Henry Bosak was not a violent man by nature. The serene environment he created in his office was an outpouring of the calmness of the CEO’s inner life. But in the case of Falcon, Bosak found he had to make a special exception.

After departing the barracks, he shoved the Vice President hard, tripping down the hallway. Before he could regain his balance, Bosak pressed him hard up against the wall and roared through clenched teeth.

“What have you been doing, Oliver?” He brought his knee up swiftly, connecting with the other man’s groin. Falcon slumped in pain, but Bosak hoisted him up, pinning him to the wall. “The Civil Liberties Union will have our scalps for this!”

Falcon whimpered in pain, cross-eyed. Seeing the man in anguish, Bosak let him go and he dropped to the ground like a rag doll, doubled over.

“I just don’t get it,” Bosak paced the corridor, towering over the writing Falcon. “Yes, sometimes we have made ethical choices that would make most hedonists blush, but this crosses the line into criminal behavior, Oliver! A person’s DNA for purposes of criminal investigation may be in the public domain, but this is really pushing the envelope. You better have a good explanation, or, so help me, I will bury you!”

“Oof.”

Bosak gave him a minute to compose himself. As he staggered to his feet, Falcon leaned against the wall for support, tucking his tie back under his rumpled jacket.

“The fact of the matter was, sir, that our candidate was going to be let go due to negligence.” Falcon cleared his throat. “He’s an alcoholic. We let it slide too long. And seeing as he wasn’t needed, it was the perfect opportunity to test things out. If he said anything, we’d have the video proof of his indulgences. No one would give him a second glance after that.”

“There are still laws against downsizing an employee due to discrimination based upon “illness”. The last time I checked, alcoholism is still considered an illness. His drunkenness is not only what’s at stake here.” Bosak sighed heavily. “Just because something is convenient doesn’t mean you always do it, especially when our future partner in this deal is supposed to be Big Brother Himself.”

Bosak found himself making an unexpected gesture: he put a comforting hand on Falcon’s shoulder. “I understand that the whole damned world is a bureaucracy. How tempting it is to soar in and ignore the red tape, but in the end you’re going to get snagged by throwing caution to the wind.” Bosak withdrew his hand and studied Falcon. “We’re not going to get snagged on this deal. I will not let your carelessness ruin the company.”

The prim and proper executive was completely disheveled. Then the cunning glimmer crept back into his eye. “What if we were to obtain Joe Noone’s consent?”

Bosak froze. “And how would you do that?”

“What if I told you that our dear Director of New Marketing was re-educating him?”

“Oh, Shiva, Mohammed and Buddha! How deep does this quagmire run?”

“Just a select brain trust, sir. I swear. This whole operation is an exercise in cross-integrating our most elite departments. Our director has, taking somewhat of an inspiration from Mao, developed a customizable marketing program to engender loyalty among our employees. When she’s finished with him, he will do anything we ask of him. Eventually, we hope to spread this love of company beyond these walls to our customers.”

Bosak said nothing for a long while. He scratched his head in frustration, staring at the cream-colored walls for a sign from beyond for what to do. “I’m richer than the Waltons—even richer than the legendary Gates—and you’ve backed me into a corner, Oliver. This will not stand. My first reaction is to pull the plug.”

“I understand, sir. But we’re in this together, you know that. This could be huge! If anyone blows the whistle, the stockholders will flee like rats from a sinking ship. The company—and even the economy—will be finished! Think of it, your empire segmented into tiny feuding city-states.”

Bosak roared, pushing Falcon hard into the wall. Both quaked with anger. “If what you’ve been up to gets out at all, I’m blowing the whistle on the whole thing. I will make a full disclosure to the stockholders, government, and, hell, even the international community! I did not come back to the company to run on ‘business is business’ principles. We have to be the face that the public—most importantly, the spending public—trusts. That trust must be genuine. No more double-dealing!”

“Surely you must be joking!” Falcon gulped.

“If we go public with this prematurely, we’re going to lose a lot of money. That much is a certainty. But I don’t think any of VirCorp’s friends in politics or the government will break us up. The fallout may be huge—but we can rebuild. But if I stop this madness at the source,” he poked the VP hard in the chest, “it will all wash away in the long-term. One thing I have learned is that there is no problem big enough that can’t be fixed by a saturation of positive PR. On the other hand, if this was to go through successfully with no backlash and we keep a lid on it, maybe—and this is a huge maybe—we’ll land that contract and you’ll still have a job. Do we have an understanding?”

Falcon cleared his throat. “Loud and clear, Mister President. Nothing will leave these walls. I will begin taking the necessary precautions now.”

“Good, I’m glad we finally see eye to eye on this matter. Just get it done, OK?” Bosak’s soft blue eyes burrowed through Falcon’s steel grey. He had regained his element—restored control. “Now, clean yourself up for the Board. You look like you’ve just had your ass handed to you.”

As Falcon disappeared down the hall to the executive bathroom, Bosak debated with himself. The deal on the table was too good to pass up. But Falcon had crossed the line. What else wasn’t he aware of?

Suddenly there was a loud pop and all the lights went out. Bosak was left to ponder alone in the darkness.