The Call

*Earlier this week a Coca Cola employee and 2 accomplices were arrested for stealing top secret Coca Cola documents and trying to sell them to Pepsi for 1.5 million dollars. Pepsi called and informed Coca cola about the theft.

9 am Atlanta, Ga
Top floor meeting room of the Coca Cola building.

"...so she says it won't fit in there!" The room explodes into laughter just as the door opens.

"Sir.." says the secretary. She walks in slowly with her head down.

"What is it, Ms. Jones?" says the man at the head of the table.

"It's the phone sir. It's..its Pepsi"

Time pauses. No one breathes. The man at the head of the table stands and buttons his jacket. He brushes down his jacket and checks his cuff links, which are replicas of Coca Cola bottle caps. He runs his hands through his hair. Everyone in the room stares in bewilderment, awaiting his next move. He moves around the table to the phone. Everyone in the room crowds around him in a flurry of movement. He looks around at all the faces in the crowd. He snatches up the phone quickly. The crowd gasps as he stares at the receiver.

Slowly he puts the phone to his ear and speaks with barely masked contempt. "Hello, Mr. Pepsi."

"Miisstteerr Coke." speaks the voice out of the phone. Slow, deep and condescending. The "k" in sound in coke snaps harshly. "I hope this day finds you in good spirits. I haven't heard much from you since that whole vanilla fiasco. How are... things?"

Mr. Coke frowns and grips the phone tighter. The crowd tenses up. Someone is strangling their tie. Another person is grinding their teeth. They all lean in closer as if preparing to jump into the phone.

"What do you want, PEPSI?!" Someone in the crowd breaks a red Coca Cola pen in their hand.

"You have a leak, COKE."

"What are you talking about?"

"Super...Berry."

The crowd gasps again. Mr. Coke lifts his hand to silence them. "What are you.."

"CUT THE CRAP COKE! You know what I'm talking about! You've got someone on the inside ratting you out! They have everything. The research, samples.. The RECIPE! They want to give it all to us, COKE! The whole shabang! WE'LL HAVE SUPER BERRY PEPSI OUT PACKAGED ON EVERY SHELF FROM HERE TO KOREA BEFORE YOU CAN SAY CARBONATION!! Don't f#&% with me MISTER COKE!"

"OK!!" He snarls at the phone. "You got me by the balls, Pepsi! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR! What do you want?!"

"HAHAHA! I don't want anything from you, Mister Coke! What could you possibly offer me, anyway?"

"Then why the call, Pepsi? Why not take it?"

"I'm no thief, Mister Coke. I don't need to tarnish myself to compete with you. I'll have my people fax over what we know about everything. I would hope you would do the same...if the tables were reversed."

"Of course. It would only be fair."

"Indeed it would, Mister Coke. Indeed."

" Mister Pepsi...this changes nothing."

CLICK

The boss puts the phone down. "Leave me." he says.

The people gather their notebooks and papers and scurry out of the room. He walks over to the 12 foot window and gazes out over the city. The beauty of the morning is lost on him. The warmth of the sun can't cut through the chill of this moment. There will be hell to pay this day. So says Mister Coke!