THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE

CHAPTER 12: RICH AND FAMOUS

Good morning! Looking forward to seeing you this Friday! :)

Do you have any preferences on the restaurant? Xoxo

I woke up to a text from Marysa. I'd been thinking about her on and off since our first date, but I was just so busy with work. I had almost forgotten that we had plans for Friday. I quickly typed my response:

Hey Marysa! Yes, I am also excited to see you again! :)

I'm good with whatever you choose. Can I pick you up at seven?

It didn't take long for her to reply:

Perfect, I'll make reservations at my friend's restaurant. Seven is great, I'll text you my address. Wear something elegant! ;)

I chuckled at the last part. Elegant, huh? This was going to be an interesting night.

I made plans to see James today after work. I need to know if Kenji already contacted him. Should I tell him about the whole Uransene thing? I have to, we never kept secrets from each other. And he would probably want to know what I need the Uranium for. How expensive is actually such a rare heavy metal? That's a concern for another time.

We met at "The Fox" for some after-work drinks on a Thursday. James had mentioned bringing Rebecca along, but I told him I needed to talk to him alone. He seemed a bit surprised, but he respected my request. After greeting Mike at the bar, we ordered our drinks and made our way to a quiet booth at the far end, away from the usual crowd. The low lighting and soft hum of conversation around us made it the perfect spot for a private discussion. James leaned in, curious about what had been on my mind.

"So, why did you want to see me alone Marc? It's about this Marysa chick right huh? I can give you any advice you need haha". James grinned, leaning back in his seat, arms casually stretched across the booth.

"Haha, thanks but I don't need an advice from you, playboy. We can talk about her later. I wanted to tell you something else."

His expression shifted slightly, sensing the seriousness in my tone.

"Alright, I'm listening."

"You remember my colleague Neo from Space Riders?"

"Yeah, the guy that filled in for you during your leave?"

"Exactly. He is this smart guy that knows a lot about chemistry and history."

"Okay."

"And I just couldn't stop thinking about the Uranium we met Astrix right here the first time. It was strange that he wanted such a rare metal. I tried doing some research of my own, but I couldn't find much. Still, something about it just wouldn't let me go, I wanted to know what I can be used for. So, I asked Neo if he could help."

He leaned over the table, resting his right arm under his chin, the other on the table as he listened closely. "Hmm, okay."

I paused for a moment, then continued, "So, yesterday, after a long stretch of investigation, Neo came to me with something big. He discovered that with the right mixture of Uranium, along with some other ingredients, you can create an endless source of power—an infinite fuel."

James' eyes widened slightly. This wasn't just any ordinary discovery. The weight of it hung between us in the dim booth at "the Fox."

"Wait, what?" James' skepticism was clear, he didn't believe me.

"Yeah man. I'm telling you, this is something new, something groundbreaking. He of course thinks that creating this fuel is impossible because of the lack in Uranium, but if you can make the deal with Tanaka and Astrix happen..."

"... you can take some Uranium for yourself and make this fuel?" James cut in, finishing my thought.

I watched him closely, but his expression was hard to read. His face was calm, revealing nothing of what might be going through his mind. Was he thinking I'd lost it? Maybe he didn't want to be involved in this at all. The silence stretched between us, each second feeling longer than the last, as James sat there without saying a word.

"Holy crap, dude! These are some crazy news! If this works out, you can make a shit tone of money, right? And become famous too!"

I felt a wave of relief. "So you believe me?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Thank God! I thought you're gonna send me to a mental hospital."

"Well, not just yet ha".

"I'm not interested in fame, James, but can you imagine using this fuel for the MSS for example? You could go anywhere in the universe! Way farther than just our solar system."

"That is crazy, though."

"So tell me, what the current situation with Tanaka?" I asked, eager to hear more.

"Actually, Kenji invited me to "Light Speed" on Saturday. Not sure if he'll blow me off or if he has more questions. Maybe Tanaka will be there?"

"Okay, can I come with you?"

"Sure thing."