Participants:
Scene Title | Making Nalani Scream |
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Synopsis | Everyone wants to. Take notes. |
Date | April 14, 2009 |
Printing day, at least for the test run. Which means of all days, this day is a little hectic around PAUSE. Nalani's in her office, tapping away at her keyboard, firing off emails with lots of !!!!'s and ??!? in them. She's a demanding boss. The mockup was taken away, approved by the British woman run a handful of copies of the magazine and then bring them up to be dissected make sure everything's laid out right. She can see it all digitally, even flip through it, but there's something to be said about getting your hands on a copy and just making sure regardless, physically.
She's been on the phone with her accountants, voices raised. How could they not have seen this? How did it happen? One million dollars goes missing and you don't know how. It just disappears. It's what she pays them for and their obviously fucking incompetent. On and on she goes till she's distracted by more things flashing across her screen for approval as they're shuffled forward by the assistants.
Click. Approve. Click. Approve.
…on and on till all the pages have been approved by the owner/editor and have been sent off for an initial run.
With a reputation that precedes you, it's hard to pass up a target like Nalani Hollingwood. That being said, it's probably not everyday someone comes along who's practically immune to her persuasive talents. What she doesn't know is that the moment she approves her layouts, he makes a few — changes. Some girls do look better with beards and moustaches, right? Maybe a little wider in the hips, or around the waist. That doesn't distract him from making even more of a nuisance of himself as a familiar voice booms across her speakers.
"If it isn't Nalani Hollingwood."
And yes, that is the voice of former child star Gary Coleman coming across those speakers.
What the bloody hell? Nalani's face turns towards her computer and the discreet speakers imbedded on the screen itself. Not that she knows who Gary Coleman is. When your a model and young and british, some things don't translate well. But it's an annoying voice none the less. "Stephanie!" What the hell. This has never happened before? Did she click something wrong on her computer? "What in the world"
"She can't help you. She's too busy trying to fix some problem with her computer. Pity I was the one who put it there."
He's not bluffing. Right a bout this time, programs keep opening and closing on Stephanie's computer and she's trying to figure out what the hell is going on. She's not coming in any time soon.
"Who are you?! Stephanie!" Incredulity is the name of the day, and Nalani stands up from her desk, stalking around the glass desk to spill out of her office in a cloud of anger. Lo, yes, there is Stephanie who is frantically clicking on something, and reaching for the phone to call up IT. "Call IT. There's a hacker" Stiletto heels stride back across the plush carpet to look at her own computer. "What do you want" Clicking through things,closing her own programs and fast. God only knows what damage this asshole has done. "I'll have the FBI on your ass faster than you can blink and they'll be barging down your door you bloody pimply faced asshole" Because hackers are young. Or that's what the news tells.
The sound of laughter fills the room. "You're so full of shit. You talk big talk, Nalani, but you have no clue who you're dealing with." Suddenly Nalani's email pops up and messages start disappearing from the inbox. "I hope you don't need any of these. But since you want to be a bitch about this, I guess there's no love lost between us. Besides, the money I took from you is being put to good use. You should really try and do more good with your wealth, sexy." he chides her. "There are people out there in need and you're hording away your millions."
What in the… "You should look closer you fucking prick. I do spread my wealth. Just I do it privately" This is the hacker dealing with her accounts. Oh god, those emails. Nalani pulls out her keyboard shelf, hitting a few keys, bent over the keyboard before she lets out a frustrated yell. "Stop that right this instance! Or help me god I will hunt you down. Stephanie! Call IT! Tell them to do SOMETHING before he deletes EVERYTHING!" Oh god, the magazine. "Don't touch the proofs. Whoever you are, leave my magazine alone."
Everything stops for the moment. It might even seem as if he's gone. At least until that voice comes back. "What do you do, Nalani? Who do you help? And really, missing a cool million really doesn't hurt you, now does it?"
"May not hurt me but your taking it away from those who I direct it to who do need it" Is the bollywood beauty's reply. "Orphanages if you must know. Foster children. Schools for breakfast programs" Easily found surely for someone of his skill, records of quiet donations run through anonymously. He's stopped though, and she's grateful for that. It's business emails he's deleting. Personal ones are at home. "I'm a bitch, but I don't forget where I came from. So go pick on someone else. Maybe my rival magazines instead"
The emails start coming back. It's what the 'Deleted Items' folder was created for. "I think maybe you need someone else directing your giving, Nalani. And you should really start being nicer to those around you. I may decide you only need a small portion of that precious money you make every year. Just remember, I could have broke you, but I chose not to. Next time I may not be so friendly about it." Idle threat, or perhaps not. If the stories about Hollingwood are true, he just might not be. "And you know.. not everyone in your magazine has to be beautiful. How about a few real people now and then?"
"You don't read my magazine much either, do you" She's avant garde in what she puts in it, who she puts in it. "I direct my giving enough thank you. you just did it for me. Just means that those I direct it to are going to suffer a less thanks to you" Not really, she can afford to be more generous this year. There's idle thought about whether if she didn't take the pills, whether she could influence him through the computer. She'd have to try that another day on someone. "leave me and my magazine alone" Mind you, those prints have already been fired off to make the samples. That's going to suck. "Don't fuck with me again"
"Such a potty mouth on such a pretty girl. That will cost you another million, darling." He taunts her. "I am sure there are those in the area who could use it." This is by far going to be the most talked about issue of Pause magazine since its inception. "And here I was kind enough to put all your emails back. Maybe I should reconsider.." Her keyboard has been disabled, nothing she types will do any good, same as with her mouse. "I will be keeping my eye on you Nalani Hollingwood. A very close eye."
There's a scream from inside Nalani's office as Reeed keeps messing with her. You can be sure that in some office elsewhere, her accountants are having more heart attacks as another million drains from her personal accounts. Nalani eyes the computer then quick movements, bends down and unplugs her computer from the wall under the desk. Take that you little fucker.
As soon as the scream comes through the built in microphone of the computer, Reed knows it's time for him to execute his exit strategy and leaves the computer. He ducks back into Stephanie's computer and stops it from malfunctioning before leaving the building entirely through its router, before the power is unplugged from the wall. Had he stayed, he would have died the moment the system lost power. If it were possible, Nalani would hear his cackling all the way to the banks as he distributes the million dollars around to those in need. To be sure, the two will meet again.
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