S.S. Surf Ark: 5

The chaos of the S.S. Surf bled out into the night.

Several people occupied a rather large and luxurious office space. Wardrobes lined the walls off to the sides. Shelves fitted with books and various figurines kept the intellectual eye keen. Old style electric lamps were spotted in-between to light the room in swanky and somewhat mysterious ways. Expensive black furniture gave it an aristocratic flare. A heavy set wooden desk was the focal point of the room. It was hand crafted and carved by artists. A sleek computer was on top of the desk with a total of three neatly arranged screens. A glowing city was the back drop. It was viewed through large glass windows. One of two doors opened into the room. They were carved to match the desk. A woman carrying a folder stepped in. The man standing in the middle of the room turned around to look at her. He was middle aged with a trimmed mustache and beard. He was dressed in a suit, short, and modeled with a heavy build. His features favored a scowl. It made people uneasy when he smiled. His name was Albert Hedgecoach. He was the boss of the Dragon Fang Criminal Organization. The group had the class and style of a mob while dealing widely like a gang. They were one of most influential criminal branches in the region. They dealt with just about everything in both blue and white collar crime even though they were more blue than white. They had a reputation for violence and holding a grudge. The woman who walked in immediately demanded his attention. She was, after all, one of the prettiest personal assistants he had ever seen. Raine was the best in her field.

"I am sorry for the intrusion," Raine began. "But there's been a complication."

Across the room, a gentleman put on a sarcastic and unsurprised smile. He stood looking out into the cityscape.

"Now I wonder how that might have happened," the gentleman said.

Liam Valenis turned from the window to face his office.

"I warned you Mr. Hedgecoach."

"Are you accusing my organization of this?" Albert spat. "It was you who suggested using the Surf."

"I did and for good reason. But I warned you about putting that much cargo on the ship with so many men. But you insisted to continue," Liam said.

He spoke calmly and wore an "I told you so" smile in the corner of his lips. The CEO of the Greyblades casually walked to the front of his desk. He leaned against it and crossed his arms over his chest. The stress and fear in Albert's eyes told him that a complication meant trouble and trouble meant a mistake.

"Don't tell me you put it all on at once?" Liam continued.

"This-this doesn't have anything to do with the shipment. It's just a small delay, that's all," Albert tried to justify.

Dragon Fang and the Greyblades were currently in the process of some rather sensitive trading. They had a deal in place. Dragon Fang would supply three pallets of their newest product, a new and powerful pokemon steroid, to Mile City. Once it arrived, the Greyblades would help fund its research and development. Dragon Fang would help test it and they would share in the profits once it hit the market. It was a fairly balanced deal, if all went according to plan.

"If it was something as simple as engine trouble or a traffic jam, my assistant would have declared it a delay. Complication means someone or something has been compromised," Liam explained.

Albert's face flushed with hot embarrassment. He had put the entire load of the product on the ship and extra soldiers to protect it. Liam had advised many small trips with less cargo and men to avoid detection. Albert reused to show that he had made a mistake. He would not give Liam the satisfaction of being superior.

"Why you-,"

"Now, let's not get too excited. Let's give the woman a chance to explain," a third party cut in.

The third man was seated in one of the leather chairs next to Albert. He was younger than Liam by several years. He was Albert's son, Alexander. He wore a fitted black suit with the same air of wealth as his father. The man's gaze lifted off of Albert and fell onto Liam. He was to take over the business after his father. Alexander was prepped for the job ever since he was old enough to read and write. In some aspects, he was already better than his father in social relations, manipulation, and scheming. There would be an eventual coup but Alexander was smart. He was building a solid base while his father grew old and sloppy. Albert would fall and Alexander would swoop in for an easy kill. Liam foresaw all of it. He expected Alexander wanted to roast him as much as his father. But things were stable now. Liam was not concerned. Alexander was still cocky and inexperienced. He had money, women, and good looks. He relished in those things. It made him take risks and make mistates. For someone with wolf eyes like Liam, Alexander was still a rooster strutting around in his pen. Liam motioned for Raine to continue with her report.

"Somehow, the shipment on the S.S. Surf has been compromised," Raine said. "There was a police presence on the ship. They were planning a raid but it was interrupted."

Hedgecoach turned to Liam.

"How the hell did they know about the shipment?" he yelled. "You said it was safe!"

"Like I said before," Liam firmly stated. "I advised small shipments. With so many tourists on a cruise, things get lost and miscounted all the time. No one would have expected a thing."

The CEO lost some of his sarcastic playfulness. Alexander watched, learned, and imitated. He had a lust for power and secret rivalry against the Greyblades but he was smart enough to use the CEO as a role model. Only Liam could handle such underhanded dealings while keeping his hands utterly spotless with the reputation of a celebrity. There was a reason he was never caught.

"It could be possible," Alexander said, "that the police were watching our warehouses. We moved a large shipment of product and although they could not deliver a warrant to search it, on tourist cruises like the Surf, they have the authority to do random security checks. They could have been waiting for an excuse to launch a raid. And with all the men you put to guard it, they had their chance."

Alexander talked smoothly. He wanted to illustrate his intelligence to Liam and subdue his father's pride before it humiliated them both. Liam was somewhat grateful Alexander was more witted than his father. There was nothing worse than doing business with a tyrannical uneducated crime boss that made too many mistakes. There was always the potential for backlash against Liam and his company. There was a reason Liam limited his business with Dragon Fang. Alexander's insight also illustrated his potential. He would be a threat in the future. Alexander had the cruelty of his father to match his wit. That was a dangerous combination. Alexander's words help calm his father. It was at times like this when Albert was glad he brought him along. Far too often had he ruined good deals and relationships for ego.

"What's the situation now?" Albert growled.

Raine stepped aside from the door. Another woman came in carrying several folders. She was another one of Liam's personal assistants and had the same classy confidence as her mentor. She walked past the others straight for Liam. He subtly motioned for her to wait at his side.

"We have reports that grunts are engaging the police. There's a lot of disorganized information. We are still trying to process it all. As of right now, the grunts have control of the ship. The coast guard and police are being dispatched as we speak," Raine continued.

Albert cursed under his breath. He paced a few steps before choosing one of the back up plans he had prepared.

"Tell the men to drop whatever they are doing. Withdraw all pokemon, free any hostages. Tell them to blend in. They were just defending themselves in the chaos. And tell them to keep their goddamn mouths shut until the lawyers arrive," he instructed his son.

Alexander took it under control with a single text. It was a good plan. If the whole thing started in confusion then there would be minimal loss. They would lose the shipment but that was easy to replace. Reliable men were not so easy.

"Well, this turn of events undoubtedly puts a strain on our deal," Liam said.

Albert's face started to grow red again. This was more than just a little strain. Something like this could maim the Dragon Fangs.

"And I'm sure you'll deny all involvement," Albert said.

"The Greyblades have nothing to do with this little escapade. We merely suggested means for a peaceful ride across the strait."

"Are you hanging me out to dry Valenis?"

"I'm saying one should clean up their own mess."

Liam's eyes narrowed into points. He would do nothing to soil his company's legitimacy as a gesture of kindness to a sloppy gang boss. Albert was a business asset, not a friend. If business was bad, Liam would not hesitate to drop them. Alexander put down his drink. He stood to intervene before things turned sour.

"Gentleman," he said while fastening his coat jacket. "This is a dilemma for the both of us."

Alexander let his gaze linger on Liam as he spoke. The problem did not have equal severity. Liam was too smart to allow his company to get caught doing the dirty work. All of the heat would fall on Dragon Fang and they all knew it. But Liam was too powerful to insult blatantly. It was also unwise to show how weak Dragon Fang was at handling their business.

"I know it is an inconvenience but due to the circumstances, I think its best we focus on what should be done next. Obviously, this transaction is void but let's not get ahead of ourselves and disregard our deal."

Liam remained silent. Albert regained some of his senses. Alexander excelled in social manners. Liam would have to remember that.

"I'm sure that our future endeavors will avoid such interruption. I hope that it will not tarnish Dragon Fang's relation with The Greyblades. Today was just misfortune manifest."

"Indeed," Liam said.

Alexander put a hand on his father's shoulders to guide him to the door.

"If you would excuse us Mr. Valenis, but there are items that need to be addressed. We will have to continue this meeting at a later date," Alexander finished.

Liam gave a slight nod of his head. Alexander and his father left the room. Raine closed the door behind them. The young tyrant had done well to hide the magnitude of their situation. This was a serious mess for Dragon Fang to clean up.

Alexander took the lead out of the elevator. They walked to the car waiting for them. Albert was still fuming. He was furious over his poor planning, loss of product, and how Liam had witnessed all of it. Albert hated Liam to the core. The CEO always thought he was better because he owned a wealthy enterprise that did not have to hide from authorities. Albert felt like a fool for relying on his son to step in. It undermined his authority and made him feel like a child. Albert wanted nothing more than to shove it all down Liam's snooty little throat. He would show Liam the power of the Dragon Fangs. Albert slowed as one of his attendants came up. Alexander continued and stepped into the car.

"Sir, there is a problem with the Surf deal," he said.

"I know, you don't have to tell me," he spat.

"There is something else."

This caught Hedgecoach's attention.

"We believe that some of our information has been leaked. There were details about the time and place of the transaction that were kept confidential."

"So we've got rat," Albert hissed.

"Several of our men claim to have encountered a passenger that fought back. Lieutenant Boyd said he encountered that same woman in the streets before departure and again in the cargo hold. He would have detained her but the hold flooded."

"So what, is she dead?"

"We are unsure but we do know that a woman jumped off of the ship and into the strait. That would either be madness or-,"

"-desperation. Seems like she didn't want to get caught."

Albert's eyes narrowed.

"Find the woman," he said. "She sounds suspicious. She could be an informant or undercover cop. Either way, she might have some information about what the hell happened. We won't be able to talk to our guys on the ship so easily now that the coast guard's been deployed."

The attendant nodded. He was already on the phone with the arrangements.

"I don't like loose ends," Albert added as he stepped toward the car and put a hand on the door. "Clean them up."

The attendant swallowed hard.

"Yes, Sir."

Back in the office, Liam was tempted to sigh in relief when the doors closed. It took all of his patience to deal with Dragon Fang. He never liked Albert Hedgecoach. The boss before Hedgecoach had a little more class and was the real strength behind Dragon Fang's reputation. Liam sought business with him, not the one who suddenly and suspiciously took his place. Liam kept his eyes on the door. His second attendant passed something off before leaving. Raine gave her a nod of approval and took her place at Liam's side.

"I want the ship's roster and surveillance footage," Liam said.

"Already done," she said. "Most of the action is over already but I can connect you with the life feed if you want."

Raine handed over to folders. Liam valued knowledge. He kept everything under lock and key. Raine knew about the incident the moment it started. Surveillance and reconnaissance was one of the Greyblades' specialties. Liam took the papers. He would have to take some time to think if dealing with Dragon Fang was worth the expense. So far, on their first major deal, there were complications. If this was going to be a trend, Liam was considering other options. This was not the best way to start off a new relationship.

"I'll have the tech team gather the video," Raine continued.

Liam remained attentively silent. He straightened his back and opened the folder. He wanted to know exactly what happened and why before deliberating any further. Raine did not need praise to know that he respected her and was grateful of her service. She smiled as she turned for the door.

"Don't think too hard now, Liam," she said. "I'm already starting to think you might be psychic."

Liam looked up to her quizzically. Raine was surprised by the expression. She thought Liam knew what she was talking about, that's why he had asked for the file several days ago. She was mistaken. In that case, Liam's intuition was just as sharp as his fashion sense.

"Ship's roster, second page," Raine explained.

She grabbed the handle and stepped outside. Liam looked down to the folder. He lifted the first page of the roster. Raine had highlighted a name. Liam's eyes were glued to it.

"Aria Wicket," he read in disbelief.