Ted sat awkwardly on a blue beach lounger the hotel had lined up along the high tide mark under a huge umbrella. He was clad in a Hawaiian shirt so new it still had fold creases on it. He had a hat with a sun shade down his neck, polarized sunglasses and SPF-200 lathered everywhere. The white cream enhanced his already pale skin. He had never really enjoyed the beach, but his mother said that a good tan would compliment his natural bleach blond hair. His years spent inside a laboratory or in front of a computer had left him so pale that his skin had almost a gray tinge.

The heat was uncomfortable. The breeze off the Pacific Ocean did nothing except deposit a fine dusting of sand over him that became trapped in his sun screen. Hawai’i had not been his first choice for the project, but Logan though the near constant activity of Kilaeua over a magma plume made it the best candidate in the United States. Logan had also been adamant that the project be completed in the United States, as that is what Logan’s bosses at Volelectrik wanted. It would have been easier to get permits elsewhere, but even after paying for everything, the funding they got in the US was far greater than they would have received elsewhere. If everything worked like the theories said it would, this was going to be big and America could reap the profits.

In this idyllic tropical setting, the thought of his life’s work was the only thing that brought a smile to Ted’s face. And by his life’s work, he meant the practical application of his doctoral thesis. He had been fortunate enough to secure an assistant professorship at Berkeley right after completely his doctorate and began a collaborative project with the renewable energy team at Suncor, working with Logan. Although Logan was two years younger than Ted, with less knowledge of the project, and only a Master’s degree in geology, he was the lead on the project. This thought made Ted frown slightly, at first it had bothered him not to be in charge, but Logan was so completely likeable and deferential towards Ted that he now was a bit relieved that it was Logan that had to deal with the administrative and logistical side of the project and he could focus on the science.

He stood up and brushed himself off. His summer student would be arriving within the hour, so he figured he should make himself look presentable. After years of working under slovenly, pompous, or extremely busy professors, Ted wanted to be stylish, approachable and cool. These characteristics did not come naturally to Ted, so before he had left for Hawai’i he had enlisted his younger sister to revamp his wardrobe. She tossed out his ironic t-shirt, which she said had not been popular since their parents were children - and that even then, their "coolness" was questionable. She let him keep his faded blue jeans because denim was "in" again, and remarked they would need to get him a matching jacket. His mother laughed when they brought home brightly coloured silk shirts with metallic accents on the cuffs and collar and polos with planetary patterns on them. She muttered something about the future finally looking futuristic.

He first took a quick shower to rinse the sticky sand mixture that coated his skin. He checked his upper arm carefully for the hint of a tan line and he was sure he saw a hint of colour. He put on his Neptune shirt. His sister said that the blue would make his gray eyes look more blue. He added his visor-style glasses to his outfit. They had one big lens that cover both his eyes. Most people didn’t need glasses anymore, but his visor kept him connected to world, recorded his day, and could be used to experience other realities. Plus, even his sister they looked cool.

Ted stood in front of the bathroom mirror. He gave himself a confident smile and said, “I’m Ted Marigan. Please to meet you, Laura.” He tried again with a small smile, but warmer eyes, “I’m your supervisor, Dr. Marigan, but you can call me Ted, Laura.” He rehearsed a few more time changing his facial expression from excited to suave to a smirk, and then shifted his focus to his shirt. He was a solar physicist with a penchant for Game of Thrones comic books and had seen every episode of all eight Star Trek series multiple times. He wasn’t going to be able to make small talk about the latest dance craze or the even about last night’s rocketball game. He didn’t need to be friends with his new student, but a small part of him wanted her to think he was a little bit cool, even if it was in a totally dorky way. On his visor, he pulled up the resumé of his student, Laura. Looking at her picture, Ted silently agreed with Logan that she was a pretty girl. That had not been a deciding factor in his selection process, although Logan had both teased and thanked him profusely for it. He had met her over Google’s new venture, Google Holo and she appeared as a hologram in his office. She was from North Carolina – a gorgeous blond All-American volleyball player who wanted to be a solar physicist. She attended the University of Hawai’i in Honolulu, majoring in Environmental Engineering and more than qualified.

Her grades were impeccable, but he had some doubts. This girl could do anything. He had asked her why solar physics – why not become a doctor or lawyer, or even president? She replied without missing a beat, “I don’t want to change one person’s life, or even one country. I want to change the world. With this project, we will become immortal.” Ted had offered her the position right there and cancelled all of his other interviews. Of all the people he had interviewed already, no one had grasped really what the project was able. Some of them had come close, discussing how unlimited energy would allow for increased food production or reduced carbon emissions, but no one had phrased it so succinctly – they were going to change the world. Ted had never really considered the second part of her statement before, but now that she had spoken it aloud it was constantly at the edge of his thoughts. If this worked, they would become legends. He would go down in history as the man who saved humanity.

Rita walked into the Volcanic Villas with her hand on Logan’s arm. They often flirted and spent the occasional night together, but Logan had been very explicit that they were not a couple. Still, Rita felt possessive of him as they were about to meet Logan’s new team. They wouldn’t know that Logan was always beyond drunk when she would seduce him or that he only had her as his assistant as a favour to her father who was Chairman of the Board of Logan’s company. Plus, they made a striking couple. She called him her James Bond – he was tall, dark, and English with a quick wit and charming personality. Rita fancied herself one of his Bond girls – she was cultured, intelligent and exotic, born to a half Native American father and a mixed Haitian mother, she had straight jet black hair, bronze skin, and bright green eyes. She had selected a figure-hugging white dress that made her feature pop, but made her petit figure seem more voluptuous.

Logan open the front door for her, deftly disengaging her hand from his arm. Rita sauntered into the lobby, which was a giant domed atrium, making sure her hips swung for Logan’s enjoyment. She paused inside the door, striking a pose for anyone who was walking her enter, she looked around with hooded eyes and crossed her arms in a huff when she saw the concierge wasn’t paying attention and the only other person in the room was her new rival. She was everything Rita wasn’t – tall, blond, and…nice. The moment Rita’s eyes locked with Laura’s, Laura’s smile wavered for a moment at the venom in Rita’s eyes, but she fixed it too her face and rushed over with her hand extended in greeting. Rita was shocked for a moment – usually her glare kept people in their place, but smiled a fake smile and said “Pleased to meet you” through her teeth. Laura searched Rita’s eyes for another second, desperately seeking some sort of acceptance before Logan, now beside Rita cleared his throat.

“I see you two lovely ladies have met,” he said with a small smirk, “I assume you are Laura? Teddy said you were a stunner. I’m Logan,” he bowed slightly and offered his hand.

“Dr. Marigan told me you were a bit of cad,” she replied sweetly, accepting his hand.

“Teddy is always most sincere in his compliments, although I’d prefer it if you thought of me as a rascal – a little more fun than a cad, wouldn’t you say?”

Laura and Logan laughed together while Rita stood like a stone between them. Logan had dialled up the charm and Laura was already falling in love with him. She saw their first date, engagement, wedding, and children flash before her eyes. She no longer saw Laura as a rival. She was the enemy. She had to act.

“Laura, why don’t you allow Logan and I to settle in and we’ll join you for a drink later?” Rita gently took Logan’s arm again. She could see the restraint in his face as he resisted shaking her off.

“Yes, how about in an hour? Is there a beach bar here?”

Laura stared at Rita’s hand on Logan’s arm and flushed an attractive shade of pink. She shook her head slightly, recovering quickly to say that in hour sounded lovely at the 5 o’clock Bar. With one last confused and slightly hurt glance, she headed back towards the elevators. Rita nodded once, pleased that everything was as it should be and marched over to the check in desk. Logan watched Laura until she was on the elevator, hoping she would look back, but she never did.

Logan was sitting at the bar with a Mai Tai in his hand when Ted walked in to the open-air room right on the beach. He was still in his suit having been on a call with the board since he had arrived.

"Teddy, old boy!" Logan boomed jovially in his British accent, "Finally in Paradise! Where even real men can drink girly drinks." He gestured with the pineapple that had his drink in it, topped with a pink umbrella.

A woman with long dark hair sitting beside Logan at the bar turned to face Ted and his eyes grew wide, trying to take in every inch of her at once. She murmured something softly to Logan that Ted couldn’t hear and Logan gave a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Well of course, how rude of me. Teddy, this is my assistant Rita – her father is on the board. She was an intern with us in the winter and her term just ended so she, pardon me, we were hopefully you could use an extra hand in the field for the next little while."

Ted was torn. He had carefully vetted Laura before offering her a position. Dozens of students had applied, but he felt he only needed one person on the project. More importantly, he felt he should only be supervising one person, to make sure they optimized their learning with his guidance.

Logan sensed his hesitation, "I can vouch for her Teddy. She’s a chemical engineering grad and did top notch work for us. The field’s pretty dry job-wise now, or else someone would snap her up in a heartbeat. She’s willing to work hard."

"This work is sensational," Rita spoke up for the first time with an accent Ted couldn’t quite place. "It would be a real honor to be part of even a little of it. It’s going to change the world. I know it." She gave Ted a look made him feel like a hero. Like how a person must look at a firefighter saving them from a burning house. It didn’t matter what Logan had said, it was this look, the look of awe that made him break into a stupid broad grin and say, "I’d love to have you on the team."

Her look of relief and gratitude made his heart simultaneously melt and clench with jealousy, for he assumed that Logan was dating such a beautiful woman. Logan winked unashamedly at Ted’s obvious infatuation and cheered, "You won’t regret it! She’s quite a catch for you!" He passed Ted a drink and the three of them raised their glasses to honour the start of their partnership.

Ted couldn’t believe his luck. Not only did he get to work with the Laura for the next year – who had watched all of Star Trek in preparation to start her graduate work, but he had just seen the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his entire life. His heart had dropped slightly when he saw her animation when she spoke to Logan. Against Logan, a dorky guy from San Francisco with a $20 haircut didn’t stand a chance. However, Logan didn’t look like a man enamored with the gorgeous woman in front of him. His smile was rigidly plastered to his face. Ted wondered if there was pressure from the board to have her here. Even if there wasn’t Logan would want to keep them happy. Ted didn’t care - he would wear the Neptune shirt and talk about sports all day if it landed her.

“Teddy, my dear boy! How long has it been? Gosh that flight was long - I need several drinks.” he grabbed the Coke Ted had in his hand and took a swig before continuing, “Alcoholic drinks!” he clarified, making a face. “Teddy, this is my lovely assistant, Rita. Careful, she’s eat you alive.”

Before Ted could open his mouth to reply to anything Logan said, Logan had gone to the bar.

“Hello there, my name is Ted Marigan. Logan and I went to graduate school together in Edinburgh. He’s the only person who called me Teddy still.” He turned to Rita, hoping to engage her in conversation.

She was watching Logan pounding back his third shot. Her expression was pensive, with a tinge of menace that Ted interpreted for fondness.

“So, uh, how long have you and Logan been together?” Ted tried to get the whole sentence out without stammering and betraying how much he really cared about the answer.

She still didn’t answer Ted, and kept her eyes on Logan. Laura was approaching the bar. Her hands balled into fists and she closed her eyes, trying to centre herself.

“Well it was nice meeting you,” Ted said hopefully, waiting a few moments for a response before going to join Logan and Laura, who now both had drinks in coconuts and were deep in conversation. Ted stood halfway between Rita and the bar, feeling lost and like he didn’t belong like he had a hundred times before while growing up. He sighed and changed direction for the patio. He could sit and watch the ocean or even turn on his visor and get caught up on the news. Make it look like it was his choice to be left out once again. At least Logan didn’t seem to be interested in Rita, although it was apparent that Rita was more than a little interested in Logan.

Next Chapter: Envy - 2065