by Stan Mason
Harris froze for a moment and then paused to reflect the words of the other man. ‘How the hell did you know that?’ he demanded.
‘You can’t hide from anything or anyone these days. Technology has no bounds. Bugs are everywhere. Nothing’s sacred any more.’
‘Are you saying you hacked into my computer or that you’ve set up bugs in this laboratory?’ He was most alarmed to learn of the illegal action and fury welled up inside him. ‘You’re not allowed to do that!’ he spat into the mouthpiece.
‘Come on, Mr; Harris,’ came the reply. ‘Get real! It’s a different world today. Let’s talk.’
‘I don’t think we’ve anything to talk about! Now get off the line and don’t ring me again!’
Jake’s voice took on a more urgent tone. ‘Don’t hang up, Mr. Harris! We’ve something of yours that you consider very important.’
Harris paused to think about the response. What could they have belonging to him that was so important? ‘And what might that be?’ he asked after a few moments with his heart in his mouth.
‘Your wife!’ stated Jake bluntly. ‘We’re in your house at present.’
‘I don’t believe you!’ countered the scientist.
‘I think that you should. I’ll put her on the line.’
There was a pause and then the voice of Harris’s wife could be heard loud and clear.
‘Bob... do what they say! I think they mean business... ’
Her voice tailed off as the receiver was torn from her grasp and, within a few seconds, Jake continued the conversation.
‘I think you should come home right away for a little talk, Bob, Don’t concern yourself, nothing’s going to happen to either of you. We simply have a proposal... nothing more.’
Harris inhaled deeply with grave concern and he bit his lower lip. They were holding his wife as a hostage! ‘If you hurt her... ’ he began before he was cut short.
‘There’s no question of that,’ said Jake, ‘I told you... not unless you don’t comply. See you in thirty minutes. Don’t let her down!’
The line went dead and the scientist returned the receiver into its cradle urgently. He glanced at his wristwatch and picked up his car keys from the desk. A series of questions passed through his mind as he tried to assess the situation. Why were strangers in his house holding his wife hostage when they simply wanted to speak with him? They could have visited him in the evening to talk if it was that important. And how did they find out about his theory so quickly? None of it seemed to make sense. They clearly wanted to talk about the project but what could he tell them until the test results came through... and that would take months before they became manifest. Another thought crossed his mind... was it an individual controlling the situation or was it a group with intent to cash in on a great idea? He considered that, whoever it was, had either hacked into his computer to find out the details or had planted bug somewhere in the laboratory to find out what was going on. After all, they knew that he had gone to see David Coleman, the Head of Department, on that particular morning to deliver his findings.
He took the elevator to the appropriate floor in the car park and drove home as fast as he could. The quicker he could deal with the matter the better. As he drove along the road, the words of his wife kept echoing repeatedly in his brain: ‘Bob... do what they say! I think they mean business... ’ He had never had to face a situation like this and it infuriated him. He was determined to take revenge on those keeping his wife as a hostage. Of that he was certain!
In due course, he arrived at his house and opened the front door cautiously, prepared to find Jake holding a revolves in his hand but his fears were greatly over-rated. He was face with two men dressed in smart suits in the lounge... one seated on the settee the other in an armchair. His wife was watching from another armchair seemingly in no danger. He went over to her immediately and took her hands with a worried expression on his face.
‘Are you all right, dear?’ he asked her.
‘I’m okay,’ she replied. ‘I’m okay. What’s going on?’
Harris turned to the two men. ‘That’s what I’d like to know. Why are you here? What do you want?’‘
‘I’m Jake,’ returned one of the men. ‘There’s nothing to concern yourself. We only want to talk.’
Harris was relieved to see that his wife was unharmed and he went behind her armchair to face the two men. ‘Fire away. Tell me what’s on your mind and then get the hell out of here. This is my home!’
‘I respect that,’ returned Jake civilly. ‘We just dropped in for a little chat. I’ll be straight with you. We want to make money from your idea and we want to share it with you.’
‘Share it... I don’t understand?’
‘There’s a high probability that your project will come up trumps. If it does, it’ll be worth trillions. ‘We want a part of it.’
‘Don’t you think you’re being a little bit premature,’ returned Harris. ‘There’s no certainty that the testing will prove it to be successful. There will almost certainly be a number of changes to have to be made and probably alterations when the testing’s over. That’ll take the best part of six months.’
‘We know that. We just want you to be on our side.’
‘Your side! What does that mean?’
‘We need a copy of the formula and the notes now even though they may have to be adjusted after the test. Let me tell you what’s going to happen. Give me the formula and the notes and you’ll be a multi-millionaire within the next twelve months. There’s no doubt about that. Why should you let Universal Energy take all the profits leaving you with only a monthly salary and nothing more from your idea? In my book that’s not fair. I mean it’s your idea why should they take all the profit? They’ll just be stealing it. Think it over.’
‘I thought with your computer hacker you’d be able to get the formula without any trouble.’ responded Harris flatly.
‘We thought so too,’ returned Jake, ‘but it seems you’re on a very safely-protected computer programme. You can get the information... we can’t. We’ll keep in close contact and each time we do you’ll need to use the code.’
‘The code?’ retorted the scientist. ‘What code?’
‘The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.’
The face of the scientist puckered as he heard the comment. ‘Are you serious?’ he managed to say.
‘It has all the letters of the alphabet, you know. Use it!’ Jake glanced at his colleague and they moved towards the door. ‘Don’t think about it too long! My patience has a short fuse!’‘
They departed quickly leaving Harris and his wife both angry and dismayed.
‘What are you going to do?’ asked Rose, standing up and pouring two glasses of brandy from the cocktail cabinet.
‘I’m not giving in to bullies!’ spat her husband irately. ‘They can go to hell!’
‘I kind of liked the idea of us becoming a multi-millionairess.’ She was slightly peeved at the way he dismissed the situation out of hand as financial greed began to overtake her mind.
‘We know nothing about them,’ charged her husband sharply. ‘If I concede to their demands and they made a great deal of money, what do you think would happen. We’d be soon forgotten. They’d be more likely to disappear into the woodwork leaving us high and dry. It isn’t worth the risk either way.’
‘They won’t go away, you know,’ she continued. ‘They’ll keep coming back until they get the answer they want. If what they say is true, the prize is too big for them to let go.’
‘I’m more concerned for you, darling,’ he told her with an element of alarm in his voice. ‘You’d best go to your mother’s for a few weeks just to make sure you come to no harm. I don’t trust these people.’
‘I really don’t think it’s necessary,’ she responded careless
ly. ‘They’re not going to harm me.’
‘You don’t know that!’ he insisted, taking the glass of brandy which she passed to him. ‘I’m not risking you being here while I’m at work.’
‘I will be at the hospital,’ she reminded him.
‘Maybe, but they can get to you. I’m not having that!’
‘Well I do need to visit my mother, I’ll go in the morning.’
He spent the rest of the day musing over his anger. It was bad enough they had made him their target but to threaten his wife was not permissible. The idea that she might be harmed or injured for something which had nothing to do with her burned fiercely in his mind and he was pleased that she had agreed to go to her mother for a short term to ensure her safety. All that was left was his own predicament. He was a loyal employee at Universal Energy and he had never thought of betraying them by selling the formula or anything else he invented to an outside third party for his own benefit. Now he had a choice... either to steal from his company or to remain loyal to them and place himself in danger... for it was quite clear that these people really meant business and a gentle refusal was not going to see them off. They would hound him for the formula and the notes come what may. Yet there was truth in what Jake had told him. The company was likely to make trillions from the project if it was successful. It had been his brainchild and yet he would hardly gain anything in its success... perhaps a raise in his salary and an accolade from his superiors, with a modicum of recognition thrown in, but nothing else for all his brilliant work. That was the unfairness of it all. There was a lot for him to think about especially as Jake had included his wife in the deal. He would do anything for her not to be harmed... anything! And so, after Rose had left to go to her mother, the scientist found himself with a big problem... to become a millionaire and betray his employer or to remain loyal and take the risk of him and his wife being pursued to the point of danger. It was no easy task to have to consider. In fact it was a lose-lose situation and he knew it too well!
Chapter Four
Only the spirit of the Cosmic Joker could determine whether fate or fortune was bestowed on any individual and, one bright morning, it decided to show favour to Alan Baker, a Patent Attorney in the City of London, although he situation was not quite as clear cut as it might have been. His background had been less than spectacular but he had an analytical mind and was logical in thought which were two aspects especially required for patent work. His past record showed that he was not a particularly inspired student at school, but he did attend Queen Mary’s University in London to study the subject intensely before he became a patent lawyer. After two years of study, he took the examinations of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys and, following success at completing them, he became an apprentice with an established patent attorney for two years, After that, he set up his own practice with his two younger brothers, Jack and Dean. Neither of them was qualified to undertake the work but they assisted him in the office and ran all his errands for him. By now, he was well versed in the matter of intellectual property and he had a profound knowledge of French and German which was required for patent agents in terms of international requirements within Europe.
The practice was relatively successful, especially as it was fortunate enough to deal with some large-scale international conglomerates such as Universal Energy as its clients, and on this particular day, an event was about to occur which would demolish all barriers to the future, leading to Baker’s absolute good fortune. A courier arrived to deliver a large envelope which was handed to him containing details of the formula and the notes referring to the process of hydrogenetics. Accompanying the details was a letter requesting him to establish a patent for the theory prior to the testing. His eyes ran over the notes and he immediately recognised the potential of the project... in every sense of the word it was enormous. Although he had been most upright and honest in everything he had done so far in the business, greed suddenly overrode all his convictions and flooded his mind. This project was so gigantic... clearly it was worth trillions and he suddenly became overwhelmed with the project knowing that he would be able to cash in on it. However, he had both of his brothers to consider and before he took any action he called them into his office. After pouring out three cups of coffee he passed them around before speaking, leaving them wondering what he was going to say to them.
‘A patent is a right granted by the Government to inventors or companies in return for disclosure of an invention,’ he began solemnly. ‘It stops other people using it for a period of time which does not exceed twenty years. One has to file a full description of the invention including the definitions sought to be protected and they need to be filed with the Government patent office.’
‘We know all that,’ countered Jack curtly. ‘What are you trying to tell us?’
Baker hesitated before continuing. It was something quite counter to anything that he had done before and he didn’t want to spoil it by blurting out his intentions.
‘I’ve received an application for a patent from Universal Energy,’ he went on. ‘It’s a cracker! If the theory works after testing, it’s value will be calculated in terms of trillions of pounds.’
‘So,’ interjected Dean, the youngest brother. ‘What’s new in the state of Denmark?’
The patent attorney screwed up his face as he came to the point. ‘I intend to delay the presentation of the patent for a couple of months and use it for our own benefit,’ he declared breathing heavily as he revealed his decision. ‘We can make a fortune out of it and retire to Bermuda or wherever you fancy. By the time we’ve finished, we’ll have enough money to last us five lifetimes.’
‘How do you make that out?’ asked Jack with an element of concern in his voice for he was a cautious man and very uncertain of the outcome.
‘We’ll sell the information to the highest bidder. Or better still, we’ll sell it to every bidder. It’s a commodity of great value... not something that’s competitive.’
‘What’s in this application that’s so fantastic?’ enquired Dean with an equal element of concern. It appeared to him that his eldest brother has lost his mind and had gone off the rails.
‘It’s a formula for a new heat process which will cut the cost of producing energy to a quarter of what it is today. Can you imagine how revolutionary that will be to the nations of the world. Do you realise how much money it will save? It’s being tested at present but if it works... well I don’t need to spell it out, do I?’
‘But what you’re suggesting is illegal,’ claimed Jack with a red alarm sounding at the back of his brain.
‘Well we’re going to have to tweak the law a little but it’s really no skin off anyone’s nose.’
‘Except Universal Energy,’ interjected the younger brother sharply. ‘They’re going to lose out if other people get their hands on it.’
‘They can afford it,’ countered the patent attorney easily. ‘And they’ll still have the process which they can sell to all and sundry,’
‘I don’t know,’ said Jack with great uncertainty. ‘We have a good business running here. Why do we need to rock the boat?’
The eldest brother sipped his coffee before replying. It appeared that he would have a harder time influencing his brothers than he had imagined. ‘Because it’s a win-win situation. No one will ever find out that we’re the one’s selling the project. Whoever buys the idea from us will need to develop it themselves anyway so we’d be completely out of the picture.’
‘But who would we sell it to?’ continued Jack reservedly.
‘How about starting with the Chinese? They’re the most up-and-coming developing nation which will need a great deal of energy in the future for their expansion. We could start there.’
‘We did have an agent called Ti Wong in Shanghai,’ suggested Dean. ‘Maybe he could help us.’
‘I wouldn’t trust him
as far as I could throw him,’ ventured Jack immediately. ‘He tried to screw us on that drill patent. No... we need to go to the top if its that important.’
‘Yes,’ agreed the patent attorney. ‘It looks like you’ll have to go to the Chinese embassy to sort this one out.’
‘We?’ challenged Jack quickly. It was the last thing he wanted to do.
‘Of course,’ replied his brother. ‘I can’t be seen to be dealing with anyone on the project.’
‘What happens if they refuse to do a deal?’ asked Dean point-blank in the same from of mind as his brother Jack.
‘You then go to the Russian Embassy, and if they don’t deal you visit the Indian Embassy and then the Brazilian one. Come on fellows! Someone will see the value of the project and want to have it for their nation,.’
‘It will set us against the law. We’ll be complicit criminals,’ uttered Jack, very unhappy about the idea.
‘No one will be able to find out who was responsible, I assure you,’ retorted Baker becoming a little irate to the adverse attitude of his siblings. ‘As I said, it’s a win-win situation.’
‘Well if it’s a fait accompli, I presume you’ll want us to start selling the idea as soon as possible,’ ventured Dean knowing immediately what the answer would be.
‘Immediately,’ came the answer. ‘We’ve got to start the ball rolling as quickly as possible. I’m going to rely on you two to undertake the negotiations for obvious reasons,’ the senior partner told them. ‘I’m sure tgat once I’ve given you all the details you’ll be able to pull it off.’
The two younger brothers finished their drinks and then stood up to leave the room.
‘Are you absolutely sure about this?’ demanded Jack miserably truly concerned that they were going to break the law. ‘I mean we’re putting our necks in a noose. If one smidgeon of proof is placed in our direction, we’ll be closed down and go to jail for fraud and complicity.’
‘Trust me,’ continued the elder brother. ‘You have nothing to worry about. Just bring home the bacon! As I said it’s a win-win situation.’