THE DENTIST and OTHER SHORT TERRIFYING TALES

The CEO: Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Alex Roth

I forced a smile as the light from hundreds of camera flashed in my eyes.

The podium stood in front of the building with a mic and glass of water to the left.

You can do this, I thought to myself, trying to shake the uncomfortable feeling from Sebastian's mysterious phone call.

I stepped up to the podium and took a sip of water before reaching into my pocket and grabbing my speaking points. Sebastian stood by my side.

He smiled and stepped forward, adjusting the microphone. "Good afternoon, everyone! It's a great day here at Centurion Industries and I couldn't be more proud of today's announcement."

Several people in the crowd burst into applause.

"Like most great inventions and movements in history, today's announcement would not have been possible without an excellent team of experts and innovative thinkers."

One of the marketing guys shouted in agreement from the sidelines.

"And although many people made today possible, there is one man behind the idea and the technology. One man with an idea to make America safe again!"

The crowd cheered loudly.

"Without further ado, please welcome Alex Roth!"

The cheering continued, getting increasingly louder as Sebastian stepped back and I took his place.

The microphone let out an earsplitting noise as I moved it slightly higher. I could feel the heat emanating from my cheeks.

"Guess I need a little more practice at this," I joked.

Reporters and bystanders chuckled.

"As a young boy, my family fell victim to a violent crime. A senseless, drug-fueled crime, which took the lives of my younger brother and my parents." My voice began to tremble, "I was shot and left for dead."

Silence fell over the large group of people standing in front of me.

"We didn't have an alarm and our nearest neighbors were miles away." I took a deep breath. "If my aunt hadn't stopped by to drop off my little brother's birthday present the next day, I would have died."

Pausing, I looked into crowd, making eye contact with several reporters.

"Since that very day, I had one focus, making America safer."

Murmurs of agreement broke the silence.

"I focused on my studies, graduated from the top in my class and was awarded a scholarship to attend Harvard. I double majored in both psychology and business. Four years later, I continued my education at Yale in mechanical engineering. You see, I wanted to understand the way people's minds worked, both the good and the bad. I also wanted to be able to run a business that would help people. Most importantly, I needed a concept I had focused on since childhood to become a reality, I needed to create something that would prevent tragedies such as the one I faced as a child."

Lifting the glass of water, I took a slow sip. People were hanging on every word I spoke.

"The last day of exams, Sebastian Taylor offered me the opportunity of a lifetime. I joined the Centurion Industries team and immediately got to work. Now, twenty-four months later, here I stand today, in front of all of you."

I set my note cards down on the podium as Sebastian joined me with a small black box in hand.

Opening the box, I smiled. A small sphere no larger than a baseball lit up and glowed a soft green. Carefully lifting the object out, I presented it in open palms to the crowd.