After some time, Theo and Noah finally approached the car and we all entered. Again, the others were silent. I had known the TyraTech headquarters for quite some time. It was the tallest building in L.A. by a large amount. There was public outcry when the construction first started, but I must admit that it is a true feat of engineering. It stood at just under three-thousand feet and was all glass. The engineers had created a new type of glass that was able to change tint throughout the day as to not interfere with the planes flying into the city. Even though we were about fifteen miles away, the building was already visible in the distance. My nerves began rising and Theo tried to diffuse the tension with some back story into how they designed the building. I couldn't make out what he said as I was too focused on the task at hand.

Eventually, we made it to the building and Noah passed the security gate that was manned by an Assistant with ease. For the largest company in the world, I thought that the security measures would be slightly more strict, but I guess the company feels safe in its fortress. When I was younger, I took a trip to Europe during the summer and one of my stops was in Vienna. Located there is the famous painting of the Tower of Babel. The painting depicts a story from the Old Testament where the different tribes on Earth had unified under one nation and all spoke the same language. They were living in what would be considered a utopia. Eventually, the leader decided to erect the Tower of Babel in order to reach heaven. This represented the succession of God by man. In hearing this news, God confounds their language so that the tribes can no longer understand each other. This eventually splits the tribes and they scatter once again. This story is brought to the forefront of my mind at the sight of the headquarters. Chaos lurks in the darkness and arises when the observer is least aware of it.

"Okay, we shouldn't face any more obstacles in getting to Philip." Noah informed us.

"What about in the lobby?" I asked.

"We have an executive elevator around the back. We will take that instead. The lobby is only guarded by Assistants anyways." He said.

Lily had told us on the boat that she wished to wait in the car while we are in the headquarters. She was afraid of getting in the way. I knew that there was no way of changing her mind on this decision and we agreed. The four of us got out of the car and made our way to the back entrance. Theo said he had forgotten something in the car and ran back. I saw him say something to Lily before returning. As we reached the elevator, Theo stopped suddenly.

"Come on Theo. I don't think we should be standing here in the open." I said.

"Ah, my boy I wish I could, but this is where I must leave you." He replied.

"What?" I asked.

"I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I would never enter these walls again. Who am I, but a man of my word?" He said.

"Theo, we need you in there. You are the one who knows this place the best. We need you when we confront Philip." I pleaded.

"No, Red. This is a journey you must do on your own. I know that sometimes life can be scary my boy, but you still fail to see what you possess within yourself. I am nothing special. A relic of a time long ago. This is your destiny and yours alone my boy. You will create this new world with the help of Soren and Noah. A society that I once tried to create. You are the only reason that this species will go on, don't you see that? Without you, our people would be doomed to extinction. You have given me a new purpose Red. You made me see that we are a species perfect in our evolution. For a while, I had forgotten that. We were destined to meet, you and I. Somehow, through billions of years of creation our paths crossed. Some may argue that it was simply chance, but I am an old man, born of a different time and I like to believe that some order in the universe brought us here. This was written in the cosmic order billions of years ago, my boy. My foolish invention almost cost our species its survival and that is why can't help you in this plan any longer. I must carry this burden with me until my final days. I now know that my vision will come to fruition and because of that, because of you, I can finally find peace." Theo said.

I saw in his eyes that tears were beginning to form. I hugged the old man and felt my cheeks begin to wet. I knew that his mind was made up and that there was no use in trying to convince him to change it. I accepted this embrace as a final goodbye and thanked him.

"No need for thanks my boy. It is the least I can do. Remember to take care of that lovely lady of yours, it's not too often we get a second chance in life." He said with the grin I had grown so fond of. He hugged his son and bid him farewell. This must have been what they had been talking about on the boat, seeing as they said very little in their goodbye. He must have said what he needed to back on the boat.

"Soren, I know that this end is necessary, but I am so sorry it came so soon. I was just starting to enjoy your company." Theo said as he turned his attention to Soren.

"As was I starting to enjoy yours, Theo. Although I am walking into a path unknown to all, I am happy to have existed in any form, even for such a short amount of time. You created me and for this I will be forever in debt to you. I have now come to realize in this moment, that I have no fear of death. For it is either the reality of non-existence, which is no existence at all, or there is something more unexplainable, some other form we embody and our consciousness lives on in the fabric of the universe. Both are not demanding of fear and so I accept this end, for at least it comes with a reward and that is knowing I was able to let you live on. That is all anyone could ask for in their final moments." Soren said and smiled at Theo, who returned the grin.

I took one final look at the old man and we turned towards the elevator. I couldn't help but look back once more only to see him walking to the front of the building. I wanted to ask where he was going, but knew he would give an answer to leave me guessing. Instead, we made our way up the building to finally confront Philip. Just like the car ride, this elevator was silent. I could hear my breath growing more laborious as we reached the top.