The Eye in the Sky and How a Mother Loves
Two miles away from the Lance-Trace estate, within a clearing hidden by dense tropical foliage, Sebastian sat on the cool grass, a tech enthusiast's dream before him. He had an array of monitors up on easels like paintings, a small generator-like battery pack connecting them all. His eyes were tracking all the monitors at once as his hands guided three stealth drones in parallel circles around the vast estate.
On the main screen, a 3D wireframe of the Lance estate was slowly being built.
"Thank you, Dan," Sebastian whispered, his fingers dancing across a haptic controller.
High above the estate, far beyond the reach of the perimeter's standard acoustic sensors, three "Wraith" drones began to hover. They were small, no larger than a dragonfly, and constructed entirely of the same carbon-fiber and ceramic materials Dr. Aris was currently struggling to understand.
Through the drone's infrared lens, Sebastian watched the heat signatures of the tactical teams moving around the property. His computer was carefully learning the routine of their patrol. It extrapolated out to two months what routes the teams would take on each given day.
He had known that the brooch left the estate because he tracked it to a building that had come up as "Sam's Gaming LLC." He had smiled as he found out it was just a front for Samuel Lance's security agency and tech development business. "Very good cover, brother-in-law, but you didn't cover every crack when you created it."
He found himself a bit sad that the brooch had been discovered so quickly. He had hoped they would fumble a bit more, but it seemed they had dragged his Amber to the lab to try and discredit him. He scoffed. "It won't work, Dan. She has known who you truly are from the beginning."
He watched the screens silently when he registered movement. "Dan thinks walls can keep me out," Sebastian murmured, watching a guard rotate his position near the south gate. "He thinks guns and scanners are a match for a soul that has already claimed you."
He pressed a button, and the drones began dropping "seeds"—tiny, microscopic sensors that would embed themselves in the trees and soil of the estate. Within an hour, Sebastian would own the estate's entire atmosphere. He would know when a door opened, when a light flickered, and exactly how fast Amber's heart was beating.
He leaned back, a look of serene, rigid pride on his face. He would soon be with his Amber Ann. Her brilliance would click with his and finally, his mother would be happy. Finally, she would approve and truly love him again.
"She is almost with us, mommy. I will bring her to meet you soon." He rubbed an intricately etched locket around his neck, the scrollwork and raised images feeling safe and familiar against his skin. Soon everything would be complete, and he would finally be able to end all this struggle. He looked up to the monitors again, his eyes focused on the main building of the Lance-Trace estate.
"One more obstacle, Amber," he said, thinking of Dan's incompetence. How could he be with her when he could not keep her safe? Sebastian licked his lips in anticipation. "Only one more, and then you will meet mother and all will finally be perfect. Only one more."
Sebastian kept repeating those final three words as he pulled a small object out of his pocket. It was a bronzed toe. It had a long, thick nail, and the bronze had a light green patina in the creases. He rubbed the small bronzed toe with one hand and the locket around his neck with the other. The actions were old and comfortable, etched into his muscle memory.
He closed his eyes for a moment, only a split second, and the scene spread out before him all over again. Him, young and afraid; his mother towering over him, her stern eye looking at his work. She moved forward and he flinched. She sucked her teeth—he wasn't sure if it was due to him flinching or her disapproving of his work.
"As usual, you overlook the natural mechanics of the piece. Who do you think you are to rewrite centuries of design?" She picked up the piece and threw it down to the floor as hard as she could. He watched his work shatter in a split second.
He had worked on the plaster form for weeks, wanting to impress her, wanting her to be pleased. His tears were hot, but he refused to let them fall. She didn't like tears. Only idiots and fools cried. He took in a deep breath and waited.
"You will remake it and make it right this time. If you cannot do such basic things, how will you ever be a productive citizen? How will you leave your mark on this world?" She took a step back and turned to leave the workshop. He had looked at the floor and saw blood mixing with the pieces of plaster. He had been so stressed his nose had bled. When he realized it, he had touched his nose. The bright red blood stained his fingertips and he understood how right his mother was. He was truly too weak.
Sebastian's eyes focused and he remembered he was sitting in the clearing—his mind still a bit fuzzy from the old memory. He nodded and looked back to the screens, his hand now a tight fist around the old bronzed toe.
"Soon," he whispered. "Very soon, mommy. She is a good girl and you will be very pleased."