The standing ovation that greeted him as he walked through the portal was a thunderous mix of catcalls and congratulations and clapping.
Eyes found himself at the back of a room full of office cubicles and at least a couple hundred men and women clapping for someone far in the front. Eyes couldn’t quite make out who.
He realised with a start that he was standing next to the real Eyes who stood stiff with his arms folded, his lips upturned in an unhappy scowl. He wore a blue suit and tie and seemed to be the only one in the room who was not clapping.
Eyes glanced around, noting that Sin was nowhere to be seen.
The crowd shifted as someone made their way through the crowd to the back of the room. The sea of people parted and — Eyes wasn’t even surprised — it was Elliot who stood there, being clapped on the back by several coworkers.
The real Eyes did not say anything to Elliot, only glaring at him with a ferocity that burned from within. Elliot did not glance his way, even though it was impossible for him to not notice the real Eyes, they were so close.
Something had clearly happened between the two of them. Elliot did not want to meet the real Eyes’s eyes, choosing instead to walk past him and away down a corridor.
Eyes and the real Eyes followed.
Elliot quickly slipped into a room and tried to shut the door but the real Eyes wedged a foot in the crack and forced it open, making his way in. When Eyes entered, he was surprised at how angry the real him looked. The real him was right in Elliot’s face, glaring and backing Elliot into a wall.
Elliot seemed to stare calmly at him.
Then … SLAM! A hand hits the wall to Elliot’s left.
“How could you!” the real Eyes hissed at him.
Elliot did not betray any emotion as he replied, “How could I what?”
“You know that promotion was supposed to mine! That ARC technology you sold off to the boss as yours, that was mine, damnit!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, …” Elliot replied flatly, his sentence muted at the end when he said Eyes’s name.
“You know darn well what I’m talking about, Elliot,” the real Eyes seethed, shaking his head in disbelief. “The ARC was my work, not yours. It was never yours.”
“The ARC,” replied Elliot, “was the result of three years of dedicating my life to this company.”
The real Eyes backed away and laughed mirthlessly. “Right. That’s what you’ve been telling everyone.”
“It is the truth,” said Elliot.
But even Eyes, who was just an observer could tell that Elliot was lying to the real him. He saw it in the way Elliot stood, with faux confidence. He heard heard it in Elliot’s voice, the slight tremor every time he spoke. Elliot was lying.
The real Eyes scoffed and made an obscene gesture. “That’s what you’re worth to me, Elliot, you worthless piece of –” He stopped midsentence. “You know what, this isn’t worth the effort.”
The real Eyes moved to the door and pulled it open. “I am done with you, Elliot.” He left and slammed the door shut behind him.
Eyes still stood in the room with Elliot, unsure what to make of this but knowing that he was right — Elliot was here to wreck his life.
Elliot, alone now, composed himself, ran a hand through his unruly hair and left the room. Eyes decided then and there that he hated this man, dead or otherwise.
It was quiet now in the little room and Eyes didn’t know what he was meant to do.
But he didn’t have to wait long. Another portal appeared and once more, Eyes took that step into the unknown.
The Writing Journal 