Chương 146: Chapter 145 – Sweet Sampling of Revenge

Elios leaned up against the wall in the corridor, his heart pounding mercilessly in his chest as his eyes stung from the tears threatening to spill. He pushed the button on the elevator with increased vigor, knowing full well it would not make it come any faster. He took a deep breath, trying to regain composure. How can you expect to be calm right now! his mind screamed as he glanced toward the lab door. That psycho just ripped open…

His thoughts cut off as the elevator doors slowly opened and two men in lab coats stepped off, oblivious to Elios' existence. That's right, I'm not here, this is not real, this has to be a dream, I am going to wake up. Meet Trula for emberbrew, I'll tell him about the dream and we will… He stepped inside the elevator, watching the doors slowly close.

"… laugh. Then we will figure out how to…" His mind blanked as he stared at the numbers. How to what, Elios? his mind asked. You can't make plans with a dead man, buddy. You know this is not a dream, you know you have to do something. STOP REACTING AND START THINKING! His mind screamed. You can't let them get away with this… you can't let Mordak win and take EVERYTHING you value.

You have to destroy him, you have to destroy that sniveling incompetent ass Hardscrabble, and you need to hurt Wentworth so badly that what he did to Trula will look like…

"Look like what?" he muttered as he pressed the button for the third floor. I don't know, but I am sure we will come up with something delightful for him. Elios' lips curled upward at the thought. What about Hardscrabble's emberbrew? Do you really want to go back without it? his mind asked.

"Yes, yes I do. I have something better to come back with, something even more delicious," he snickered.

"I just have to make one stop first," he whispered as the elevator doors opened.

"Where have you been?" Betty asked as she stepped into the elevator.

"Your boss has been screaming for you for a while." Her eyes were filled with sympathy.

"Mordak is with him and neither of them seem, well… pleased."

"He sent me away so he and Mordak could have their meeting. He told me to take my time, so I did," Elios said, blinking blankly at Betty.

"I'm on my way there, I just have to pick up something first."

"It's your funeral," Betty said as the elevator doors opened and Elios stepped out.

"Thanks for the heads up, Betty. I hope you have a wonderful day!" he said, smiling brightly at her before turning toward the storage closet. Elios opened the door to the closet and flipped the light on.

"Come to me, my sweet," he muttered as he moved the packages out of the way.

"There you are," he said, picking up the badly crushed box. He shook it, hearing it jingle.

"Well, that is music to my ears. I am going to say that you are no longer in usable condition." He snickered, placing the box on the shelf.

"Elios!" Hardscrabble's voice pierced the quiet of the area. Several coworkers turned to see what the commotion was. Good, he thought. They are the ones that heard him tell me to put the packages in the storeroom, despite me telling him that maybe he should see what they were first. He strode casually to Hardscrabble's office and gently knocked on the door.

"WHAT?!" Hardscrabble called from the other side of the door.

"I'm talking to you, Jethro. Kindly look at me when I am talking to you. Whoever is at the door can wait. If I am here in your office discussing things with you, then you need to be paying attention to… ME. You know how important I am and how valuable my time is, so pay attention!" Mordak lectured. Elios slowly opened the door, his face stoic and clueless.

"Elios, it's about damn time! Where have you been? You know you are at work, right? You can't just go traipsing around the building whenever you feel like it," Hardscrabble said, standing up. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Sorry, sir, but you sent me away so you and Mr. Blackwood could have your meeting in private," Elios said.

"Did you need something?"

"Yeah, I need you to track down that stupid part! I just got off the phone with the shipping company, and they said it was delivered, but no one can seem to locate it," Hardscrabble hissed.

"Perhaps it was in that stack of packages you had me move to the storeroom?" Elios asked.

"What packages?" Hardscrabble said, becoming flustered.

"I… I didn't tell you to put anything in the storeroom." Mordak turned to Elios.

"How many packages? Are you talking about the ones I told him to go through and get out of here? The ones that were stacked up outside the office?" Mordak asked through a clenched jaw.

"Yes, sir," Elios began.

"Mr. Hardscrabble had me take them all to the storeroom. I asked him if he wanted to look through them first, but he told me to just get them out of here, so I did what I was told, sir. I didn't want to get written up for insubordination again."

"This true, Jethro?" Mordak asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Absolutely not!" Hardscrabble said, outraged by the accusation.

"I would never tell you to do something so blatantly against protocol, especially when… eh… when we were waiting for such an… important package."

"I can show you if you would like, sir. He has me take all incoming mail and packages and place them in there." Hardscrabble slammed his hands down on the desk.

"That's a damn lie! That's it, Elios, you're fired! Get out of here!" he screamed.

"I'm sorry, sir, it's obvious Elios is exacting some form of payback for me taking over. I would never tell an employee to go hide the mail…" Mordak looked at Hardscrabble, then at Elios. He stood up, made his way past Elios, and looked around the office.

"You and you!" he called out, pointing at two employees.

"Yes, sir?" they asked as they scrambled toward him.

"You know where the storage closet is?" Mordak asked, trying to maintain composure.

"Yes, sir!" they both answered almost simultaneously.

"Well, I want you to go to it and take out any packages or mail you find, then bring them here to me. Don't stop. Don't talk to anyone. This is now your sole reason for living. Do you understand?" he asked.

"Yes…"

"I don't see feet moving. So obviously you don't," Mordak interrupted. The pair looked at each other blankly.

"Go!" Mordak screamed, pointing down the hall. Hardscrabble came from around his desk and stopped mere inches from Elios' face.

"I thought I told you you were fired and to get out of here," he hissed softly.

"Why are you still…"

"Jethro, shut up," Mordak said, quickly turning to him.

"Sir?" Hardscrabble asked, confused.

"You heard me. Shut up. Your voice is grating on me," Mordak replied. The pair returned with arms full. Mordak's eyes narrowed as he glanced first at Hardscrabble and then at Elios.

"Okay… someone want to explain?" Mordak asked.

"I told you, sir, Mr. Hardscrabble told me to put them in the storage closet," Elios said, glancing at the employees holding the packages, trying to contain his excitement as he realized they were the ones who had overheard Hardscrabble's orders.

"I told you I did no such thing, sir!" Hardscrabble protested.

"Excuse me, sir, but yes, yes, you did. We both heard you. Elios had asked if you wanted to look through them first, and you said that you were in charge and if he didn't do it, you would write him up for insubordination," one of the young men replied, looking at the other as he nodded his head up and down in agreement.

"Mordak, I have no…" Hardscrabble began.

"I've heard enough, Jethro. After your performance last night, and now…" he paused, looking at the packages in the employees' arms, "…this, you're not the man I thought you were and obviously not a good fit for the position." Elios plucked the carton off the top of the bundle that was precariously balanced. As luck would have it, it was the package Mordak had been waiting for.

"Sir, I believe this may be the part we have been waiting for to get the teleport back up and running." He looked at the state of the box, then shook it. The rattling coming from the box caused Mordak's face to flush with anger.

"Son of a bitch, Jethro!" Mordak screamed as he snatched the box out of Elios' hand.

"All of you out!" he said, turning to Elios and the other two employees.

"Go get ALL the packages and bring them here… NOW!" The three of them scrambled out of the office before Mordak slammed the door shut, almost hitting one of the young men with his arms still full. He stepped forward quickly, packages falling onto the floor.

"How dare you, Jethro!" Mordak screamed as he slammed the door.

"My plans have been delayed because of your incompetence! I can't believe I trusted you." The group overheard Mordak through the door, followed by the sound of something hitting the wall.

"I think we should go. If we don't do what he said before he comes out, we'll be on the receiving end of this conversation," one of the men said, opening his arms and letting the rest of the packages fall onto Elios' desk.

"I don't know about you guys, but I would rather gouge my own eyes out than get on Blackwood's bad side."

"I think you may be right," Elios replied, doing all he could to stifle the smug, satisfied smile that threatened to emerge.