Chapter 6
By 7 PM, the system was finally back online.
The migration progress shot up from thirty-one percent to sixty-eight percent, data sync was smooth again, and services started rolling back online.
I watched the monitoring dashboard at my new job for two hours straight, making sure everything was back to normal before I finally logged out of the remote session.
When I stood up, my back was stiff from sitting too long.
The office was almost empty, just a few lights still on.
I tidied up my desk, shut down my laptop, and grabbed my phone.
Carter sent me a message: [Everything's back online. Clients are holding steady for now. Merrick's flying back from Boston and he'll be here around midnight.]
[Alright.] I replied.
Taking the elevator down, I was alone.
The street outside was quiet, the streetlights casting long shadows.
I walked to the curb, didn't hail a cab, and I just wanted to stretch my legs for a bit.
After about ten minutes, my phone rang.
It was Linda.
I hesitated for a moment, then answered.
"The system's back up. Thanks," Linda said. Her voice was nothing like yesterday. She was all sweet and chirpy, but tonight she sounded so soft, like she was about to melt right through the phone.
"Alight," I replied.
"Mr. Foster wants to meet you face-to-face. Are you free tomorrow?" she asked.
"I already told Riven, I'm not meeting with Merrick," I said.
"But Mr. Foster says he has to talk to you in person. He really knows he screwed up this time," she said.
"Linda, let me ask you something," I said.
"Go ahead," he replied.
"Did you forget to book the ticket yesterday, or did Merrick tell you not to?" I asked.
She went quiet.
I could hear her breathing, soft and hesitant, like she was searching for an answer.
"I just forgot, really," she said.
"Alright, no big deal," I replied.
"Wait, don't hang up," she said.
I didn't hang up.
She paused, her voice even softer. "Honestly, Mr. Foster told me not to book your ticket. He wanted to leave you hanging during the trip, so you would learn how to cooperate."
"Cooperate with what?" I asked.
"He wanted you to give all the system access and keys to the new tech guys, and after that, you'd just be stuck writing documentation," she said.
I stood by the curb, watching the traffic lights flash in the distance.
"So the whole ticket thing was a setup," I said.
"Yeah," she replied.
"Then why are you telling me this now?" I asked.
She went quiet again.
After a few seconds, she said, "Because when Mr. Foster got back, the first thing he did wasn't fix the system, but forced me to bear everything. He told Riven the ticket thing was all my fault."
I chuckled.
"Linda, do you have any proof?" I asked.
"He told me not to book the ticket in his office, just the two of us. But I double-checked with him on WhatsApp afterward," she said.
"Save those screenshots," I requested.
"I did," she replied.
"Okay, got it," I said.
"Can you help me?" she asked.
"Help you with what?" I responded.
"Mr. Foster wants to fire me, saying I screwed up and cost the company big time. If he lets me go for that, I won't get a single dollar in severance," she said.
I stood there for a moment, thinking it over.
"Send the screenshots to Carter. He'll know what to do with them," I said.
"Why not send them to you?" she asked.
"Because I'm not with the company anymore. I'm not in a position to speak up for you. But Carter's the tech director, he can get it to Riven," I said.
"Okay," she replied, her voice a little shaky. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me. I still remember you at the airport yesterday, laughing like you didn't have a care in the world," I said.
She was silent.
After a few seconds, she said, "I'm sorry."
I didn't answer. I just hung up.
And then I kept walking.
When I got to the intersection, I stopped and waited for the light.
There was a Mission Burrito stand nearby, steam billowing from a metal drum, the air thick with a pleasing scent.
I bought one and cradled it in my hands. It was piping hot.
As I walked, I unpacked the wrapped foil and took a bite. It was soft and super creamy.
My phone buzzed again, so I pulled it out to check.
It was from Carter: [Merrick just landed and went straight to the office. Riven's there too.]
I replied: [Not my problem anymore.]
Carter didn't reply.
I finished the burrito, tossed the foil in a trash can by the curb, and wiped my hands off.
I looked up at the sky. There was no star anywhere, just city lights making it impossible to see anything above.
When I got to my building, I saw a black car parked by the entrance. I knew the plate right away.
It was Merrick's car.
The driver was in the front seat, messing around on his phone, and the back seat was empty.
I glanced at it, didn't think much of it, swiped my card and went inside.
The elevator took me up to the twelfth floor, and I fished out my keys and unlocked the door.
The hallway light was off, but the living room was lit up.
I pushed the door open and saw Merrick sitting on my couch.
He was wearing the same suit he had on at the airport yesterday, the gold cufflinks catching the light, but his shirt was wrinkled, his tie was loose, and he looked five years older than yesterday.
There were two glasses of water on the coffee table. One full, the other half-empty.
My mom was standing by the kitchen door, holding a kettle. When she saw me, she rushed over and said, "Sam, Mr. Foster's been here for a while. He said he needs to talk to you about something urgent."
I glanced at my mom, then at Merrick.
Merrick stood up, forcing a smile.
"Sam, I came here specifically to see you," he said.
I didn't step into the living room, just stood in the entryway, still in my shoes.
"How did you get in?" I asked.
"Your mom let me in. I told her I was your boss, just dropping by to see you," he said.
I looked at my mom.
She looked a little uneasy. "He said he was your boss, so I figured I couldn't just turn him away."
"Mom, go back to your room," I said.
She glanced at me, then at Merrick, and slipped into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
Now it was just the two of us in the living room.
Merrick was still standing, forcing a smile, but there was no warmth in his eyes.
"Relax, you're at home. No need to stand," he said.
I didn't move.
"Mr. Foster, I've already said I won't meet with you. Coming to my place is out of line," I said.
He dropped the smile, sighed, and sat back down on the couch.
"Sam, I know you hate me. But I'm not here to argue, I'm here to fix things," he said.
"What problems?" I asked.
"The system's back up, but the migration isn't finished. We still need you. Riven wants me to talk to you about a long-term consulting arrangement," he said.
"Riven can talk to me directly. I don't need you to relay the message," I said.
His face changed for a moment, but he quickly masked it.
"Sam, do you really have to be so ruthless?" he asked.
I stood in the entryway, staring at him.
"Mr. Foster, yesterday you had Linda skip my ticket on purpose, so you could sideline me during the team-building and push me to hand over all the system access. Linda already told me everything," I said.
His froze all of a sudden.
But only for a second, he quickly pulled himself together.
"You know Linda. She can't keep anything to herself. You really buy everything she says?" he said.
"She has chat screenshots from WhatsApp," I replied.
Merrick's fingers twitched, gripping the armrest tight.
"What screenshots?" he asked.
"The chat where she double-checked with you about not booking my ticket," I said.
His face dropped completely.
No more smile, no more pretending.
The living room was dead silent for about ten seconds.
"What do you want?" he asked, voice low.
"I don't want anything. I'm already gone, and my new job's started. I promised Riven I'd finish the migration as a consultant, but after that, I have no ties to this company whatsoever," I said.
"You think leaving means you get a clean break? You built that system for the company, the IP belongs to us," he said.
I just stared at him, saying nothing.
Three seconds passed before I spoke.
"Mr. Foster, the core architecture was built on my own time. All the dev records are in my personal repo, with timestamps from six months before I even joined. And when I started, the company never had me sign any IP agreement. My lawyer's already checked everything," I said.
His face went pale.