THE MOMENT
"Hi, Tessa Beaufort?" Tessa opened the door to find a woman wearing a long, white leather duster, and a white cowboy hat atop her violet hair.
"Hi, Tessa. What can I do for you?" Tessa smiled as she assigned the stranger her name, that way she didn't have to reveal the woman's guess was accurate. A wave of confusion flashed over the woman's face for a moment; but, she seemed to catch on quickly, and smiled.
"My name is Victoria, I'm here representing Sharp Development and looking for someone named Tessa Beaufort," she said. Victoria reached into her duster and pulled out a small rectangular package, wrapped in white with a red string bow. "I have a package for her."
"I can give it to her," Tessa nodded; but, she didn't reach out for it. She guessed it wouldn't be that easy and Victoria shook her head to confirm it.
"I'd much rather give it to her myself, it's quite valuable," Victoria added. "Not that I don't trust you; but, I don't even know your name," she smirked. " I'd feel more comfortable delivering it to her directly." Tessa smiled; but, she shrugged. She wasn't the least bit curious about the package, and she was of the mind that it was likely nothing. And, beyond that, it'd almost turned into a game. They both knew who she was, and Victoria could have called her bluff at any moment; but, she decided to humor Tessa instead. That, more than anything so far, inclined Tessa to trust Victoria a little more. But, not quite enough to reveal herself.
"Maybe she'll be here some other time, you should try again later, or tomorrow, whenever," Tessa giggled. "Thanks for stopping by!" she waved, then moved to shut the door. But, Victoria stuck a white boot in and blocked the door from closing.
"Sorry, Tessa, dear," Victoria shook her head. "You're quick, you surprised me; that was fun," she smirked. "But, I'm still on a job, and on a schedule. I have other stops to make, so, you win," Victoria shrugged, then pulled her foot out of the way and offered Tessa the package. "I was told to explain what's in there to Tessa. If you don't care to hear it, I'm on to my next stop. But, you might want to open it before you make up your mind."
"Sure, okay," Tessa nodded. She opened the door wider again and stepped closer to Victoria as she tried opening the package toward the stranger. If anything was going to pop out, she wanted to make sure it headed that way. It opened easily and nothing jumped out. Instead, she found a thin, clear glass rectangle the size and thickness of a playing card resting in a red velvet case. She pulled it out and the time appeared on the invisible surface, seemingly floating in mid-air as she manipulated the card. "Yeah... I think I'm gonna need the explanation," she nodded. Victoria nodded.
"That's called a 'node'. It's like a cellphone but way better. You can do a lot with it, and you'll find a tutorial to help you learn how to use it."
"Okay...," Tessa nodded. She didn't learn anything she wouldn't have figured out with a few minutes. Then, she realized there was probably more to the explanation; but, Victoria was waiting on the right questions. "... why me? I didn't enter any contests or anything. I've never even heard of Sharp Development," she said.
"It's a sort of 'apology' you could say," Victoria nodded. "An unofficial attempt to mend what can't be mended. On behalf of Sharp Development, our corporation apologizes for any adverse effects or trauma you may endure due to our negligence."
"Huh? What negligence?"
"You.., were enrolled into a Super Soldier program headed by Sharp Development since birth."
"What!?" Tessa asked and shook her head. "I don't remember anything like that!" she protested, and Victoria nodded.
"That makes sense, the program was ended while you were still only 4 years old. It was deemed a failure due to lack of progress. And, the fact that they recruited unwitting and unwilling participants. Your parents were misled, and of course, you had no idea."
"That was a decade ago...," Tessa looked at the node, then back to Victoria. "You waited ten years to apologize?"
"To you," Victoria nodded. "You weren't the only participant; you were the youngest when the program ended; you're the last one we got to."
"And... you gave me a phone to make up for trauma?" Tessa asked with a giggle. She wasn't offended exactly, she had no idea about any of it and didn't feel like she was missing anything or deserved more. But, it was kind of amusing from her perspective.
"It's a sliding scale," Victora said. "And, to be honest, it's more of an 'invitation' than anything. You'll find out as you go through the tutorial; but, Sharp Development is inviting you to join our company. You're not obligated to, of course, and that node is yours to keep. But, if you do join us, you'll find plenty of opportunities to advance the corporate ladder."
"How do I know you won't experiment on me again?" Tessa asked.
"You don't," Victoria shrugged with a sincere smile. She was honest at least. "But, to be fair, we don't know either. We're not planning to study you or anything, but there's no way of knowing what the future might bring. What I can tell you is that we won't experiment on you without your knowledge," she added. That answer didn't quite satisfy Tessa.
"What about the super soldier experiments? They're not happening anymore, right?"
"Oh no, not at all," Victoria shook her head with a broad smile. "The project you were in was one of the last attempts; and, there was only one more, well-documented trial after that. Everything ethical and by the book."
"And, that's done too, right?" Tessa asked. She needed to be clear. She at least hoped for the official appearance of it. She didn’t expect that research would be given up so easily if money was to be had. But, an official line could at least let her seriously consider the offer. The moment she caught a hint of anything, she would leave.
She was willing to risk revealing her secret to find out more. As soon as Victoria explained the past, a lot of Tessa's questions were answered. And, everything she'd learned about herself over the years had a simple answer; she was a successful super soldier. She would have accepted she was intelligent and athletic as normal traits. And, she never pushed her strength; but, it was always there when she needed it. That was easy enough to take for granted. She was glad to finally have an explanation for her quick regeneration.
“NO super soldier experiments happening anywhere in the company? In any branch?" She didn’t know a thing about the company; but, she assumed it was large enough to have branches.
"Not a one," Victoria answered. "We perfected the process in that next round. None of them are experiments anymore. As a matter of fact, the newest models are quite Super,” Victoria grinned. “You turned out alright, I was told you’d be a prime candidate for a mighty nice upgrade.” Then, she winked at Tessa as she finished her thought aloud. “Free to Sharp Development employees.”