Chapter 14: At the Bottom
2:00 p.m.
Extensive Enterprises, 200 Park Avenue, New York City
Meeting with the Sumiyoshi-rengo lawyers was always draining. Tomax stumbled into his office, pausing to turn off the lights. The glare of the overhead florescent bulbs bored into his skull, magnifying the pounding drum in his temples. He took a few more steps into the room before acknowledging to himself that he was done. He bee lined for his desk and fell back into the chair, his body about as useful to him as a rag doll's. There was no life left in his limbs. He lifted an arm and watched as gravity pulled it down despite his best efforts to fight against its laws. That's what they did to you—the Takeda brothers, their legal contacts with the Sumiyoshi—they took the life from you.
The Takeda brothers, known far and wide as shrewd negotiators, had a way of coming out with the better end of a deal. Many dollars exchanged hands in an attempt to learn exactly how they did it. Tomax didn't have to spend any money to tell you how. Psychic vampires Xamot dubbed them. The Takeda brothers were larger than life and filled a room. They beat you down with their never-ending lists of questions and points to rehash. The more you squirmed, they more they enjoyed. They drained you so that, in the end, you lost your will to fight and wanted nothing more than to just sign on the dotted line. He and Xamot survived the Takeda brothers by playing their game. One brother would be the stronger, drawing his reserves from the other. Usually it was Xamot. For some reason the Takeda brothers saw a kindred spirit in Xamot. No one could ever say who got the better of the deal, the Paolis or the Takedas. It was best that way for both parties. There was an unwritten agreement that a draw was preferable to all. Today, Xamot was on fire. He had the Takedas on the ropes. A gentle poke from Tomax reminded Xamot of the stakes and the younger twin quickly retreated on a point, allowing the Takedas to save face with their kaicho.
After the bows and customary valedictions, Tomax withdrew to deal with the fallout in private. He was useless for hours until he got his strength back up. Normally, he would retire to his apartment, sleep, eat, watch some mindless television until the cotton jammed up in his head dissipated. Not today. Too much was riding on today.
First thing first, he had to close the loop with the Takedas. That meant a call to James. He groaned as he pushed against the chair and his body fell forward, his head landing sharply on his desk. Sorry brother, he thought. He willed an arm up and over, plopping it down a few inches from the telephone. Stretching his fingers out he mentally commanded them to reach out, be longer, but try as he might, he couldn't make them reach far enough. He let out a deep sigh and commanded jelly legs to push his body closer. Fingertips brushed against the plastic base and he walked them up to the keypad, where he dialed a number known by heart. James's deep bass seemed to rumble from the speaker in response.
Tomax mustered enough strength to outline the general parameters of the agreement they had reached with the Takeda brothers. It included the provision of additional R&D funds to the Sumiyoshi-controlled optics lab in return for patents and first buyer's rights to Mars. He could tell that James was pleased with the results when the man agreed to raise the twins' fees to 37 percent of gross profits on any future weapon systems incorporating the technology. It was a coup for Xamot and him. They were happy with the original 30 percent and figured, if necessary, they could make a tidy profit at 28 percent. The rest was a nice infusion to their rainy day fund. Tomax prepared to end the call but then remembered another task on his list.
"James, one last thing. If I send you a name, could you confirm a location for me? I do realize that it's an imposition on your time. As a gesture of my appreciation, I can provide you with the future whereabouts of some individuals I think you might find interesting." Tomax waited while James made a show of considering his offer. Once that was over, Tomax got down to business, "I know you're a fan of Dorsey. You might want to check out his Amy label catalogue." Tomax was satisfied that James would understand his message.
Tomax disconnected the call, eyelids heavy as he struggled to remain awake. It was only a matter of time before the Takeda brothers took too much and simple rest would not be enough to recover. He found he almost welcomed the thought. The absence of responsibility beckoned. He toyed with the keypad, recalling his brother's words, call him. With one call it could be done; he could end the war. What would it feel like to give up? Could he be happy? Would he even know if he wasn't? Did it matter? What was happiness to him anyway? Would it be salvation or a curse? As he pondered his next move, his fingers listened to a deeper part of him and instead dialed another number. He could barely keep himself propped up on the desk as the line rang. He zoned out, the rings hypnotizing, taking him in closer to nothingness. Sarah's frantic voice squeaked out his name, stirring the surface of his thoughts. He listened in silence as she managed to eke out a few words between her sobs. It was too much. His finger hit the disconnect button and he gave in to the darkness.