In the safety of the underground bunker, a disgruntled Lincoln continued his meeting with the infamous Riley Naysmith. Per usual, Alex foiled their plan. He managed to rescue Christopher and Debbie, unraveling Lincoln's master plan in the process.
Lincoln flexed his fingers and then clenched his fist. "I thought we had him this time. After Mark coerced Christopher and you snatched Debbie in the woods, I thought we had him. How was he able to valiantly swoop in and rescue everyone this time?"
With a slight frown, Riley slowly nodded. "His heroism is exhausting."
Every muscle in Lincoln's body tensed. "We have to carefully consider what our next step will be. We don't have much more room for error. He knows this is all my doing. Alex will come to find me soon enough."
Riley stood with unfounded confidence. "I know exactly what we need to do next. I have formulated the perfect plan."
Lincoln grabbed Riley. Blood rushed to his cheeks. "What is it, boy?"
Calmly, Riley removed Lincoln's hands from his shoulders. Finally, it was all up to Riley. The floor was his. He paced forward with smug arrogance. "As you know, I was able to retrieve all of Dr. McManace's research from the demolition of the facility Learner Ave."
Lincoln rubbed his temples. "You mean the building you blew up? After you lead Alex directly to you, like an idiot?"
Riley dismissed the insult. "That's all in the past. The important thing is, Todrick Dangles and I made it out with the serum and the research. We have the power to create an entire army of genetically modified superhumans. They will bow to me…well, us. They will bow to us. It's all of my life's research. Everything I have ever done has led me to build this army, Lincoln. We could rule the world. Imagine it. You and I are the kings of the world. Everyone has to serve us."
The old man was growing tired of Riley's ranting and raving. Lincoln had listened to this for months. He almost immediately regretted investing in the super soldier research. "Naysmith, you had your chance with the super soldiers, and you failed."
Riley's eyes widened. He wasn't expecting any pushback from Lincoln. "We needed more time. I got too ahead of myself. If we reinstate the initiative, I'll be ready. Plus, we can create the creatures faster now."
Lincoln shot Riley a flat look. His eyes narrowed. "What happened on Learner Ave was a circus. I blinked, and you were playing around with sharks, and chickens, and monkeys. It was a waste of time, and most importantly, a waste of my hard-earned money. I basically funded a laboratory to make Alex a brand-new pet. I don't even know why I called you here. I should have ended you when you couldn't finish the job the first time."
Any sense of confidence Riley had dissipated as the threat hung in the air. "No! No. You don't want super soldiers? Fine. We could think of something else. Maybe we could open a portal to hell in the forest."
Lincoln's patience was paper thin. He raised his voice. "Riley! Do you hear yourself? You need to snap out of it. We have to be practical. Funding the stupid super soldiers bled me dry. Even if a portal to hell existed, we couldn't afford it. Alright?"
With a roll of his eyes, Riley pursed his lips. "Too bad we can't just take Alex's money for ourselves."
As Riley finished his sentence, Lincoln did a double-take. "Say that again."
Riley raised a quizzical eyebrow. "It's too bad we can't take Alex's money for ourselves. He's got more money than everyone in the city of Baltimore combined. It's too bad we didn't have that money."
Lincoln pointed at Riley with enthusiasm. "That's it, kid."
"What?" Riley asked.
Lincoln rubbed his chin with his hand. He reveled in the idea. "Exactly what you said. We take Alex's money for ourselves."
Riley scratched his head. "How do we do that?"
Lincoln had no idea. He pressed his lips together. "You know, when I first started Ambrose Pharmaceuticals, I put together a great ad campaign. I called it Your Drugs, Your Way. We partnered with doctors all over Baltimore to get customers their medication faster and cheaper. The plan was to reel them in with lower prices and better service. Then when we'd jack the prices back up, they wouldn't notice. It worked."
Riley paid little attention. Any plan that didn't involve conquering didn't interest him. "Let me guess. Your plan didn't work for very long."
The old man let out an anguished sigh. "You've assumed correctly. My biggest rival at the time, Ellis Pharmaceuticals put out the same exact campaign. Only they called it Our Drugs, Your Way, which admittedly, was a better slogan."
Riley interrupted Lincoln's spiel. "I've never heard of Ellis Pharmaceuticals. "
A smirk formed across Lincoln's face. His stare was cold and dark. "Of course, you haven't. You know why? I destroyed them. I managed to sneak into their finance building in the middle of the night. I robbed them of everything they had. They owed it to me, after all. All of those earnings came from the success of the slogan they stole from me."
In an attempt to hide his doubts, Riley fiddled with his collar. "When exactly did you do this?"
Lincoln thought for a moment, recalling the glory days of when he ruled Baltimore. "Summer of eighty-two. Why?"
Riley nodded with hesitation. "You know, we can't just break into Alex's finances. He has the most advanced tech in the game right now. I could ask my AI, HALLE, to attempt to hack into Alex's finances, but she isn't going to get past SCOT."
Lincoln's head flinched back slightly. "AI? Who said anything about AI? We'll just break in."
A slack expression took shape on Riley's face. "It doesn't work like that, sir. It's not like Alex has bars of gold in his basement."
After stopping to think, a light bulb went off in Lincoln's mind. He remembered the deal he had struck with Debbie. He was the one who had approached her to offer her a job. She had no idea he was Alex's grandfather, so she accepted. It was the perfect way to crack into his finances. "I have that Clifton girl working for me. She controlled all of Alex's finances."
Riley perked up at the sound of that. "That might work. After all of this, I think you may be able to get Debbie to crack. How did you get her to work for you?"
With a devious smile, Lincoln wrapped his arm around Riley's shoulder. "I developed my own company. I had to keep up with the Baltimore elite."
The news shocked Riley. He had no clue that Lincoln had his own company. "What company?"
A sense of pride washed over Lincoln. There was nothing he loved more than talking business. He tightened his grip on Riley's shoulder. "I own Enrichment, of course."
Riley shot the old man a confused look. "You own Enrichment? I thought Enrichment was run by multiple shareholders."
He wasn't totally in the wrong. Lincoln beamed from ear to ear. "Well, it is. Of course, all of those shareholders work for me." He let go of Lincoln and waved his hand. "Anyway, Debbie Clifton is going to become Enrichment's chief financial advisor. We'll make her feel welcome. We'll get her to trust us. Then, we'll have her spill the beans about Alex's finances. And, in the meantime, we'll see what Mark can provide to us. We'll get that money."
Riley crossed his arm. "And, if all else fails, we just make more super soldiers."
***
The following day, in an apartment building located in downtown Baltimore, Debbie rushed to get ready for her first day on the job.
Lincoln leased an apartment for the woman. He provided her with a new place to live, a new job, and practically a new life.
For the first time in years, Debbie was in a new place on her own. She usually had Alex by her side to help her navigate through life's trials and tribulations, but, now, she stood alone in the huge studio apartment.
Lincoln had the apartment decorated before she stepped foot into it. It was minimalistic and clean. With the exception of a few potted plants, there wasn't much to look like. It was certainly a far cry from the forest she was used to.
While Debbie wasn't necessarily a fan of change, it felt nice to be valued. This man she didn't even know thought she would bring something valuable to his business, and that excited her. He went through all the trouble of helping her get acclimated to living on her own.
Debbie looked in the mirror. She glanced down at her outfit, which perfectly matched. Her skin looked flawless. There wasn't a hair out of place.
Still, she felt like something was missing. She touched her reflection. "Who am I if I'm not Alex's girlfriend?" She bit her lip. She didn't quite know the answer.
After grabbing her purse, she left the building, ready for her first day. Life without Alex will be difficult, she thought. But it can't be impossible.
The Enrichment office building was a sleek, modern skyscraper. It towered over the rest of the buildings on the street. It almost intimidated Debbie. Why do I feel nervous? I shouldn't be worried. I worked for the biggest company in Baltimore. Alex's company, she thought. It's fine, Debbie. Put on a brave face.
She took long, confident strides to the entrance of the building. A security guard kept a watchful eye on the front of Enrichment. Before she could walk in, the huge man stepped in front of the door.
"Who are you?" he asked in a stern tone.
Debbie pointed at herself. "Who am I?"
The security guard responded with a curt nod. With a bashful demeanor, Debbie tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Funny, I was wondering the same thing this morning."
Gradually, the guard reached for the walkie-talkie that had hung on his utility belt. "Listen, lady, I'm not letting you in until you tell me who you are and why you're here."
Her eyes widened with concern. "Oh! Oh, sorry. I'm Debbie Clifton. I'm here to meet, well, I'm not entirely sure who."
The security guard's intense expression melted away. It was replaced with a warm smile. The man stepped aside. "Ms. Clifton, of course. Go in."
After walking in through the huge door, Debbie immediately noticed Lincoln. He was already standing in the center of the lobby, chatting up several enthusiastic employees. He picked up his head and waved toward Debbie. "Ms. Clifton! Excuse me, gentlemen. My nine o'clock appointment is here. Hello, sweetheart." The crowd around the old man dispersed.
All of the tension in Debbie's body relaxed when she saw the familiar face. "Hello there, uh, sir." Debbie still hadn't caught the man's name, but she ran up to shake his hand.
Lincoln brought her in for a hug. "Did you settle in okay?"
Debbie cleared her throat. "Oh, yes, of course. I love the apartment. It's beautiful. Thank you so much. Excuse me, sir, I hate to ask but–"
Lincoln waved a dismissive hand in her direction. "Nonsense. Ask away."
"What should I call you?" she asked.
The question took Lincoln by surprise. He was hoping she wouldn't ask. "Call me Link, honey."
Internally, the old man cursed himself. Damn it, Link? Hopefully, she won't make the connection, he thought.
Luckily, his quick cover worked. Debbie accepted the name with no resistance. "Link, perfect. So, Link, shall we get started?"