by Stan Mason
The ambassador stared at him acidly, his icy cold eyes ostensibly penetrating their minds.
‘You have the formula and all the details I presume,’ he went on thoughtfully.
‘We have all of them,’ Jack told him beginning to see a smidgeon of light at the end of the tunnel.
‘I presume you’ve come here to obtain money for this information. How much do you want?’ came the next request.
‘It’s a very valued project which could save your country many billions... ’
‘I am not interested in your observations, Mr. Baker,’ snapped the ambassador. ‘I want to know how much you’re asking for the information!’
‘We thought that somewhere in the region of a million pounds for the exclusivity would be a fair sum. It has great potential, You could even sell it on to other countries,’ muttered Dean, biting his lower lip after he had said the words.
Wi Chung sat back in his chair somewhat shocked at the demand. These men had come to him with an idea and they intended to rape the Chinese government for a massive amount of money and it appalled him.
‘I’ve no need to remind you that this theory is as yet untested,’ he spat angrily. ‘How could you ever hope to get such a sum of money on a whim?’
‘It has tremendous potential,’ repeated the younger brother. ‘Great potential!’
‘And great nothing if the test does not come through. No, gentlemen. I don’t think we can pay that sort of money to such an idea whether it might work or not. There is too much doubt... too much hope in the idea. I suggest you either drop your demand or go someone else and bargain with them. However, I fear you’ll get the same result wherever you go.’
Jack screwed up his face in annoyance. The bargaining was going to be much tougher than he had imagined. ‘How much are you willing to offer?’ he enquired, feeling his heart thumping like a drum in his chest.
The Chinaman failed to reply for quite some time and Jack felt a singing in his ears in the silence that prevailed. Then the ambassador leaned forward with a definite expression on his face that he was willing to deal.
‘I will offer you five thousand pounds which I think is far in excess of what the theory is worth at the present time.’
‘Five thousand pounds!’ gasped Dean in disbelief. ‘Only five thousand pounds.’
‘There is also one condition,’ declared the official brusquely. ‘I want the sole rights of the process if the testing proves positive. ‘If it doesn’t, you’ve gained five thousand pounds for nothing.’
‘And what will you pay us if the test is successful?’ asked Dean sharply, angry that the initial office had been so low in value.
‘That we will have to negotiate at the time,’ replied Wi Chung blandly.
‘Come on!’ continued the younger brother irately. ‘It’ll be too late for us then. You’ll have developed it and will just wave goodbye to us without further payment. That’s not fair.’
‘I’m trying to be fair,’ stated the official.
‘I don’t think we can accept an offer as low as that,’ remarked Jack curtly. He was truly disappointed to have been offered such a low figure.
‘You really have nothing to bargain with,’ returned the ambassador calmly, staring coldly at both men. ‘Untested product... simply a theory... unproven... belonging to someone else... no, you have nothing at all.’
‘Just think of all the savings that will be made,’ insisted Jack, trying to keep up the momentum. ‘Trillions. Trillions.’
‘Or nothing if it doesn’t work,’ came the response. ‘If you do not intend to accept my offer, you’re wasting my time.’
‘How about a higher offer? Something more reasonable,’ suggested Dean, hopeful that the official might raise the ante.
The Chinaman paused to consider the matter more carefully, After all, the theory might prove to be successful and, if so, his reputation would soar in his country and perhaps even raise him to a higher level in authority.
‘I’ll make you a higher offer,’ he said slowly, ‘but it will not be very much more. I’ll go to ten thousand pounds. If it doesn’t suit you now, you can think it over and come back to me when you’ve made your decision.’
Jack took a business card from his pocket and placed it on the desk in front of the other man,
‘I think we’ve spoken enough,’ he said flatly. ‘You know our proposition, If you change your mind, don’t hesitate to contact us.’.
The ambassador picked up the card and stared at it, ‘Patent agents... hm!’ he muttered. ‘I wonder whether you’re empowered to sell this theory. Are you not acting illegally?’
The brothers failed to reply to the question. They had been humiliated enough. There was nothing more to say so they left the Embassy with their tails between their legs. They had not bargained to learn that negotiations would be quite so tough and the offer of such a low figure for the information appalled them. They were forced to go back to their elder brother to tell him about their failure to achieve their initial aim. Almost certainly, he would refuse to allow them to continue any discussions with the Chinese and advise them to go to the Russian Embassy to see whether they could achieve what they wanted.
Without question, Alan Baker was less than pleased to hear the news and he slammed his hand down on his desk in anger at the paltry amount offered.
‘Ten thousand... for a project of such potential!’ he yelled at the top of his voice. ‘What the hell were they thinking.’ He paused to reflect the situation for a few moments. ‘They’re trying to negotiate us down to a low level. I bet they’ll go to a hundred grand on this one at least without even blinking but they’re not going to kow-tow to us at the initial stages of discussion. It’s going to be a war of attrition.’
‘You’re not expecting us to go back again, are you?’ cut in Dean. It had been an experience which he would rather forget and he regretted having voted in favour to the action in the first place.
‘Let them stew for a while,’ suggested the senior partner. ‘What we need is for them to find out that someone else, possibly another nation is interested in buying it from us. That’ll stimulate their thoughts and loosen their purse.’
‘How do we do that?’ asked Jack.
‘Simple,’ returned the patent attorney, ‘ you go to other embassies and make them the same offer. Then they’ll have to bid against each other for the project.’
Jack sat back in his chair and sipped coffee from a plastic cup before considering the situation. His life had been so pleasant carrying out simple tasks in the office. Now he was on a mission to go out into the field to try to influence people from other countries into buying the theory for a massive amount of money. Like Dean, he was now sorry to have agreed to pursue this aim but there was no way he could deny his elder brother having agreed to participate in the illegal action.
‘Well, Dean,’ he said to his younger brother. ‘It looks like we’ve got our work cut out. Any idea what Good Morning is in Russian?’
Dean shrugged his shoulders aimlessly. ‘We’d better brush up I suppose. A million pounds is a lot of money. It looks like we’re going to have to work hard for it.’
They left the office and Jake took his younger brother aside.
‘Is this really the route we want to take?’ he asked with concern in his voice.
‘What do you mean?’ retorted Dean.
‘We have a good practice going here. Why do we need to put our heads in a noose?’
‘Alan said there was no danger.,’ returned the younger brother easily.
‘But what if he’s wrong. Can we really take the chance. What we’re doing is criminal. We’re stealing!’
‘I’m putting my trust in him,’ declared Dean solemnly. ‘He knows what he’s doing.’
‘Don’t you think his mind’s clouded on this
issue?’
‘Maybe... I don’t know. We’ve got to back him up on this.’
‘Even though it’s criminal.?’
‘Especially because it’s criminal.’ Dean was adamant at giving his eldest brother his support. This was no time for negative thinking.
Jack shrugged his shoulders and turned away. ‘Well... let’s get on with it then.’ He was still very uncertain about the mission but he felt outnumbered by his two brothers and therefore he had to go along with it. The two men rallied their thoughts and they left for the Russian Embassy without delay. No doubt the officials there would be as equally inscrutable as the Chinese ambassador. Whatever the outcome, it was clearly a mission that was never going to be any fun!
***
Not surprisingly, Bob Harris received a telephone call at the laboratory a few days later. The scientist allowed the instrument to ring for a while because he believed that he knew the identity of the caller and he realised it was a conversation he was not going to relish. Eventually, he clenched his teeth and picked up the receiver gingerly.
‘Harris!’ he barked sharply, closing his eyes as he hoped it was someone other than the ex-convict.
‘Bob,’ came the voice at the other end. ‘The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.’
‘What do you want, Jake,’ he uttered tiredly knowing full well the demand that would be made of him,
‘Time’s moving on, Bob, and you haven’t complied with my wishes. I think we ought to have another little talk.’
‘I’m tired of talking to you!’ snapped Harris irately. ‘Why don’t you leave me alone?’
‘Well it’s not just you, is it? I mean your wife’s also part of the deal.’
‘How dare you!’ he shouted into the receiver. ‘How can you involve her in something like this? You ought to be ashamed of yourself, intimidating a helpless woman!’
Jake’s voice took on a very determined tone as he continued, ‘I’ll put it to you bluntly, Bob, You’re a couple... happily married from what I can see. What happens to you, happens to her.’
‘Is that a threat?’ The question was made conjoined with menace and alarm.
‘I don’t threaten, Bob. I never threaten. But I assure you that I always act or react according to the situation at hand. Do you get my meaning?’
‘I’m getting very tired of you, Jake, and I’m going to ask you not to bother me any more! I don’t want anything to do with you. Do you get my meaning?’
Jake paused for a few moments without losing his temper. ‘That’s not very nice, is it, Bob? Let me tell you it’s no bother. I kinda got to like you in an strange sort of way but business is business and you’ve something that I want. So when can I have that formula and the notes?’
‘I can’t give them to you at the moment. I’m working on it.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘All my papers have disappeared.’
There was a pause on the other end of the line. ‘Now that’s a shame but what’s it got to do with me?’
‘In addition, someone’s wiped all the details of the project from the computer. At the moment, I haven’t anything to give you.’
‘I didn’t come down with the last shower, Bob, You’re definitely pushing your luck,’ stated Jake starting to lose his temper. ‘What you’re telling me is one coincidence too many.’
‘The only thing I can do for you is to rewrite the formula and the notes from memory, but that’s going to take awhile. There were a lot of details and the idea was very complicated... out of the box you might say.’
There was another pause before Jake continue. ‘Then we’ve really got to have that talk.’
Harris pressed his lips together in annoyance., The man was exceeding arrogant but, worst of all, he was adamant. There had to be a way to stop him from being such a nuisance... a way to get him out of his life. He decided that he would concede to one more meeting with the man and that would be the final one, but he was determined it should be on his terms. ‘Okay,’ he muttered. ‘When?
‘I think now is a good time.’
‘I’m pretty busy right now. I’ve got a lot of things to attend to... ’
‘When I said now, Bob, I mean now! This is not a request... it’s an order!’
‘Will you stop calling me Bob!’ reacted the scientist. ‘You’re not my friend or colleague. Address me by my surname if you must!’ He was becoming very angry with the other man. It seemed that he was like a bear in a circus, forced to do things that he didn’t want to do and he didn’t like having to do the dance. The man was ruining his life by making constant demands and threatening him and his wife.
‘I’ll see you at your home in thirty minutes!’
‘No you won’t! I’m not coming. You can do what you like but I’m not coming. If you want to see me, make an appointment that’s suitable for both of us.’ He hardened his attitude refusing to allow the caller to stay at the helm.
‘Don’t get bolshie with me, Bob,’ related Jake with certainty in his voice. ‘I have someone here who might change your mind,’
There was a pause and then Rose could be heard on the line. ‘They brought me home from my mother’s, Bob,’ she told him weepily. ‘Please do what they say. I’m scared.’
The telephone was then wrenched away from her hand and the ex-convict came back on the line.
‘You see, Bob, I can be most persuasive when I need to be.’
‘You bastard!’ snapped the scientist. ‘You rotten bastard! You lay one finger on her and I’ll have your guts for garters! I swear it! I’ll swing for you!’
‘They’ve done away with hanging murderers, Bob,’ laughed the other man calmly,’You know it won’t come to that. See you in thirty minutes otherwise I can’t claim to be responsible for anything I do, if you get my meaning.’
Harris replaced the receiver into its cradle trying to keep control of his temper. They were using his wife as a lever against him again. It was disgraceful and he was determined it would be the last time they did so. Picking up his car keys, he went directly to the car park and drove home as fast as he could.
When he arrived there, he was faced by Jake and another man who was six feet three in height and very broad. His demeanour and size clearly indicated that he was a bouncer at one of the local nightclubs. There was no way the scientist could ever win a physical argument against him, that much was obvious. Rose was seated in an armchair completely unharmed and she stared at her husband when he came in.
‘They went to my mother’s house and took me out to their car but they haven’t hurt me.’
The scientist sighed with relief. ‘That doesn’t excuse them for abducting you against your will, does it? I could have you arrested for that!’
‘Take it easy, man,’ said Jake earnestly. ‘We had to do it otherwise you wouldn’t have come.’
‘You’re too right there,’ returned Harris bluntly.
‘What do you want to talk about? I thought we’d gone through everything the last time.’
‘I’ve called you here to explain our delicate situation,’ explained Jake calmly. ‘You see, I don’t work for myself. I’m not the one who wants the formula and all the details. My boss is the head of an organisation that exploits... no, let me rephrase that... that seeks opportunities to make money. He has lots of it but he always wants more. It’s a kind of obsession with him.’
‘What’s that got to do with me?’ cut in Harris quickly, staring at the big giant.
‘This thing is bigger than both of us put together.,’ the ex-convict told him. ‘When my boss says that he wants the formula and the accompanying notes, he gets them. Comprehend! So what I’m saying to you, is that you have to put all your thoughts of loyalty and duty to your present employer aside and join me in this wonderful venture that will mak
e both you and your wife very rich.’
Harris paused as his temper began to subside and a dozen thoughts ran through his head. ‘How do I know you’re telling the truth?’ he asked unwittingly,
‘What does it matter? One way or the other you’re going to have to give in. And if you don’t, your life will be hell,’
‘How do you make that out?’
‘Because your wife wants to be a millionairess and if you don’t comply with my request she will make your life hell.’
‘Very funny!’ snapped Harris irately, ‘I don’t think.’
‘You ask if I’m telling the truth, Don’t worry, you’ll get your cut in the end. My boss is a man of his word. So now you know the situation. You’re dealing with Mr. Big, not just with me. What do you say?’
‘I told you, the details on the computer were wiped out... ’
Jake held up his hand to stop the flow of excuses and nodded to his big colleague. The man left the room swiftly leaving the door open. Harris and Rose stared at his departing figure wondering where he was going but they had no idea what he intended to do.
‘Sorry to hear that, Bob,’ continued Jake slowly. ‘I had hoped that you would co-operate but it’s very clear you won’t. There’s something within you that stupidly resents anything I say and not even a million pounds in reward will change your mind. So I’ll have to revert to Plan B.’
‘Plan B? What’s that?’
‘Come with me... both of you,’ he invited turning on his heel and leaving the room to go into the kitchen.
Harris followed him with Rose following behind and they stood there staring at the big man. He had turned on one of the electric plates on the cooker and nodded to his partner in crime.
‘Give me your hand,’ said Jake solemnly.
‘What for?’ asked the scientist.
‘I said give me your hand!’ The order was going to have to be obeyed.
Harris stared at the hot plate which burned brightly and fear struck into his heart. It sensed that this was not going to end well for him and he hoped that they were just going to threaten him without causing him pain. As he hesitated, the big man grasped his hand solidly and pulled it towards the metal plate.