Enhanced: A YA Sci-fi Thriller Read online

  “Just two. A father and son.”

  One of the engineers stood up, exasperated. “C’mon. Are you listening to this Ryan? He’s obviously lying.”

  “His numbers add up,” said the finance manager. “He’s actually under budget.”

  Jeff shrugged, and Ryan took back control of the meeting. “Listen, I don’t know how he’s doing it, but he says he has something. Jeff, when can you show us what you’ve got?”

  “Well, I was gonna wait till Phil gets back.”

  “I don’t have that long. I need something now.”

  “I mean, I can check my pockets for them, but I don’t think they’re in there.” He opened his coat pocket. “Nope, not in there.”

  Ryan was fuming. “Get your guy on the phone now!” he shouted. “I need an answer.”

  “Uh… well, it’s almost midnight. I mean… I can call him first thing in the morning and let you know what he says.”

  “Call him now,” said Ryan, with an expression that promised he wouln’t let up.

  “Okay,” said Jeff, and dialed the number. He brought the phone to his ear, and it rang, and rang, and rang, and went to voicemail. “He’s still got an answering machine,” whispered Jeff. “Chiranjeev. Hey, sorry to bother you so late. I need you to pick up the phone. It’s about the contract. Hey, Chiranjeev… please pick up the phone.” Jeff covered the receiver. “He never does this,” he explained. “Chiranjeev, c’mon I need you to pick up...”

  Jeff looked around at the men staring at him, and hung up the phone. “I don’t know what’s up with that,” he said.

  Winston Gooley laughed, “that’s the problem with a small lab.”

  Ryan exhaled. “Okay, where were we? Yes, right. We are three months behind schedule. If we don’t get a prototype within the next three weeks, they're gonna pull the plug on the project.”

  “I’m gonna leave,” said Jeff, and got up from his seat.

  “Fine,” said Ryan, and Jeff left the room Ryan continued the meeting. “Some good news, I guess,” he said. “They finally settled on a name for our clinical trials. They’re gonna call it ACSES, which stands for American Cybernetic Social Enhancement Study.

  3

  Waiting Room

  By the time Ashley and her father arrived at the hospital, the steady rain had turned into a downpour. They jogged through the automatic doors, each with their coats over their heads — soaked from head to toe. “Aarav,” cried Ashley, and ran to him. Aarav turned around and was surprised by a compassionate hug. “Sorry it took us so long,” she said. “How is he?”

  “Not good,” came a stern voice from a dark complected woman, who Ashley only now noticed. “He’s in a coma,” the woman said.

  “Oh, no… that’s terrible. I’m so sorry to hear that. Oh, by the way, I’m Ashley, Aarav’s friend from school.”

  “I know who you are,” said the woman. “The last time I saw you, you were just a little girl. I’m sure you don’t remember me. I’m Aditi, Aarav’s mother.”

  Ashley couldn’t help her shocked expression, but she quickly straightened her face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Your name’s so beautiful.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Aarav never mentioned your name.”

  “He called me mother,” the woman said, smartly.

  “Of course,” said Ashley, and met the woman’s keen smile with a bashful one. Ashley turned to Aarav. “Where’s Jack and Venus,” she asked.

  “They walked down the hall to get me a candy bar.” Aarav’s mother’s lips turned sour over his food choice, as Ashley’s father was joined the group. “Aditi,” he said. “I didn’t expect you... It’s been so long. Oh, excuse me. I… I’m so sorry about Chiranjeev. How is he?”

  “He’s in a coma Pastor Clayton, and you mispronounced his name... as always.”

  “I’m sorry, I usually call him Jeeves.”

  “Hmm,” said Aarav’s mother.

  “So, what are they saying?” asked Pastor Clayton.

  “That he has a severe concussion and that his brain is swelling. We’re waiting to speak with the doctor now.”

  “Oh, Lord.” Ashley’s father choked up, and Ashley wrapped her arms around his. “Would… would you mind if we pray together?” he asked Aditi.

  “I’d rather not,” said the dignified woman.

  Pastor Clayton was taken aback. “A little prayer couldn’t hurt,” he said.

  “We have different beliefs,” she responded, very unapologetically. She took a step backward, allowing the doctor, who’d just arrived, to enter the conversation. Before the doctor spoke, the circle of Chiranjeev’s loved ones was completed by the return of Jack and Venus.

  “No candy bars,” said Jack. “Man, if I was in the sick people business, I’d be passin’ out candy bars at the front door.” Venus elbowed him in the side. “What?” he asked, then noticed the doctor. “Sorry, sir,” he said.

  “It’s quite alright. A sense of humor during difficult times helps some people to cope,” he said. Venus lowered her eyes in embarrassment.

  “Well,” said the doctor. “I have good news.” He looked at Aarav. “Your father’s vital signs are stable, he has good brain activity, and it looks like he’s going to recover.”

  “Is he out of the coma?” blurted Aarav, his eyes glossy with tears.

  “No,” said the doctor. “The swelling on his brain isn’t going down, and we’re going to have to move him into an induced coma to protect him.”

  “Wait,” said Aarav. “So you could bring him out, and you’re not going to?”

  “It would be very unwise to bring him out of a coma with that much swelling.”

  “Son,” interjected Aarav’s mother. He gave her his attention, as she tentatively reached out and took his hand. “The doctor said your father will recover. That’s all you need to know.”

  “Now, ma’am, nothing’s for certain…” began the doctor, but Aditi gave him a look so piercing it entirely derailed his train of thought.

  “How long will the induced coma last,” she asked firmly.

  “Two to four weeks. But usually no longer than that.”

  “You see Aarav, everything’s going to be alright. Why don’t you go with your friends while I speak to the doctor.”

  “C’mon let’s go,” said Pastor Clayton, and guided the group back over to the waiting room.

  “Hey, Pastor Clayton,” said Jack.

  “Good to see you, Pastor Clayton” said Venus.

  “It’s good to see you too… Jack… Venus,” said the pastor, as he put his arm around Arrav. “Would you like prayer son?”

  “Yes sir,” said Aarav.

  Pastor Clayton smiled. His prayer drew the attention of the entire waiting room, but he didn’t care — and neither did Jack, Ashley, Venus, or Arrav, who agreed with every word the man said.

  4

  Coffee

  The next morning was like every Saturday morning since the first of them were able to drive. There were many coffee shops in town, but they always picked Andy’s Coffee Summit for their weekly catch-ups.

  “It’s nine o’clock,” said Aarav, holding up his Casio calculator watch for Jack to see.

  “You should get a new watch, and girls are notoriously late,” said Jack, before taking a sip of his double whip caramel macchiato.

  “Is it genetic?” asked Aarav, as he warmed his hands on his paper coffee cup.

  “No,” laughed Jack. “It just takes them longer to get ready to go out, and if they mess up on their makeup they have to start all over. They begin with the foundation.” He pretended to pat his face with his fingers. “Then blush.” He brushed his cheeks.

  “Really?” said Aarav, sarcastically.

  “Then the mascara,” said Jack. He flipped his pinkies up over his eyelashes. “Then the eyeliner.” By this time Aarav was smiling. “Then the lipstick.” Jack picked up his napkin and pressed it between his lips.

  “Jack, please stop,” said Aarav, not wanting to laugh in public.

  Jack’s face brightened. “If you had a sister, you’d know what I was talking about.”

  “If I had a sister,” said Aarav, and took a sip of coffee. “If I had a sister, I’d understand girls and be able to acquire a girlfriend.”

  “If you had a sister I’d acquire her… as my girlfriend. Jack held his chin and studied Aarav’s face. “Here try it,” he said, and held up his napkin. “Put it between your lips and do like this.” He pressed his lips together. “I wonder what she’d look like.” Arrav didn’t take the napkin. He only shook his head - amused, yet desperately trying not to show it.

  The bell from the shop’s entry door jingled. “It’s the girls, said Aarav, and rubbernecked to see, spilling coffee on the front of his cashmere sweater in the process. “Oh my goodness,” said Aarav, and started dabbing the stain with the lipstick napkin.

  Both girls hugged Aarav around his shoulders, only noticing his dilemma once they’d been seated.

  “Oh, Aarav,” said Venus, and raised up to help him.

  “It’s alright,” Aarav said, raising his hand. “I’ll just go to the restroom and get some paper towels.”

  As he walked away, Ashley called to him. “It doesn’t look that bad, Aarav.” Then, when he was out of earshot, the girls leaned forward over the table and asked, “So how’s he doing?”

  Jack glanced over his shoulder. “Well, it took me about ten minutes to get him out of bed this morning.”

  “That’s good that he stayed with you,” said Ashley.

  “Of course,” said Jack, “We’re family, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Yep,” said Venus, and smiled broadly at Jack. He couldn’t help grinning.

  “You guys need to stop it,” said Ashley. r />
  “Stop what?” asked Jack. “Hey, you guys want me to get you some coffee?”

  “No thanks,” said Venus. “We went for an early jog and had coffee with breakfast.”

  “Hmm, did you end up staying the night with Ash?”

  “No,” interjected Ashley, “V had tons of homework.”

  “Yeah, it was tons.”

  “Are you serious?” asked Jack. “You stayed up later? I didn’t get home from the hospital till one-thirty.”

  “I actually got home after that,” said Venus. “I didn’t get to sleep until four.”

  “Dude, you must be exhausted.”

  “Yeah, Venus,” said Ashley, returning to the conversation after answering a text. “You can’t push yourself like that. It’s not healthy.”

  “I have to,” said Venus, and suddenly, she looked as tired as she should have. “What else can I do? I’m getting pushed, so I have to push myself.”

  “Do your parents still ask for copies of your homework?” asked Ashley.

  “No, but they do ask our teachers for a weekly report on our performance.”

  “I swear, I couldn’t live like that,” said Ashley.

  “Your parents just care about you,” said Jack. “Like, that’s how they show it. I mean, they go a little overboard sometimes, but…”

  “Trust me,” said Venus. “It’s not ‘cause they care about me.” She sighed. “Maybe I will have a coffee. Anyway, I have to go to tennis lessons after this. They hired a private coach.”

  Jack shook his head. “I still can’t believe they named you and your sister Venus and Serena like the tennis players. That’s so obsessive. No offense.”

  “Yeah, they’re something alright.” Venus paused, but then continued to share. “Their standards are so ridiculously high. They get crazy when it comes to achievement. It’s like my sister and I are going to be doctors, and we’re going to be tennis stars no matter what. It’s just not...”

  “Normal,” said Ashley.

  Jack cut in. “They want you both to be like that, except your little sister is the school tennis star, and she can get into any medical school.”

  Venus frowned. “Thanks, Jack.”

  “Your welcome,” he responded, picking up her sarcasm. “But V, what I’m trying to say is... you don’t have to be like your sister.”

  “Wrong. I have to be her, or be better than her.”

  “No, you don’t,” said Jack.

  “Have your parents gotten worse?” interjected Ashley, after answering another text.

  “Yeah, a lot worse. Since college and SAT’s came into the picture, it’s been like living with Hitler and Kim Jong Un.”

  Jack laughed. “What was your SAT score?”

  “Terrible.”

  “C’mon,” said Ashley. “Your grades are better than any of ours. It couldn’t be terrible.”

  “It is,” said Venus, with a look of shame. “It’s thirteen sixty.”

  “That’s super good,” said Jack.

  “Not good enough for Harvard. You need at least a score of fourteen-sixty.”

  “That’s just plain crazy,” said Jack. “What did Serena get?”

  “Fifteen-ninety.”

  “Whoa,” said Ashley. “That’s so high.”

  “Yeah, it’s depressing,” said Venus. “I’m taking the test again in two weeks, and I’ve been studying like crazy. But it’s not making me feel any more prepared.”

  Jack interjected. “How ‘bout I help you study, and you help me with my passing game.”

  “Thanks, but I think we both know what we’re good at,” said Venus.

  “What’s that mean?”

  Venus smiled. “It means that Ashley might be better at playing catch, and Aarav,” who had just arrived, “might make a better study partner.”

  Jack contorted his face to look like an absolute idiot. “Um, um, so are you callin’ me stupid?” he asked. “ ‘Cause I’m the quarterback of the football team. And the coach said that’s the smartest position!”

  Ashley laughed. “You sound like Goofy. Wait, just a sec,” she said, and went for her phone again.

  “Gawrsh,” said Jack.

  “Please, stop,” said Aarav, with a large water spot on his chest. “I’m not in the mood for antics.”

  Jack became indignant. “You’ve been in the bathroom for thirty minutes. Don’t be like…”

  “Jack,” said Venus, and calmed him down with a look.

  “Sorry,” said Jack. But Aarav said nothing back.

  “So, how were double days this summer?” asked Ashley.

  “Uh,” Jack paused. “They made me want to kill myself after every practice. But other than that they were great.”

  “How ‘bout you?” asked Jack. “How’d it go with the scouts? By the way great game last night.”

  “Thanks,” Ashley blushed. “The recruiters were interested. They all offered scholarships. I mean, some were better than others.”

  “What school are you thinking about?” asked Venus.

  “It was between UConn and North Carolina. But I’ve been thinking about Stanford to stay closer to home.”

  “Dang,” said Venus, “all division one schools? Way to go Ash.” She noticed Jack looking away. “What ya looking at, Jack?” she asked.

  “He isn’t looking at anything,” said Aarav. “It’s because he’s only been contacted by division two schools.”

  “Thanks for the update,” said Jack.

  “Wait,” said Venus. “You led us to the championship two years in a row. I’m sure there’s at least one D1 school that’s interested.”

  “Well, it wasn’t just me. We had a great team and a great coach. I’m just not accurate throwing down-field. I mean, I can get it down there. I can throw rockets. But it doesn’t matter when they don’t hit anything.”

  “You can work on that though, right?” encouraged Venus. She glanced quickly at Ashley, who was checked out, and back on her phone.

  “I don’t know,” said Jack. “My dad had the same problem when he played. He could throw a ball the whole length of the field, but he never hit the big passes.”

  “He still played after that.”

  “Yeah, at community college. But that’s it. It’s a family curse.”

  “Well,” said Venus. “I think you’re gonna do great this year.”

  “Well, thank you, ma’am,” said Jack. “I appreciate that.” He paused to look at her although she was no longer looking at him.

  “Ashley,” said Venus.

  “Huh?” responded Ashley, looking up from her phone.

  “Who are you talking to?”

  “Probably X.O. a.k.a Mr. Feminine,” said Jack.

  “X.O. is definitely not feminine,” said Ashley, giving away her source of the knowledge with a telling expression. “But he won’t talk to me because of my dad.”

  “Good,” said Jack.

  “Shut up,” said Ashley, playfully.

  “So, who is it then?” asked Venus.

  “Boys.”

  “More than one?” She shook her head. “Okay then, who are they?”

  “Just my guys,” said Ashley, dodging the question.

  “How many guys are ‘your guys’?” asked Jack.

  “That’s none of your business,” said Ashley.

  “You know what I think,” said Jack. “I think you need to find one guy.” He held up one finger, “…and make that guy your boyfriend.

  “Well Jack, until I find that guy, I’m gonna’ have fun. You have X-Box, Venus you have tennis practice…”

  “Very funny,” said Venus.

  “And I have my guys,” said Ashley.

  “I really wish I was in your situation,” Aarav added, after a minutes of silence. “I wish girls wanted to talk to me.”

  “Oh, Aarav,” said Ashley, “you’re great to talk to.”

  “Yes,” said Aarav. “But not to talk to in a way that leads to romantic involvement.”

  “What about that other Indian girl at school, Anaya?” said Ashley.

  “I asked her if she would like to have lunch with me and she rejected my invitation.”

  “Why? What’d she say?” asked Jack.

  “She said that she likes to relax during lunch and that she wouldn’t want the pressure of having to entertain me.”

  “Ooh,” said Jack, and cringed. “That’s a hard lame, bro. So, you just asked her once?”