, Erize, has never been found. There was a theory that it was their father who took the children, but the father's name was not on the birth certificate."

"Do you think Etora Carlisle could be a threat to our... operations here at Rouen?" asked the CEO.

"Absolutely. Even if Etora left the military, her father was a decorated general, and her mother, a well-known Army doctor. Her father's former co-workers dote on her. Etora, herself, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel when she was honorably discharged for her service to the Air Force. She still has a lot of authority and connections in the military. Miriam still has friends in the DOD, the FBI, and other places with even higher clearance than I do. If they want something done about Rouen, they certainly have the means to do so." She paused for a moment as the rest of the room contemplated her warning.

"Alright. For now, we do nothing. Have someone follow Etora Carlisle. As she is a civilian, she's less of a concern. But, do not touch Miriam Carlisle!" He spoke the last sentence slowly as he surveyed the room, making sure everyone understood.

"I also want updates of Darren Kershaw's condition. There's something suspicious about how he was moved to a private room so quickly. Get someone to look at Etora Carlisle's phone and computer to see if she has anything. If she only has non-threatening information, do nothing, but if you find anything devastating to the company, you know what to do." He finished. "Meeting adjourned."

When everyone left the room, Warren remained behind as he looked at the photo of Tora. Flipping through the files on his tablet, he looked back at her image. Although still young, she had many achievements while serving in the Air Force. He also did not fail to notice the redacted portions of her file. It was close to the end of her service, before her father's death, that it seems a mission she was on was classified by the Air Force.

"Tora is the Japanese word for tiger. I wonder if she will live up to her name." A knowing smirk spread across his lips as his scheming brown eyes glinted.