The Book Keeper (11 page)

‘Miss Rubin,’ I said, nodding my head at her, raising my eyebrows.

‘Please sit,’ she said, indicating for me to sit on a hot pink leather chair opposite hers at her white desk.  She sat in her own head poncho chair with an amused look on her face. I narrowed my eyes at her.

‘So, according to Miss Rueben, you have chosen your preferred ophthalmologist and neurologist. My father has expressed his wish, no, ordered me to be present at each of your meetings with the medical professionals Mr Darcy.  See it as a type of insurance policy. You have the power to talk to the medical staff about the implant, but do not have final authority over the green light to proceed with the MR device.  Do you understand Mr Darcy?’ Her voice was assertive, no, more like aggressive.

Hmm bossiness, spoiled brat personified! Does she always obey daddy dearest?

How does she know the two medical professors that I have chosen? I did not email my preferences to Mia.

‘Do you understand Mr Darcy?’ her loud repetition of the comprehension question broke into my thoughts.

‘Just a little clarity firstly Miss Rubin.  Name the two medical professors that I chose, and secondly, I would like to know your qualifications, and how they will benefit the device that CAI is about to trial and patent,’ I said in a non-threatening manner, trying to pull the power back to myself.

She looked down at first.  Yes, I had cut her confidence a little. And then she pulled up her emails, and quoted the names of the green medical professors that Mia had guided me to choose.

‘And my qualifications Mr Darcy, I direct you to visit my employee profile for a detailed
CV on my credentials and career.  You will not be disappointed I can assure you. Now, I will arrange for the good doctors to come for briefing tomorrow.  I will email you the time and place.  Good day Mr Darcy,’ she replied, her voice cool, perhaps threatened.

‘Miss Rubin, the meeting place must be in my office.  It cannot take place anywhere else.  I will be ready for the briefing tomorrow,’ I offered.  She looked at me and smirked, annoying me.

‘Yes, Mr Darcy, of course.  Your, hmmm, graffiti wall will be the centre of the briefing I am sure. My father spoke of your ah, style,’ she said humorously. I narrowed my eyes at her.  Rude, arrogant, self-righteous come to mind immediately.

Play the game. Play it better.

‘Thank-you Miss Rubin.  I will look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Do be on time,’ I added, nodding my head as I stood.

‘I will, will you?’ she questioned me
, raising her right eyebrow, mocking me.

‘Well, I don’t want to ruin my reputation do I?’ I shot back at her, smiling and bowing to her, before I turned and left her office.

I glared at Mia as I headed to the elevator.

‘Good day Mr Darcy,’ she squeaked as I walked past her,
she was as white, as pleasant and as detached as ever.  

Instead of returning to my office, I decided to get out of the CAI building before it suffocated me.  I bolted through the stupid revolving doors and out onto the pavement. The cool air blasted into my
skin, having the same effect as a slap on the face.  I really needed it.  It was like a wake-up call.  Don’t let the bastards get to me.

Play the game. Play it BETTER!

I sucked in a deep breath, ran my hand through my wayward hair, and then about turned and entered the CAI building once more. 

My handprint was scanned and unlocked my high security office as usual. I sat in my inexpensive low backed chair, and put my feet up on the desk in rebellion of the Rubins.  They certainly would not approve of my feet resting on the desk.  In fact, they could probably see me right now in their camera surveillance.  Shall I give them the two finger salute as well?

I put the earphones of my iPod into my ears, and listened to Apocalyptica. I closed my eyes and let the music weave its way throughout my body, relaxing and calming, helping me to see the situation very clearly.

Almost instantly,
my mind was totally left field in its creation.  I opened my eyes in fright.

It wasn’t a Mind Reading Implant
invasively inserted into the eyeball and the brain that I saw, but a mind reading contact lens that used organic matter to infuse with, and grow into the flesh of the eye, becoming one with the person.

Suddenly I was
terrified, mortified.  This was a serious intellectual upload.  I ripped the earpieces out of my ear canals, and sat bolt upright at my desk, panicked.  I couldn’t contain the adrenaline surging through my body.  I rose from my desk and paced the room, my mind alight with the fire from the new device.

I couldn’t draw it.  It couldn’t write it down anywhere.  That would be my undoing.  I didn’t want to be railroaded into developing another device that would hurt humanity.

That’s when it occurred to me.  I could never let the MR Implant work, ever.  And I had to make certain that it would never work, ever.  I did tell Mr B. Rubin that the whole concept was science fiction.  I did warn him, didn’t I?

I returned to my desk, and wrote specific details and questions for the doctors that I would meet tomorrow.  Then I returned to my detailed drawings of the implant that would go into the
fovea of the eye, where the greatest acuity of vision occurs.

I deleted a min
iscule, seemingly inconspicuous connection, rendering the implant useless.  Only the ophthalmologist may pick it up, if he or she knew about my engineering side of the implant.  But my guess is that he or she will be looking at where and how to implant it into the eye, and miss the micro technology all together.

I sat back in my chair and closed my eyes, my heart beating loudly, giving away the fact that I was misleading Mr B. Rubin, lying to him.   But I had to do it. 

The ramifications of a Mind Reading Implant could be catastrophic.  If one was going to be built, it was not going to be built by the CAI Organisation – was the CEO and the Board even aware that Mr B. Rubin had employed me to  produce this implant.

I raised my eyebrows.  Good question. The monitor of the computer captured my attention.  I could easily check to see if he was sending copies of our emails to others at CAI.   Now was not the time to start being a detective.  Perhaps I should check Mr B. Rubin’s schedule with Mia, and then begin my investigation when he was in a meeting or out of the building.  I nodded my head to myself.

I was now playing a game of deceit with Mr B. Rubin, and I would play my part meticulously.  He would never know.

Play the game. Play it better.

The beeping of my watch alarm alerted me to the time to leave to meet Georgia at the park for a personal reading of the bloody book.  3:07pm she specifically requested.  3:07pm!

Crap, I haven’t had my eyes checked.  She will give me the third degree and a scalding
at my lack of concern for my eyesight.  Bossy women!

Th
e stupid revolving door was queued up when I approached it, largely due to the incompetent person trying to time her entry into the wings, like she was trying to jump in on the turning skipping line, swaying back and forth as she tried to judge when to go. The person behind her was no help, nor the next.  For goodness sake, give the poor woman a hand!

I bypassed the waiting folk and spoke encouragingly in the lady’s ear.

‘Now, now, now, you can do it, now, now,’ I coaxed in a gentle voice.   It was no use.

Grabbing her hand, I then pulled her into the open section, and led her safely through like a child.  It was not without fear, she squealed her way through.

I patted her back.  ‘Safe now,’ I commented as I smiled at her, and then left at great speed towards the park.  I was behind time now.  If I did not make it by 3:07pm, I would never hear the end of it.

Thirty metre
s from the old oak tree, I saw her.  She was sitting under the ancient tree dressed in a pretty pale blue sleeveless dress, her feet crossed at the ankles looking very relaxed.  I slowed down and caught my breath.  My watch time was 3:05 pm.  I had two minutes to reach her and present myself exactly at 3:07pm.

Within the minute I stood hidden behind the tree.  I could smell her sweet perfume.  Sweet, like pink roses. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the
assault on my sense of smell, then opened my eyes and watched the digital time on my watch.

At exactly 3:07pm I appeared from around the tree.  I stood before her,
lowered my head and bowed to her rolling my hand in front of me towards her as perhaps a servant would do.

Georgia burst out laughing and thr
ew an acorn at me.  I looked into her eyes and smiled shyly at her, then sat beside her, leaning against the trunk of the ancient tree as she was.

‘3:07 pm exactly Miss Georgia!’ I exclaimed with pride, smirking.

‘Exceptionally well timed Cohen!’ she replied.  ‘Do you have my errant pages?’

‘No, but I found the gingerbread men, and they are naked!’ I laughed to myself, and then looked up into her eyes as I handed her the four pages to the bloody book, our fingers lightly touching, sending tingles
through my body.

She scowled at me. ‘You didn’t get your eyes checked did you?’ she asked seriously.

Here we go, eye lecture coming.

‘Actually, I am meeting with an opthalmologist tomorrow,’ I replied, tilting my head on the side, raising my eyebrows at her.
She didn’t need to know that it was about the MR Implant.  It would get her off my back at least.

She considered me for a while, and then looked down shyly. ‘Good,’ she said quietly,

and then proceeded to place the loose pages back into the book.

Once she had done this, she rested her head back on the trunk of the oak tree and closed her eyes, as if regretting something.

‘Are you wishing for me to leave, now that you have the missing pieces of your jigsaw?’ I asked, confused by her aloofness.  She didn’t answer me and nervous butterflies of rejection started to flutter in my stomach.  It was time for me to leave.

I looked down at the grass and ran my hand lightly over the top of it.  Then I ran my other hand through my hair.  What should I do?  She wanted me to meet her here, and yet, I am receiving the signal that she doesn’t want me her.  Damn, I wish I could read her mind!

I smiled to myself.  How ironic.  An MR Implant!  It would do wonders for me and my relationship with women.  They would think that I was God’s gift!

‘Cohen,’ Georgia said quietly interrupting my thoughts, ‘If I start reading this book to you, I need you to tough it out to the end.  You can’t ditch half way through.  I have never read or shared it with anyone, ever.  This is your get out clause before I start.’

Her face was gentle, serene, as she spoke to me, her eyes searching the depths of mine, trying to make a connection deep within me.  I felt like I had melted into her.  She was so warm, soft, peaceful.  I wanted to stay in that place, but I pulled my eyes from hers.

‘Why choose me Georgia?  Why not a close friend who knows you, understands you?  You don’t know me from a bar of soap.   I could be a very bad person for all you know,’  I said to her in a hushed tone, confused by her need to lock me into the book once she started reading it to me.

‘That is exactly why I chose you Cohen.  You don’t know me
.  You will listen and see the events of the story without prior knowledge of my life imposing on it.  You will see it with new vision and a different perspective. And, I intuitively know that you are not a bad person.  I can see through to your pure heart,’ she added, her eyes pleading with me to stay and listen to the bloody book.

I looked away from her into the
cloudless blue sky, and breathed in deeply, considering my position.  Every bone in my body was telling me to stay.  I was undeniably attracted to this woman in the pale blue dress.  I wanted to wrap my arms around her to protect her for some reason.

‘And, if I have no
opinion or advice to give you once I hear with the contents of this book?’ I asked, looking back into her eyes.  She looked down at her hands.

‘I have faith in you Cohen
.’  She looked back up into my eyes.  ‘The fact is that I need you more than you need me.  I am even willing to put up with all of these trackers around us.  In fact, I like the challenge that they bring to us.  When I have finished reading the book to you, I will release you from it. In fact I can....’  She stopped talking all of a sudden, and looked away, as if considering what to say next.

Damn I wish I had the MR device.

‘I can pull the memories from your mind if you request it,’ she finished looking into my eyes, for my reaction I’m sure.  I narrowed my eyes at her.  How can she pull memories from my mind?

‘Very intriguing Miss Georgia.  Your last statement has me extremely curious, and cautious.’  My voice was low and quiet.  I looked into her eyes for what seemed an eternity.  She held her composure, remained calm and.....trusting.

What are you thinking Georgia????

‘We will need to meet at different places over the course of the book you understand.  And there will be times when I cannot meet you because of my job.
’  I stopped talking and held her gaze in mine. ‘Yes, I can see that your need is greater than mine Georgia. I take on your challenge of listening to the story contained in your book from beginning to end, but make no promises for beyond,’ I said, and used the back of my hand to wipe away a stray tear falling down her face.