Page 49 of Chaos Theory

FORTY-SIX

I scuttle past the fourth-floor elevator, find the door to the staircase at the end of the corridor. No elevator is fast enough to get me away from Josh and his explanations right now. His moral compass is a roulette wheel.

My palm is slippery on the smooth white banister.

The fact that I passed Josh’s weird, desperate monitoring is thin comfort.

At least I know now why he was in such a hurry to get Kobi up to scratch.

The clock was ticking down on Ron finding out that Kobi wasn’t at PHI any more.

I realise now why Josh started freaking out at the ethics panel – it started when he saw Laura Cantwell on-stage with Ron.

He was scared Ron would find out that Kobi hadn’t been at PHI for weeks.

He must have been tied up in knots keeping so many plates spinning.

As I round the first-floor landing, my pace slows.

I didn’t say goodbye to Kobi when I sprinted from the room.

I hesitate, look back up through the central stairwell, but all is quiet.

Should I go back? No. You don’t make a dramatic exit then reappear minutes later for a big farewell.

You don’t get to have it both ways. But maybe it’s better this way.

Just because I’m used to goodbyes, it doesn’t mean I’m good at them.

I walk the remaining steps to the ground floor so I can exit through the reception area, but it’s one of those buildings where you need a security pass to get both in and out. I signal to the receptionist that I’m stuck behind the turnstile, but a clean-shaven security guard comes over to me.

‘Ms McGettigan, Mr Tron would like to see you in his office.’

What now? ‘Um, okay.’

‘Please follow me.’

The guard comes through the security gate and we’re back in the elevator again, this time on the way to the sixth floor.

I want to ask him why Ron wants to see me, if Josh will be in this meeting, if I’ll get a chance to see Kobi after all, and if JP is still here – but the guard stands rigidly beside me, staring straight ahead.

Reminds me of Kobi a bit. Will his job be done by a robot someday soon?

The sixth floor is clearly where business gets done.

My feet sink into plush cream carpet as soon as I step out of the elevator.

The guard leads me down a corridor with dark wood panelling.

We turn the corner. Natural light pours through the glass walls of senior executive offices that house significant men on significant salaries.

Of course Ron has the corner office. The security guard gives an almost imperceptible nod to the PA seated outside it.

Package delivered, the guard melts into the background as I hesitate in the doorway.

Ron is standing with his back to the window, beaming at me.

He looks like he’s been waiting for me all his life and now that I’m here, there’s no need to rush the moment.

‘You wanted to see me, Mr Tron?’

I’m preparing my defence. I didn’t know about any of Josh’s deceptions.

I only ever did what I thought was best for Kobi.

If I took Kobi into strange environments, well, he learned to adapt.

If he got hurt, I rebuilt him – maybe even made some improvements.

Ron is still staring at me. Maybe I won’t say that last bit.

‘I sure did. And please, call me Ron. ’

He indicates three plush chairs next to a low circular table holding two glasses of water. ‘We have a lot to talk about.’

I look at the empty chair as we sit down, then at the door, which I don’t remember closing behind me. This seems to be the only office that doesn’t have glass windows onto the interior corridor. ‘Um, where’s JP? Is he still here?’

‘I sent JP on his way. Don’t worry, we’ll get you a ride back to Go Ireland. Have some water. Relax.’

Where is this going? Ron is like a different person to the one I met in Athlone. Maybe I could raise the possibility of seeing Kobi again after all, even just to say goodbye.

‘I’d like to talk about Kobi, if I may—’ I start.

He laughs. ‘Great! So would I. That’s kind of the whole reason I wanted to see you.’ He twinkles at me.

I laugh a little too. ‘Of course. I just… Over the past while, I feel like Kobi and I have built up a good connection.’

He leans back in his chair but maintains eye contact.

‘So I hear. Josh told me everything. He showed me Kobi’s data logs.

It looks like he’s made remarkable progress in just a few weeks.

And that seems to be largely down to you and your’ – he pauses to smile at me again – ‘somewhat unorthodox methods.’

‘I can explain everything. I didn’t know I didn’t have the green light to do certain things…’ I feel a volcano of explanations building up inside me.

He holds his hands apart, then brings them together in prayer mode. ‘I can’t argue with results. Although I am very interested in your methods.’

I’m emboldened by Ron’s apparent approval. ‘I was wondering – if you think it’s okay – if I could still see Kobi every now and then? Like I was saying, I feel like we’ve built a strong connection, and I didn’t really get to say goodbye to him?—’

‘Well, now we’re getting to it, Maeve. I think I can do you one better than that.’

He stops to take a sip of water. It’s all I can do not to fill the silence with questions, but I exhale and wait.

‘From what Josh has told me, I’m impressed.

Surprised, but impressed. At first I was mad, yes, but when I saw the data, I saw gold.

Because you were operating outside the system, shall we say, you were able to carry out experiments it would’ve taken us months to even approve, let alone trial.

You took all the shortcuts. And to be fair, without a safety net.

A blind man walking a tightrope who somehow manages to get to the other side unharmed. ’

I struggle to follow the metaphor but enjoy the general flow of it. I realise this is the first time anyone with real authority has praised me for The Kobi Project. After weeks of struggle and worry, I could cry with relief. I take a few sips of water to swallow down my emotions.

‘So, Maeve, I want you to come and work for me.’

The water goes down the wrong way. I splutter and cough. ‘Sorry, what did you just say?’ I put my sleeve to my mouth, try to regain some composure.

‘I want you to work here. Let’s call it an internship to start – three months. Paid, of course. I’ve already talked to JP and he’s agreed we can borrow you for a while. I have a special project in mind for you.’

My brain scrambles to get up to speed. Not only am I not in trouble, but now I’m being offered a job as well? ‘Does it involve Kobi?’

He laughs. ‘Well, I sure as shit am not interested in your tourism skills. No offence – I’m sure your tourism skills are mighty fine.’

‘They’re really not,’ I say with a laugh. I can’t believe this is happening.

‘I reckon it would be a shame to break your momentum with Kobi now. He’s made great progress, but he still has a way to go until he’s ready.’

‘Ready for what?’

‘All will be explained once you come and work for us.’ Ron’s million-dollar smile beams down on me again .

‘When would you want me to start?’

‘Tomorrow would be just fine.’

‘Tomorrow? That’s… that’s really soon.’

I need a minute. What about my job at Go Ireland? Shouldn’t I give them some notice? Is JP really okay with this? And if I took the job here, would I be working with Josh?

Ron raises an eyebrow at me.

‘Can I think about it, please?’

He sighs. ‘Not many people say no to Ron Tron. I can see some of that determination Josh told me about.’

‘I’m not saying no. I just… I should really talk to JP first.’

‘I can respect that. Okay, take the rest of the day to think about it. I’ll expect your answer by tomorrow morning. Here, take my card – call me anytime.’