Executive Decisions (Rania Lark x Pazzo)

[Rania Lark]

That morning the office was abuzz with activity. The shareholder’s meeting was at ten and the research and development branch was in the hot seat. Olympia Holdings was at the forefront of cybernetic technology for the medical field. The company created limbs and organs that could be implanted in those terminal patients that needed transplants. The technology had eliminated the need for anti-rejection medications and finding viable donors.


That morning, Celeste Manning had arrived early to finalize some things prior to the meeting. Very few people were in the large office when she exited the elevator. She wore a pair of sky high patent leather stiletto heels that clicked menacingly on the floor with each step. Her skin tight pencil skirt hugged her feminine curves and descended to her knees. At her hips and over her shoulders she wore a simple black two button blazer with a lower cut, lace trimmed camisole beneath it. Her makeup was impeccable with simple eyes and a deep red lip. Her earrings were simple black drops while her long, straight brunette hair was pulled back in a harsh, slicked ponytail. She carried a simple black tote containing her laptop along with her cell phone and wallet.


Walking into her corner office, Celeste closed the large glass door behind her before taking a seat in the large leather executive chair. Once she was situated, she pulled out her laptop and cell phone before beginning her day. But it wasn’t to prepare for the shareholders meeting.


“Yes, I have the patent right here,” she spoke into the cell phone while typing out e-mails to Icarus Research; a competitor. “I will transfer the plans to you when the money is transferred. I will confirm after the shareholder’s meeting and will call to discuss my transfer to CAO of Icarus….Yes, the transfer will be encrypted on my end as well….No one will know….I’ve downloaded and backed up everything so nothing will be lost….let me know when the money is transferred….Thank you.”


She hung up the phone before shutting her laptop to continued her preparations on her desktop. Plugging in a USB memory stick, her perfectly manicured hands transferred the presentation to the stick for the shareholders. Once the presentation was transferred, she checked the clock. Five minutes before the meeting was set to begin. Unplugging the memory stick, Celeste stood up from her desk before exiting her office. As the head of research and development, she was to present the new products to the shareholders.


Her heels clicked as she walked down her hallway, her face stoic and focused as those that stood in her way quickly moved to the side to allow her to pass. Grabbing hold of the door handle she entered into the meeting, fully prepared to give her presentation before she was poised to destroy Olympia holdings to gain a promotion for herself.

 

[Pazzo]

Over looking the powerful, opulant, board room was another, smaller hidden room, placed just behind a two way mirror. Right now it was dark, as a hulking, shadowy figure observed the wealthy, powerful, and wholly ignorant host of investors filing in to take thier seat at the long, polished mahogany table.

The smaller room was lined with smaller computer monitors, each one flashing away at various data being collected from each of the shareholder's, to monitor thier attention, mood, and other various factors, to be relayed to the orator via wireless earpiece, so that he or she could adjust and change what she was speaking of at any given time.

Always about the profit, never about what research was being done, no how many lives they had improved dramatically with thier products and technology... His technology that he had developed...

The menacing figure's arm brought a smoldering ciggarette to his lips, whirring mechanically in a hushed manner as it did. The tobbacco glowed red for several seconds as the figure drew upon it, inhaling deeply, letting the smoke warm his cybernetic lungs.

They clicked as the allowed the nicotine to enter his bloodstream, stimulating his nerves... It felt almost euphoric. The powerful, brass fingers then entered the light, and flicked away the ash from the ciggarette into a red silicone ashtray on the desk before him.

The figure then leaned forward, into the dim light, revealing his handsome, middle aged face, sporting a look of pure, abject hatred. His mechanical eyes glowered an angry azure at the young upstarte who had entered the room.

The chief scientist for research and development clenched his jaw as his eyes started daggers at her through the reflective glass windows. He had been watching her for weeks now. Arlan had always had a bad feeling about her, and now he knew why.

Some of the lower level techs had come to him, asking of suspicious server activity, namely the drives where data on the HFS-12 project was kept. It was research on his latest project; a type of synthetic spleen that manufactured not only the basic blood cells the body needs, but hordes of tiny little microscopic robots that sought out and repaired damaged flesh within seconds.

Arlan had taken the data, and thanked the techs for thier attention to detail. He then swore them to secrecy, and assured them that he would handle it personally.

Arlan understood that the most important thing in your employees was loyalty. And so, rather than trying to rule them through fear and intimidation, he treated his research team well, like family and freinds. He was well liked in the company, from many of the investors, to the janitors that he would bring coffee and doughnuts every Monday.

Even this new executive smiled at him, and was very freindly, yet something about her that he couldnt explain made his synthetic adrenal glands squeeze...

Yes, she was attractive, but it was something else... And two days ago, he had found out what.

Her little plan was going nowhere. He would see to it personally.

As the last few people settled in to thier expensive, genuine leather boad room chairs, Arlan dimmed the lights to the meeting room, from the switchboard in front of him. Celeste began talking, but it didnt matter what, because a few seconds later, Arlan clicked on the feed to the view screens.

On the left were documents and paper trails of her web activity, as well as direct correspondances between Celeste and thier chief competitor, as well as a detailed summary stolen directly from her mobile device, which she had thought she had so carefully encrypted.

If that wasnt damning enough, on the other view screen was a short movie, showing the entire board of trustees exactly what she had just said on the phone a few minutes earlier. When the discussion was complete, the movie played the last few seconds over, and over...

"Let me know whenthe money is transferred..."

Arlan watched with pure, sadistic amusement as the boardmembers gasped and started grumbling. His eyes immediately went to Celeste, hungry to savor her pained reaction to this unexpected reveal of her planned Betrayal, and defection to Icarus...

 

[Rania Lark]

Celeste’s earpiece beeped slightly, indicating that the investors were poised and ready to hear her investment plan. She had lifted Olympia from the tiny cybernetic company on the brink of bankruptcy to one of the premier medical supply companies in the world. However, when she had recommended that they sell to the highest bidder, to walk away with a nice seven figure sum in her pocket, her plan had been denied. And that was where the new innovation came in.

Walking to the head of the table, her stiletto heels clicking on the dark stone floor, she laid the laptop down, pulling the lid open as she clicked a button on the side, illuminating the two way mirror with her presentation.

Just as she began, the lights dimmed in the room, cutting her off mid sentence. Celeste’s brows descended, narrowing her gaze to one of annoyance and anger at the incompetence of the IT staff. And then her presentation went black on the screen. Turning to the laptop, she began frantically typing, cursing all the support staff that had done all the audio visual work.

The entire room emitted an audible gasp as she didn’t notice at first what was happening as her private e-mails and conversations were displayed across the large mirrored surface behind her. Looking up, she bit her lip and stared at the others as their jaws dropped. Then, a familiar voice emerged from the speakers above the mirror. Celeste stopped dead in her tracks as she heard her own conversation with Icarus emerging into the room filled with investors and board members. Her angry expression turned to one of shock and humiliation as she stared at the president of the board and the CEO, both of whom were staring angrily at her.

“How dare you?” the President glowered, his hands curled into fists.

“Please, just let me explain…” Celeste stammered out but was cut off by the CEO, who stood up, his expression darkening.

“Get out,” he growled out, his hand extending to the door, “Clean out your office and get out.”

Celeste’s jaw dropped as she was escorted from the room. Once she was out of earshot of the men in the room, her expression darkened into one of furious anger. Her muscles tensed as security met her at her office. She was provided a box to fill with her personal effects before she was then escorted to the elevator.

The ride was silent as Celeste seethed in anger at being exposed to ruthlessly. She would find out who had done it and they would never work in the industry again. She was formulating a plan to expose whoever had betrayed her in her mind when the elevator beeped at the lobby, opening up into the busy, glass enclosed space, outside of which a black car waited on the street.

Celeste walked slowly, her head held high with the same confidence she had before her presentation, even as eyes shifted to stare at her walk of shame. Once outside, security remained at the door as the driver opened the trunk to take her box of belongings before placing them in the deep, felt lined opening. While he was doing that, Celeste walked to the back door, sliding into the black leather seats while the driver took up his position behind the wheel, starting the car and departing Olympia’s offices for good.

 

[Pazzo]

Arlan just stood there, dressed in his fitted chauffeur costume, keeping his chin tucked to hide his eyes from her. He likewise had shaved his beard so she would not recognize him, revealing his strong, square jaw. A hairline scar was seen to run from the corner of his mouth to the middle of his neck...

She would never look him in the eye anyway. She was an arrogant, corporate type, and felt she was above the common man. She likely felt feelings of anger and rage right now, rather than remorse. Such was part of the narcissistic profile he had unconsciously given her.

He could not see her face, but he could tell from the angry strides her sexy legs made, that she felt this was someone else's fault, rather than her own.

It all became clear now, what she had hired him on at Olympia, to help them increase thier value, just soo she could sell everyone's asses out from under them, and then take everything to a competitor for a higher salary.

He seethed in anger as he casually fit the cardboard box containing her belongings in the car's spacious trunk. The corner of his mouth turned up for a second as he thought of tossing her limp body into it, and knocking her in the head a few times with the tire iron.

But no. His plans for her would be much more satisfying. All he had to be was a little patient.
He then helped her into the backseat of the corporate car, and then closed the door behind her.

A certain finality crossed over his mind as he heard the car door's latches secure into place. Her last few moments as a free woman, and she had no idea what was happening.

He walked around to the driver's seat, and entered the vehicle. Celeste was more than likely ploting something along the lines of revenge, and might try to dial something from her cellular phone.

He just pushed the lock button on his car door panel, and heard the cars locks engauge. She was now his, at his mercy. The previous few days, he had prepared this car himself. He had welded special alloy inserts in all of the car's body panels, as well as a radiowave reflective coating on all of the windows. This would keep her mobile device from sending or reciving transmissions.

No one was aware of his plans, not even his closest supporters. This way no one could be implicated if he was caught. Most criminals had no plans to get caught. Arlan however always had a contingiency in place in the event something went wrong.

He was a scientist, not a criminal. If anything this was justice...

Arlan activated the bullet proof glass's tinting feature, darkening the windows from the outside.
He then drove the car off of the copanie's grounds, and then through the last security checkpoint, using a forged alias he had put in the company records days before...

He was then outside the company gates, on free soil. Arlan felt a surge of adrenaline and excitement flood his system. He then tossed his hat to the side, and turned around to face the former executive as she pouted in the backseat, through the plexiglass divider.

"Whats wrong Celeste?" He breathed to her in a menacing tone. "Did you not like my little presentation of how you planned to fuck us all over?" He said, in annoyance. He turned back around, and shook his head in disgust.

What she did next didnt matter. The back seat area of that car had no escape possible after all of his special modifications. No one could track them, as he left his mobile device at home on purpose. Thecar's GPS tracking module had been disabled, and Celeste's own device would not be able to transmit or recive any signals...

A few hours then went by, as he ignored her if she planned to talk. He could not hear her anyways over the radio...

After driving through beautiful, remote forests and countrysides, they came to what appeared to be a long since abandoned lumber mill complex, neatly hidden away from the city, and any main roads. It was largely forgotten, having closed down in the mid nineties.

Arlan had bought the land a while back, thinking to build his retirement home out here in a few years, but had just never gotten around to it. Not until he realized that the buildings here were in fairly good shape, they just needed a little tender loving care.

And so it was Dr Rosin had built a small army of robots that patrolled the grounds, maintianing the buildings, keeping them clean, and renovating them as the see fit. If anyone ventured too close to the grounds, they were simply rendered unconscious by an areal drone armed with tranquilizer darts. They then mysteriously awoke many miles away, next to a main road, in nothing but thier underwear...

He drove up to what looked like a small hangar, normally used for large log moving equipment.

The doors rolled open, revealing all of the vintage machines still there, lovingly cared for, and fully operational.

But there was no one there. Arlan drove the car into the hangar, and killed its engine.

The roll up door closed behind the car, falling into place with a resounding crash that echoed off of the concrete walls...

An array of various bipedal, quadriped, and inscectoid looking machines walked, ran, scurried, and flew into the room, surrounding the vehicle.

Arlan stepped out of the car, and flung away his black drivers jacket and gloves. Revealing a rather charming three piece affair, with a burgandy cummerbund. He loosened his tie, and unbottoned his shirt, revealing his muscular chest.

Unceremoniously, he opened the door to the back seat of the car, facing away from it.

What looked like a tiny racing style quadcopter drone then darted inside of the car, and quickly oriented itself so its belly slammed into her chest, digging several barbed darts through her clothing and into her supple flesh. Metallic tendrils then shot out from around it, and embraced her around her ribcage, and locked to each other behind her back...

Arlan then stepped into her view, with an expressionless face. In his right hand he held what looked like a TV remote.

His blue eyes twinkled mischeviously, as his finger pushed a blue button on it.

Debilitating, shocking pain then rippled through Celeste's body, making her convulse uncontrollably.
The quadcopter drone had been fitted with numerous syringes, that had injected her with epinephrine. As such, no matter how much her brain tried to pass out from the pain, it wouldnt happen. If she went into cardiac arrest, the drone was fitted with a defilibrator...

After a good twenty seconds of piercing electric hell, he let off the buton for a few seconds, and pursed his lips. Once she had caught her breath, he pressed the button again, this time for a good, hellish eternity of a full minute...

After he smoked one full ciggarette, listening to whatever pathetic noises she made, he let off of the blue button on his remote control...

"Alright then Celeste..." He said to her, as he looked into the car, his face wearing an expression as if it had just seen a huge pile of dog excrement. "...You are undoubtedly thinking of revenge." He murmured to her in a dangerous tone, dripping with acid... "That's good, because its about to happen..." He growled.

"Get out of that car, and strip. Then get up on that metal table over there...." He continued. He then pressed the blue button again, not even giving her a chance to reply. After a few more seconds, he let up on the electrified hell she was experiencing.

"That was for the snarky comment you were about to say, you sadistic little bitch..." He grumbled.

"You are mine now. You will do what Isay, and maybie, just maybie, I will try to rehabilitate you." He said, in an uncaring tone, vividly enjoying this sadistic justice, thinking of all of the times she had chewed his ass in front of his research team...

"Compliance has its rewards. If you decide however to piss me off..." Arlan then just pressed the blue button a fourth time, grinning, as sparks flew out of the open car door yet again, followed by the sound of a human body shaking uncontrollably...

"Your call dear. What will it be?"

Arlan just leaned against the car, his arms folded, eagerly awaiting the chance to pay her back for all of the hell she had caused for his family, and his company.

 

[Rania Lark]

Celeste slid down into the leather seat of the car without so much as a glance at the driver. He was beneath her, just like everyone else in that god forsaken company. After some bastard with a bone to pick saw fit to destroy the opportunity that awaited her. Now she would have to find some other way to get that prototype to Icarus, or she could always use her wit and charm to get her way into the company, to her promised position. As the door closed, Celeste pulled out her phone and began typing an e-mail to Icarus, setting up a meeting for the next day.

But when she hit send, the ring only seemed to continuously spin before an error message indicated that she was out of service. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she held her phone up, moving it around the back seat of the car as the locks clicked closed and the car pulled away from the curb as the driver took up his position.

The young executive didn’t look up from her phone as she scrambled to get the e-mail sent, to set up the meeting so she could get out ahead of the news that would undoubtedly come out about her being fired. But still no service. Cursing under her breath, Celeste moved her phone to her lap, opting to wait a few moments to get the service she needed to send the e-mail.

However, just as she lowered the phone, the chauffer turned around to reveal the familiar face of Dr. Rosin, the man she had hired because of his animatronic and medical reputation to help her move her plan forward. Immediately, Celeste’s eyes darkened as he turned around for a moment, his own voice dripping with a venom she had never heard from him. But she wasn’t some weak minded woman who would take such disrespect from a man.

“You mother fucker,” she growled at him through clenched teeth, the rage evident as he revealed that it was him all along. She leaned forward, her fist pounding against the plexiglass divider as he drove through the city. But the plastic divider remained rigid. Turning to the door as he stopped at a light, she scrambled to open the door and get out to stomp away from him. But the door was locked, with no tab or button on the inside.

Turning back to the scientist that had ruined her life, she began screaming through the divider as he turned the radio up to drown out her angry tirade. “You let me out of this car this instant you bastard! How dare you lock me in here! I will have you arrested for this! You’ll go to jail for a long time asshole!”

Her tirade lasted for a good thirty minutes before her voice went hoarse from the anger and they were well outside of the city. It was the first time a tinge of nervousness would cross her features as she thought of what he was planning. Was he going to kill her? Rape her? She had taken self defense classes and knew very well how to defend herself so that probably wasn’t a possibility. They drove through the countryside and into a large, dense forest. Holding up her phone again, Celeste desperately tried to dial 911 but was met with the same no service message. Clutching the darkened screen in her hand, she was forced to sit back and wait for the car to stop.

She didn’t know how long she had been in the car but her eyes were narrowed the entire time. Her teeth were clenched until it was painful and she had to release. She threw scattered glares at the scientist driving the car as he pulled up into a clearing in the woods containing a collection of buildings, conveyor belts and various logging equipment.

They drove into one of the larger buildings, the rolling door closing shut ominously behind the car. Celeste sat up straight in the back seat, preparing herself to defend herself from anything this psycho could throw at her. However, what happened was something even she couldn’t have predicted.

An army of strange looking robotic creatures swarmed the car and Celeste who was still locked inside. Each one was more nightmarish than the last as Arlan crossed the trunk of the car to open her door. But Celeste had barely inhaled to launch into a tirade of insults when a small flying thing flew into the car, slamming into her chest, causing an explosion of pain to emit from the barbs digging into her skin. Then some clicks were heard as cold, hard metal was quickly wrapped around her body, beneath her shirt as her hands moved instinctively towards the machine to tear it off. When she found it locked tight against her, her fury was once again recentered to the man standing just outside the door, holding a very strange remote.

“You…..” she growled out, “You bas-” and he pushed a button on the remote. Instantly, every muscle in her body screamed in agony. Her teeth slammed together, almost slicing through her tongue as her body stiffened against the seat. Her voice was reduced to pained gurgles from her throat. Then, just as suddenly as the agony had appeared, it disappeared, leaving her out of breath as she realized that her lungs had shut down from the horrible electricity coursing through her. Her head fell forward as her hands shook uncontrollably while she struggled to catch her breath. Just as she managed to reduce the burning sensation in her lungs, the same agonizing pain began coursing through her body. This time her body began to shake uncontrollably, seizing up as she was thrown back against the seat again, her gurgles growing louder as she drooled down over her chin. This time her arms and legs convulsed as her eyes remained fixed above her, the pain growing with every second that felt like an eternity.

After she thought for sure she was going to die, the electricity suddenly stopped again and she collapsed forward, her head falling onto her thighs as tears began to stream from her eyes. Her body burned with agony as her hands continued to shake uncontrollably. Her ears rang as he leaned in towards her, ordering her to strip and lay on a metal table. She opened her mouth and just as she was about to speak, the electricity once again exploded from her chest.

When it stopped again, her head fell down again as tears stained her cheeks. She didn’t utter a word as he spoke again, claiming her as his and explaining that if she was compliant, she would be rewarded, but punishment only resulted in another bolt of electricity coursing through her.

Celeste decided that it was better to listen and comply to his demands than face the slow death of the horrible machine attached to her chest. She slid out of the car slowly, her eyes glaring daggers at him as she began to remove her clothes. Slipping out of her sky-high heels, she reached to the back of her pencil skirt, pulling it down over her hips before leaving it on the floor. Celeste was not ashamed of her body as she hooked into the lace panties that covered her womanhood before they were slipped down too.

Next she undid the button on the jacket, slipping it off over her shoulders to let it fall to the pile on the floor before the shirt and bra joined the rest of her clothes. Her gaze remained narrowed on him as she walked across the floor, still maintaining the arrogance that she had her entire life. She turned around and lifted herself up onto the table silently, her hands still shaking slightly from the electrocutions.