Airaldi-Boltham Corporation Headquarters: Michael Boltham
He took a long draught of his coffee, relishing the bitterness that came with taking it black. No cream, no sugar...just the simple harsh taste of straight coffee. It was an honest drink, if a drink could be such a thing. His lips twitched into something that almost reached being a smile-not quite, but close. If people could deserve to be called honest, then a drink certainly could. He braced one arm against the surface of the window, looking down upon the wide expanse of the city. People walked along the streets, appearing so small from the great height of his office. They went about their business steadily, every existence part of one great whole. Careers, families, heroes, criminals, sex, murder...life given and life taken.
Most likely, none of them even knew that humanity existed on a precipice; a frightening edge that he would die to stop it from tumbling over. A heavy sigh pulled itself from his chest, and he turned away, facing Antonio Airaldi's old desk. He already had blood on his hands from preventing the fall once; if the next waver required the blood be his, then so be it. After all these years, his death would be a mercy. More than he deserved. More than the children he'd condemned deserved. His brows drew together in thought; perhaps it would not be such a mercy. Not if there did end up being an afterlife and he got to have Antonio as a roommate in Hell. There would be a lot to answer for. He straightened his shoulders and took a deep breath. He would face the consequences when they came, without complaint. If there was one thing in the world that Antonio could respect, it was doing what you thought necessary. No matter the cost, personal or otherwise.
He took his seat behind his old friend's desk once more, and sifted through the reports pertaining to Ivanov Island. He'd already gone over every inch of them; the progress they'd made on the genetic experiments, the overview of the species they housed at the lab...the final status report before they'd lost contact a couple of days ago. Considering the problems they'd had with the original Project Nexus, it was easy to guess what had happened. He bowed his head low, eyes dark with sorrow. If he'd found out what Antonio had done sooner, if he'd acted in time -he would've been able to order the staff to begin shutdown protocols. He ran a hand over his face, and slowly relaxed back into the leather of the seat. This still gave him an opportunity to set things right. To make sure that the experiments couldn't be started again when he no longer controlled the company.
AN: This should've been up before Chapter 1, but was not, because sometimes I do not think properly.