Countermeasures

“Well, let’s hope that’s all behind us now.”

Sawyer stopped outside her office and tapped on the door. “Can I speak to you for a minute, Megan?”

“Yes.” Megan turned to Jonathan. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Trish, Jon. Okay? Thanks for your help.”

Both computer scientists nodded and left, already discussing the coding problem. Megan was thankful to have team members who were so dedicated to what they did.

“You’re really going to work somewhere else today?”

Megan began unbuttoning her lab coat. “Yes. Believe it or not, it happens. Sometimes I need to be in a different element in order to break through a problem. It’s just how my brain works.” She turned her back to him to slip off the coat.

“I’ll come with you.”

“No!” Megan took a deep breath and then spun back slowly to face Sawyer. “I mean, that’s not necessary. Thanks.” Megan could tell Sawyer was about to argue, so she continued, “Sawyer, thank you for the offer, but I really just need to be alone. Otherwise I won’t be able to get the work done.”

“I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to be off on your own.”

“I’m just going to my house, Sawyer. It’s a chance for me to get in multiple uninterrupted hours of work. If I’m here, there’s always someone who needs me for something or other distractions.” Megan couldn’t look at Sawyer’s face as she finished the sentence, so she turned to her desk and began grabbing her bags.

“Fine.” Megan was a little surprised to hear Sawyer say it. She thought she was going to have to present further arguments for why he couldn’t come with her. And to be honest she wasn’t sure what those arguments would be.

Sorry, Sawyer, you can’t come with me because whenever you’re around I can’t seem to focus on anything but how...yummy you look.

Sawyer had been nothing but polite and friendly to Megan over the past few days—just like he had been to everyone. This craziness was all in Megan’s head, not in his actions.

“Give me your phone,” Sawyer told her. “So I can put my number in it.”

Megan gave it to him and he continued, “If you have any issues, call me. Or if you decide to go anywhere but your house, let me know.”

“Okay.”

“I’m going to stay here because there are a couple of concerns I want to look into.”

“About Ghost Shell?”

“Yes. But I’m not certain about anything yet, so don’t worry about it now. We’ll talk tomorrow when you get back. Right now the most important thing is that you get some real progress made with the countermeasure.”

Megan agreed. “I know. I work best alone.”

“That’s the main reason I’m letting you go alone. I know you don’t really like me around when you’re working, Megan. I annoy you. That’s fine.” Sawyer smiled and winked. “My manly ego can take it, I think.”

He thought she didn’t want him around because she didn’t like him? Obviously he couldn’t see how her pulse started racing when he smiled at her. Better to keep it that way.

“Well, I’m sure you never lack for female company of those you don’t annoy.”

“I am highly suspicious of any woman who isn’t annoyed by me.” Sawyer winked at Megan.

She grabbed her stuff and headed toward the door without another word before she hyperventilated. She heard Sawyer chuckle as she brushed past him.

“See you tomorrow, Dr. Fuller,” he called as she walked down the hall. Megan didn’t respond. What could she say anyway?

Megan made her way down the hallway, reporting to Mark, the main security guard, that she was leaving for the day to work at home and would be back tomorrow.

When Mark smiled at her it didn’t do anything to her stomach. She smiled back as he helped her with the front door.

The crisp winter air felt good against Megan’s overheated skin. She walked slowly to her car enjoying—as always—the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding her. Here, outside and away from all the craziness inside Cyberdyne and her reaction to Sawyer, Megan realized she had made the right decision.

She already felt clearer, steadier. Ready to work. What she was doing was important and she was racing against a very real clock, but she was up for the challenge. Working at home would be just what she needed.

Megan opened her car door and threw her briefcase and lunch bag in the passenger seat beside her. Her house was only ten minutes away from Cyberdyne. She’d chosen it specifically for that reason. She cleared through the security gate and began her drive home.

As she stopped at an intersection about halfway between her house and Cyberdyne, an idea for solving one of the problems with the countermeasure became clear to Megan. She reached into her purse to grab her phone so she could make a voice recording, to remember it later.

A car behind her honked as Megan was getting her phone ready to record. The light had turned green. Megan waved to the car behind her and began to pull through the intersection.

Just as an SUV flew through the intersection in the other direction and T-boned into the passenger side of Megan’s car.

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