Nexit

Mr. Scott

I remember the night of twenty third September like a calculator remembers numbers and this is coming from a billionaire who can't even remember his own birthday, yep that's me. My mother was always calling to remind of upcoming birthdays but with my schedule sometimes those calls can be missed which gets kinda annoying for my closest family and friends. I wonder how mother is doing. 

September twenty third. It was late at night, humid and I was drinking a cold beer, Coopers I think. As I stood there perspiring at the same rate as my beer, I breathed in the salty air coming from the moon lit, warm ocean. Thin curtains made of silk whisked at my feet beckoning me to follow the wind but I wasn't wearing anything but my undies and I didn't want to be attacked by hundreds of blood sucking mosquitoes. So I stayed behind the fly screen and continued to breath evenly, sipping my beer every few minutes. I began to look back on my life just I was reaching the bottom of the beer which was now warm and flat.

"Where to from here Jimmy?" I said to myself. Everyone had left the previous night so I was feeling a bit lonely and down I guess. All those people who came to hang out had everything paid for. Flights, food, accommodation, everything.  I finished off the beer with a slight cringe on my face and decided to go for another. 

The next minute would be the last minute of my original life. I look back on it now and smile to myself at how simple things were. 

I simply went into the fridge to twist a cold beer when the sound of blaring trumpets came from my cell phone. I froze for a moment, wondering if I should see who's calling. My phone was face down, vibrating slowly along the black, marble, kitchen top. Something inside of me was saying not to answer the phone. It was as if the little good guy was saying, 'don't pick it up, get yourself another beer and finish your holiday' when the little bad guy says with an evil grin, 'just pick it up, whats the harm?' I was on holiday and should've left the damn phone back home.

"Hello?" I said. The phone felt heavy in my hand. A familiar voice answered.

"Mr. Scott. We did it. We've sustained the portal." 

It was Cathryn, my chief scientist in Nexit's underground labs. I breathed out heavily and replied, "Okay, I'll be there. Only run basics until I arrive."

There was a moments pause in Cathryn's voice, "Yes sir." 

I hung up the phone without saying goodbye. Realisation hadn't hit me just yet. I was on a bridge from reality to fantasy. I felt like I was in limbo, trying to gather the weight of what I had just heard. The cold beer I had taken from the fridge was already beginning to perspire from my warm hand and I slowly placed it on the black, marble, kitchen top. I placed both hands on the marble, feeling my sweaty palms slightly slip under the weight of my leaning body. 

"Looks like holiday's are cut short Jimmy." I focused on the beer in front of me. Sadly I wouldn't be able to open it.