Caretakers 2.0

The Message

Tobias

The viewpoint of the first video I watched was obviously from Li Mei's eyes. Her owner, a man with a short, well-maintained white beard and perfectly styled salt and pepper hair, sat at a video terminal talking to a hologram of Adrianna. She looked just the way I remembered her before she got sick. My heart hurt at hearing her voice again.

"Are you sure that's what the message said?" Adrianna pushed.

"Yes, Adrianna. It was perfectly clear. I mean, the message was. The meaning? Not so much," Li Mei's Caretaker explained. "What does 'Prepare to receive delegation to confirm compliance' even mean?" He coughed into his sleeve.

Adrianna went silent, refusing to look into the camera.

He took a breath and sat back in his chair, folded his arms. "You know something, don't you?" he accused.

She raised her head. "I can neither confirm nor deny that," she said, holding up her hands to stop his questions.

His eyes narrowed, and he pointed a finger at the hologram. "You and the Council know what this is about. Why don't the rest of us?"

Adrianna looked around as if checking if she were alone. "That's not for me to say, Randolph. Truly. I wish I could, but until the Council is willing to..." she waved a hand. "I've said too much already."

"Well, I know that tone of voice," Randolph complained, scowling. "Keep your damned Council secrets, then. You know where to find me when you need help."

Adrianna nodded and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Yes, thank you, Randolph. I will take this to the Council and tell you more when possible. In the meantime, I beg you to leave it alone."

He cocked an eyebrow. "You know me better than that."

She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Yes, I do, which is why I asked." She looked up. "Please. Randolph, leave this one alone and keep it to yourself. Don't do anything stupid like... trace the signal and figure out how much time we've got until they arrive."

"How would I do that? I don't even know how fast they're traveling." Another coughing fit threatened to overtake him.

She waited until he could pay attention. "We have the portals. They operate near the speed of light, as you know.."

He paused, rubbing his chin. "Yes. So, I could use that..."

A devious smile spread across her face. "Good. Let me know when you find something."

He sighed. "Fine. Okay. I will call when I have something more."

"Thank you, Randolph. This is really important. Our lives could be at stake here."

He slammed his hand on the desk, glitching her hologram image momentarily. "Damnit, Adrianna, give me something to go on here!" His breathing was labored.

She looked around again, then leaned in to whisper, "Meet me for dinner tomorrow at the Circle. Seven o'clock. I can't say more here."

"Fine," he grumbled, dabbing at his mouth with a handkerchief. "Have it your way. I'll see you at seven tomorrow night. Until then."

She nodded. "Until then. Oh, and bring Chen. I've loaned Tobias out for a charity function."

He waved the display off and sighed before looking at Li Mei. "Well, Chen, we have some research to do."

"Yes, Sir," Li Mei's voice said.

The next video in the data was again from Li Mei's point of view. She was serving Randolph and Adrianna in the restaurant. The two sat at a small table in a private corner away from the usual crowd. The service was formal, and the table was set to perfection. They were enjoying their first course of soup.