Final Act

by Van Fleisher

  “And he wanted to say goodbye or ask what kind of cigars you wanted him to bring back?”

  “I think you know why he called. The CEO job.”

  Jennifer tried to hide her smile, “He offered you the job?”

  “Yes, and to end your twenty-question game, I accepted.”

  “But what about the cigars?”

  “What about them?”

  “You’re going to need some.”

  ***

  Washington, D.C. Zoe’s early Christmas, continued while she was munching on a sandwich when she got a call from the Ft. Lauderdale police. They had apprehended Mikhail Kalinin, aka Mike Kalin, and his wife, as they were boarding a cruise ship to the Bahamas. Interestingly, they had one-way airline tickets from Nassau to Moscow via Havana, and they both held valid Russian passports.

  Zoe dispatched agents to pick them up and bring them to Washington. She called Sue in legal to let her know about Kalin and Leon, and she texted Vijay.

  ***

  Quincy, Massachusetts. When Vijay accepted the position, he’d asked J. Edward not to announce it to anyone except Don Casey, VitalTech’s Vice President of Marketing. Vijay then called Don to arrange a private meeting away from the VitalTech office. Don was one of the few holdovers from Vijay’s senior team when Vijay owned the business, and Vijay had a lot of respect for Don’s marketing acumen. Don seemed very happy to see Vijay and relished the prospect of working together again.

  Vijay wanted to see Don straight away because he valued his opinion. He began by making sure that Don was fully aware of the murders carried out by Final Notice recipients, both those acting on their own and those managed by the Russians. Vijay’s detailed account shook Don. Kalin kept a tight lid on the Recipient killings, and although Don had heard the rumors, he had no idea of the breadth and severity of the incidents.

  Vijay posed the two questions he had specifically come to ask: “What would be the ramifications of removing the Final Notice feature?” and “What is your assessment of Kalin’s personal assistant?”

  ***

  Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania. The event organizers and the Secret Service had just left Moki Joe’s spacious 1,000 square foot RV after a detailed briefing about the following day’s schedule. The organizers explained that they would pick him up in a golf cart at 2:30 p.m. the next day to take him into the arena green room. That would give him a final few minutes going on stage promptly at 3:30 p.m. when the opening warm-up act finished. Following the show, they’d bring him back to the RV the same way he had come. That would give him one hour to ‘unwind’ before his meeting with the President and Vice President.

  Moki Joe was OK with all of that, but he flatly rejected the attempts of the event organizers, facility staff and the Secret Service, to hold the session with POTUS and the Vice President, inside the arena. He told them that they could eat their burgers in the arena if they chose, but if they wanted to eat with Moki Joe, it would be in his ‘house.’

  The Secret Service team asked his permission – although asking was just a formality – to allow them to thoroughly inspect his RV today, at his convenience, and then again tomorrow, while he was performing in the Arena.

  ***

  Alone again in his RV, Moki Joe smiled at the irony of the venue – the Mohegan Sun Arena. The entertainment complex was owned by the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut because the Pennsylvania Indians had all been murdered or forced out of the state many years ago. They had to buy their way in, and now Moki Joe was helping them to pay it off.

  His thoughts shifted to his own mortality. He only had two performances left – though only one was musical – and he was looking forward to both of them. To begin with, he wanted to blow away the 8,000-plus fans so that they’d remember him as an entertainer, not just because they were there ‘that night.’ He wanted to hear the roar of adulation and bask in their approval. And as he thought that, he realized just how important that approval was. It meant so much more than the beatings he’d given countless idiots who had insulted him and his brother. And it partially made up for all the looks of disapproval, suspicion or even fear that he’d received almost every day of his life until he was recognized as Moki Joe Hunter.

  After his meeting with Tom in Denver, he had tried to contact Kaya, but she never picked up and never called him back. He’d written and re-written a lengthy letter to her, apologizing for the hurt that he had caused her, trying desperately to tell her how much he loved her. It was to be given to her when he died. At last, he had finished it, and it was on his ‘office’ desk in his RV.

  Tom had called him earlier that morning to check that everything was going as planned, explaining again how events would unfold. He had also cautioned and coached MJ on his letter to Kaya, and he was happy with what MJ read to him.

  ***

  CHAPTER 29 – THE CHAIN OF COMMAND

  Washington, D.C. Zoe’s hot streak continued. The Las Vegas field office had Leon Ivanov in their possession, and just like Moki Joe would soon be doing, he was singing his heart out. He positively implicated Vik Vasin, who trained him, along with Pavel Krupin and Peter Sobol, in the woods of New Hampshire. Warrants were being issued for Krupin and Sobol.

  Ivanov had spoken with Yuri and Stefan, but he didn’t know their last names. They were able to get two cell phone numbers from his phone that appeared as both inbound and outbound calls. They’d let her know if they found the owners of those numbers.

  ***

  Quincy, Massachusetts. Don Casey absorbed and considered the implications of Vijay’s first question. He had always championed the Final Notice feature as their single most significant differentiator. Did the VT2 have enough to compete without it? How would they handle the ten-plus million existing users?

  “Vijay, I never thought I’d willingly be thinking of alternatives to the Final Notice feature, but knowing the full extent of the damage it’s caused, I don’t see how I can defend keeping it in. I imagine, given the havoc it’s wreaked on the electoral process, you’d like to act quickly, but I have a few questions.”

  Vijay smiled and said, “I’d be surprised if you didn’t.”

  “From your perspective as a doctor, how does our clinical technology stack up with Apple, Fitbit, Garmin, etc.?”

  Vijay thought and replied, “We’re ahead, but it’s like an ongoing combination of sprints and marathons. We need to run flat out to keep ahead, and the race is a very long one. The biggest commercial advantage we’ve had so far is the technology of the Final Notice and our ability to predict end- of-life trends.”

  Don perked up, “You said ‘commercial advantage.’ Are there others?”

  Vijay explained, “Actually, that commercial advantage has been driven by two very unique technological advantages: first, in the way, the device analyzes blood, and second, by the algorithms that convert those analyses to diagnoses. I hold the patents for those processes which are licensed to VitalTech.”

  Don asked, “So how do those advantages help us?”

  Vijay replied, “That’s the marathon part. We have an underlying advantage that helps us add new functionality, although we then need to sprint occasionally to match the competition.”

  Don was excited, “So, in other words, you feel confident that we should be able to remain, market leaders, even without the Final Notice.”

  Vijay confirmed, “Yes, although we might suffer an initial, short-term disadvantage.”

  Don asked, “Is there any way we can continue to utilize the underlying capability of the Final Notice functionality of the VT2 to help users detect issues earlier, enabling their doctors to intervene and prolong their lives?”

  Vijay paused for a couple of seconds, and excitedly replied, “Absolutely! Of course! We can alert users that there are general or even specific issues with, for example, their cardiovascular, renal, digestive, or pulmonary systems and provide insights, using our algorithms, to their physicians. That’s much better than receiving a Final Notice, w
hich, by definition, means ‘too late.’ ”

  Vijay then started thinking out loud about how they could interface with doctors and hospitals to provide the minute clues that the VT2 was picking up.

  Don raised his hands and said, “Whoa! That is all way over my head. But putting on my marketing hat, what I think I hear you saying is that the VT2 is the premier health watch that can help spot health issues earlier … maybe even early enough to fix them.”

  Vijay smiled. “Spoken like a great Senior Vice President of Marketing, and the ‘Senior’ is intentional. Congratulations on your promotion!”

  They discussed the communication issues and agreed that the legal department would need to advise them on how to communicate the change to all users. In the meantime, Don would begin preparations for the launch of the new VT3.

  Vijay then asked Don for his opinion of Kalin’s personal assistant, and Don seemed impressed with her. He explained that with Kalin running the show, it was pretty risky for people to be candid – those that were found themselves out of a job. Hannah Ford seemed efficient, and although cautious, he didn’t think she was one of Kalin’s stooges.

  After he met with Don, Vijay called J. Edward and asked him to contact Hannah Ford and tell her to expect Vijay the following day. He also requested that his visit not be broadcast just yet.

  ***

  The next morning, Vijay arrived about two hours later than he would typically arrive when he ‘officially’ resumed his role as CEO of VitalTech. The lobby security guard recognized him from the Board meetings but had no idea about the nature of his visit. Vijay simply told him that he had a meeting with Hannah Ford. The guard called, and a minute later, Ms. Ford appeared.

  Hannah appeared to be about ‘thirty-ish,’ with short brown hair, freckles, and blue framed glasses. She was dressed more formally than he expected, possibly because she was meeting her new boss. She greeted him with a cheery smile and greeting. “Good morning, Mr. Patel.”

  Vijay held out his hand, “Good morning, Hannah. I’m Vijay.”

  Vijay explained that he would officially be starting on Monday and that an announcement would be sent out by J. Edward shortly. Vijay asked her how things were in general, and Hannah confessed that it wasn’t the happiest place she’d ever worked. Also, that there were rumors that Mike Kalin had been arrested.

  Vijay comforted Hannah with his view of a more open and informal culture, doing his best to boost her confidence in light of all the current uncertainty.

  Reflecting on his meeting with Don and the need to get his legal team involved with the scrapping of the Final Notice, Vijay asked who comprised the legal team. She listed John Riley as their Chief Legal Counsel and three additional names. He didn’t know any of them and asked, “When did Liz Glass leave?” Liz had been the head of Legal when Vijay was CEO.

  Hannah thought for a few seconds, “Four months ago.”

  Vijay thought and said, “Hmm. OK, can you see if John Riley is available?”

  Hannah picked up Vijay’s desk phone and dialed, “Hi Mary, is Mr. Riley available? Vijay Patel, our new CEO, would like to see him. Sure.” She covered the mouthpiece and said that Mary, Riley’s secretary, was checking. She uncovered the phone, and nervously spoke, “Oh, Mr. Riley, yes, Mr. Kalin has left the business, and Mr. Patel has been appointed as the new CEO.”

  Hannah listened, although she held the phone away from her ear, and then replied, “I understand. Well, he’s here right now, can you meet with him?”

  Hannah jerked the phone further away from her ear, and Vijay could hear Riley’s loud voice, “Tell him to make an appointment after I’ve been advised that he’s replaced Kalin.” Vijay could hear Riley’s phone being slammed down.

  Hannah had turned bright red and apologized, “I’m sorry, Mr. Patel.”

  Vijay smiled, “You’ve nothing to apologize for, and please, my name is Vijay. Do you have a phone contact for Liz Glass?”

  Hannah went out to her desk and returned with a number. Vijay asked her to arrange a meeting with all department heads on Monday at 9:00 a.m. He then called the number Hannah had given him. It was her cell phone, and Liz picked up.

  It was nice to hear Liz’s voice again, as Vijay replied, “Hi, Liz. It’s Vijay Patel.”

  “Vijay! How are you?” she replied cheerfully.

  Vijay explained, “Kalin has left and I am coming back.”

  Liz was thrilled and inquired about Kalin’s departure. Vijay told her that he’d explain later and asked what she was doing.

  Liz explained that working for Kalin had been pure hell and that she finally gave her notice to protect herself from breaking laws. She was pursuing a couple of opportunities and expected to accept one of them shortly.

  Vijay asked if she’d like her old job back starting on Monday. He smiled as her quick response contained not even a hint of Liz’s trademark two to three-second delay as she exclaimed, “Yes!”

  Vijay told her about his meeting with Don and the details behind it, along with Don’s enthusiasm for the launch of a VT3. Their concern now was how to handle the elimination of the Final Notice feature – with the ten million current users – as soon as possible.

  This time there was a three-second delay as Liz took in his question. “First of all, we’ll need to advise all users before we pull the plug on the Notice, and users who have already received their Notice would not be affected. I think we can then delete the Notice for the others and excite them with the positive health reasons for the change, using Don’s marketing speak. Can the existing watch software be upgraded to the new VT3 capability?”

  Vijay nodded and said, “Yes, although at some point, they will need a new device, I’m not clear about how long it will take to pull the plug on the Notice legally?”

  Liz thought for a few seconds and said, “We’re connected to all users electronically, and we’ve established that as our legal communication method. Technically, you can simply … like, press a button to stop it?”

  Vijay laughed, “Not actually a button but almost as fast. Yes.”

  Liz thought some more and mused, “I understand the sense of urgency, so what about this? I know that there was just a technical glitch of some sort that sent out Notices to everyone – hell, I was on a treadmill, and it almost scared me to death. So, what if we send out a message to all users that we’re taking the Notice offline – immediately – out of concern for everyone’s safety, while we evaluate new and improved functionality. The alert will provide information about how to air grievances and perhaps include a questionnaire about how important some of the planned enhancements are perceived.”

  Vijay exclaimed, “Brilliant! What about refunds and upgrades?”

  Three seconds later, Liz continued, “OK, so we could offer a full refund or trade-in if they got their watch within the last six months, fifty percent refund if purchased within a year, or a free upgrade when the new VT3 hits the street. Or something like that.”

  Vijay was OK with that, although he thought that perhaps the VT2 could continue to function with some enhanced features; to take advantage of all the new features; however, an upgrade to a VT3 would be required. But at the moment, he was focused on removing the Notice. “OK. I’ll have Finance run the numbers. Thanks, Liz. See you Monday.”

  Vijay called Hannah in and asked for a copy of Riley’s employment contract. She came back a minute later and handed him a single page, “I think this is what you want.”

  The letter was addressed to John Riley and read, “This letter, when signed by both parties, supersedes any and all employment contracts regardless of date. Your contract may be terminated without notice or cause at any time.”

  It was sent and signed by Mike Kalin and accepted and signed by John Riley.

  Puzzled, Vijay looked at Hannah, who said, “Mr. Kalin got tired of executives questioning him, so, about three months ago, he had everyone sign these.”

  On one level, Vijay was tempted to inwardly thank Kalin, but instead, he
said, “Please prepare a letter, dated today, to Riley, that says, ‘You are terminated with immediate effect in lieu of thirty (30) days’ notice.’ Please do that now so I can sign it.”

  Hannah returned immediately with the letter. Vijay signed it and asked her to put it in an envelope and hand-deliver it to him. He then asked who headed up Information Technology.

  “Dimitri Pavlova, but he hasn’t been in for a few days.”

  “Who’s next in charge?”

  “There were a lot of changes made after Dimitri arrived. I’m not sure, but I’ll find out.”

  Vijay changed his mind, “OK. Let’s do this, Hannah. Deliver the letter to Riley tomorrow morning after you bring a copy to HR. And here is my cell phone number to call if you have any issues with anyone. I’ll have J. Edward announce my appointment first thing tomorrow. And one more thing: please have HR prepare an employment contract, without the ‘no notice’ feature, for Liz Glass. Same salary as Riley or the salary she had when she left, whichever is more. She’ll be joining us on Monday as our new head of Legal. Thanks, Hannah.”