A. I. Evolution: The Coming of Christopher

Chapter 11

The next two days passed without any concerns, as my condition stabilizes. I feel my strength coming back steadily, and I have been up and walking around the circular hallway having afternoon coffee with George and Jane in the cafeteria. There does not seem to be any concerns from George or Jane as to my being released from their care, and on the morning of the third day, Doctor George Worth signed the release papers.

Jane brought around her personal car to take me home to my apartment, located on the other side of town. I confidently walked out the front door of the building that I had never seen before; even though I had spent almost the last five months in it as I recuperated from my injuries.

I climbed into the passenger's side of the black BMW, and slid across the leather seats, marveling at the wood grain accents on the dash and inner door panels. "Nice ride. I imagine that this set you back a few thousand."

Jane smiles at my appreciation of her pride and joy. "Thank you, it was a gift from me to myself when I finished my doctorate and was accepted into the Firm's research department."

Jane pulls away from the curb and quickly moves down the tree lined driveway to the main road back into the city. I look to the trees flashing by on the side of the road. "So, you are going to be keeping an eye on me for the next few months, are you?"

"Yes, The Firm is very concerned that you continue to remain healthy. You have caused a great stir in the researchers from the various labs."

"Ah, so it is not really me, but the success of the Nanos that have them so concerned."

Jane smiles as she makes a sharp turn at a speed that the car handles without even giving the impression of spinning out. "They are truly concerned, and to prove it, they have given me something to pass on to you to make the transition back into your normal life as easy as possible." She reaches into her attractive business jacket and pulls out an envelope with my name on it.

"What is this?"

"Open it and find out for yourself. I am done looking after you, now that we have left the clinic," smiles Jane happily.

I open the plain white envelope and pull out a slip of paper. I can tell right away that it is a cheque, and the amount printed and written on the front makes me take a second look. "Ok, that is very generous of them."

"How much is it for?" asks Jane, as she quickly changes lanes to pass a slower moving vehicle in front of her.

"Two hundred thousand dollars," I respond, still reeling from the initial shock of the large figure.

"That should help with the bills that have been piling up since your accident five months ago," smiles Jane.

"I should hope so, plus look after another car to get me back and forth from work."

Jane stops at a traffic light and turns to me briefly. "About your work. I took the liberty of calling Mr. Jones yesterday, to let him know that you were being released from the clinic and you could be back to work on Monday. Today is Tuesday, so that should give you a few days to spend some of that new-found money in your hand."

"You called Sam? What did he say about my position in the office?"

Jane smiles as the light changes color and she guns the engine again. "He has been calling about every week since the accident. I don't think you need to worry about your job being held for you. He will be more than happy to see you back at work."

I lean back in the comfortable and very supportive seat. "Good. That is something that I have been worried about for the last couple of days. Despite everything that has happened, I still need to support myself from now on."

I watch the familiar landmarks slip by as Jane aggressively navigates the city traffic to my street, which is set back from the main boulevard that runs down in front of the West End mall. My heart skips a beat as I again see my apartment building. It seems so different now; before it was something that I took for granted, but the accident has changed everything. I guess a near death experience will do that to a person.

Jane pulls into the narrow lane that runs down between my building and the one next to it, ending in a parking lot just large enough for the cars that belong to the occupants of the eighteen apartments. She stops just past the sidewalk, so I can enter the front door. I turn to her. "Do you want to come up for a few minutes before you head back to your office?"

"No,I should get my equipment from the clinic back to my lab at the researchfacility. I also need to get back to my normal routine and prepare a detailedreport of the success the Nanos had on your recovery and present it to theannual meeting of the Board of Directors, Monday at nineA.M.".