by Simon Archer
“Yes, Mrs. Lindy, Mr. Woodin is expecting you,” Alice replied. “Please feel free to sit wherever you would like while I let him know you have arrived.”
“Thank you, Alice.” Leah shot the girl a warm smile before turning around to us. She held her left arm out, motioning to the row of chairs against the wall. “She’s going to get him now.” Just after we all took a seat, we could hear Alice pick up a phone and push several buttons.
“Mrs. Lindy and her party have arrived,” Alice whispered into the phone, barely audible. After another moment, we heard her say, “Yes, sir,” and hang up the phone. She stood up and walked out from around the reception desk and stood in front of us.
“Please follow me,” was all she said before turning on her heel and beginning to walk away.
Our group rose out of our seats and followed her. She led us past the reception desk and made a sharp right turn into a wide hallway that was not visible from the main waiting area. The lighting in the hall matched that of the waiting room, but instead of stone tile flooring, we were walking on plush brown carpet. Every twenty feet or so, we passed a large, heavy-looking, oak door. Each door had a large brass knob, and none of them had windows in them. Alice walked to the fifth door and stopped. She turned the heavy doorknob and pushed the door open. She took a step to the side and held her arm out, motioning us into the room.
“Thank you,” each of us told her on our way through the door.
“Mr. Woodin had planned on meeting you in his private offices,” Alice said, addressing Leah. “But, he wants to extend his thanks for notifying him of the additional guests you were bringing so that he could be properly prepared.”
“Of course,” Leah replied.
“Please, sit anywhere you would like. Mr. Woodin will be in shortly,” Alice told us. She was already out of the room and closing the door behind her before any of us had a chance to thank her.
“Very efficient young lady, isn’t she?” I joked with Leah as we all looked over at the room to select our seats.
The walls here had been painted much darker than those in the hallway. Although there was the same lighting, the room felt more ominous. Right in the center was a thick, long, oval conference table surrounded by twenty tall-backed, dark brown leather office chairs. The five of us walked to the end of the table that was furthest from the door. Charlie and Leah sat on the side facing the wall with the door and it, while Kennedi, Ellie, and I sat across from them, leaving the seat at the end of the table open for Mr. Woodin.
On the conference table, in front of each chair, were the same leather binders, and pens, that we had seen in the reception area. I opened the one that sat in front of me. Inside was a white legal pad, a brochure about Mr. Woodin’s legal practice, and a business card. I closed the leather cover and scooted back in my chair.
The energy in the room was varied. Charlie, Leah, and I were excited but nervous at the same time. More than anything, though, each of us was hopeful for the possibility that there would be a clear-cut way to get around Omnicorp’s bullying. Kennedi and Ellie were both calm and collected. Ellie had had just enough time to download the legal information I had asked her to before I had picked her up from the store. My goal was for her to confirm that Mr. Woodin’s legal reasoning was complete and fully informed. Charlie had joked that I was being distrustful. I just told him I was being thorough.
I was pulled from my thoughts by the click of the doorknob turning. The heavy door flew open, and a large, balding man walked into the room. He paused only to close the door before quickly making his way to our end of the conference table. He was carrying a leather binder that was only slightly different from those on the table. Once he said it down, he looked over at Leah and extended his hand. Leah, Charlie, and I all stood up. Leah reached forward and took the man’s hand. He smiled as they shook.
“You must be Leah!” he said jovially. His warm voice and smile weren’t what I would consider a match with his huge frame. He was at least six-foot, two inches tall, balding, and somehow, shy-looking. He had a large nose and wide-set, brown eyes.
“I am!” Leah said excitedly. “Thank you for scheduling to see me.”
“My pleasure,” he replied. He turned to Charlie and offered his hand to him as well.
“This is my husband, Charlie,” Leah introduced him.
“Charlie! It is good to meet you,” Brody told him. “You have a very persistent partner Leah. Her name has been coming across my desk for several months now!” Charlie grinned and glanced over at Leah.
“That much I know,” Charlie told him with amusement in his voice. When they were done shaking hands, Brody turned to me. As he reached his hand out to me, Leah introduced us as well.
“This is Clark, one of our most trusted business associates,” she said.
“Good to have you here, Clark,” Brody said warmly as we shook hands.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Woodin,” I replied.
“Please, all of you, call me Brody.” He let go of my hand, and I looked over at Kennedi and Ellie. “And who are these two wonderful ladies?” I saw a big smile instantly cross Leah’s face. The majority of people, especially in the business world, did not take time to notice, nor address cat girl accompaniments. So many simply wrote them off as being in some sort of servant-type roll. Ellie and Kennedi stood up, and Kennedi reached forward to grab Brodie’s outstretched hand.
“My name is Kennedi,” she said before any of us introduced her.
“Well, Kennedi, I’m glad you could make it today,” Brody responded. “Tell me, do you have a special skill?” Everybody in the room was a little shocked at his question. In a matter of seconds, he had demonstrated knowing more about cat girls than nearly anyone we had met who didn’t work in the industry.
“I am an artist,” Kennedi said, choosing an answer that sidestepped the true intent of his question. “I have a small glass blowing studio downtown.”
“Next time we redecorate this place, I will be certain to visit your gallery to see what you have. Hopefully, it is colorful. Whoever first decorated this office obviously liked too many earth tones,” Brody told her and chuckled at his own remarks.
“Yes, I work with a significant amount of color,” Kennedi responded. She leaned her back just a little so that Brody could see Ellie. “Brody, please meet Ellie. She is one of the two best chefs in the western United States.”
I was proud of Kennedi. She had learned over our time together to withhold information or redirect a conversation to avoid oversharing. She understood that telling people that she had a knack for knowing when somebody was lying very quickly made people uncomfortable. Similarly, others often got nervous about their personal information when they find out that Ellie has special internet connectivity abilities.
“That is quite an accomplishment, Ellie. It is nice to meet you.” Brody smiled and extended his hand once more.
“Thank you, Brody,” Ellie said. “Nice to meet you as well.”
“Tell me, as one of the two best chefs, where might I find your food?” Brody asked her.
“My food is available at a restaurant called Belavi,” Ellie responded.
“My goodness! I have been there!” Brody’s smile got even bigger. “I had something called ‘Peef Roast,’ or at least I believe that is what it was called. It was absolutely fantastic!” Ellie grinned and gave him a little nod.
“Yes, that is one of the special concoctions that my partner and I created. It has been a big hit, thank you,” Ellie replied. Brody nodded, and when the two were finished shaking hands, he straightened up and started to pull out his chair. He moved more gracefully then I would have thought a man his size would. He was at least two-hundred and eighty pounds but did not look fat by any means. He sat down and wiggled a little bit in his chair to get comfortable.
Then he scooted up to the table and opened up his leather binder. The rest of us sat back down and opened the binders in front of us as he did so. He took some papers out and shuffled
them around a little bit before setting them back down and turning to Leah.
“It sounds like there may be some extra details that you need to fill me in on, seeing as how our meeting has grown by four people,” Brody said to her. “What is new?”
Leah gave Brody a quick overview of the cease and desist letter, and the different obstacles it created for our various businesses, while Charlie handed him the letter. Brody listened intently while he read the letter. When Leah was done, he set the paper down in front of him and looked around the table at all of us. His entire demeanor shifted, and suddenly, I got that feeling you get when you are about to be called into the principal’s office.
“With the case like this, there is bad news, worse news, and the occasional ray of sunshine that breaks through,” Brody started. “Firstly, Omnicorp owns the original saliva formula. I will be upfront with you. You will not be using that formula. They aren’t going to give it up, and as you know, they aren’t going to let you use it. I believe trying to get them to allow you to use the saliva is one-hundred percent pointless.”
He paused for a moment and looked around to make sure we all understood before continuing. “Secondly, I can just about guarantee that Omnicorp is trying to secure Industry backing. For example, Omnicorp is most likely lobbying the medical community, the military community, or both to sell them on the benefits possible should Omni be allowed to create CGs that could provide medical healing. If they are able to secure that kind of support, it will make your case much harder to win.”
Brody paused again to make sure his words were sinking in. Leah, Charlie, and I were all on the edge of our seats, trying to digest what we had heard so far. Of course, Omnicorp would be lobbying, but I seriously doubted that, even if they did make the saliva and cat girls available to the medical and military industries, they would make it affordable.
“So, aside from the fact that Omnicorp most likely will not make the product affordable, will the fact that they have waited this long to come after us for selling CGs have any effect in our favor?” I asked Brody. He looked at me dead in the eye.
“No,” he said. “If there is not a statute of limitations, they could wait and sue you when you were seventy, unfortunately. Granted, a judge might laugh them out of the courtroom at that point, but a lot of times, large companies file lawsuits just to bury smaller companies in red tape and legal fees.”
“So, I am guessing that the ‘worse news’ if Part of this is that if Omnicorp gets their way, VGS would be restricted to doing modifications, and UsForThem would basically become a shelter for abandoned cat girls,” I responded, trying to control the anger in my voice.
“To put it plainly, yes,” Brody replied. “But before the gloom and doom sets in, let’s talk about those little rays of light I mentioned. Have any of you had the saliva analyzed?” The three of us shook our heads.
“No. The most we know about it is that CGs can reproduce it once it is introduced into their systems,” I said.
“Unfortunately, that fact will not help you,” Brody started. “The CGs wouldn’t have anything to reproduce if the original, patented product hadn’t been introduced, to begin with.”
Leah leaned forward, and her elbows on the table. “Why do you ask, Brody?”
“Very simple. One of the most popular ways when it comes to substances like medications, to get around patent issues, is to change the formula,” Brody answered her. The memory of a recent court case I had seen on the news popped into my head.
“Correct me if I am wrong, but if there are fillers in the formula, will changing the fillers be enough? I can’t speak for Leah or Charlie, but I never looked at the saliva as a drug before.” Leah and Charlie started shaking their heads in agreement.
“You have to change a certain percentage about the overall formula, including fillers, but if a product is mostly fillers, it is very possible for that to be done. You would have to have a very thorough, specific, analyzation, and reformulation performed, however.” I instantly felt Leah look at me.
“I believe we can get that done very soon,” Leah told Brody.
“Good. Put that on the menu to get started right away,” he instructed. “Now, on to the next thing. Let’s talk about this glass issue. Obviously, Omnicorp can’t force Isamu Sato to sell glass to them because they have a contract with you. So, they are going to try to force you to sell glass to them.”
“Is that even a possibility,” Charlie spoke up. The irritation in his voice was ever present.
“It is a hard thing to accomplish, from a legal standpoint, but not always impossible,” Brody told him. “In this case, because the glass would be needed for the only current method of distribution for the saliva, they might have a better chance of getting it pushed through. The silver lining there, of course, is that you would make money selling the glass. Now, before you say anything, I know that’s not what you’re going for here.”
“I would rather Isamu and I dissolve our contract so that Omnicorp can’t get their hands on it!” I replied.
“That is absolutely the way I would feel as well. However, any move to do something like that would paint you in the light of wanting to withhold medically beneficial products from the public. PR is a huge consideration in instances such as this.” Brody shifted in his seat lately. He pulled himself up closer to the table and turned toward Leah. “I also understand that you would be having issues with a bill of sale requirement regarding the catgirls, correct?”
“Yes. I had planned on Recording adoption fees and using those in for a bill of sale to get around it,” Leah explained. “But now, with this, even if that won’t work because Omnicorp would end up suing me for back profits just like they are trying to do to VGS.” The frustration was clear in her voice.
“It’s not a serious issue,” Brody started. “Most likely, we can get that thrown out, but we would have to act fast. Because Omnicorp is not currently making CGs, them having their name on the law like that is pointless. If we can get that overturned before the court orders you to try to make cat girls again, then you would be able to adopt our cat girls, with the saliva, as long as the adoption fees were funneled through your 401C-3 as a nonprofit.” I saw a wave of excitement passed through Leah’s face briefly.
“Is that really possible?” she asked quickly.
“It is, at least most likely. I don’t make promises when it comes to the law, but I can give you your best possible options,” Brody answered her. Leah sat back in her chair and took a deep breath. Charlie leaned forward, looked at his wife, looked at me, and then turned towards Brody.
“Can you lay out our next steps for us, please?” he requested.
“Absolutely,” Brody started. “The plan is two-sided. First, you need to have the saliva analyzed on the off chance that it can be changed enough to no longer be protected under Omnicorp’s patent. Secondly, you’ll need to respond to their request for mediation regarding the glass contract. The mediation can be dragged out, and we want to slow them down as much as possible. Also, they will want to try to settle the issue outside of court before they file suit to save themselves money.”
Leah leaned forward once again.
“Are you willing to handle our case?” she asked Brody. He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands over his stomach. There was a long silence in the room as he looked at each of us. Then a slow smile spread across his face he morphed from the serious lawyer, back into the jolly man that walked into the room. I could see how his ability to transition from such a positive, happy guy, into a serious, cutthroat lawyer, could be very beneficial when dealing with judges and juries.
“I will handle your case. I believe what you all are trying to better the CG industry. I would like to be a part of that,” he told us happily. “If nothing else, it will be a nice change of pace from my normal cases!”
“That is such a relief,” Leah started. “I sincerely appreciate your time and assistance with this.” Brody started chuckling.
“Leah
, I’m not sure that I would have been able to say no if I wanted to with how persistent you are!” he joked. All of us laughed at that. Brody stood up, closed his binder, and pushed his chair back. “Alice will see you out, and Leah, I will call you to set up our next meeting.” As it is clairvoyant, Alice opened the conference room door. The rest of us stood up and shook Brody’s hand. When he got to Ellie, his smile grew.
“I am very much looking forward to visiting your restaurant again,” he told her and then turned to Kennedi. “And, I think I will drop by your studio sooner rather than later. This place needs some color!” The girls laughed and welcomed him into their establishments whenever he was available. He made his way to the door, and as he was walking out, he turned back to us one last time, with a huge smile.
“I only take cases that are seriously challenging, and this one fits the bill. I’m looking forward to dinner with all of you at your charming restaurant after we win this thing!” Then he was gone. As the five of us made our way away from the table, Alice reminded us that the binders were ours to take home. She escorted us out of the conference room, back down the hallway, and through the reception area. Before we knew it, we were in the elevator, taking the ride back down to the parking lot. None of us spoke until the elevator doors opened, and we started walking to our cars.
“I think, if you two can swing it, we should head over to Belavi and go over a few things,” I said to Charlie and Leah.
“I believe it is necessary for us to do so also,” Charlie agreed. Leah just nodded. The two of them waved as they walked to the car. Kennedi, Ellie, and I climbed in the 4Runner, and I started the engine.
“I am very interested to hear your ladies’ take on that meeting,” I told the girls as we pulled out.
Kennedi and Ellie glanced at each other and then both smiled without another word.
11
Rosie
Bev walked into the kitchen in a hurry while I was testing the heat capacity on a new product. She started bustling around like she was on a deadline.
