"What's your name?" I asked her. I tried not to scare her, but she was just too anxious.
"Angela," she responded.
"Angela," I repeated her name in a soothing manner, "that's a beautiful name."
She lifted her head a little and shyly smiled. I continued talking, "I assume you already know my name, so let's not dawdle on the formalities. Now, would you like to take your writing utensil and something to write on?" She hurriedly took out an empty white pad. She plucked a high-end laser pencil from behind her ear. "Good," I say and slowly walked back to my desk. "I need a new phone, some milk, and six chocolate-chip cookies. Can you do that for me?"
She scribbled insanely fast on her white pad; she then punched in four numbers and swiped up her pad. This would alert the needed floors to prepare what a person wanted. It was almost like a... menu order, but you could order whatever the hell you wanted. As long as it can make it through protocols, of course. She looked back up at me and said, "It's done. The items will come up in approximately five to seven minutes." Holy shit! She was fast! This type of talent is exactly what I need.
I dragged a chair for her and gestured for her to sit on it. She complied without making a scene. I wheeled my own chair over and sat down across from her. "Now what I need is an idea." She shook her head as if to understand the predicament that I was in. I explained to her all the details as she kept writing down stuff on her pad. The phone, glass of water, and cookies came in six minutes later. I offered some to her, and she took two. She silently nibbled on them, and I copied her. It was fun having someone different around for a change. Unlike Flin, she wasn't a hard-ass and a dickhead. I guess I appreciated her.
After she finished one cookie, she said, "I think I have an idea."
I looked at her with great interest. "Go right on ahead, miss," I replied.
She reviewed her notes, and said, "If you want to find someone that's a high aptitude candidate, then you would have to provide an incentive for more people to join. Not just the usual few that have the privilege to."
I didn't follow. "Join what?"
She patiently answered, "The Grey Corporation's Evolution Games, of course! Where else would we test the mettle of the subjects?"
I stared at her in awe. I slapped my forehead. Why hadn't I thought of this? "Please, continue."
She started where she left off, "As I said, you need to provide an incentive and an equal opportunity. Or at least make it seem like it. I suggest that you give the people in the outer and middle sectors a money incentive. For example, twenty thousand credits for each person from those sectors. This would compel more people to take part. The other thing we need is the 'equal' opportunity. For this part, we should provide at least one free evolution pill to each of the competitors, that is exclusive to the arena that they will be playing in. So that they can't go off and sell it elsewhere."
I asked her a question when she was done talking through the strategy, "How much is the Grey corp paying you annually?"
She tried to block her face with her hands as she replied, "Currently since I'm just starting, my salary is forty thousand credits a year." The last parts of her sentence faded a little.
I tried to rack my head around this. How the hell does someone like her end up with a forty thousand credit salary? I smiled and asked her another more serious question, "I'll a couple of extra zeros to that. If I pay you forty million a year, would you come and work for me privately?"
She seemed bewildered at first but then her face reddened. She was reluctant to say anything. That was when I understood she misunderstood something. I clarified, "I meant for me directly, not what you're thinking."
She flustered a bit more before she answered my question, "I...I will."
"Alright, great. I'll deposit three-point-four million in your account each month. Your first line of duty is to take your strategy to the advertising team on the nine-hundredth floor. Take this with you," I handed her my signature watch, "and tell them that I sent you. Pitch your idea and make the magic happen."
She enthusiastically shook her head in confidence. She pocketed the watch and left the room. I watched her leave and felt satisfied with the upcoming future.
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Vincent's POV:
Marco and I walked home together. He stuck close to me because we under the blanket of the night sky. The stars shone brightly, and many constellations could be made out perfectly. I pointed out many of them to Marco, reciting the stories of each one that I had learned a long time ago. In the back of my head, I kept thinking of the billboard I saw today. Not only was it peculiar that the Evolutions Games were being advertised in the outer sector, but also the amount of effort that went into showcasing it. The billboard was lit up so brightly that I could still see it from where I was standing now: a quarter of a mile away. It was blinding colorful with bright yellows and reds traced the words and the cash prize. It didn't fit in with the landscape at all, and I think that was the point.
When the billboard was fully set up, many pedestrians stopped to gaze at the sign. Not just the sign, but the prize fund on the side of it. Twenty-six thousand credits. All the people in the outer sector understood the value of the prize. To us, it was the key to escaping the is a hell hole. To others, it was a way to get their grubby hands on more expendable drugs. But, the peculiar part came afterward. Twenty-six thousand credits for simply JOINING the preliminaries at Ceandor Island. A ticket there would cost somewhere around two to three thousand credits. But, the money you make from making that trip would net you more than ten thousand credits to make or break your life.
I felt conflicted. If I joined, then that would almost quench the gap for moving out of the outer sector. But, If I did join, who knows if I could make it out in one piece. Alive, is for certain. There has never been a death at the Evolution Games, but there have been disfigurations, and limbs chopped. All of these consequences could be cured but only the rich could afford that. If I ever came back with an injury, then I would be as good as dead in the outer sector. Definitely food for thought.
Marco and I made it to the house on time. We were certainly late, and I forgot to cook anything. But, there was a heavenly aroma wafting out of the shabby, broke-down house. I was thinking that Eric was the one that was cooking something, but then I remembered that Eric doesn't know how to cook.
I scooped Marco up from the ground and ran towards the house. I banged on the house's decaying door. A couple of footsteps sprinted to the door from the other side. I could hear Shawn's voice, "Eric! Vincent and Marco are here!"
The doorknob turned and out popped Shawn's head. "We have some special guests today! And they make some really good food!" he excitedly explained. Who could it be? I set Marco down walked through the narrow hallway as I approached the dining room which was right next to the kitchen. I peered into the kitchen and see two familiar faces: Hector and Alicia. Why were they here?
Eric stepped up behind me and said, "Hector and Alicia wanted to tag along with me today, so they closed down the shop early and made dinner."
I looked back at Eric, "But why?"
Eric looked a little confused, "What do you mean?"
"I mean why did they make dinner for us? Do they want something?"
Eric smiled and lectured me, "Vincent, you can't question kindness every time you stumble upon it. It doesn't have a numerical answer like the arithmetic that you do. You just have to learn to trust it and enjoy it while it lasts."
A momentary silence filled me. Then, I knew what I had to do. I walked towards the kitchen and grabbed a knife from the table. I slowly walked over with the blade tightly held in my hand. I find Hector and Alicia making food at the oven and at the stove. They didn't see me walking closer behind them until I started to chop their vegetables of them. The sudden chopping sounds scared Alicia as she turned around to see the source. She saw me finely mincing the garlic and onions. She smiled at Hector and then he smiled back. They continued to prepare their operation of the food while I help make the other half.