Sofia (8) | (55.09)

[mragland]

07.13.2055 – Brooklyn, New York

Seymour has a lot to say. The doctors found no congenital cause of Sofia's period of diminished capacity. No inheritable defect. She suffered an exogenous neural insult. She had been poisoned, in other words. Seymour is certain that it happened sometime between the time Sofia woke up the day she left the winter meetings, and the time she went to bed after arriving in New York.

Exactly what it was that attacked her nervous system could not be determined. The tests the doctors had at their disposal could not detect it. All the team of physicians could do was describe the effects it had on Sofia. Impaired judgment, suggestibility, loss of fine motor control, vertigo, and for a few weeks, catatonia. Her recovery was slow in coming, but rapid once it began, though she wasn't yet free of all of the symptoms.

Sofia, who had lived through it, takes all of this in with relative equanimity. Her only question is, “who?”

“We are going to be taking a very thorough look at the Hawaii organization,” replies Seymour. “We've ruled nearly everything else out.”

“You really think this is just about baseball? I just spent six months in the bughouse because of baseball?”

“Not entirely. Whoever gave them the poison has to be a state actor, or at least state adjacent. It's just too sophisticated for a civilian to have developed it. Not the sort of thing one cooks up in the kitchen.” Seymour shifts in his seat. “We doubt John Hough is involved on an operational level. We're looking at the general manager and various assistants. And there must be third party in there somewhere, somebody who can act as a bridge between them and some very bad people, who might have their own reasons to wish you, and your other enterprise, ill. This bridge is somebody who ought to be known by someone.”

Sophia nods. “The palace was not threatened?”

“No. It can operate autonomously by design, and it has. You did nothing to compromise the operation, if that's what you were concerned about.”

“I was concerned. Not something you can talk about with your doctor.”

Seymour smiles. “I get you. We're good, but there is another issue on our radar.”

“Oh?”

“Sacramento.”

Sofia's brow furrows, “what about Sacramento?”

[Jwalk100]

Awesome @mragland!

[trmmilwwi]

A bridge to Hawaii. Wonderful.

[RonCo]

Ooooo