Anthem's Fall

Chapter Fifty One

(Apologies for the delay. The rest of the story will come quick! If you've liked it up to this point, please find it on Amazon and give it a quick review. A review there will mean the world to me. If you want to read the book in its entirety and not wait for updates, you can buy it for $2.99 as well. Thanks so much for staying on board!)

Chapter Nineteen

Kristen

Kristen stepped out of the subway station and into the bustle of Midtown. The crowded streets and busy intersections reminded her of moving through the bottom of a man-made canyon, with rows of coruscating skyscrapers rising high overhead on each side of the avenue. In the morning sun, Times Square shined in storied brilliance. Lurid advertisements of every description blinked and glowed. All Kristen could do was gawk at the flashing lights, smiling celebrities, and fall's new lineup.

The Marriot Marquis turned out to be a towering and opulent architectural marvel directly in the center of Times Square. Kristen trudged wearily past a golden atrium and into the marble of the main lobby, her hands grasping the straps of her backpack. She was stunned by the lofty height of the room that ascended above her. The pristine white lobby rose all the way to the barely visible roof of the hollowed out skyscraper. Turning her gaze upward, Kristen felt the sensation of being outdoors. It was as though some enormous hand had reached down and carefully gutted out the entire center of the towering building, leaving only open air in its space. The tiers of individual floors visibly encircled a series of extravagant open-glass elevators that gracefully raised and lowered the guests within.

The convention was being held in the Lutvak ballroom on the second floor, and Kristen ascended the main stairs as her sneakers squeaked faintly against the rich carpet. The ballroom was an expansive space with a few hundred chairs aligned into rows around a raised stage sporting a broad projection screen and a ring of tables assembled around the perimeter walls. A large banner hung across one of the walls with the words: Welcome to The Twenty-First Century of Science. Several grand chandeliers shimmered above the heads of the crowd, and elaborately designed moldings added a chic touch to the ballroom. The folding tables along the walls were set up with poster boards and laptop monitors depicting the progression of various research groups from around the globe. There looked to be easily two or three hundred people crammed among the rows of chairs. Most of the researchers and university professors were engrossed in eager discussion or quietly watching small research pitches.

Kristen rolled her eyes at the predictable demographic and scanned the tables for the Vatruvian cell. She found Professor Vatruvia standing by a display along the nearest wall. A conspicuous assemblage of men in stern military uniforms was congregated around him. Kristen shifted her backpack against her shoulders and eyed the buzzed haircuts and square jaws distrustfully. What possible new development would this prove to be? She felt confident that whatever their purpose, it would no doubt displease her. Kristen reluctantly stepped forward and passed through a group of quietly mingling geologists.

"Hi, professor." Kristen forced her best smile as she met him and the many military men.

A Vatruvian cell research display had been haphazardly set up on the table, consisting of little more than an open laptop with a rotating image of a unicellular Vatruvian cell. Several copied stacks of stapled research overviews were there for the taking. The display was humorously simple compared to some of the others she saw around the Lutvak ballroom. Kristen had no doubt Professor Vatruvia was planning to impress the convention with their lecture, not their display.

"Glad you could join us, Kristen. I wanted to introduce you to General Peter Redford." Professor Vatruvia raised an arm to the most decorated of the military men. "General Redford, this is one of my most gifted students, Kristen Jordan."