"Great 21st Century Novel"

121. While Sheila was in the shower, Doyle had managed to contact Fritz and get an update on the European front and get the tactical moves for the morning staff meeting.

122. Nearly everyone had a certain sheepish grin as they entered the staff meeting, subtle glances here and there, a slight blush, and modest glance in the other direction, and burying ones eyes into the meeting folder.

123. The men in her life simply would not wait. Fritz had a nervous grin. Tapping away on a laptop at the conference table, he seemed to be stuck in a temporal calculating loop. Ben Rawlings, sitting at the other end of the table, had more of a grimace than a grin. He was still recovering from some serious injuries sustained the last time he saw Sheila. Ben vaguely remembered ascending to heaven on the shoulders and wings of a guardian angel out of Bangor Maine, but that was it and no one could make sense of the story he told after the tragic vehicle accident on I-90 that night. And then there was Ken...

Ken, standing there across the room in his Brooks Brothers suit had the biggest grin of all.

124. Ken pointed his laser at the latest figures on the screen. "Here we see that our Equities Acquisitions has managed to exceed their targets, as have our Real Estate Division. Legal reports that we are okay on the home front, and we have a substantial firewall protecting us from liability for any . .. .questiona . .err .. .any overseas . . .activities.

125. Our next step is to

126. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

127. "Crap, not another stupid fire alarm NOW! Let's just try and ignore it and move on."

128. The sound of popcorn popping came from down the hall.

129. There was a heavy rumble of thuds, it sounded like a stampede.

130. Several screams could be heard from down the hall. The power went out.

131. Live rounds shattered the outside windows and riddled the walls.

132. The dazed group finally grasped that something "real" and serious, and very deadly, was taking place. Their eyes shot around at each other in terror, some dove under the table.

134. A hand grenade rolled into the conference room.

Originally posted by coquette
134. A hand grenade rolled into the conference room.

136. Ben Rawlings dove for the grenade and tossed it 65 yards in the air through the shattered window. it exploded harmlessly in the parking lot, except for the three late model european sedans that were damaged.