<h4>Chapter 54: ICARUS</h4>


    U.S.A


    OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL


    The rain slowly falls down on the outside of the hospital, as the road bes shiny and negate the summer heat.


    It is a light rain, as the sound of water pattering the tar road created a calm melody.


    A ck car stops in front of the hospital, clearly belonging to someone influential considering there were many other cars behind the ck car.


    They are all guarding the ck car in the front. The driver went out of his seat and hold open the door of the passenger seat.


    A man gets out, his shoes steps on the road as he straighten his ck suit and his tie. He look at the hospital in front of him and he smiles a bit.


    One look and one knows all of his clothing was branded from the most expensive shop and was top of their quality.


    ''At longst.'' The man said. The man is of Asian descent, sporting a neatly trimmed ck hair and quite tall for an Asian man which made him quite handsome.


    This man is Matsuo Sugihara one of the co-founder of Vega Corp. And he finally found her. Julia.


    ''So, you are hiding here in the US'' he said to no one in particr.


    On the road, the bodyguard convoy stop and reviewing security concern as they are speaking to each other by using theirmunication device.


    Julia is quite an enigmatic woman. She is one of the researchers in hisb. And she was actually the brightest of them all.


    Even Takashi acknowledges her intelligence and that is saying something considering he is called the smartest man in the world


    Then suddenly three years ago she stopped from the Project and moved away. No one knows why


    It was a difference in opinion that drove her away at least that is what Matsuo believes. They used to work together in Project Icarus.


    But that project was scrapped after she quit. And a few years ago, he started searching her back.


    Actually he could find her sooner but he was busy with the VR and Takashi discovery. At that time he didn''t thought Project Icarus would be revived back


    Now, it''s even more important to revive back Project Icarus. From the background research he ordered, Matsuo discovered that Julia is sick.


    She is depending on her husband''s saving and the insurance. And Matsuo has always been suspicious of the husband background


    But that money is about to run out.


    This time she will need money. Her bank ount is about to dry up. Matsuo hope he can persuade her to continue the research.


    It is not a ckmail…more like a more insistent persuasive method.


    After all, if there is one thing he does notck, it is money


    Whether it be using money or force, she has to do it. Julia is one of the brightest mind Matsuo has ever seen other than him and Takashi.


    It might seems arrogance but no one would deny this statement. A bodyguard approached him after they finished making sure the hospital is not any security concern.


    "Sir, do you need us to apany you?'' His bodyguard inquired. Matsuo contemted and then said


    "No, this is personal."


    Then slowly he walked into the entrance, smiling with confidence.


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    IN THE HOSPITAL


    A nurse entered a private room. It was Lisa. She looks at the patient in the room and she smiles a bit. She then asked to the patient who was looking absentmindedly outside the window.


    "Miss Julia, you have a visitor" Julia was startled and she look toward the voice. Seeing it was Lisa she shed a weak smile and asks back


    "Is it my son?" But Lisa shakes her head


    ''No. He said he knew you and was your colleague" said Lisa as she handed Julia a card


    Then she checked the card. It is a weird symbol etched on the card


    "He said his name is Icarus"


    Hearing the name, Julia almost dropped the card. A look of fear shed for a second on Julia face.


    "No, I don''t know him "Julia denied vehemently. Before Lisa managed to say another word the door was pushed open slowly and a man enter the room.


    "Oh, I''m hurt" said the voice sarcastically. The man spoke English with perfect ent


    The man has already entered the room. Julia eyes turns sharp. He looked the same as ever, she thought to herself.


    He radiates charisma and authority.


    Julia stares at him like she was looking at someone she no longer recognizes. Lisa look at both of them alternately and have half a mind to call the security


    Matsuo saw the nurse hesitation and he said with a calm tone that betrayed his own excited heart


    "It''s ok, we''re old friends. Aren''t we, Julia?" Matsuo said to Julia.


    Julia finally gives up. It would not be good if Matsuo presence here is known to many people.


    She didn''t want the media knocking her hospital door to know the rtionship between her and the famous Matsuo Sugihara and even more her rtionship with the founder of Vega Corp Takenaka Takashi.


    "It''s okay Lisa. I know him."


    Satisfied with the exnation, Lisa excuse herself from the room. The moment Lisa excuses herself form the room, the room atmosphere turns tense and cold


    "Why did youe here in the middle of nowhere?'' Julia immediately asked. Matsuo did not seem flustered. Instead he was calm and perfectly at ease.


    "Let me sit down first" he shakes his head as he grab the visitor chair and positioned himself near the bed


    "Impatient as ever" Matsuo remarked. Then looking at Julia hostility toward him he sighed. Then he ask


    "I havee here in the hopes to ask you to continue your research"


    "No" Julia quickly declined.


    She already knows what Matsuo want her to do. Project Icarus. She felt there might be other ways


    "That was a swift rejection" Matsuo chuckled slightly, clearly expecting this reaction. So he was not surprised.


    But that doesn''t mean he will give up that easily.


    "It is important…now than ever that we continue the Project" persuade Matsuo


    "We were vain, Matsuo. You and me both. That experiment should not be created from the very beginning." Julia said in a warning tone.


    "Why not?" Matsuo ask


    "We are not God" Julia begins raising her voice.


    "You named the Project….Icarus. Are you not worried you might be burn to death because of your curiosity? Of trying toe close to the Divine?" she tried to lecture Matsuo.


    Matsuo jeered


    "Pah, that story. The ancient men would like you to believe that curiosity is humanity bane. I say Icarus dies not because he was curious but because he was stupid. I named it so I would always remember. Don''t reach for the sun if you didn''t have enough knowledge." Matsuo countered.


    ''I think on a fine day Daedalus look at the blue sky and ask himself "How can I fly above and reach for the sky?" Matsuo said.


    Julia did not say anything on this. She close her eyes and then take a deep breath. She is actually weak right now and her heart couldn''t take much pressure.


    She then opens her eyes and asks


    "So is there anything different than what you''re about to do now?" Julia countered back.


    "I have you didn''t I?" Matsuo said still showing her that confident smile.


    "Why now?" Surely Matsuo could have found her before if he bothers looking.


    "The world may need that experiment more than ever" said Matsuo grimly


    Matsuo and Julia are researchers. Both of them discovered something a few years back. They discovered a void dimension.


    Nothingness at the most purest sense. But he and Takashi got an idea. Like they always do when they go to an uncharted territory in science


    What if this void dimension can be restructured? What if we can put data in it? And so begins their first venture.


    And miraculously enough in their journey for truth, they had a bit of help with some mystical elements along the way.


    It opened Matsuo and Takashi horizon to a brand new world.


    It was a brave new world


    The world is wider than they think and they believed that there are still many things left to be discovered.


    Alexander King did tried to spy on the research of the Vega Corp but armed with the most high tech of the era, he has never seeded.


    And the resulting of their research is Brave World. That''s the VR. But their goal was something more ambitious than that.


    They wanted to create a new world.


    Literally.


    And now with the impending meteor strikes the world might need it. Though to be honest Matsuo didn''t do it because of the people.


    Julia knows this better than anyone. Matsuo is different than the pure peaceful science loving Takashi.


    Even Julia sometimes wondered how two people who have such opposite personalities mesh so well.


    Matsuo is a megalomaniac. Narcissistic.


    And have a grand delusion of grandeur. But there is no doubt about his intelligence.


    Which makes him all the more dangerous. Smart and arrogant is not the bestbination. Coupled with his desire, he is a truly terrifying man.


    Takashi….on the other hand is the pure researcher and too na?ve. He never saw Matsuo true colors and….he would never mistrust his friend.


    But she did


    "I will offer you a lot of money." Matsuo tries to persuade Julia


    "As you can see, I can''t move" Sarah pointed to her feet.


    Matsuo just looked at the direction of the feet boringly. How could she not understand? If the theory worked, all of this doesn''t matter anymore.


    She can be anyone who she wanted to be. They would be Gods


    "You cannot move. But that doesn''t mean you can''t think"


    Matsuo has always admired Julia minds and her ideas. Without her the ideas for the VR would not be created.


    If not for her insistence that she is not mentioned in the research journal and the research records, Takashi would surely give her a high position in thepany.


    Instead she got out of Japan and went to the U.S


    "There is a moral implication" Julia was hesitating.


    "Then how about this?"


    Then Matsuo tell her about the meteor strikes. And how in all probability, it will hit Earth. She is of course shaken.


    Julia has a son.


    If what Matsuo said is true, then her son doesn''t have any future. But of course she knew Matsuo said it because he knew the only way to manipte her is by using her son.


    "Maybe you''re wrong?" she tried to hope it is.


    "I''m never wrong" Matsuo said confidently.


    He is still an arrogant prick. But a genius pricks. Julia reminds herself.


    "Let me think on this" Matsuo has a smirk on his face. Then he got up from his seat and smartened his suit


    "Alright, in a week I need to get back to Japan. Before that I would like to hear your answer. And if you ept don''t worry about the medical expenses. I will pay it"


    With those final words he exited the room. And Julia is left thinking.


    ''Am I really considering this?''


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    Double chapter for today. Hope you all like the story so far and please vote if you can. And leave some reviews