Chapter 4(pt-2)

Especially when they have been using writers like her to go undercover and do the job for them and take full credit themselves. Blythe yawns as she pulls the chair and sits down. There were still some drops of water present in them as the drops found their way down, falling on her t-shirt. The drops made the skin create goosebumps as it was cold to the skin. Blythe made a face at Selena and then went back to scrolling on the tablet. She never understood why anyone would like her. She never made any sense, and her expressions seemed to be made up. Blythe did not want to be famous; she was fine with her job, but a bit of credit, or at least a small increase in the payment, could have been done, yet it was ignored in her case as the credit was something taken by the people who took the news to the television screen. Blythe was just another nobody in the room. However, there are some things she needs to accept for the food and lodging. An orphan in the papers, Blythe did not have anyone around her to call family. Even words like friends do not make any attachment to her.

The people in the office consider her an introverted loner, while the bright Selena is the one with the popularity. They would cozy up to her. After all, it is Selena Dawn, the famous reporter with faces all over the tall buildings around the city as the face of channel CityBeat24/7. She was the daughter of one of the owners as well. There was nothing that she could not do for them. Blythe, on the other hand, was known as just another editor in the office. There are so many in there anyway. What is so different about it?

Blythe wishes there was at least some extra money in the meantime for this hard work. After all, Selena Dawn owes most of her publicity to her. If it was not for her taking the time to research and make the reports, Selena would not have any good news. The number in Selena’s bank kept on increasing with the increase in her popularity in the monitor. Blythe just got annoyed at the overuse of her talent. She wanted to increase the payment for the amount of work she had to do. For taking the news from areas like this is tough. Blythe does not care about anything more than the money she wants. Selena, however, triggers her in the wrong way. Blythe was someone who could disappear in the corner of the office, but there would be recognition in the future if her work was known by the boss, but somehow Charlie also focused on the importance of the growth of the role model Selena. Blythe, however, could not argue with the fact that Selena could be a good poster girl for the channel. Still, it feels sour in her mouth.

She took a last look at the headline news before minimizing the tabs of the browser and putting them down. Channel CityBeat24/7 turned on again with Selena on the screen; she was trying to contact the on-ground reporter. “Dan, what is the situation there? Can you give us the footage of the scene?”

“It is yellow taped with strict guards in the front. They are not letting anyone near the scene. However, the chief inspector has promised an interview as soon as they finish with the observation of the crime scene.” Voices came out of the tablet.

Blythe somehow became silent; she walked to the window and opened the covers to see the view. It was an unconscious action. Her eyes fell on the calendar. March 7th, 2050. She decided to lean back and watch the view. A huge billboard was floating on the top of the building in the cloudy sky with Selena’s face on it. Blythe felt a hint of envy, but just the next moment she decided to drop it.

“I can never be eligible for the monitor.” Her eyes fell on her left hand. Blythe’s right hand reached over and pulled the skin-colored hand glove socks away. Her human-like glove fell on the ground, revealing the bionic hand. Long, stretchable, dull silver metal made a cracking sound as she opened and retracted her hand. A transparent material covered the arm, which can show the soft blue wires underneath. Just like it was transferring a white liquid around the arm. One would call it a medical miracle; the others would call it a curse. The maintenance of this part of the hand cost a fortune. Those who can afford it would continue with the treatment; others would just become amputees.

The loss of a limb is scary for anyone, and in this time of the future, anyone losing their limb would settle for the bionic limbs. Blythe can barely afford the operation with the salary she receives. So, even though the working conditions are not satisfactory, she has to give up on the idea of leaving. Even though she likes to give fear to Charlie at times, in the end, there is no escape for people like Blythe in the inflation of this place. The world has gone to the future but the inventions are not as the cartoons have predicted. Flying only exists for the plane instead of cars.

However, the invention of bionic limbs for the disabled is one of the medical miracles. Blythe watched the bionic hand as the fingers moved before her. The skeleton being this visible can make anyone fear. But the fascination of the wires inside, like nerves, is an amazing thing. Blythe bites the corner of her bottom lip as she is reminded of an old film. The metal skeleton of her left arm is just like the Terminator movie robot. She scoffed and pulled the covering back. The spandex-like material rolled on her hand like a glove, covering the hand and making it look like a normal human hand again.

The Graceful Health Institute (GHI) invented these beautiful bionic limbs for helpless people. They would even give opportunities to the underprivileged people with a lottery system, as these limbs cost a lot to maintain. Only with external funds can they provide health care. Dr. Hugo Harford invented this with the help of his students. They, for now, created the limbs but promised to work on the organs as well. The miracle of this invention has a lot of questions. The durability, the lifetime of this one, so many questions asked. Yet, the city accepted this invention with open arms, as this not only helps with the limb but also has the point where it can be covered using a skin glove to look like a human hand.

The bionic limb users, however, have to declare their bionic limbs in their workplace as they are sensitive to temperature exposures. The bionic arm on Blythe cannot handle the heat. Places like the news reading can get her exposed to heat from the strong light they sometimes use or certain places for interviews where the temperature is not suitable for her arm, causing it to stop functioning. These things are just written warnings for now as Blythe tapped on her arm and pulled on the overcoat. She was supposed to work from the office behind the desk, but her mind thought it would be best to visit the crime scene first. She covered her face with the woolen scarf and the woolen hat. There were only the eyes seen out. Blythe put a circular glass covering her eyes. She would pose as a bystander and record things.

“The police will not let anyone approach the crime scene; we have to rely on following their tracks. That is one way to realize what they are searching for.” She spoke to the glass-like phone in her hand. Another great invention was to turn every mobile pocket device into a foldable, transparent, glass-like object with projection power. There was no reply, but Blythe tapped on something and pocketed it in her trousers as she left the house.

Outside the crime scene:

Blythe watched the two detectives come out of the alley. There was a discussion. Detective Alex was open with his voice while the other one was maintaining secrecy. The reporters were fighting for a small picture, but Blythe knew it was a pointless struggle. The police will come out with a report anyway. What is important is what information they got about the killer.