Flight to Paradise Ch. 01

Book #3: Flight to Paradise

Chapter 1

Bertrand Anthony McMillan, Jr., Mac to his friends, drums his fingers in frustration on the wheel of the rented Mercedes. The car is inching its way along the autodrive road, steering, stopping, and starting autonomously, as the traffic creeps along. Because the big silver Merc is driving itself, Mac can focus his attention elsewhere, on, say, Immersion Playground. Three months ago, his former lover, the lovely and talented Emilia Santiago, had introduced him to The Proposal just before their breakup, ostensibly to help save their relationship. It hadn't, but it'd turned Mac onto a potential money maker.

He's done some digging after experiencing the immersion to try to learn what he could about the company. Immersion Playground is a new—barely a year old—company with a product he can believe in. That makes them exactly the type of opportunity he looks for. The company is playing it close to the vest with their financial and sales data. They're not putting out a lot of information about themselves, and he admires that. He's never understood why companies, attempting seem more successful than they are, makes available all the information guys like him need to attract their attention. Well, guys like him, if he were into hostile takeovers. But then, he supposes, if companies didn't, the quick buck artists wouldn't be as successful as they are. The fact that Immersion Playground seems to know this leads him to believe the management team is competent. They present a very professional image, even as small as they obviously are, and shield any information that can be used against them, but even the best run companies sometimes need a little help. If the management is as competent as he suspects, then he won't have to install his own people. That always makes the deals go much smoother.

He isn't in town just for Immersion Playground, though. He's come to Los Angeles, first and foremost, to be fitted with a new prosthetic leg. When the clinic that constructed his current leg, LA Prosthetics, had contacted him to make him aware of the advances they've made in bionic limbs, he hadn't hesitated. Like most areas of technology, the man-machine interface has been evolving quickly. His old leg still works fine, but advancements have made it obsolete. If he can believe the demo they sent, that is. Even though it was only a demo, a box plugged into the port on his leg to simulate the missing leg, it'd been a damned convincing one. He'll know for certain how the new leg functions tomorrow, when they begin to fit the prosthetic to him. And what's the point of having money if he can't spend it on something like this?

It'll take a couple of days to complete the fitting, even though it'd been constructed using the same parameters as his current leg. There's only so much they can do without him being there. Since he's in town anyway, and he has a couple of days to kill, he's planning on paying a visit to Immersion Playground to perform a quick snoop to see if the company has as much potential as he thinks it does. And if they happened to be strapped for cash? Well, then the trip to LA will be doubly rewarding.

Returning from the privacy of his thoughts, he looks at the sea of cars around him and grinds his teeth. How in the hell can all these people live like this, with the mass of humanity pressing in all around them? And the goddamn traffic!

To take his mind off his frustration, he opens the net to the Immersion Playground store and hunts until he finds the contact information again. Todd & Charlie Rose... once again he's struck by the names. When he first read the names, he'd had the strangest case of déjà vu over the name of Todd Rose, though, for the life of him, he couldn't remember where he'd heard the name before. It wasn't until a couple of days later that it came to him that he knew a Todd Rose from high school. Todd was the slick bastard that stole the hottest girl in school from him, and her name was Charlie, though her last name wasn't Rose at the time. He'd racked his brain, once he'd made the connection, but never could remember Charlie's last name. He thinks for a minute, then pings the address, wondering if it could possibly be the same Todd Rose. Seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened.

Todd Rose, Operations Manager for Immersion Playground, works in his office approving invoices for Rick to pay when he comes into the office on Friday. Rick and Giselle Chamfer, along with Todd and his wife Charlie, own the fledgling Immersion Playground. Rick and Giselle had funded the bulk of the startup costs, and were the stars of their first, and thus far, only immersion, The Proposal. Later Todd and Charlie had taken the opportunity to purchase additional shares in the company, and now they're equal partners.

Rick handles all the technical details of making the immersions, while Giselle volunteers her law expertise to keep them all out of jail. Charlie handles recruiting talent in addition to running her other business, C. Rose Agency, a small but well-respected modeling agency. Todd is the only full-time employee and does just about everything else, including making sure they weren't over billed, again, by the concrete contractor that constructed the set for their latest immersion. He places the bill aside to ping the contractor, again, and tell him, again, that Immersion Playground isn't paying for the cleaning of the concrete truck because his people didn't wash it out properly the first time. This will be the third time they've had this conversation, and he intends for it to be their last.

They'd completed the capture for Arena less than three weeks ago and they're nearly ready to release the immersion. It's been a long, grueling, and exhausting ordeal, getting the immersion made and ready to go. Even though the production was fraught with problems, after experiencing it with Charlie, he's more convinced than ever they have another huge hit on their hands. If this immersion takes off like The Proposal did, he's going to take some time off and do something nice for Charlie. For himself too. Rick and Giselle have helped when and where they can, but the day to day operations, and headaches of running the company, have fallen on his and Charlie's shoulders

He's looking over the next bill in his mailbox when a ping arrives from a Bertrand McMillan. The ping comes in on the main office address, so he puts on his business voice. "Immersion Playground. Todd Rose. How may I help you?" he asks, once again wondering why Rick hasn't hired another receptionist to answer these pings. He makes a mental note, again, to ask Rick about it.

"Mr. Rose, Bertrand McMillan here. This is going to sound odd, but did you attend Hays High School around 2065?"

"Yes..." Todd answers slowly, his brow wrinkling as he waits for the man to continue.

"I think I know you! I'm Tony McMillan. I was a couple of grades ahead of you in school."

Todd thinks for a moment. "Tony McMillan? The McMillan's that own the big place out on the east side of town? You're the big guy, about nine feet tall, right?"

Mac laughs, suddenly recalling how funny Todd was in school. "Just 6'7. But yeah, that's me. I'm in town on business and I thought it'd be nice to catch up on old times."

Todd isn't sure what to think, but goes along with it for the moment, not wanting to offend the man. "Sure, why not? We haven't been home in a long time. Too much going on right now. Let me check with my wife and see what we can work out. Any days better or worse for you than others?"

"No. Today wouldn't be the best because I am stuck in this God... stuck in traffic, but pretty much any other day would be fine," Mac replies, and then pauses for a moment before continuing. "Listen, I hope you don't mind my asking, but Charlie Rose, on the contacts page, is that your wife? Is that the Charlie you were dating in school?"

"The very same," Todd says as he grins in pride. It isn't every day that just a regular Joe, or in this case, a regular Todd, can snag the prettiest and most popular girl in school. "Married almost sixteen years now."

Mac is quiet a moment before speaking. "I remember her. You're a lucky man Todd Rose," he adds, his smile coming through in his voice.

"I know," Todd replies with a soft snicker. "She reminds me of that regularly."

There is a brief pause before Mac bursts into laughter. "So, she hasn't changed I see."

"Only for the better. She's like wine, the older she gets the better she gets."

"Stop!" Mac cries in mock outrage. "You're making me jealous."

Now it's Todd's turn to laugh. "You should be."

Todd sends his personal address back through the link so Mac can contact him directly the next time. "That's my personal address. I've got yours now. I'll ping you tonight or tomorrow with when we can get together, if that's all right? Every time I plan something without checking with Charlie, I end up screwing it up. We really need a social calendar so I can know where I'm supposed to be, and when."

"Thanks, Todd. I'm really looking forward to seeing you and Charlie again. I've kind of lost track of all my old high school friends. Those that moved away, anyway. When I saw your name on the Immersion Playground contacts page I wondered if it was you, and if it was, I suddenly realized how nice it'd be to talk about old times."

"Do you still live in Hayes?"

"No, not anymore. Not since I left home. I live here in California, up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains."

Todd smiles. Now that he's had a chance to think about it, it would be nice to talk to an old high school friend. He and Mac weren't close, but they had been friendly enough in school. "Yes, it would, Tony," he says, and he means it. "I'll let you know something tonight or tomorrow early, okay?"

"Sounds good, but don't put yourself out on my account. If it doesn't work out, it's okay."

Todd could hear the sincerity in Mac's voice. "Don't worry. I'm sure we can work something out. At the worst, it might be just me and you over a beer somewhere," he reassures him, comforted by the fact that Mac is courteous enough to give him the out.

"Okay. Just let me know what works for the two of you and I'll make it work for me."

"Good enough. You'll be the second person to know, right after me," Todd chuckles.

Mac snorts an abbreviated laugh. "I knew there was a reason I never got married."

"Not married?" Todd asks.

Tall and rich, Todd remembers how popular Mac was in high school. He always seemed to have all the pretty girls fawning over him, much to the annoyance of him and every other guy in school. At least he hadn't been a jerk about it so far as he knew.

"Never married," Mac confirms. "I never could find the right girl." The statement isn't entirely true, but close enough for this conversation.

"Don't knock it till you try it," Todd replies with a smile. When you find the right woman, as he has, being married has it all over being single every day of the week in his opinion.

Mac chuckles. "I don't know. I've only known one married guy that seemed truly happy."

"Well then, prepare to meet another."

Mac is quiet so long Todd wonders if the ping has dropped. Just before he starts to say something to see if Mac is still there, Mac begins to speak, though his voice sounded unnaturally cheery.

"I'm glad to hear that, I really am. I'm looking forward to taking you two out to dinner. Just let me know what works, okay?"

"We will, Tony. You'll hear back from me no later than lunch tomorrow."

"Looking forward to it. Thanks, man."

"Same here," Todd says, feeling the conversation coming to a close.

"I'll talk to you later, then," Mac replies before he kills the link.

Todd sits in his chair a moment, smiling. What are the chances of an old high school, if not friend, at least acquaintance, pinging him out of the blue like that? And nearly fifteen hundred miles from home, too. He gets up to tell Charlie, walking down the hall and into her office.

"Hey Charlie! Guess who just... oops! Sorry. I'll come back. Hey Kate," he says, backing out. "I didn't know you were here."

"Come on in," Charlie invites, waving him into the office. "We were talking about Kate's gig at the auto show. We're almost done. Guess who what?"

He steps back into the office. "Guess who pinged just now. Do you remember Tony McMillan from high school? His family owns that big place out by the old Calhoun farm."

"Yeah, I remember him, why?" Charlie asks.

"He wants to meet for dinner this week. He's in town and saw our names on the company letterhead."

"Really?" Charlie asks, drawing the word out.

Kate, who's been sitting quietly, her head moving like she's watching a tennis match as Todd and Charlie speak, pipes up. "Old friend of yours?" she asks Charlie.

"Yeah. He's a little older than we are. What was he, Todd—one year or two ahead of us?"

"Two I think," Todd replies. "Went off to West Point while I was a junior if I remember right."

"Anyway, a couple of grades ahead of us. Someone we went to high school with." Charlie pauses with a big smile. "Big as a house. He must have been nearly seven feet tall. My God, was he good looking!"

"Hey!" Todd exclaims in mock indignation, moving his hands back and forth, palms up, gesturing to himself.

Charlie laughs lightly at his antics. "But not as good looking as you, dear," she responds brightly before giving him an air kiss.

"Okay, that's better," he says with a smile. "Come see me when you're done. I told Tony I'd ping him back and let him know what day works for us."

"Okay," Charlie says. "I'll be there in a couple of minutes."

Todd nods quickly and backs out, shutting the door, but immediately reopens it. "Oh! And good to see you again, Kate," he adds, before closing the door once more.

Kate watches Todd close the door then turns her eyes to Charlie. "Good looking?" she wonders, raising her right eyebrow, a small smile forming on her lips. "How good looking? And exactly how tall? Seven feet sounds like an exaggeration to me," she says, her voice almost a purr.

"Believe me, I'm not exaggerating, not by much. He had to be at least six foot six or seven. The tallest guy in the school, and one of the best looking, too. Long eyelashes, big hands, broad shoulders, thick thighs..."

"Stop!" Kate cries as she fans her face as if hot. "You're gonna make me wet!"

Charlie snickers at Kate's dramatics.

"You seem to know a lot about him. Did you two do the wild thing?" Kate asks, her small smile becoming mischievous.

Charlie laughs at Kate's directness. "No! But he was very interested in me. Wanted a whole lot more than I was prepared to give him. He chased me for the whole summer before our senior year. That was before Todd noticed me."

"Wait!" Kate exclaims. "You had a second-year college dude chasing you while you were a junior?"

"A junior rising. I was going to be a senior. I guess that would make Tony a... freshman rising. So, a first-year college student."

"Wow!" Kate exclaims, impressed. "Why didn't you give him a chance?" she wonders, genuinely interested. It's what she'd have done.

Charlie shrugs. "Honestly, I don't know. He was a nice guy. Very friendly and warm, the rich kid who wasn't a jerk, a jock with brains, and he was really smart. He graduated valedictorian. But I just didn't feel that spark, you know? And he was a little big for me and—"

"I thought you said you two never did the wild thing," Kate interjects, teasing Charlie.

Charlie giggles again. "Not like that. I just mean I don't like guys that tower over me. He has to be a foot taller than me."

"I like 'em big," Kate breathes. "The bigger the better. And if they happen to be tall too, that's even better!"

Charlie barks out another laugh, then tries to steer the conversation back on track. "He asked me out a few times, but I always found a reason to say no. He never got mad, never called me names, never threw a tantrum. Classy guy, ya know? And when Todd and I became an item, he backed off completely. In fact, he sort of disappeared. I heard he actually joined the army when he graduated." She grows quiet for a moment. "All the girls were after him, but he didn't even seem to notice them. I mean he dated but was never serious about anyone. At least not while in school."

"Only eyes for you, eh? I can understand that. Maybe that was your appeal," Kate suggests. "You were ignoring him, and his ego was bruised."

Charlie shakes her head. "No, I don't think so. He wasn't that kind of guy."

"How old did you say he was?" Kate asks, clearly interested in what Charlie has been telling her.

"Let me see, I guess he would be, what? Thirty-eight? Thirty-nine? Something like that. So, a few years younger than you, but you like them young as I recall," Charlie teases.

"So long as I'm not robbing the cradle. The babies, they have the stamina but not the skills, you know? Early- to mid-thirties is a sweet spot. Young enough to deliver the goods, experienced enough to know how to deliver them. So, since you didn't want him then, and can't have him now, can I have a turn? I think Mr. Tony... what did you say his last name was?"

"McMillan."

"I think Mr. Tony McMillan would like some female companionship, don't you?"

Charlie chuckles at her friend's lunacy. "You know, I think you're right. Assuming he isn't married of course. Would you like to come to dinner at our place? I'll introduce you."

"A blind date? That would be perfect since he won't even know he's being set up." Kate purrs, her voice low and sexy. "Poor thing. Best thing for him to do is just submit to my charms and just make it easy on himself. I'll take care of the making it hard part."

Charlie gasps, then bursts into laughter. "My god Kate! Is there anything you won't say?"

Kate pretends to think about it. "Nope, I don't think there is," she finally replies, then laughs her throaty laugh.

Charlie trills out another laugh. "No, I don't believe there is, either. Come on, I have some pings to return," Charlie says, grinning and rising to her feet. "I'll send you the details on Tony as soon as Todd and I talk, okay?"

"Okay," Kate says, standing as well and gathering her things. "Don't forget. I haven't had my toes curled in a while and your friend Tony sounds like a guy who could do it, not to mention that if he's as tall as you say he is, I can wear heels. That alone makes him worth a look-see."

"I won't forget, and if he turns out to be married, I'll let you know that too. I'll talk to you tomorrow," Charlie says with a smile, ushering her friend ahead of her out the door of her office and into the parking lot. As Kate climbs into her car, Charlie wonders if she really wanted to subject Tony to Kate. Tony was such a nice guy and Kate... well... Kate can be quite a handful once she sets her sights on her next conquest. The stereotypical California woman, Kate is bold, brash and very self-assured. One thing is certain, if she introduces Tony to Kate, he'll know he isn't in Kansas anymore.

After dinner, Todd moves about the kitchen, cleaning up while Charlie leans comfortably against the edge of the counter as they continue to reminisce about home and high school. Over the years they've settled into the routine where Charlie cooks and Todd cleans, an arrangement that works for both.

"So, tell me about Tony," Charlie says as Todd loads the dishes into the washer. "He just pinged out of the blue?"

"Yeah. Even after he told me his name it took me a second to realize who he was. I wonder how he found me."