Little Black Box

Transfixed on the gold liquor swirling around in his glass that presently had his undivided attention, a heavy sigh escaped his chest only to blend with the ethers of the bar. This was his second scotch and if he planned on hearing Jason continue to stroke his own ego, he’d need a 3rd, maybe a 4th. Since his goal was to NOT get inebriated tonight, he would need to finish what was left of his drink and began to make his apologies as he made his exit.

“Callahan and I are going golfing next week. Don’t worry, I’ll be nice and let him win,” Jason joked, tapping away a few ashes from his cigar into the gold-plated ashtray.

Trevor’s eye derisively rolled around in his skull as he definitively decided to take what’s left of his drink as a shot. He began to stand while fastening the button on his designer charcoal suit.

“Alright, I’m going to call it a night.”

The men responded with a cacophony of failed attempts to get him to stay. All for show. These men reserved their enthusiasm only for potential lucrative clients and no one else. Trevor turned and began to walk away when…

“Hey Trevor, don’t worry, I’ll still keep you in the running for being our fourth for golf but you gotta prove yourself, okay?” Jason chortled, with a wink and a point from his index finger.

“I’m waiting with bated breath,” Trevor deadpanned.

He headed to the valet stand and gave the attendant his voucher. Moments later they pulled up in his Bentley Mulliner Batur. Only 18 of them were made but he has a wealthy client with deep pockets and connections. A client that Jason couldn’t land no matter how many compliments and phony laughter he provided. Everything is always a competition with him when Trevor only competes with himself.

He sank down into the driver’s seat for the long ride home. He chose to live on the outskirts of the city so he could build what he wanted. The stretch of road on the side of the cliff at dusk that overlooked the ocean was his sweet spot. The smoothness of the liquor from earlier and the calmness of the drive settled him.

As he approached his home, he pressed the button for the garage to lift while the outside security lights turned on. That’s when he noticed something hovering around his front door. He knew it wasn’t an animal and as he got closer it appeared to be a drone.

What was a drone doing at his home? It could be his shmuck of a neighbor Chuck testing out a new gadget. He was always getting the latest tech and only stayed a few miles away. It was too late for Chuck’s antics, and he didn’t feel like having company even if it was an inanimate object.

He parked his car in the garage and then walked towards his front entrance as the garage door began its descent. The security lights sensed his movement and illuminated to full capacity. As he approached the drone, he noted two things. One: the drone had lowered since he came out of his garage. And Two: there was a package attached to it.

He heard a click as the package and the drone parted ways. For a few seconds the drone hovered a few feet away at eye length with the camera transfixed on him. The package laid perfectly still on his welcome mat as the drone climbed in altitude. It rose so high before beginning to depart down his driveway with the camera now focused on its new destination. Before it left, he was able to get a good look at it. It was a Mavic Air 2. It has a range of about 12 miles so whoever dropped off this little gift is close but not too close. He smiled and laughed a little to himself.

I guess all of Chuck’s babbling about his toys as rubbed off on me.

He stared at the drone until it was no longer in sight. Then he turned his attention to the present that was set before him. A little black box with a black ribbon tied in a bow. Strange color for a gift. The dark undertone from the hue of the package made him feel uneasy. He turned to look behind him, but no one was there. Not even the hum of the drone could be heard in the distance. All was quiet.

He breathed deep and shook his head as he bent over to pick up the box. He lifted the top reveal a key. A key? He took the key and looked it over. Nothing was inscribed on it. It could unlock literally anything. Under the key was a note the folded twice. He shook his head again as opened the paper. It had only one word written on it in bold letters.

RUN!

He furrowed his brow as the all the lights and power to his home completely shut off. It was pitch black. Only the moon’s light shined. He turned to his door to press in his code the keyless lock, but the pad failed to illuminate. Even if the power was off the keypad would still work since it ran off its own battery source. Someone must have tampered with it. Suddenly, his heart rate started to pick up as he heard footsteps off in the distance.

His breathing hitched as he fumbled with his keys. The steps of a stranger steadily getting closer. The key finally entered the locking mechanism and turned so he could finally enter is home. He rushed in and slammed the door behind him. As he turned around, even with the absence of light, he could see multiple figures standing in front of him just a few feet away. His back and hands pressed against the glass French doors as his eyes register at least a couple dozen people. In a flash, light floods the room and…

“SURPRISE!!!”

All these happy faces yell in unison as he stares at them in bewilderment. His sister is right in front, grinning from ear to ear. Trevor is utterly confused. It isn’t his birthday. What could this possibly be? His sister walks up to him and says…

“Surprise! And Congratulations!”

“Congratulations for what?”

“Congratulations on officially starting your own team,” Mr. Callahan says, as he approaches. “We’ve noticed all the hard work you’ve done and know that you want growth and upward mobility. We want this to be a long-standing relationship and feel you have the skills to lead a team of your own. You have expressed this to us, and we want you to know, we’ve listened.”

Elated by this news, Trevor’s mind goes back to the note.

“What about the gift and the note that said “RUN!”

Callahan laughed. “Oh that, just a little joke we play on someone moving up. We get in touch with a family member to arrange a surprise party in our new member of managements home. My initials were on the note.”

Trevor opens up the paper to see S.C. in the bottom right corner that he had missed before.

“And the key?”

“To your new corner office. We’re so glad to have you on board in this new role. We feel you will provide a wealth of knowledge mentoring a team.”

Trevor let out a sigh of relief. There was still one thing that he was unsure about.

“Who was outside walking up to the house?”

“That was me,” Jason quipped. “Didn’t know you were being promoted. I guess my invite got lost in the mail.”

“It didn’t. I wouldn’t dare invite him,” whispered his sister into his ear.

Trevor shrugged his shoulders and laughed.

“Well, this was one hell of a surprise.”