Keagan Keita woke to the annoying sounds of his alarm which rang like a thousand bells in his head.

He stumbled out of his bed and lazily walked into his apartments only bathroom.

He set his alarm to set off a full hour before his clock in time which was eight o’clock on the dot.

Keagan brushed his teeth and took what passed for a shower.

By day, he was an intern at Lezzaro one of the worlds largest pharmaceutical companies and by night, a video game streamer.

Part of the reason he felt like a zombie was that he had to prepare for a presentation at the office and make new content for his growing online audience.

Keagan got out of the shower, dried himself and slipped into what he assumed would be appropriate clothing to wear in the presence of big wig executive’s.

Keagan turned the TV on for some ambient noise as he made himself some coffee.

[Celebrities getting stalked isn’t exactly news, but we’re getting reports from Cynosure about a man who somehow managed to live in the house of a certain celebrity whilst they were-]

Keagan sighed as he took a sip of his smouldering hot coffee.

Almost a year had passed since he moved to Unity and became a citizen, but even though Unity itself was a wonder of the world of tomorrow, it still suffered from present-day problems.

Keagan sighed again as he dropped his coffee mug into the sink. He left his one-room apartment which was situated in a megaplex apartment building.

Normally a place such as this would be engulfed by crime and corruption, but it was surprisingly peaceful and relatively quiet.

Aside from the occasional fight here and there.

Although, that’s not to say that Acan district was paradise either.

In simple terms, it was the slums of Unity.

Where a large percentage of Unity’s working population stayed.

Keagan boarded the morning train and sat through the morning commute. He was fully prepared for his presentation and he had gained what little energy could be found in his coffee.

“There he is, the Kay man himself!” Keagan looked for the voice's owner and found a tall lanky man with bright eyes and a wide grin.

“Hey, keep your voice down, you lunatic.” Keagan shushed the man as he sat next to him.

“What? Last night was epic and you want me to suppress the natural urge to celebrate?”

“No, I want you to tone it down a little. Besides, it wasn’t that big a deal.” Keagan said while dismissively waving his hands.

“What? You’re the only person I know who would play down getting back to back wins in ranked lobbies!”

“Calm down Roy!” Keagan said/ This time a little louder.

“Fine. Anyway, how’s the presentation going?” Roy asked.

“Everything’s ready. Now, all we need is approval from the big wigs then full speed ahead.” Keagan said.

The two sat silently for a bit.

“How’s Mercy? She doing good?” Roy asked with a mischievous smile.

“Why don’t you go ask her, you creep.”

“Ha! We both know that she’s way out of your league. What chance do I have?”

[ARRIVING AT STATION B03]

Keagan and Roy disembarked from the train and made their way out of the station.

The trip to the Lezzaro building was about ten minutes from the station, so Keagan and Roy had plenty of time to psych themselves up for the days work.

The two eventually reached the mini skyscraper that was their workplace.

Lezzaro had many headquarters in many parts of the globe, but the building in Unity’s Ix Chel district was built strictly for research and development purposes.

Keagan was undergoing the mandatory two-year internship that was needed before he became a full-time employee.

He didn’t mind being an intern as it meant that he’d have less work to do and he’d be able to stream more.

“See ya later bud.”

“Sure,” Keagan said as he and Roy went their separate ways.

Keagan got into the elevator and ascended to the second floor while Roy remained on the ground floor where he would replace the guard whose shift had ended.

Keagan walked into the main office room where a group of people stood in a circle.

“Hello.” He greeted but the group ignored him completely.

He knew why.

Some high ranking executives from Lezzaro's main branch were coming for a meeting soon.

Everyone was nervous.

“Oh, hey there Keagan.” Came a greeting from the group's leader and head of the Ix Chel research and development branch, Mercy Evergreen.

“Sorry, Johan posed an important question that I’m surprised we all missed.”

“What?”

“Mobility. " Mercy said with a grim expression.

“What? What does that have to do with pods that are literally going to be drilled into the floor?” Keagan asked.

“Yeah, it doesn’t sound like a big deal, but chances are that one of them is gonna ask how movable or serviceable the pods are.”

“I see,” Keagan said with a slight hum.

“If the question comes up, we could just say we’ll outsource,” Keagan suggested.

“We thought about that. But that’s the worst possible thing we could say.”

A loud ringing tone then filled the air.

Everyone gasped as Mercy answered her phone.

“Yes?” Mercy said.

“Yes sir, we’ll be ready.” Mercy’s call ended and she slowly put her phone back into her pocket.

“All right, let’s run the final tests.”

The floor quickly burst into life as everyone got to work on finalizing their projections and data.

.

..

The moment of truth quickly arrived and the team now sat in an office with the executives.

Keagan's sweat felt like molten lava as Mercy explained the details of their project.

The nice part of being in the research and development department was that their job was to innovate, not integrate.

If the executives deemed their project beneficial, it would be handed over to a separate branch where it would be tested and later on distributed.

But, just as success yielded great reward, failure risked the very existence of the team.

If the executives didn’t like what Keagan and his colleagues presented, they could all be on the chopping block.

Especially Mercy, who thought of the idea in the first place.

“Now if you would turn to page twenty four, I’d like to explain the-"

“What about mobility?” Someone interrupted Mercy.

Keagan traced the voice to its owner and his gaze fell upon a man with incredibly dark hair and even darker eyes.

His face was riddled with wrinkles and lines, but his skin had a certain glow that hid his age.

“Well?” The man asked.

Keagan snuck a glance at Mercy and saw that her eyes were wide open and sweat beads had formed on her forehead.

“Um- you see…” Mercy stuttered.

It was true that they had neglected a very important aspect of their project, but Keagan felt that it was too unfair for Mercy to bear all of the pressure.

“If I may sir, the pod itself is made mostly of aluminium and various other light components. In that sense, it’s easy to move.” Keagan explained and was met by the glares of colleagues.

The executive’s on the other hand all showed intrigue.

“Really? Then how about durability?” The man with a painfully cold voice asked.

Keagan knew the man was just testing Mercy and her team’s competence, but still…

“Like I said, the frame will be made from aluminium and the components will be safeguarded by a soft locking foam of sorts, keeping everything nice and snug during transportation,” Keagan explained as he desperately tried to keep his voice from trembling.

His knees buckled as the executive’s stared at him with eyes devoid of emotion.

“What’s your name again?” The dark-haired executive asked.

“Keagan Keita, sir.” Keagan said.

“Ha, you must be after Mercy’s job! Good presentation. Don’t worry about the other details, we’ll send a team to pick everything up in a week.” The executive said with a wide grin that was further exaggerated by his wrinkles.

“Does that mean…?” Mercy stuttered.

“Yep. Your project is as good as approved.” The man said, while his peers jotted down various things in their note pads.

Keagan turned to Mercy. Her face was flushed and her eyes were tearing up.

It was true that she had worked the hardest, but her sometimes uptight nature is what led to her complete failure to assess her plans and led her to miss an important aspect of her project.

Keagan sighed. He and his other colleagues also shared blame. But in Keagan’s defence, he didn’t care whether the project was approved or not.

He packed his paperwork while the others shook hands and discussed future plans.

Keagan organized the last pile of papers, but just as he was about to leave someone placed their hand on his shoulder.

Keagan was a firm believer in personal space and how it should be respected, but he was at work and he didn’t want to get fired.

“Mr. Keita, or should I call you Keagan?” The dark-haired executive from earlier asked.

“Oh, Keagan is fine sir,” Keagan said while desperately trying to move away from the man, but the executive held on strong.

“Hehe, please call me Dan. Tell me, what are your plans for tonight?” Dan asked.

“I honestly have none.”

“Great! Then how about you join us in Cynosure for a little dinner we’re having.” Dan said.

Keagan’s eyes shot open. He had only ever been to Cynosure once and that was when he first became a Unity citizen.

Cynosure was the upper part of the upper class in terms of infrastructure, quality of life and general awesomeness. That and it was the capital city of Unity.

“Oh, sir I couldn’t impose on such an important gathering.” Keagan tried refusing.

It’s not that he didn’t want to go, it’s just that he didn’t know whether he’d fit into the crowd Dan was a part of.

Also, he had a stream scheduled for later that day.

“Gathering? Haha, don’t worry about it, it’s just going to be a few people chatting over a few drinks.” Dan insisted.

Keagan knew that resisting any further would come off as rude, so he gave in.

“Ok, sir. But I’ll need transportation.” Keagan tried to play the “pay for my cab" card.

“No problem,” Dan said cheerfully.

Crap! Keagan thought to himself.

He barely hung out with his colleagues and was never the best with social gatherings, so this was the worst possible scenario.

Keagan and Dan exchanged contact information.

Soon after, Dan and his group departed, leaving Keagan to face the glares of his colleagues.

They all sat quietly in Mercy’s office and everyone had their eye on Keagan.

“You lied to an executive.” Mercy said. Her voice hoarse, probably from stress.

Keagan remained silent and prepared himself for the worst.

“You’re an idiot, you know that right?” Mercy asked.

Keagan nodded slowly.

Mercy let out a sigh.

“But you did save our asses. So tell me, what do you want?” Mercy asked.

“Mmm?” Keagan was confused.

He thought that he was going to face the firing squad.

“This was our first project and my first with me as team leader. If we failed, I’d be packing my things and so would some of you. But thanks to Keagan’s ability to deceive, we’re safe for now. So tell me Keagan, what do you want? Drinks? An actual salary? What?” Mercy asked.

Keagan’s heart was racing at this moment. He had everything he needed back in his apartment and was never materialistic enough to want many things.

He thought about it deeply.

“We do need a new 3D printer, I’d rather we get that before I ask for anything,” Keagan said while suppressing the urge to ask for more money.

Everyone except Keagan let out a disappointed sigh.

“You idiot, you’re always like this.” One of Keagan's colleagues said.

“Leave him alone Tommy. Just remember Keagan, if you need something, tell me.” Mercy said sincerely.

Keagan nodded his head slowly again.

The day went on as any other in the research and development department.

They were all tasked with analyzing drafts Mercy was working on.

This time, however, they made sure to point out any flaws they found, whether Mercy liked it or not.

.

..

The workday had finally ended and Keagan had no time to waste.

He rushed down to the first floor and walked out of the lobby.

“Hey, Kay. Aren’t you gonna wait for me?” Roy asked with sad puppy dog eyes.

“Sorry, I got something I need to do later. See ya tomorrow.” Keagan said as he jogged out of the building. He jogged to the train station and took the afternoon train home.

After a short commute, he finally made it to his apartment.

Crap! He thought to himself.

Why did that guy have to be so friendly? He wondered.

What’s he trying to do?

Keagan shook off his suspicions and hopped into the shower.

After intensely scrubbing away at his body he wore the least casual set of clothes he had.

Then he waited.

Dan had arranged for a cab to pick him up at a designated time, so all Keagan had to do was wait.

Keagan turned on his TV while he posted an apology to his viewers on his social media account and almost instantly, he got a reply.

[BOO! What could be more important than the stream?]

Keagan looked at the user ID and saw that it was Roy.

[It’s work-related, ya bozo!]

Keagan replied before closing the app.

[Join us later today as Professor Frederick Achebe explains in detail the truth about mankind’s origin’s.]

Keagan turned the TV off as his thoughts became more chaotic.

The “dinner" Dan had invited him to had destroyed Keagan’s daily routine.

Usually Keagan would wake up, shower, eat, go to work, come home, stream and sleep. It was the perfect loop.

That loop had been interrupted.

This made Keagan feel the tiniest slivers of frustration.

Keagan heard his phone go off.

“Hello?”

[Hi, Keagan. Are you ready?]

The voice that belonged to Dan asked.

“Yep.”

[Good. I’m at your apartment.]

“Wait, what? I thought you said you’d be sending a cab?” Keagan asked as he stumbled over himself trying to get to the door.

[Are you unsatisfied with me as your transport?]

“No, of course not! It’s just unexpected, that’s all.” Keagan said as he locked his door. He quickly took the elevator to the first floor and found a luxurious black car waiting for him outside the building.

Keagan looked around to see if any other car could be the one Dan was in.

Then one of the windows in the luxurious car opened.

“What are you waiting for? Get in.” Keagan saw Dan’s head poking through the window.

“Ok.” Keagan got into the back seat and found that Dan had another passenger.

It was a woman with beautiful black hair and extremely smooth looking skin.

“I’m sure you remember Catalina Acosta, she was there during your presentation today," Dan said as he drove the car out of the driveway and into the street.

“Good evening.” The woman coldly greeted.

Keagan felt an uncomfortable chill run up his spine as the woman didn’t even turn her head as she spoke.

“Er- good evening." Keagan greeted back rather awkwardly.

“Hehe, no need to be so stiff. You know, you surprised me today. I’m so used to Mercy’s robot-like speeches that when you broke down your part of the presentation, I was blown away.” Dan said excitedly.

“Oh?” Keagan said.

“Exactly! You just sound so natural and that is what our investors want. Too many people in the world think that Lezzaro is this heartless cooperation that wants to eat their babies and take their souls. But the image I want to project is much more… human.” Dan said.

“What does that have to do with me? I’m just an intern.” Keagan asked.

“Straight to the point again! I like that about you. Well, allow me to be frank with you as well. I want you to be our spokesperson. I know, it’s a gamble. I mean, no one knows you and yes, you’re an intern. But, you’re also a scientist. One who actually speaks like a normal person. Not just your language, but your tone, your presence. It’s all just so average.” Dan said.

Keagan didn’t know whether to be insulted or be thankful.

“Ok, but I still don’t see where I fit in with your plans. Yes, I’m a normal guy, but I’m not exactly qualified to pitch ideas to members of the board or anything like that.” Keagan said. He also noticed that they were approaching a vectrain station.

Dan found a parking spot inside the station and the three made their way toward the departure platforms.

Keagan had never been on a vectrain, but he heard that they could travel hundreds of kilometres per hour and that they were often used by people who wanted to get to Cynosure fast.

The three eventually made it to the departure platform and Dan made the appropriate payments.

While Keagan waited for Dan, he realized that Catalina was rather tall.

Even without her heels, Keagan assumed that she would be at least six feet off the ground.

That, plus her generally large size meant she was an intimidating presence.

Her navy blue outfit went along well with her jet black hair and her smooth skin perfectly contrasted with her matte outfit.

She must have felt Keagan gaze because for the first time, she turned her head to face Keagan and their eye’s met.

Keagan’s heart almost stopped as her near-black eye’s burnt right through him.

“Done and done. Let’s go!” Dan called out, snapping Keagan out of the trance he put himself in.

The three boarded the vectrain and once they got strapped in, Keagan experienced what he assumed fighter pilots felt when pulling sharp turns.

The vehicle shot itself forward and Keagan felt himself become one with his seat. He didn’t even have time to observe the scenery as it shot by in the blink of an eye.

Then in an instant, it ended and he separated from his seat.

Dan and Catalina unstrapped their seatbelts and stood up as though nothing happened, whilst Keagan stumbled out of the vehicle like a drunkard.

“Hehe, first time?” Dan asked with a mischievous grin.

“Yep.”

“Ah well, you’ll be fine. But for now, let’s have dinner.” Dan said.

The three walked out of the station to find a luxurious vehicle waiting for them.

The driver revealed that he was going to transport them to their location and the three boarded the vehicle.

After a short drive, the three found themselves in front of a rather old looking building.

Unity was known for its cutting edge buildings, but it also held on dearly to the past as buildings with classic designs could be found here and there.

The building in front of them resembled that of buildings from the nineteenth century.

With bare brick walls and mostly yellow lights, it felt like a bubble from the past.

The three entered and were greeted by the thick smell of tobacco.

Keagan did his best not to cough as he, Dan and Catalina made their way to the only populated table.

Sitting there were some men in suits.

They varied in ethnicity, height and even taste in suits, but they all had one thing in common, they were Lezzaro employees.

Keagan knew this because the men sitting in front of him were some of Lezzaro’s most prominent figures and so he straightened his posture and brightened his expression slightly.

“Look who finally made it. Daniel and friends.” One of the men said with a cheerful smile.

His eye’s, on the other hand, keenly observed his surroundings.

The same went for the other men.

Yes, they looked like they were enjoying themselves, but Keagan made sure not to get on any of their bad sides.

Dan, Keagan and Catalina joined the suits and Dan introduced Dan as his business partner.

The evening went on as Dan and his colleagues discussed certain things that Keagan knew he’d best forget.

“Anyway, back to the young lad. What’s your real goal, Daniel? I know you and you’re not the… most charitable person ever. So why?” One of the men asked.

“Oh, so it’s details you want? Ok, I want Keagan over here to be Lezzaro’s spokesperson.”

The room fell silent.

“Mmm… that’s definitely something you’d want to do. But why him?” Another asked.

“Firstly, just look at him. He screams average joe, right?” Dan said while spreading his arms comically as though he was unveiling a new product.

“Yeah, so? Don’t tell me you just picked some random guy on the street and brought him here.” One of the men said coldly.

Keagan felt himself shrink as they eyeballed him.

“Ah-ha, quite the opposite. Keagan is almost a Lezzaro employee.”

“Almost?”

“He’s an intern,” Dan said.

“Mmm…”

Silence once again fell on the room. This time, for longer.

“I see. Well, you’ve got my support. Just don’t let this blow up in your face.” One of the men said.

Dan nodded his head once which seemed to satisfy his colleagues.

“Anyway, enough business talk. Let’s drink!”

Uh oh. Keagan thought. He was not very good with alcohol.

The last time he had anything alcohol was back in his university days.

“Um, I’d rather not.” Keagan declined politely as a waiter arrived with a tray with a variety of drinks.

Their colours varied from transparent to dark purple.

“What? Hey, don’t be shy. Just a few and that’s it.” Dan said.

“What is it? Does the kid not drink?” One of the men asked.

Everyone’s attention turned to Catalina who had already finished whatever was in her cup.

Odd thing was her eye’s retained their cold glow.

“Haha, see boy? Even the lady is going all in. You gonna chicken out now?” Dan asked with the biggest smile Keagan had seen him make so far.

Dammit! Keagan cursed internally.

He took a random cup and the other’s followed.

Keagan took a sip of what tasted like propane.

“What? Is that it?” One of the men asked.

Keagan steeled himself and swallowed the cup's contents. He felt an intense amount of heat coming from his chest but saw everyone else doing the same thing.

The evening continued like so as they drank ate and drank some more.

Dan, like many of his colleagues, had taken off his tie and unbuttoned the top part of his shirt, while Catalina remained as calm as ever.

The dinner eventually ended and it was time to head home.

Dan, Keagan and Catalina were the only ones remaining and none of them were in any condition to drive. Not to mention the vectrain.

Dan’s phone rang, but he didn’t answer it.

It continued to ring as Dan laid face flat on the table.

“Um- Dan… your phone.” Keagan said.

“Don’t worry, it’s probably just my wife. She’s such a worrywart. But she’s so damn cute, I can’t help but piss her off on purpose sometimes, hehe.” Dan said rather casually.

Catalina returned from wherever she was.

“I called a cab for him.” She said flatly.

Keagan nodded his head and propped Dan onto his shoulders.

“Come on, big guy.”

“Hey, Keagan! Keagan, don’t forget our little deal. I wanna make you a star. Even if it costs your soul!” Dan blurted out some nonsense, but Keagan ignored it.

The cab arrived soon after and Dan was sent on home.

Fortunately for him, he lived in Cynosure. But Keagan wasn't so lucky. He lived all the way in the Acan district.

Crap! He cursed internally.

Yes, he had the money to go home, but it wasn’t going to be cheap.

Not to mention, he was probably going to vomit during the ride home.

Those things were incredibly fast and Keagan’s stomach content was incredibly volatile.

Keagan sighed.

“Er- see ya, I guess.” He bid Catalina goodbye as he walked towards the vectrain station.

“Wait! I live near here.” Catalina said flatly.

Keagan turned his head slightly.

“So?”

“What I’m saying is, you can stay over, just for tonight of course.”

Keagan thought about it. He did need rest and he was as nauseous as ever.

But he didn’t really like Catalina’s vibe.

Something about her seemed off.

“No thanks, I’ll be fine,” Keagan said as he waved his hand dismissively.

“Fine.” She said as she re-entered the retro-themed building.

Keagan made his way to the vectrain station and made it to Acan district without making a mess. He took a cab home but realized that he didn’t have his keys with him.

Crap! Keagan cursed internally.

Luckily for him, he had a spare, but he still hated losing a pair in the first place. He rummaged above the door and there was a little compartment where a light once was. He retrieved his spare, got into his apartment, kick off his shoes and slept.