The message​ appeared on every screen, television or computer or otherwise, in the world, which is to say that billions and billions of people suddenly found themselves staring at the gnarled visage of the bald and almost glowing Gideon Goldbody.

      He smiled and said to the world, "Greetings, friends. Let me show you a live view of my starship casino Skymaster." The next thing to be seen on the screen was the Skymaster in all its glory. Chunks of the window-wall Adam had blasted apart still spun around the vessel like moons around a planet. The huge, bluish-green beachball that was the Earth was clearly visible in the background. Then, back to Goldbody. 

​     "Now I'm going to show you the inside of the Skymaster."

     What came next wasn't a live shot but older security footage of the five hundred millionaires and billionaires being herded by men with guns. Then came the brutal murder of Baxter Cobbs. Billions of people all over the world gasped in horror as one. 

​     Back to Goldbody. "What I've done is I've captured the five hundred richest people in the world, and now I'm holding them hostage. The price for getting them back is five hundred billion dollars. Half a trillion dollars. I'll give you an hour to amass the funds. After that, every five minutes, someone goes out the airlock."

     "Oh yes, one more thing: enjoy your day." 

                                               CONTINUE