Alfredo Alfredo It was a typical overcast Seattle day, and Alfredo was already late for work. He had stayed up the whole night working on a new program he knew would change the way everyone looked at computers, but he could not get it to work. His program was to enable elderly people, who were confined to beds, to go wherever they wanted. They would be able to visit easily any place in the world. It was essentially just another virtual reality program, but his intentions were to go beyond that. He was having some problems with the program, and he knew that if he were a little bit smarter, he would be able to figure them out. He wished he could be like Gill Bates, who was the smartest man alive. Gill Bates was the head of his own software company and made billions of dollars each year. Alfredo once had the honor of meeting Mr. Bates in person, but was pushed aside before he could speak with him because of his small stature. He was only five feet tall, the same height he had been since the fifth grade. He also had long, stringy black hair and thick glasses, which magnified his eyes. He was a typical computer geek, but with very strong ambitions. He knew that if he tried, he would someday get the recognition that he deserved. Sitting in his chair, located on the fiftieth floor of the Bates Plaza, Gill Bates idly watched Alfredo as he hurried to his place of work. He knew what Alfredo was planning, and admired his perseverance; however, Gill had his own plans. He had just completed his ultimate goal. He had electronically produced a microorganism, which, once released into the atmosphere, would spread all over the world. It would then make its way into people’s bodies, through their noses, and embed itself into the base of their skulls. Then, once the microorganism was embedded, Gill could control the entire human race. A whole world of zombies was just what Gill most wanted. He would be king of the world, and no one could stop him! As Alfredo sat down, he paused to look at the various pictures he had on his tiny desk. The two, which stood out, the most were of his father and his mother. They were both very successful computer programmers and were highly regarded in their time. Unfortunately, they both died in a plane crash when he was only ten years old. He did not have many memories of them, but every now and then, he would overhear one of their names being mentioned by someone in his work place. It was finally time. Gill Bates had waited for this moment his entire life and it was finally time! As he neared his laboratory, located on the roof of Bates Plaza, he grew more and more excited with each step. He knew that once he released the microorganism, he would be confined to a biohazard suit the rest of his life, but knowing that he had complete control over all humanity would justify any discomfort. Once he had made it to the roof, he went over to where the containers, which held his precious microorganism, stood. He giggled maniacally at his brilliant creation, and without hesitation, pulled the switch on the control panel that opened the containers. Within seconds, the people of the entire west coast were infected with the microorganism and were under control, and, as Gill Bates thought to himself, no one could stop him. When Alfredo stood up to go get some coffee, he noticed that everyone was quietly working at his or her desks. Usually, the place was filled with ruckus, with people running all over the place and noisily chattering about their latest accomplishments. Alfredo shrugged, deciding that he was just being left out of something and proceeded to the coffee pot. As he neared his destination, he happened to look out the window, and noticed that there was something strange going on atop the Bates Plaza. It seemed as if something were swarming away from the roof, and going off into every direction in the sky. He looked around his office, but no one else seemed to notice. He found this very peculiar and decided to investigate it himself. It was not like he would be able to get any work done at his office anyway. As Alfredo crossed the street, he observed that no one was pushing or shoving on the sidewalk, and even the people in cars were not honking at each other. It was as if everyone had turned into zombies. Just as soon as that thought had entered his mind, he quickly dismissed it and continued on his way. He made it into the Bates Plaza quite easily, and found the elevator, which he took to the roof. When he had made it to the roof, he was surprised to find himself facing Gill Bates, himself. For some reason, Bates was wearing a biohazard suit, and was grinning. When Alfredo asked about the strange swarming coming from the roof, Gill Bates proceeded to tell him about his microorganism and his goal. Alfredo could not believe what he had just heard. Could it be possible? He had always looked up to Gill Bates, but those days were definitely over now. There was still one thing puzzling him – why wasn’t he being affected? Gill, however, knew the answer. He told Alfredo about the days when his parents worked for him. Bates said that his parents were always trying out ways to produce androids with human minds. The main reason for their strenuous work was that they could not have a child of their own, but wanted one badly. At long last, they created the perfect android, and implanted a human brain into it. Bates also said that they put some supernatural qualities into their “child,” but they never told him what they were. Hearing this story just made Alfredo angrier. How could Gill Bates tell such lies? He knew that he was not created in some laboratory. He had feelings and remembered his childhood very vividly. Suddenly overcome by his frustration, he lashed out at Bates. Bates, taken by surprise, fell to the ground. He told Alfredo not to worry and that he wanted Alfredo to work with him to control the world. This might have been a dream come true for Alfredo if he agreed with Bates’ evil plan, but now it just put him over the top. As Bates started walking towards Alfredo, he automatically stuck out his hands, with his palms facing Bates. It was as if something else were controlling his body. All of a sudden an electric current shot forth from his hands and crashed into Gill Bates, crushing the glass helmet, which he was wearing. Bates screamed out as his microorganisms made their way through the hole in his cracked helmet and through his nose. It was a good thing that Alfredo understood computers because he was pretty sure that he knew how to rid the world of this monstrosity. He went over to the control panel that housed the switch, which had released the microorganisms. He knelt down beside it and rearranged a few wires. When he flipped the switch the opposite direction, the microorganisms began to be sucked back up into the containers. Luckily, the microorganisms were even dislodged from the people’s skulls. He quickly went over to Bates, to bring him down to the lobby of the Plaza. Bates took one horrified look at Alfredo and promptly leapt off the roof. There was nothing Alfredo could have done to stop him. It took a while for everything that had just happened to sink into Alfredo’s mind. He had learned a lot about himself and his parents that day, and was not sure what to think about it all. He was not angry with his parents; he was honored to be the result of such an experiment. He was also on all the front pages of the newspapers and magazines. He had finally gotten some recognition, even though had hoped it would be for completing his program, not saving the world; it was not such a bad deal after all. As he made his way down the street, heading back to his house, he decided that he would take it easy from now on. He knew that he would achieve his goal in time. Just to stay true to his word, instead of heading home, he went to a club to see his favorite band play – Pearl Jam.