The Corporate Plan

By Miho Slavco

A world controlled by power hungry, greedy leaders, exploiting the earth and it's population. Politicians sell their integrity and voter's rights to the highest bidder, while the world suffers from conflicts created by their campaign contributors and lobbyist. A journalist, Linda Jones, uncovers secrets involving a senator’s murder and his major contributor. The truth leads her around the world, discovering surprising information, unraveling a history never told, and a future dependent on it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Miho Slavco
• Release date: Apr 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370869732

Book preview

The

Corporate

Plan

Miho Slavco

The Corporate Plan is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living of dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2017 Miho Slavco

All rights reserved.

Edited by Evan Thorins

Cover design: Miho Slavco

Cover illustration: Davor

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Contents

CHAPTER1 INTERRUPTED

CHAPTER2 STALKING FOR INFO

CHAPTER3 NO FACES

CHAPTER4 NEVER STOP SLEEPING

CHAPTER5 NO BODY NO FOUL

CHAPTER6 TO OWE A FAVOR

CHAPTER7 PRIVATE EQUALS SECRET

CHAPTER8 DANGEROUS KNOWLEDGE

CHAPTER9 LISTEN TO THE HEARING

CHAPTER10 RIDE TO MIAMI

CHAPTER11 EUROPEAN REPORTS

CHAPTER12 OWNING EVERYTHING

CHAPTER13 MONEY MAKERS

CHAPTER14 CONGO STATION

CHAPTER15 SIMILAR ENOUGH TO FAKE

CHAPTER16 NO NAME

CHAPTER17 ISLAND ARRIVAL

CHAPTER18 LIES FOR TRUTH

CHAPTER19 STAYING INSTEAD OF LEAVING

CHAPTER20 WE ALL NEED TO LIE

CHAPTER21 FUTURE WITHOUT MONEY

CHAPTER22 SEEDS INTO CITIES

CHAPTER23 FAMILIAR IS NOW FOREIGN

Chapter1 Interrupted

A young woman walks to a bar thinking to herself, What does he look like again? The device looks like a flat, round dot the size of a cherry pit and it is adhered to her skin like a gecko's sticky feet. It's positioned right below her eyebrow line and between her eyes. As Linda thinks of the man, a rainbow-colored light begins to spin on the dot’s outer edge. She has three more adhered to her skin, two are behind each ear and one in the front of her neck, all of them matching her warm, deep, auburn skin tone. All four dots work together to create a mentally controlled device, called MCD for short. MCDs allow communication with the world through the net, connecting everything and everyone at the whim of any user’s thoughts, any and all information can be stored into a personal cloud network.

Linda’s hazel eyes refocus on a site that’s being projected into her vision by the MCD dot below her black eyebrows. As she sees his picture, the MCD alerts her with the dots behind her ears. She hears a computer’s voice.

He is down the block, Approximately 30 feet away.

Her eyes refocus on him as she waves, he notices her and walks over. She stretches out her hand to shake his and greets him, Hello Senator Garcia, I’m so happy you agreed to this interview.

It’s my pleasure, Miss Jones.

Call me Linda.

They walk into the bar and go towards a corner booth. Linda pulls a backpack off her shoulder and rests it on the table. She sits on the edge on one side and gestures for him to sit across from her. Hope you don’t mind me recording the interview? He smiles and sits on the opposite side of the booth.

Okay, but get my good side.

Sure, Senator Garcia, but it’s just for my notes.

Please Linda, call me Drew.

The MCD below Linda’s eyebrows lights up red, Okay, I’m recording. What are your thoughts on the new law that’s being voted on soon?

You’ll need to be more specific Linda.

The one that will make your job obsolete? At first you were for it, and now it seems you’re not.

I was never for it, and I’m still not completely against it either. I still need to read everything to make a decision.

But it’s only a few days away, shouldn’t you be prepared?

I’m always prepared… I’ve had a busy day. Can we continue another time please?

Yeah, that’s fine. The red light between her eyes shuts off, he waves over a waitress. Would you like anything, Linda?

I guess bourbon on the rocks.

I’ll have the same. The waitress nods and leaves.

So, Linda… What’s a cute girl like you doing in a place like this? He chuckles, she looks down at her hands, then the bar, and then forces out a small laugh. Sure… I had a busy day too. The waitress returns with the drinks, Linda takes a gulp and orders another.

What’s your usual day like, Linda?

It gets hectic, lots of research and walking. What about you?

Meetings and more meetings and then reading. She takes another gulp of bourbon; he takes a small sip. The waitress comes back with another as she takes the last gulp.

You’re not much of a drinker, Drew. He smiles and downs his drink, then asks the waitress for another. How was that?

Linda laughs It doesn’t burn as much with the ice. I guess bourbon isn’t your first choice if you’re alone?

I usually get champagne, but my dad always says, Son, if you want to make someone feel comfortable, have the same thing they are. He always has advice when I need it.

He sounds like a nice man, is he the reason you became a politician? This is off the record by the way, just chatting.

No, Linda, he wanted me to be a pilot. When I was sixteen I went to a flight school to enroll, but my vision was too poor and I wasn’t accepted. After that, he saw how sad I was. I felt like I let him down, but he told me, Son, I just want you to be happy, so do anything you want and I’ll support you. I didn’t decide to go into the family business until after college. What about you, have you always wanted to be a journalist?

The waitress comes back with his drink, You guys want anything else? They both shake their heads.

It was kind of an accident, Drew. I never thought of doing this type of work. I wanted to be a diplomat when I was in college, but things change.

Is that when you started drinking bourbon? I drank beer in my college days, I was never very fancy. He chuckles and winks at her.

My dad is the reason, Drew, I would pour it for him and I always enjoyed the smell, but always hated the burn, he’d never put ice in his though. Drew lifts his glass, To our dads She clinks his glass, they both take a gulp. The ice does make it less harsh, that’s a good tip Linda.

The MCD dots on each side of Drew’s temples begin to flash blue lights. Hang on Linda, I’m getting a call. He stands up and walks outside, a couple of minutes later he returns flustered. Bad news? He looks at Linda and smiles. Just looking at you makes me feel better. He sits back down and takes another gulp. I hope you don’t mind that I ordered another round after the call.

No problem, you did seem stressed after that call. Was it bad news?

Everything is fine, just a constituent calling at a terrible time.

Wow, they call you personally, they don’t need to go through your assistant?

Only some of the primary contributors can, the rest sadly, cannot. I wouldn’t be able to answer all the calls personally either. Also, I’d never have any free time and couldn’t spend it with such a lovely woman as yourself. Linda grins, the waitress returns with two more drinks and places them on the table. We’re gonna be closing early tonight so this is the last call, want another?

No, this is enough for me, what about you Drew?

I suppose this shall be my last as well. The waitress leaves, he raises his glass again, To having free time! She clinks his glass, they both finish the drinks in a few gulps. He refocuses his vision as rainbow-colored lights begin to spin on the MCD dots adhered to his temples. It's only ten, do you want to do something else Linda?

What do you have in mind?

He gets up from the booth and reaches his hand out to hers, I have a surprise!

She stands up, grabs her backpack, and takes his hand, Okay, but this better be good. They hail a cab and get in, he gives the driver an address. Drew looks at Linda and smiles, and then moves in to kiss her.

She puts her hand out to stop him, Hang on, you cut the interview short. Your surprise better be good if you want me. He leans back and puts a sad expression on his face. Linda smiles and shakes her head, then pulls him in to kiss. Shortly after, they arrive to their destination. We’re here! That’ll be seventy dollars.

They stop kissing, she looks out the window as he presses his thumb on a scanner in the middle of the taxi’s ceiling.

Give yourself a twenty-dollar tip, Miss. That was some smooth driving. Drew chuckles, two rainbow-colored lights spin under the driver’s eyes.

…Okay, thanks. Have a great night, folks.

Your place is the surprise, come on… I hoped this wasn’t going to be it, but eh. They continue to kiss as they approach his front door. The MCDs on his temples become yellow, then the door opens automatically. They continue to kiss and enter as the door closes behind them.

He maneuvers her towards his room while she unbuttons his shirt I don’t do this type of thing with the people I interview.

He looks into her eyes, I don’t care. Then he continues to kiss her and unbuttons her shirt. She finishes removing his shirt as they enter his room, he quickly removes her shirt. They unbutton their slacks and remove their shoes. They continue to kiss and sit on the bed as he leans on her and begins to guide her to lay down. The MCDs on his temples begin to flash blue, each time getting brighter. The light flickers so brightly she can see it through her eyelids.

She opens her eyes and stops kissing him, I think you have another call, Drew.

These damn constituents, I’ll be right back, don’t move.

He walks out of his room and goes to the kitchen. She stands outside the room and sees him in the distance. She backs into the room’s doorway and crouches down. Her eyes refocus as she opens a website. The MCD between her eyes lights up, she sees the reflection on the doorway. She quickly thinks of changing the settings, a new window opens to adjust it and then she sets the light level to zero brightness. A warning turns on in red:

NOT ALLOWED TO SHUT OFF LIGHT, ILLEGAL RECORDING NOT PERMITTED. MUST DIM TO 5% MINIMUM, IT IS ILLEGAL TO RECORD WITHOUT RED WARNING LIGHT.

She opens a program that bypasses all restrictions, the warning goes away. The light dims and then shuts off.

She thinks and opens a program that allows her to read lips. She pokes her head out and looks at him, but she can’t get a good look at his lips. He keeps pacing in a circle and walks into view only as he passes by the doorway. As he spins, his hands change positions every time he walks into view. First, he puts his left hand in a fist and punch’s the palm of his right hand. The second time around he holds his hands like he’s praying. The third time his hands are pulling at his hairs, the fourth time his hands are raised all the way up. He stops in the doorway, then turns right and walks to the countertop. All she sees now is his back, he stretches his arms out and leans them on the countertop, and then drops his head.

He nods and then shrugs his shoulders, he dips down more and doesn’t move. After some time, he stands up straight, she runs back to the bed.

He stands by the doorway of the room shortly after, I have some bad news Linda, we need to cut this short, I forgot I have an early meeting. So, I’m going to have to ask you to go, we can reschedule the interview and take it from there. What do you think?

Okay Drew, I understand. They both get dressed, then he walks her to the front door and says goodbye.

Chapter2 Stalking for Info

Linda walks a block away. She spins her backpack to her front side and opens the top. She removes a small brown object and presses firmly on one corner. The brown object begins to soften and expands into a double-sided trench coat. One side is made of a nice, soft, super thin and smooth synthetic material that changes its colors to anything the user wants. The other is made of a material that changes its colors, thickness, and material texture; the textures can vary from corduroy, to wool, and even silk. She puts it on, the textured side facing out. Then she removes another object from her backpack, it’s the size of a sun glasses case, about five inches long and two inches thick. She spins the cover to unscrew it and then lifts it up. As she raises the top, hairs are pulled from inside.

She slides the hair from the lid and removes it completely from the container. She shakes the hair and waves it in the air, this makes the hair untangle and fluff up. She carefully feels the middle of the wig, and finds a firm area. She grabs the firm spot and places it on the top of her head, then makes sure to tuck in her black shoulder length ponytail and any remaining hairs. She screws the container’s cover and puts it back into her backpack. Then she removes a square flat object that looks like a remote control, it’s four inches on each side and one inch thick. She pushes the top and it opens, the side that lifts up is covered with a mirror, and the other side has various small objects.

She looks at herself in the mirror and adjusts her wig. It’s too short. As she thinks this to herself, the hair begins to get longer and changes colors. First it reaches her neck, then her shoulders, and the colors change until it stops on a dark gray and the length reaches her elbows. She shakes her head, as the hair gets all frizzy. Perfect! She removes a small lipstick-sized object from her mirror container. She presses the bottom and rubs the other end on her forehead, then around her eyes and cheeks. As it slides over her skin, it leaves a new thin layer of fake skin that’s blotched and wrinkled.

She looks at herself in the mirror closely, This Skin-duper is amazing, from young skin to old in a second. As she looks at herself she places the Skin-duper back in the square mirror container. She looks inside her backpack and shuffles some stuff to find large framed glasses, she puts them on.

She moves the mirror to see the Trench coat That’s no good. The texture of the coat begins to change becoming rough wool with patches of jeans and plaid randomly scattered. She closes the mirror and places it back into her backpack. Then she removes a large rectangular piece of the cloth that’s made of the same fabric as her coat. She loosely wraps it around her head like a shawl, and makes it look patchy and rough. Then she closes the backpack, leaves it facing forward, and lowers it to her stomach. She closes the trench coat to the top making it seem like she has a large stomach.

Linda slouches, leans on a wall, and waits for Drew. A few minutes later she sees him leave his place. He looks around and begins to walk away from her direction. She waits a bit, then crosses the street and follows him, staying one block behind and across the street the entire time. Ten minutes and many blocks later he approaches a hot dog cart parked on the corner of Florida Ave and New Jersey Ave. She stops a block away on Fifth St, she begins to record what she sees, but can’t clearly see him, she continues walking in his direction. She walks slowly, slouching, her hands hold the cloth covering her head so it faces forward, but her head tilts to continue to see him.

She spots some homeless people huddled near a burning city trash can across the street from the hot dog cart. She crosses Florida Ave, passing the hot dog stand across the street on her left side. Then she turns left to cross New Jersey Ave, when she steps on the sidewalk, she turns right. Drew continues speaking to the vendor across the street behind her. She walks past the homeless people and stops a few feet away from them. She turns around and faces his direction. She positions herself between some of the homeless people to hide from Drew’s field of vision. She has a perfect view of him and the vendor’s profile.

Linda thinks and opens a few programs simultaneously. One for reading lips, the other for zooming in and sharpening her vision, and another program to isolate and increase the volume of distant sounds. She focuses on him and the vendor, Drew pounds on the counter and yells. YOU CAN’T MAKE ME DO ANYTHING!

Lower your voice Mr. Garcia, I’m just the messenger. You can’t change anything by speaking to me.

Then who the FUCK- The vendor raises his eyebrows and tilts his head. -do I speak to?

You’re speaking to me right now, Sir, and after this, you will do as you have agreed. That will be twelve dollars and ninety-six cents, please.

The vendor holds out his hand to give him a hot dog.

He looks at the vendor in disbelief, What the fuck is wrong with you people? The vendor smiles and waits for him to take the hot dog. That’ll be twelve dollars and ninety-six cents, Sir. Drew positions his hand under the vendor’s, the vendor begins to place the hot dog in his. He grabs the vendor’s hand with the hot dog and smashes it in his face, knocking him back.

THAT’S TOO MUCH FOR A HOT DOG, NOBODY CAN FORCE ME TO DO ANYTHING! Drew walks away from the hot dog cart as fast as