Time: 10:27
Ding!
The shiny metal doors slid opened. Jet looked into the elevator and saw it was the usual. Bland interior, metal rail, and no music. Funny, how everyone always refers to elevator music when they hear boring, monotone music. But it’s hard to find an elevator playing any music.
He stepped in and turned around and looked at the panel of floor buttons. He quietly chuckled a bit when he saw how many floors there were.
“Thirty nine floors. Man, was I off.”
He quickly scanned through all the button numbers, and pushed the one with the number thirty two on it.
Jet leaned on the rail as the doors slid shut. A mechanical whirring could be heard along with the change of upward motion. Time slowly passed by along with each floor of the ever-tall building.
Time: 10:28
Ding!
Once more the elevator doors slid open. Jet looked up and saw only grey. It was a very morbid floor with grey walls, carpets, ceilings, even attitudes. Cubicles were everywhere on the floor. He saw a very depressed man who was partially bald but had half a halo of brown hair in a strange olive green suit.
“Yes, uh, Mr. Slate? I’m Jerry. You seem to be, oh…(Jerry glances at his silver watch)…two minutes early.”
“Yeah, no shit”, Jet thought seeing how the room had at least one plastic, gold rimmed clock on each wall.
“Even so, I was told you were needed to be seen immediately”, Jerry replied in an objective state.
“I see…”, Jet replied in almost a heavy-hearted way, reluctant to start any time soon.
“Follow me.”
Jerry led Jet to his left, over to more glass doors in which seemed to hold a conference room with, who would’ve guessed, more grey. He opened the door, allowing Jet to enter, and left for more tasks all with the simple need of completion.
Jet stood there for a second looking at a man in grey pants, white shirt, crimson red and navy blue striped tie. He was a Caucasian man with brown, ruffled, greasy hair with a cigar in his mouth. He stood up from his spot at the grey rectangular table and gave him a sullen handshake.
“Hello. I’m Bob. Do you know why you’re here?”
“Hmmmm….to save America? Save innocent lives? Do something without any meaning to anyone except the government?”
“Ha! You wish! You’re gonna clean up a spy’s mess.”
“Yippee.” Jet thought, “Got to looove them.”
“Ever heard about Don Rogers?” Bob asked.
“Yeah…..why?”
“Because YOU get to finish what he figured out”
“And what, need I ask, did he find out?”
“He found out that a man named Zhang-shi stole the US’ greatest scientific achievement”
Bob placed a photo of a short, partially bald, Chinese man with a mustache in front of Jet.
“He is our main suspect of more than twenty deaths…”, Bob continued, “…including Don’s. So, we are setting you up with a connection with the top AI spy partner, SONYA. Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.” Jet was handed a similar earpiece that Don once had.
“Great. I’m partnered up with a spy helper.” Jet pushed the device in his ear as he said so.
“Hey! She has saved many lives, and solved many predicaments. Besides, she requested to be within your presence due to her strong relations with Don. She felt she needed to straighten things out. Get to know her, get some food, get some sleep. Tomorrow you’re going to the assumed area of Zhang’s presence: Hong Kong.’
“Hello. I’m SONYA,…” SONYA said cheerfully, “…otherwise known as Spy Operator of Navigation and Yielder of Accessories. Some necessary technological information is a necessity to be known which I will explain….”
“Hold up there. I didn’t ask for any directions did I? If I wanted an instruction manual, I would’ve asked for one.”
“Well……you sure do behave very much like Don did…”
“I bet. Just don’t push it. Got it?”
“Affirmative. Pardon any wrong I have brought upon you.”
“Don’t sweat it. Man I wish my superiors acted more like you”
“I see.”
“Well, I’m starved. Let’s get some lunch.”
“Let’s.”
“Just remember,” Bob said, “ You need help or information on the mission, ask SONYA.”
“Gotcha.”
And with that, Jet and SONYA left. Back to the crowded streets of San Francisco.