It's hard twirl your fingers around short hair.

That's right. I had become the epitome of boredom.

What language do deaf people think in...

A sudden ping grabbed my attention.

Must be my Cloud.

I opened my palm, the holographic projection from its center lighting up before my eyes.

Administrator: [14 May, 2073]

{Forwarded Message}

All Tier 1 members must assemble at the Knox Institute of Coding and Radiation tomorrow. Attend the conference on the Impact of Biocode in Eradication of Cancer. Pose as participants with doubts to enter Professor Callum Wight's office.

Administrator: [15 May, 2073]

{Forwarded Message}

If you are present, send me a message of confirmation.

[End of thread]

My fingers hovered above my palm, slowly typing in a suitable response.

.

.

Wyv3rn_x: Here.

Riptide99: I'm outside the office.

[End of thread]

I tapped the base of my wrist, turning off its display.

Everyone had a Cloud 9 these days. All it took was a chip at the center of your palm, a tiny dot of the projector lens being the only thing visible above skin. The surgery was cheap too, but compared to the other phones, it did cost a pretty penny.

"Is that the cloud version?" asked the man sitting beside me. He'd been looking over for a while now, probably confused at seeing me open my palm and draw doodles in thin air. The privacy feature was one of the main reasons I considered buying this over the other alternatives.

"How does that even work? The invisibility thing I mean," he asked, this time leaning closer to look at my palm.

"Oh, that? I heard it emits polarized wavelengths, so it should be visible only from the angle where the user's eyes are. The tolerance is about three degrees, so even people standing behind you can't see what's going on," I replied. It was fun, talking about tech stuff.

"That's pretty awesome. It's way better that, what was that company's name? Some fruit, can't remember..."

"Oh, that one's just way overpriced. They're just selling off in terms of brand value."

The guy seemed amiable despite his obvious lack of boundaries. His full frame glasses and matching black-tee-beige-chinos combo was a typical reflection of your neighborhood tech wizard. His face wasn't half bad either.

It was then that I noticed the bulk of his glasses.

That's a polarized smart glass! You were testing me weren't you, little shit!

"You may come in!"

Just when things were getting spicy.

I got up from my seat, shuffling into the cabin along with the six others who had been waiting to speak to him.

Callum's vibrant smile was the first thing I saw as I stepped into the room. It ticked me off.

"Quite a few doubts to clear I see. So, who goes first?" asked the Professor, rubbing his palms together as he leaned forward. I felt my nerves crawl.

His acting could easily put identity disorders to shame.

"A few of us are here regarding the internship at Cryoscape labs sir. We were hoping to get a recommendation," said my newly attained 'friend,' captain four-eyes.

"Oh, I'll be back with you as soon as I clear the doubt's for today's session," Callum replied.

Four-eyes moved over to a corner of the cabin as the Professor dealt with the questions of a middle- aged woman. He casually lifted his glasses slowly placing it back on the bridge of his nose.

You sly fox.

This action may have been the most normal of things for a person to do, but to people searching for a reason to stall, this was the perfect signal. Two of the attendees walked over to his side, both of whom he greeted with a smile. I decided to follow suit.

Our eyes met for a fraction of a second, his gaze then shifting back to the professor as the rest of the attendees left the cabin. Callum turned to face me, his finger pointing towards the door.

Once a jerk, always a jerk.

I closed the door behind me as I walked over once again to four eyes and his gang of theorists. Callum got up, walking over to his table's edge then leaning against it.

"I'm afraid there aren't enough chairs for all of you."

"That's fine sir. We've been on our asses for too long now anyway," Four-eyes replied.

"I guess that is true. I know this is kind of pointless, but I'll do it anyway. My name's Callum Wight. Yours?"

"It's Ryan Macgyver," said Four-eyes as he extended a hand. The professor took it courteously, giving it a firm shake.

"What do you do Ryan?"

"I'm a student of this Uni's sister branch, the one in Crimson peak. Studying Biotechnology, second year."

"That makes you around twenty-two, right?"

"Twenty-one actually."

"Looks like we've got some young blood here!"

A light drizzle of laughter swept through the cabin as the professor continued to shake hands.

"Samuel Reyes. Fifty-three years old, Chief engineer in Codiaq. Retired last year."

Codiaq? That's like the third best firm in the private industry. Worldwide!

"A pleasure to meet you Sam. Your influence will be essential to our cause in the future. And you Ma'am?"

"Maria Thomson. Twenty-nine, used to work at Milluan south PD."

"A cop?"

"Detective would be more precise," she replied.

My thoughts had caught a whole different train by then.

She was in the police? What the hell is he thinking! Letting a detective into Tier 1? That's nothing short of suicide!

"Twenty-nine's quite an early age to retire Ms. Thomson. Or was it something else that forced you to leave the job?" asked Callum.

"Dishonorable Discharge, three years ago."

"Interesting. We'll have to leave that topic for later though. To our final member then." Callum had turned towards me now.

"Katelyn Burghes," I replied.

"No, I mean your real name."

"That is my real name."

"We're all part of the same team here," said Callum, eagerly waiting for my answer.

"Look up my records then!"

"You mean you were bluffing the day before?" he asked.

"That should be obvious by now," I retorted.

Callum covered his eyes, scrunching up his face as he rubbed his temple. The rest of the team had their glares fixed on me now, probably for disrespecting the administrator's personal favorite.

I wonder when he'll tell them.

"Okay, well, what about the rest?" he asked.

"I'm a TERRA synthesis graduate from MITS. Twenty-four, and I'm a part-timer at a grocery store," I answered with a hint of embarrassment.

"You graduated from MITS and you're a part-timer? How the hell did that happen?"

The sudden change in his speech shocked the others. It wasn't new for me though. I'd seen him go from college professor to fully-fledged psychopath the day before, after all.

"I didn't learn coding to get a good job and live in paradise. I needed to learn from the best to get closer to the truth. That's all," I snapped.

"So, you spent the last two years developing your theories?" he asked. His features held a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

"Yeah. And I lost a couple too."

His expression suddenly turned dark.

I felt a spark in my chest as my eyes met with his. He knew of what I had been through. He knew of the Glitch.

"So, you guys met beforehand?" asked Ryan, cutting through our trance.

Callum turned to face Ryan, calling me to stand beside him with a wave of his fingers. His eyes however told a different story. I had a gut feeling that we'd have a private conversation soon.

"You see, this woman here is my right hand," said the professor, his outstretched thumb pointing to my bewildered self.

"And who the hell are you to have a right hand?" Ryan asked.

It was perfectly natural, given that he didn't know what was coming for him.

"I'm the administrator of Verum.com," Callum replied, casually pulling out a smartphone.

"That's quite a bold statement for a man with holding an antique," Ryan hissed as he pointed at the professor's smartphone with disgust. Callum unlocked it with his fingerprint, not caring to look at the man-child in front of him.

"And why would the administrator hold a meeting in a government establishment? Why would he be a Government employee? Hell, why didn't he reveal his identity earlier then?" Ryan was on the verge of throwing a tantrum.

A cacophony of notifications brought him back to his senses. Everyone was checking their Clouds, while Ryan clicked a button on his glasses.

It was a message from Verum.com.

I opened my palm, swiping through the menu till I reached the chat section.

Administrator: 'cuz I like being dramatic.

I could feel a vein throbbing in my temple.

You just had to do it...

I looked up to face the rest of the team members. They weren't very happy either.

"I guess that proves beyond doubt that I'm the admin you were looking forward to meet," said Callum, a smug grin plastered to his face.

"I guess it does," Samuel replied.

"So, what's the agenda of our meeting today?" I asked. Everyone was eager for a change of pace.

Callum leaned forward, pushing the table as he propped himself up on his feet. "There are mainly two purposes to today's meeting. The first is to make sure all of you get acquainted. I've laid the groundwork for that, so I'm sure you'll become the best of friends in the days to come. Six days to be exact."

"Six days?" asked Maria.

"That's where the second purpose comes in."

"Please do enlighten us," Ryan mocked.

I watched Callum as he pulled out a gun from his waist, the tip of its suppressor coming to rest on Ryan's forehead. Samuel and Maria were too stunned to react. And me? I was just enjoying the show.

It was high time they learned what kind of man Professor Callum Wight was.

"You've been treading on a very dangerous line for a while now Mr. Macgyver. You see, I expect a certain level of, obedience when it comes to my teammates. Stay in line, or die."

"You- you wouldn't." Ryan had gone as pale as a ghost. I could see a hint of a tear at the corner of his eye.

"I've been one of Knox's most wanted criminals hiding under their nose for four years," he whispered as he drew closer to Ryan's face, "Four FUCKING years Ryan! You think I haven't buried a body or two?"

Callum leaned back, tucking the gun back into his pants behind the small of his back. "It takes a lot to be a ghost kid."

"Callum," I said, my gaze not once meeting his.

"Right. The agenda," he said, scratching his head in annoyance. "We need to clarify our final objective. we'll deal with the details tomorrow."

Callum sat down, turning his chair towards the team. "Ryan, what's the goal of Verum.com?"

"To erase the existence of Biocode from society." His voice was frail.

"That's where your wrong," Callum replied, leaning back as he placed one leg upon the other. "That certainly is an unavoidable objective. But it isn't the final goal."

Callum fiddled with a pen, making it dance at his fingertips until it was pointed at me.

"Kate. Tell me what would happen if Biocode were to be, eradicated," he asked.

"There would have been a massive state of unrest prior to its eradication, so I assume that would continue for a while," I replied.

"What about its political impact?"

"Well... regardless of what the people say about peace and prosperity, I think that the countries of the previous world are standing together only because of restricted access to Biocode. It's only those who suck up to Knox that get to make the best of TERRA these days." My assumptions however had now led me to a different track.

"Biocode is the binding mortar that hold this society together. If we were to get rid of it, then..."

"That's right Katelyn."

Callum leaned back as far as his chair could take him, spreading his arms like the wings of an eagle. A vicious grin crept up his lips.

"In six days, we dig the hole to Knox's grave."