I had a brilliant idea while I was trying to finalize the last details of this chapter ? including a new title. Thus, I ended up having to go through and re-write a considerable portion of it, but it?s all good. It?ll work better in the end. Hopefully?
The other thing is that I had to go back to Chapter 2 and mess around with the times? Duh! Texas and California are on different time schedules? So? Chapter 2 now takes place 2 hours earlier? Shouldn?t make too much difference, right? ^^; I?m gonna keep the whole 13 hours later thing the same and all. That really doesn?t make any difference at all.
Also, be sure to check out the outline I did for this chapter: http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/ ... Playas.jpg . Since I introduced so many characters at once, I thought it might help. ? Don?t worry. I didn?t DRAW anything.
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<center>The Man Chapter 3: Meder Stockton</center>
11.35.02 06.17.06
Dallas, Texas
30th Floor, Point (Enterprises) Tower
?I apologize for keeping you,? announced the short, stocky, slightly balding man as he entered the meeting room with five other very successful business men.
The room was mid-ranged in size with the centerpiece as the dark green marble oval-shaped table at which the men were seated. Each man had a name plate in front of him. The curtains were opened to reveal a somewhat striking view of the city.
?After that glitch last night, I was hard pressed to find a flight that would take me here from Utah in time for our previously set time.?
?It?s quite all right,? said the older gentleman seated at the head of the table. Somewhere in his mid to late fifties, his label read David Jefferson. He was the owner of the Meder-Stockton Corporation, better known simply as ?I,? as well as owner of the other three corporations represented by three of the men. ? He would soon also be the owner of Point. ?May I inquire,? he continued in a quiet, liquid, rich voice that held a very apparent suspicion to it, ?As to what it was you were doing in Utah, Mr. Gaither??
Mr. Gaither inclined his head slightly as he took his seat at the other end of the table. He sat between Misters Isaac Nystrom ? owner of Point seated at the bottom of the table ? and Phillip Stockton ? Vice President of Meder Stockton. ?Well, as you know, Mr. Jefferson, my company is headquartered in Utah ? ?
?Wasn?t it your technology used last night? Or something very similar to what your company has been working on?? cut in the man seated across from Gaither ? Knowles Psalter, CEO of CrossHARE, a company which specialized in weapons development.
?Yes, it was.?
?Why wasn?t I informed of the test?? demanded Jefferson.
?But it wasn?t my company. We had no test last night.?
This time, Stockton interrupted him sharply, ?Did you not just state that it was your technology used last night??
?It was, indeed, but I believe I informed this group of the security breech we experienced seven and a half months ago. We believe this to be the offset of what happened then??
?Do you mean to tell me,? began Jefferson in a dangerous tone, ?That someone else has my company?s top secret, and may I remind you, illegal weapon design??!?
The man seated to Jefferson?s right with the tag Keith Cline coughed into his hand, ?Sir, perhaps it would be better to discuss this issue at a later time?? He motioned to the CEO of Point at the other end of the table. The purpose of the meeting was to bring Point into the Meder Stockton family.
?I assure you that I am following the conversation quite well, Mr. Cline,? Nystrom spoke up. ?I suggest that if you want my company?s abilities to be added to your,? he coughed, ?Extra activities, that you had better inform me in full of what exactly it is that I?m getting my company into.?
?I have informed Isaac of our plans,? continued Jefferson. ?And really, Mr. Nystrom, you have no choice. Either you join my company or you will be taken down with your institution and those lovely embezzlement charges you?ve informed me about. So really, I don?t have to inform you of anything.?
?I have been charged with nothing,? Nystrom said suddenly tense.
?Ah, but you will be without me,? the other man was smug.
Nystrom said nothing, but his smooth face seemed to be a tint redder than it had been.
?You were saying, Justin?? Jefferson asked. ?Something along the lines of informing me that you did not think it prudent to address the issue of such an essential security issue.?
Gaither frowned, ?We have been working day and night on it, but whoever broke through knew what they were doing. Unfortunately, the trail has gone completely cold.?
Jefferson nodded sarcastically in understanding. ?Of course, of course. I assume you are aware of the consequences you will now face??
Justin now cocked his head slightly to the side with a partial grin, ?We will face. You are tied to my company ??
?Are you threatening me??
?Merely stating the facts.?
?Well, your facts are incorrect. I have no ties to Gaither Technologies save that I own you. There are our off the books dealings, but they won?t ever find those. You will sink alone if anything happens. And for your incompetence concerning this matter, I will not be lending you a hand. You are on your own. I already have what I need from you, anyway.?
?Oh?? said Gaither heatedly, ?And what happens if I go public with our plans? If the FBI does start to snoop around my company, and I am brought down, what makes you think that I will remain loyal to you??
?You are threatening me.?
Gaither merely glared at his boss.
?You should know the consequences of such an action, Justin,? Jefferson said darkly. ?Not just you??
The expression on Gaither?s face was unreadable, ?You wouldn?t dare! You couldn?t possibly get away with murdering my-?
?I think you missed the memo, Justin,? Jefferson leaned forward with a wicked smile plastered on his face, ?I can get away with anything. I don?t need anyone?s permission. I take what I want when I want it. That includes the lives of your pitiful family should you try anything.? Sitting back in his seat, he watched the younger man before him.
Gaither sneered, choosing, for the time being, to ignore the barb about his family, ?You have your own security issues, I heard. What was it? A misplaced rocket scientist or something like that? Doesn?t seem to be too important to you, hm? She?s been missing for something like a year now, hasn?t she??
Jefferson shook his head sadly at his attempts, ?Trying to get even? No, Justin, it?s not too important. It?s not an issue. And I have played my part and kept the government off our a---s.?
Gaither continued to simmer as Jefferson shifted his attention to Nystrom. ?So sorry you had to witness that. I?m hoping, rather fruitlessly, I imagine, that you will not be so incompetent as Mr. Gaither here.?
?Incompetent?? he replied incredulously.
?Surely any man who has to come groveling to a larger company to protect him from impending embezzlement charges amongst others is quite incompetent.?
There came a low snickering ? Stockton. Head bowed, he appeared to be attempting to refrain from laughing.
Isaac bristled at the insult, ?I am not guilty of anything.?
?Of course,? Jefferson answered sarcastically.
?No one begs to be bought out,? said Psalter.
?I am not begging ??
?Can we get to the issue at hand? I have a rather important meeting in the next hour,? Cline interrupted.
Jefferson, who was enjoying himself in this game of annoying the Point CEO, simply stared at the man to his left and said nothing.
Finally, he turned back to Nystrom, ?150 million; that is my final offer.?
Isaac scoffed, ?Point is worth nearly 250. And I want to keep my title as the owner of this company.?
?I told you that you would. 225.?
?300.?
?235 ? and this really is my final offer.?
?You are not even giving me my company?s worth.?
?I?m giving you better ? immunity from the law. Take it or leave it.?
Nystrom hesitated, ?People will be suspicious.?
?Let them be. You?re untouchable under me.?
He brought a finger to his chin as he pondered the possibilities. He could not consult his vice president. He could not consult anyone. The truth was that he had embezzled money, and people would soon see the trails he had left behind if he did nothing. His underlings had been informed of the intended plans of being bought out, of course, but he had to work out what price to aim for in later ?negotiations.?
235 million? He supposed he could come up with something to put them off. This was his last opportunity.
Sighing, he said, ?Deal.?
?Excellent. ? We can draw up the contract within the week, I hope??
Nystrom nodded defeated.
?Wonderful. And now, onto the real purpose for this meeting??
The men minus Stockton looked surprised to their boss.
?Did you really think I had called you all here to witness my takeover of this pitiful company? None of you need to be present for that.?
?Then why are we here?? Cline asked in annoyance.
?Because I wanted to see your beautiful faces,? Stockton said cheerily.
?Fa-?
?Shut up,? Jefferson spoke over the impending rude term. ?You?re so hostile today, Keith. What?s wrong?? he was being mockingly sympathetic, but his question was serious.
?Bad night,? was all he said.
?Really?? Jefferson mused, ?That?s too bad??
?We?re here to inquire about the tests - the scheduled ones ? as well as begin receiving the technology from Mr. Nystrom,? Stockton answered finally.
?Which ones?? Psalter asked.
?All of you had tests planned, did you not?? The collective nod prodded Jefferson to continue, ?Then I want the results.?
?Mine failed,? Cline stated dejectedly.
?Ahh? Is that what happened last night??
?No.?
?Oh. ? Knowles??
?We were partially successful,? he said in his rich baritone. ?The bodies have been disposed of.?
?So it worked?? Stockton leaned forward slightly in anticipation.
?Not how we wanted it to. It?s still not very effective outside of a limited area, either. ? This is not my company?s specialty, and I don?t appreciate doing your dirty work.?
Jefferson snorted, ?Yes you do ? in your own way.?
No one questioned what this meant. Part of the reason that Jefferson was so successful was because of the massive amounts of blackmail he had over his people.
?Well, what about you, Justin??
Gaither, still sore at the earlier encounter with the man, said in a low voice, ?The animal testing was successful.?
?Ahh? So you?re not entirely incompetent. Go on.?
?We saw dramatic increase in muscle mass within the span of a few days. In mice, they grew to nearly three times their original size. Three of them died, but the other 6 are still alive and well, though some have serious breaks or fissures in their skeletons from the stress.?
?What did the three die from?? inquired Stockton.
?One of them had an allergic reaction to the procedure. The other two had major organs burst when they were unable to adapt quickly enough.?
Nystrom quietly took the Lord?s name in vain.
Jefferson glanced at him, ?You wanted to know. - Do you know why they reacted like that??
?Their bodies couldn?t handle the transformation. That?s all we know at this point.?
Jefferson nodded, ?Anything else??
?Their strength and agility increased nearly ten fold. They?re quite capable little beasts? We need to dispose of them soon.?
?Why?? Stockton asked.
?We?ve observed an increase in smarter brain activities, as well. We have gone through 17 different ways to cage them at this point.?
?They try to escape??
?Yes. And if they do, you are intimately tied to this one.?
Jefferson nodded. ?Do you have what you need from them??
?Yes. We?re moving onto rabbits and small dogs this week.?
?Good. Get rid of them. ? And I?d like to be present to see those results.?
Gaither nodded obligingly.
?Makes you just giddy with excitement, doesn?t it?? he said to Nystrom.
Nystrom seemed apprehensive.
?I?m sure you?re wondering what you?ll be testing.?
?Me? My company doesn?t have a lab ??
?We don?t test in labs. And you don?t expect my company to do all the work, do you??
?I-?
?Of course not,? Jefferson slid a manila folder across the table to the Point executive. ?You?ll find all the instructions in there as well as your contact for this operation.?
?Why are you having me do it? Why not-?
?You have more resources than I could possibly hope to get from these individual scientists willing to join me in my cause.?
?What is your cause??
?To get rich, like every other b----rd on the planet.?
Isaac stared at the manila folder in his hands, ?And this person? He knows that I?ll be contacting him??
?Oh, yes. He?s expecting you.?
There was silence in the room for a moment before a muffled gurgling sound interrupted the stillness. All eyes turned to Gaither.
?Sorry,? he apologized, ?I didn?t eat this morning.?
Jefferson made a show of looking at his watch, ?Well, look at the time! Gentlemen, lunch on me. My treat, I insist.?
?We probably shouldn?t be seen together-? began Isaac.
Jefferson shook his head, ?Excuses, excuses. Come, now. This meeting is over.?
The men stood and pushed in their seats. Nystrom headed to the door and opened it for his now coworkers, and followed them out.
?We?re going out,? he told the secretary as the others went ahead. ?Forward all my calls to my cell.?
She nodded as he turned to go. She was about to go back to work when she heard a soft rumbling. Standing up, she looked around the office.
The rumbling was coming from inside the room the men had been in. Opening the door, she looked on the ground and saw a sleek cell phone. It was ringing. She picked it up and flipped it over to see who was calling.
The phone identified the caller as Wolfe.
50 days til <s>I leave for Florida</s> FREEDOM!
I have been crowned the Queen of Ghetto Foods.
Puppy used all my mind soap. I apologize...
The best typo EVAH: ?Circe, I can?t stay in her much longer! It?s hot...!? Epyon called.
VP of the BI Hentai Club
Ennis Tremellyn, Director of CIA in The Man.
?We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy.? ? Maester Aemon of The Night's Watch, A Song of Ice and Fire
"There are easier ways to die; this is NOT one of them!"
For ALL your anime/game sountrack needs: http://gh.ffshrine.org?r=23263
Avatar is from the Naruto Shippuden trailer, made by farlist in LJ.
epyon wrote:gaaaaaaah is one of them, the man???????? jackie why so short???????????
??????????????????????????????????
Yes, in laymans terms, one of them is Da Man.
And if you hadn't forgotten your password to LJ, you'd KNOW why chapter 3 is so short.
As for chapter 4, I've already started writing it. Chapter 4 will probably be pretty long - anticipating something like 20 pages with all the dialogue (<-- Randomly, I've forgotten how to spell that word... I think that's right... Maybe...) - so it should make up for the shortness of this chappie.
50 days til <s>I leave for Florida</s> FREEDOM!
I have been crowned the Queen of Ghetto Foods.
Puppy used all my mind soap. I apologize...
The best typo EVAH: ?Circe, I can?t stay in her much longer! It?s hot...!? Epyon called.
Hopefully? 
That really doesn?t make any difference at all. 
50 days til <s>I leave for Florida</s> FREEDOM! 
