Chapter 2: Chapter 2 :The encounter
Sully quickened his pace, but the men in black suits followed him. He knew he couldn't outrun them, so he decided to confront them.
"Can I help you?" he asked, trying to sound calm and collected.
One of the men stepped forward. "Mr. Sullivan, we need to talk to you. It's urgent."
Sully's heart sank. He had been so careful, but it seemed that his involvement in memory trading had finally caught up with him.
"What is this about?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly.
The man handed him a card. "Call this number. They'll explain everything."
Sully took the card and watched as the men walked away. He felt a sense of dread wash over him. He knew that he was in trouble, but he had no idea what kind of trouble it was.
He walked home, deep in thought. When he arrived, he found his wife, Sarah, waiting for him.
"What's wrong?" she asked, seeing the look on his face.
Sully handed her the card. "I don't know. They said it's urgent."
Sarah looked at the card and frowned. "Who are these people?"
"I have no idea," Sully admitted. "But I have a feeling it's not good."
They sat in silence for a few moments, both lost in thought. Then Maya walked into the room.
"Daddy, you're home!" she exclaimed, running to give him a hug.
Sully hugged her tightly, feeling a pang of guilt. He knew that he was putting his family in danger by getting involved in memory trading, but he had no other choice.
"Maya, honey, can you go to your room for a little bit?" Sarah asked gently. "Daddy and I need to talk."
Maya looked up at them with big, innocent eyes. "Is everything okay?"
Sully forced a smile. "Everything's fine, sweetheart. We just need to talk about grown-up stuff."
Maya nodded and ran off to her room.
Sully and Sarah sat down at the kitchen table. Sully handed her the card.
"I don't know what's going on," he said. "But I have a feeling it's not good."
Sarah looked at him, her eyes full of worry. "What are we going to do?"
Sully sighed. "I don't know. But we have to be careful. We can't let Maya get hurt."
They sat in silence for a few moments, both lost in thought. Then Sully's phone rang.
He picked it up, his heart racing. "Hello?"
"Mr. Sullivan?" a deep voice on the other end asked.
"Yes?" Sully replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
"We need to meet. Now."
Sully felt his stomach drop. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"I'll explain everything when we meet," the voice said. "But you need to come alone. And you need to come now."
Sully hesitated for a moment, then made a decision. He had to find out what was going on, no matter the risk.
"I'll be there," he said. "Where do you want to meet?"
The voice gave him an address, then hung up.
Sully turned to Sarah, his face pale. "I have to go."
"What?" Sarah exclaimed. "No, you can't go. It's too dangerous."
"I have to," Sully said firmly. "I have to find out what's going on. And I have to protect you and Maya."
Sarah looked at him, tears in her eyes. "Please be careful."
"I will," Sully promised, kissing her on the forehead. "I
Sully quickly changed into a clean shirt and grabbed his jacket. He didn't want to waste any more time. He had to find out what was going on, and fast.
He drove to the address that was given to him, his heart racing with every passing moment. He parked the car and took a deep breath before getting out.
The building was old and rundown, with broken windows and graffiti on the walls. Sully hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should turn back. But then he reminded himself that he had to find out what was going on.
He walked up to the door and knocked. A few moments later, the door opened and a man in a black suit appeared.
"Mr. Sullivan," the man said, gesturing for him to come inside.
Sully walked in, feeling nervous and out of place. The room was dimly lit, with a single table and two chairs in the center. The man in the black suit motioned for Sully to sit down.
"I'm sorry for the secrecy," the man said. "But we couldn't risk anyone overhearing our conversation."
Sully nodded, still feeling uneasy. "Who are you? And what do you want?"
The man took a deep breath. "My name is Alex. And I represent a group of memory traders."
Sully felt his heart skip a beat. He knew that getting involved with memory traders was dangerous. But he also knew that he couldn't turn back now.
"What do you want with me?" he asked.
"We've been keeping an eye on you, Mr. Sullivan," Alex said. "We know that you're one of the best memory traders in the city."
Sully frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Alex smiled. "Don't worry, Mr. Sullivan. We're not here to turn you in. In fact, we want to offer you a job."
"A job?" Sully repeated, feeling confused.
Alex nodded. "We're looking for someone with your skills to help us with a project. It's a big job, but the pay is good. And we're willing to offer you protection in exchange for your services."
Sully felt a sense of relief wash over him. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all. Maybe he could finally get out of the memory trading business and start a new life.
"What do I have to do?" he asked.
Alex leaned forward. "We need you to help us find a certain memory. A memory that's worth a lot of money."
Sully's heart sank. He knew that finding a specific memory was almost impossible. And even if he did find it, the consequences could be dire.
"What kind of memory?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
Alex hesitated for a moment, then spoke. "It's a memory of a government official. A memory that could bring down an entire government."
Sully felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that getting involved in something like this was risky. But he also knew that he had no other choice.
"I'll do it," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Alex smiled. "Good. We'll be in touch."
And with that, Sully left the building, feeling more confused and scared than ever before. He knew that he was getting himself into something dangerous. But he also knew that he had no other choice. He had to do whatever it took to protect his family.
As Sully walked back to his car, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease. He had always known that the memory trading business was risky, but getting involved with a group of memory traders who were after a memory that could bring down a government was a whole different level of danger.
He couldn't tell his wife about it. He knew that she would never forgive him if he got involved in something like this. But he also couldn't ignore the offer. The money and protection they were offering were too good to pass up.
Sully got into his car and started the engine. He drove aimlessly around the city, trying to clear his head and come up with a plan. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling of dread.
As the sun began to set, Sully decided to head back home. He parked his car in the garage and walked into the house, trying to act as normal as possible.
"Hey, babe," he said, walking into the living room where his wife was watching TV.
"Hey, how was your day?" she asked, not looking up from the screen.
Sully hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words. "It was... busy. I had to go to a meeting."
His wife finally looked up, her eyes narrowing. "What kind of meeting?"
Sully knew that he had to come up with a convincing lie. "It was just a business meeting. Nothing important."
But his wife wasn't convinced. "You're lying to me, Sully. I can tell."
Sully sighed, feeling defeated. "Okay, fine. It wasn't a business meeting. It was something else."
His wife's expression turned to one of concern. "What is it? Are you in trouble?"
Sully took a deep breath, knowing that he had to tell her the truth. "I got approached by a group of memory traders. They want me to help them find a memory."
His wife's eyes widened in shock. "Are you crazy? You know how dangerous that is."
"I know, I know," Sully said, feeling guilty. "But they're offering good money and protection. And I have to do whatever it takes to keep us safe."
His wife shook her head. "I can't believe you're even considering this. We can find another way. We can move away, start over."
Sully knew that his wife was right. But he also knew that it wasn't that simple. "I'll think about it, okay? I just need some time to figure things out."
His wife didn't look convinced, but she nodded anyway. "Fine. But you better not do anything stupid."
Sully nodded, feeling more conflicted than ever before. He knew that he had to find a way out of this mess, but he didn't know how. All he knew was that he had to be careful. The consequences of getting caught could be disastrous.
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