Chapter 10 NATASHA'S DAY

Back on the present day, July 7th, 2027, Natasha drove to FT industries in her luxurious sports car and entered the administrative building. She was wearing a white coat with a blue fitted shirt inside with black jeans and a pair of heels with black sunglasses. She walked towards her office and on her way there she saw Rex and his fellow janitors mopping the floors.

"Mr. Rex Fleming, please see me in my office before the close of work." She said as the other janitors laughed silently and she continued moving to her office. She walked to her office, put a code on the door, and it opened. Then she sat at her desk, brought out her laptop, and worked with it.

Some minutes later, there was a knock on her door.

"Come in." She said and Stella walked into the office with some papers in her hands.

"Dr. Toney, Good morning ma'am! I got the files and report of the week so far." Stella said.

"Oh Stella, that's so kind of you. I appreciate this!" Natasha said, pointing to a chair for Stella to sit on, which she did.

"Don't mention it, ma'am. You've given me more than enough reason to help." Stella said as she adjusted on her seat, which made Natasha chuckle.

"Okay Sanchez, it's Natasha to you. Spare me all the titles," Natasha replied, smiling.

"Where's she? My child." Stella asked.

"Oh, her!" Nat said and clapped her hands. "KG, bring the clone, please."

"The clone?" Stella asked in confusion. "Why not say the child or the baby?"

"I mean, cloning produced her. Right?" Nat asked.

"Still, it was my DNA that was used for the process, so technically she is my daughter," Stella said.

"Suit yourself, dear," Natasha said as KG-13 brought the baby to the table and Stella raised her, giggling with the child and rested the child on her lap when done.

"I never believed I could ever have a child when my womb got messed up when I was only 21. I thought it was the end for me." Natasha said, feeling emotional. "Thanks a lot, Nat. You're a proper hero."

"Don't mention it, Stella and by the way, we did it together, didn't we?" Natasha said and Stella nodded as she touched the face of her child.

"But it was your idea. You saw the possibility. No one else ever believed it. Someone even said adoption was the only way I could ever have a child." Stella said.

"Well, she's yours. You're a mother, Stella. Congratulations!" Natasha said, stretching her hand out to shake Stella and Stella shook her hand. "You know I hope I'm doing enough?"

"Are you serious? You've only been back for a year, but we just saw the largest profit this company had and it was all because of your innovation and creativity." Stella said. "It was you who suggested the hoverboard and oversaw it, and now we've generated millions in sales."

"Creativity. You know, that's something people always say when comparing me to my dad."

"Nat! Let me tell you something, creativity aside, you aren't as much as Dr. Mark. Do you know who you're more like?"

"Who?" Natasha asked curiously.

"Steve, of course! You both love helping, you're both very intelligent and you both had a strong relationship with me." Stella replied. "The only difference is that you made the impossible possible and helped me have a child."

"I never really saw it like this, to be honest, but thanks," Natasha said. "KG, bring drinks for me and Dear Stella here."

"Be more specific, mistress Natasha." The bot-droid replied.

"What would you love to drink, Stella?" Natasha asked and Stella said it and immediately KG-13 left to get them. "I've given my life to this company since I was 12, but I feel I may have neglected other things."

"What do you mean, Natasha?" Stella asked.

"You were just talking about Steve. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Shoot!" Stella said.

"In those 5 years when I was in England when Rex was collapsing. Did you try to help him?"

"Nat. Let me explain!"

"Shhhh! Stella, I asked a straightforward question. Did you try to help him?" Natasha said, staring directly into Stella's eyes. "Tell me the truth."

Stella sighed.

"I tried my best Nat, you know I wouldn't just abandon Rex after everything Steve did for me."

"The reason I'm asking is that it's been over a year since I came back and I'm yet to understand what happened to Rex. I tried searching online, but I found different articles and I don't know which to believe." Natasha said, holding her head.

"What did some of those articles say?" Stella asked.

"One said he went into drugs, one said he went into womanizing, another said he went to jail. I'm so confused!"

"All are lies, Nat!"

"Then what happened, Stella?" Natasha asked. "He shouldn't be working as a janitor. He's more than this. I might have to promote him."

"Don't promote him!" Stella shouted, and Natasha gave Stella a very curious and surprised look.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Natasha asked.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to burst out like that," Stella said, but Natasha was still stunned.

"What do you know, Stella? Why can't I promote him?" Natasha asked, looking straight into Stella intimidating her.

"I, I wasn't supposed to say that," Stella said, burying her face.

"But you said it. Tell me what you know." Natasha asked again, this time tightening her face and looking directly into Stella's eyes. "Don't lie to me, Sanchez!" She added fiercely.

"Relax Natasha. Please calm down." Stella said, but Natasha cut her off immediately.

"Calm down? My best friend works toilets for a living and I can't do anything about it to help. How am I supposed to calm down?"

"Okay. I know another way you can help Rex without promoting him." Stella said.

"Spill it. But know that you'll have to tell me why I can't promote him!" Natasha replied to her.

"Okay, I'll tell you what I know!" Stella said.

Rex was cleaning the men's toilets in the administrative building when a bot-droid walked in on him.

"Hello, Mr. Rex!" The bot-droid said as Rex turned, startled, hitting his bucket and sending water into the air, but the water didn't get close enough to the bot-droid to affect it. "I was here on an errand, so there was no need for you to damage my circuits."

"Sorry KG, it was an accident!" Rex said as he put his mop down. "What errand?" He asked.

"Mistress Natasha sent me to call you. She asked me to bring you to her!" KG-13 said.

"Well, just tell her I'm not around."

"Sorry, Mr. Rex. It is not in my programming to tell lies. Maybe in my next system upgrade, I can." KG-13 said.

"Why exactly does she want to see me? Or didn't you ask?" Rex asked curiously.

"I asked, and she told me, but she also told me it's classified."

"Classified? Well, tell me what it is." Rex frowned.

"Sorry Rex, it's not in my programming to reveal secret information."

"Ugh! Robots!" Rex groaned. "Fine, I'll come with you."

"Thanks for your cooperation, Mr. Rex," KG-13 said, and they walked towards Natasha's office. "Oh, and for your information, I'm more than a robot. I'm a state-of-the-art, High-quality bot-droid designed for multi-purpose duties."

"Yay! How interesting!" Rex rolled his eyes, and they got to Natasha's office and opened it. She was on the phone with someone.

"What do you mean the polonium won't arrive till next week? I need it for a project." Natasha said over the phone and then her gaze landed on Rex. "I'll call you back!" she said.

"You asked to see me, boss? Is it important?" Rex asked as he walked in and took a seat.

"I mean, that I sent my favorite bot-droid to call you shows a lot, doesn't it?" Natasha said.

"He's your only bot-droid."

"Touche. I asked you to see me earlier in the day when I arrived and right now the time is...." She checked her watch; the same one Rex gave her 5 years ago. "5 pm! Just 2 hours from closing? Why didn't you come?"

"I'm sorry boss, work occupied me. My apologies!" Rex said, and Natasha smiled. "KG, get Rex snacks and some apple juice, please."

"Yes, Mistress Natasha," KG-13 said and walked away and returned with the snacks and drinks.

"Eat!" Natasha said, handing a snack to Rex.

"Thanks!" Rex said, initially hesitating to take it from her, and took a bite.

"Do you know why I asked you to see me?" Natasha asked, staring straight at Rex, inconveniencing him.

"No ma'am, was it about the female toilets because those need a total rebuild?" Rex said, and Natasha laughed a little.

"No. It's not about the female toilets, although they need a rebuild." She said, "I was scrolling through the employee files and we do not have your PayPal or any bank information."

"Yeah, because you hacks don't pay to my bank, Y'all tip me 10 dollars a week and that's it!" Rex said, and Natasha was upset at his reaction. She knew he was supposed to earn but because they blacklisted him and the fact that there was an agenda against him prevented that.

"Anyway, Rex, I'm going to need you to submit your bank details."

"Why is that, boss? I don't earn a salary at work? Or is that planning to change?" Rex asked, confused.

"It's not my company, Rex, but I need a complete account of every member of staff, scientific and non-scientific, including you," Natasha said as she opened her desk drawer and brought out a pen and a piece of paper. "Write it here Rex." She said,

"Well, my bank account is banned right now because fuck the bank, so here is my PayPal," Rex replied, writing on the paper and handed it back to Natasha who kept it in her pocket. She looked up and saw that Rex was rather quiet.

"You look tense. Why's that? What's bothering you, Rex?" she asked.

"It's nothing serious, ma'am, just some personal stuff," Rex said and a worried expression grew on Natasha's face?

"What do you mean, personal stuff, Rex? You can share it with me." Natasha said to Rex as she put her hand on the table near his.

"Well, it's my rent. I wanted to know if I could take out a loan from the company to fund it or I'll get kicked out by Friday." Rex said, and Natasha's expression changed from worried to sad. "I've told you now. Are you a happy boss?" Rex said rudely.

"New Rule Rex, whenever we're in a conversation, you call me by my name not any titles like ma'am or boss or whatever!" Natasha said sternly to Rex. "Do you need me to help with money or something? I can help you cover the rent."

"Trying to be humble and kind, aren't you? No thanks, I'd rather borrow money from the company and repay in extra services."

"The company finances are restricted to official transactions only! We can't take it out to help." Natasha said as she stood up and walked towards Rex, standing by his side. "Let me help you, Rex. Please."

"I'm sorry Nat, I'm not interested in taking money from you. If I can't get a loan from the company, then I'll find a way." He said, got up and walked towards the door. "Life finds a way." He added.

"Rex, wait!" She shouted and Rex turned behind her. "Come live with me!"

"Why?" Rex asked.

"Because you don't want me to give you money, so let me help. Come stay with me!" She pleaded.

"Hard pass!"

"Consider it, Rex."

"I'll think about it," Rex said, walking out of the office.

The next day, Natasha drove her car, arrived at FT industries, and made her way to her office. Earlier that day, she received a text message from Rex which read, "I'll be bringing my things to your place at the close of work." A text that put a smile on Natasha's face. As she got towards her office, a man called out to her.

"Dr. Toney, May I have a word with you?" The man said.

"Yes, Kai, how can I help you?" She asked.

"It's about the Fleming boy!" Kai said as Natasha stopped him.

"If this is about Rex, I told you I personally will have a word with him about his behavior."

"No miss, if you don't mind, I would like for us to speak in your office," Kai said.

"Hm... Okay then!" She said as she opened her office and went in with Kai. "Take a seat, Kai." She said, pointing to the chair opposite her as she sat down on her chair.

"Thank you, Miss Toney. Has your polonium arrived?" Kai asked as he sat down.

"No Kai. It's yet to arrive. Hopefully, it will be here by Friday." She replied. "What did you want to speak to me about?"

"Yes, Dr. I can't help but notice you spend a lot of time with the Fleming boy," Kai said.

"Kai! Let me stop you there, maybe what you refer to him when you're in private or talking to your friends but while you're here, His name is Rex!" Natasha said and Kai nodded.

"You seem to care about someone who's no more than a cleaner in this company, it seems rather curious," Kai grinned.

"You don't have any science degrees, Mr. Rollins, yet my father, a renowned scientist, had interest in you to promote you, that seems very curious to me." She said to him and he smiled even more.

"And that's the difference between me and the Fleming boy, I mean Rex. I played my cards well, I played chess where he played checkers and that's why I'm the successful one."

"Chess indeed, Kai, Chess indeed!" Natasha replied with a little laugh. "You're a boastful one, aren't you?"

"I mean, I can say I'm almost a part of the Toney family, considering your father sees me as his son."

"And why would you say that, Rollins?"

"Like I said... Chess not checkers. I have the ambition, desire, and cunning attitude which your father desires and, of course, when you BECOME CEO of this company, I'll have high shares."

"So, get close to my father and earn big shares from the company. Impressive."

"Not just your father, but..." Kai paused for a while. "His daughter!" He added and Natasha laughed out loud!

"Wow. You're so funny, Mr. Rollins. You had me there for a second." She chuckled, but Kai grinned as he observed her.

"Oh, you thought I was joking? I'm on a mission and you're part of the plans! Trust me, I can impress you." Kai said.

"You can start impressing me by being more tolerable to the staff. Seriously, I pass by them and they constantly speak of how you derail and harass them frequently and honestly it bothers me a lot." Natasha said and Kai grinned.

"Bothers you? Why is that Natasha?"

"They're people too Kai."

"Lower-class people, you and I are not on the same level as they are. They need to know their place," Kai said, and Natasha covered her face with her palm in disgust.

"Know their place? What's that exactly supposed to mean?" She asked as a frown grew on her face.

"Let me ask you a question, Natasha. When a goat treads in the territory of a lion, what is its fate?" He asked. "After all, you're intelligent. You can answer this."

"It dies!"

"Before its death, what emotion does it experience?" He asked again.

"Fear? I think it goes through Fear, Kai." She said, feeling uncomfortable.

"Exactly that Natasha! The weak must fear the strong and the strong must intimidate the weak. It ensures balance in society or, in this case, FT industries." Kai said and Natasha's expression changed from upset to shocked.

"Balance?" She asked in a rather surprised manner.

"If you don't remind them, they will go out of their way, they will become arrogant, they will become disrespectful and lack regard for authority," Kai said, and smiled directly at Natasha. "You call it oppression, I call it discipline and enforcement of balance in the company. It's my way of showing respect and loyalty to the company by stopping it from losing its way. Do more of this, Miss Toney! This company will be yours one day." Kai said and got up from his chair and walked out of the office, leaving Natasha there holding her head in disbelief and confusion at what she just heard. She had only known Kai for over a year and saw that he could be ambitious, but she didn't see him as the person he showed to be.

30 minutes after Kai left, Natasha picked up her phone and made a phone call telling the person to increase the bonuses of all the non-scientific staff.

Not so long after her conversation with Kai, Natasha sat in her office, making use of her laptop and her notebook. In that notebook, she is making some scientific calculations and writing some chemical equations while also drinking a cup of coffee.

"KG!" she called out and the bot-droid walked towards her.

"Yes, Mistress Natasha. How can I help you?" KG-13 replied.

"Prepare me an outline on hydrogen bombs, please. One of our partners has requested it." She said,

"Okay, ma'am," KG said and left while Natasha continued with what she was doing. A few minutes later, KG-13 came back to her. "Mistress Natasha, you have an incoming holographic call?"

"Holographic call?" She asked. "But there's only one person who can...... Patch him through!" She said and immediately KG hit a button on its head and his eyes displayed a hologram of a man.

"My girl!" The man said, and a big smile filled Natasha's face.

"Hello, father." She said, "How is Austria right now?" She asked.

"Austria has been splendid, although I'll be home sooner rather than later," Mark said. "Anyway! How has the company been holding up in my absence?"

"Just as splendid, dad, sales and production are going just as great!"

"That's good. What about the staff, scientific and non-scientific?" He asked.

"Performing to the maximum level like you always expect."

"Wonderful for you to know what I expect. FT industries is a top company and I always expect the best of services."

"Well, you have high standards, that's for sure," Natasha said, which made Mark chuckle.

"Well, I raised you to those standards, and look at you now, one of the best scientists at just 24 years of age," Mark replied, making Natasha blush.

"You know, I'm always trying to impress and be the best. It's like you always say, the goal is the goal, and do everything to achieve it." She said, making Mark proudly smile.

"So, what exactly is your goal, then?" Mark asked.

"Well... I'd say to follow up on the legacy you've created, to make this company improved, and to help as many lives as I can. I've had those goals since I was a child." She said,

"Impressive, I honestly cannot wait to step down from the role because I know that this company will be in excellent hands, truly if Steve were here. He'd be fully proud!" Mark said. "Anyway, how is your mother? Have you spoken to her recently?"

"She's alright. I called her this morning before I came to work!" She said, smiling. "She really misses you, though!"

"Of course she does. It's typical Zaynab." He said, and they both laughed.

"Why didn't she follow you to Austria, though?" She asked. "It's been 2 weeks now."

"As much as I'd have loved her to go with me, it's a highly classified business and honestly, she can go some time without me." He said.

"Classified? Does it concern the company?" She asked suspiciously.

"No. Not at all. I had to meet with a few colleagues." He replied.

"Okay, dad. I was just really curious, considering you didn't inform me about the trip." She asked, her voice breaking with worry.

"Don't worry at all about it. If it was something you needed to know, I would tell. You are my right hand. So, that I didn't tell you would mean that it's truly classified." He said, and she nodded her head in agreement.

"Father, can I ask something?" She said and Mark signified for her to ask. "Do you believe in the possibility of exploring different periods of existence?"

"Exploring periods in existence? Do you mean like time travel?" He asked her.

"Yes."

"Why the interest?" He asked, surprised.

"An investor has inquired about the possibility of time travel or possibly a time machine." She said, and he smiled.

"Ah yes! Time travel, a beautiful concept in science, the possibility of going backward and forwards in time is rather delicious. As for it being possible, well...." He said.

"Well...?"

"Well, I did an experiment on time travel in the past, Steve and I." He said, and that increased Natasha's curiosity.

"How did it go?" She asked.

"That's not important for you to know, honestly." He said.

"Please, dad. I'm interested in this concept and I need to know as much as I can." She begged.

"Alright then. I admire your interest and curiosity and, of course, your ambition."

"What can I say? I learned it from watching you!" She said, making Mark smile again.

"Steve believed in time travel. I didn't. We came together and built a time machine." He said and Natasha became surprised.

"A time machine? You guys built a time machine?" She asked, feeling both excited and surprised.

"Yes. We designed it as a video game and used it to harness a wormhole so we could travel."

"A wormhole?" Natasha asked.

"A 2-dimensional passage through space and time. But the time machine ended up not working, mainly because time travel isn't possible."

"Wow. Just wow!" she said. "You must've been close to Dr. Fleming."

"Oh yes. Steve was a loyal friend, a good man in every way, and a very intelligent person." He said. "I become more disappointed in his son the more I think about it."

"I understand, but that potential is still there in Rex. He can still be better than where he is right now!" she said.

"Do you see it, or is it your emotions talking?" Mark asked and Natasha couldn't reply. "Remove sentimentality in things like this. See things for what they are, not what you want them to be." He said.

"Yes, father!" She replied.

"Anyway, I have to get back to what I was doing." He said.

"It was a pleasure talking to you Dad." She said and Mark agreed and ended the call.