THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE

CHAPTER 16: MONDAY

Monday finally arrived, and the first thing I wanted to do was see Neo, but he still wasn't in this morning. On my way back from his office, I spotted David in his own office, talking on "the phone", and remembered I still needed to tell him about the Uransene and Tanaka Shiburri, and what I was dragging Space Riders into. How to even start such a conversation? I gathered all my courage at knocked on his door, just as he hung up. Physical phones were no longer a thing, you communicated directly through VOXX with another person. Your eyes turned red when you were busy talking and returned to theirr normal color when you finished.

"Oh, Marc! Glad you came. I wanted to tell you how things are going at the factory. Please, take a seat. But you knocked first - what can I help you with?"

"No, please give me an update, my thing can wait." I needed a bit more time to think about what to say.

"Okay, so the production of the MSS is going extremely well. It is indeed a complicated process, but the first couple of vehicles will be ready soon. I want you to be one of the first people to take it for a test drive!"

"Oh, great news David, I'm honored to do that!"

"And now, to your concern?"

I told him all about Neo's research, the Uransene, and Tanaka providing us with the metal and wanting to be a silent partner. I shared everything and he just listened. Maybe he'll just fire me at the end? Oh well, I guess Carl is gonna have to switch to cheaper cat food.

"Marc, this is a lot to take it. I don't appreciate you doing all of this behind my back." Crap.

"But, I've known you for a while now, and I think you were acting in the best interest of Space Riders." Huh, so no cheap food for Carl after all.

"I am still not sure what to think about Mr. Shiburri as our associate, but he is a big name in the underground scene. Maybe we will all benefit from each other."

"David, I am really grateful for your understanding. And if Neo's attempt is successful, the company will reach an all-high profit from selling Uransene. Just imagine the possibilities." You could literally see the money sign in David's eyes.

In the meantime, Neo came to work. I knocked on his door, only my head sticking inside.

"Hey Neo, I have some very exciting news. Do you have a moment?"

"Sure, please come in."

"I know you said that creating the Uransene was impossible because of the Uranium, but I managed to get my hands on a small testing amount."

"Wait, what? Are you serious?"

"I am."

The Uranium had been delivered to me personally by four of Tanaka's men in the meantime.

"But how is that possible?" he asked.

"Do you really want to know where I got if from?"

"Probably not, but if we are gonna do this together, I need to know everything."

"Tanaka Shiburri."

"Holy Christ, Marc."

"Crazy, right?"

"Yes, one hundred percent."

"So, how soon can we start the experiment?" Neo was eager to begin.

"As soon as you're ready. I filled in David on the whole situation, we can use the office's facilities."

"Okay, good! This is all so exciting Marc. I shall clear my calendar by the end of the week."

"Great!"

You could see that this was Neo's passion, and I was glad to have him on my side.