Page 13 - Just Deserts

The Decimator

Crag Sunderbar nosed his Ferrari into the distinctly reserved spot
next to the private elevator. The guard at the kiosk on the ramparts
of the subterranean garage had touched his cap in genuine awe and
respect, a source of great satisfaction to Sunderbar. They know me,
he thought; it’s not the car. They remember; and their children and
grandchildren know me, too, thanks to pay TV and video cassettes.
He extruded his bulky body through the tiny portal of the sports
car and lumbered over to the elevator. A small chrome panel by its
side presented an intercom grill and one button.
He pushed it.
Almost immediately a honeyed husky female voice responded.
“Mr. Sunderbar?”
“That’s right. It’s Crag Sunderbar.”
“Please come up.”
The elevator doors parted, revealing an expensively upholstered
interior with soft indirect lighting. He went in and found another
panel; this one had two buttons, marked ‘Garage’ and ‘Executive
Suite.’
First-class, he noted with an approving nod and pucker. As the
conveyance gently ascended the heights of Merco Towers, he
prepared himself for his audience by quickly checking his razor-cut
coiffure and what little make-up he wore during the day in a tiny
pocket mirror, centering the knot of his boldly patterned tie between
the lapels of his subtly striped silk shirt, shooting his cuffs and
establishing a stance with his shoulders slightly twisted at an
angle to his hips, maximizing the ratio between their widths.
The elevator decelerated imperceptibly and stopped smoothly. Its
doors opened directly into the lavishly-appointed office of the
president of Iconoplast. Will Hathaway rose from his sleek mahogany
desk and greeted his guest.
“Good to see you,” he said, and shook Sunderbar’s hand warmly.
The latter, perceiving no other occupants in the room, drained all
stage presence and threw himself into a large easy chair. The light
filtering through Hathaway’s curtained window caught the elements
of Sunderbar’s appeal: rugged jaw, noble brow, aquiline nose, a mane

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