Home » The Archives » Chapter 6 » Celebrations and Challenges
| Re: Celebrations and Challenges [message #1639 is a reply to message #1638] |
Fri, 27 July 2012 16:29   |
artisticrainey
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Registered: July 2012
Location: Northern Ireland
Karma:
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Field Commander
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London; Wednesday, May 30, 10 AM; Jacques Hightower's office
Lena was "ushered" into the office looking only slightly the worse for wear. Jacques was sitting at his desk, checking something on the computer, but he looked up at her entrance. Two men were with her, each holding one of her arms firmly.
"Gentlemen, gentlemen. This is no way to treat a lady. Let her go. Mrs. Matumbo," he said, rising and walking around his desk to greet her. "I am Jacques Hightower. Please accept my apologies for the way you were treated. I hope you were at least made comfortable waiting for our jet, and on the flight over."
"Under de circumstances," she replied coolly, "I was fairly comfortable. But kidnapping is kidnapping, and de comfort level was severely lessened by dat fact."
"I know, I know," he replied sorrowfully as one of the men handed him her purse. "But it seems I had no other choice. I could not get away to visit you in America, and I really wanted to meet you. But I forget my manners. Please sit down. Would you like something to drink? Coffee, tea?"
She sat in the chair he indicated and as he returned to his seat, she answered, "De only tings I would like are to know why you brought me here and den for you to return me home."
He paused to open the handbag and look inside, then looked questioningly at one of the men, who said, "That's all that was in it, sir. No makeup, not even a lipstick. Just her wallet, card case, keys, tissues and a PDA."
Jacques reached in the purse and brought out the last named item. "This is a new one -- state of the art, too, if I'm not mistaken. Where did you get it?"
"It was a gift from a friend. My otter one was old, so it was given me as a replacement."
"That person must be quite a friend. This isn't an inexpensive gift." He looked at her intently. She only shrugged.
"Maybe. I couldn't say."
There was a long pause as Jacques continued to gaze at her. She met his look calmly, not betraying her hope that he, like his minions, didn't try to fool with it. During the flight over, she'd managed to get them to let her check it by saying that she might have appointments that evening, or the next morning, and would be missed. They never realized that she activated the emergency signal and opened communications, setting it for transmit only. She hoped that whoever was listening would contact Jeff Tracy, and someone would be sent to help her get away from these people.
Finally he put the PDA back in her purse and said, "Your first request I can easily answer. I wanted to meet the woman who not only came up with a program to block anything my sister can come up with to infiltrate the computers of Tracy Industries, or the Tracy family, but also put ours out of commission for several days. That was very naughty of you, Mrs. Matumbo."
"As opposed to what you or your sister tried to do to my granddaughter? I don't tink so. I told your -- I presume he is your brotter -- I told him not to try anyting, or I would retaliate. He -- or you -- didn't believe me, so you had to learn de hard way."
"Point taken. But I'm curious to know how you found the virus planted in your computer so easily."
"I had been working on modifying a program dat would detect anyting created by de person who develops dose virus programs. I'd finished it de night before it was planted."
"Oh come now. It couldn't have been that simple."
"Actually, once I knew what to look for, it was. And it didn't take me very long to find out what to look for. Anyone wit a modicum of computer expertise, de right tools and enough time would be able to spot it. I just happened to be de one who did."
A gasp of outrage caused her to turn and look to her right. A tall blonde woman was rising from a sofa, an indignant look on her face. As she approached the two, her eyes showing her anger, Lena stood up.
"How dare you say such things about my work! No one, no one can equal my expertise!"
"Calm down, Dez. Mind your manners. She is our guest. Mrs. Matumbo, this is my sister, Desdemona."
Lena nodded coolly at the other woman, who turned to her brother. "Manners are wasted on these uncouth Americans. Look at her. That outfit is so outmoded it's laughable. And it's so rumpled, too. And you expect me to believe that this -- person -- is so computer savvy that she could do what was done to my work and our computers?"
"I doubt you'd be perfectly dressed and coiffed if you'd been kidnapped, flown across the ocean and forced to come to your kidnappers all in de same close. As for my being fashionable or not, I don't follow what people who don't know me say I should dress in, like a sheep. I am my own fashion, and wear what I like, not what someone else tells me I'm supposed to like."
"A sheep?! Jacques, did you hear that? She called me a sheep!"
"Dez, will you calm down?" Jacques said, amused. "Mrs. Matumbo is evidently a formidable opponent." He turned back to the older woman. "Now that we've gotten to know each other a little, tell me what it would take to get you to leave Tracy Industries and join our company."
"You couldn't meet my price."
"Now, now. You must understand; we are very rich. I'm sure we could come to some kind of agreement. Go ahead, name your price."
Lena sat back down, crossing one leg over the other. "You would have to return all de secrets you've stolen and not yet sold, den turn etical."
From: Hobbeth Sent: 11/2/2005]
  
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