Sorry this one took so long, my laptop crashed but enough about me. Enjoy and review please.
Monday morning arrived. Seth was in his den. He was resting back against his chair.
"COHEN!"
"Ah!" Seth started and in doing so propelled himself backwards he tried to go forward and grab the table but the chair fell backwards pulling down a phone and an intercom at the same time. As the back of the chair rested on the ground, Seth's legs dangled over the chair.
"Jesus and Moses." He groaned.
"COHEN! Cohen? COHEN! What did you do?"
"What did you do?!" Seth responded as he had difficulty getting up.
"You weren't in bed!"
"I fell asleep working on the comic."Summer scoffed and walked away.
"Scoffer. Ah." He grunted as he tried to pick up the chair but ended up falling back down.
"Summer?" he asked timidly.
Ryan woke Marissa up with a kiss.
"Good Morning."
"Oh come on let me sleep I feel like we had sex all night last night."
"Um, Marissa we did."
"Oh that's good then." She yawned and kissed him.
Back in Seth's den. Summer had lifted his chair in a heartbeat and shoved him. As he picked himself back off the floor again.
"Computer bring up Atomic County files."
"Volume 19 complete for publishing."
"Send to office. Start new storyline. Volume 20 Proposals. Page 1 six panels. Import characters Ironist, Cosmo Girl, Little Miss Vixen and Kid Chino. Import place settings Ironist Home, Kid Chino Home." Seth's 3D table erupted into life showing the first page and the characters and place settings around it. Seth stood up grabbing a pen off his desk. It was actually the Table Pen he clicked a button on it and a light turned on. He began to work putting the settings in, putting the characters in and adding the storyline. When Summer came in a while later he was twelve pages ahead and was just about to finish the part where Kid Chino and Ironist proposed at the same time.
"Hey Cohen -what are you doing?"
"I have decided to use our current situation as inspiration for Volume 20 of Atomic County. Proposals."
"Aw, Cohen. Anyway I'm heading to the office. I'll be on my cell."
"I'm going to go in at about midday come home at two."
"Lazy." Summer muttered as she left.
Ryan opened his briefcase in his den and threw some papers in. he pocketed his Palm Designer and cellphone.
"RAIC send Bartling Designs to my office at the Newport Group."
"Sent. Would you like me to upload myself to your office?"
"Uh go double."
"Keep myself here and upload there?"
"Yeah."
"It will take longer."
"How much longer?"
"One minute I'll be inactive here for that amount of time."
"I think I'll survive."
"Uploading."
"Ryan. Archie is here we're heading to Long Beach for the Mayor Scandal."
"Marissa you know NBTV offered you Anchor Woman." Ryan said kissing her goodbye.
"Yes but that required three times a day seven days a week and I don't think so."
"Marissa you have that design degree you know you could come work at the Newport Group or start designing that fashion label you want so bad."
"You're the Vice-President why are you still designing houses?"
"Well Kirsten said I'm the best Architect there so they need me for special cases."
"My baby the Special Architect."
"Seriously Marissa think about it."
"Ok, I love you."
"Love you too. Will you be back for lunch we can go to town and see some caterers."
"I'll be back at one?"
"Come to the Newport Group we'll go from there."
"Ok. Bye." She called from the foyers. The door shut and RAIC came back to life.
"What did I miss?"
Seth got out of his car and looked at the four storey high black building. Ryan designed in a curve with a smoked glass and steel face. The middle of which held metal words
ATOMIC COMICS
The building's serious exterior was a façade to the company's have fun attitude. Seth entered the lobby where three people sat in chairs. On the floor in the middle of the room was the Atomic Comics logo a colored mushroom cloud with Atomic Comics written inside it. On the orange and black walls were framed comics the company had published. Behind the reception desk was a blown up version of the first issue of Atomic County. On the walls were painted characters there was a giant hole in one with bricks and dust lying around it and a cut-out of Kid Chino behind the wall withdrawing his fist.
"Morning Justin." Seth said approaching the receptionist.
"Mr. Cohen." Said Justin Pollack (Better known as the Harbor Heckler who mocked Seth about wearing a gown during graduation)
"Who are these guys?"Seth asked indicating the three people in the lobby.
"They were booked in to see you at ten."
"Mm. what time is it now?"
"Twelve-thirty." Seth pulled his phone out and saw the battery was dead.
"We did call. Several times."
"Right." Seth braced himself and turned.
"Howdy. Sorry I'm late let's go." They jumped up and followed him to the elevator. He pushed the Fourth Floor.
"Sorry just got engaged everything sort of slipped my mind. What are you guys here to see me about?"
"Gold. The hero of the past who flies to the future."
"Uh."
"Grady show him."
"Let's just wait till we get to the conference room. My uh VP of Publications quit last week. Italian Girl stole his heart." They walked on the Fourth Floor.
Ryan finally finished his work.
"Save changes to Bartling Complex RAIC."
"You got it."
"Also get Kirsten to come here." Moments later Kirsten appeared.
"Take a look. The Bartling Complex complete with all his demands."
"Ryan that's amazing."
"Yeah so can I resume my work with Newport Mercy now? I think Dr. Darrell is a bit pissed I held it off for this."
"Sure. K.C can you copy Ryan's design to my hard drive?"
"Sorry, Kirsten need RAIC's approval."
"RAIC let K.C. do it." Ryan sighed.
"Ok get set up. I'm just going to get something." Seth walked quickly down the hall.
"A.C.I!" He hissed. A screen shot up from the ground and hovered with him.
"Good afternoon Seth."
"Yeah. Look get me a list of my all executives."
"1. Brooke Harper."
"All these executive offices up here and I have one executive?"
"You failed to promote several people."
"Right get a list of all the people I was supposed to promote on my desk and also people who are suited for promotion."
"Very good." Seth turned and knocked on the door.
"Brooke I need you."
Marissa sighed as she and her crew pulled up in front of City Hall of Long Beach. Where other news teams were already on scene.
"Do you think this job ever gets too hectic?"
"No." Archie Kent said. Archie finished his burger and wiped his hands on his already dirty jeans.
"What about you Jean?"
"I spent four years at the most prestigious Media School in America to end up the Sound Girl of a small town News Team."
"Right."
"Sorry you know I love you guys."
"We love you too Jean."
"Will you go out with me then?" Jean threw a pair of headphones at Archie. A few minutes later.
"This is Marissa Cooper reporting from City Hall, Long Beach where Mayor Frank Harland has stirred another controversy, this time causing the community to call for another election…"
Summer was signing papers off on negotiations she'd made when her phone rang.
E. BARTLING read the caller ID.
"Oh my god!" Summer groaned slumping over her desk. She put her earpiece in.
"Good afternoon Mr. Bartling."
"Ms. Roberts! I've changed my mind on the deal I want to pay three five instead of four."
"Mr. Bartling we've been over this and you already signed a contract."
"If we're going to get technical let me come in."
"M-."
"Too late." Said an old man at the door who snapped his phone shut.
Seth watched as the three young comic book makers fought amongst themselves reminding him of the incident so many years ago when he, Zach and Summer tried to present their comic book.
"Look guys. Let me try and deduce this. There's a love story?"
"Yes." Said one boy.
"No." said the girl and the other boy.
"That is our comic-."
"Not the comic. Right here. You. You like her, you you're dating her." They all nodded.
"Right this happened to me not too long ago. I like the idea I like the comic. Now I'll give you a meeting in a month and one week because I have two weddings to attend my best friend's and my own. Get organized and sort this out. This is a business. That sound good?"they all nodded.
"Good, Brooke buy them lunch and have a sit down. Leave your draft copies here and a copy of your copyright forms."
Ryan, Kirsten and Summer were in the conference room with Ernst Bartling. Sandy came in.
"Mr. Bartling, you signed a contract for four, our bank will be deducting it from your account in a matter of hours."
"I feel that my demands aren't being met." Ryan's mouth clenched as he hit a button. A hologram disc in the middle of the table erupted with life showing the completed designs.
"Every outrageous demand met with. Including an elevator to the bathroom, escalator from kitchen to master bedroom. An automated walkway from the toilet to the sink to the shower."
"Really?"
"This stuff isn't cheap. We're practically giving you this house for four."
"Very well. When will this be done?"
"We begin construction once your approve the design and we have the payment."
"I approve."
"K.C. Check Newport Group accounts."
"Four Million Taken from E. Bartling two seconds ago."
"Construction begins immediately you should be able to move in two months from now."
Marissa sat at her desk in her office and flipped through her sketch book. She'd designed dresses since she was 16. Two were already on shelves. She put the book in her bag and left for lunch with Ryan.
Seth finished Issue 1 of Volume 20.
"Brooke I need these drafts read tonight get our focus group in here."
"Seth what is the point of our focus group? You never listen to them."
"The damn law states every entertainment outlet needs a focus group." Seth looked at his watch.
"Two fifteen?! Looks like I'm on overtime pay." Seth yawned.
"God." Brooke sighed as she left his office.
When Ryan entered his office Marissa was examining the hospital model.
"What's this?"
"Newport Mercy. Newport Group is doing a lot of good work now. Since that day Sandy asked us to fund the low-income housing development we've been getting more business and more good publicity."
"Ryan can we talk?"
"Sure." He sat on the couch and pulled her onto him. Her legs across his, his arms around her waist her arms around his neck.
"I think you're right about me moving on."
"That's great. I'll talk to Kirsten I'm sure there's a design position available."
"No I think I'm going to do my fashion line."
"That's even better but how?"
"Well I'm still getting royalties from Prada and Gucci for my two dresses. I have two point four in my savings."
"Marissa you know you can merge our accounts now."
"Once we're married but what do you think?"
"I think its great but Marissa Fashion needs a building and-RAIC bring up Marissa's Fashion Building." The coffee table suddenly held an image of a slowly revolving modernized, stylish building."
"We're building this one anyway it's fifty floors high. I can talk to Kirsten we can sell you the top five floors or the whole building and you can sell the rest of the building. The building itself is valued at four eight I can invest som-."
"No, Ryan-."
"Marissa come on I love you. It's a loan, you can pay me back if you want though I'd rather you didn't its your business I have nothing to do with it other than being the supportive loving husband." He said kissing her. Marissa bit her lower lip. She didn't know where else to get the money. And Ryan was going to be her husband it would be their money and they did have money to burn, Ryan got four million a year not counting commission when he designed buildings.
"Ok."
"Good. Let's talk to Kirsten."
Kirsten was signing some documents when Ryan and Marissa came in.
"Hey guys."
"Kirsten, Marissa wants to buy the building on King's Street."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Marissa that building is four million and eight hundred thousand dollars."
"I'm putting in half."
"Ok. Why?"
"I'm quitting the news room. I want to start designing."
"Well okay. Let's get deeds drawn up."