Dangerous by Default

66. Tectonic plates

There comes a time in every executive's life when they are forced to confront the harsh reality that business, like life itself, rests on the hairline crack of a tectonic plate. When the plate shifts, the world ends. It happens in a matter of seconds, not hours. When it all comes crashing down, it doesn't matter how many castles you've built, the reputation you've established, the friends who stand behind your back. You are on your feet until the moment when you're not, and then you're dead. He knew better than anyone else, because he was the earthquake.

He stepped through the doors to Dimensions with a gaiety in his step that caught the attention of the receptionist. "How cheerful you look today Mr. Thorne!" He glanced at her chest and then her eyes. He wanted her. In a moment, he would have her. Have everything. He had been busy. A lot of midnight calls. Traps set. Board members were backing him.He didn't care who Pechaude was, or what was agreed to when his money came in the door. He was the chairman of the board. Hell, he was the biggest living shareholder. Funny way to come into that privilege. To outlast the founder of the company. It wasn't just the Board who supported him. He had the Pentagon behind him too.

As John Thorne walked through the RnD lab his eys fell on the display of dog-like robots. You're finished too, little doggies. Dimensions was no longer a 'Remote Surgical Ops' supplier. Not any longer. Now he knew what Mina was really up to. The Pentagon was all to pleased to hear about it. Not only were the opportunities to grow elite soldiers music to their ears, but it was the other idea that they had never thought of before. Population control through gene manipulation. Introduce specific gene mutations into a population that are designed to turn on at a specific age. Hell, make these babies charismatic, beautiful, influential. Then watch them procreate with a local population. By the time the offspring turn 25, people start dropping like flies. If you want. The Pentagon would have the switch. That was John's idea. The Board was afraid, he knew it, but they were afraid of him. He liked being feared. It meant he had control.

When John walked into the conference room next to the kitchen his eyebrows raised. Sometimes there'd be a few stragglers from a previous meetings. He'd get to see the rank-and-file freaks that worked there. The gender benders, the ones with a million piercings. A guy was quietly sitting at the table who looked like an inflated pinata. His muscles buldged comically through a shirt that might have fit a 12-year old girl. His belly button was showing, for christ-sakes. And those brands. They were grotesque - beautifully grotesque. John couldn't take his eyes off of them. He recognized the six-point star.

"My friend, I see you are a proud Texan."

"Yes, I am. Did this myself."

John wasn't intending to start a conversation, he was hoping his words would nudge the guy. Get him to realize he shouldn't still be sitting there. The adults were about to have a meeting. Time to run along, kids.

"You might be in the wrong room, my friend."

"How's that? You are John Thorne, chairman of the board. I'm, well, actually don't matter what I'm called. I'm one of the representatives for Dove Equity Holdings."

This freak does private equity?

A tall blonde woman entered, exquisitely beautiful, which didn't bother John Thorne except he didn't think this girl had any business being in the room. Then the police detective who had arrested Pechaude. He was starting to sweat. Unexpected things don't happen at a board meeting unless he makes them happen. Somebody was trying to pull the slip on him. Not a good idea to fuck with John Thorne.

FInally the other board members filed in, followed by an extremely tall woman who was laughing with them to punchline of a joke that had been told in the hall outside. John glanced at them suspiciously. He had no idea who this woman was. Why are the other board members together like that? Was there another meeting I didn't know about?

Arranged at the table, John Thorne took a sip from a glass of water and rose.

"Friends, we have some new faces at the table today. The agenda seems to have diverged a bit from our original plans. As the chairman of the board I propose.."

"Sit down." A pale hand gripped his shoulder from behind. Startled, he looked over his shoulder to see a thin young man whose countenance gave off a pained look, as if he were a small puppy who had gotten caught out in the rain.

"Take your goddamn hand off of my shoulder. Who the hell do you think you.."

The tall woman stood up slowly. As she rose to her feet, John realized she might be the tallest woman he had ever seen in his life.

"John, please. I apologize for the break in decorum today. Decipiens was just trying to give you a hint to say, welcome." Her eyes grew wide and bright, like those Hari Krishnas he used to see at the airport as a kid. Was she about to tell me to join a religion and hand me a flower? Who the hell are these people... these kids!

"Excuse me, but I don't even know your name. And given where we are, I think it's more fitting that I be the one to welcome you, as you are the gusts here," he said, glancing from face to face, trying as best he could to mask the uncertainty in his voice.

"No John, we aren't guests. But thank you for the sentiment nonetheless. You're right, you don't know my name. I'm Rose. Now John, before we begin, there's a few items that I'd like to discuss with all of you. That's alright, isn't it?"

"Alright?" John looked around to his fellow board members incredulously. They avoided eye contact with him. "We have an agenda. This is a private meeting! There are matters for this body to discuss that do not concern you."

One of the board members spoke up, his voice restrained and soft as if he were afraid of getting slapped. "John, it's alright, Rose was introduced to us as a possible replacement for CEO. She happened to be in town so we thought we could at least give her an interview."

"No, it isn't alright, frankly you don't have the authority."

The woman called Rose spoke again, her voice so confident, even patronizing, it made him violently angry. "No, he doesn't. But I do, John."

The pale-faced sad boy quickly flitted around the table passing envelopes to each board member, their names emblazoned on the cover a yellow sharpie. John's was the heaviest and it hit the table with a thud.

There were moans from the others.

"Open it, please. Read it first before you say anything."

"Strange tactic for an interview, Rose. You are so playful" said an elderly woman amusedly. Her face changed when she peered at its contents.

John, watching her, opened his own envelope and emptied the contents garrulously onto the dark wood conference table. Photographs. Emails. A long sinew of dried skin. No. The final sheet of paper was a legal document. He had a sense of what it would say.

"John, I won't embarrass you by describing the photographs to this group. Some of them you will recognize. Some of them were added by my organization to spice it up a bit more, add a little weight. My colleague here will show you the messages that have been flooding to your phone over the past twenty minutes as your wife tries to reach you to inform you of a break-in. You see, that's when this material was run through your computers at home. We wanted her to know so that you would know we are serious. We're not bluffing."

The large bicepped man showed John the screen of his phone. 15 text messages from Eliza. "John oh my god someone's in the house!" "John, they are rummaging through your office! I'm so scared." And finally, "They've gone. Call me as soon as you get this. It doesn't seem like they took anything, call me please, I'm so scared."

Rose continued. "The last piece of paper here will be your final resolution as members of the board of dimensions, where you hand over your board seats and transfer your shares to us. If you sign, then the disturbing things in each of your files will stay between us. Refuse to sign and, well, we will let the little beasts out of their cages. Of course, tell anyone about this and we will kill you."

John Thorne stared down at the document. Just like that. The earthquake had shook, and this time it was his house that crumbled.