“We are connected, sir.” Charles said to Roger.
“Put it on the wall.” Charles keyed the command into the comm panel. The wall lit up with Adam’s smiling face.
“Send them back!” Roger yelled.
“Who?” Asked Adam, calmly.
“The specimens!” Spat Roger. “And that damned traitor, Jonah!”
“Roger. You must calm down. You are not the young man you once were.”
“And neither are you, you son of a bitch. You’re not a man at all. I said, send them back.”
“And if I refuse?” Adam again responded calmly.
“Then you have just received your last shipment of Promethium.” Roger said defiantly, as he played his ace card.
“And what if I said that we no longer need it. What if I said, you can keep it.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Am I Roger? Am I bluffing?” Adam still smiled, as Roger began to fume with anger.
“This is ridiculous!” He yelled. “I am the Premier, and I said-”
“Wait. Let me remind you, Roger. You are the Premier of New Sebastian. You have no authority here in Speros.”
“Speros, my ass! I don’t care what made up name you gave to that stupid factory. It was designed to provide for New Sebastian, and it will continue to do so, even if it means killing every last one of you.”
“Roger, violence is not the answer.” Adam said calmly. “It is true that we no longer require your shipments, but we are quite willing to continue to provide you with the things that you need.”
“At what cost?”
“No cost at all. But my new friends will remain here.”
“That is unacceptable. They belong to me and I want them back. Immediately!” Roger said, as he slammed his good hand down on the desk.
“I am afraid that the matter is not negotiable.”
“You’re damn right it’s not negotiable. Now put their asses on that ship, and flip the switch!”
“No.”
“No?” Roger asked incredulously. “No? You dare to tell me? The Premier? No?”
“I am sorry, Roger. Am I speaking a language that you are unfamiliar with?”
“You son of a bitch.”
“Have you never been told no before?”
“If you don’t send them back right away-”
“What, Roger?” Adam asked calmly, as his smile diminished. “What will you do?”
“I’ll…I’ll…”
“You’ll do what exactly, Roger?”
“I’ll activate the failsafe program!” Roger said defiantly. Adam’s expression went blank, and his head dipped slightly. Then he raised his chin, and his smile returned.
“The answer is still no.”
“I swear it, Adam! I will activate it!”
“Then so be it.”
“You know what will happen! You know that you all will die!” Roger yelled. Adam nodded.
“I cannot protect you from yourself, Roger. I am only glad that your father is not there to see the man you have become.”
“Damn it! You are only there, only alive, due to the stupendous mistakes made by my idiot father. He should have listened to me. I told him to kill you!” Spittle flew from Roger’s mouth in his tirade. “I am your Premier, and you will obey my command.” Adam’s smile faltered.
“Alas. I had suspected as much.” He shook his head sadly. “Premier or not, Roger, you will never be the man that your father was.” Roger leapt from his chair, and knocked it over in the process. He grabbed his comm device from the desk.
“Go to hell!” He yelled, and threw the device with fury against the video wall. It burst into pieces and the wall went blank. “That son of a bitch!”
“Sir-”
“Kiss my ass, Charles! How dare that bastard say-”
“Sir!” Charles yelled.
“What?” Roger spat out.
“The rejuvenation procedure is ready.”
“I don’t have time for that now, you idiot!” He bent down and yanked open his desk drawer. He ripped the secret panel loose, and opened the security compartment. “I’ll show that son of bitch who’s in charge.” He grabbed a handful of envelopes, and threw them on the desk. He pawed through them, and knocked some to the floor. He finally grabbed one and held it up. “See how you like this, you bastard!” He clenched the top of the envelope with his teeth, and tore it open. “Get my comm unit!” he yelled at Charles.
“It appears to be broken, sir.” He said as he held up part of the shattered device.
“Give me yours!” Charles handed over his unit. Roger fumbled with it, as he balanced it with his injured hand and tried to access the data slot with the other. He almost dropped it. “Help me, damn it.” Charles stepped over and held the unit, while Roger inserted the data chip. The display came alive, and requested a password. He began to key in the series of digits.
“Voice recognition activated.” The device replied.
“Premier. Level one. Failsafe Activation.”
“Processing.” The device replied. “Level one, confirmed. Level two.”
“Premier. Level two. Failsafe Launch.”
“Processing. Level two, confirmed. Final stage.”
“New Sebastian. Final stage. Initiate.” Roger said as a smile crept across his face. “Processing. Final stage, confirmed. Failsafe Launch sequence has been initiated.” Roger flipped his chair upright with his foot, and handed the device back to Charles. He sat down slowly.
“Let rejuvenation know that I will be down in an hour.” He sat up in his chair, as his smile became broader and he leaned back and placed his hands behind his head. “This should all be over by then.”
Chapter 47
Immortal Page 46