door behind him. He was running twenty or so minutes later than he had intended; although he was rarely pressed for time. As CEO of ERamSys, he could very well come and go as he pleased, but the signing of a software outsourcing contract worth millions with a new American client was one of the very few occasions that demanded timeliness.
He climbed behind the wheel of his black Cadillac Escalade, parked right outside his house. He started the engine without wasting any more time, and shortly he was driving on the freeway, heading for the office. He pushed the pedal to the metal, trying to compensate for the delay in his departure, honking and swerving constantly around slower traffic.
Concentrated on his demanding maneuvers, he didn’t hear anything. He only felt a slight tickle on his right ankle, and when he looked down to see what it was, the sight froze the blood in his veins. A large king cobra slithered on the car floor around his legs, holding its terrifying head slightly elevated.
He didn’t think; he just reacted. He slammed on the breaks, but the large snake interpreted his sudden move as a sign of aggression. The cobra elevated its head further, expanded its hood, and attacked, sinking its teeth deep into Ramachandran’s right thigh. He screamed, swerved erratically, and came to a full stop after hitting a pole.
The pain he felt in his thigh spread quickly as the neurotoxin in the snake’s venom made its way through his blood stream. Soon he was paralyzed, in agonizing pain yet without being able to move or make a sound.
A man on a motorcycle slowed down as he drove by, taking a good couple of seconds to look at the victim through the car’s window. Then he accelerated and disappeared into the heavy morning traffic.
...101
...Friday, October 28, 6:09PM PST (UTC-8:00 hours)
...Tom Isaac’s Residence
...Laguna Beach, California
They ate quietly, the only noises being the clinking of cutlery on plates, the occasional request to pass the salt, or the filling of a glass.
“We’re awfully quiet today,” Alex stated the obvious. “Normally I’d blame it on the excellent food, but this time it feels different.”
“Oh, are you saying the food is not that great?” Tom asked.
“Oh, no, quite the opposite,” Alex reassured him. “It just feels different. When we get together to celebrate the end of a case we’re more lively than this,” she explained, turning towards Robert Wilton and Sam, both attending such dinner celebrations for the first time.
“I think this is great,” Robert commented, pointing at his half-emptied plate.
The skirt steak, grilled with buttered Portabella mushrooms and served with Claire’s signature mashed potatoes, was excellent.
“Absolutely agree,” Sam said, raising his bottle of beer towards Tom.
Steve observed quietly, not interrupting the dialogue. Brian, at his side, was finishing his steak. Louie had finished his meal altogether, after wolfing down the steak in a few large bites.
“Alex, can I get you anything else to drink?” Claire asked. “I see you’re holding an empty glass.”
“Yes, Claire, please. I would love another angry mojito. They’re really good.”
“I’ll make that,” Tom offered. “Always leave work assignments to the highest qualified workforce, right?” Everyone chuckled. “What else can I bring you guys? Robert, another beer?”
“Sure, why not?”
“Me, too,” Sam said.
“Me, three,” Brian joked.
“All right, full round of drinks coming right up.”
He came back shortly, as everyone was finishing up.
“I think I know what it is,” Alex said. “With our silence. The case we’re celebrating, it’s closed but not quite, and I think this bothers you all just as much as it bothers me.”
“You have a point there, kiddo,” Sam said. “But we have, in fact, fulfilled our mission.”
Steve lit a cigar and leaned back more comfortably in his chair.
“Have we, really?” Alex asked. “Yes, we prevented a disaster of immense proportions by thwarting their plan to steal our elections. Never before has a terrorist organization planned to decide our next American President somewhere outside our borders. Yes, we countered that plan. We have achieved that. We have also prevented the multi-point terrorist attacks scheduled to happen at some point in the future. We, all of us here, have restored the integrity and safety of our Election Day and election process. And your friends,” she said, pointing at Sam, “took care of the bad guys. Even better, none of us are in jail. Yet.” She paused, allowing time for anyone who wanted to interject, but no one did. “This is all the good stuff. But I still don’t know who X