Escaping my Life Ch. 03

"The two older gentlemen can come up, but the younger gentlemen and she will stay down there. Is that understood?" He could hear Mega Jeanne arguing in the background.

Charles thought for a second and then hit the button again.

"One more thing, if the young gentlemen decide to come up anyway, I will be putting holes through them and into the beautiful finishes of the elevator. Does everyone understand?" stated Charles.

"They seem to understand sir," stated the desk officer. On the monitor, several other building security officers had come out, and they were armed.

He watched Mega Jeanne try to board the elevator, but she was physically forced out by the building security.

Brian had come into the room and Charles handed him a 12ga pump he had retrieved from a hidden spot under his baroque coffee table.

"Do you know how to handle that thing?" asked Charles.

Brian shifted the weapon to his hip, twisting it, and pulled the pump handle back, ejecting a round. He caught it in mid-flight, verifying another was entering the chamber and slid the mechanism closed. He spun the shot-gun upside down and pushed the unspent round back into the gun.

"Damn Brian, I knew you were good for something!" Charles said with a smile.

"Take cover behind that armoire and shoot first if something comes out of that elevator that is not old or in a suit." Charles warned him. Charles took cover behind an overstuffed chair he knew had been reinformed by Kevlar due its redesign as a 'safe' chair.

'Paranoia of the rich and famous,' he thought as he smiled. It had become useful after all.

The ding of the elevator echoed in the vestibule and as soon as the doors opened, Charles started to scream

"Let me see your hands! I mean it, let me see your hands, and step out of the elevator! NOW!"

***

The MyLife Company executives and Board Members realized that they are cornered. Three board members and four executives, that were involved in the planning of the kidnap, were resigning due to 'family' issues.

Three of the executive would later be found to have committed suicide or had fatal accidents. Just like the Russian executives during the Ukrainian dustup. It seems some money enhancements had been promised but never provided to the 'Security Group' hired for this 'special action.'

*

The Board members were worried about what Charles would say out loud to the media or to the Senate. All of them knew that they were facing potential jail time. They had known for years that the way they manipulated the data, the advertising and sales of meta-data could be construed as criminal in the American courts. In the EU and the rest of the world it was plain illegal, without a doubt.

Charles entered the Boardroom like he owned it. Well, he did so he gave little or no care in his entrance or the usual social platitudes that came with it. He would weather this drama as had had before.

In his past life he had been through this same situation and his normal refrain was 'Fuck them all!' He used to repeat to himself over and over...but, not now, or ever again.

He heard the doors close behind him. He heard the sudden hush of the others in the room as he strode to his seat at the head of the large table. He threw his folders and phone on the table as he pulled the stupidly ornate chair from the table.

"Why was this 'emergency meeting' called and who called it?" demanded Charles.

"We all did," responded Peter Williams, Board member and general good guy Charles had to admit.

"We have the potential 'perfect storm' headed our way and we need to talk it through." Perter commented.

"How so?" responded Charles generally understanding but being coy at this moment.

"We have received information from two separate sources that the Senate committee is going to go for criminal charges, not just civil. And a second contact said that the Senate subcommittee is now in possession of information, that has added weight to criminal potential."

"I am aware of the whistleblower and what she has told the subcommittee. And they are right to come after us for some unethical practices. As for illegal practices, well..." he commented after picking up two of the folders and tossing them down the center of table.

"I have been so busy building my kingdom over the years I forgot to check how much rot and filth had been growing in the moat. My sojourn away from the palace, while coming at a cost to you all and me, allowed for a certain introspection. The folders now in front of you and the encrypted links to the expanded files, will allow you to root out most of the rot at the Board and executive level. You will also find two cases of child porn and one pedophile." Charles paused to let the word 'pedophile' reverberate in the room.

"Due to what I have uncovered, the company is liable for criminal actions taken by some very high-level members of our company," Charles paused looking at them.

"I highly recommend that you do an internal review in the short span of the duress I will cause tomorrow. You need to weed out those I have already discovered and those additional employees you will find."

"I will say what I will say tomorrow, in the senate chambers, and do not need, or want any recommendations from this Board. I have been slated for three days, but my closing remarks on the first day will undoubtedly cause postponement."

"If my remarks cause the postponement I expect, then I will resign as CEO and Board Chair of MyLife." Charles quietly commented.

The Board rooms erupted in comments and accusations as the conference room LED screens showed the evidence he had obtained.

"I will resign only when Peter Williams is elected CEO and Board Chair in my stead." Charles turned to Peter while the rest of the Board members continued to spout off and pontificate.

"You have been a straight-up advocate of this company. Your record and decision making would have kept us out of this mess, if I had listened to you." Charles paused looking down half the table into Peter's eyes.

"I hope you accept," Charles commented and then saw Peter nod.

***

With a reworked security team, Charles was transported to the capital building from an undisclosed airport. He had declined to travel into the rear secure entrance and decided to walk the steps. He had spent too much time in the shadows.

As he climbed the stairs, he could see the CNN booth and Mitzie standing there smiling. He had already agreed to her personal request for a few words before the first day of hearings began.

As Charles was being escorted through the crowd and up the steps of the senate building, he looked over and recognized an old face. Fred was standing by one of the columns with a younger woman by his side and a child grasping his hand. He was dressed in a clean, inexpensive well-worn overcoat and suit. His hair was neat, and his face no longer had that sallow look it had while living on the street. The younger woman noticed Charles stare and whispered to Fred. He smiled and shook his head happily.

Charles paused in his walk for just a moment and saw Fred smile and then turn to him with the thumbs up, all is good sign. Charles in a flash knew that Fred was off the street and the young woman standing next to him, holding his arm, was his daughter. The child holding his other hand was his granddaughter.

Charles stopped and pulled his kerchief from his suit and dabbed his eyes. He smiled back and gave Fred his own sign back and moved up the stairs. He whispered to one of his security team to fall back and get Fred's contact information.

***

He had started to laugh during the long and pontificating speeches by Senator Sloan. Chainman Butte admonished him publicly for his lack of respect to the sitting senator.

Charles apologized and said he would speak to it later in his closing remarks for the day.

And finally, it was his turn.

'Welcome to my Ghost of Christmas Future,' he thought to himself...before speaking.

"Chairman Sloan, Chairman Butte and esteemed and ranking members of the Committee, we face a number of important issues around privacy, safety and democracy. You have rightfully had and will have some hard questions for me to answer. But in the spirit of democracy, I hope to have some hard questions in return." Charles paused for effect allowing the sound bite to be added to the stream of the media.

Charles turned his head and looked into the eyes of Chairman Sloan. "It has been a long time Senator since we sat in a room together. Things have changed...but in an odd way, stayed the same in those long intervening years."

Charles paused briefly, more to keep his anger in check and then continued, "In the vein of democracy and free speech Senator Sloan, I wish to disagree with one word, or lack thereof in your opening statement and the long-winded closing speech you gave just a minute ago. I would add the word 'alleged' in front of the phrase 'abuse of data."

Charles paused again, to let the sound bites pile up.

"That is why we are here isn't it? To discuss what is abusive and what is freely given? And as for respect? Well, isn't it fair to say that respect must be earned, not just freely assumed based on a title?"

Charles began his response to all their comments by pulling files from his satchel and laying them on the table. As he looked at each of the senators in time, he removed a file from the pile and placed it in order of the senator he is looking at. Until he reached the last senator. He nodded his respect and turned away.

There is no file for her.

In silence Charles viewed the Senators again. And then smiled, not a nice smile but a predatory smile, a smile of knowledge.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Committee, isn't it a bit self-serving to wax poetic on the alleged misuse of data when each of you, except for one, have been using that same data to destroy your own competition? Inside and outside of your own political party?" Charles paused.

"With the one exception, your campaign staff and office staff have come asking and begging for our data to crush whatever competitor has crossed your path." As the outcry started from the committee members, he held up his hands.

"It's my time is it not Chairman Butte?"

"You are making slanderous accusations against sitting members of the Senate. Do you know how serious the accusations you have made are?"

"It is only slanderous if they cannot be proven sir. And I assure you, they can be proven by the documents in these files."

"Sargent at arms, procure the files so they can be reviewed by the selected committee members," demands Chairman Butte.

"Oh, there is no need. I have placed them on a secured server open for public access." And he flashed the web pages up for the site.

"And the password is truthandhonesty, one word, No Caps please." And Charles smiles his predatory smile again. Staffers furiously type and then run up to their selected bosses, tablets in hand.

"I would like to take this moment to congratulate and honor senator Maxine McMichael. She out of all the members of the Committee, and the other members of congress that paid for the data..." Charles paused and then nodded his head in a bow to her, "did not use or even think about using the offered data."

"She stated that she would never use that type of personal information to advance her own career." Charles stated looking all the senators and then directly into the camera for the YouTube sound bite.

He paused again looking directly at Stentor McMichael, "I know, in fact' you personally told one of my executives from a subsidiary company to 'go fuck himself.' And that is a quote by the way"

He saw her cringe and blush. It was honest and would play well for her in the next couple of weeks.

All the senators were quickly cowed and buried in the information and truth that was now laid bare for the public, but one.

Charles took this moment to text Jeanne and ask again for her forgiveness. He asked if she was watching. He hit send.

Several moments passed and a text dinged. "Yes, you asshole, I am watching :P"

He paused for only a second, and furiously typed into his phone, "I have resigned from MyLife. It will be all official and public tomorrow. Can I see you now? Please?"

After the whole chamber stopped laughing and the Senator was free from blushing, she asked a straight question to Charles. "Do you take responsibility for your, while technically not illegal, but unethical actions? Do you admit to hurting the people from which you have taken their private data? Can you be honest with yourself and with the world as a whole?"

His phone dinged, "You know my demand!" Jeanne sent back.

Charles stared at the senator without blinking. He knew if he admitted to the senator's question it opened his company to lengthy lawsuits, enough to ruin him.

'But fuck, she was watching,' he thought. 'The love of his life was watching, and she had laid out her demand.'

As if he had any choice in the matter.

Chuck looked into the camera and knew Jeanne was looking at him through a screen somewhere. He no longer saw the camera but her beautiful, deep pooled eyes. To him the next words out of his mouth were to her, not the crowd, not the senate, not anyone else, but her.

He was staring into the beautiful eyes he loved so much.

"Yes, I take responsibility, and yes, I have now felt the pain and loss to the ones I love."

Fade out and end

"ESCAPING MY LIFE"