002.3 Calling Home

Veronica's lab was fairly well ordered and larger than her first one. Will had acquired an entire warehouse for her to use, but her lab still only covered a single corner of the space. The equipment here was of the highest quality and included more items than she had actually wanted; Will had spent more money than was necessary to make sure Veronica could explore any idea or inquiry that entered her mind.

The goal right now was to get a signal outside the QZ. Communications inside worked fine, as did communications outside the zone. But communicating between the zone and the outside world was blocked except on approved channels. These channels were subject to monitoring. Signals were scrubbed for possible hidden messages and edited for content. The powers in charge kept a tight rein on information coming out of or going into the QZ.

With all this equipment, Will and Veronica should be able to find a way to get a signal outside.

Uriel's voice greeted them from hidden speakers.

"Welcome back, Miss Cross." The voice was calm and soothing, a butlers' refined manner in a pleasing baritone. [b]"Your calendar is clear for the rest of the night. Tomorrow you are having breakfast with Fiona at your apartment. There are no new updates on current projects. As requested, I have continued scanning all media sources for news relevant to our confinement in the Quarantine Zone. Would you like a summary?"

"Hi Uriel, always nice to see you. Thank you for the reminder. I will look at the summary after we try to make a call. It's going to be one outside of the QZ Uriel."

Veronica plugs into the system and prepares to dive into the systems.

"Ok William give me a moment, have a seat." She pats the seat next to her.

"Thanks," says Will, sitting beside her. He does his level best to ignore all of his senses telling him of Veronica's presence beside him, her smell, the sound of her breathing, the warmth of her body close beside him.

"How long do you think this is going to take? I haven't spoken to Amanda for weeks now. It's getting harder and harder to get a signal through. The equipment I have at your brother's place isn't cutting it anymore, or I'd be doing this myself. Plus. I have to speak with Mother at some point." He shudders visibly.

"It's amazing how some people have no trouble getting a signal through. If only it were the other way around, and I could speak to Amanda as often as Mother tries to contact me."

"Well, I am going in now, so it shouldn't be too long. I think your mother has big pull, you should ask her how she is able to do it. It might be a much easier method. I am sure Amanda misses you. Alright here I go. Uriel Guardian Angel mode please."

Veronica leans against Will as she goes into the net to arrange the connection so that Will would have a window to contact Amanda.

Uriel appears before Veronica within the net. "Welcome inside, Miss Cross."

"Your friend seems nervous. His heart rate is elevated and his body temperature has risen since he sat beside you. Shall I make medication available to him?"

Uriel assists her within the net, while the program initiates Guardian Angel mode to protect her physical body while she's inside. "Mister Cavendish has provided us with all the equipment necessary to make this connection. With your skills, you should be able to connect with Miss Smythe-Davies within seconds. If she declines the connection or chooses not to answer again, will you tell Mister Cavendish this time?"

"I'll tell him it was my fault, that I couldn't get through. It's bad enough he got accidentally locked in here with us. As for medications, he always gets nervous around these calls."

Begins the process to see if he will answer.

Veronica hears a soft voice answering before the avatar appears before her. "Hello? Who is this?"

Amanda's avatar appears before Veronica, dressed conservatively in a long skirt and blouse buttoned up to her neck. She is beautiful, a perfect replica of her real life appearance.

"Veronica? Is that you?" She peers directly at Veronica. There is nothing visible or showing on any readings that would obscure her ability to see who is contacting her, but she seems to be unable to determine who is reaching out to her.

Security warnings are pinging on Veronica's readouts, but so far Uriel has her covered without much effort. Regardless, it's obvious that someone is trying to intercept this communication.

"Yes, William would like to speak please respond to him."

Amanda's face drops at the mention of Will's name. "Is he okay? Oh, Veronica, I can't speak to him now. I feel so... so... well just horrible. He's trapped in there, you're all trapped in there. What am I supposed to say to him? I'm close to postponing the wedding if we can't get him back outside.

Listen, I'm on my way out now, literally walking out the door as you called. I think I found a way inside, so I can see Will, and you, and everyone else. Tell him not to worry. I'll see him soon."

Amanda's avatar becomes indistinct as she begins her logout process.

"He loves you Amanda."

"I know," is the only response Veronica receives as Amanda disconnects her avatar.

In her apartment outside the quarantine zone, Amanda takes off the headset and drops it on the sofa beside her. Why did she have to be inside the net when Veronica came on? Her head hangs, hands covering her face, and she begins to sob softly.

Veronica's eyes glow lightly as she comes back to her senses.
She blinks a bit and unplugs.

Turning to Will, "I did reach her but she was just logging out, I need to tell you something because she mentioned trying something dangerous to be with you." She took Wills hands in hers if she let him, "She is thinking about entering the QZ."

"Wait, you talked to her? How did she look? Is she okay?" Will's words spill over each other trying to get everything out he's thinking all at once. "Coming into the QZ? How? Why? You've got to tell her not to! She could get stuck in here like us!"

Will looks down at Veronica's hands holding his... everything vanishes for a moment as a series of images flash through his mind of what could have been had he ever admitted his feelings for her, and his voice catches in his throat. Tears come to his eyes, but he's content to let Veronica think it's out of concern for Amanda.

"I'm sorry, Veronica. This is just... I had hoped to talk to her myself."

"I am so sorry Will, she logged out but not before I could tell her you loved her, she said she knows. She misses you Will. In love people don't think clearly. If she had stayed on longer I would have told her not to try and come in here."

She motioned to the screen, "I can replay the conversation for you, so you can see her."

She readied to play back the contact for Will if he said he wanted to see it.

Will sits up straighter and lets his hands fall away from hers. "Yes, please."

He leans forward, then stops. "Unless... do you think it will help? I mean, seeing the conversation won't make her stop trying to get in here. If anything, she should be trying to find a way to get me out of here, so we can be together out there, where we belong."

Will shakes his head.

As they are discussing the conversation and considering a playback, Veronica receives a ping on her heads up display. Elizabeth Cavendish, CEO of Wanneng International and Will's mother, is trying to reach her. The message flashes in her periphery.

URGENT - MUST REACH WILL - URGENT - PLEASE HELP - URGENT

"Wait..Will your mother is trying to reach you, saying it is an emergency I can project the message."
she turns to the hologram and unless Will says no she will project the image and make the communication with his mother open up.

Before he can object, the holographic image of Will's mother appears before them both. She is a severe and stern-looking woman but looks amazingly young for her age. She stares at the two of them as if she were there with them, her face serious.

"Manfred William Canvendish." She says his name like a slap to the face. "How dare you ignore your mother for so long."

She turns to look at Veronica and her face widens into an insincere smile. "Thank you for taking my call, Veronica. Manfred is lucky to have a friend who understands what is truly important."

She turns her attention back to Will. "Darling, you look simply terrible. What are you wearing? Are you getting enough sleep? I don't know how you're getting by trapped in there with thosepeople." She suppresses a shudder, then continues.

"Regardless, you have a reputation to uphold. I don't expect to see you slumming it just because you're stuck in a quarantine zone. I'll see that properly tailored suits are dropped directly to Veronica's lab. Feel free to keep the drone; Enforcement will only shoot it down if we try to recover it from the Quarantine Zone. Do you need anything else?" She doesn't really seem to care if he does.

"Darling, we have interests within the Quarantine Zone that require executive intervention. There are specific assets at two of our manufacturing sites, a storage facility, and an office within the Zone. I have established secure communications with the office, but the nature of these classified projects precludes me from discussing them with you over this connection. I have hired a new Vice President of Government Relations and assigned her to work directly with you on securing these assets. She should be arriving within twenty-four hours. She will be in charge of this project, but I expect you to interface directly with her and give her all the assistance she requires." She looks down at something that isn't displayed in the holographic projection, then nods to someone outside of the hologram.

"Saving these projects will only serve to improve the board's opinion of you. Do not fail me or the company, Manfred. We are all counting on you." She looks as if she's about to terminate the connection, but then looks at him and her face softens almost imperceptibly.

"Mother loves you," she says, in the odd, third-person manner she always seems to use when speaking about family matters.

Will listens to his mother with barely concealed contempt.

"I go by Will, Mother. Not Manfred. NO ONE calls me that. I've been Will since grade school. Please do me the courtesy of using the name I have chosen." He finally looks up at her holographic image just as she looks away, almost as if the moves were choreographed to make sure one never meets the others' eyes.

"If you insist on shipping anything to me, how about something useful, like a case of that single malt scotch I keep in my office?" His wry grin would make her angry if she saw it, but he knows she's purposely avoiding looking directly at his holographic display on her end, the bitch.

"Mom, please. You sound like you're trying to be the bad guy from some old movie." He makes a sound like Darth Vader breathing, then mimics his deep bass voice. "Do not fail me or the company." That should get her attention.

"Sheesh." Will stands and walks to face her hologram. "Just tell me who this new VP is. I'll meet her, we'll get your projects to safety, and everybody will be happy."

Will turns his back on her hologram, then looks back over his shoulder. "Although we'd be happier with that scotch." He winks, adopting his best devil may care attitude, but doesn't say 'I love you.' He's pretty sure he doesn't.

Veronica is clearly not happy being used as a vessel for this transmission her fingers tense.
Her pupils shrink slightly at the those people comment.