April 16th arrives. Ted and Preston have spent three weeks preparing for this day. They’ve removed all the watermarks from the draft presentation, which is in fact an internal presentation that was set to be given at the end of May. The pair have also made sure to erase all traces that would link the presentation back to them. Albion would in response go on a hunt to try and find who leaked the information to the world, but they are both confident that they’ll remain undetected.
But as Ted and Preston watch the response to the software that they have developed and leaked the details about, which after five hours has now been picked up by every media outlet, they feel at a loss. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, that pleases them. What doesn’t is when they watch as one of the marketing managers of Albion Industries admits that there was an accidental breach in protocol that resulted in this leak. But that the media furore around the product known as STORE has resulted in a twenty four percent increase in stock values.
At the mention of the stock increase Ted snaps the pen he’d been absentmindedly whirling between his fingers in half. Preston simply shakes his head. He can’t believe the leak has had the exact opposite effect of what the pair had believed. Maybe they should have known, but they hadn’t. Though, Preston suddenly recalls the old adage of: no new is bad news. Right now that seems to be true, but at least he’s taking it better than Ted who launches himself to his feet ready to slam his fists into the wooden top of his desk with all the power he can muster.
“Stop!” Preston blurts trying to avoid anyone feeling the need to venture into their office because of some loud and angry noise.
Ted does as his friend suggests but a large part of him wishes he hadn’t. He needs to release the anger. If he doesn’t he might just kill someone, or at least that is how he feels right this minute. Whether he could actually kill someone Ted doesn’t really know. The truth is he wouldn’t. He just feels so angry. From the moment he heard those executives chatting about STORE that day he hasn’t felt like himself. He and Preston have even stopped hanging out as much. When they do meet up all they do in those off hours together is bitch and moan. That was new as they had never done that previously, which is why Ted misses the old days. As does Preston, who wishes they’d never come up with the idea in the first place.
“What are we going to do?” Ted asks through gritted teeth as he stands at his desk. His hands are at his sides now, but it wouldn’t take much more than a blink of an eye for that to change.
“I don’t know.” Preston admits as the failure of their plan starts to sink in and he feels his own anger levels rising. Still, he is nowhere near Ted’s level.
“We have to do something. They’ll can us both soon. We can’t let them get away with this. We need to make them suffer.” Ted says stating the obvious.
“We make a rash move.” Preston declares after a period of silence has hung in the air between the two men. They are seldom bothered by the team that works for them. They have never questioned why that has become the case, but the reality is that it is not due to any malice or corporate orders from those above. It is simply because it isn’t necessary. The other developers, as well as the testers on the team, know their jobs and they’ve simply got on with them.
“You said rash moves were a bad idea.” Ted reminds still talking through his gritted teeth, which he begins to grind together now. It makes him feel better, though his jaw is quickly beginning to ache from the pain the action is causing. He doesn’t dare to consider the damage it may be doing to his teeth.
“That…” Preston exclaims louder than he wanted to. His volume of his voice so loud in comparison to where he had wanted it to be that it had almost made him jump out of his own skin, which is why he makes a conscious effort to lower its volume as he continues, “…that was before. But we’re almost out of time. Rash is all we’ve got left.”
“Couldn’t we try and contest the patents?” Ted says now sounding more reasonable than Preston. That surprises both of them. Ted doesn’t know where the question has come from, but he doesn’t regret asking it.
“I checked our contracts.” Preston starts before shaking his head and then continuing, “We wouldn’t have a chance. Especially when you factor in the lawyers and money Albion could throw at this. That alone could leave this to be drawn out for years, and still see us lose when it does come to an end.”
“So what’s your rash idea?” Ted questions feeling utterly dejected now Preston his confirmed exactly what he feared as the rage inside of Ted begins to boil up again.
“We leak STORE.” Preston announces after a delay during which he wonders whether he should really be saying this.
“We did. It got a whole load of fanfare.” Ted reminds with a sudden wave of his hands similar to an action that might be performed by an entertain at a children’s birthday party.
“No I mean we release the app. Source code and all. Make it free and open source.” Preston explains still unsure that he should be saying this, but knowing that it is too late to take it back. He’s said it and he knows what Ted’s answer will be. He can see it in his friends’ eyes already as a snarling smile begins to slowly rip across his thin face. If Preston didn’t know the man it would scare him to see that look. It’s another new dimension to Ted that he’s seeing for the first time and he wishes he wasn’t.
“Sounds perfect.” Ted assures in the moments before he licks at his slightly parted lips again and then asks with a mean look, “Shall we begin?”
Simon A Jackson - Writer 