Jennifer was alerted to yet another distraction when her father pulled his cellphone from his coat pocket. Her dismay was mirrored by Simon’s. His phone’s system integrity colour band was indeed indicating a problem with Sophia. A quick text to Derrick went unanswered. Zara made sure of that. An additional attempt at determining the extent of the dilemma was received by Sophia. She returned Simon‘s inquiry with the following:
Security breach in progress
Re-evaluating outcomes
Prompts to follow
Simon stared at his phone. The words, ‘breach in progress,’ swirled within his mind as the music filled the extremities of his soul. Jennifer’s eyes pleaded for the evening to finish without incident, but Simon’s behaviour offered no such guarantees. Sophia’s text meant only one thing: Gill was still in play; he had accounted for his sister’s defiance. Sophia’s real-time, actionable data software would be re-evaluating every possible outcome and weighting them accordingly. It took every fibre of Simon’s will to stay seated, to resist the instinct to act instead of think. As with the percussionists’ powerful rhythm, he knew timing would remain the foundation for success.
The Met lived and breathed music as Simon considered the best path forward. He imagined the Tree of Life with its infinite branches, limbs, and how remarkably similar it was to the one Sophia was extrapolating at this very moment. Buds growing into offshoots represented not only life’s limitless possibilities, but how the evening might end as well. The violin solo playing in front of Simon seemed in harmony with every thought. Would I be able to intervene so seamlessly? he asked himself.
While one of The Tenors took a moment to introduce their orchestra, Simon’s phone refreshed its colour band. It was now solid red. A second unanswered text to Derrick caused Simon to get up from his seat. His eyes remained glued to his phone while his feet moved involuntarily toward a resolution. Jennifer, Rose, and Susan offered looks of concern as Simon stepped out of their box and into the adjoining empty hallway.
Another text from Sophia soon vibrated the phone held within Simon’s hand. Its disturbing content quickly became evident. Shooting a look at Jennifer, a decisive tone accompanied his determined expression. “I’m sorry, Jen, but I need to get to the office. Sophia’s in trouble!” His eyes pleaded for her understanding, before he disappeared.
As the concert’s final piece was announced and then commenced, the three women were left speechless, Jennifer, in particular, by her father’s sudden departure. Rose shook her head at the thought of her brother’s involvement, while Susan’s expression went from surprised to incredulous. “We’re not just going to sit here, are we?” she gasped.
The song’s first verse was barely completed when Jennifer announced: “This is ridiculous!” Getting up from her seat, she glanced at Rose and then Susan. Jennifer’s eyes weren’t the only ones beaming with the desire to act.
By the time the beautifully dressed trio made it to the lobby, Simon was already getting into his valet-parked Tesla. A hefty tip had ensured the car’s prompt arrival. The sound of squealing tires soon echoed throughout the Met’s parking garage.
Soon thereafter, Jennifer, Rose, and Susan climbed into a hastily hailed taxi. By now, Simon was speeding southward down New York’s 9A. “Come on! Come on!” he yelled, pleading for the traffic to get out of the way. While swerving and braking, his eyes were momentarily drawn to the car’s radio. It was still streaming The Met’s live broadcast; the pre-concert show that he and Jennifer had listened to on the way to the performance. His satellite feed underscored his angst, his fear. Compulsively, Simon’s fingers turned up the volume.
As Simon broke nearly every traffic law in the book speeding toward One World Trade Center, Zara was in the process of finishing her verification of the final super genome segment. Her tablet had been preloaded with several sequences, each containing their own genetic anomaly; it was therefore able to verify the authenticity of the three super genome sections. One at a time each downloaded helix rotated on Zara’s tablet. In split screen format, a corresponding set of base pairs oscillated in parallel, directly adjacent. After the defective component was highlighted, it was time to move onto the fourth portion, the one only accessible from Simon’s office.
“Now, Mr. Landry,” Prav Stated. “I need Sophia to go against her better judgement and override a few of her building’s security measures.”
Derrick played the part of an unwilling participant, but was soon persuaded by the silencer attached to Zara’s 9mm handgun. Sophia became convinced in turn. Reluctantly, she granted access to the two air-borne operatives, who had only moments ago landed on the building’s roof. Their descent to the ninetieth floor would be swift and without incident; their black, militaristic attire concealing everything, even their faces.