Nocturne in Black and Gold

Chapter 2: Fireworks in the Sky

Aidan's studio was north of the Columbia campus. No easels, art supplies, and canvases for him. Instead, his workspace resembled a computer lab. But that was fitting for someone who was also a skilled programmer at a cybersecurity company. Aidan had become interested in the visual arts when he was an undergrad at MIT. At Columbia, he worked exclusively in digital media.

He and Neal worked throughout the day on Sunday with only a quick break for lunch. Aidan's quest for perfectionism was worse than Neal's on a forgery. Well, maybe the equivalent. Neal exhaled in relief when Aidan finally took off his headphones and pronounced himself satisfied with the results.

"I lost track of how many times you made me record that twenty-second segment," Neal grumbled. "You must have used every sound effect in your arsenal. Are you trying to be the next Peter Jackson?"

"Better not say that. If recording you could do the trick, I'd keep you here for the next week." Aidan began shutting off the equipment. "I still can't believe I'll be showing at Comic-Con."

"It should have sunk in by now. The way the judges raved at your video at the sci-fi convention, it was obvious you'd win first prize. Mozzie's already dreaming of movie deals."

"He may not be so far off base."

"You mean you've already been approached?" Neal asked, stunned.

"Not quite but close enough. And it's thanks to Keiko. She has a cousin who works for Hotaru Productions, one of the largest animation studios in Japan. Toma is attending Comic-Con along with several other representatives from their company. He wants to meet me! He thinks Hotaru may be interested in the video."

"To develop as a ...?"

"Comic book, cartoon—he wasn't specific, but I'd be happy with anything. Keiko returned to Japan at the end of the term to attend a friend's wedding. Without breathing a word about it to me, she took along a copy of the video to show to Toma. She probably realized that if I'd known about it, I would have insisted on multiple revisions." Aidan grinned. "I never thought she could be so devious."

Neal remembered how shy Keiko was when they first met last September. They'd helped each other become familiar with the university. Neal had also felt out of place, but his jitters were nothing compared to hers. And now he could claim partial credit for Aidan and Keiko's happiness since he'd introduced her to Aidan.

"You should talk with Mozzie," he told Aidan. "He already has plans to be your agent, and his skills as a lawyer are not to be sneezed at."

"I'm counting on it. Mozzie reviewed the contract my company has with the FBI. I'm sure he believes he's on retainer." Aidan swiveled away from the video-editing console and stretched his legs out. "I hope to investigate other opportunities as well while I'm at Comic-Con. Richard thinks he can get me an interview with Scima."

"I thought Richard was working on game development."

"He is, but the facility where he works also handles film productions. It's second in size only to their headquarters in London."

"You'd move to L.A.?"

"In a heartbeat. Or San Francisco. George Lucas's production company, Industrial Light & Magic, is there. I could make the sacrifice."

"What about your cybersecurity company? Would you quit?"

Aidan shook his head. "That shouldn't be necessary. You combine your art with working at the FBI. I don't see why I couldn't work on visual effects during the day and also keep a hand in programming. I could work remotely, doing just the jobs that interest me, like the software we developed to combat Azathoth's security system malware. In fact, I could make a strong case to my company that we need a representative on the West Coast. Playa Vista, where Scima is located, is considered to be another Silicon Valley. We could open a branch office, focusing on the West Coast and Asia. You know the West Coast museums have been slow to adopt our software."