"As you wish."

Carley smiled at the comment. For some reason, Solaria had picked up on that particular phrase and used it when she wasn't sure what else to do or say.

Following Carley's example, Solaria picked up a tray, some utensils and a gla.s.s. Not knowing where to begin, she decided to sample the more colorful items. The fruits and veggies looked particularly interesting, in a clinical sort of way.

"Oh, you must try some of the stuffed lobster," Carley said, scooping up a spoonful and dumping it on the Hubot's plate. "I think you'll find it interesting."

After paying the bill for their food, the scientist guided Solaria to an empty table near the exit. As they were unloading their tray, a tall slender man in a business suit walked up to them and waited impatiently for them to sit.

"Mr. Stalling," Carley said, her voice cool and professional.

Noticing the change in tone, Solaria looked from one human to the other, fascinated at the subtle interaction between the two. It was the first time she had witnessed and sensed animosity.

"Carley, how are you?" he asked politely, giving Solaria a quick glance. When she returned his gaze without blinking, he shifted his attention back to Carley.

"Fine. What can I do for you?"

"Always straight to the point," he commented, making a wry face. "I was wondering how your project is coming. When do the Board members get to see this machine of yours? I've heard some interesting rumors but haven't received any updates in the past few weeks."

"You mean Hubot, and there hasn't been anything to report. Some things take time," Carley admonished, unwilling to hide her distaste for the CEO of Future Dynamicon International Consortium.

"Of course... Hubot," he agreed condescendingly and smiled. Even Solaria could tell it was forced. "Some of the investors are getting a little nervous about the cost overruns."

"Cost overruns? We're about eight hundred thousand below our projections."

"This quarter but unless we see something soon, I'll have to a.s.sume we're behind schedule and that means money... lots of money."

"I'm organizing the most recent data and trying to put it in terms you and the Board will understand. You'll have the report by the end of the week."

The sarcasm wasn't lost on Stalling. Once I fulfill my calling, you'll repent for your arrogance. He will not tolerate such behavior from women, the CEO thought.

"Good. Now, where are my manners?" he asked, turning to Solaria. "My name is Winston Stalling. I didn't catch yours," he added, eyeing her appreciatively. Beauty is a gift from G.o.d. He understands my weakness and forgives me.

Before Solaria could answer, Carley interrupted.

"This is my new lab a.s.sistant, Solly."

"Solly! What an unusual name! It's nice to meet you Solly."

Extending his hand, he waited for Solaria to take it. Looking hesitantly at Carley, Solaria reluctantly placed her hand in his and was surprised when he bent down and kissed the back of it.

"I must say, I'm slipping. Normally, I see the personnel files of all new employees. I'll have to make sure this doesn't happen again. I pride myself in taking a personal interest in everyone that works here."

"Your personal interest is common knowledge," Carley replied, her voice tinged with anger. "Solly just started a few days ago so I'm sure personnel will send the files to you as soon as they've completed processing them. You know how slow they can be."

"Yes, of course. Well, I envy you for having such an attractive a.s.sistant. Maybe I should drop into the lab later to check on things."

"It's your lab, Mr. Stalling, but if it's to visit with Solly, you'll be disappointed. She's not quite your type."

"Oh? And you would know my type, Carley?" the CEO asked, haughtily.

"Not really. I'm too busy working to pay attention to useless gossip. What I meant is that Solly really isn't into men."

Intrigued by the verbal dual, Solaria thought it best to remain silent. Obviously, Carley didn't like this man. She would ask why later.

"How about we let Solly decide for herself?" he responded, giving Solaria a charming smile. "Do you mind if I visit you in the lab?"

"I am not in a position of authority to deny you access to the laboratory, Mr. Stalling. If you have the proper security clearances, you may go anywhere you wish. I have to conclude that as CEO of this company you are empowered to access all departments freely without interference. Is that not right, Carley?" Solaria asked, looking at her for confirmation.

Stalling laughed, thinking she was teasing him.

"You're absolutely correct. So, is that a yes?" he asked, not waiting for the scientist to answer Solaria's question.

"I'm merely an a.s.sistant. It isn't logical for me to stop you."

When he gave Carley a smug smile, Solaria realized she had erred and then remembered the comment the scientist had made moments earlier. She's not quite your type.

"I'm a lesbian," she said casually as if commenting on the weather.

Carley, who had just taken a sip of water, choked, trying hard not to laugh.

Stalling's eyes widened and then he frowned.

"Oh! I thought... never mind." Looking at his watch, he quickly excused himself.

She is an abomination! This was a test! He was tempting me to see if I was weak! the CEO thought, walking quickly away. Temptations were everywhere. He had to be more vigilant. I must make sure my chosen are virgins worthy of fulfilling my mortal needs. It's the only way that I can remain pure to do His bidding.

Watching him leave, Carley shook her head thinking what a sleazy b.a.s.t.a.r.d he was.

"He doesn't like lesbians?" Solaria asked, curious about his sudden departure.

"Apparently not... and where did that come from?"

"You said I wasn't his type. Isn't that what you meant?"

"Well, not exactly, but it definitely was a better reply than I could have come up with. His reaction was priceless. I doubt if we'll be seeing him soon."

"I take it that's a good thing."

"Actually, it's great. The man's a p.r.i.c.k. There's something sleazy about him."

"p.r.i.c.k? That means not very likeable, right?"

Carley chuckled and patted her hand.

"Right! How about we enjoy our food instead of wasting our time talking about him? Now, try some of that lobster and let me know what you think."

Following her suggestion, Solaria sampled the different foods on her plate and smiled. Indeed, they appealed to her more than the protein cakes. The rest of their time was spent discussing the food and the people coming and going. The Hubot paid close attention to the explanations Carley gave on why people looked and behaved differently, but she also managed to monitor the various conversations going on amongst several groups. She was amazed at the amount of time and energy spent complaining about seemingly unimportant things. Even more amazing was the way people gossiped. It was a combination of harmless chatter and vicious verbal a.s.saults on the non-present subject.

Humans talk a lot but say very little, Solaria thought.

CHAPTER 3.

AS CEO OF Future Dynamicon, Winston Stalling wielded more power than most foreign heads-of-state. Presidents, Prime Ministers and even dictators vied for his favor, knowing if he backed them, their positions were secure. His surveillance technology and IT network gave him access to information most intelligence agencies would kill for and often did. Some people suspected Stalling was behind several accidents involving compet.i.tors or critics but they were smart enough to keep their mouths shut. Future Dynamicon had eyes and ears everywhere.

Returning to his office, Stalling quickly forgot about the lunchroom encounter. Lesbians might be an abomination but they served a purpose; especially if they were able to contribute to his projects. If the woman, Solly, had been hired to a.s.sist Dr. Branson, she had to be good at her job.

Punching the intercom b.u.t.ton on his phone, he instructed his secretary to send for his Chief Operations Officer and then waited for him to arrive. Five minutes later, Lawrence Billings entered the room.

"What's this I hear about Tremaine refusing to discuss our offer?" Stalling demanded, not wasting time on formalities.

"It's just a temporary setback. His overwhelming victory in the election has probably given him a big head."

"I don't care how popular that a.s.shole is with his people. Either he accepts our bid on that tract of land or we'll put someone in power that's willing to play by my rules," Stalling threatened.

"I think we need to give the Prime Minister more time to consider the options before making any threats. The last thing we want is to destabilize this particular country. It could jeopardize some of our operations in the region."

Winston Stalling leaned back in his chair and stared at his operations officer. Lawrence Billings was the most astute political a.n.a.lyst he had and Future Dynamicon's CEO didn't take his advice lightly. They had climbed the corporate ladder together, although Stalling was always in the lead; as it should be. Billings was one of his most devoted followers and highly respected amongst his peers.

Still, Stalling didn't like his plans interrupted and he especially didn't like a young upstart like the newly elected Prime Minister of Canada challenging him. There had to be a way to bring him in line or get him out of office without the Company being scrutinized too closely.

"What do you suggest?" he asked impatiently.

"We wait... and before you object, just hear me out!" Lawrence said, holding up his hand to stop his boss from exploding.

When Stalling reluctantly nodded, his operations officer continued.

"Let Tremaine get settled in and comfortable. In fact, I suggest we pull a few strings and make sure he achieves a few of the goals he proposed to his people."

"Wouldn't that make him more popular than ever?"

"Yes. It'll also make him more confident. Believe me we want a strong leader to our north, especially since our own President's ratings are dropping in the polls. People are getting tired of his continued mistakes and arrogance. The man is a f.u.c.kin' idiot! I still can't believe we were able to get him elected for another term."

"If you know how to manipulate the system, you can get a gorilla elected. We just needed to convince the voters that he was the best man for the job."

Lawrence chuckled.

"Meaning he was supposed to bring honesty and integrity back to government."

"That was the campaign promise. The other party didn't realize how important that was to the voters. We learned our lesson after the fall of our party eighty years ago. The people no longer wanted anyone with strong religious convictions after the Second Great Depression. The thought terrifies them."

"Yeah, why the Party focused on such stupid things as gay marriage instead of more important social issues still leaves me wondering."

"They wanted too much too soon. The old party spent twenty years putting one of our men in the White House and the idiots mismanaged him. When they pushed too hard and too fast, people rebelled. The voters weren't ready and we lost a lot of ground afterward."

"I suppose. I have to admit thirty years is a long time but it looks like you've finally done it. There were times when I had my doubts."

"That's why He chose me instead of you. I've always known what His plans were for me and have never doubted I would achieve them."

"Yes, I envy you that," Lawrence replied, his voice tinged with sadness. "I wish my faith was as strong as yours."

"As long as you do what I say, that's all He requires, Lawrence. Now, about Tremaine, I don't see where we would accomplish anything by letting the man grow more powerful."

"Well, as you said, the President has served our purposes quite well until recently. It's his stupidity that keeps the newshounds off our backs. As long as they are focusing on his blunders, they leave everyone else alone."

"And how does that relate to Tremaine?"

"Prime Minister Tremaine is attracting a lot of attention, even in this country. He's good looking, personable and charismatic. His people will be following him closely for awhile. If something happens to him now or he alerts them about our attempts to pressure him into selling the mineral rights to this particular parcel, the newshounds will focus on us, and our people will demand Congressional investigations. We definitely don't want some ambitious reporter snooping around Future Dynamicon, asking a lot of questions."

"True. On the other hand, if he is able to strengthen his position with his people, it's going to be more difficult to control him later or get him out. What happens then?

"By then we'll have our people positioned to do whatever is necessary to make him see our point of view or..."

Lawrence let the sentence drop. It was never good to state the obvious, especially with someone like Stalling. The CEO didn't want to hear the gory specifics about necessary actions. He just wanted the job done. If something went wrong then he could claim ignorance, knowing he had enough money and power to take care of any problems through legal means or otherwise if needed.

Stalling nodded his head.

"I like your reasoning. You're a true follower, Lawrence. Make sure of it! I'm not thrilled about waiting another year for that land, but it'll be worth it if we can kill two birds with one stone. Having Tremaine under my thumb and in control of those platinum fields, we can move forward with our plans."

Lawrence chuckled at the mention of platinum. What Stalling really wanted was access to the Tantalum deposits. For years the element had been used for surgical tools because of its hardness and non-corrosive characteristics. Everyone knew the metal had great possibilities for bone implantation because of its compatibility with bioma.s.s. Science is now able to mold arms and legs from metal, then cover them with lab grown muscle and skin. Once attached to the amputee's body, it closely mimicked the missing body part. The one issue science hadn't been able to resolve was the jerky movement or slow reaction time of the replacement limb. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the problem would be solved. What they didn't know was that Future Dynamicon had succeeded in solving it three years ago and had bigger plans for the metal than humanitarian.

"Speaking of which..." Stalling continued "How are we coming along with our pet project?"

"I'm expecting an update later today, but from what I hear, it's progressing nicely. We should be able to move the Hubot to the next stage within the month."

"Good, good. And what about Branson?"

"She'll be taken care of."

"It's a shame to lose such a talented employee."

"Yes, but she's the only one who knows the technical details of the Hubot's programming. Once our intelligence division activates the subprogram implanted in one of its secondary chips, Branson's going to notice a difference and figure it out."

"The downside of being too smart," Stalling commented, secretly pleased at the thought of ridding Future Dynamicon of the scientist. She had never hidden her dislike of the CEO, and he had bided his time waiting for the moment she became dispensable. Perhaps he would break his rule of non-involvement and attend her going away party.

"Let me know when she's ready for retirement. I'd like to pay my condolences," he said and laughed.

Lawrence grinned.

"I'll do that."