L.O.V.E.

Chapter 24 - Nathan

'Another flawless presentation, Mr. Oaks. We wouldn't have expected anything less from you.' The chairman's adenoidal voice breaks the silence.

I have always disliked him. There's an air of double-dealing and deceit hanging over his words. He would constantly praise my father's abilities during his fancy dinners, yet his face had betrayed his hollow actions every time. We started as poor and we will forever be tainted by our inferiority.

Today's meeting is held in the old Library, a sign of power and fatuous attachment to our history. The room oversees the whole campus and it looks more of a vault rather than a boardroom. The glass wall that encircles us, seems too fragile to protect all the leaders of the state gathered in the same place. Still, I know better than all, the invisible shield is nothing more than a honeycomb mesh of trillions of nanites, programmed to emulate the strongest material on the planet. Nothing comes in or out, other than air.

Everyone suddenly stands up and starts clapping. I bow my head in appreciation, showing them a false grin while I swallow the bitter taste in my mouth. They've been my heroes once and now they are nothing more than phonies. Dad's face brightens proudly as our eyes meet for an instant. Jonathan Oaks is the head of the Nanotechnology Department and the very first one to upgrade the nanites. He truly deserves to be seated at the big table. He may have not been much of a father, but I know everything he did was for both our sake.

Hands are being shaken and more words of praise and encouragement are being uttered. Some pat me on my back and jokingly proclaim that soon I'm about to take my father's seat. Snakes. They are all snakes. These are the exact thoughts that fill my mind during the whole charade. I play my part and I do it well. I smile at their bad jokes and nod when I should say no. For my entire life, I played this game blind-folded and naive. It was only since recently that I've started to see past their intentions.

'Good luck at the championship!' One of them cheers from the crowd, the only substantial words that have been spoken today.

Navion has always played an important role in the development of our city. Not only it showed the true capabilities of our latest software, but it also offered a fair chance to everyone, even the poor ones. The Navion players have never been selected due to their rank, but rather purely to their talent. That's what it makes it so popular to the masses.

'Our team has suffered a great deal since some of the players have just left us, but have no fear, we'll come back stronger than before!' I assure them confident in our victory.

I'm more determined to win than ever and show everyone that victory does not mean having one or two brilliant players. It requires commitment, teamwork, and assiduous effort. Roone and his friends have been nothing but arrogant the whole time.

'Go, Captain!' They give me a standing ovation at the end of my speech, some of them even raising their fists in the official Navion salute.

I mirror their gesture, thankful to see a few are so passionate about it. Then, my thoughts are flying to the most recent discoveries and my good mood suddenly becomes joyless. Do all of them know the truth? Does that mean dad knew all this time?

Soon, everyone leaves the room and I am left alone with my father. We follow the rest of them in the chilly corridor, their voices resumed to loud echoes down the spiral staircase.

'You did a great job, son. I am proud of you.' He stops me outside the door, and he addresses me in a somehow more affectionate voice.

'Thanks, dad!' I reply and clap him on the shoulder. I know he means good.

We stay silent for half a second, looking at each other like two strangers. I am certain there are many words that will never be said to each other, for we never had a close relationship. He is my father by name and that concludes all. Only if he and I were more alike, maybe, things would have taken a different turn. We start descending, one step at a time as the stained-glass windows throw colorful prisms at our feet. The images are abstract, yet here and there a portrait of a forefather, with a halo around his head, seems to appear at times that he is becoming one with the sun.