[Prologue]

  Only a few windows still had lights on. This autumn night was rather cold and mostly quiet. Occasionally, one could hear the sounds of passing cars or laughter of people partying in the distance. On the rain-soaked road, scattered leaves reflected the light of the streetlamps, giving the place a pleasant atmosphere. All of this was slowly cleansing the mind of the man sitting on the bench. After a moment of relaxation in the silence, the bushes near the bench suddenly rustled and the sound of snorting could be heard.

  “What are you doing, Byton? Come here.” the man said towards the bushes, from which a moment later emerged a small white dog, still snorting and shaking its head. The man smiled gently and continued to relax, taking a long breath, enjoying fresh, cold air. This moment outdoors was very needed. After a few or a dozen minutes he sighed again, slowly stood up and stretched. He should have been asleep long ago, he knew that, but he was already too close to now sleep calmly. He had to clear his mind and focus again. It didn’t help that he had to go early in the morning to a meeting at the office.

  Walking towards the apartment, he heard the scratching of little claws on the concrete path behind him. After a short return walk, he went up the stairs and opened the door to the apartment, letting Byton inside. The apartment was rather small, but it was entirely sufficient for him. He hadn’t even turned off the computer when he left, so as he entered, it greeted him with the light from the monitors. Spending a moment to brew tea, he thought about his project. Damn, do I really have to use this guy’s offer? Oh, or maybe I’ll try to set this up on some free servers? But they’re usually slow… He thought, almost forgetting about the boiling water.

  Whenever he encountered problems in his project, he usually tried to solve everything on his own. Sometimes, however, he would seek help on various forums or ask the other programmer working with him. One time, on such a forum, someone clearly liked his idea a lot and started offering all kinds of support. From financial assistance and legal consultations to various strange ideas, but he always refused. He wanted his project to be just that – his. Although he eventually wanted to make everything public for free use, he himself was the main and first author. A little hypocrisy, considering his worldview.

  Sighing for the nth time, the man sat down at the computer, sipping hot tea and consolidating his thoughts back to work. Shortly afterward, the sound of quick keystrokes could be heard in the apartment.

  ***

  Late in the morning, the doors to a noisy office swung open once again that day, bringing a touch of cool air inside. A pair of girls talking to each other looked at the entering man.

  “Damn Ori, don’t you know there’s such a thing as sleep?” one of them giggled, observing the man’s weary face. Her name was Anna, a fairly tall, slender brunette with her hair pulled into a ponytail. Beside her, sipping a cup of steaming tea, sat another Anna. This one had medium-length blonde hair, equally slender but shorter than the brunette. Entering the office and hearing the girls’ conversation was a sort of tradition.

  “Mhm.” he mumbled, stopping by them.

  “As chatty as always. Seriously, you should talk more. You have such a deep voice,” short Anna added. His taciturnity was well-known. Everyone in the office knew he preferred to simply sit quietly, using words only when necessary. However, when he did decide to speak, people listened. “Uhm, we all see each other so rarely. Anyway, it looks like there’s going to be some sort of event. I heard the boss call to order everyone pizza.”

  Orion – because that was his full name – listened to the girls’ conversation for a while, occasionally muttering to confirm, before finally approaching his desk, shedding his coat and putting his bag on a chair. Naturally, the time had come for the most important part of his stay in the office, namely preparing a nice and hot cup of coffee.

  Generally, he enjoyed this work. In the firm, there were currently twelve employees plus the boss. Employees were usually allowed to work remotely, only needing to appear when something had to be done on-site and every two weeks for meetings to discuss progress and plans for the future. A short while later, everyone was called to the conference room.

  “Morning, troublesome bastards,” the boss greeted them. He was a man of about forty-five, with blue eyes, combed gray hair, and a clean-shaven face. He was quite tall and wore a checked shirt rolled up above the elbows and beige office slacks. This was a rare instance when the boss of the firm was genuinely liked by most employees. He was simply a good man.

  He usually tried to distance himself by throwing various insults at them, but everyone knew he looked at them almost like they were family, so his attempts had rather opposite effects. Perhaps it also helped that employees actually worked even when they weren’t supervised; the firm would function even if its boss forgot about it.

  Few cases of troublemakers who pretended to work and tried to slack off by constantly coming up with new excuses were quickly dealt with by others, so either they changed their approach or quit, looking for another place where they could laze around. What surprised everyone the first time was that Orion was the first to try to talk some sense into a guy like that. He especially disliked people who exploited others behind their backs. After a moment, the boss began his speech.

  “Today there will be some information about changes in the firm. We have been acquired by HHM, but don’t worry, there won’t be any major changes for you. Positions remain as they are, and you’ll still be able to work remotely, and when it’s time for a meeting, you’ll be greeted by the talking Annas. Another thing is that everyone will also get a raise, so be happy.”

  Saying this, he noticed the confused expressions on the employees’ faces, so he simply nodded to confirm that he wasn’t joking, and then continued.

  “I’ll be your manager, so there won’t be much change in this area either. However, there might be different new duties, and we’ll be assigning them to people who can handle them. If no one is willing to take them on, we’ll look for fresh, suitable individuals. Overall, the company that bought us was satisfied with the results and didn’t want to make many changes.”

  He paused for a moment, giving everyone a chance to absorb the information, then spoke again.

  “By the end of this week, I should receive a list of these duties, so I’ll mail it to you all, and I’d like you to let me know if you’re interested in taking anything on. Of course, with the appropriate compensation. You’re probably wondering what kind of magic is behind everyone getting a raise and so on. From what I’ve been told at the HHM headquarters, the entire marketing department will be working for us, so our reach will grow quickly as well.”

  “But doesn’t that mean that Boss will be practically demoted?” someone asked.

  “Actually, that’s correct, thanks for your concern. But frankly, I’m more than fine with that. I’ll have a fixed rate and a lot of responsibility will be taken off of me. Although it has never been bad, I must admit that some level of stress was constantly running through my head, and it’s a quite exhausting feeling. I’ve also negotiated that this position will be relatively permanent, so I don’t have to worry about them trying to shift me around. And before you ask, I made sure there wouldn’t be any senseless dismissals.”

  As he said this, he noticed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t surprised that his employees were tense. You don’t hear information of that magnitude every day. To conclude, he added.

  “Anyway, now I’ll simply make sure, so you pricks don’t abuse the coffee machine. But to summarize the topic: we’ll do what we’ve been doing, but just for someone else. Apart from the raises or optional duties, another major change is the suffix in your email addresses, and that’s it.”

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Time passed, and the discussion gradually shifted from the acquisition of the company to other work-related topics, until the meeting was interrupted by delivery men carrying pizza boxes, effectively filling the room with an enticing aroma. Orion mostly sat and analyzed what he’d heard.

  The initial anxiety about his job had been alleviated, and although he wouldn’t have bigger problems finding a new job if necessary, it didn’t mean that his quiet manner would be accepted by everyone in another company, as it was here. His thoughts increasingly centered on his project. He’d been working on it for several years, honing his programming skills and acquiring new ones as needed, reworking the whole thing time after time.

  “... Over? Oh, and we have a connection between Earth and Orion. Over,” yanked from his thoughts, Orion looked at a quite bulky, bearded man. He was the second programmer working at the firm – Arthur. He had a general look of a typical lumberjack and a pacifist style of being. When Orion first visited this office he was quite shy, but with Arthur’s help he quickly felt like a member of this group. Sometimes Orion would ask him for advice concerning the project, but he never explained exactly what he was working on. “Man, invest in a sleepy night sometime... Anyway, what do you think about the acquisition? I’m curious, why did such a big company pay attention to us. What about you?”

  “Hmm. Maybe they have some kind of branch that checks out small companies and if they are doing well, then they try to buy them out? We don’t know much at this point. As for what I think? All in all, nothing yet.”

  “You are probably right... for now there is not enough information to develop a perspective. I just hope everything goes the way the boss wants, so they don’t interfere too much. I like it the way it is now, and the last thing I want in this job is for someone to suddenly come in and force changes on us because it is their ideas, and they think it’s right.”

  “I used to work for a guy like that, not recommended.” added another person, Aaron, the current tester in the firm. He was about one hundred and seventy centimeters tall and rather slim. His short brown hair matched his hazel eyes. Furthermore, he was known for always adding his three cents to every discussion. With his presence, conversations often tended to drastically change topics, after which he’d leave, feeling smug. “Although it’s amusing to watch them finally listen to a guy and implement his changes only for the project to end up looking like shit, eventually they return to the workers’ ideas. However, it’s a huge waste of time. I know we work on an hourly basis but throwing away someone’s work is always annoying. I don’t want someone to suddenly start showing up and demanding we kiss their ass…”

  The conversation shifted into memories of previous experiences in other companies, and Orion didn’t have to add much himself. After about two hours, people started to leave and return home. When he arrived at his place, he climbed the stairs again, and this time he noticed that his apartment door was slightly ajar.

  Orion approached cautiously and peeked inside, trying to quietly open the door, but it was not as quiet as he had hoped. Or maybe it was the smell? In any case, a moment after he reached the apartment, a white beast rushed at him, effectively staining his pants. It was clear he had also just come back from outside.

  “Hey, how long have you been gone, that he’s jumping on you like that?” Orion heard the question. He didn’t even need to look at who was saying it, instantly recognizing the voice. He nevertheless ignored the question and frowned at his younger brother.

  “What did you leave the door open for? Besides, you didn’t say you were coming in. You know, it annoys me.”

  “Man, name one thing that’s not annoying to you.. I opened the door to make a draft because I lightly smoked your apartment. Good news is that you have dinner ready, so chow down and enjoy. Besides, when was the last time we saw each other? Didn’t you miss me?”

  “Hmm?”

  “What? It’s been like about a month since we last talked. I also have the feeling that if I called earlier, you would immediately find an excuse.”

  “Uh, you got me here. But what I meant was that I like to know in advance so I can tidy up the apartment a bit if I’m going to have guests, but okay. Thanks for dinner.”

  “Relax, by the way, I was just passing by, so I thought I’d visit and see if you’re still breathing. Still sitting all day in front of the computer?”

  “Mhm, but I’m almost done,” said Orion, finally entering the apartment and shaking his brother’s hand. Robert was slightly shorter than him. He had short black hair and green eyes, in which Orion had been seeing an expression of concern for some time whenever they talked. Besides him, he had an older sister, but he very rarely contacted her. Only with his brother, he spoke more than usual. Often when they saw each other, the next day his throat hurt from ‘excessive’ talking. Although it was still not much, he was not used to it. “So? How’s life?”

  Their conversation was slowly but gradually unfolding, and the afternoon was turning into evening. Robert knew what Orion had been working on for so long, but he had been warned repeatedly not to mention it to anyone. He was initially fascinated, but over time he began to think that the idea was slowly consuming his brother. Whenever he sat in his apartment while Orion was working, he saw tension and full concentration, sometimes it was even possible to hear quiet curses.

  He reminded his brother many times to take breaks from work, but seeing the lack of results, one day he simply brought a white dog to Orion’s apartment just to motivate him to go out and take a short walk with it.

  “Wait… you said you’re almost done? Seriously? Do you have a deadline yet when you’ll finish? And how will that look?” Robert asked.

  “I think, at most, a month. Probably sooner, but I’d like to spend some time on testing and polishing. Once everything is confirmed, I’ll just unleash it into the world. Maybe I’ll even throw in a few cents for advertising to promote it faster.”

  “I know I asked you about this already, but you’re definitely not going to charge any money for it? I bet you’d get rich quickly.”

  “You know how I am... it hasn’t changed. Maybe it’s stupid, but I don’t care. I have what I need, and it’s always been like this.”

  “I know. In a way, I like this trait of yours. But still, spending so much time just to give something to people… If I hadn’t been a witness to this myself, but someone had told me about it, I’d assume there were some hidden catches.”

  “You’re exaggerating. Besides, even if I were getting paid for it, someone would eventually check the whole code and with reverse engineering figure out how it works. After which they’d release it, either cheaper or for free. People would do something like that for fun, or just to prevent someone else from making money, regardless of whether the product is helpful to others. You can also easily imagine that someone releases something like that, quickly addicting people and gaining control over them, regardless.”

  “I still don’t understand how it is with you, that you assume the worst of people, but regardless you do something to help with development.”

  “I don’t like people as a species, that’s all. It doesn’t mean I want to see poverty or suffering. If I can help, I will, even if in this case it’s just an improvement.”

  Orion often pondered his view of the world and humanity, and the more he thought about it, the more certain he became of his worldview. Even at this moment, someone somewhere was suffering simply because another person wanted it. Perhaps they had argued? Maybe someone was profiting from it? Maybe someone was deriving pleasure from the suffering of others? History was filled with blood, brutality, a lust for power and control. People lived as if they were unaware of it. Some organizations had influenced humanity so much that they were thought of as ‘good’ despite the macabre tactics they once employed. The world was controlled through fear of the consequences of disobedience. Furthermore, people were judged not only for their actions but also for their thoughts.

  Discarding the thought about organizations in every individual act of every person, one could find the desire for profit. Not just material profit, but profit in the form of flattering one’s ego on the principle that ‘I helped, therefore I’m a good person.’

  Orion knew it would be foolish to throw everyone into one bag, but the sad reality in his eyes was that it was more reasonable to assume that even someone doing something good thought primarily of themselves, rather than whether it should be done, or whether it was appropriate. The truth was that people lied, deceived, schemed, and caused others suffering. This was obvious, normal, and always had been. The fact that one didn’t fight loudly and actively against the bad traits of one’s own species always pricked him somewhere at the back of his head.

  Seeing his brother’s grim face, Robert knew where his thoughts were drifting. They’d talked about this repeatedly. Too much blind trust could easily downfall him, but complete distrust wasn’t any better. Yet, he also knew Orion wasn’t overly radical in his outlook. He was capable of trusting people, but generally approached them with caution. His worldview didn’t blindly dictate his life; it was more of an awareness. An awareness, he had to admit, that was worth having. Although Orion always preferred solitude, he didn’t strive for complete isolation from the world. Probably, with his intellect, he could have shut himself up in his apartment and said nothing for weeks. Nevertheless, he continued to attend meetings at the office, communicated with people online, or occasionally met someone in town.

  They spoke for a little longer, and then Robert gathered himself and left. He lived in another city, quite far away, so he had a long journey ahead of him. Orion, however, made his journey to his chair and began to write. As someone he was, he could expect, yet he didn’t. He’d never thought that his work would ultimately bring him only pain.