Synopsis

Richard Reinhart's research for his college finance class was supposed to have gotten him into the good graces of his professor, but instead he became a liability a large corporation couldn't allow to live. Through Richard's digging he discovers International Holdings Incorporated (IHI), has intentionally caused bank failures and that its deadly tentacles not only spread to financial institutions, but also industry, and even into Washington D.C. After the first attempt on his life Richard realizes his deliverance depends upon hacking into the IHI corporate computer for further proof of the corporation and its CEO's widespread virulent infection. Once he gets his proof, Richard races to deliver the data to an uninfected authority before IHI can deliver Richard and possibly his friends and family to the final moments of life.

The story takes place around a Boston area college at the present time. Richard Reinhart is a single young man studying finance. He is a product of a Midwest blue collar working class family whose financial life has been a struggle. His family endured much turmoil during his high school years resulting from his father losing his job in an area where jobs were very precious. With his father in and out of jobs at no fault of his father's, Richard had to work hard to get to college. During his research project he discovers a mysterious corporation is linked to the failure of a couple banks. In the process of checking his sources he innocently schedules an interview with a staff member at the large and enigmatic IHI to gather additional background.

After that meeting strange accidents involving him and his friends seem too coincidental and Richard realizes IHI is trying to kill him. Desperate for written proof of IHI's illegal activities to bring an end to the threat, Richard and his friends hack into the IHI computer and examine a bizarre portfolio of corporate expansion plans. With the computer data Richard eventually assembles the evil picture of IHI, and comes to understands the massive odds against him, his friends, and his family. Now he also realizes how little time he has. Moving quickly to remove the deadly peril, he must find an authority who will not only believe his fantastic story, but will be someone he can entrust with the shattering evidence. Strangely he seems to plunge deeper into the IHI infection when he solicits the help of a U.S. Senator.

Ultimately Richard learns of the cold-blooded man behind the corporation, a Mr. Nikuniso, who has a singular goal and its not growing his fortune at the expense of the companies he gobbles up. Nikuniso is a man with a mysterious past and for all his millions he is relatively unknown in his native country. Nikuniso holds enormous contempt for U.S. government officials and he knows that anyone can have his conscience bought if the price is right.

Excerpts from the Book

"All right guys, I'm ready for a couple beers," declared Jeff.

Jeff had just climbed into the back seat of my beat up Ford Pinto, you could hear the old vinyl seats squeak and almost crackle as the material strained to support Jeff as he slid into the car. No sooner than he was in the back seat we could his breath adding to the moisture of the interior, the small of the aging old car. Even though the small four-cylinder car had little power I always got a sense of freedom, control, and maybe a sense of power by shifting the four speed transmission. As I shifted through the gears of the transmission making the engine strain at each phase, we raced down the tree line street running through campus.

The leaves had vacated the trees, leaving the limbs as naked reminders of the splendor of summer. Occasionally you could catch the smell of burning leaves in the cool November air. To some the smell was a reminder of pollution, but to me it conjured up visions of home and those wiener and marshmallow roasts with my 'kick the can' neighborhood pals. Night had cheated into the day as it had been doing for many weeks, the days of fall getting shorter as instructed. My Pinto headlights cut through the damp night laying down a shine on the wet street ahead.