Death Angel

Chapter 23: Things Get Worse

The Hunter Robotics boardroom was deathly quiet. The soft hum of the air-conditioning in the room was the only break in the silence. I looked around the oval table at the members of the board, people who served as both my staunchest allies and my biggest challengers at the same time. I saw worry and concern on their faces.

Gordon Beckett had a frown on his face. His lips were pursed, his hands folded together in front of him. I could tell he was deep in thought.

Robert Mayer stood up and went next to Rina Tanaka as they both moved to the head of the table.

"My, my, what a rather interesting turn of events," remarked Death. He wasn't smiling then, just the slightest hint of one, perhaps, but like everyone else in the room, he was probably wondering what happened.

I sat in my chair glaring at Rina, but I didn't say a word. I was going to let this unfold for me first. I needed to gather information, find out what exactly this new situation meant for me. That Robert had betrayed us was evident. But I still couldn't figure out what his purpose was.

"It appears you have some explaining to do Robert," said Gordon Beckett in a dry tone. "Were you planning this all along?"

"I think we should start by hearing what Rina Tanaka has to say," said Robert.

"I think we should start by hearing from Hunter Robotics' CEO and majority shareholder, Robert," Gordon insisted. "Did you betray everyone here? Were you involved in Vanessa Hunter's death?"

"Those are some pretty tall accusations, Gordon," Robert responded, his eyes staring coolly into Gordon's. He leaned on the table, laying both hands flat on the surface. It looked like he was about to say something, but changed his mind.

"Alright," Robert shrugged before continuing. "Since you so nicely insisted, Gordon, I will tell you." Robert began to pace the room again. "It is my belief that this merger is in Hunter Robotics' best interests. Merging with a giant pharmaceutical conglomerate with advanced R&D capabilities like Tanaka will be a boon to our business."

Robert paused as Rina Tanaka passed around a set of files for the board to review. She stopped as she got to Death and myself. "Sorry, board members only," she said with a smile.

"Well that's certainly not a good way to treat a potential investor," I remarked.

"You're not an investor, sweetie..." Rina responded in her thick Japanese accent.

Robert began speaking again. "We would gain access to vast amounts of resources, far more than we would have normally had access to. With Tanaka's backing and wherewithal, we could take significant strides toward advancing the nanotechnology division of Hunter Robotics."

"So you want to turn Hunter Robotics into a biotech firm?" asked Steven Rutherford.

"In a way, yes," Robert responded.

"But why keep this from your board?" asked Gordon Beckett.

"To get this to work and minimize exposure, I couldn't get your advice on this. I am sorry, old friend. I realize how awful this might look, but I couldn't have done this any other way."

There was loud knock at the door and one of the secretaries walked in, a young attractive woman dressed smartly in a conservative black and gray striped suit. "I'm sorry for interrupting," she said. "There is a Daniel Ashcroft here that says he has something important to say to the group."

My heart stopped.

No Daniel.

Stay away.

This wasn't already a precarious situation, but Daniel turning up at this time made it far worse. I've never doubted Daniel's corporate acumen or his presence of mind in most business settings. In fact, there were several times in the past when his sixth sense for business had come in handy for me.