Edward and The Peculiar Discovery of the Three Rings

Jack

-Somewhere near the Rocky mountains-

I paced back and forth along the narrow bridge that connected my desk to the rest of the office. I had been waiting here for the past twenty minutes for news of the successful transport of the three kids I had captured just last night. The thought of them brightened my mood, making me giddy. 

Strange, I thought. What is happening to me?

I had never experienced true happiness, so this sudden giddiness confused me. Perhaps I need to talk with Anthony soon, I mused. He might be able to help me understand what is happening to me.

That driver has to be almost here, I thought. If he doesn't get here within the next five minutes, I might just have a mental breakdown. Then, as if my secretary could read my mind, the intercom rang out.

"Lincoln to see you sir," said my secretary.

"Ah yes, just the man I want to see. Send him right in." I replied, somewhat coldly.

"Did someone forget to have their evening cup of tea?" She replied teasingly.

"Did I ask to hear your opinion Samantha?" I snapped at her, glancing at the mug of still warm earl grey resting on my desk.

"No, sir. I apologize, sir." she said.

"Ugh." I sighed. "Just let him in will you?" I said. "Don't tell me what to do woman. I am your boss, or do you forget who sends you your monthly paycheck."

"Sorry sir, it won't happen again," she answered.

"Better not," I muttered. 

After a few seconds, the door opened, and a very nervous man came in.

"Where have you been for the past hour?" I asked accusingly. "I summoned you here maybe twenty five minutes ago. How dare you challenge my authority."

"I'm terribly sorry, sir," Lincoln said, shrinking visibly. "I had to visit my family to tell them that I would be late dinner, that's all."

"Sorry? Oh no, there's no forgiveness for this. You even seem to hint that your allegiance stands anywhere else but with me. Now please, tell me the good report of how you brought in the packages safe and sound, with no complications, and put them in the appropriate holding cell, before I put an end to your miserable existence."

"Your Excellency," began Lincoln, "I'm afraid that what I have to say will not please you. Tristan and I were on our way back to the compound when we were attacked by an unknown force. Someone knew we were coming sir."

"Then what happened?" I asked, still composed and calm, but I could feel my rage building and my hands starting to get very warm.

"They started to shoot at us Jack. One of them killed Tristan, almost shooting me in the process. Someone set up a road block in front of us that didn't materialize until I was right about to hit it. Before I could push on the brakes, the van crashed into the roadblock, stopping instantly. I heard some movement in the back, thinking it was just the three kids, and decided to back up and try to continue. After a continued barrage of bullets, I managed to drive into the compound."

"And I suppose you checked the back and found that whoever had attacked you had failed to get in?" I said.

"That was what I thought, sir. I went through all the correct security protocols, which include the copy of your iris scan and opened up the back, only to find it absolutely empty, as if no one was ever there."

"No one there?" I burst out. "I wonder, perhaps they punched through the titanium/diamond alloy lining, or perhaps you opened up the back with the keys yourself, and let them out."

"Oh no, sir, I would never in a hundred years dare defy you!" Replied Lincoln, who looked paler by the second. "I swear, I have no idea how they escaped."

"You insolent fool!" I seethed. "Don't you see? It was that band of scoundrels that Orion leads. He is the only one who can even imagine to attempt an operation of that scale. Now that he has captured my prizes, I have no choice now but to seek out the forbidden gauntlet. Oh, how useless you are. I see now that I have no more use for you."

Turning away from my elaborate desk, I strode over to Lincoln and smacked him right in the face, making him instantly drop to the ground. I then started to drag him over to the edge of the bridge in my office, next to a deep hole which seemed to have no discernible depth.

"No!" He sobbed. "Please, have mercy on me. I'll do anything, just let me and my family live. I swear, Jack, anything. Just don't kill me!"

"Hmm, let me think about that." I said. "You disappoint me once by arriving late. You disappoint me twice for not instantly bowing down and swearing your allegiances to me. And you dare to disappoint me three times by not delivering my packages to me. You would have done better to have died in the same way as Tristan. So I think no. No one ever disappoints Jack."

With that I then pointed my ring at him, which shone bright purple for a moment. The only thing that anyone outside the office could hear for the next few minutes was the chilling screams of a man breathing his last, and the cold laughing of a maniac.