Intermission 2: The company

Brad looks across the table at the other men in the conference room. No smiles greet him, only hard lines and furrowed brows.

"Does it seem likely he will succeed?" one man asks. He has a bald head and deep, blue eyes.

"Sir, based on the effects we've already seen, it appears that not stopping him is all that is needed to ensure his success," a woman answers from the corner of the room. Unlike the men seated around the wooden table, wearing fine black suits and toting expensive watches, she wears a lab coat over a lavender satin blouse and skirt. She brushes a long black hair behind her ear as she continues. "If you wish to prevent this line of inquiry on his part, we must physically engage him. He has shown himself to be an ideal candidate, though, so I encourage restraint. The experiment is going too well to complete derail, now."

The old man nods. "Agreed." He runs a hand up the side of his face, sighing. "Why can't the fucker just enjoy the gifts he has received?"

He looks around the room, but no one answers.

"Alright. I think it's time we give him another call. Ward him off, but don't disrupt. Felicity, see to it."

"Yes sir," the woman in the lab coat says, nodding. "It will happen in the morning. We will watch and wait for changes in the progress of the experiment."

Fuck, what is Dom thinking? Brad wonders.