The Red Phoenix 12: Strength Comes in Numbers by Ken Bush

Siddoway.
     
    “Mr. Wickenburg, I have here the schematic designs, documents from the copyright office, the construction and testing dates of the weapon!” Mueller declared, pulling papers from his briefcase.
     
    “Let me see that weapon, Dennis,” stated Siddoway, walking towards him.
     
    Siddoway examined the weapon then opened it.
     
    “What do you think you’re doing?” asked Mueller.
     
    “Forgery,” growled Siddoway.
     
    “Excuse me?” asked Mueller.
     
    “I don’t know how you managed to steal my design but you’re not going to get away with it, Mueller,” said Siddoway.
     
    “You stole it from me!” hollered Mueller.
     
    “Oh please,” stated Siddoway. “Your company hasn’t produced anything that works for years!”
     
    “For your information, we have contracts in over thirteen countries, sir,” Mueller argued, slapping a manila folder on the meeting table. “We sell guns, ammunition, hi-tech weaponry and —”
     
    “—Dennis, your company couldn’t make a pencil sharpener that works!” stated Siddoway. “The same goes for all the pitiful crooks you employ!” he added, glancing at Seymour and Vincent.
     
    “How dare you!” said Mueller, stepping up face to face with Siddoway.
     
    “Gentlemen! Gentlemen! Please!” Wickenburg pleaded for them to lower their voices. “There must be a reasonable explanation.”
     
    “How about we settle this right now?” Siddoway suggested. “I’ll have my lead assistant bring my files that even show my demonstration on video camera with dates and times when my prototype was invented!”
     
    “Please do! I’d like to meet this assistant ,” Mueller disputed.
     
    “This matter is under investigation!” Wickenburg stated. “And you can be sure that whoever is responsible for thievery will be dealt with!”
     
    “Fine by me,” stated Siddoway. “I hope you got all your ducks in a row, Mueller, because I’m going to bury you and your piece of shit company over this.”
     
    “Enough! We’re done for the day,” stated Wickenburg. “There will be a hearing in three days before a board. It will be settled then.”
     
    “You’ll be hearing from my lawyer, Siddoway,” Mueller threatened, collecting his weapon and briefcase and leaving with Seymour and Vincent.
     
    “I apologize for the inconvenience, Mr. Secretary,” said Siddoway, trying hard to keep his cool, disassembling his weapon and placing it back in his briefcase.
     
    Hamill sat in silence, seemingly loath to make any comments.
     
    Siddoway hurried out the door then down a corridor towards the elevator, growling angry breaths that he was just railroaded by Dennis Mueller, a man who was nothing more than a disgrace to the weapons design and engineering industry. His furious thoughts consumed him as the seconds went by.
     
    ***
     
    Siddoway sat in his office on his laptop, bringing up his back-up files for his weapon. He turned on other sophisticated piece of robotic equipment near his workstation.
     
    “Good day, Dr. Siddoway,” a woman’s voice said from his computer in a calm tone. “How may I help you?”
     
    “Miss Lori? Bring up all my files on XD-Three-Thousand,” said Siddoway in a stressed voice.
     
    “Stand by, sir.”
     
    Siddoway rubbed his forehead, alleviating some of the tension caused by his outburst upstairs.
     
    “I’m sorry, Dr. Siddoway, sir, all files seem to be deleted,” Lori responded.
     
    “What? That can’t be,” stated Siddoway, sounding more stressed. “Please check all drives including the main one again, Lori.”
     
    “Right away, sir,” Lori replied.
     
    Siddoway scratched the side of his head and adjusted his glasses.
     
    “I’m sorry, sir. All files show deleted,” stated Lori.
     
    “Dammit!” Siddoway hollered as he typed on his laptop, going into his network manually.
     
    He went to My Documents and clicked on a file labeled XD-3000 . The folder said Empty .
     
    “What?” he muttered in a