Read Online The Midnight Stand (The Elysia Saga Book 1) by Louis A. Affortunato - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Louis A. Affortunato
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drove, his hands squeezed tight on the steering wheel. Ancil
stared out the window, seeing nothing but the blur of road speeding by. Harley
was in the back. He had fallen asleep and was lying across the backseat. There
would be much to say when they got home. Ancil knew that the reason Daniel
wasn’t laying into him now was because he didn’t want to upset Harley. He still
felt Harley needed to be protected from the world.
When they pulled into the driveway, Natalie came
running out of the house before the car was even off. She wrapped her arms
around Harley and held on to him as if he was going to fly away. She took his
face in her hands and kissed it.
“Are you okay? I was so scared,” she said. “Are
you hurt? Let me look at you.” She held Harley out at arm’s length.
He tried to pull away from her grasp. “I’m fine
Mom. It was no big deal.”
Natalie looked up at her father. “How could you
put him in that situation? What were you thinking?”
“Grandpa didn’t do anything, Mom,” Harley broke
in, “it was the cops.”
“Go inside to your room, Harley,” Daniel
ordered.
“But Dad, I’m telling you what happened. It
wasn’t Grandpa’s fault,” Harley pleaded.
“That’s enough. Go inside now, this doesn’t
concern you.” The look on Daniel’s face said he wasn’t in a mood to play
around. “Natalie, take him in.”
Natalie took Harley by the hand and pulled him
towards the house. Harley looked back at Ancil. His eyes were wet and his lip
was quivering.
“It’s alright, Harley,” Ancil said. “Go in with
your mother. We’ll be in soon.”
When Natalie and Harley were in the house Daniel
turned to face Ancil. “You God damn son of a bitch,” he said, almost in a
whisper. “Who do you think you are taking my son to one of your rally meetings?
Do you know how that makes me look? It puts my whole career at risk having
people know what you do. And everybody knows about you.” Ancil starred back at
him, showing nothing in his expression. Daniel continued, “That’s right, they
all know about the pamphlets and the whispering at the church and the
conspiring with all your other geriatric friends. I don’t know what you’re
trying to accomplish with all this. You can’t change anything that’s happening.
It’s going to happen whether you like it or not. And what’s worse is you
brainwashing Harley to think like you. He told me the other day he didn’t want
to go to school anymore because they don’t prepare you to survive on your own.”
A smirk appeared on Ancil’s face. “He’s already
smarter than me at that age.”
“That’s a joke to you? I don’t need you filling
his head with your garbage.”
“You treating him like a baby isn’t going to
help him either.”
“He’s my son. You understand that? Mine.” Daniel
said as he drove his index finger into his chest. “And I’ll raise him my way.”
“Your way is to have him and everyone else become
dependent on CyberTronix and their machines. I know they’re funding Ellis’ commune
and are the ones behind all the buying up of property from under everyone’s
nose.”
“Henry Ellis is a visionary who will transform
the future of living on this planet. His project is the first step in that
transformation,” Daniel said. “And CyberTronix will be at the forefront of it.”
“You’re blind to your own rhetoric, Daniel,”
Ancil said. “You think you’re going to be leading the way, but workers like you
will be left behind and shut out.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What do you think will happen when the machines
take over your job? What will happen to you then?” Ancil asked. His eyes were
fixed on Daniel’s, intense and powerful. Daniel seemed to reel back a bit when
Ancil said it.
“My position is one of importance to the
project. They need my expertise to move developments forward, for quality
tests. That takes years to do properly. It’s not something you can just
manufacture,”
stared out the window, seeing nothing but the blur of road speeding by. Harley
was in the back. He had fallen asleep and was lying across the backseat. There
would be much to say when they got home. Ancil knew that the reason Daniel
wasn’t laying into him now was because he didn’t want to upset Harley. He still
felt Harley needed to be protected from the world.
When they pulled into the driveway, Natalie came
running out of the house before the car was even off. She wrapped her arms
around Harley and held on to him as if he was going to fly away. She took his
face in her hands and kissed it.
“Are you okay? I was so scared,” she said. “Are
you hurt? Let me look at you.” She held Harley out at arm’s length.
He tried to pull away from her grasp. “I’m fine
Mom. It was no big deal.”
Natalie looked up at her father. “How could you
put him in that situation? What were you thinking?”
“Grandpa didn’t do anything, Mom,” Harley broke
in, “it was the cops.”
“Go inside to your room, Harley,” Daniel
ordered.
“But Dad, I’m telling you what happened. It
wasn’t Grandpa’s fault,” Harley pleaded.
“That’s enough. Go inside now, this doesn’t
concern you.” The look on Daniel’s face said he wasn’t in a mood to play
around. “Natalie, take him in.”
Natalie took Harley by the hand and pulled him
towards the house. Harley looked back at Ancil. His eyes were wet and his lip
was quivering.
“It’s alright, Harley,” Ancil said. “Go in with
your mother. We’ll be in soon.”
When Natalie and Harley were in the house Daniel
turned to face Ancil. “You God damn son of a bitch,” he said, almost in a
whisper. “Who do you think you are taking my son to one of your rally meetings?
Do you know how that makes me look? It puts my whole career at risk having
people know what you do. And everybody knows about you.” Ancil starred back at
him, showing nothing in his expression. Daniel continued, “That’s right, they
all know about the pamphlets and the whispering at the church and the
conspiring with all your other geriatric friends. I don’t know what you’re
trying to accomplish with all this. You can’t change anything that’s happening.
It’s going to happen whether you like it or not. And what’s worse is you
brainwashing Harley to think like you. He told me the other day he didn’t want
to go to school anymore because they don’t prepare you to survive on your own.”
A smirk appeared on Ancil’s face. “He’s already
smarter than me at that age.”
“That’s a joke to you? I don’t need you filling
his head with your garbage.”
“You treating him like a baby isn’t going to
help him either.”
“He’s my son. You understand that? Mine.” Daniel
said as he drove his index finger into his chest. “And I’ll raise him my way.”
“Your way is to have him and everyone else become
dependent on CyberTronix and their machines. I know they’re funding Ellis’ commune
and are the ones behind all the buying up of property from under everyone’s
nose.”
“Henry Ellis is a visionary who will transform
the future of living on this planet. His project is the first step in that
transformation,” Daniel said. “And CyberTronix will be at the forefront of it.”
“You’re blind to your own rhetoric, Daniel,”
Ancil said. “You think you’re going to be leading the way, but workers like you
will be left behind and shut out.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What do you think will happen when the machines
take over your job? What will happen to you then?” Ancil asked. His eyes were
fixed on Daniel’s, intense and powerful. Daniel seemed to reel back a bit when
Ancil said it.
“My position is one of importance to the
project. They need my expertise to move developments forward, for quality
tests. That takes years to do properly. It’s not something you can just
manufacture,”
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