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The Triumph Of AJ Quartermaine
Chapter Fourty Three
The Edward Strikes Back
Sitting alone in the spare room Edward fumes. Lila was ticked at him. Ned was jumping ship. After all he had done for Katherine Bell she'd betrayed him. Tracy was no surprise. AJ seemed to be listening to a different piper, a damn siren by the name of Caroline Benson. Jason had allowed Corinthos to vote his block of shares. At least when Corinthos had left town, Jason had been the one voting the shares even if he was voting against the family. And damn if the positions he had taken hadn't had a little sense to them. If it wouldn't get him in trouble with the RICO people maybe he should start using the mob for his management trainee positions rather than hiring those damn wet behind the ears punks from the business schools. His Great Grandson was STILL not under his roof.
And to top it all off he had hurt Emily's feelings. "Damn." He mutters. "I hate when I do that." He thinks for a minute. "A car. I'll buy her a car. A nice convertible like Lila was driving when I met her.... Scratch that. don't want any of those young hooligans hanging around Emily. Maybe a Mercedes something solid but classy. Or a tour of Italy, She and Monica had fun the last time. That could be a mistake too though, the girl had already shown that she was attracted to the damn Eurotrash, Nikolas Cassadine indeed." Edward snorts. Was it too late to enroll Emily in an all girls school?
Just then the phone rings. While relieved to have something to do he is annoyed to see it is 3am Friday morning. "WHAT? WHat are you doing calling me do you know what time it is? How did you get this number?" Edward hollars into the phone without so much as a hello or even knowing who is calling. He is quickly silenced by the frantic voice at the other end of the line. "Did you call Ned?" The voice claims an affirmative but Ned had denied assistance saying he was out of ELQ business. Finally his mind racing a hundred miles a minute Edward replies. "Sounds like a mess. I'm sending out the new CEO, my grandson, AJ Quartermaine. We're taking this very seriously. Help is on the way, just get a grip man." Edward hangs up the phone. This could work. AJ would have to deal with this first challenge as CEO and it was big. If the young fool wasn't going to get his great grandson under his roof he'd just do it himself while AJ was overseas dealing with business. Edward dials AJ's cell phone number.
Happy family house. AJ's cell phone sits on his bedside table. It's insistent ringing brings him out of a sound slumber. He mumbles as he fumbles with the phone. "Yeah?"
"Wake up! Jakarta just exploded; the government is talking about nationalizing the company. They're going to steal our assets over there."
"What do you want me to do about it, Grandfather, it's 3am."
"SO WHAT? It's 3pm tomorrow there. Damn it, AJ. ELQ is a multinational corporation and CEO is a 24 hour job. We spend too much money to recover that company to lose it all over again. Get out there and fix it."
"Grandfather, Ned is the one that has been dealing with Jakarta-- send him. Someone that doesn't need to be brought up to speed."
"Eddie Maine is going on tour." Edward sneers.
AJ sits up in bed and finally flips on the light knowing that he is not going back to sleep. "Oh hell, why doesn't that surprise me. What is the name of Ned's secretary? I'll get to work but I'm going to need his files." AJ looks at his watch. "I can be in the airport within the hour. But it will be a waste of time if I don't have those files. And I need the name and number of the person that contacted you about the situation." AJ starts making notes and quickly closes the coversation. Once off the phone to Edward AJ calls the airport to get the pilot out of bed and the plane fueled. Then he calls Ned's secretary, whose spouse is not a happy camper at yet another late night/early morning phone calls. The secretary is quickly brought up to speed as to the current situation. And since she had been deeply involved in all the negotiations she is quickly furious that eighteen months of work is about to go down the drain. "I'm on my way to the airport. I'll take a laptop but I need you to send me the files as soon as possible. I'll use the time on the plane to get my bearings." AJ reassures.
"I can be at the office in an hour. I'll get everything ready there." The secretary says despite the grumblings beside her in bed. "How big is my bonus going to be on this one?" She asks kiddingly.
"Huge. If we can pulls this off. HUGE. I'll contact you at the office once I'm in the air." AJ closes the call. Jumping out of bed, AJ heads to the shower to get ready for the very long day ahead. Once dressed he packs a bag and heads down to the study to get the laptop and his passport. Opening up the safe he sees two small blue folders there. His passport and one for Carly. The one that he had made up just in case-- Just in case things had gotten too hairy with Jason or Edward and he'd had to take Carly and his son out of the country in order to have some peace and quiet to raise Michael and convince Carly of his right to know his son. AJ pulls out the two passports and sags into the chair behind the desk. He forces himself to put Jakarta out of his mind for a minute. "The trouble in Jakarta is real; it's been coming for months. The country has been in upheavel and rioting, but..." AJ stares unseeingly at the far wall focused on his family dynamic. "...Grandfather is coming after Carly and Michael. He's going to use my being out of the country to get to her. And if this works even a little bit, a toe in the door, he's going to keep doing it until he gets what he wants." AJ runs up the stairs to Carly's room, knocking on the door briefly he flips on the light.
"What?" Carly pulls a pillow over her head before yelling, "TURN IT OFF-- are you trying to kill me? Or just blind me?"
"Edward is making his move." AJ turns off the overhead light but goes over to the bathroom and flips on the light there. The slanted beams aren't as hard on Carly's eyes and she drops the pillow.
"What do you mean Edward is making his move?"
"Just got a call, I'm being sent out of town."
"Have fun." Carly rolls over to go back to sleep. Then she stiffens and moments later sits up straight in bed. "Wait a minute. This is just what we talked about. You get sent out of town and I'm left here to fend off Edward and ... Jason! It's friday; he gets Michael this weekend. How am I suppose to get Michael to Jason without talking to him? You and I were suppose to go Estate sale shopping this weekend! I need a rug for Michael's room. THAT OLD GOAT!"
"Carly, the problem is real. Things are going to hell in Jakarta, Ned has abandoned ship. I HAVE to go. The plane is already fueled and my bag is packed. Given that I have to go-- how are we going to block Grandfather? So he doesn't pull this again making up problems as he goes."
"Call Jason."
"What?"
"Tell him his weekend starts now and you are dropping Michael off on your way out of town." Carly says decisively pulling on her robe over a skimpy short satin night gown then belting it with a quick tug.
"What about you?" AJ stares at the messy beauty before him.
"You promised you were taking me shopping, Well it looks like the estate sales are out. I guess I'll have to find something else to do." Carly shrugs.
AJ holds up a passport. "Want to go shopping in Indonesia? I had a passport made up for you."
Carly picks up the phone and begins dialing a familiar number. "Talk to Jason." She hands the phone to AJ. Walking past him into the bathroom she shuts the door and soon AJ hears the shower running. He looks longingly at the door but is brought back to the phone as his brother picks up.
"Morgan." Jason's voice is clear and cold, no evidence of sleep in his voice.
"Jase, it's AJ."
"What's wrong? Is it Carly-- Michael?"
"It's the old man. He isn't happy about Michael not living at the mansion. I'm being sent out of town. Carly knew this was going to happen. I'm on my way to the airport. You have Michael this weekend. Is it okay if I drop him off now? Once the old man figures out that sending me out of the town doesn't mean that he gets free reign with Michael he'll back off or at least find another way."
"What about Carly?"
"Carly's going with me to the airport. She is getting ready now. Well?"
"Yeah, Bring them by. I'll tell the front desk to expect you." Jason hangs up. Getting out of bed he slides into some jeans and pulls on a t-shirt. AJ was dropping Carly and Michael off? What was the deal with that?
Less than thirty minutes later. Michael's bag is packed and he rests in his carrier not even waking at the transfer. Carly has a duffle packed and despite her wet hair is ready to go. AJ grabs everyone's luggage and the laptop. Carly grabs the carrier and follows AJ from the house setting the alarm as she leaves.
Twenty minutes later the driver pulls up the the Harborview Towers. AJ gets out of the car with Michael and his bag and makes his way up to Jason's penthouse. He rings the bell and the door immediately opens.
"Hopefully, I'll be back by Monday. I'll call you for sure to let you know what is going on." AJ says in a rush. Passing Jason the necessary bag AJ walks into the penthouse and sets Michael's carrier down on the couch.
"Where's Carly?"
"She's down in the car. I know that you and I don't get along, Jase. But I really appreciate this. Michael crashed after we got home from the board meeting last night. He was up at midnight but only for a few minutes. The book I'm reading to him is in the bag. But I know that you are still working on Africa with him."
"I don't want Michael in the mansion. And I know what Michael likes." Jason says tersely growing annoyed at AJ telling him about Michael.
"Okay, well I guess, I'm out of here." AJ leans over and gives Michael a soft kiss on the forehead and brushes his red hair softly. "See you in a couple of days, Mister Man. Jase, I'll call if I get delayed; hell I'll probably call anyway just to see what's up with our son." AJ leaves looking back reluctant to leave his son here. Then taking a deep breath gets on the elevator.
Jason goes over to Michael picking him up from his carrier. "Well Michael, welcome home. And as soon as Carly drops AJ off at the airport we'll find out what in the hell is going on. She won't be able to avoid me then."
Twenty minutes later Carly is climbing aboard a familiar airplane. She tosses her bag down and curls up on a leather couch. She tries to close her eyes but sleep is gone now. Carly hears AJ settling in after talking to the pilot. Sighing she opens her eyes and looks at AJ fumbling with the laptop. "Okay, we're on a plane in the middle of the night heading off to who knows where. Where is the question I guess. Where is Jakarta, why are we going there and what in the heck do you think that you are doing with that laptop?"
"Jakarta is in Indonesia which is less than an hour by plane from the northern territory of Australia. it's what Ned was talking about last night. We're going there because the government is trying to take over our company there. And Ned's secretary is going to send me the information I need as soon as I get this thing hooked up."
Carly grabs the laptop away from AJ. "Did you ask the pilot if it was okay to use one of these things on the plane?"
"Yeah, as soon as we are airborne."
"Okay that's the company with the oil leases, that the Cassadine stole, that the Q's stole back but blew up in the process, right?" Carly asks as she quickly sets the laptop to rights. Going through the computers case she finds the instruction manual and checks the features of the laptop: internal cell phone so it doesn't need to be hooked up to a phone line. Battery pack, spare charged battery, all the bells and whistles of the top of the line laptop.
"Guess you weren't as bored as you acted last night. Actually, I think Jerry blew it up."
looks up in surprise. "What! Really? Jerry blew up one of your companies? That is so cool."
"Yeah, it was when Jax was on the board. It was their way of making ELQ Jakarta too hot for Cassadine to hold on to, so techically it was a Cassadine company at the time. That should make your Spencer blood rejoice. We got it back for a song but have had to pour money into it to get it back running at speed. Now it's one of the strongest companies in Jakarta which ain't saying much considering the economy, but it's doing well enough that the government wants more than the share that we're contracted to give them." At the early hour there is no waiting and the jet is soon in the air. "Ned's secretary should be in the office now." AJ pulls out his phone and calls her verifying that she is there.
"AJ, give her this number." Carly interrupts calling off a number that had been written into the instruction manual. AJ quirks a brow questioningly. "That's the number to the laptop so she can send you the files. Tell her we're all set up at this end."
AJ relays the number of the laptop to Ned's secretary, who while unknown to AJ, is very familiar with "Jun-yur" having heard the company gossip for years. The secretary is hesitant KNOWING that AJ's technology challenged. Being told that he was set up at the far end was no confidence builder. "Hey Carly, will you talk to this woman and tell her that it's okay to send the information? That she doesn't have to wait and have us just pick it up when we refuel in London?" AJ laughs but is getting a little tired of being considered such a technoboob. Carly gets on the phone and starts talking to the secretary relaying the set up information. Her tone is confident and sure.
Carly laughs. "...Oh I know just what you mean. But it's a guy thing-- all part and parcel of refusing to ask for directions. AJ needs the files now so he can get things set up before we even land in London." Carly adds 'cause it sounds good. "Even though he was elected CEO last night at the ELQ board meeting he's going to need some help with the companies that he hadn't been working with hands on, you know what I mean? Someone, say like-- you, who works so closely with the international companies, knows all the players, all the contact people, could be a huge asset to him." Carly continues to butter up the secretary even as she watches the laptop monitor for activity. "I used to work in a hospital so I know how it goes... the doctors think that they run things but if you really want to know what is going on-- you ask the nurse right? I mean they still speak english. I figure it's the same in business right? You're going to be sending AJ the names of a bunch of muckymucks with the big offices but you know the names of the people that actually get things done, right-- With Jakarta in an upheavel, AJ isn't gonna have time to mess around. Okay, the first file is coming in. Listen, AJ is probably going to be tieing up his phone with the calls to Jakarta but I'll be monitoring the computer so anything that he needs to know just email me, okay?... Oh it was so nice talking to you too. Next time AJ goes into the city we'll have to get together-- meet for lunch or something-- you can give me ALL the dirt on the company." Carly laughs again companionly then clicks off the phone after a brief good bye. The humor falls off her face as the conversation ends and her game face comes back on. "There, you should have everything you need in a couple of minutes."
AJ looks across the plane at Carly confident and cagey. "Have a told you lately how amazing you are?"