15. Observer

He looked at the window floating in the middle of the air, displaying different locations of the net cafe including the hidden VR compartment. Only he and his trusted assistant, which accompanied him since childhood, were allowed to enter this darkened control room, making it the perfect place for him to relax at least as long as nothing happened. With two steps his friend reached his vicinity and bent forward towards his ear.

"You have an impending call from your father Master."

"Sigh... forward him to me."

On the window where before could be seen the footage of the surveillance cameras appeared now his father's face. He reached out to his headset on the armrest and put it on.

"How did the observation of subject 28 go so far?" His father asked

"Good morning to you too father." A bitter sarcasm could be heard in his voice "Nothing new since the last report for he didn't make another dive yet. But I'm sure that he'll come back soon enough."

"We need those pieces of information as soon as possible, so you better bring us some results. I don't think that I need to remind you of the urgency of what we are doing here."

"No father, you don't need to, but we can't force him to..."

"Yes we can, and you perfectly know that's the case. If there isn't any new development in the upcoming week I will give the position of Observer to someone else, do you understand!" His father interrupted him

"I... I understand father, I'll do my best."

As soon as the window closed he threw the headset into the corner of the room where it burst into a million pieces.

"Who does he think he is deciding over the lives of people as he wishes, god or what!"

"If I may speak Master, I don't think that those are your father's real intentions."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that besides calling him father is actually already too much. He never comes home and when he does then it's always about work this and work that, he doesn't even care about his family! He only uses us as disposable pawns on his chessboard."

Without denying his words she walked towards the smashed headset and started cleaning it up. He looked back at the screen where Bao had just entered the net cafe. Through the screen, he could barely see the big plaster that covered his right cheek when he went to the counter. The talk between Bao and the receptionist seemed longer than the last time but he had no sound and therefore couldn't do anything but to observe what was going on. Suddenly the receptionist grabbed the phone on the counter when at the same time the window of an incoming call popped up on his screen, he quickly looked left and right for another headset and just when he wanted to ask his attendant to bring him one, he noticed that a new one was already placed on his armrest.

"What is it?"

"Good morning boss, there is someone here at the counter who asks if he could apply for a part-time job here at the cafe."

"Well, that's surprising, let him come by tomorrow around nine a.m. we'll have a job interview then."

"Understood, I'll relay it like this."

He hung up with a grin on his face, this was the perfect opportunity.

"If I remember correctly I have a meeting now, can you please overview his dive for me?"

"Yes, master."

With that, he left the room.