Chapter Fourteen
Hidden Valley, Tennessee – A relative small community in the midst of the Bible
Belt consisting of a few thousand average American citizens living near the
base of the Appalachian mountains and one of very few places where land was
cheap, the air’s clean, and the cost of labor continued to be affordable.
For those reasons and a few more, in the mid-90’s it also became the home of one of the top ten software companies within the continental U.S. – Krypton Software.
“This has to be God’s country,” Allen Sharp, the company’s CEO declared the moment he arrived at their new ultra-high tech headquarters. “The panoramic view outside looks identical to a Bob Ross mountain scene, it’s absolutely breathtaking.”
And so it was.
*****
However today, an early spring Tuesday, things were different. Even though picturesque blue skies still surrounded the company’s exterior, deep within the steel walls and dark tinted glass of Titan Industries biggest competitor, a major storm was brewing – and it appeared lightning would soon be striking one of company’s most dedicated employees.
“Phillip!” Ray screamed, turning toward him as error code 666 started to repeatedly flash across the middle of his screen – exactly 10 seconds from the time he inserted the DVD the security employee handed him. “The kids’ game’s encrypted! You do have the password, don't you?”
Phillip cowered deeply within his seat. “I’m sorry, Ray. I don’t,” he replied, as his boss grimaced. “It took me a lot longer than expected to locate Gibsonville’s Office Skills classroom and find Tim’s computer. And soon after I did and was able to locate the files on his hard drive – I discovered someone had apparently seen me and called the cops.”
“Oh?” Ray's hazel-colored eyes narrowed, and if it could have been humanly possible, Phillip was sure he would be seeing more steam escaping from his boss's ears than what would pour out of a teakettle at a full boil. “And what exactly gave you that impression?”
“When I glanced out of the classroom windows, shortly after locating Plutonium’s Revenge – I noticed a Guilford County Patrol stationed directly in front of the school, and it was turning its blue lights on. Therefore, I didn’t have a choice but to make a fast copy of the kid’s game and hightail it away from there – before I got arrested.”
Ray frowned as he leaned back in his rocker.
“So in other words … our highly trained professional corporate espionage officer happened to see a county deputy – who most likely was about to chase someone who had run the red light at Joyner and Church. And he got scared and ran before doing everything he needed to do to get the job done – without even bothering to check if the cop was even after him. … Correct?”
Phillip’s cheeks turned a few shades of crimson. “That’s not exactly the way it was, Ray. I’m not that stupid.”
“You're not?” Ray chuckled as he gazed toward the ceiling and rolled his eyes. “Then please tell me, Mr. Moron Emeritus, why in heaven’s name did you drive all the way back to Tennessee with a DVD full of encrypted files … without having the security password?”
Quickly studying the multiple creases now showing on his boss’s forehead, Phillip knew Ray had surmised exactly what happened in Gibsonville, and he needed to find a way to wiggle out of this mess. Otherwise…
What can I say without getting myself fired? And if I did get fired, how would I be able to support my wife and kids? Without consciously realizing what he was doing, Phillip gulped. I must come up with something. And quick.
Just as he was about to speak, his boss's phone resounded – and a smile seemed to migrate across his boss’s lips as the conversation continued.
“You found out what?” Ray replied, sliding his phone over to his good ear.
With the look on his boss’s face – his eyes, now brightly shinning and a subtle licking of the lips, Phillip didn't know who it was on the other end of the line – but, he could tell that whatever they were telling Ray, it must be something awfully good. His boss wasn’t known for getting overly excited – unless, he was presented with a real game changer.
“So. What was that all about?” Phillips asked, the moment his boss terminated the call.
Ray looked at him and deliberately hesitated. It was almost as if he wasn’t quite sure he was ready to relay this new bit of information to the idiotic pinion sitting in front of him. Thus, for a second, he only gazed at Phillip and chuckled.
What Charles informed him regarding the background check he did on Carl Thompson was definitely good news. Krypton Software could now easily get the password they needed to get access to the game's encrypted files or obtain an unencrypted copy of the Gibsonville’s Computer Club’s program.
In utilizing this newly found information, if the Gibsonville Office Skills Instructor had plans to maintain his position on the school’s staff – from this moment on, not only would he be willing to cooperate with the company's upcoming request; most likely, he would also be willing to hand over whatever game Paul and Tim might develop during the next four years they were in school. … That is, if Paul Pontiac somehow overcame the odds currently facing him and escaped death.
But for now – the question at hand was, did he really want to let Phillip off the hook after majorly screwing up. After all, his pinion should have done the job correctly. And if he had done so, this complex scenario would never have been necessary. They would have already had a workable copy of the computer club’s game, and its modifications would have started on schedule.
Phillip has not only wasted a lot of company money; he wasted something even far more important – company time, Ray thought as he turned and gave the cockroach a hard stare.
“I believe we have something useful in light of your inexplicable screw up,” Ray eventually admitted. “Unlike yourself, your best friend, Charles, not only knows how to get a job done, he gets it done right the first time.”
“Oh?” Phillip presented his boss with a pathetic smile, while briefly glancing at the smirk on Ray’s face. There was no doubt about how much his superior was enjoying this.
“That’s right, helplessly hopeless. While you were busy wasting the company's valuable time and money, I asked Charles to begin a background check on Carl Thompson. And what Charles thinks he’s uncovered sounds like something I would classify as being rather interesting.”
“Really?” Phillip yelped, almost jumping out of his chair. “Is he gay, an ex-felon, or something else just as useful?”
Ray looked at the Phillip and mischievously grinned. “Not quite. But seems to be something we definitely can use.”
“Oh?” Phillip maintained his stern expression.
Ray nodded, affirmatively – then proceeded to stare at his pinion, as if he’d like to shoot a guided missile directly through the center of his obviously hallowed skull. “In light of this new development, Phillip,” he began, before briefly pausing. “I want you to head back to your office and carefully examine what Charles has found. … Should it be anything even halfway near what your co-worker has described, I believe we might be able to nail Carl Thompson once and for all – despite your moronic blunder. OK?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now get that scrawny ass of yours out of here!”
*****
And as Carl began his seemly three-mile journey back to his cubicle, within Duke Medical Center – which was located inside Durham, N.C. city limits, Paul slept as a peaceful darkness slowly engulfed him.