I woke up my head was throbbing. I lifted a hand up to the side of my head where it hurt the most and felt bandages. I look around the sterile room. Where was I? I groaned. I looked to my left at a window overlooking some pine trees. the gloomy sky a contrast to the roiling furious one that I saw flash of every time I closed my eyes. I put my head in my hands, rubbing my temples a knock and the sound of a door opening drew my attention.
I looked at a nurse in scrubs. "Oh good, she said. You're awake" She checked my vitals. "You're looking good." Then she asked me how I was feeling.
I winced and said, "Like a mule kicked me in the head"
She chirpily said "Well, you are still healing, Mr. Ren" she busied herself checking my bandages.
I put my hand to my head the throbbing unbearable "What happened?" I asked
she shrugged and said, "I don't know all the details, but you were found in a cave. on an island a little ways off the coast by two sightseers. Your boat appeared to have been wrecked in the storm that had previously ripped through the coast. You had hit your head rather hard and suffered from an infection that caused you to have a high fever"
I put a hand over my eyes. "How long have I been here?"
"a week" she chirped back. I thought back to that day I had woken up early. My girl was still asleep. I wanted to go fishing, maybe catch something so she wouldn't have to. I was fishing with little to no luck when the waves began to grow choppy. I looked out to sea where the clouds were roiling, and I decided I should bring my boat in closer to the protective cover of the lagoon.
Although my girl could fly, I still wasn't keen on riding with her it made my stomach do little flips and my body shake. I didn't realize how terrifying letting go and completely trusting in another for your safety was.
Now I had a newfound appreciation for what I had demanded of my girl. I was worried my boat might get damaged if I didn't bring it in, so I was doing my best to do so. When the storm was nearly upon me, I saw a flash of something. It was Sarah, my girl. She had flown out to get me. I looked at her then suddenly I was knocked off my feet, sliding across the deck.
Then I knew no more, just vague, swimming thoughts of my girl always being nearby. of a constant warmth, where was she? I looked around the room of course she wasn't there. I asked the nurse if she knew of anyone else rescued from the island. But she said I was the only one. I spent days regaining my strength.
Some friends of mine visited me, ensuring I was okay. Soon after a couple of weeks, I was walking out of the hospital. I went home to my mansion. The door still needed proper repairing my girl wasn't about. I looked for her everywhere her room the basement the den she made. I took my key to her home and looked for her she wasn't there.
I rented a new boat since mine was destroyed and drove out to the island. where I searched, but she wasn't there. I searched for days that bled into weeks that then bled into a month. I thought maybe she was truly done with me and had left for good. leaving not a clue or a trace behind of where she went.
In my dreams I saw a dragon over me giving me water, soothing me. When the pain was great, she soothed and warmed me. When I was cold, the feeling of her being with me was pervasive. She could have abandoned me, but I was certain she stayed to take care of me. The feeling she wouldn't come back, that she abandoned me, didn't sit right.
I began in wide circles, motoring around the island looking for her. I spent another month out at sea in wider and wider circles I was close to giving up. She had left me, I was almost certain, by this point, and I didn't blame her. I was making my last pass of a long circle now many miles away from her island.
When I felt a jolt and a terrible screeching noise. I rush over to the side I realize I had hit a sandbar that sat barely above the water's surface. I cursed myself for again wrecking a boat. I hopped off the boat and, with all my might, tried to push the boat off the sandbar, bracing myself against some rocks found there.
I shift my position, and I felt something oddly soft beneath my foot. I stooped down and dug a soggy, sandy piece of cloth that was buried almost completely in the sand. I was about to throw it away thinking it nothing but trash when I saw the edges. five clean claw marks were through a portion of it, and the other end seemed to have been ripped from something.
like a wild animal had torn someone's sleeve off. It had a hard to make out patch on it. so worn by the sea and sand with heavy doses of sun making it almost impossible to decipher. but I made out one of the letters on it, a big, bold, capital O. I clenched the tattered cloth in my hand. Was this a sign of my girl? Or was I looking for hope when there was none after another hour of trying to free my boat.
I was forced to radio in for help, and my boat was subsequently towed. I went home my door was fixed, and I tossed the torn scrap of fabric on my desk. I kicked my feet up, staring at the ceiling. I was thinking to myself it was over. Sure, I found a suspicious object, but seriously, what are the odds that this was actually connected to her? I sighed, dropping my feet to the floor and leaning over the sodden bit of cloth.
I took an old toothbrush from my bathroom cabinet and gently used it to clean the cloth. It was sun-bleached in places and stained with algae in others. I gently ran cleansing tap water over it, washing the sand and agley off the cloth. Some of the tatters obscured some of the lettering. but I was finally able to make out the capital letters O, then the siris.
I flashed back to our first confrontation, her asking, "Osiris?" And my utter confusion.
stating, "No, remember, I'm Silas" She thought these people had caught her, and it seemed they have thanks to indirectly me, at least maybe if they did. They would have her and I could find a way to get her back. Or maybe this patch meant nothing and I was just grasping at straws.
I looked at the patch the symbol that I could make out on it was of a crook twisted with golden feathers. I grabbed a worn old card from a stack of papers on my desk. I dialed the number the voice that spoke said, "What do you need me to find for you, Mr. Ren?"
I cleared my throat "I have a patch I need you to find who or what it belongs to" I answered back. To the private detective that helped me get to my girl once. I hoped he would be able to again. I met him at a coffee shop. I gave him the patch and then told him where I found it after a month of no word. I got a call at 3 in the morning saying to meet him at the same coffee shop at 8 am that day.
I was there on the dot he pulled up a few minutes later, looking nervous. He then handed me a vanilla folder. "That's all I could dig up. I wouldn't suggest going any deeper than" and with that, he left before I could even hand him the envelope with his fee in it. I went back to my car I palmed the folder, worried about what I'd find there.
With the detective that worried and his hurried exit, like he couldn't get rid of it quicker, had me on edge. Finally, I opened it. It held a few pieces of paper a little on the history of a group that called themselves Osiris. And a business card the paper with history of Osiris seemed to state. It was a bit of an old boys club from the 18th century that disbanded after their leader died tragically early from a hunting accident.
Another slip of paper was a picture of the old group, and the third a business card that read Evolutech in bold, elegant letters. in smaller ones underneath, stating evolving the future into today. That was all that was in the folder, all that was apparently found and so terrifying that the detective couldn't stick around to give me any conversation about it.
I went into my office for the first time in a long time some of my coworkers were concerned with my state of being. asking if maybe I needed a little more time off and if there was anything the matter, they were all ears. I graciously brushed them off as I sat in my office. I called my secretary to see if she could find anyone in our contacts that works with or knows a company that's called Evolutech.
About an hour later, my secretary phoned saying that a company by that name was a company we sold many cura cases to. They had requested some special software to be made for their units that one of our teams was working on. I asked my secretary to send an invite to the head of the company to our annual charity dinner asking them if they would attend.
I also requested of her to tell everyone else I was not to be disturbed. I then sat in my office for the rest of the day, barely reading emails or answering messages I received. Close to the end of the day, I took a stroll to where the team that was working on the special software requested for our machines.
I asked questions about what George, the head of the team, was doing he filled me in. "So basically they requested software to be made where certain things found in blood would be picked up by the machine and give accurate readings of their levels in the blood samples. It's really specific stuff too, and getting the sensors to accurately pick it up is proving difficult. before our machines could pick up if these markers were even present in the blood but not necessarily how much of it. Apparently the company had developed a bit of a.5 software update. of their own, but it wasn't enough for their purposes, so they reached out to us. the creators of the original machine to see if we could work something out"
I nodded and listened to George's explanation I asked "why I wasn't informed of this new project"
George shrugged and said "you were out of the office for a long time the project only came in last month or so, so the COO gave the go-ahead"
I nodded. "Thank you, George" I then went home, kicked off my shoes, and lay awake in bed. It was a long time before I finally fell asleep. I went into the office the next day and was informed. by my secretary that Evolutech had accepted our invitation to our annual charity dinner. I smiled to myself.
I had anxiety that I was on the wrong track, but what other choice did I have? 2 months later it was the night of the dinner. I was dressed in stiff formal attire. I took a swig of champagne from a glass offered to me from a waiter. Since it was my company's party, I was to be hosting it. I was expected to get on stage and greet everyone here and thank them for coming.
I strolled on stage. "Hello and welcome, everybody. It is a pleasure to be hosting this dinner and to raise funds for our charity. I hope you all have a wonderful evening tonight and have lots of fun. Then I added with a wry smile, But not too much fun that you forget to loosen those purse strings for our lovely charity" a bit of murmuring and chuckles followed this.
During the very small speech, I was scanning the crowd for who I hoped would be here tonight. I spotted him my eyes met his for a second, and when I walked off stage, I took my seat. I made note of where he was seated I was relieved he actually came. after the dinner had concluded and some items auctioned off for our charity. People were starting to mill about. A few drinks in, I decided to try my plan.
