Soul Searching (Chapter 18)

[Mandie]

Jowil finished his coffee in record time.  Now that he was really awake, he started getting hungry.  Stomping over to the replicator, he glared at the blinking lights.  “Three eggs, over easy.  Four slices of toast, buttered.  Hash browns and orange juice.”  Closing his eyes, he prayed that he wouldn’t have to spend the next twenty minutes ordering breakfast.
   “Processing, processing, order complete.”  Jowil almost shouted with relief.  Grabbing his plate, he looked it over to make sure it was right, then sat back down at the table to eat.  Some of the other workers were trickling in, ordering food, and sitting at the tables.  No one joined him, much to his relief.  He wasn’t antisocial, he just had a lot on his mind.

   As he started to shovel the crispy hash browns into his mouth, he realized that he really loved food.  Any food, all food.  He required hundreds of calories a day to keep his physique up to par.  He ended up working all those calories into muscle between his labor intensive job and working out at the gym.  Funny how no matter how much time passed, people hadn’t found a better way to gain muscle than good hard work.
   He had just finished his breakfast, when he heard a horrible crunch.  Looking up, he saw that the replicator was smoking.  He laughed under his breath.  That would serve the company for being so cheap.  The boss, Jorge, chose that moment to walk in the door.  Openmouthed, the men all watched in anticipation of a blow up.  Instead of getting angry, however, he calmly called the company for a technician.  Walking over to Jowil, he smiled.  “You won’t mind waiting for the tech, will you Mr. Blake?”
   What could Jowil say but, “No sir.”  Inwardly seething, he watched as his compatriots left for the day.  Figuring he was in for a long wait, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.


   The shuttle came to a stop in front of a small glass house.  A friendly face appeared on the contact screen.  “Running a little late again, Mael?”  Joe laughed.

   “Shut up, Joe.  Just get your butt out here.”  Mael growled playfully.  The two had been friends since childhood, and they seemed to always be arguing for the pure fun of it.
   The passenger door slid open, and Joe slipped into the seat.  Her wide lips curled into a smile as she leaned over to kiss Mael on the cheek.  “Let’s get outta here, babe.”
   Mael smiled at her best friend as she punched in the coordinates for work.  The two girls had been friends since they had been tiny, and if it hadn’t been for Joe, Mael would never have come out of her shell.  Joe was the only one who knew of her recent strange feelings, although she tended to dismiss them more than Mael did.  Joe gave her an odd look out of the corner of her eye, but continued to banter back and forth with Mael until the shuttle floated to a top outside of RepCorp.  Mael didn’t think anything more of it as they exited the shuttle and walked into the building.
   Their secretary, Blair, met them in the large entryway.  She was in a rare panic.  “Mael,” she gasped, “The mobile unit is malfunctioning.”
   Mael groaned.  When she’d come up with the idea of a smaller, more mobile replicator, she had hoped that everyone would want one in their home where the large unit might not fit.  The old unit she had designed was six feet by six feet, while the new one was about the size of a modern refrigerator.  It had been a novel idea, and one unit was produced for testing purposes.  Mael had given it to the city’s largest construction camp, knowing that if it worked under harsh conditions like that, individual homes would be no problem at all.  It had been giving her quite a few headaches since then, the breakdowns making no sense at all.  It looked like she was going to have to make yet another trip out to the camp.
   Her hands started to get sweaty.  She felt so much more comfortable in front of her computer than around strangers.  Being a childhood prodigy was wonderful when it came to her finances, but not so much when it came to dealing with people.  All the more reason for Joe to be the face of RepCorp.

   Although Mael had invented the original replicator fifteen years ago, the company had only been around for ten.  She’d only been twelve when her tinkering had paid off, but her mother insisted that she finish school before going public.  Mael had done one better, and by the time she was seventeen, two master’s degrees hung on her wall.  When Joe graduated from highschool, Mael had approached her with the idea of being the face of RepCorp, and the two girls started the business together.  Joe was comfortable in her executive office in the public eye while Mael preferred to hide behind her computer, improving her product.
   Joe smacked her shoulder, shaking her out of her revery.  Smoothing her skirt, Mael smiled nervously.  “I guess I’ll get my tools and head down to the camp then.”  After retrieving her bag, she slid back into her shuttle.  Her hands were shaking as she punched in the coordinates.  She had no idea why she was so nervous.  True, she wasn’t good with people, but she had never been quite this shaky.

   As soon as Mael had left, Joe’s smile faded.  If Mael were to figure out what she was doing, her plans would be over.  Stalking toward her private elevator, she thought of the phone call she had received this morning.  Her people were starting to get results, thanks mainly in part to the combined efforts of the two companies.  Maybe she should think about making a phone call herself.  Afterall, Mael was heading toward a dangerous part of the city.  What a tragedy if she were to have an accident.  Ironic really, that her life would end on the day of her birth.
   Her foot tapped anxiously as she waited for the doors to open to her enormous office.  She was through with being just the face of this company.  Joe wanted it all.  The fame, the money, and all of the power.  Everyone thought that Mael was so smart, but she had never figured out that Joe had been sabotaging her efforts to create anything new.  Her people had been working day and night trying to reverse engineer the original replicator with little results until combining efforts with another company trying to do the same thing.  If this newer, smaller model were to surface, it would set the team back so far, they would never get ahead.  Yes, it had to be today, before Mael figured things out or worked all the kinks out of the machine.  Smiling slightly, she picked up her non-tracable communicator.  She had just the guys for the job.

   Moments later she was placing the communicator back in its hidden vault.  The stiffness in her shoulders started to loosen.  Now all she had to do was wait.  No one had ever been able to escape the alien off-worlders, and they had no problems killing people so they made wonderful assassins.  A tendril of guilt flitted through her mind, but she ruthlessly shoved it away.  She couldn’t spare any feeling for her old friend, not if she truly wanted it all.  Besides, it was too late for guilt.  Pushing away from the desk, she walked over to the huge wall of windows.  Staring down at the bustling city below, she lay one hand on the cold clear glass.  “Goodbye, Mael,” she whispered.

[oddball011]

WoW.
You are truely talented!

[Mandie]

An odd whirring sound came from the shuttle as it stopped in the camp’s shuttle bay.  A horrible burning smell filtered through the vents, and Mael groaned.  It was obvious that her little shuttle had just breathed its last.  Why today?  A day that had started out so nice and calming had wound up being a big pain in her neck.  Worse yet that it was her birthday.  She looked forward to celebrating later with her mother and Joe, and she refused to let anything get her down.  Forcing a smile to her lips, she grabbed her tools and pranced across the nearly empty bay in her ridiculous heels.  If she’d known that she was going to be working, she would have worn more sensible shoes.

   As she opened the door to the large building, she could hear a loud rumbling sound coming from the cafeteria.  Usually, someone was right here to meet her, but she couldn’t see anyone today.  Shrugging, she headed down the hall toward the sound.  Surely it wasn’t the replicator making that noise!  What was wrong with that stupid thing now?  Walking into the large cafeteria, she found a large man slouched on a chair snoring.  He wasn’t someone she would normally look at twice, he was much too large and masculine, but for some reason her breath caught in her throat and her heart seemed to skip a beat.  Shaking her head at her odd reactions, she touched his arm.  “Excuse me, sir.  I’m here to fix the replicator.”
   A soft voice filtered through his consciousness.  He had been dreaming about John William again.  The dreamer and the dream murmured together, “Mary.”  Jowil, still stuck in his dream, wrapped his arms around the source of the voice and kissed her soundly.

   Mael responded to the kiss for one moment before reality intruded.  She pulled away and slapped the man across his face.  Looking mussed and well kissed, she glared at him in confusion.
   Jowil snapped awake, his hand cradling his stinging cheek.  Gazing into the greenest eyes he had ever seen, he muttered an apology.  The woman nodded as she wrapped her arms around her stomach and stepped away from him.  Standing, he offered his hand saying, “I’m Jowil Blake.”
   Mael placed her hand in his massive palm.  He was built more like those terrifying off-worlders than like most human men.  She looked up to see a pair of hauntingly blue eyes staring back.  “Mael Winter.  I’m here to fix the replicator.”
   She didn’t look like the typical technician type.  Not with that flat tummy, that luscious butt, and those f**k-me heels.  There was something oddly familiar about her voice, although he knew he had never met her before.  Nodding, he led her over to the flashing machine.  As she opened her bag and pulled out a small screwdriver, he figured it out.  “You’re the voice.”  She looked up in confusion.  “The voice on the replicator.”
   A blush heated her cheeks as she nodded.  No one had ever picked up on that before.  Not even Joe had realized it.  As she took the front panel off, revealing the wires and sensors inside, she kept glancing toward the man.  What was it about him that appealed to her?  She wasn’t sure, but something deep inside her called out for him.  Deliberately, she pushed her feelings away.  The faster she could finish her job, the faster she could go back to her normal life and leave him far behind.
   He couldn’t take his eyes off of her.  Normally she should have been too skinny for his tastes.  Certainly, she reeked of money.  Even he could tell that her enviro-suit had customized high-end fabrics, and those cost money.  He should have been turned off by her flamboyancy, but something deep inside him called out for her.  He turned away, dropping back into his chair.  Hopefully, she would finish soon and leave, letting him go back to his normal comfortable life.


   Fate had finally brought them together again.  The souls called out for each other, but these people stubbornly resisted.  Couldn’t they see they were meant for each other?  Anguish filled the old souls, knowing that if this chance passed them by, they might not be able to find each other again.  They were powerless to prevent the separation, but fate was about to give them a hand.

   P’klan smiled as he turned the communicator off.  He hated the boredom that came with unemployment, although most of his jobs weren’t much better.  Ah well, even an easy job was better than nothing, and now he had a new one.  P’klar would be pleased once he was told.  The T’kl brothers were renowned for their abilities to kill without remorse.  They had never been caught, and they enjoyed their work.  Curling his hand around his communicator, he looked down at the woman’s picture and etched it into his mind.  Chuckling, he contacted his brother.  By the time this Earth day had ended, the woman would be dead.  He only wished that someday someone would actually make him work.

[J-Jay64]

ahhh! *screams as her eyes fall to the bottom of the web page* no more story to read!!
xD just kiddin. good job so far, keep it up

[Elven_Song]

Woo! I can't wait to red the next parts! Great new part to the story, update soon!

[dangermouse]

Ww, well that was kinda unexpected Can't wait for the next bit, this is great, and you are really talented.

[ladyrose]

Aaaaah this is so good! Write more soon!

[oddball011]

WoW
This is great im adicted to this story but im abit confused who the big grey guy witht the belly ring is

[pinkpsyche]

I LOVE your storytelling!!!!! Where on Earth did you get her outfit? Those heels are so sexy!

[Mandie]

I am so happy you are enjoying it.  The big grey guy is the alien off-worlder hired to kill Mael.  As far as the outfit, the mesh can be found at sims-2-fashions, by Biene.  The recolor is my own.  Thanks you so much for all the wonderful FB.  I really love it.  

[oddball011]

thank you for the wonderful story I rele love it ! lol

[Mandie]

Mael groaned softly as she placed the cover back on the machine and sat up, several bones in her spine cracking back into place.  Pressing the reset button, she was pleased to see the lights blinking correctly again.  “Vanilla coffee, extra cream, extra sugar.”  As the order completed, she grinned at her unwanted companion.  “Well, that should do it.”  She quickly placed her tools back in her bag and stood, grabbing her coffee.  Hopefully she would never see this man again.  Mael was too content with her life to be confused by this guy.  Although, even as she though about it, something inside her seemed to scream.
   He’d tried not to stare at her, but something drew his eyes back to her again and again.  As soon as she left, he could go back to work and forget all about her.  As he though about it, however, something inside seemed to roar in protest.  Always the gentleman, he walked her to the bay.  A hot pink shuttle waited in the bay.  He grimaced, the truth of his previous observations glaringly obvious in the bright lights of the bay.

   As the two walked forward, Mael remembered that her shuttle was broken.  Laying her hand on Jowil’s arm, she stopped him from going any further.  “I forgot that my shuttle isn’t working right now.  It broke down when I got here.  If I can call a taxi and just leave it here, I’ll send my mechanic over to pick it up once I get back to the office.”  Horribly embarrassed that she had forgotten, and uncomfortable with the idea she had to spend more time with this man, she turned back toward the building with a red face.
   Stifling a groan, Jowil turned with her.  Behind them, a hollow thunk echoed through the air.  Instinctively, Jowil grabbed Mael by the waist and rolled away on the ground.  A huge explosion shook the building, and a ball of fire engulfed the small shuttle.  Mael opened her mouth to scream, but Jowil was quick to clamp his hand over her mouth.  Shuttles didn’t just explode, and if he was correct, that sound had been a projectile weapon.  Someone was here, and he was not going to allow either of them to be the next victim.  He’d thought that he’d left this life far behind him, but here he was, thrust back into it.  If they were going to survive, they needed to get out of here.

   Without speaking, he gestured toward a small side door nearby.  Making the sign to stay low, and hoping the maddening redhead understood, he crouched as he pulled her along toward the exit.  As they entered the sunlight, he could hear rustling back in the shuttle bay.  Looking around, his trained eyes quickly picked out all the potential dangers.  He had to get the two of them somewhere safe so they could talk.  Racing through the large open area, he dragged Mael behind him.  She was actually doing fairly well keeping up.
   Mael was terrified, and confused.  What caused that explosion and why were they running from it?  As Jowil lead her away from the construction camp, she realized that he was no ordinary construction worker.  There was something more to him.  As soon as he stopped, she was going to find out what it was.
   He pulled her along the streets of the city, dodging between buildings and ducking behind cars, heading unerringly toward an old safe house he knew of.  Once there, they would have a little while to figure out who was after them and why.  They would be able to plan their escape.

   She’d never walked on the city streets, especially not in these parts.  Her sheltered upbringing was crashing down around her ears.  Finally, as her lungs and legs were starting to burn, they reached a dirty brick apartment building.  Parts of it were crumbling, and a sign warned trespassers away.  Mael tried to pull away, afraid for her safety.  Jowil smiled reminding her that not everything was what it appeared.  Glaring suspiciously at the back of his head, she followed him into the gloom.
   A long dark hallway stretched in front of them with another doorway at the end.  This one was made of heavy steel with a keypad and an optical scanner.  Jowil quickly punched in his code and scanned his eyes, hoping his data was still in the system.  With a click and a hiss, the latch released and the door opened.  Pulling Mael into the room, he pushed the door shut and flipped on the lights.
   Bright lights flooded the large white room, revealing desks with computers and lockers filled with weapons.  Jowil waved his hand toward one of the desks, suggesting, “Have a seat.  We need to talk.”
   Breathing heavily, Mael flopped into a chair and slipped her shoes off her feet.  Groaning with relief, she rubbed her sore arches.  “Okay,” she finally replied, “What is going on?”
   He looked at her, an odd knowledgeable look in his eyes.  “Why don’t you tell me?”  He retorted, “I’m nobody.”  Not any more at least.  “Why is someone trying to kill you?”

[J-Jay64]

nweh! more more more! xD
this is good, keep it up i was trying to look for your other stories but the search function was stuffing up

[ladyrose]

need more!!!!!

[Elven_Song]

-drools- Must.. read.. more!!! Please update quickly, I don't think I can handle much more waiting for this story! It's so good!