In Reverse (3)

Rose bushes lined both sides of the escalators, and a stone fountain sat in the middle of the courtyard at the top of the stairs. Water spewed from the multiple angels that relaxed at the edge of each giant bowl. He watched all of his employees intersect on the main belt that led into the office building ahead. Everyone was too busy to notice each other with their digital screens blocking their view. Joseph shook his head knowing that this was not the life his fore fathers would have wanted for society.
He looked up at the high ceilings in the main lobby. Many of his employees lined the many hallways on each floor trying to reach their destinations. He was happy everyone took pride in the new technology his company created. He stopped at his destination, where the Corporate Overlords were waiting for his arrival.
The wooden doors opened to a room with a long oak table that reached from one end of the room to the window that stretched across the exterior wall. The leader of this group of murderers, rapists, and thieves was sitting at the head of the table. Joseph rolled his eyes.
The sun glistened off the top of the dark bald head. He was a few inches taller than Joseph, and his stature was more professional. His brown eyes looked up at Joseph, peering over the black rims of his glasses. He casually pulled them off and stood up with a twinkling white smile. Joseph could only imagine what crap was about to spill from this idiot’s mouth.
“Ah, Joseph, I’m so glad you could bend your schedule to our liking,” the man said.
“I mean, there’s not much else I could do to avoid it since your boys hacked into my system, Mr. Bonsu,” he said, pulling the chair out in front of him.
“Yes, well, it was very important that we speak with you about this new operating system you’ve created.”
“What about it? Last time we talked about it, you slandered it into the ground, remember?”
“Mr. Apoch, I assure you I never intended to slander your creation. I just wanted to make sure we were going in the right direction with your vision.” He sat down and flipped through a screen on the desk. He twisted his wrist and skimmed his finger across the surface. “I’m sure you’ve read the headlines today.”
Joseph saw the articles about his project appear on the screen in front of him. He chuckled and flicked his finger to the side to trash the articles.
“Yes, I did. Now, why are you guys all of a sudden interested in my operating system? Last I checked it was a waste of time in your books?”
“Please, leave what I said in the past, Mr. Apoch,” Bonsu said, looking to each one of the overlords. “These men are not here to listen to our grudges. They are here to invest in something revolutionary. Something that could tear through the history books.”
Joseph bit the inside of his cheek and pressed a button at the side. A file appeared on his desk, where he tapped it with his index finger. He flipped through the contents finding copies of his work with the Nova Operating System. He flicked a switch underneath the table and the lights turned off. The middle of the table illuminated with the files and diagrams of the human brain’s neurons flashing in unison.
“I created Nova because I wanted to hold on to more than just memories of someone I had lost. I wanted to hold on to the very essence of her being,” he said, flipping through the files. “As you can see in the diagram above. I took multiple feeds from her brain to create an operating system that could communicate with her same voice. I even tweaked it to the point, where I could save the multiple messages and wisdoms that she had held inside her.”
“How does this system work, and why should we invest more money into it, Mr. Apoch?” Bonsu asked, looking up at the diagrams.
“A system like this could pretty much bend the laws of life. We could use it for just the simple purpose of extending the life’s soul. It could be used to replicate a person’s essence in a home…”
“Basically, we could extend the life of a message and no one would ever guess the person has died, correct?” Bonsu asked.
“You mean completely replicate the mind of a dead leader?”
“So to speak.”
“Yes, you could possibly completely replicate the mind with the right technology, but we are still decades away from actually fully replicating a human’s mind,” Joseph answered, turning the lights back on. “Mr. Bonsu, Gentlemen, I’ve only created a means of replicating a person’s voice and soul. I have not reached full mind and thought replications.”
“Hmm…” Mr. Bonsu stood up from the desk. “If we fund you, can you have something ready for use within three months?”
“Three months? I already told you, we are decades away from creating anything that you are wanting, Mr. Bonsu. It’s just not possible to have it ready that quick!”
“Gentlemen, you may leave,” Mr. Bonsu said, looking at everyone in the room. All of the overlords left the room with their digital screens turning on as they stepped onto the conveyor belt. “With the rise in your stock, and the billions we have to offer, I’m sure you can find a way.”
“Billions?” he choked on the word.
“Yes, billions. We’re not talking hundreds of millions, Mr. Apoch. We are willing to invest billions into your company to create this system.”
“What for?”
“That is none of your concern. Your job is to just make sure you have something in our possession in three months,” he answered.
Joseph shook his head, flicking his teeth with his tongue. He watched Mr. Bonsu follow behind the rest of the overlords to the main lobby and out of Helix Headquarters. Joseph kicked the side of the desk and plopped back into his chair.
“How the hell am I supposed to create eternal life?”