Without Wrath (Harbinger of Change Book 3)

by Timothy Jon Reynolds

  Elizabeth and J.P. left the room to go sit in the lobby and let the two of them talk. J.P. felt just about as insignificant as he felt when Elizabeth left him for this same man. Now he was being excused from conversations with someone he called his daughter as well, but now things seemed to have changed and he was treated more like uncle or something.

  After they were gone, Jerome pulled up a chair and looked at his daughter and said, “Okay, what have you gotten yourself into now?”

  Jerome listened to an amazing tale, one that shocked and scared him as the story unfolded. She was truly lucky to be alive. He also saw that one level of naiveté had been removed, as his darling little star had become jaded just a little more than she had been, but wiser too. She wanted more money and time, but his fear was that Elizabeth might have a breakdown worrying that something like this or worse would happen to her again. Lauren was convincing and compelling, and in the end, he was convinced she was unstoppable. So he had the choice to either get on board to help her or he was going to have to get out of her way. She may not have been born to his blood, but she was surely his daughter in traits.

  Today he had to admit that J.P. had left his mark on the girl, too, giving her a sensitivity that was unique to her personality. He would have to remind the man of that. She would heal and she would find her bank account full again when she got out.

  Jerome already had her transferred here to this private hospital; she just didn’t know it yet. His only problem was going to be the two in the hall, although the calm truth was usually the best way to handle things. They would have to adjust to the fact that Lauren was a warrior and she would fight to survive. And he was confident that she would survive. Jerome contemplated his daughter and realized that revenge was the fuel that had kept her fire lit, but it was the type of tenacity it took to sustain such a fire that was more interesting to him. Put to other uses, it could become quite a force in his world.

  He had many, many millions, and he would be damned if he saw this precious gift in his life killed here in this third world abomination. That was why he went to a CEO friend of his who had needed some elite protection after 2008. His firm had been targeted as a possible source of management misuse of retirement funds. Ever since, he’d had to have some tight security as he had a big target on his back, albeit truly not earned, as he was an honest man.

  Jerome was referred to Depee Protection Services, and a referral was the only way one could get an appointment. Once referred, one had to be vetted, as things got ugly in their world very quickly. The word discreet was priority here, as they were often covertly found on foreign soil and needed to remain anonymous to the world. Depee Protection didn’t cover Rock Stars or deal with the paparazzi; they specialized in protecting rich people’s family interests. Oftentimes children of the rich did foolish things and needed a guardian angel. So Jerome thought, yes, she was free to carry on her business, but she’ll do it with a shadow.

  Jerome listened to her finish, kissed her on the head, and assured her that he would support her and would do as she requested. He left to go get Elizabeth and J.P. so they could all talk together, but he would have a small private talk first, intent on setting their minds a little more at ease.

  * * *

  Robert Leme walked into the meeting and all the chattering voices quieted. It was just about one year ago that he had walked into a similar meeting, but that time the voices didn’t stop.

  His team of ten was working on the follow-up game to his Internet sensation, Top of the Heap. The follow-up game was also a Sim game, but with a unique concept. Like most Sim games, a virtual city was built, down to the last detail.

  On opening day, the city would open up and it would be a “free for all” thing. Players would need to keep their characters health up, as well as all other aspects of living. The key here was balance. Once you had secured the job you wanted (you had to click it and apply for it), your job responsibilities would immediately pop up. Then you’d have to do the same for living quarters because if you didn’t rest correctly, then drones in the game would randomly meet you on the street and ask, “Are you’re okay?” If you continued to get that message when you met certain drones, usually street vendors, it was a sign that your character was not balanced in some way. You needed to eat and rest, and if you continued to neglect yourself, then your game character would collapse and need to be hospitalized.

  The city and game were designed for a cap of half a million people, but that would also include an eight percent unemployment rate. Once the jobs and housing were filled, you could turn to the game’s Social Services to help out. But if you had any chance of winning, you had to stay balanced so drones would give you information instead of asking if you were okay.

  Hidden inside the new game would be ten thousand drones, each placed in a different capacity around the city. Of the ten thousand, only eight of them would have a code. There was a code building downtown, next to City Hall, and all one needed was any five of the eight drone codes. The only problem was you had to truly be resourceful as the codes were very difficult to obtain—one drone might be a traffic cop, or a waitress, or even a killer in prison looking for pen pals.

  The code building was out of place in downtown, as it was ornate in the way of a golden palace. The walkway to the entrance was paved in gold and led to a front door that didn’t exist. All that stood was a sealed entryway with a single screen and keypad. Each player was limited to twenty tries per a player’s life, and no more.

  The first two people to gain entrance to the building were going to be awarded a seat on the, “Counsel of Power.” Those two would also win a very grand prize in the real world: $100,000.

  There were eight chairs at the table for the Counsel of Power, but there were only two openings as part of game, as the rest of the counsel chairs were already filled. Once the two seats were filled, the community they rose from would hold an election to decide which one got the grand prize of one million dollars. With one week allowed for campaigning, the two prospects had to go out and get other gamers to vote.

  People who stayed in the game and interacted in the election process would randomly be awarded thousand dollar prizes, so it paid to stick around even if you didn’t win one of the chairs. They were handing out over two hundred thousand dollars. And whoever got the most votes would win the million.

  The video drones would only give you the information if you did something to impress them, or forced them, as they were designed to crack under duress. Duress was the key word, as rough prodding would yield you nothing, and some drones were designed to fight back. If that happened, you’d need to go to the hospital and get re-balanced.

  As in the real world, there were good sides and bad sides to the video town with drones placed throughout. One could choose any path one wanted, as all the jobs were open within the city. Once the game started, it was a free for all, yet within the game, the current laws of the U.S regulated life.

  A person could be killed. If that happened, then the person who did the killing would either get away with it or get caught, as in the real world. There was a prison in the game, staffed by jailers and wardens, etcetera. Justice would be meted only if a witness testified, and it took multiple witnesses to convict for a prison term. The victim would have the ability to resurrect himself as anyone they chose, complete with all previously saved data.

  The only stipulation was you couldn’t bear witness against your attacker if you died. If you did not die, then of course, you could claim the attack. Murdering others will not likely win you the game, unless maybe you became a prison gang leader and used your tendrils to do your game work. But even then, you would be sharing info with other players.

  Consequently, it was also possible that the code you needed was being held by a criminal and you chose to take the honest route and become a cop. Then your street smarts might earn you the respect you need to get the code . . . or just the opposite, you might alienate yourself and never get it. It was advisable to
not make enemies, for cooperation was the key to winning the game. But one could try any route, it was a free-will game after all.

  However, if one went the bad route, there was a perk. Any drone that was imprisoned for more than one minute would reveal its code to get away, as drones could not be kept prisoner for more than a minute in order to keep the game fluid. Of course, that path could just as easily get you hospitalized for messing with the wrong drone. If one chose this route, you could also build street cred and gain fighting ability to take less damage from an attack drone.

  Naturally, the news of this follow-up game had built momentum, as it was similar to Top of the Heap, but different in the biggest way possible. This game was going to offer two executive jobs as a perk of winning.

  Robert Leme had started with four programmers, then he expanded to eight, and now it was nine, down from ten because of a bad egg.

  The day he walked into the meeting and the buzzing didn’t stop was because an associate he’d hired had figured out his neurosis and had begun to manipulate it in little ways. Like all bullies, he tested his waters and when he perceived he could get away with anything he wanted, he took it as a sign of weakness of Robert’s and he decided to try to take over as the boss.

  Robert was already sick of Craig Mathews’ mouth, as he could hear his too loud voice from everywhere in the building and it annoyed him to no end. Of course, Craig didn’t realize that Robert had an ace in the hole as of late, one that gave him some much needed real world strength now, strength that he’s never possessed before he’d met Melvin.

  That day he sat down, fully expecting the meeting to come to a reasonable quiet; but it didn’t. Craig kept telling a story about himself in some bar arguing with a drunken patron, even when Robert cleared his throat. Craig actually raised one hand and proceeded to finish the story to the discomfort of the associate seated next to him. Robert had had enough. He had a new sense of power since he hired Melvin.

  Their encounter was chance, but Robert likened it to serendipity. It was months before, and he was driving through his old neighborhood for some morbid reason. As he was sitting in front of his old house letting the memories flood back, he suddenly saw something across the street. He saw Melvin come out of the Runnels residence. He then realized after watching this huge, sad man that Gerry Runnels had at least one more victim he had permanently damaged—and that was his little brother, Melvin.

  Little brother was an oxymoron as he was just slightly smaller than a tractor-trailer. He stood probably close to six foot seven and had to weigh three hundred plus pounds, yet he was not fat per se. He was country boy large and by the looks of it, forlorn. This neighborhood had a way of doing that if one stayed in it too long. He remembered Melvin from his 4th grade class, a simple child who was not the smartest but not the dumbest kid in the class either. Robert remembered that Melvin never picked on him directly, although he was present while it was going on, and laughed when it was time to laugh, yet somehow Robert always felt Melvin had been just going along.

  In the boldest move he could remember ever making, Robert got out of his car and walked over to talk to Melvin. At first Melvin was stunned to see Robert because he said if he were Robert he “never would have come back to this place again.”

  They got to know each other that day, and Robert found out why he was forlorn. He had lost both his parents in the course of the previous two months. Without warning, he was left all alone in the world to try to fend for himself, yet he had never even learned to cook. He was eating out of cans.

  Melvin went from having a family of four to just himself in just a few short years—he was now alone. Before the day was over, Melvin was alone no more, as he was now working for Robert as his new limo driver. Well at first he was, but then it became more. Now he was also an important member of the office staff and a self-appointed bodyguard.

  Their business was in a very closed environment; even the mailman used the slots on the office door. Their office was entered “by appointment only.” Melvin became Robert’s ability to deal with the outside world and became the fixer of all Robert’s direct people interaction problems. As a result, Robert was no longer invisible and no longer afraid to go out.

  Of all the things that bonded them that day, nothing was more binding than the fact they were both the perpetual victims of the same bully; Gerry literally dominated their lives, and poor Melvin had to live with him.

  Fortunately, Robert hadn’t come out of the ordeal with any lasting mental damage. His complex was mostly of the physical variety, not that they didn't torture him emotionally, but he hated the pain of being hit. Not so for Melvin. Apparently, Gerry had learned his cruelty from their dad, and from the time he could remember, Melvin was called stupid, beaten, and basically ridiculed on a consistent basis. Melvin got beat plenty of times, but he could take that. It was the degrading message of his stupidity that was what damaged him the most.

  Truthfully, Robert found him to be just like he was in school, not the smartest, but not the dumbest by far. After a very short time in Robert’s constant company, his intelligence level went up as much as Robert’s confidence in the real world had, and that was a whole lot. They had a truly symbiotic relationship.

  Although he still felt stupid inside, Melvin had figured out that his physical presence was enough in most circumstances to deter any words from outsiders hurting him. And he had no problem punching someone’s lights out. Robert thought how lucky that must be as his own stature was such that a mouse could provide shade for him.

  That fateful day, Robert was finally convinced that Craig was a bully of the highest order, and that was when his hand hit the buzzer. Robert called for Melvin to please come in and escort Mr. Mathews out of the building, as he was no longer employed there. That stopped the meeting right away, and Craig said in a condescending voice, “You’ve got to be kidding me, Robert, you’re not firing me for finishing a story, are you?”

  Robert’s voice did not crack as he replied, “No, Craig, I’m firing you for being a bully and worse, for being disrespectful to me, the man who writes your check.” Melvin walked in and stood by Craig.

  Robert had never seen Craig lose his cool in such a way, but he was definitely a scared little boy in the shadow of the giant Melvin. “Oh, I get it, you can’t do things yourself so you have your goon here do it for you.”

  “No Craig, that is wrong, I’m doing it right here, right to your face and if you refer to Melvin as a goon again, I’m afraid you will regret that, as he might make that accusation a reality for you.” Robert gave a knowing smirk. “Melvin has told me several times that he doesn’t like you, Craig, as you are nothing but a condescending turd to him. Now you will please give him your keys, ID, and company credit card so we can move on with our meeting.” Robert finally added, “Your last check will be sent to your house tomorrow.”

  Craig tried to think of a way out of the situation he’d just created with his arrogance, but there was none, so he did what all bullies do when they’re out of options, he made a threat. The threat was one of getting a lawyer to file suit and that was all Robert needed to hear. On his order, Melvin then unceremoniously bounced Craig onto the street like a good doorman would do to a bum. One minute he was a programmer on the hottest game cart going, the next he was on the street, literally. The effect was stunning on the other nine, and now when he walked into a meeting, it got very quiet very fast.

  He looked at his group and asked the question, “How long before we can get this up with my new modifications?” The group had apparently chosen Cole Wyman as their spokesperson and it wasn’t a bad idea as Cole was one of his original four and Robert liked him.

  Cole cleared his throat, “We think that your request of thirty days will push everyone to the very limits, maybe mistakes will get made.”

  Robert looked around the room of uncertain faces. It sucked to be in their shoes. One minute they were riding a cruise ship called the Robert Leme Gravy Train Ocean Liner and the next C
aptain Quig was weighing the strawberries. Each and everyone one of them at the table thought he was going Howard Hughes on them and they were terrified to hear what was next.

  Robert answered, “Your point is well taken Cole, but in the time you’ve all worked here you have never been taken to task. Sure, we’ve worked hard and accomplished much, but we’ve never really had a serious deadline. Those days are over, as this company is my dream, my vision, and you are all simply helping me accomplish my goal.” His voice was cracking with emotion.

  Melvin sat his tea down next to him; then retreated into the corner where he sat back and watched. It was his way of reminding his friend that he was there to support him and he could do this. He could make them follow his dream or get out of the way.

  Cole spoke the question that had to be asked, “Why do this, Robert? We’re days from releasing our hugely anticipated second game and you throw this curveball? Why Robert? What’s really going on?”

  Robert stared hard at Cole, “I’m only going to say this once more, so you better all be listening. This is not a democracy. You are here because of me, and you have jobs because I started this company.” He rose from his chair and placed his fists on the table. “When it is said and done, this will eclipse our wildest dreams. But I will not have a naysayer in my midst.” He pointed to Craig’s empty chair which he had never refilled and said, “He’s gone because he didn’t believe in me, and anyone else who doesn’t believe in me can get one year’s salary as a payout right now, no questions asked, and then they are out forever. Now is your time, who wants it, tax free even, I will pay Uncle Sam for you?“

  When no one raised a hand he then let them all know that anyone staying would be getting a 10% raise, and he further let them know that only real loyalty would be rewarded in this house.