Page 63 of Time Stops With You

Imagining the look of disappointment on Josiah’s face makes me sigh hard. Great. Now, I don’t have a choice. Even if it costs me everything, I can’tnotshow up.

I call Sara back.

“Sir, I just sent the school an email declining their invitation?—”

“Take it back,” I grumble.

“What?”

“Call them and tell them I’m coming.”

“But what about the PLP program?”

I consider that question for a long beat. “The PLP program can wait. I made a promise and I need to keep it.”

“I’ll call them right away, sir.”

“But let them know I only have thirty minutes. We’re in the middle of an emergency.”

“Of course. Should I call a car?”

“Yes.”

“What about a change of clothes? You’ll be photographed. You should at least wear something more formal.”

“If they chase me out because I’m wearing a T-shirt, that’s better for me,” I grumble.

“If you’re sure…”

“I’m sure. When’s the ceremony?”

“At two.”

I check my watch. “Are Asad and Dr. Young still in the conference room?”

“They are.”

I hang up with Sara and return to the team. Asad and Dr. Young are still stewing in worry. The atmosphere reminds me of a funeral.

“You okay, Cullen?” Asad asks, straightening out of his crouch.

Of course I’m not okay. The urge to curse, wail and vent is tempting, but I hold myself back. Right now, they don’t need Ronan Cullen, the man. They need Ronan Cullen, the leader.

I get a bottle of sanitizer from my bag. The memory of Nardi reluctantly pouring a bit of sanitizer into my palm makes me smile for some reason, even in the middle of this mess.

Sounding more confident than I feel, I tell them, “Copycats are the name of the game. We can’t change anything about what’s been done. We can only be better than our competitors and find a way to stay ahead of the pack.”

“What does that mean?” Dr. Young asks.

“How do we stay ahead of the pack? That company is huge!” Asad reminds me.

“Even so,” I set the sanitizer down firmly, “we’re going to complete our simulation before they do.”

Asad cringes.

Dr. Young looks confused.

Sara sighs. “But… the entire project is stalled. No matter what we try, the software won’t support a connection between the PLP and the controller.”

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