Andy (sarx:two)

The sun finally dipped beneath the horizon and the muted violet of dusk washed across the cliffs which hovered above West Beach. Andy Mitchell settled back into the driver’s seat of his silver Acura as he pulled from the shoulder of the road.

“So, Andy,” Sarx's voice from the passenger’s seat seeped into the darkness, “What brings you this far out from the big city?”

“Just needed to take a drive," Andy sighed, his troubled face illuminated by the blue light from the dashboard, "You know, wind down after work. Think a bit.”

"Hard day at work?"

"Is there another kind?."

Sarx grinned, the dashboard light only barely reflecting off his teeth. “I thought this was your dream job.”

Andy snorted a bitter laugh. “It is. You know that dream where you show up to school naked? It's that one.”

“Really? Tell me about it. ”

“You don’t want to know about my stupid problems. You’re just being nice.”

Sarx turned to face Andy, his eyes serious. “Trust me. I’m not being nice. Tell me.”

“It’s the same old story, really. I work myself to death. No one notices. Some fresh new face drops in from four years of college and he gets the position above me. ”

“That’s not just your job, that’s everyone’s job. What else?”

“You really want to know?” Andy grabbed wildly behind him between the seats, his right hand and eyes no longer attending to his driving. The car dipped off the road onto the graveled shoulder as he pulled his laptop from his backpack in the back seat. "Oops," he said righting the car, "That woulda been bad." He slid the laptop into Sarx's lap. “Open it."

Sarx opened the computer and Andy hit the power button. The screen jumped to life, bathing Sarx in a devilish glow. A stylized image of an eye with lashes like flames filled the screen. The eye blinked and disappeared, leaving a password box. Still only half-paying attention to the road, Andy reached over and entered his password. The login screen folded in on itself repeatedly until it disappeared, leaving a desktop cluttered with icons.

"Okay, you see those icons?" Andy's voice jumped in pitch with his frenetic childlike excitement. “Check this out. Every one of those are mine. I designed them. I don't mean just the icons. I mean the programs. Built most of them from the ground up."

"Impressive."

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying, right? But that ain't the biggie."

“What is 'the biggie'?” Sarx encouraged.

“C'mon! Did you see how fast that thing booted up? That's the fastest of any OS on the market." He added in conspiratorial whisper, "Safest too, if I do say so myself."

"And this is your design, as well?"

"Well," Andy began, a beat slower than before "The basic idea isn’t mine. It belongs to the company. It’s a system that they’ve been trying to roll out for a while now, but it kept failing. The morons in development have been screwing around for three months trying to figure what's causing everything to go bugfuck. So, I snagged a copy of it and took it home. You know, see if I could make it work."

He stopped at an intersection and turned left, heading back to the city. Once the car cleared the intersection, his full attention no longer needed to drive, he continued his story.

"When I got it home, I realized that they weren't going deep enough to fix it. The basic programming was flawed and they were just tying to tweak externals. After work, I would go home and work on re-programming it. When I finished, it cranked right up for me, so to speak. After that, I started tinkering with some of other ideas. Those ideas." He pointed the icons on the screen. "This could be the most amazing system on the market.”

Sarx tapped the screen. “Sounds perfect. What's the problem?”

Andy deflated at the question. “I can’t get anyone to listen. I try to talk to my boss about it. ‘Catch me next week,’ he says. Well, next week comes and goes. Then the next. And nothing. I'm sick of getting dismissed. Is that problem a good enough reason to hate my job?”

“More than enough, I‘d say.” Sarx closed the laptop and placed his hands on it. “Have you eaten dinner?”

“What?”

“Are you hungry?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, pull in there.” Sarx pointed at a dingy little diner just off the road. “I need to pay someone a visit...and you’re going to need all the strength you can get tonight.”


____________

Flop's Diner was the quintessential greasy spoon, cheap food made fast and served under the yellow glare of bad fluorescent lighting. It had been a family run joint for years. Rita Holmes had worked there so long that, It was familiar and comfortable work for her.

Rita greeted Andy and Sarx as they entered the diner. Sarx pointed to an obscured corner booth across the restaurant. “Have a over there. I’ll be there in a minute.”

As Andy crossed the room, clutching his backpack, Sarx approached the counter and mounted a stool.

“Hello, Rita.”

Rita looked up from filling ketchup bottles.“Well, hello, stranger. I didn't realize that was you. You been hiding from me?”

“No. You don’t have to worry about that. I’m never too far away.”

“So, what brings you in tonight?”

Sarx nodded in Andy‘s direction. “That gentleman over there is in need of some dinner. And I thought I should come check in on you.”

“Ah. Kill two birds with one stone?”

“Exactly.” Sarx grinned maliciously. “How’s that husband of yours?”

“How is he? He‘s a cop. That‘s how he is.” He cheerful demeanor dripped away. “Damn near sleeps at the station. Only time he‘s home, he‘s drinking beer and watching football. Closest I get to being taken out to dinner is delivery pizza...” Rita realized that she was rambling and stopped abruptly. “I’m sorry, that’s just a sore subject lately.”

“That’s quite alright. I shouldn’t hold you from your work any longer. Why don’t you go see what my young friend over there wants for dinner?”

Rita stopped filling the bottles and scuttled off to the table where Andy was seated, leaving Sarx alone.

“Now that’s a helluva woman there.” A slurred voice came from beside Sarx. “I’d probably stay home more if I had one like that.”

Ed Pemberton was seated next to Sarx, his nearly three hundred pounds somehow precariously perched upon the singled legged stool. He was voraciously devouring two obscenely large chili dogs.

“Well, hello, Ed.” Sarx turned to face him. “I see we’re taking good care of that gout.”

“Now, don’t you start in on me, too. I get enough of that crap from the old lady.” He took another heaping bite of chili dog. “If’n it ain’t the gout, its the diabetes. Hell, its not like I was gonna live forever anyway.”

“I agree with you Ed. It’s your life. Have a chili dog.” Sarx stood up from his stool and clapped his hand against Ed’s massive back as he was walking away. “Hell, while you’re at it, have a slice of Rita’s chocolate pie. They say it’s to die for.”


____________


When Sarx finally returned to Andy, he found him sitting quietly, spinning a coffee cup between his hands on the table.

“I thought you were hungry,” Sarx said as he slid into the booth.

“I was. But I’m too keyed up to eat right now.” He stopped spinning the cup long enough to take a sip of coffee. “I’ll just throw up if I do.”

“Very well.” Sarx settled back in the seat and rested his clasped hands on the table. “You’re angry.”

“No shit, Sherlock. Shouldn't I be?”

"I never said that."

Andy slumped in his chair, exasperated. "What does it matter if I'm angry or not? They're in a meeting right now to try and dump the whole project without pissing off their investors." He rested his head on his hands and rubbed his eyes with his palms. "It's a wash."

“But you fixed it.”

His head snapped up. “And other than you, who knows that?”

"Tell them."

"I can't."

“Why not?” Sarx queried.

"Listen, I'm not young. I'm not cool. I could give shit about their scenester lives and their indie bands. Hell, my favorite singer is Huey Lewis. So, you can guess that I'm not their first pick on dodgeball day." He drank down the dregs of his coffee. "Most of the young punks they call on write code like drunken preschoolers but they kiss ass like pros. That's not a skill I can stomach. So, here I am day after day, doing their work for them while they drink lattes and download porn!”

“So, what are you going to do about it?”

Andy’s fervor faded and he slumped back in the booth. “Do? What can I do?”

“I think you have all the resources you need,” Sarx tapped on Andy’s pack, “right there.”

“What good are ideas that won’t be heard?”

“I didn’t say anything about your ideas. Did I?” Sarx slid the zipper of the backpack open with his finger. “What else do you have in here?” Andy stared in shock as Sarx reached in and slid out the butt of a pistol. “Hmm... look at this.”

“How did you know about that?” Andy began to sweat.

“Don’t you worry about that.” Sarx slid the gun back into place. “Now, what is your plan?”

“I don‘t have a plan.”

“If you didn’t have a plan, you wouldn’t be carrying that with you.”

“But...”

“’But’ nothing. Listen to me, Andrew. You are a visionary. A genius. The masses miss genius because they’re blinded by their own banality. You’ve got your audience in that conference room. You just need to get their attention and I’d say you’ve got one hell of an icebreaker there.”

Andy stared at his pack, his thoughts reeling.

Rita came up carrying a coffeepot. “Can I get you boys anything else?”

“No,” Sarx said. “I believe we’re nearly done here.”

Rita pulled their ticket from her apron and set it on the table. She winked at Sarx. “Now, you come back and see me, okay?”

“I will, maybe sooner than later. Oh, and tell Scott I said hi.”

“Hell, you might see him before I do.”

“I sure might.” As Rita moved on, Sarx leaned toward Andy. “Have you sorted anything out?”

Andy stood up, zipped the pack and slung it over his shoulder. He tossed a handful of money on the table and grinned. His eyes met Sarx, once again burning with passion.

“Let’s do it.”

____________


Michael Johnston, company president, and his frazzled software development team were seated around a sprawling meeting table on the sixth floor of the Blackmon building. Just outside the door of the conference room Andy waited nervously, the strap of his backpack clasped tightly in his left hand. Sarx was sitting on the edge of a desk a few paces away.

“Are you ready to soar, Andy?” Andy nodded silently and grasped the handle of the door. “Knock ‘em dead, kid.”

Andy pushed the door open slightly and peeked his head in the room. No one looked up. He stepped inside and set his pack at the end of the table and scanned the room.

“Gentlemen!” Andy called out over the buzz of their conversations. “Could I have your attention!”

The room fell silent and Michael stood up. “Andy, this is a private meeting. If there’s something you need, talk to me tomorrow morning.”

“No.” Andy was seething at being put off once again. “This can't wait!”

“It'll have to, Andy. We're very busy.” Michael looked back down at his screen hoping to dismiss Andy, the others followed suit.

Infuriated, Andy reached down into his bag, pulled out the gun and fired it at the ceiling. The sound of the shot echoed off the walls and sent the young men scurrying to the floor.

“I said it can't wait.” Andy pulled his laptop from his bag with his free hand and strode across the floor to the head of the table. "Have a seat, guys." he said amiably and gestured for everyone to get up from the floor.

"What do you want, Andy?" Michael asked, visibly shaken,

"Hook this up." Andy handed Michael the laptop. Michael took the computer, connected it the projector and powered it up. The flaming eye blinked on the projector screen at the end of the room.

"How do you have this?!" Michael exclaimed, forgetting momentarily that Andy was armed.

"Never mind that, Mike," And motioned for him to return his attention the the laptop. "Type in my password." He paused for a beat. "Wunderkind."

Sarx slipped in silently as the Michael did as he was told. He positioned himself by the door, directly across the table from where Andy was standing.

"Now, if all of you would be so kind as to close your laptops and face the screen, I will be so kind as to not to discharge another bullet. Okay?"

Computers snapped closed one by one as the rattled young men tried to process what was going on. Michael looked up from Andy's computer and shrugged. "Well, what?"

"What's the biggest problem with this system?"

"What? Is that it? You want to try and fix it?"

"No." Andy leaned on the table and smiled. "I already have."

____________

Andy’s captive audience sat motionless as he unfolded his changes to the system. He gestured wildly, the gun still in hand, as he directed Michael through the program. He took them through a far more detailed, though no less self-aggrandizing story than he had told Sarx as he led Michael through every keystroke and mouse click.

"That, guys," he said as he wrapped up his presentation, "is how you do it." His breathing was heavy and beads of sweat had trickled down his forehead. “Well?” He asked.

The men turned tentatively to face Andy. Jack Finch, the head of development started a round of polite applause and the others joined him. Michael closed the laptop and looked up at Andy nodding. “Well, I'll be damned, Andy, " he said. "I'm impressed." A wide business smile spread across his face. "Looks like we got ourselves a new golden boy around here.”

Andy grinned sheepishly. “Thanks, Mike.” Andy said and then turned to Sarx. “Did you hear that? He liked it. I can’t believe it.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“What??” Andy asked, bewildered.

“You shouldn’t believe it.”

“Why not?”

“Come on, Andy. You're smarter than that. He’s only pacifying you because you have a gun.”

“What are you talking about?” He turned back to Michael "You liked it, right?"

“Oh sure, Andy, he loved it," Sarx made little effort to conceal a smile. "Most people show their affection by calling the police.” Sarx stepped to the window. “Want to see?.”

Andy approached the window. The ground floor of the building was awash with red and blue light as several police cruisers pulled into the parking lot. "But, how?"

"Did you have them relinquish their cell phones?"

Andy's confused expression dropped as the realization set in. He pressed his palm and the butt of the gun into his forehead. "Son of a..." His brow tightened and he swung the pistol out at arms length sweeping it across the room. "Who did it?!"

“Andy, calm down. We can fix this,” Johnston pleaded.“Trust me. We'll tell them that it was a misunderstanding.”

“Bullshit.”

Sarx stepped up beside Andy. “That’s right, Andy. It's bullshit. First, he ignores you. Now, he's lying to you. And tomorrow, when you’re safely locked away, they’re going to take your hard work, call it their own and make a pile of cash with it. I think you should make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“How?”

“How many more bullets do you have in that gun?”

Andy turned his face to the ground. “None.”

“None?”

“I didn’t actually think I’d have to use it.”

“Looks like you’ve just severely limited your options.”

“What do you mean?”

Sarx glanced at the door and then back at Andy. “Run.”


____________


Andy flung the door open and spilled out into the hallway. He took a step left and then a step right, his eyes darting about looking for a way of escape. He ran toward the elevator. The lighted display above the doors showed the car creeping up towards the sixth floor.

“Where do I go?!”

Andy spun around looking for Sarx, but the hall was empty. Frantic and witless, he scurried down the hall grabbing door handles hoping one would open. None did. He reached the end of the hallway and fell against the wall in despair. Peripherally, he saw a bright red glow above his head. He turned toward the glow, which was emanating from an exit sign above the stairwell door.

“Use it.” Sarx’s voice crept up behind him.

Andy turned around. “Where were you?”

“That should be the least of your worries right now. Looks you‘re going to have company soon.”

The elevator’s bell dinged as the display shone the number six.

“Run, boy.”

Andy dove into the stairwell and the door shut behind him as the elevator’s door slid open. Below him, he could hear the faint sounds of voices on the ground floor. The police were waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.

He clambered up the steps, completely lost and having no idea what to do next. His feet pounded the steps as his hands wildly grabbed at the railing. He stopped on the landing to the seventh floor and peered through the small window in the door.

“What? You think they won’t look there too?” Sarx taunted him. “Keep moving!”

Up and up he continued for several flights until he realized that he had run out of floors. The only other option was the door labeled, “Roof Access: Authorized Persons Only”.

“Where to now?” Andy turned behind him. Sarx was gone.

Andy could now hear footfalls on the steps below. His mad scramble up the stairs had obviously attracted attention. He was stuck once again, it seemed. He pulled open the roof access door and scaled the metal steps, taking two at a time. Barely slowing for the door, he slammed the crash bar and toppled through.

The stairwell door slammed shut behind Andy, issuing a metallic report like a gunshot. Wind whipped around his body as he frantically looked for a way of escape.

“This is quite the sticky situation, isn’t it?”

Andy spun around to face Sarx, who was leaning casually against the stairwell door.

“What in the hell am I gonna do now?” Andy’s eyes were wide with fear, tears welling up in the corners.

“Do? You do what you came here for. You make your point. You show them all.”

“And do what? Jump?”

“Do you see any other options? Besides, imagine how terrible they’ll all feel in the morning...”

Sarx smirked as he stepped toward the ledge. Andy hesistantly followed.

“Andy, my friend, you are a revolutionary. A visionary. They don’t see that now. Common people rarely do. And if you’re still standing here when the police bust through that door, they will only see a criminal. They will be the ones to write the end of your story. But, why allow that? You write the end. You tell the world. You be the hero.”

Sarx stepped up on the ledge and offered his hand to Andy. “Your last chance at greatness.”

Andy stared at Sarx’s outstretched hand. “Will you come with me?”

“I’ve brought you this far, haven’t I? Let‘s go. I hear their footsteps on the stairs.”

Andy grasped Sarx’s hand and was pulled up to the ledge. He could see the red and blue lights of the police cars dancing below. The sound of boots crunching on the stairs behind him was becoming increasingly louder with each step.

“Are you ready to soar?”

Andy nodded and squeezed his grip on Sarx’s hand.

“On three.” Sarx’s tongue darted out and moistened his lips. “One”

The footsteps stopped in the stairwell.

“Two.”

The door crashed open and two officers emerged with guns drawn.

“Three.”

“Freeze!”

Andy leaned forward and pushed off the ledge.

He fell silently, peacefully, for nearly three floors before he looked to his right hand.

It was empty.

He was alone.

It was then he began to scream.

Seconds later, the scream ended abruptly with a solid, wet thud.

Sarx smiled, stepped from the ledge and walked past the officers that were advancing toward where Andy had been standing seconds before. They leaned over the ledge, guns still drawn. When they saw Andy's shattered frame lying sprawled on the blacktop, they holstered their weapons.

One of the officers spoke into his radio. "Someone get an ambulance down here. tell 'em to bring a mop."


____________


Sarx took the stairs to next floor and slid into a waiting elevator. He pressed the button for the first floor.

“Hold the elevator!” Officer Scott Holmes ran for the door. Sarx stopped the doors.

“Thanks.” Scott stepped in. “What a mess, huh?“

“Most certainly.”

“Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I’ve been quite busy.” Sarx pushed the button for the first floor again, shutting the doors. “Working late tonight?”

“No. Actually, I’m cutting out a little early.”

“Big date?”

“You betcha. A little dinner and, if I’m lucky, a little dessert.” Scott winked.

“Well, definitely good luck to you, then.”

The elevator arrived at the first floor and the doors slid open.

“By the way,” Sarx added as they were stepping out of the elevator, “How’s the wife?”

“Rita?“ Scott laughed. “Hell if I know,” he said as he walked away.

Sarx licked his lips. “That’s just what I wanted to hear.”

Many thanks to Rob "Diesel" Kroese for his help to make my lack of technical knowledge about computer systems not so evident.