Geoffrey was waiting in the lobby near hotel reception, where we exchanged pleasantries briefly and agreed to meet for a drink later that evening. I asked if everyone had arrived, and he confirmed that everyone was waiting in the conference room. He had my luggage sent to my suite, then my team and I headed to the conference room. The tech guy was to wait in the lobby until the end of the first meeting. Alex instructed security to keep an eye on him.
As I walked into the room, I saw a lot of worried faces. Looking the way they did, made it difficult to identify our potential chirper. This was the main reason for the meeting, to find out if anyone would express tell-tale signs of guilt. I was convinced that one of the directors was responsible for all of this. I couldn’t order a hit on every single person in the room. The best I could do was to feel everyone out. I had no intentions of spooking anyone by making rash comments. As I sat down at the head of the table, Chris leaned over my shoulder to inform me that everyone’s comms had been taken away and that I could speak freely. By freely he meant no one outside of the walls would hear us, but despite this we would still need to speak in code.
Since I had no intention of spooking our chirper, the plan was to mislead the directors into believing that we suspected someone outside the organization was responsible for everything that had happened. I was also going to lay out our business plans for the duration of the trial. The parts of the company affected were our pharmaceutical and armoury and ammunitions divisions. Edom Pharmaceuticals specialized in drugs and food supplements, while ProteriTek specialized in ammunitions, body and vehicular armour.
I greeted the Assembly and then started my opening speech. “Hello everyone, it has been an interesting couple of days to say the least, and I am sure you all have questions. We will get to that soon enough. I’m not going into too much detail about how much of a hit the company has taken as a result of recent events. Our main concern right now is how we move forward. As you are aware, the areas of focus are pharmaceuticals and armoury. Someone has given false information, leading to the conclusion by the government that we are involved in dealing illegal narcotics and firearms.
As you all know, we run a reputable organization and have done so for several years. The CSOs have conducted an internal investigation and have come to the conclusion that this false information did not originate from inside the company. The CSOs have narrowed it down to two suspects, and I can confirm they are rival companies. The only way to get back at the rival companies is a hostile takeover, so the CSOs will work with Seawall & Associates to go over the costs. We have taken a financial blow in these two areas of the business, and we will struggle to keep these divisions afloat.
With that said, I would like to ask you to stop production for the two divisions in every branch across the Nations. I would also like you to get your individual teams to carry out an internal audit, ensuring that no digi-docs have gone missing or been incorrectly filed. We also need take an inventory of profits and losses to see what the numbers look like so the CSOs and I can make relevant decisions regarding where we focus resources and funds.”
So, what did all this mean in plain English? A hostile takeover meant killing the people that chirped. The military weapons and narcotic sales needed to stop temporarily, and the two divisions that served as the front would struggle to stay afloat. Each division needed to go through invoices, tax documents, payroll information—everything—to make sure all parts of the organization looked legit.
“I ask everyone here to exercise patience during the trial—your lives will no longer be private. You might find that you and members of your household may suddenly be under surveillance because of your affiliation to me. This more than anything will be annoying and perhaps embarrassing. Some of the surveillance will be covert, but seeing as you have nothing to hide, I suggest you just ignore this,” I continued.
What this really meant was that the directors needed to be careful from this point on, as their every move was being monitored. The prosecutors wouldn’t shy away from presenting new evidence that guaranteed not only my conviction, but the conviction of the directors and CSOs.
Working in a crime syndicate, everyone is aware of what they signed up for. They knew this day might come, and everyone was prepared for it—at least they should have been. Only one of the directors had concerns about the things I said, and that made me uncomfortable.
“With that said, do any of you have any questions?” I asked.
“But Dom, the Portland office has been exceeding our targets, surely our region shouldn’t have to sacrifice its bonus?” Jason Byrne, one of the directors asked.
“I completely understand, Jason, but we are a collective, and bonuses have always been based on performance of the group as a whole. We’ll all take a hit in order to keep the group profitable for the foreseeable future. I am not saying bonuses will be gone forever, but there will be no bonuses for at least six months. I hope that makes sense to you,” I said.
“Yes, Dom,” Jason replied.
“Okay, that is all for now, but we will reconvene at a later date. I assume everyone knows what to do from this point, periodic information will be cascaded to you by the CSOs. See you all again soon,” I concluded, without giving anyone else the chance to speak.
Jason Byrne clearly wasn’t the sharpest tool in
