Chapter 8 - Awkward Dinner

"Once more... I'm terribly sorry," sighed Amber, her hands shielding her face in mortification, as she sat across from Jason at the dining table, sharing a late dinner.

After Amber had crashed into Jason's room earlier, her ability had fired, revealing more than she ever intended to see. The ensuing avalanche of apologies for invading Jason's privacy had been relentless. Once Amber hurriedly retreated, Liz used one of her unique abilities, "Clean-Up," which only exclusively functions when she is fully visible. This ability reduces the stickiness of the situation post intercourse, making it a much less messier affair. Once she performed her mystifying act, she then vanished without a word, not to be seen since.

"As I mentioned previously, I appreciate the apology, and I am sorry to perform such acts in your house on my first day," Jason replied, disappointed in himself.

They both sat there awkwardly for another moment eating the food the autonomous kitchen had prepared for them, before Jason broke the silence.

"So, Amber, what do you typically do on weekends?" Asked Jason, curious if the woman did anything besides work.

Amber's response was unsurprising to Jason. "I just work from home," she admitted, confirming his initial impression of her as a workaholic.

"Do you have any hobbies?" he probed further.

"No, the military was all I ever knew, now I am no longer welcome there, I have just lost myself in my work because it is all I have left" she replied, unexpectedly candid. But if you have any suggestions, I'd be willing to make time for something new."

Jason sensed that Amber was, like him, a lost soul, not due to memory loss but forcibly uprooted from her familiar life. Her offer of hospitality seemed driven not only by kindness but also by a profound sense of loneliness. He needed to find an excuse to go out with her, and vowed to investigate further as soon as possible.

"I understand where you're coming from. I don't have any specific plans right now, but if I come up with something, I'll let you know," he replied.

"That would be great," she nodded appreciatively, rising from her seat and placing her empty plate in the washing slot. "Anyway, I'm turning in for the night. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Jason echoed, now alone at the table. Not wasting any more time in the quest to spend more time with her next weekend, he retreated to his room to delve into research on his holographic computer.

~~~~

Monday morning rolled around, and Jason had not seen Amber all weekend. She had left early in the mornings and returned late at night. In the meantime, he had devoted part of his weekend to researching their upcoming "date." He had also sifted through his belongings and discarded nearly everything except his phone and a watch, thanks to his new personal clothing printer. He had spent half a day printing an array of outfits, from casual to professional, and now had a wardrobe that would last weeks without laundering.

Additionally, he had spent hours searching through his phone for who he used to be. Based on his past chats he thought of himself to be weak and afraid. This wasn't the person he was going to be anymore, he was determined to now be confident, strong and stand up for himself.

He also learned a lot about his friends from the phone and the file he was given. In one of the spare rooms of the apartment, he and Malcolm had set up an investigation board, where he took all the available information and set each of the suspects up with the available evidence. This was surprisingly easy with his holographic computer, which was able to connect to the room, and print holographic projections of anything, anywhere in the room without ink or paper. The best part was when he was away he could deactivate it, stopping anyone snooping around the house finding his secret.

Lastly, he had spent significant time acquainting himself with his gods, their powers and what they planned on bestowing upon him. On Saturday, Diana had granted him the ability to conjure a basic dagger at will once a day. Because he did not possess the basics of conjuring weapons yet, this was his first step. As Talon had explained, it was an incremental process where each successive ability bestowed builds upon the previous. To bestow this ability, Diana had conducted a knighting ceremony with her sword, touching his shoulders.

On Sunday, Sarah had upgraded his watch, enabling it to perform additional functions beyond its standard Holo-watch capabilities. The primary enhancement allowed the Holopanel to see through thin walls. She had accomplished this by establishing a special connection called an "X connection" between her watch and his. She then muttered something about it being the next big thing to be discovered in data transfer.

Amber had left a note for him on Sunday morning, requesting his presence in the kitchen at seven the following morning. Jason sat ready and waiting at six-thirty, dressed in a business shirt and suit pants. He had brought a tie but was uncertain of the office's dress code. As he waited, he researched A.W. Consulting on his phone and discovered they were approximately three months old, with a holosite for case submissions.

When Amber emerged from her room in professional attire, she noticed his activities and couldn't help but giggle. "Planning to submit a case?" she teased.

"No, just checking it out. Thought it would be best to be informed," Jason replied, closing his phone's holo-panel.

"Today, you'll be joining me. We have a client meeting first thing this morning," Amber declared.

Jason was surprised, as he had anticipated being confined to the office for the first few months. However, it seemed that was not the case.

"I'd love to accompany you, Amber," he responded.

"It'll be a valuable experience to see how we acquire a case. If it's a straightforward one, I'll assign it to you to handle," she added with a smile.

After a quick breakfast and a short drive, they arrived at a skyscraper that pierced the clouds. Inside, they reached the reception of what appeared to be an upscale hotel.

We have a meeting with Mr. Bass," Amber informed the receptionist.

"Sure, let me check if you're on the list," said the receptionist pulling out a classic clipboard, with a written list on paper. "Names?" she questioned.

"I am Amber White and this is my business associate Jason Kane," responded Amber.

Once the receptionist confirmed they were on the list, she directed them to a nearby door. The door opened and they were escorted down the hallway to an opulent room with one other door and an elevator. The room was floored with white marble, painted white and the corners and cornices were lined with black marble pillars. The room boasted a massive chandelier and was fully painted with a safari design with such detail Michelangelo could have done it himself. The receptionist pushed the button and waited with them.

"What is this room?" Jason inquired quietly.

"This is one of the Beyond The Clouds elevators, or BTC for short," Amber explained.

Jason filed away his questions for later, determined to maintain a professional demeanour for now. The BTC elevator doors opened to reveal a man in a black suit.

"I have Miss White and Mr. Kane here. Please escort them to see Mr. Bass," the receptionist instructed.

"Certainly," the man replied, gesturing for them to enter the elevator.

As they stepped onto the elevator and the doors closed, the elevator ascended higher and higher, until it finally halted after an unusually long journey. The doors opened to reveal a breathtaking sight—another city above the clouds.