"You had to wear heals, didn't you?" asked Jack.
"What?" asked Mina.
"You're ten feet tall; I'll look like a Hobbit next to you"
"Deal with it."
The fraud couple then greeted an overweight man in his late forties wih red hair, "John C. McCloy1, president of Biocyte." he identified himself.
"Sir Jason Curtis." said Jack as he shook hands with him, "This is my wife, Prof Sylvia Curtis"
"Ah, yes. I believe you are a new share holder"
"I am, indeed, in fact, it was Sylvia who first introduced me to your company"
"Really?" asked McCloy, "How was that"
"I was visiting Columbia University a year back, where Sylvia used to teach"
"I have a great interest in your company's work," said Mina in an American accent, "I especially am very interested about your position on using..."
Jack was quickly board with the conversation; he noticed Marcie and Otto in the distance, and John as he arrived, and more importantly, the bar at one corner.
"Excuse me, what did you teach in Columbia?" asked McCloy.
"Biochemistry." answered Mina.
"I believe I have read some of your articles in the Scientific American"
"So, you were the one!"
They both laughed, Jack cackled lightly out of obligation.
Manwhile...
Marcie stopped pushing Otto near a buffet table.
"I'll go have myself a look; I should be back in an hour"
"Good luck."
Marcie then walked to the ladies room and in a stall she undressed and removed her make up, putting everything into her hand bag that she secured behind the toilet, then climbed the top and to the outside, to her surprise there was Hannah, the gossiping intern from the morning, fixing her make up as she faced the mirror.
"Hello, Hannah." said Marcie.
"Hel- AAAAH!" she said as she spun in terror, "Who said that?"
Marcie stifled a laugh as another woman entered in time for her to exit.
She walked out the conference hall, threw many corridors and finally she came to the door of the main research facility, which she did simultaneously with a scientist who put his card threw the slot and entered.
John stood talking to some foreign business men, making small talk; he knew he was there simply as back up, much like Otto. And as he left the group, he passed Jack.
"Where is she?" asked John.
"Talking science with some blokes, I was excused." said a board Jack with his normal accent, "Did you manage to get a gun through"
"Yes, a fiber-plastic pistol, why"
"I may need to kill myself in a few minutes"
"Just let me know."
John then walked off, while Jack headed to the bar, sat and snapped his fingers at the old bartender.
"I'll have a Bloody Mary"
"Sir?" asked the bartender, who thought the drink to be out of place.
"Err, I meant a Glass of Sherry, I'm having a bad day"
"Right away."
"What's so vulgar about a Bloody Mary?" muttered Jack.
"Tell me about it, I wanted a Jack Daniels earlier and had to settle for a Martini."
Jack turned to his left, where a man in his forties sat, with a graying beard and a suit; he spoke with an American accent.
"I feel your pain." answered Jack with his sophisticated accent
The other man smiled, and introduced himself,
"Osborn, Dr Gregory M. Osborn. Of the Special Research Department"
"Sir Jason Curtis. Investor."
The men shook hands.
"Shouldn't you be out there?" asked Jack, pointing at the crowd behind them.
"Eh, they just want to hear that stocks are rising, which they will by the way"
"So, what do you do at Special Research?" asked Jack as his order arrived, along with Osborn.
"I run a research team; I can't really talk about it"
"I can't say I want to hear about it, I was just being polite."
Both men took a sip of their drinks.
"And what urged you to invest in our beloved Biocyte"
"The Wife, she's around here somewhere, she's the scientist"
"What field"
"Biochemistry"
"Amah, Is she planning on getting a Job Here"
"I hope so; I can definitely take a break from her, if you know what I mean."
Osborn went to light his pipe that he produced, and fiddled in his pockets to find a match, till Jack offered him one.
"I see you're a brother of mine." said Osborne.
"Pardon?"
Osborn raised a finger that had a ring with the Freemason's symbol on it, similar to the one of Jack's.
"Indeed you are. I've been so for about ten years now"
"I've been for twenty-one."
Both finished their drinks.
"Another round." called Osborn.
"So, where are you from"
"Boston, originally. Been living here for the past four years"
"I was born here, but for the better part of the past decade, I have lived in Tokyo and New York."
And so the men went on chatting, while John stepped out to a garden like area, where few men stood by themselves, scattered, and sat by a Greek statue, and as he thought what was the significance of a Greek statue in a corporation as such, he felt the movement of something on wheels, Otto, who stopped at a distant from him, pulled out a small flask from his pocket and took a swig.
"Hello." said Otto.
"Hi." replied John.
"Where is everyone"
"Jack is drinking, Murray is talking to some scientists, what about Marcie"
"What would you expect?"
There was a pause, Otto offered John some of what was in the flask, but he waved it off.
"So, what do you think of our outfit"
"Eh, they're alright, I guess. I can't say I really would be turning my back on any of the women"
"How about Jack"
"Jack I know I CAN'T trust, his reputation is that of a genuine backstabber"
"What about me?"
John turned to face Otto.
"To be frank, I wouldn't turn my back on you, I think I trust you, but can I be sure?"
Otto pushed a button on the side of his wheelchair to be within a couple of feet of John, and said, "I appreciate the candor, I respect a man who doesn't bullshit a man he knows is capable of braking him physically in half. And I concur with you, about the others"
"And do you trust me"
"I think so, but a you said, all you'll be seeing of me is my face"
"I can live with that."
Both Osborn and Jack drank their drinks silently, and then they got up and shook hands.
"It's been a pleasure, Dr Osborn"
"Likewise, listen, I'm having a small gathering tomorrow evening, with some brothers and friends, and I I'd like you to attend, here's my address." said Osborn and offered his card,
"Thank you." said Jack as he accepted and walked away.
Marcie followed the scientist closely, as he went threw sealed doors and restricted areas.
"Good Evening Dr Hawkins." greeted a security guard to a the scientist "Good Evening Mr Kramer." answered Dr Hawkins.
Marcie followed closely as Dr Hawkins entered a big lab concealed deeply inside the facility, and as he examined some statistics and samples, she got a chance to look threw his papers, and she might have found some interesting things, if she had the time or if she understood what was it she was looking threw, and as the scientist left she followed as well, not wanting to be locked in.
As Marcie walked out, she spotted a corridor going the other way, and she was too tempted not to go, and she did, at the end she reached a door that was ajar, and she entered and inspected the papers that were on the table, for several minutes, and she was growing more and more willing to just shot herself rather than read any more of that scientific Mumbo-Jumbo, till suddenly there was something that caught her eye.
"Subject Infected at 000000," she read softly, "000100: Subject Perspiration, 000158: Subject Fatigue, 000300: Subject Collapse..."
Marcie read on through waht was almost identical to the symptoms of the disease, and finally read, "030020: Object Collapsed"
"Kramer," Marcie heard someone calling out in an American accent, "Did you happen to know there is a Friggin' LAB DOOR OPEN IN HERE"
"I'm sorry Sir!" she hared the security guard apologizing frightfully, "I don't know what got into me, Sir"
"I'll tell you what got into you, Incompetence!" she heard a third party yell.
Marcie gave one last look to the Papers at hand before rushing to the door, in time for the arrival of Kramer with the keys to lock the door, she stood outside as she saw the two men who were yelling, both wearing suits and ID Badges, and one was tall with long black hair, while the other was medium high.
"Get out of here." said the man of medium height, and s the guard left, she slowly walked behind him.
"Did you hear something?" asked the tall one, and Marcie froze.
"No, what did you, hear, Kraven?" asked the other one.
"Forget about it."
Marcie kept standing where she was till the two left, and then went the opposite way.
Author's Notes
1 The charcter of Brendan Gleeson from M:I-2.
A bit boring, I know, but I have to get this out of the way before I get to the good stuff, R&R, otherwise I'll loose intrest and quit the while thing.