–––––––– Chapter I Kyle Akers leaned back in the chair behind his desk and listened to the muffled voice of Ron Hastings, the shop foreman, from outside his office as he spoke to the assembled workers. The orders he had been filling out were for the time being forgotten, as he wanted to hear this, his lips lifting into a grin on his narrow, mustached face. Knowing that he had the power to hire and fire within his place of business always gave him a hard on. “I’m sorry to have to tell you, due to rising costs of production, we can expect layoffs starting the end of this shift. I’ve already had private conversations with those of you today who are going to be kept on.” A chorus of groans rose from the unseen employees gathered around Ron on the shop floor as he spoke. At least a coup