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Beth Lamden, the contest coordinator, suddenly appeared in a corner of the screen.
“Good afternoon. I’m very sorry to hear about the emergent situation’s impact on your travel plans today. The Netthing.Net offices will be closed in response, temporarily. However, the complex does maintain a number of guest rooms on the premises for the occasions that staff members pull double shifts, or the for the occasional freelancer works for us in house. I will try to find out if I can authorize accommodations for those of you who may be stuck in the city this week.”
“Are businesses shutting down due to this crisis?” Mahira asked.
“We are having people work from home until we know what’s going to happen. I am already home in Connecticut. People are self-quarantining all over the city, hoping to stay safe from contracting the virus, or potentially spreading it.”
Dan stood up and walked from his seat so that Beth could see him as he spoke.
“Are we going to be able to order food and have it delivered if we stay here?” he asked.
“Certainly. I’ve briefed security. As a matter of fact, any of you staying tonight should place a dinner order along with the security team’s order because the cafeteria staff is not on duty.”
“Thank you,” Dan said and sat back down. “If this is gonna suck, at least I want dinner.”
He folded his arms on the long table and rested his head.
Tory wondered how he could be so demanding at such a time as this. She was just glad she had somewhere to stay and someone looking out for her.
Chapter 7
Harlan Dawes gazed listlessly out over the city from the company helicopter as warm dusk light played over the city. Travel restrictions in place, Harlan’s pilot turned back from La Guardia where Harlan had planned to catch a connecting flight to Boston.
The Coronavirus was changing everything, but he wasn’t willing to let it stop him from making the deadline on the iGo account, even if it meant redesigning the app’s icon himself. The adversity almost excited him. Alone, he was free of the expectations and constraints of others. There was a liberation in solitude he always enjoyed.
The idea of a self-imposed quarantine of sorts wasn’t strange to him at all, having spent countless weeks in seclusion with his work. Not exactly a workaholic, Harlan didn’t separate lifestyle from work. The executive suite was part office, part gym and recreation center. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d spend weeks at his office, just the first time he might be practically alone.
After lightly touching down on the helipad, Harlan said goodnight to the pilot and left him to shut down and secure the small helicopter.
The emptiness of Nexthing.Net’s offices struck him as he walked the route to the elevators that usually would be crowded with people going home.
Stepping down into the sunken lounge outside his personal office, the SmartTV brightened and greeted him. He put his bag down as the phone’s tone alerted him of a call. He shot the phone in its base and the call came through on the TV’s screen.
Beth Lamden’s face came into sharp focus as she smiled at him.
“Good evening, Mr. Dawes. Sorry to hear about your plans. I have some news of similar scenarios for some of the young people we had in town this week with the contest. Some of them have been turned away by their airlines. They are in your conference room right now. I don’t know what you think about this, but I thought I’d run the idea by you.”
“Yes, Beth. Please, tell me what you’re thinking,” he said.
“Maybe we can let them stay in the guest rooms. Give them access to the rec center and food delivery. They could be here a few days.”
“Actual contest winners?”
“Yes.”
“Rec Center, huh?” Harlan asked, brows arched. “How many?”
“Just a few,” Ms. Lamden replied. “Less than a handful, Sir.”
“I guess it’s alright as long as they keep to themselves.”
“With this virus going around, that shouldn’t be difficult at all. Thank you.”
“Thank you for letting me know. I’ll be here working for the rest of the week. Feel free to call me if anything else contest related comes up. Take care of yourself. Good night.”
“Have a good night yourself, Mr. Dawes.”
After her face shrank to a tiny dot and disappeared, Harlan prompted the smart TV to mirror the security feed again.
“Conference room camera 2,” he said, as another box expanded and gave him a birds-eye view of the narrow room.
He saw Tory talking on her phone.
“Tighter,” Dawes demanded, and the camera zoomed in closer to Tory’s pretty face.
“That’s perfect.”
He wasn’t happy to see that she had been stranded, but he couldn’t help feeling glad that she was still here in the same City as he was.
Chapter 8
The tall double doors opened and a uniformed security guard in a medical grade mask entered and looked at the small group.
