Post by The Greater Evil on Sept 10, 2009 8:41:41 GMT -5
The helicopter made its slow descent from the sky, the sound of its rotors whipping through the air breaking the otherwise serene atmosphere. As it got lower to the landing pad the seven people standing at the border of it all turned their heads away to shield their faces from the rotor wash and whatever debris it might stir up. It descended slowly and evenly, setting down on the large white “H” without making any superfluous sound or wasted motion. As it did so the people all took a step forward before ducking their heads down and waited as the long metal blades slowly began to lose speed. Seconds later the blades stopped moving and the small group walked out onto the ramp, four of them were in one cluster as the other three led them, pushing a gurney up to the side door of the transport vehicle. As they got to within a few feet of the door they stopped and waited, moments later being greeted by the door sliding to the side as another two people stepped out, pulling a body board behind them. As they did this one man in the rear group sprinted forward, his suit moving in fluid motion with him as he pulled an electronic object from his side and approached the gurney, and the large body laying on it. He stopped for a moment, conferring with a middle aged man in a white lab coat before plugging the device into the side of a monitoring unit. He waited a moment, took note of the readings and nodded his head. At this simple gesture the two people in the front took a hold of the board, pulled it out slightly and angled it towards the waiting gurney. Two more people followed them out and slide the board onto the gurney, strapping it down. The man in the suit nodded his head towards the two level, grey and white building that they larger group had emerged from, causing the four other people and the man in the lab coat to begin briskly walking the gurney and the person on it into the complex. The man in the suit turned and began striding to the other group, who stood silently awaiting him. When he finally reached them the shortest man of the four stepped forward.
M: Well Doctor ? What can you tell us ?
The Doctor paused for a moment and looked up at the younger man, gazing into his eyes with the silent confidence of a master of his practice. He spoke with a mid tempo, even tone and conveyed his confidence in himself and his knowledge through it. Behind the first man, the other two men stood silently, towering over the doctor and slightly over the first man.
Doctor: Well Mr. Drugonov…he’s made a strong recovery physically from what happened to him. He still needs to heal the broken ribs and the separated shoulder and the contusion in his back isn’t quite healing up to par…but I’d say that it isn’t too long before he makes a full recovery. He’s strong and in excellent condition for a man his size, so I’d say it’ll be no longer than…
Erik held his hand up to silence the Doctor, his tone assertive without being rude or aggressive.
Erik: No. No time frame…at least not out here. Wait until later before giving us that information. This complex is secure as far as we know, with that said we felt the home office of Elite Enterprises was secure too and look what happened. Tell us later when it is just us three in the room with you.
The Doctor looked at Erik with a mixture of confusion and consternation on his face, clearly confused by the demand.
Doctor:What of his family ? They have a right to know how he is.
Erik nodded his head calmly as the Doctor looked from him to the other two men. The only response he received from them was a lack of any sort of visual response. He shuddered at the reaction before looking back at Erik.
Doctor: As you wish Mr. Drugonov. What of his other friends and associates ?
Erik didn’t waste a second in responding to the query and again his response was polite yet assertive.
Erik: We will inform them. That is all you need to know.
The Doctor opened his mouth to speak again, only to be brought up short yet again. Erik’s tone made it clear that he would take no argument about his decision.
Erik: As my employer would say, this is how it is and how it will be. Your understanding or acceptance is unnecessary for this. All we demand is your acquiescence. You will do as you are instructed. You do what we are paying you to do. We will not interfere in your medical work…don’t interfere in our business.
The Doctor stood silently for a moment before finally shrugging his shoulders in surrender.
Doctor: As you wish.
Erik nodded his head and turned, gesturing the Doctor towards the building.
Erik: Go do what you need to do. If you need us, send one of my men to find me.
The Doctor nodded his head and departed for the building, walking for a few moments before disappearing through the glass doors that closed silently behind him. Erik turned towards the chopper and gestured to it. Seconds later the rotors began to spin in their slow moving arc as they machine started back up. Erik turned to the other men with him and pointed towards a different entrance to the building, a simple metal door at the far right side of the long wall. The three men stepped from the helipad and started walking for the building, conversing as they did so, the middle sized one of the three speaking first.
M2: Have you heard anything from Damarest, or is he still incommunicado for now ?
Erik turned slightly towards him, answering him.
Erik: I don’t expect to hear from Damarest for at least a few more days to a week Colin. His part in uncovering this conspiracy is very important and cannot be interrupted.
Colin nodded his head and continued to walk with Erik and the other man, who looked down at Erik and made an inquiry of his own.
M3: What about Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb ?
Erik and Colin chuckled at the less than flattering nicknames for Zane Scott and Paul Grevane before Erik answered him.
Erik: Well James, Grevane is currently out of country. Ian is going through his information with…as you say…a “fine toothed comb”…it is such a silly phrase. Anyway, if anything unusual should show up with him we will know soon. As far as Zane goes…he has been re-assigned to a satellite office in Europe for the time being in order to keep him both out of harm’s way and out of our way. I haven’t had a chance to speak to Zane in a few days…he’s under protective guard and surveillance though. I have little reason to believe that he’s involved in this, but training and experience have both taught me to leave no one above reasonable suspicion if they hold anything to gain from what has transpired. Both men could gain from Dirge being removed.
Colin interjects at the final statement.
Colin: If Dirge for some reason is removed as the head of the company, wouldn’t the leadership fall to Damarest and Ian, as well as the Board of Regional Directors ?
Erik nods his head yes before pausing in front of the metal door. He pulls an ID card from his jacked and swipes it though the reader. The machine beeps and a small panel slides open. He places his left hand on it and leans down, submitting to a retinal scan. A red light flashes under his hand as a small light flicks out from the machine, circulates around his eye and then turns off. Erik straightens back up and waits.
Erik: Da. It would be Damarest and Ian, with Damarest as the new Director of Operations. I know that you two would feel, and rightfully so, that this would make Damarest a suspect in what happened. Trust me when I say that he is not. Damarest may be many things; most of them evil, but the man is unflinchingly loyal. He is a company man to the core.
The door finally clicks and silently slides open. The three men step through it into a long, well let hallway and pause for a moment as the door slides closed behind them. Once it clicks shut they resume their walk and conversation.
Colin:Fair enough. I would say that of those two the most likely betrayer is Grevane. That man is a psychopath. Jim and I know the type…my advice to you would be to bring Grevane in and question him before dragging him to a secure location and putting a bullet in his head. I know that Salem is the main culprit in all of this, something about the attack though just reeks of Grevane to me. I can’t quite place my finger on why though.
Erik nods and goes to speak, but is interrupted by James.
James: It reeks of him because the end result may have been successful, but the route to getting there was very sloppy. I’m sure Salem had something to do with that, but the style of the attack and the evidence it left behind just reek of that psychotic moron.
Erik and Colin both nod in agreement at the statement and thoughtful looks pass across their faces. As they walk down the hallway, people in uniforms, lab coats and other various stages of professional attire stride past them, pausing just long enough to respectfully acknowledge Erik before continuing their business. After a few more moments the three men end up at an elevator, which they all get into and take up a level. At the next level they walk down another hallway that leads to an strong looking oak door that says “E. Drugonov: CO- Ninth Directive”. Erik pulls the passcard from his pocket and after swiping it down the card reader and performing another hand print and retinal scan the two men enter a large and opulent office that is completed by an extremely large picture window that faces out to a view of the ocean off in the distance. Erik walks in and takes a seat behind the dark stained desk, gesturing for Colin and James to each takes one of the large, black leather chairs that sit facing the desk. Colin does, but James walks over to the window and after placing his hand at the top of the frame he gazes out of it silently. Erik punches a few key strokes into the laptop computer that sits in front of him and turns it around when he’s done, showing it to Colin, who lets out a long whistle before turning it back to Erik. James looks at their reflections in the glass before addressing them.
James: What do you have there Erik ?
Erik turns and hands the computer to James, who quickly scans the screen and hands it back with a non committal grunt. Erik places it down on the desk and leans back in his desk chair, placing his arms on the arm rests.
James: It would seem that Grevane is contracting to an outside source.
Colin nods his head and looks across the desk at Erik, who meets his look with the same placid expression that he always wears.
Colin: A two point nine million dollar deposit paid into his corporate account alone. I know that he doesn’t pull in that kind of cash from the big man. What’s his annual salary and did Ian find any other financial irregularities ?
James grunts again, this time in open disgust. He doesn’t turn away from the window, but his reflection clearly shows the annoyance on his face.
James: That’s a pretty big “irregularity”. Hell, I don’t know what Big D pays him…but he’s not worth even that. If the man is stupid enough to think that a deposit of nearly three million dollars won’t ever be noticed by the bean counters at Elite Enterprises than he’s even more stupid than everyone, including me, has given him credit for.
Colin chuckles at the remark, as does Erik.
Colin: That’s incredibly stupid then Jim, because as far as I know you consider his intelligence to sit somewhere between mustard seed and dust mite.
Erik laughs at the comparison and it draws another disgusted grunt from James.
James: That’s on his best day Colin…normally I’d consider his intellectual value to be a great deal lower than that. That point aside, what else did Ian find ?
Erik taps a few more keys on the computer and takes a few moments to read over them again. He turns his chair to the left and backs it away from the desk, placing his feet up on it and positioning it so that he can see and speak to both men at the same time.
Erik:Dirge pays him a little under four hundred and seventy five thousand dollars a year and within that contract is a stipulation that he cannot contract to anyone else outside of the organization without written permission from Dirge.
Colin interjects, his tone very mocking of Grevane.
Colin:Four hundred seventy five K ? Jesus. I should have started working for Big D years ago. What else did Ian find ?
Erik turns his head and looks at Colin, meanwhile James turns and leans back against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.
Erik: Ian found three more accounts in Grevane’s name, one of them under one of his undercover names. The two newest ones were set up the day after the assault and instantly had balances of over three million dollars in them. The one under his code name was meant for operations only and had a balance of five million in it from the company that morning of the assault.
Colin and James do the math of the account balances in their heads and both whistle at the same time. Erik grins at the reaction and raises a hand, with the pointer finger extended.
Erik: Right…in two days he made eight point nine million dollars out of nowhere. It gets better for him, at least financially. The operations account that I spoke of…
Erik pauses for a moment and both men level their inquisitive gazes at him.
Erik:Fifteen point nine five million dollars.
Both men raise their eyebrows in amazement and whistle at the same time.
Erik: Da. Someone paid him nearly eleven million dollars in one lump sum, brining our newest multi millionaire up to a grand total of nineteen point eight five million dollars in less than two days. That is more than a bit “suspicious” I would say. Believe me, a few of these accounts were very professionally set up and even more protected. It took a bit of overtime to crack them. Grevane is acting like nothing unusual is going on while he’s on his mission in Europe…in time I suspect he will start to make mistakes. All of that money will go to his head. Eventually he’ll give himself away.
Colin and James both nod their heads and for a moment all three are silent. Given the seriousness of the conversation those few short moments almost feel like an eternity. Finally Colin speaks.
Colin: I would say that some of Dirge’s enemies, not including Salem, paid him off. I’m not sure of what Salem’s financial resources are, but I’d be willing to bet that he doesn’t have twenty million in cash just tucked away somewhere…association with The Order notwithstanding. Now that we’ve established potential guilt in Grevane, in spite of the fact that the evidence is largely circumstantial, I would think that all we would have to do now is sit back and wait for him to screw up. That and place human and electronic surveillance on him of course.
Erik grins at the statement, drawing a smirk and a short chuckle from James.
James: He’s one step ahead of you on that one Colin. Remember who you’re dealing with after all.
Erik nods his head in acknowledgment of the compliment before continuing.
Erik: Da. That was done before the second deposit even went into his account. That is in addition to the surveillance that’s been on him since the start too.
Both men smile at the statement before James looks at Erik, his expression bordering on evil...and happy.
James: So what of Zane then…
This time it is Erik who grins evilly and a dangerous gleam comes into his eyes.
Erik: Oh…I have plans for that one too.
Colin and James both momentarily just stare at Erik before evil and predatory grins spread across their faces as well.
M: Well Doctor ? What can you tell us ?
The Doctor paused for a moment and looked up at the younger man, gazing into his eyes with the silent confidence of a master of his practice. He spoke with a mid tempo, even tone and conveyed his confidence in himself and his knowledge through it. Behind the first man, the other two men stood silently, towering over the doctor and slightly over the first man.
Doctor: Well Mr. Drugonov…he’s made a strong recovery physically from what happened to him. He still needs to heal the broken ribs and the separated shoulder and the contusion in his back isn’t quite healing up to par…but I’d say that it isn’t too long before he makes a full recovery. He’s strong and in excellent condition for a man his size, so I’d say it’ll be no longer than…
Erik held his hand up to silence the Doctor, his tone assertive without being rude or aggressive.
Erik: No. No time frame…at least not out here. Wait until later before giving us that information. This complex is secure as far as we know, with that said we felt the home office of Elite Enterprises was secure too and look what happened. Tell us later when it is just us three in the room with you.
The Doctor looked at Erik with a mixture of confusion and consternation on his face, clearly confused by the demand.
Doctor:What of his family ? They have a right to know how he is.
Erik nodded his head calmly as the Doctor looked from him to the other two men. The only response he received from them was a lack of any sort of visual response. He shuddered at the reaction before looking back at Erik.
Doctor: As you wish Mr. Drugonov. What of his other friends and associates ?
Erik didn’t waste a second in responding to the query and again his response was polite yet assertive.
Erik: We will inform them. That is all you need to know.
The Doctor opened his mouth to speak again, only to be brought up short yet again. Erik’s tone made it clear that he would take no argument about his decision.
Erik: As my employer would say, this is how it is and how it will be. Your understanding or acceptance is unnecessary for this. All we demand is your acquiescence. You will do as you are instructed. You do what we are paying you to do. We will not interfere in your medical work…don’t interfere in our business.
The Doctor stood silently for a moment before finally shrugging his shoulders in surrender.
Doctor: As you wish.
Erik nodded his head and turned, gesturing the Doctor towards the building.
Erik: Go do what you need to do. If you need us, send one of my men to find me.
The Doctor nodded his head and departed for the building, walking for a few moments before disappearing through the glass doors that closed silently behind him. Erik turned towards the chopper and gestured to it. Seconds later the rotors began to spin in their slow moving arc as they machine started back up. Erik turned to the other men with him and pointed towards a different entrance to the building, a simple metal door at the far right side of the long wall. The three men stepped from the helipad and started walking for the building, conversing as they did so, the middle sized one of the three speaking first.
M2: Have you heard anything from Damarest, or is he still incommunicado for now ?
Erik turned slightly towards him, answering him.
Erik: I don’t expect to hear from Damarest for at least a few more days to a week Colin. His part in uncovering this conspiracy is very important and cannot be interrupted.
Colin nodded his head and continued to walk with Erik and the other man, who looked down at Erik and made an inquiry of his own.
M3: What about Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb ?
Erik and Colin chuckled at the less than flattering nicknames for Zane Scott and Paul Grevane before Erik answered him.
Erik: Well James, Grevane is currently out of country. Ian is going through his information with…as you say…a “fine toothed comb”…it is such a silly phrase. Anyway, if anything unusual should show up with him we will know soon. As far as Zane goes…he has been re-assigned to a satellite office in Europe for the time being in order to keep him both out of harm’s way and out of our way. I haven’t had a chance to speak to Zane in a few days…he’s under protective guard and surveillance though. I have little reason to believe that he’s involved in this, but training and experience have both taught me to leave no one above reasonable suspicion if they hold anything to gain from what has transpired. Both men could gain from Dirge being removed.
Colin interjects at the final statement.
Colin: If Dirge for some reason is removed as the head of the company, wouldn’t the leadership fall to Damarest and Ian, as well as the Board of Regional Directors ?
Erik nods his head yes before pausing in front of the metal door. He pulls an ID card from his jacked and swipes it though the reader. The machine beeps and a small panel slides open. He places his left hand on it and leans down, submitting to a retinal scan. A red light flashes under his hand as a small light flicks out from the machine, circulates around his eye and then turns off. Erik straightens back up and waits.
Erik: Da. It would be Damarest and Ian, with Damarest as the new Director of Operations. I know that you two would feel, and rightfully so, that this would make Damarest a suspect in what happened. Trust me when I say that he is not. Damarest may be many things; most of them evil, but the man is unflinchingly loyal. He is a company man to the core.
The door finally clicks and silently slides open. The three men step through it into a long, well let hallway and pause for a moment as the door slides closed behind them. Once it clicks shut they resume their walk and conversation.
Colin:Fair enough. I would say that of those two the most likely betrayer is Grevane. That man is a psychopath. Jim and I know the type…my advice to you would be to bring Grevane in and question him before dragging him to a secure location and putting a bullet in his head. I know that Salem is the main culprit in all of this, something about the attack though just reeks of Grevane to me. I can’t quite place my finger on why though.
Erik nods and goes to speak, but is interrupted by James.
James: It reeks of him because the end result may have been successful, but the route to getting there was very sloppy. I’m sure Salem had something to do with that, but the style of the attack and the evidence it left behind just reek of that psychotic moron.
Erik and Colin both nod in agreement at the statement and thoughtful looks pass across their faces. As they walk down the hallway, people in uniforms, lab coats and other various stages of professional attire stride past them, pausing just long enough to respectfully acknowledge Erik before continuing their business. After a few more moments the three men end up at an elevator, which they all get into and take up a level. At the next level they walk down another hallway that leads to an strong looking oak door that says “E. Drugonov: CO- Ninth Directive”. Erik pulls the passcard from his pocket and after swiping it down the card reader and performing another hand print and retinal scan the two men enter a large and opulent office that is completed by an extremely large picture window that faces out to a view of the ocean off in the distance. Erik walks in and takes a seat behind the dark stained desk, gesturing for Colin and James to each takes one of the large, black leather chairs that sit facing the desk. Colin does, but James walks over to the window and after placing his hand at the top of the frame he gazes out of it silently. Erik punches a few key strokes into the laptop computer that sits in front of him and turns it around when he’s done, showing it to Colin, who lets out a long whistle before turning it back to Erik. James looks at their reflections in the glass before addressing them.
James: What do you have there Erik ?
Erik turns and hands the computer to James, who quickly scans the screen and hands it back with a non committal grunt. Erik places it down on the desk and leans back in his desk chair, placing his arms on the arm rests.
James: It would seem that Grevane is contracting to an outside source.
Colin nods his head and looks across the desk at Erik, who meets his look with the same placid expression that he always wears.
Colin: A two point nine million dollar deposit paid into his corporate account alone. I know that he doesn’t pull in that kind of cash from the big man. What’s his annual salary and did Ian find any other financial irregularities ?
James grunts again, this time in open disgust. He doesn’t turn away from the window, but his reflection clearly shows the annoyance on his face.
James: That’s a pretty big “irregularity”. Hell, I don’t know what Big D pays him…but he’s not worth even that. If the man is stupid enough to think that a deposit of nearly three million dollars won’t ever be noticed by the bean counters at Elite Enterprises than he’s even more stupid than everyone, including me, has given him credit for.
Colin chuckles at the remark, as does Erik.
Colin: That’s incredibly stupid then Jim, because as far as I know you consider his intelligence to sit somewhere between mustard seed and dust mite.
Erik laughs at the comparison and it draws another disgusted grunt from James.
James: That’s on his best day Colin…normally I’d consider his intellectual value to be a great deal lower than that. That point aside, what else did Ian find ?
Erik taps a few more keys on the computer and takes a few moments to read over them again. He turns his chair to the left and backs it away from the desk, placing his feet up on it and positioning it so that he can see and speak to both men at the same time.
Erik:Dirge pays him a little under four hundred and seventy five thousand dollars a year and within that contract is a stipulation that he cannot contract to anyone else outside of the organization without written permission from Dirge.
Colin interjects, his tone very mocking of Grevane.
Colin:Four hundred seventy five K ? Jesus. I should have started working for Big D years ago. What else did Ian find ?
Erik turns his head and looks at Colin, meanwhile James turns and leans back against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.
Erik: Ian found three more accounts in Grevane’s name, one of them under one of his undercover names. The two newest ones were set up the day after the assault and instantly had balances of over three million dollars in them. The one under his code name was meant for operations only and had a balance of five million in it from the company that morning of the assault.
Colin and James do the math of the account balances in their heads and both whistle at the same time. Erik grins at the reaction and raises a hand, with the pointer finger extended.
Erik: Right…in two days he made eight point nine million dollars out of nowhere. It gets better for him, at least financially. The operations account that I spoke of…
Erik pauses for a moment and both men level their inquisitive gazes at him.
Erik:Fifteen point nine five million dollars.
Both men raise their eyebrows in amazement and whistle at the same time.
Erik: Da. Someone paid him nearly eleven million dollars in one lump sum, brining our newest multi millionaire up to a grand total of nineteen point eight five million dollars in less than two days. That is more than a bit “suspicious” I would say. Believe me, a few of these accounts were very professionally set up and even more protected. It took a bit of overtime to crack them. Grevane is acting like nothing unusual is going on while he’s on his mission in Europe…in time I suspect he will start to make mistakes. All of that money will go to his head. Eventually he’ll give himself away.
Colin and James both nod their heads and for a moment all three are silent. Given the seriousness of the conversation those few short moments almost feel like an eternity. Finally Colin speaks.
Colin: I would say that some of Dirge’s enemies, not including Salem, paid him off. I’m not sure of what Salem’s financial resources are, but I’d be willing to bet that he doesn’t have twenty million in cash just tucked away somewhere…association with The Order notwithstanding. Now that we’ve established potential guilt in Grevane, in spite of the fact that the evidence is largely circumstantial, I would think that all we would have to do now is sit back and wait for him to screw up. That and place human and electronic surveillance on him of course.
Erik grins at the statement, drawing a smirk and a short chuckle from James.
James: He’s one step ahead of you on that one Colin. Remember who you’re dealing with after all.
Erik nods his head in acknowledgment of the compliment before continuing.
Erik: Da. That was done before the second deposit even went into his account. That is in addition to the surveillance that’s been on him since the start too.
Both men smile at the statement before James looks at Erik, his expression bordering on evil...and happy.
James: So what of Zane then…
This time it is Erik who grins evilly and a dangerous gleam comes into his eyes.
Erik: Oh…I have plans for that one too.
Colin and James both momentarily just stare at Erik before evil and predatory grins spread across their faces as well.