Max was going mad with questions; he had more now than when Zarfa had left his office. He wanted to pull his hair out. He had a bit of a temper and wanted to tackle Crimson and interrogate her. He would lose, if he could even catch her.
“
Crimson!
”
he shouted eagerly.
She paused and turned her head with a devilish smile.
“
Yes?
”
s
he questioned
,
cocking her head to the side.
“
Where is it? What time?
But
please tell me, what do you mean by come see what I hear?
”
“
Eleven tonight. I will be by to pick you up and you will just have to see what I mean, if you can see it.
”
“
I close the office at seven
,
so how—
”
She cut him off again.
“
I know where you live; be home.
”
She was out the door quicker than he could say another word. If she had stayed, he would have been asking a myriad of questions. How did she know where he lived? Who was this girl?
He wished he had never been a jerk to her as a child. It seemed like she was over it, but he couldn
’
t help but feel that this was all an elaborate ploy to get back at him. Who would get spliced with a cheetah? Even eerier, he thought, how? His mind started to simmer down as he was still standing behind his desk, befuddled.
He looked down to see the coffee he had spat out all over his desk and, suddenly, felt a wave of embarrassment. He didn
’
t think he even stood a chance with this girl once she reminded him of the school days, let alone the fact she had probably seen him jump out of his chair frightened as a schoolgirl who found a mouse.
He was wondering by this point if he had spat any coffee on her… He didn
’
t see any, and she started off a good distance from him, but in a time of shock and fear, who knew how far he could spit? His heart was still throbbing. This was, by far, the most excitement he had had in a long time, all in one day.
Any semblance of calmness was now completely out the window. Any concentration he had on a single subject, shattered. Even if a patient were to come in now, he would probably
misdiagnose
them and be guilty of malpractice
. He hated abusers, but he was in need of a serenity boost. He opened his stainless steel desk and pulled out a syringe; the fluid inside was only point two of a cc.
Holding the syringe, he stood up, walked over to the door, and locked it. He flipped around his little sign that said
“
out to lunch
”
and walked back to his desk. He sat in his leather chair and stuck the boost in his arm. After five seconds, he felt a normal calmness; after ten, he was oblivious, and after fifteen, he was unconscious.
It had been a long time since he
had
used a serenity boost. He hadn
’
t expected to react so strongly. He should have only used a tenth of a cc. He knew that; he was a doctor. Those were the thoughts he had when he woke up at ten o
’
clock at night, still miles from home.
Pilvikone
“
The Solovox 5S-237 or
‘
Pilvikone,
’
if you will, offers the finest in weather selection for our most esteemed customers. Whether you want the perfect picnic in the park, rain for your crops, wind to fly a kite, or need snow for your favorite
winter
activities, we have you covered,
”
said the Barometrics representative.
“
Excellent. You know
,
it is hard to imagine that this technology really works. I know I have probably seen the fruits of all of your labors in my daily activities and never gave it a second thought. However…
”
“
However?
”
he questioned, pausing to allow
the
customer time to make a response.
“
However, how do I know after I have handed over my credits that I will actually see the results of what I paid for? How do I know that the weather you claimed to have brought to your other clientele isn
’
t just random weather patterns you have claimed to make? How do I know your device actually works and that this isn
’
t some big scam?
I mean, come on, with the secrecy waiver I have to sign and the laws being what they are, I could never try to sue you if this technology doesn
’
t really work. Your office, though being grand and majestic-looking, could all be a ploy. Sure, you could have had a million clients all sworn to the secrecy that I had to sign
in order
to come in here, not to mention the contract I would have to sign to requisition your services. It
’
s all so—
”
For once, she was being cut off in conversation.
“
So unrealistic? Yes, I can see your concern, but rest assured this is no hoax or scam. There is no smoke and mirrors here. In fact, our technology isn
’
t even a secret. We are not well known because only an elite few can even afford our services. Laws and contracts and governments being the way they are, indeed. We have no competitor because the law doesn
’
t allow it. It would generate chaos and, in this world, we do need stability of some sort. These machines are very expensive to make and maintain; there are currently sixteen active 5S-237 units active around the globe. They are able to project their effects more than two thousand miles from one another. These are all facts that are a matter of public record. Does this allay your fears of the company in the slightest?
”
“
It does, but why all the secrecy? Why the waivers?
”
“
Good question. It is because we can
’
t be having our customers know each other
’
s names. Weather is a funny thing. One person wants rain
;
another, sunshine. One customer wants snow and another, wind.
The first I described contradicts; the second doesn
’
t. One customer offers to pay fifty thousand credits for a windy day; it is granted. On the same day, a customer offers the same sum for a snowy day. We can grant those both on the same day. The customers sometimes aren
’
t fully excited about their purchase, but with all things, there is sometimes buyer
’
s remorse. Furthermore, both truly got what they wanted.
“
What happens, though, when the first situation I described is asked for? One client wants rain, one wants sunshine; both are looking to pay for a whole day. People are very temperamental when it comes to their weather. We don
’
t want one killing the other to have less competition. You know assassination contracts are easy to buy these days and even legal in
most
cases,
”
he stated.
“
Right. So, what happens if two people want something different on the same day? With the secrecy, one can
’
t offer the other a compromise, or even withdraw their bid on the weather. How do you handle it?
”
“
Easy, an anonymous bid. Sunshine offers thirty thousand credits for the day. Rain comes in with a bid, is then told what the current offer for the day is. Rain is then given an opportunity to counter offer, the company documents, and the offer is given back to sunshine. The first, sunshine, if you will, always has the final say. If he chooses to pay more, he has it, end of story. We do not want outrageous bid wars. Again! Order…in a chaotic world; that is our slogan. However, if sunshine decides the price is too high, he can decline a second bid and it is over. It is as close to
‘
fair
’
as we can be.
”
“
Okay, here is another for you since you are obviously well scripted and nothing I have asked has even made you bat an eye.
”
She paused.
“
Yes?
”
“
Back in the centuries before we had this technology, naturally occurring weather patterns would arrive at the same point of contact, causing a disaster such as a hurricane, tornado, gale force winds, flash floods…
n
eed I go on?
”
“
Okay, destruction, disorder, chaos. I still don
’
t understand your question.
”
“
It
’
s because I haven
’
t asked it yet. How do you keep these things from happening?
”
“
It is easy. We check all orders, cross check all orders, and even triple cross check every order around the globe to see to it that no client conflicts occur. Additionally, even if there is no client conflict, we check with a discrepancy in weather patterns.
As you probably know, we can
’
t be having a fast moving humid hot front collide with rapidly moving cold front. It would spell disaster for us all. It would spell…
”
He trailed off.
“
Chaos, I get the point. I am glad to see that you have a system to check these things. The last thing I want to do is fund a company that inadvertently was used by terrorists to kill us all!
”
“
We, as a corporation, concur. I can tell you they have tried, but with our security checks doubled with the high grade override systems that we have inst
a
lled, it is impossible for anyone to abuse this technology, even its creators. Any further questions?
”
“
You
’
ve mentioned cost, all random numbers that didn
’
t seem to indicate a base price. What is the cheapest your services come in and what are the increments of time?
”
“
All weather can be purchased in increments of one hour. Base price on the median is twenty thousand credits for an hour. Some requests are easier than others so that
’
s why I gave you a median. We have a spreadsheet that covers it all. However, if one is to make a purchase of a whole day and night
’
s
worth, with the exclusion of sunshine—we aren
’
t gods—a discount then applies.
Buying
only
one hour is always the most expensive route one could possibly assume. A twelve hour package is typically the most reasonable. However, as I said, there is a spreadsheet that covers this all.
”
The answer was as well rehearsed as it could come. She scanned him up and down with her piercing eyes and remembered everything about him. From his navy based, pinstriped blue suit to his late nineteen-fifties bowler hat. She wanted to remember him for her own purposes. This was a man that was obviously intelligent and filled with more information than he would divulge given this situation.
“
In order for you to be a client, you have to sign this document, which as you pointed out, swears you to even more secrecy. If you are okay with that,
”
—he began to hand her a pen—
“
then all we need is for you sign your name… What was it? I know I could look at the original documentation, but you must understand, I really am bad with names and I forgot what you said at the beginning of our conversation, terribly sorry really.
”
This excellent business man had lost his edge. He didn
’
t remember her name. He had been pacing her so well.
“
It
’
s because I didn
’
t say, and you didn
’
t think I would be worth your time so you didn
’
t even bother to look at my application or my preliminary paperwork. I forgive you; the name is Crimson, Crimson Rose.
”
She took his pen and signed her name. She was now a member of the Barometrics
C
orporation as a client. She could now buy the weather she wanted. Some of her questions were satiated, for now. She, however, felt that it was time to leave; more of her inquisition would come later.
“
Thanks for doing business with me, sweetheart,
”
she said with a sly wink to the business man.
“
Um, uh… No! Thank you for your business,
”
he said unsurely, caught off guard.