Prologue

"Welcome to SearchMatch!" A bright voice comes from the doorway. "Thank you so much for coming today!" A lady stands there in a crisp white pantsuit with a red blouse under it and red heels. Her brown hair is pulled up in a French Twist and she is holding a phone in her hand.

"So why did you invite us here? No one even knows what this company is about," One of the investors says.

"You were called here to see the future of dating!"

None of the investors seemed very impressed. "That's what every new dating site says. And may I ask your name?"

"I'm Kathleen Evans and while it is true that every dating site says they are the future of dating, that is true for SearchMatch. We match people up based on one of the best ways to see what a person is interested in. Now, if you'll just follow me this way." Kathleen motions for all of the investors to follow her.

They walk into a room filled with dozens of people on computers, all looking at profiles of different people.

Kathleen immediately launches into the speech she's prepared for all investors that come to SearchMatch's headquarters. "All modern dating platforms have one thing in common, you never know what you will get. What are they reallyWill you have the same interests? Will you get along? That's what causes people to be so wary of them.

"SearchMatch is different. We use people's search history, with their permission of course, and match them with someone who our AI NATHALIE feels is the best match for them. Mr. Ellison," She calls out an investor that is keeping towards the back. "Do you feel that your search history shows who you truly are?"

"Yes. I do," he responds.

"Are you married to or dating anyone Mr. Ellison?" Kathleen asks.

"Not at the moment. My wife and I divorced many years ago and I've had a few relationships."

"What would you say if I could find someone that will be a near perfect match for everyone in this room?"

"Why, I'd call it magic!"

"That is what we strive to do! We may be a small company right now but if you invest in us, we can help thousands, if not millions, of people find true love!"

The investors murmur quietly amongst themselves for a moment before several speak up.

"I'll definitely be investing,"

"Can you help me find love?"

"Let me think it over and I will get back to you with my answer."

"If possible I would like to meet with you tomorrow. Maybe we can find a way to make a more... permanent partnership."

"I-I don't know what to say. Thank you so much! We hope to form a lasting relationship with each and every one of you."

Giving them all a chance to explore the facility, Kathleen heads back to her office. Pouring some cold brew from her fridge, she sits down behind her desk and slides off her heels.

"This is going to give me a headache." She massages her temples for a moment before opening her laptop. Scanning the new list of subscribers, one catches her eye.

"Emily Jenkin. Where have I heard that name before?"

That's when it hit her.

"She's the author of 'Dread Murders'! Guess she wanted to see what a writer's search history can get as a date."

Kathleen quickly removes Emily's profile from being accessed by all the other employees.

"You need someone special. Now let's see who I can find…"

~~~

"Good Morning America! There is a new dating sensation taking over the world. SearchMatch Is the latest dating site that matches everyone, and I mean everyone, with their ideal partner. The founder Kathleen Evans is here with us live. So, what inspired you to make this site?"

Kathleen's face shows up on the screen. She's sitting in her office with a view of Nashville visible behind her. "The inspiration behind SearchMatch is how most dating sites don't necessarily give you a look into what most people are really like. After enough matches being fake, I decided to create something that would match people on things they search," Kathleen answers.

"How exactly does it work?" Robin asks.

"It starts off much like any dating program. You enter your information, sexual preference, and upload a picture. Then things start to get different. I worked for a couple years to perfect our AI NATHALIE. She gets added onto the client's computer, phone, whatever they want it to be on, so it's no different than Cortana or Siri, and records your search history. It goes back for several months, or as long as the client would like, and continues to record it until the perfect match is found.

"Then, it is matched with other people's search history to find one with the most similarities. Both clients will then get a full profile of their match, a line of communication is opened, and NATHALIE is removed from whatever they linked it to."

"So I know there's one thing that most people will be worried about, their information. What's not to say your AI isn't getting all the information off your user's computer and storing it somewhere?"

Kathleen knew this question is one she'll get her entire career. Luckily, she prepared herself. "That is something we were concerned about too. It took us so long to get online because we wanted to make sure there was no way for our client's information to be saved or leaked to anyone."

The rest of the interview went extremely well and by the end of it, several of the audience members signed up to use SearchMatch.

~~~

Kathleen hangs up from her interview and gets back to work on finding Emily's perfect match.

"Why can't I find someone? There has to be someone signed up that will be a good match with her."

Working for hours with no results, Kathleen calls it quits. She uploads Emily's profile into NATHALIE and leaves the office for the day.

When she gets there the next morning, she's surprised when NATHALIE speaks as soon as she walks into her office.

"Good morning Kathleen. Since you left the office yesterday a possible match has popped up for EMILY JENKIN."

"Can you send all the specs to my computer please?"

"Right away ma'am."

A pong sounds from Kathleen's computer and she opens the profile.

Name: Nic Walker

Age: 36

Occupation: Neurosurgeon

His picture pops up: Black Hair. Green eyes. Slightly Asian features.

One of the biggest problems people have with SearchMatch is how they can't decide if they like someone before communication is opened. But no matter how much push back she gets, Kathleen never regrets her decision and won't change it for anything.

~~~

A few hundred miles away in Dallas, Texas, two people get pinged on their phones.

The notification reads: 'A match has been found! Open the app for more details.'

A worried breath catches in Emily's throat while a sigh of relief escapes Nic's.

They both open up the app and stare at the blank message area for a few minutes. Deciding to take the first step, Nic sends a reluctant "Hi."

From there everything begins. They agree to meet for a simple cup of coffee that weekend as a bit of a test drive.

With the future looking hopeful for this match, they are unaware they'll be put on a path different from what they ever would've thought.