Solaria Read online

  “Yes, of course. Well, I envy you for having such an attractive assistant. Maybe I should drop into the lab later to check on things.”

  “It’s your lab, Mr. Stalling, but if it’s to visit with Solly, you’ll be disappointed. She’s not quite your type.”

  “Oh? And you would know my type, Carley?” the CEO asked, haughtily.

  “Not really. I’m too busy working to pay attention to useless gossip. What I meant is that Solly really isn’t into men.”

  Intrigued by the verbal dual, Solaria thought it best to remain silent. Obviously, Carley didn’t like this man. She would ask why later.

  “How about we let Solly decide for herself?” he responded, giving Solaria a charming smile. “Do you mind if I visit you in the lab?”

  “I am not in a position of authority to deny you access to the laboratory, Mr. Stalling. If you have the proper security clearances, you may go anywhere you wish. I have to conclude that as CEO of this company you are empowered to access all departments freely without interference. Is that not right, Carley?” Solaria asked, looking at her for confirmation.

  Stalling laughed, thinking she was teasing him.

  “You’re absolutely correct. So, is that a yes?” he asked, not waiting for the scientist to answer Solaria’s question.

  “I’m merely an assistant. It isn’t logical for me to stop you.”

  When he gave Carley a smug smile, Solaria realized she had erred and then remembered the comment the scientist had made moments earlier. She’s not quite your type.

  “I’m a lesbian,” she said casually as if commenting on the weather.

  Carley, who had just taken a sip of water, choked, trying hard not to laugh.

  Stalling’s eyes widened and then he frowned.

  “Oh! I thought... never mind.” Looking at his watch, he quickly excused himself.

  She is an abomination! This was a test! He was tempting me to see if I was weak! the CEO thought, walking quickly away. Temptations were everywhere. He had to be more vigilant. I must make sure my chosen are virgins worthy of fulfilling my mortal needs. It’s the only way that I can remain pure to do His bidding.

  Watching him leave, Carley shook her head thinking what a sleazy bastard he was.

  “He doesn’t like lesbians?” Solaria asked, curious about his sudden departure.

  “Apparently not... and where did that come from?”

  “You said I wasn’t his type. Isn’t that what you meant?”

  “Well, not exactly, but it definitely was a better reply than I could have come up with. His reaction was priceless. I doubt if we’ll be seeing him soon.”

  “I take it that’s a good thing.”

  “Actually, it’s great. The man’s a prick. There’s something sleazy about him.”

  “Prick? That means not very likeable, right?”

  Carley chuckled and patted her hand.

  “Right! How about we enjoy our food instead of wasting our time talking about him? Now, try some of that lobster and let me know what you think.”

  Following her suggestion, Solaria sampled the different foods on her plate and smiled. Indeed, they appealed to her more than the protein cakes. The rest of their time was spent discussing the food and the people coming and going. The Hubot paid close attention to the explanations Carley gave on why people looked and behaved differently, but she also managed to monitor the various conversations going on amongst several groups. She was amazed at the amount of time and energy spent complaining about seemingly unimportant things. Even more amazing was the way people gossiped. It was a combination of harmless chatter and vicious verbal assaults on the non-present subject.

  Humans talk a lot but say very little, Solaria thought.

  CHAPTER 3

  AS CEO OF Future Dynamicon, Winston Stalling wielded more power than most foreign heads-of-state. Presidents, Prime Ministers and even dictators vied for his favor, knowing if he backed them, their positions were secure. His surveillance technology and IT network gave him access to information most intelligence agencies would kill for and often did. Some people suspected Stalling was behind several accidents involving competitors or critics but they were smart enough to keep their mouths shut. Future Dynamicon had eyes and ears everywhere.

  Returning to his office, Stalling quickly forgot about the lunchroom encounter. Lesbians might be an abomination but they served a purpose; especially if they were able to contribute to his projects. If the woman, Solly, had been hired to assist Dr. Branson, she had to be good at her job.

  Punching the intercom button on his phone, he instructed his secretary to send for his Chief Operations Officer and then waited for him to arrive. Five minutes later, Lawrence Billings entered the room.

  “What’s this I hear about Tremaine refusing to discuss our offer?” Stalling demanded, not wasting time on formalities.

  “It’s just a temporary setback. His overwhelming victory in the election has probably given him a big head.”

  “I don’t care how popular that asshole is with his people. Either he accepts our bid on that tract of land or we’ll put someone in power that’s willing to play by my rules,” Stalling threatened.

  “I think we need to give the Prime Minister more time to consider the options before making any threats. The last thing we want is to destabilize this particular country. It could jeopardize some of our operations in the region.”

  Winston Stalling leaned back in his chair and stared at his operations officer. Lawrence Billings was the most astute political analyst he had and Future Dynamicon’s CEO didn’t take his advice lightly. They had climbed the corporate ladder together, although Stalling was always in the lead; as it should be. Billings was one of his most devoted followers and highly respected amongst his peers.

  Still, Stalling didn’t like his plans interrupted and he especially didn’t like a young upstart like the newly elected Prime Minister of Canada challenging him. There had to be a way to bring him in line or get him out of office without the Company being scrutinized too closely.

  “What do you suggest?” he asked impatiently.

  “We wait... and before you object, just hear me out!” Lawrence said, holding up his hand to stop his boss from exploding.

  When Stalling reluctantly nodded, his operations officer continued.

  “Let Tremaine get settled in and comfortable. In fact, I suggest we pull a few strings and make sure he achieves a few of the goals he proposed to his people.”

  “Wouldn’t that make him more popular than ever?”

  “Yes. It’ll also make him more confident. Believe me we want a strong leader to our north, especially since our own President’s ratings are dropping in the polls. People are getting tired of his continued mistakes and arrogance. The man is a fuckin’ idiot! I still can’t believe we were able to get him elected for another term.”

  “If you know how to manipulate the system, you can get a gorilla elected. We just needed to convince the voters that he was the best man for the job.”

  Lawrence chuckled.

  “Meaning he was supposed to bring honesty and integrity back to government.”

  “That was the campaign promise. The other party didn’t realize how important that was to the voters. We learned our lesson after the fall of our party eighty years ago. The people no longer wanted anyone with strong religious convictions after the Second Great Depression. The thought terrifies them.”

  “Yeah, why the Party focused on such stupid things as gay marriage instead of more important social issues still leaves me wondering.”

  “They wanted too much too soon. The old party spent twenty years putting one of our men in the White House and the idiots mismanaged him. When they pushed too hard and too fast, people rebelled. The voters weren’t ready and we lost a lot of ground afterward.”

  “I suppose. I have to admit thirty years is a long time but it looks like you’ve finally done it. There were times when I had my doubts.”

  “That’s why He
chose me instead of you. I’ve always known what His plans were for me and have never doubted I would achieve them.”

  “Yes, I envy you that,” Lawrence replied, his voice tinged with sadness. “I wish my faith was as strong as yours.”

  “As long as you do what I say, that’s all He requires, Lawrence. Now, about Tremaine, I don’t see where we would accomplish anything by letting the man grow more powerful.”

  “Well, as you said, the President has served our purposes quite well until recently. It’s his stupidity that keeps the newshounds off our backs. As long as they are focusing on his blunders, they leave everyone else alone.”

  “And how does that relate to Tremaine?”

  “Prime Minister Tremaine is attracting a lot of attention, even in this country. He’s good looking, personable and charismatic. His people will be following him closely for awhile. If something happens to him now or he alerts them about our attempts to pressure him into selling the mineral rights to this particular parcel, the newshounds will focus on us, and our people will demand Congressional investigations. We definitely don’t want some ambitious reporter snooping around Future Dynamicon, asking a lot of questions.”

  “True. On the other hand, if he is able to strengthen his position with his people, it’s going to be more difficult to control him later or get him out. What happens then?

  “By then we’ll have our people positioned to do whatever is necessary to make him see our point of view or...”

  Lawrence let the sentence drop. It was never good to state the obvious, especially with someone like Stalling. The CEO didn’t want to hear the gory specifics about necessary actions. He just wanted the job done. If something went wrong then he could claim ignorance, knowing he had enough money and power to take care of any problems through legal means or otherwise if needed.

  Stalling nodded his head.

  “I like your reasoning. You’re a true follower, Lawrence. Make sure of it! I’m not thrilled about waiting another year for that land, but it’ll be worth it if we can kill two birds with one stone. Having Tremaine under my thumb and in control of those platinum fields, we can move forward with our plans.”

  Lawrence chuckled at the mention of platinum. What Stalling really wanted was access to the Tantalum deposits. For years the element had been used for surgical tools because of its hardness and non-corrosive characteristics. Everyone knew the metal had great possibilities for bone implantation because of its compatibility with biomass. Science is now able to mold arms and legs from metal, then cover them with lab grown muscle and skin. Once attached to the amputee’s body, it closely mimicked the missing body part. The one issue science hadn’t been able to resolve was the jerky movement or slow reaction time of the replacement limb. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the problem would be solved. What they didn’t know was that Future Dynamicon had succeeded in solving it three years ago and had bigger plans for the metal than humanitarian.

  “Speaking of which...” Stalling continued “How are we coming along with our pet project?”

  “I’m expecting an update later today, but from what I hear, it’s progressing nicely. We should be able to move the Hubot to the next stage within the month.”

  “Good, good. And what about Branson?”

  “She’ll be taken care of.”

  “It’s a shame to lose such a talented employee.”

  “Yes, but she’s the only one who knows the technical details of the Hubot’s programming. Once our intelligence division activates the subprogram implanted in one of its secondary chips, Branson’s going to notice a difference and figure it out.”

  “The downside of being too smart,” Stalling commented, secretly pleased at the thought of ridding Future Dynamicon of the scientist. She had never hidden her dislike of the CEO, and he had bided his time waiting for the moment she became dispensable. Perhaps he would break his rule of non-involvement and attend her going away party.

  “Let me know when she’s ready for retirement. I’d like to pay my condolences,” he said and laughed.

  Lawrence grinned.

  “I’ll do that.”

  “Well, if there’s nothing else, I have an appointment with our President at three. He needs a little help with one of our Middle East clients. Seems Sheik Amul Kahbrahn is threatening to cut off oil supplies to our African allies if the US doesn’t back down on its threat to place sanctions on his country. That would be problematic to my plans.”

  “Kahbrahn... didn’t he try that same thing about four years ago?”

  “Yeah. The guy never learns. I guess we may need to give him another reminder that I don’t like being left out of the loop.”

  Pushing a small button on his desk, a voice instantly answered the summons.

  “Yes, Mr. Stalling.”

  “Cora, get me the file on Kahbrahn.”

  “Of course, Mr. Stalling.”

  Moments later, an older woman with glasses and graying hair walked in and handed him a file.

  “Thank you, Cora. You may go.”

  Nodding, his secretary left without saying a word.

  “Now, let’s see. What can we do that would leave a lasting impression on our Mid-Eastern friend?”

  Flipping through the pages, he halted and pulled out a photo. Smiling, he held it out to Lawrence, who took it and glanced at the picture.

  “This, I believe, will do nicely.”

  “His daughter, Princess Reina? But she’s only twenty.”

  “Exactly, and his pride and joy.”

  “And what are we supposed to do with her?” Lawrence asked, frowning. There were some things about his job he didn’t like. As much as he didn’t mind ridding the Company of problems, kidnapping a young, innocent girl didn’t feel right.

  “Now, Lawrence, I’m not asking you to do anything drastic. We’re just going to give her an extended vacation at one of our local hotels for a few months. When Kahbrahn realizes we mean business, he’ll be more than willing to accommodate our wishes. Pick her up during the next college break. That should give us a few weeks to decide on her future before anyone gets suspicious. After all, everyone knows how university kids like to disappear and party.”

  “We need to be careful and make sure she’s not harmed. You know how that country feels about their women if they think they’ve been dishonored; especially the Sheik. He’d stop at nothing to avenge his daughter’s honor,” Lawrence warned.

  “True, but sometimes we must sacrifice a lamb for the good of the cause. At the moment, though, I have no intention of harming the girl. In fact, since you seem so concerned about her well-being, I’m authorizing you to assign our best special ops agents to guard her. It’ll be a perfect test opportunity. How does that sound?”

  Lawrence knew Stalling wasn’t really asking for his approval. If, however, it provided the girl a greater degree of protection, he was satisfied. The last thing the Company needed was an angry Sheik making waves. Stalling was powerful but the Arab ruler had a lot of clout.

  “I think that will do.”

  “I’m glad you approve. I’m beginning to have a few reservations about you, though, Lawrence. Surely, you aren’t having doubts now.”

  “No, of course not, but there are some things I just don’t like.”

  “I understand perfectly. God’s work isn’t easy. Unfortunately, sacrifices are necessary.”

  Lawrence stared at his boss for several seconds, wishing again that he had the man’s strength of faith.

  “I know. I’ll get in touch with our contacts and have them make the arrangements. It should be fairly easy since she’s attending a university in Massachusetts. Sheik Kahbrahn believes in our western education systems.”

  “Good. Now, I think we’re done here. Get me the update on the Hubot as soon as it comes in, and let me know when the Kahbrahn situation is taken care of.”

  Nodding, Lawrence left.

  Leaning back in his chair, Stalling stared into nothingness of his wood panel
ed walls. He was bothered by the conversation that had just taken place. Lawrence had been with the CEO for more than twenty years and rarely challenged Stalling. On those few occasions that he did, it was usually for a good reason and proved to be valuable advice. Still, Stalling knew better than to put his complete faith in the man. Occasionally, although it was rare, Lawrence revealed a few undesirable traits, such as a reluctance to perform certain duties essential to Stalling’s plans. As his designated successor, Lawrence needed to be strong if he were going to take over Stalling’s empire in the event something happened to the CEO. Future Dynamicon was the largest IT network in the world, he would be required to make quick, hard decisions, leaving no room for doubt.

  Stalling was well suited for the job. His position also provided him with the necessary funds and power to achieve his real goal. As God’s Chosen, he was destined to save humanity, even if it meant sacrificing millions to accomplish his goal.

  * * *

  Stalling was the only child of a televangelist minister and his wife, an overworked social worker who had suffered severe ‘burn-out syndrome’ from her case load. The only way she could keep her sanity was to turn to her religion, hoping God would grant her some relief from her guilty conscience.

  Focusing their attentions on their son, they made sure he practiced his religion faithfully. As the Reverend Jerry Stalling’s ministry grew so did his wealth, his influence, and his ego. God had obviously chosen him to spread the word of his Savior. Unfortunately, diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, Reverend Stalling realized that he had been mistaken. God had chosen him to father the next Messiah. In the little time he had left, he made sure Winston’s future was assured. Arrangements were made to send him to the best religious universities in the country. Against the wishes of his wife, he transferred custody to one of his most loyal followers who would carry out the Reverend’s plans for his son. From that moment on Winston Stalling was shaped and molded to fulfill the ambitions of a small group of fundamentalists who believed in promoting their religion at all costs. When he became CEO of one of the most powerful companies in the world, they were ecstatic, having succeeded in their goal. Now they impatiently awaited the fruits of their labor.