06
Built To Order
Kayla made her way onto the desk as the crowd gave way for her. She looked at the people looking back at her and turned her head to the attendant.
“One moment.” The staff tilted his head down so the microphone could capture his voice while he held his finger down onto the device itself to reroute the audio. “Please, have those two in the back come up too.”
The crowd turned to look at Alex and Luna, who stayed behind everyone else, as they treaded through the line that carried Kayla after she parted the Red Sea by her presence alone.
“Your name is, sir?” The staff gestured to him.
“Alex Fritz.” He watched as the crowd had stopped all comment and looked straight at them.
“Come behind the counter, please.” The attendant pushed a finger onto the Headset’s flat circle. “Okay, I understand.”
The staffer leaned downwards to retrieve a sensor from the drawer hidden in the desk, and with it, two tins that looked similar to the one Alex showed them.
“I’m going to need your fingerprint, Alex.” He obliged by giving his thumb to the sensor plate. It flashed white and then green.
“Thank you. This next part is for your knowledge and yours only.” Alex held his right ear close to the attendant as he continued to scan the crowd. “We took measurements internally and have prepared two. Correspondence of the devices have been marked here.”
He pointed to the bottom of the tin that formed the packaging for the Circle Film. For Kayla Ferrule and For Luna Syracuse.
“Alex, it is of paramount importance that you follow our requests.” The entrusted turned to the salesman. The staff member produced a piece of paper from under the table. A pen was clipped onto the top of it. It was a plain piece of yardstick cut in half the size of standard Letter, containing only one clause. “Bring these home and let no one else open it unless they are the persons intended. After that, it’s all clear. If you agree, sign here above the Person Entrust Signature blank.”
The signatory pledges to fulfill previously-mentioned, and those guidelines of today.
Alex unclipped the pen and scribbled his name on the line. The attendant stacked the slip on the two films, and wrapped all of the items in a paper bag. Kayla watched in curiosity.
A gray-shirted person with the same clip-on mic came and muttered something into the person responsible for the film counter. He then turned to Kayla.
“Miss Ferrule, we need your attention and presence for a few minutes. Please.” The man turned to the salesman. “Feel free to resume.”
“The two behind me?” Her voice grew a sense of agitation.
“They can wait a little while here. Your presence and only yours.”
Kayla turned to Luna, then Alex. She faced the gray-shirted man again.
“Okay.”
“The green sectors have couches for your needs.” The man’s smile was not entirely convincing as he nodded at the two left behind. “It would be great if you would follow me, Miss Ferrule.”
As the man turned around to lead the way, Kayla kept her gaze on her butler. The latter nodded and reciprocated until she disappeared into the crowd with Alex.
The man lead her around the circumference of the referenced store design that took flight in the name of the company. The colors shifted under the feet as they traversed the quarter of the store into a gray sector for product support, where a pair of elevators awaits behind the long bench with some twelve service staffers formed a small concierge for the influx of assistance requests. A member could be seen exiting the right elevator back onto the main bench area. The entire area with the elevators was walled off by a metal gate. The man placed her finger on the sensor on top of one of the posts locking itself to the ground, and the mechanism sprung it open.
The man gave his hand for Kayla to shake as the gate closed after they made it to the elevator.
“My name is Sean Hunter, lead engineer.” She caught his handshake as the door in front of them opened. “Sorry to interrupt your day, Miss Ferrule.”
They both stepped into the cabin inside. The glass back showed them descending three levels underground, passing through the subterranean second level support tables with around a hundred more people. Composite concrete-reinforced floors hid the third level from unauthorized persons.
“We requested your presence because we wanted you to test something.”
The doors open to a long, cold hallway. On two sides flanking it were nondescript doors— White, unmarked, with a single window. The one closest to the back to the left have its window covered up by a black cloth, and operated with a number code-fingerprint combo lock. Kayla turned around and looked out the window. A corridor of young men and women carrying drinks and plastic molds in their hands. She wished she could have seen more but the doors closed on her.
The doors in front of the elevator doors swept close. The security cameras above it turned to look at them. Sean authenticated at the lock at the door with the black cloth, gave the knob a counter-clockwise turn, and the group of engineers that surrounded the bench with a glowing contraption in the center.
“The team that has worked on this project.” He gestured to the group, who bowed at her for a salutation. “Miss Kayla Ferrule.”
Sean moved over to the table to showcase the device. It flashed and morphed while the sheen inside of the blue spherical swirl flashed white and sunk down. The rift was held atop a steel pedestal with twelve small mechanical arms mounted on a circular frame with their own tracks, firing their own electrical pulses at seemingly random intervals. Some arms changed positions while they are inactive. The blue sphere spun and morphed.
The pedestal had a small fingerprint sensor embedded into it.
“It was an order. Every year we received 10% of the company’s net for this project. Your father wanted your hand on it first.” Sean looked at Kayla. “This is the result. We lovingly call this the Fabric Softener.”
“What does this thing do?” She looked at the device, not entirely convinced.
“Just allow people to move across space and time? Very experimental. Very unstable. But we think this works.” Sean’s voice picked up pace and tone.
“Is it why I’m sent here? You people crashed the plane?”
“We weren’t allowed to disclose that until you sign this waiver.” He produced a piece of paper from the folder on the table.
“I’ll consider.” She snatched this paper out of Sean’s hand as she scowled at the document. “We’ll find another day.”
“It will be best—“
“I said another day!” Kayla lost her touch, juggling the confusion with her own brewing stew of emotions. Out came the basic solution for any rich girl.
Sean’s face sunk as he pondered by staring at the doorstop next to the hinge. He glumly nodded.
“Okay. Elevator’s that way. This facility is yours. Fingerprint readers will let you in. And out. My number’s on your Film.”