Divine Artifact in a Scientific World

"What is the meaning of all this racket?!"

Jack looked up to see another woman standing in the doorway, arms on her hips, glaring at him.

She had a resemblance to Katie, so he assumed she was related, possibly Katie's mother.

"Chad attacked my date, Mom," said Katie.

"I did not!" cried Chad. "This filthy chauffeur attacked me!"

"Well, young man. What do you have to say for yourself?" asked Katie's mom.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Blake. Though I wish it could have been under better circumstances."

Katie's mom blinked, and her stern glare softened slightly.

"I am Jack Waldron, Katie's date for this evening. This person, who I've never met before in my life, assumed I was a chauffeur and refused to hear otherwise. Upon discovering that my car was empty, he attacked me, trying to grab me by the throat."

The woman's expression turned complicated, like she didn't want to believe Jack, but also knew he was probably telling the truth.

"Lies! Jacqueline, please. Help me. Call the police."

"You appear to have several security cameras covering this area," Jack said to Katie's mom. "If you have doubts, a quick review of the footage should clear things up."

At the mention of security cameras, Chad flinched.

Didn't think about that, did you, you prick?

"Please release him. He's suffered enough," said Jacqueline.

He looked between Katie and her mom. Katie looked uncomfortable, like she suspected something. Her mom looked unhappy, but resolved. It gave him a vaguely ominous feeling.

Still holding Chad down in a joint lock with his right hand, he pulled his phone out of his pocket with his left.

"What are you doing?" demanded Jacqueline.

"I'm calling my lawyer. Then I'll call the police. I don't trust Chad here to keep his hands to himself."

"What?" blurted Chad.

"Lawyer?" scoffed Jacqueline. "What kind of lawyer could you possibly afford? Enough with your posturing. Did you really think renting a Maybach or assaulting Chad would impress Katie?"

He had suspected that Chad was visiting at Jacqueline's request. Probably in an attempt to hook Katie up with the obnoxious idiot. And it seemed she was just as prone to making erroneous assumptions.

"Katie, do you have access to the security camera footage?" he asked.

"No. And neither does my mom. Only my dad and his security team have access."

"Does your dad have the same opinion of Chad as your mom?"

"No, he does not," she said firmly.

He'd been worried that Jacqueline, or possibly her dad, might delete the security camera footage in an attempt to protect Chad's reputation.

Still looking at Katie, he said, "Can you call your dad and ask him if I can have a copy of the most recent incident?"

There was a click, then a voice said, "No need to call."

The voice was deep, male, and authoritative. It also sounded like it was coming over a speaker.

"Oren?" said Katie's mom, sounding vaguely worried.

Jack assumed this was Katie's dad speaking.

"Mr. Waldron," said the man over the speaker, "if you give me your e-mail address, I'll send you a copy of the relevant security footage. And let me say, well done. You handled him admirably. It's rare to see a man as young as you, using the absolute minimum force necessary to resolve a situation."

Katie blinked in surprise. Her mom grimaced. Chad groaned in resignation.

Jack gave Oren his and Henry's e-mail addresses, asking him to send the video to both.

A few moments later, Oren said, "Sent. I hope you don't plaster the footage over social media, though I won't object if you do. As for the boy. I think you can let him up. It looks like the fight's left him."

Jack had to stand with his legs partially bent to maintain the joint lock, and his quads were starting to burn, so it was with some relief that he released Chad's wrist and stepped back.

Though he didn't relax, and maintained his vigilance as he watched Chad climb to his feet.

"Chad," said Oren over the speaker, "you are no longer welcome in my home. I will also be informing your father of this incident."

"Fuck!" muttered Chad.

"What was that?" asked Oren.

"N-N-Nothing sir," stuttered Chad.

"You may leave, Chad. Now," said Oren with finality.

Chad turned and started trudging towards a black Porsche Cayenne parked further around the driveway circle.

Katie's mom started to follow.

"Jacqueline," said Oren sternly. "My office. Now."

Katie's mom flinched, then turned and trudged back into the house, but not before glaring at Jack.

After Katie's mom closed the front door, Oren said, "Don't worry about her, Jack. I'll make sure she doesn't cause you any trouble. By the way, did you, by chance, win that Maybach in a recent wager?"

Katie looked a question at Jack.

"Yes, sir. I did."

"Ha! I like you even more. I overheard that pompous ass Gregory Fletcher bemoaning the loss of his Maybach to, and I quote, 'a young man entirely too bright for his age,' end quote. Made my day."

"To be fair," said Jack, "I think Anjali was trying to maneuver him into wagering a few million more funding for her research, so he should probably be thankful I went with cars instead. But please don't tell him that. I wouldn't want to ruin Anjali's fun."

A deep chuckle emanated from the hidden speaker.

"Somehow, I doubt Gregory would be consoled."

There was a pause.

"Katie, have fun. Unlike your mother's pet project, Jack has my approval. Jack, I hope we can meet in the future. Take care of my daughter."

"I will," said Jack.

There was a click, signaling that Oran was done with the conversation.

Katie had a bemused look on her face as she walked down the steps to stand in front of him.

"He's never done that before," she said, sounding puzzled and amazed.

"Never done what?"

"Never endorsed a boy. Ever."

She looked up at him and asked hesitantly, "Um, can I have a hug?"