Chapter 7: The Aftermath

I slowly opened my eyes, groggily taking in my surroundings. I was in the medical room, surrounded by the familiar sight of Venture's medical equipment. William's face came into focus, his expression a mix of concern and curiosity.

"Rowan, old chap, can you hear me?" he asked, his voice soft and tinged.

I nodded, trying to speak, but my throat was parched. William handed me a glass of water, and I sipped it gratefully.

"What happened, Rowan?" William asked, his eyes intense. "Where is everyone else?"

I took a deep breath, the memories flooding back. I told him everything - the quantum field's unpredictable behavior, Victor's gruesome death, Sophia's body torn apart, Dr. Chen's heart attack, Doctor Lee's horrific spaghettification, and Maya's sacrifice. William listened, his expression changing from surprise to shock.

"Blimey, Rowan," William said, his voice barely above a whisper. "This is a bit of a mess, isn't it? I hadn't expected...well, I hadn't expected any of this."

I felt a surge of emotion, and I knew I had to speak my mind. "I think we should stop thinking about using the field anymore, William. It's way too risky and will cost more lives. We can't keep playing with forces we don't understand."

William's expression turned somber. "I say, Rowan, I'm sorry about what happened. But we can't change the past. We have to focus on what this means for our mission."

I shook my head, still trying to process everything. "What does it mean, William? That we're playing with forces we don't understand? That we're risking lives for the sake of progress?"

William's eyes locked onto mine. "It means we have a new discovery, Rowan. One that could change the course of human history. And we can't let that slip through our fingers."

I felt a surge of anger at William's words. "You're still thinking about using the field, despite everything that's happened? You're willing to risk more lives for the sake of limitless energy?"

William's expression remained calm, but his voice took on a hint of steel. "Rowan, we can't afford to give up now. Venture is on the brink of collapse. This is our only chance to get back to the top."

I tried to appeal to his emotions, to make him see the human cost of his ambition. "William, think about the families of the people we've lost. Think about Maya, who died saving me. Is it really worth it?"

William's face remained impassive. "Rowan, I understand your sentiment, but I won't be swayed by emotions. This is about the future of Venture, and I won't let personal feelings get in the way."

I realized then that William was beyond reason. "You're willing to sacrifice anyone and anything for your precious ambition, aren't you?"

William's eyes narrowed. "Rowan, if you're not willing to see this through, then perhaps you're not the right person for this expedition. I'm removing you from the field team, effective immediately. You'll be assigned to lead a nearby star expedition instead."

My anger boiled over. "You can't do that, William! I won't let you risk more lives!"

William's voice turned cold. "Oh, but I can, Rowan. And I will. Don't try to get in my way, or you'll find yourself facing consequences. You're no longer part of this mission."

"No matter what, William, I will stop you from sacrificing more lives," I vowed, my voice firm. "I'll keep my promise to Maya."

William sneered. "We'll see about that."

Now that I knew William's true nature, I had to stop him no matter what it took. But for now, I was forced to back down, seething with anger and frustration.

I lay in my hospital bed, feeling a mix of emotions: anger, frustration, and helplessness. William had won this round, removing me from the mission and confining me to this bed.

But as I looked around the sterile room, I knew I couldn't give up. I had to stop William, no matter what it took. I began to think strategically, planning my next moves.

I knew it wouldn't be easy. Venture was a massive organization, with millions of employees. And I was just a newcomer, barely a month into my job. I didn't know anyone, and no one knew me.

I needed to find people who secretly hated William and knew the inner workings of Venture. But where could I find them?

I thought about the company's internal communication channels, the social media groups and forums where employees connected. Maybe I could find some whispers of dissent there.

I also thought about the company's events and gatherings, where employees from different departments mingled. Maybe I could find some like-minded individuals there.

And then there were the rumors of a secret underground network within Venture, a group of employees who were dissatisfied with William's leadership and were working to undermine him. Maybe I could find a way to connect with them.

It was a long shot, but I had to try. I would start by gathering information, listening to rumors and whispers, and trying to find the right people to trust.

It wouldn't be easy, and it wouldn't be quick. But I was determined to stop William, no matter what it took. And I knew that with the right allies, I could do it.

Two weeks later...

Two weeks had passed since my conversation with William in the hospital. I had spent the time recovering and planning my next move. Today was my first day back at work, and I was determined to start finding allies for my mission to take down William.

As I walked into the Venture building, I was greeted by the familiar sight of employees rushing to and fro. The holographic displays and augmented reality interfaces seemed to hum with activity, a reminder of the cutting-edge technology that Venture was known for.

I took a deep breath, trying to blend in and avoid drawing attention to myself. But for some reason, everyone looked towards me for a few seconds, had a reaction of surprise on their face and then started working again. I found it funny. Why would they act as if they know me...Haha... Wait...

DO THEY KNOW WHO I AM? But that will make my job of finding the people who are fed up with William even harder because why would the ones who work in shadows would work with someone who is famous in the whole company??

Maybe I am just overthinking. So, I started going to places where I can find a variety of people or connections. My first stop was the company's internal neural network, where employees shared thoughts and ideas directly through brain-computer interfaces.These ideas were safe and private i.e the talks here aren't revealed on the public server, giving me some sense of hope to maybe find someone who can help me. I spent the morning browsing through the virtual forums, looking for any hints of dissent or dissatisfaction with William's leadership.

That's when I saw it - a post from an employee named "Echo-1," criticizing William's handling of the quantum field project. It was not that popular, the sole reason why it has not been removed yet. Guess I got lucky!! Anyways,I sent Echo-1 a private message, and asked to meet in person. Though he declined at first, thinking it might be a trap, he agreed when I revealed my name....which was quite a risk I took too.

After revealing my identity to Echo-1, I received a response almost immediately. "Meet me behind the ancient statue of the founder in Sector 4," the message read. "Come alone."

I started preparing for the risks just in case. I kept the stun gun which Jen gave me, since it was easy to hide in my pocket and also the last gift I got from her before breaking up. I hid my face with a ski mask and went straight towards the statue.

I had many doubts as to who was Echo-1, and what did he know about William's plans? Would he really be useful to me?

As I arrived at the clock tower, I saw a figure cloaked in the shadows. "Who are you?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

The figure stepped forward, revealing a tall, imposing man with a strong jawline and piercing blue eyes. "I understand the need to hide my face but that will be of no use for you, Rowan" he said, his deep voice firm. "My real name is Nathan. And don't worry, you are not standing in any trap here."

"W-wait, what do you mean it is of use to hide my face?" I asked, confused by his bold statement.

"I mean everyone knows you dude. You are the most famous guy in the whole of Venture. You are the only one who got near to William's popularity and respect, though his respect is out of fear, and yours is genuine."

"Wow.... Thanks, I guess??" I was speechless. But now I understand why those people were in shock after seeing me. Also, I have never seen a guy this straight forward. I was really taken aback, but I knew I found the right guy.

"What do you know about William? Why are you dissatisfied with his plans? Is it in any way useful for me?" I asked without wasting any more time.

Nathan hesitated, looking around nervously.

"I work at the AI lab where William himself appears to talk to my seniors about the quantum field. You won't believe what I've found inside one of those desks, some classified documents!! Now that was some real shit I read in it" he said excitedly.

"William is planning to use the quantum field project for ulterior motives. There is no need to fuel the ships with the field as a source. In fact, I did a thesis on this exact project and guess what? It is impossible to collect the field as it is. The only possible way to collect the quantum field is by converting it into 'Anti-Matter', which automatically happens when we store the field into a time crystal, which we are working on right now ."

"Your reseach sure is complicated, but what is the real motive of william?" I asked, confused by whatever Nathan blabbered about his complicated project.

"O yeah, I totally forgot about it haha. Actually, what william wants is to collect the quantum field as anti-matter and use it to create a weapon strong enough to rule over the whole planet easily. And before you ask, yes it is possible to make such a weapon. Though it will take 3-4 years to do so with the current technology" Nathan said casually.

My eyes widened in horror. "WHAT?? HOW ARE YOU SO RELAXED? THIS IS SOMETHING SERIOUS!!" I had no words, my mind got confused and my heart started pounding rapidly.

"Don't worry, Rowan. I want to help you and I know a way to stop William. If we can simply leak the plans, it will spread like wildfire and we can stop him before he really make me and other scientists do something much worse for this planet."

His idea sounded good so I agreed to it." But how to do so?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"Well you gotta figure that out yourself. All I can do is provide you with the lab access and that's it. Good luck!"

"Alright then, thank you for your help. Welcome to the team, Nathan," I said, extending my hand.

Nathan shook it, his grip firm. "Let's do this," he said.

Next, I headed to the company's virtual reality lounge, where employees relaxed and socialized during breaks. I struck up a conversation with a group of employees from the AI research department. They seemed friendly and open, and I casually mentioned my concerns about William's leadership. One of them, a quiet woman named Ava, seemed particularly interested.

As we parted ways, Ava handed me a secure comms device. "If you want to talk more, meet me at Club Europa tonight at 22:00," she whispered.

At first, I thought this might be a trap, but what other options do I have? I have to take a few risks if I have to stop Blackwood. What if it turns out she is genuine like Nathan too...

With that hope in mind,I smiled. I agreed to meet her there.Maybe, just maybe, I was finding the allies I needed to take down William.

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