Regan's Reach Page 26

  "And Mitch of course! Shit, you know what I mean!"

  Stephanie slumped in her chair. "We couldn't give them Regan anyway; we don't even know where she is."

  "Steph, we wouldn't give them Regan regardless!" Kevin paced the room. "Fuck, why did I agree to Mary going? And they haven't shown any interest in Mitch before this."

  "This is just the kind of dirty pool that's played with this stuff Kev. Mary and Mitch are collateral damage to them, just pawns they play with to win their game. Steve will sort it out. They won't be harmed; they just won't be able to leave."

  Hayden pitched in. "There's not much I can add I know, but I'll call my contacts at home and see what latest news there is about the Chinese action. It might be related, maybe someone's heard something."

  Thanks, Hayden. I brought you in because I thought you needed to be kept informed. God knows what your team will think of this. The bottom line here is we've done nothing wrong but we're certainly looking like the bad guys. The irony is the overall business is doing great, even if everything else seems to be turning to shit. Look, I thought we might talk some more but we'll only go round in circles so all of you, go home. I'm sorry to have dragged you all the way here but I wanted you to hear this first from me before it hits the papers tomorrow, which it probably will. We all have our jobs to do so let's keep moving forward. That's what Regan would want."

  "You'll keep us up to date on Mitch and Mary, Kev?" Stephanie asked.

  "Of course, as soon as I hear something I'll let you know. Marcus?"

  "Yeah, absolutely Kev, I should know more tonight, I'll call you."

  It was a very different meeting. No drinks, no coffees, and the sombre group drifted out of Riverside to disperse throughout the Valley.

  *

  Kevin's home system buzzed him "Answer!" . . . And he heard a click.

  "Kev, are you there?"

  "Mary!" He sat up quickly. "Shit it's good to hear your voice, where are you, what's happened?" Kevin stood and walked to the window, staring at his own reflection in the glass.

  "I'm at the hotel Kev, Steve Ryman had us released but I still can't leave the country, they've taken my passport. No bond or charges though so this is all very strange."

  "God - I'm glad you're in a hotel and not some detention centre, and where's Mitch?"

  "He's fine too. They're letting him go thank god, it's Regan and STEIN they're after. Hey, don't worry lover, things could be worse. Five star hotel, great restaurant, young Hispanic bell boys, I'm in heaven!"

  "This could take a while you know." Despite her attempt at positivity he did not sound happy.

  "Weren't you listening, bell boys?" She hesitated. "Kev . . . I know what you mean but you don't have to worry about me. Marcus and his cronies will sort this out and I'll use the time to do what I came for anyway, set things up for the Ezas share float. I'll make good use of the time, believe me. And Kev . . . there's another good thing we can take out of this."

  "Enlighten me sweetheart, I'm not seeing much upside."

  "Well, think about it. If they're holding me, they don't have Regan."

  Kevin swung into the Belmont driveway and parked up under the oak tree. Stepping down to the lower lawn he walked over to the fence seat and sat in the morning sun, staring out over the river.

  "You look like you're a million miles away." The call came from behind him. He turned to see his mother gingerly stepping down from the patio and walking toward him across the grass.

  "Hi Mom!" he stood to hug her, and then she gestured for them both to sit. "I was just enjoying the peace for a moment."

  "You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders Kevin, what's up?" She put one arm over his shoulder and gave him an encouraging hug.

  "Oh, there's a bit on the go. Nothing you need to worry about, I just wanted to check up on you, see how you were going."

  "Kevin Stein, you can't fool me. When you come and sit down here you need to talk, so talk to me. If I can't offer a single piece of sound advice I can certainly be a sounding board."

  He smiled "Mom, you've never been one to stick to a single piece of advice." He laughed affectionately. "We heard yesterday that the States have held Mary over there, they're not letting her come home."

  "You mean the United States?"

  "Is there another? They want Regan Mom, you need to be prepared for that and we're going to have to fight this one out. It's all bullshit but it can tie up a lot of time and effort." He sighed.

  "And money!" She said, "Marcus will be pleased." Jean hesitated, immediately regretting the comment. "No, I don't mean that, he'll help Mary won't he?"

  "Yeah, of course, he's on to it and Mary's looking on the bright side of things. She's in a top hotel and still making us money. Hell, money is not the issue, we're swimming in it! Mom, it's just not a nice feeling when you know the powers that be are training their sights on your sister."

  She shook a tight fist. "No one is going to hurt my daughter - that will have to be over my dead body!"

  He laughed. "They don't know what they're taking on. Come on," he stood and helped her up, "let's go and make a cup of tea."

  As they weaved across the lawn she chatted. "It's been six months now. We'll be hearing from Regan any day."

  Six and a half months, he thought ruefully. Where are you sis? Shit!

  *

  Office of the Vice President, The White House, December

  Anne Marshall paced angrily back and forth across the room. She had no idea whether Vice President James Walker still had anyone talking to him on that mobile but he was in no hurry to talk to her, of that she was certain.

  Finally she heard him say simply, "Goodbye" and he disconnected. It was so suspiciously affected she almost exploded.

  "Anne, sorry about that, what can I do for you." He looked as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.

  "Jim, I swear you know exactly why I'm here. You agreed to stay out of this business with USDynamics and the Chinese, it's my territory Jim and you know all dealings with China are delicate."

  "I have stayed out of things Anne. In this case I simply passed on some information that came to me unexpectedly from contacts and I saw it as related to the STEIN business, after all we can't be seen to be doing nothing. The decision to hold the Coleman woman seems a wise one to me in the interim; she is after all their CFO."

  "Of course it's related, you asshole, and you know it, you've just put the whole USDynamics saga on the front pages again! I swear you'll bring down that company on your own. I'm speaking to Sarah about this, I've had enough." She stalked from the room.

  "You do that!" he called after her as he walked toward the door and shut it behind her. Returning to the desk he took out the mobile and redialed.

  Listening to the dial tone he jumped in as soon as it was answered, "You were saying?"

  " . . . I was saying I'm not happy," the voice simmered with anger. "We're building up our shareholding but we've hit a wall, we're still six percent short of compulsory acquisition. The remaining shareholders are stonewalling and several have been quietly buying, building up significant stakes. Our interests have the major shareholding but three other groups now hold the keys. Their fifteen percent means we can't squeeze them out."

  "Just buy one or some of them out, you can afford it, pay them whatever. There were always going to be some smart investors out there, they're just taking advantage of the situation surely, holding out for more."

  "You're not listening, Vice President Walker," The voice spat out the words, like staccato bullets. "They're not selling! There are three shareholding groups apart from us. USDynamics stalwarts are one, led by the Chairman, that's understandable. A seven percent stake has been amassed by a private company, TakeThat Corporation and they've been steadily buying since the beginning. The last buyer we just learned is the US Government! How can that be, Mr. Vice President? Have you been holding out on me!"

  Walker felt a cold chill pass down his spine and he fe
ll silent for a moment. How could that be? How could I not know? He rapidly assessed the situation.

  "Listen, I've done everything asked of me, I know nothing about the Government buying and I doubt that is even true. My part is over, don't call me again." He disconnected then stood staring at the phone, perspiration breaking out on his forehead. Bitch! He thought. He walked behind his desk and out of sight tried to crush the mobile under his heel; it still looked usable. Putting it in his pocket he grabbed his suit jacket and exited the office hurriedly. I'll get rid of it later, he thought.

  *

  The Oval Office, December

  The meeting which had begun with relaxed coffee had taken a serious turn.

  "That's a serious accusation Anne, and now that you've shared it where does it leave me?" Her hands wide, appealing, President Allen walked from her desk to join Anne at the couch.

  "Sarah, I've had enough. This isn't an accusation, it's an observation. Jim has been disseminating information and stirring the pot on this one from the beginning, all in the name of national security which isn't even his brief. His actions have singlehandedly contributed to the savaging of USDynamics’ share price and possibly the loss of the company to the Chinese. For me it's usually three strikes and you're out. Jim’s had four or five for Christs sake. Sarah, if it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck it probably is a fucking duck." She fumed.

  "That's a bit over the top Anne! Perhaps he's been unwise but the origin of that Arteis virus from USDynamics is pretty damning and it did a lot of damage, the Chinese are going to sue for billions. . ."

  Anne interrupted. "That's just it Sarah, this whole thing doesn't make sense unless you see it as part of a plan to drive down the USDynamics share price. The Chinese could end up stealing the company."

  "Are you saying Jim is in league with the Chinese? You can't be serious."

  Anne seemed to collapse into her seat. She dropped her shoulders and shook her head sadly, before looking up again, appealing.

  "Sarah, take Jim out of the equation for a minute, just look at the other facts. We're always concerned about military secrets, as long as they're protected we're happy. But what else is at play here? Think long game. We've let private cowboys take the lead into orbit, we've got private operators servicing our space stations, tourists flying around in free orbit, and even the Indians have passed us with research craft heading to Mars. USDynamics are our leading aerospace company and the Chinese are only a few shares away from picking it up for a song. They don't want our military technology; they want to leapfrog us to the moon and beyond!"

  Sarah looked pensive, "I did act on your suggestion by the way, we've been picking up shares, but I'm told it's not enough. We only hold around three percent and there's still another twelve out there somewhere. We need to face it Anne, Chinese interests already hold enough to dominate the board. I agree a complete takeover is unthinkable but I don't think we can stop it."

  "So, what are you going to do about Jim?" Anne asked.

  "You know it's not that simple Anne, I can't entertain an accusation like that without rock solid proof. But, he may have been unwise and I'll take your comments under advisement, no come back on you. I appreciate your courage in addressing it."

  "And the STEIN woman held in California?"

  "I can't get involved in that and neither can you, cyber terrorism is serious Anne; we can't be seen to take a soft approach. As I understand it the evidence is pretty compelling even if it doesn't make sense, shit, when does terrorism ever make sense? No, she stays there until we've sorted it in court or until we have Regan Stein. The press will be on our administration like hot bricks if we slacken off on this one."

  Anne stood, resigned that there was nothing more she could do for the moment.

  She needs proof ,she thought, 'Rock solid proof'. She excused herself and left for her office.

  *

  The Lodge, Fairfield County Connecticut, December

  A fire crackled in the background, outside the temperature was cool to cold.

  Who knows, the man thought as he adjusted his glasses, maybe snow for Christmas?

  The old style portable phone perched on the chair arm rang loudly. A traditionalist, he liked the ring which always reminded him of his youth. He reached clumsily and knocked it to the floor but with a quick fumble managed to hit the button before it went to messaging.

  "Bill Thomas!" he answered quickly.

  "Mr. Thomas, this is Barbara Wilson calling from New Zealand, I have Marcus Jackson calling for you, are you free to take the call?"

  "Marcus Jackson?"

  "Yes sir, Marcus is legal counsel for Regan Stein, he would like to speak with you if it's convenient, and may I put him through?" Barbara could be very pleasant.

  "Yes, yes, of course, put him through." Bill heard the click on the line. There was a short pause.

  "Hello Mr. Thomas, this is Marcus Jackson and thank you for agreeing to talk to me sir, is this a good time for you?"

  "I make the most of every minute these days son, and a call from Nu Zeeland doesn't come very often. Call me Bill, will you, and what can I do for you?"

  "Thank you Bill. Well sir, this call is about what I'd like you not to do sir, but let me explain. As chairman of USDynamics I know you'll be well up with the situation regarding your market position?" He paused, would Bill fill the gap?

  "Go on?"

  Damn! "Well sir, my understanding is that you effectively have a new owner and they may not be far off a squeeze takeover, am I correct?"

  "Cut to the chase Mr. Jackson, these aren't happy days in USDynamics and it seems STEIN hasn't helped us one little bit, I probably shouldn't even be talking to you."

  Canny old bastard . . . I like him.

  "Sir, I can understand why you might feel that way, however I'm certain given time we'll show you this is all bullshit, and I'm sorry to be so blunt. In the meantime there are bigger games being played here and we want to make sure USDynamics and STEIN come out on the right side. You bought in to STEIN sir, and when you did that we became committed to you. We still want to work with you but not the Chinese, not the way they've handled this business."

  "Well," Bill replied wearily, "it may be too late for that anyway Mr. Jackson, the deal is almost done and dusted. They only need six percent more shares now and it will be a compulsory acquisition; our staff will need to speak Mandarin."

  "Sir, we do good business with Chinese companies, but we don't agree with what's happened here, and we're doing something about it."

  "What's that Marcus, because I'm tired? The loyalty is gone, we've been screwed royally and we're not at all sure STEIN hasn't played a part in it."

  "Sir, you've met Regan, she's young but she's a handshake kind of girl, her word is her bond. She and STEIN have nothing to do with cyber terrorism and I don't yet know how but we're going to prove it. The point of my call is I'm predicting the Chinese will have to pull out of this takeover and the share price will recover. I want to implore you, you and the shareholder group you represent, don't under any circumstances sell your shares, no matter what premium they offer you."

  There was silence for a moment and Marcus was about to speak when Bill Thomas responded.

  "I hear you Marcus but it won't make any difference; between us in our group we only have four percent. Hell that was worth billions only a few months ago . . . now? The Chinese only need six percent to proceed and that's out there, it's only a matter of time."

  "No sir, it isn't out there, oh the shares might be but they're not available. Regan has had me collecting shares from before all this happened and I've just kept going as it tracked down. Sir, on her behalf I've amassed seven percent so with our seven and your four they can't trigger the squeeze out. We don't know who's behind this or how they've done it but all we need is time sir, and to buy time we need your help."

  Bill Thomas sat up in his chair with a vigor that surprised even him.

  "Mr. Jackson - I think we need to meet."r />
  "Well sir, it's not the best time for me to come to the States but I know Kevin Stein would like to connect with you, perhaps a visit to New Zealand could be arranged? We are coming into our summer."

  There was a long pause before Bill spoke again.

  "Leave it with me Marcus, I have your number and I need to speak to a few people first, then I'll call. You say you have seven percent?"

  "That's right sir, you'll see our company on the share register, 'TakeThat Corporation'. It's registered in the Caymans."

  "Hmm, I'll call you tomorrow." He hung up the phone, closed his eyes for a moment and breathed a deep satisfied breath. He could hardly believe it. Then he started dialing.

  *

  The Stein Traveler, Interstellar

  Nothing . . . Then there was . . . everything.

  Will I ever get used to the appearance of that starscape coming out of warp, she thought? "Did we cause a pop?" Regan asked mischievously.

  "Babe, we're in space, you don't need to worry, no one hears you pop."

  Marin shrugged doubtfully as he made for the galley.

  "Ham my man, you can be offhand but I'm not so sure I'd be so generous about that, coffee?" He looked back at Regan.

  "Yes, please." Regan said and laughed; what an unbelievable few weeks. The camaraderie between the three of them was as satisfying as anything she had felt at home and she felt in great shape. Daily workouts with slow gravity increase back to Earth normal had her feeling physically and mentally on top. And the ideas, where were they coming from? It was as if a lid had been lifted and if the plan going away had been to find a different mind space it had certainly worked.

  As she followed Marin to the galley she ran through her plans again.

  "How long before we take another line Ham?"

  "That's your call. We'll complete the course adjustment in only twenty minutes but we can continue on that line for a bit before making a new wave. Are you sure you want to try this?"