Theo stepped forward and entered the boundary of the facility. This was the best space facility in the entire nation: the Space Association. There were two reasons for Theo to be in this city. One, his dream was to be on a ship, leaving from this place. And two, both of his parents' works were somehow tied to this place. In fact, his father worked in a lab here somewhere. Theo had never been there though.
He was never allowed entry in this place, in the first place.
People, robots, hovercrafts, moved along freely. Everyone seemed like they belonged. Everyone had uniforms. The researchers, the explorers, the workers, and even the R.I had separate uniforms. But with a black glossy shirt, and blue jeans, Theo was really the only sore thumb sticking out.
Most of the guys were tall and muscular. The girls were mostly beautiful but some were- like guys- tall and muscular: Plenty of girls were actually taller than Theo. But there was another type of humans present.
Genetic engineering had come a long way. Enough to give birth to even unisex beings. These kinds of humans looked fairly feminine. They had no facial hair. Their actual hair was shorter than a girl's. They did however possess the ability to mate with both male and female counterparts. The only downside being, they weren't as strong as guys nor as beautiful as girls. They were the product of the so called 'equality' measure: the Qmales.
Theo's throat dried up as he stared at the very place he craved for all these years. 'Should I ask for directions?' But he didn't know who he wanted to ask. After all, everyone seemed so busy.
In the end, he stopped a R.I. The R.I didn't seem to mind but she was on a hurry.
"Could you please tell me where I could find the office of Jonathan Deberie?" Even the R.I was shocked at such a question. After all, humans should be able to access the warpnet and get directions as easily as snapping a finger, right?
But Theo never paid for that kind of privilege. So, no.
The R.I blinked several times at Theo. She tilted her head and conjured up a smile. "I'm heading that way. I could lead you partially. Afterward, I'll give you directions." Her voice was strangely soothing: fresh and on point.
Her uniform was different- or rather, just smaller. She had the same suit as the rest of the R.I but instead of skin-tight pants, she had a short skirt.
"Lead on." Theo's stomach curled up a bit but he was fine.
Theo followed the R.I. This particular one seemed more humane than the rest. Actually, she might have been more beautiful than most of the modified girls. One could say its creator had questionable intentions.
'Robotics had come a long way as well, it seems.' Theo walked on, trying to distract himself.
***
"I'll be stopping here. Head straight and take a sharp left. That should be adequate."
"Okay, thanks."
"You're welcome." The R.I entered a room and parted with Theo. Although Theo knew the R.I wasn't human, his heart still beat at least a few beats faster. 'I might need to get this checked. I might have a block….' He didn't.
With that, he followed directions and arrived right before the office. The door opened before he could knock.
He almost looked like a fool when he was about to.
"Welcome. Convenient, isn't it? The automatic door." Jonathan Deberie was seated and greeted Theo with a grin.
'You don't have to tell me that.' Theo rolled his eyes and sighed inaudibly.
Deberie continued. "I believe you've already made your decision?" Straight to the point.
"Yes. I have. I would like to know more. As in, what would I be doing in the ship?"
"Not totally dumb, I see."
'The hell is that supposed to mean?'
"Excuse me?" Even Theo couldn't help but feel a bit offended.
"I didn't mean to offend you." The man chuckled. "You'll be an explorer."
'Just because you didn't mean to offend me, doesn't mean it didn't offend me.' Theo didn't say it out loud but his eyes sure suggested as much. "But isn't that the job for-"
"People with extraordinary survival abilities. Yes. But even so, that is what you must do if you were to board this ship. There are other posts I could give you but then you won't have direct access to the outside."
It was true. In order for him to secure a specimen, he had to first come into contact with it.
"However, you will be accompanied by three other explorers, the best in the job. One of them is a newbie I just hired today, but so far he has the best potential I've seen: his personality is a little worrisome though. I think you don't have anything to fear."
'Yeah, but that makes me worry more.' Theo exhaled sharply. He would have agreed immediately but he needed to know the stakes first. "So, how much is the pay?"
A smile crept up on the man's face. "Quite a businessman I see. Not only are you going to get your dream job, you also want money."
"If I don't have money then what's the point of a job?" Theo wasn't dumb. He might not have been the genius the world wanted, but he wasn't an idiot either: he was definitely a bit greedy though. Even if it was his dream job, why should he do it for free? "After all you need food, money, and a place to rest to even have the opportunity to have a dream."
"You're her son, all right." A half chuckle.
"You know Mother?" Theo raised an eyebrow. He already knew his Mother had connections. So, this wasn't too surprising. And he wasn't asking whether the man knew his mother or not. Rather, he was asking just how much he knew.
Jonathan smiled and continued. "Anyway, we'd like to offer you ten thousand Hex, for one specimen each. We were hoping you could provide three specimens."
'Ten thousand!?' Theo stood there spellbound.
Theo got One hundred Hex from his family every year. That was enough for him to live a barely decent life. But Ten thousand for just one specimen? That was insane, at least to him.
"Of course as long as secrecy is maintained. We can't have the other Regents know of our plan just yet."
Theo smiled as hard as he could to hide his immediate surprise. His success was questionable at best. And Regents were a part of this? The thirteen almighty leaders of the universe? The scope of the job suddenly got a lot wider. "I don't see why not. I'd like to take up your offer." But that didn't mean he was willing to back down either.
This was his shot. This was his big break.
And he was going to take it.
"Attaboy." Both of them shook their hands. "Here." The man handed Theo a drive. "It's all there. Take a good look once you're home. I've also made the advance payment. Should be enough to buy all the gear you'll need."
It was almost as though Deberie was eager to get Theo onboard. And though Theo felt that as well, he just ignored it as this was probably the handiwork of his mother. At least that's what he wanted to believe.
Theo nodded. "Now if you'll excuse me."
"Of course."
Theo got out of the office and put the drive in his plasma bag. He still couldn't believe the magnitude of the job he was about to undertake. If he could pull this off, he won't have to worry about anything for the next fifty years or so. And he'd be able to live pretty lavishly as well. Not to mention he'd be living his dream. It felt surreal, unreal even.
'Oh yeah, Mother mentioned something about pops not leaving the lab.' Theo's memory jogged and he headed for the research building, which he had no idea where.