Hero: Part Eight
The first light of dawn filtered through the windows of the Blue Bird Experience, falling upon the three men who, today, were about to write a new chapter of human history.
Sitting silently beneath the gaze of the most noble of ladies, the Rolandish and the Euralian glanced at one another, uncertain of what to think, while the Korinthian sneered at them, idly playing with his fountain pen---red and green, half carved from ruby and the other from emerald.
“I don’t know how you managed to bypass the Miraval's security syste...oh well, if pirates have done so, I should been surprised at all,” Alfie admitted, his back falling into the chair. “But you’re utterly delusional if you believe your head will ever leave this city on your shoulders.” Yet, deep down, the blond-haired man was burning with curiosity, eager to hear what the man newspapers labeled as his so-called mortal enemy had risked his life to say.
“And you’re delusional if you think I would ever expose myself without a plan that accounts for every possible outcome,” Xander calmly replied as he took a paper napkin from another table. “I know, tricking you both into coming here isn't the best way to start a profitable partnership. Nevertheless, if you knew what I know, you would have done the same.” The Black Lion raised his fountain pen, loading it with his own blood until it overflowed and dripped onto the napkin. “So, before you two waste efforts trying to kill me, may I ask for five minutes of your so precious time to learn about my bright idea?”
“My brother in Adam,” Jeb chimed in, tone astonished. “You are a filthy plebeian, a pathetic Soulful, and a fucking Demmie. Hosting you at our table is spitting on thousands of years of tradition---my ancestors are screaming for my axe to smash your skull!” He leaned forward, index twitching. “Moreover, if a single photo of this meeting were to leak, it would not only jeopardize our positions, but it would also lead to the implosion of the..." The corner of his eyes reminded him of the client still sitting at the counter. "...ahem...the market’s status quo. What would my Lawfulian clients say if they saw their so-called business partner having breakfast with their main competitor?”
“You’re absolutely right, Jebbie boy, but I’m the one most at risk here.” Xander beamed at his enraged face. “Perhaps you’re both underestimating the volatility of the Korinthian house of cards. If even an unsupported rumor of this meeting were to surface, well...let's just say I wouldn’t just be fired.” He spread his hands, his emerald eyes cracking in fervor. “So yes, you could ruin me, and I could ruin you. Perfectly balanced, as all fair deals ought to be.”
Alfie and Jeb exchanged wary glances. They still had their doubts, but, in the end, the blue glow pulsing over the display over Xander’s chest made them relent, gasping out their consent to continue the conversation.
“So, what do you want? First you attac---” Alfie stopped himself, suddenly noticing the strange man at the counter reading the worst newspaper in all of Chaotia. “Ahem...you have secretly plotted to steal the head of our most valuable department, and when that failed, you launched a hostile acquisition instead. Trust is the most precious asset of any businessman. It takes a lifetime to build and less than a heartbeat to be destroyed, and I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that your current rating is utter garbage.” Alfie concluded by adjusting his sharp glasses, while Jeb nodded in agreement. Although not directly involved in the clash, he could not forgive such a dishonorable act---for Euralians, any fight was meant to be fought head-on.
“Competition is the lifeblood of the economy. I saw an opportunity, and I took it. C'mon---how bad can I possibly be? I’m sure you would’ve done the same in my place.” The Black Lion tried to shrug them off, but, obviously, failed.
"You created that opportunity by exploiting an innocent kid!” Jeb snapped.
“Well, to be fair...” The Black Lion scratched his mane. “The original plan was a little different.”
“What the fuck are you trying to say?” Both Starfolks went pale. “That all of this was some huge mistake?” Alfie exclaimed, speechless.
“Kinda. My board election was approaching, and I felt the power on which I stood was starting to soften. So I thought---why not stir up some tension between our businesses to electrify my base?” He innocently chuckled. “Hehe...it turns out some of my employees were a bit too zealous, and they didn’t quite grasp the fine art of rhetoric, such as when I wink after giving an order that might very well be defined as...ahem...sheer madness.” He finished with another uncomfortable laugh, then snapped his fingers to call a waiter---he really needed a drink.
“So you fucked up, and now you want to clean the mess without taking the blow?” Alfie snapped. “And maybe you haven’t been following the news, but thanks to your the little mistake of yours, I’m about to lose my job and replaced by a pesky opportunist whose only goal is fattening his reputation by appearing on more magazine covers.”
“Meh. To be fair, the polls had you listed as a dead man walking even before my innocent mistake,” Xander replied, utterly unashamedly staring straight at the pitiful expression of that man.
“Pfft. A captain ought to sink with the ship,” Jeb laughed at both sides equally. “Anyway, that’s business between you two. Why did you invite me?”
“Because we Chaotian enterprises must stand together against the rising tide of history,” Xander answered. “Times are changing, and soon---sooner than one might expect---the emerging threats from Lawfullia and Naturia will strike us down and feast on the carcasses of our businesses." Xander leaned forward, tone dread. "Until now, we’ve prospered by exploiting their divisions, but what would happen if we, instead, start weakening each other?
"You’re both fighting over control of the Lawfullian market, which is currently split fifty–fifty between you two. However, what if one of you actually wins and unifies that immense economic zone? Would Lawfullia still accept being under the yoke of a smaller power already weakened by total war?” Alfie and Jeb exchanged weary glances. Xander had touched a soft nerve, a subject that both of them had been avoiding for a long time.
“The potential of these foreign competitors grows by the day, and if we’re stupid enough to kill each other, they will easily replace us as the absolute rulers of the global market.” Xander rose from his seat, fist clenched, chin held high. “Our enemies must keep fighting while relying on us, and for that to work, they must believe we’re at each other’s throats. The current status quo must be preserved---at all costs, and by all means.”
“I thought you were part of the most radical fringe of Korinthian ideology, the kind that doesn’t even consider us Essentias to be human beings. Why this sudden pragmatism?” Alfie asked, confused and Jeb nodded.
“Oh, please. That’s just childish rhetoric for winning elections.” Xander waved his hand in mockery. “If our wage-slaves work more happily and, by consequence, produce more under the word Democr...oh, sorry...Peoplecracy instead of Monarchy...well---amen.” The three men burst into hearty laughter.
"Let us return to the matter at hand. I propose that our little secret remain, obviously, unknown to the public and restricted to the three of us---hide even from our boards." After a brief exchange of glances, all nodded. “We shall sign a non-compete agreement, committing ourselves to do everything in our power to preserve the current status quo. To maintain appearances, hostile actions against one another---such as this war---may still be permitted to a limited extent. However, under no circumstances shall any action be allowed that could overwhelm another party, including situations where our lives might be at stake---I'm sure we’re all professionals here, capable enough to ensure such a possibility never comes to exist in the first place, aren’t we?”
Although Alfie and Jeb couldn’t stop their hearts from racing, the cake was simply too delicious not to take a bite--both men unsheathed their fountain pens. The Euralian one was carved from the teeth of a megalodon, while the Rolandish one had been sculpted from a fragment of a shining meteorite.
“We’re still missing a witness,” Jeb pointed out. “Any contract whose validity is guaranteed by the Collective Consciousness must bear the signature of a neutral individual external to the deal---someone fully aware of its contents, whose judgment becomes decisive in the event of any kind of dispute between the parties.”
“That’s a serious problem,” Alfie muttered, his expression darkening. “Unlike us, the witness would be free to speak about the deal to anyone he wishes. There is no sum of money we possess that could buy his silence if he decides to sell the secret to our boards, and no threat would ever work since the contract would remain valid only as long as the witness stays alive.”
“I anticipated this issue,” Xander chimed in. “And I may have a solution. There are many Naturian warlords who wouldn’t care about, or even understand, what we are doi—” The Black Lion stopped mid-sentence as a fourth pair of hands slammed onto the table.
“Traveling to Naturia and finding the right person would take months,” the intruder pointed out. “Are you really telling me the three of you could disappear for that long without anyone asking questions? No, I don’t believe that for a second.” He pulled out a chair and sat down without waiting for their permission. “You need someone here and now, ready to sign this deal. In short, you have a problem, and for every problem---there’s a solution.” Jacques beamed as the three men stared at him in a stunned and terrified silence.
“D-did you...hear anything we said?” Jeb mumbled, and in response, the ‘Javelinist’ calmly showed a thick stack of papers.
“Not only did I hear everything,” Jacques replied. “But I also transcribed your entire conversation, so you may attach it to your contract for a more transparent deal.” The three stunned men followed the pages with their eyes as the script landed on the table. “That being said, I offer you my most sincere apologies for eavesdropping on a private conversation, but we are all businessmen here, and you, more than anyone else, know that opportunities do not grow on trees---they must be hunted down!” He raised his thumb. “Anyway, did you need or not a fourth, neutral party to guarantee the fairness of your agreement in the eyes of the Collective Consciousness?”
Alfie glanced at Jeb, Jeb glanced at Xander, and Xander glanced at Alfie, all agreeing on the same message---'this man has to die. Now!'
“Oh, how rude of me. I haven’t introduced myself yet.” Anticipating their thoughts, Jacques placed a business card on the table. “I am Mr. Thirty-Seven, Special Agent of Original Sin, and it will be my pleasure to solve your problem.”
Original Sin, that name alone shifted the atmosphere, and in less than a single instant, the 'Javelinist' went from future corpse to strategic asset. “I’ve heard rumors about your organization,” Jeb cautiously stated, recalling half-whispered stories from his friends who had once used their services. “You solve people’s problems, don’t you? By any means necessary---even murder.” The last word was spoken with the dread of a desert.
“Firstly, problem-solving?” Jacques wagged his finger, then tapped the card. “That is a vulgar oversimplification. As our name suggests, Original Sin draws inspiration from the teachings of the 'Original Seeker,' and, above all, from his Original Axiom---'with every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
“As you well know, that statement carries a deeper meaning, that there exists a chronological thread binding all events in reality, and through logic alone, one could trace any outcome back to the universe’s very first atom's bouncing. Hence, for Original Sin, solving a problem is not merely about addressing its consequences, but about identifying its origin and cutting the roots---only then is a problem truly resolved.
“Secondly, Original Sin follows a rigid ethical code, and for us, murder is not a laughing matter---no hitman contract will ever be accepted by Original Sin." Jacques made a dramatic pause. “That being said, we do accept protection contracts, and if, after thorough investigation, the only way to guarantee a client’s safety is the removal of an external factor...well, we will not hesitate.” His poker face offered no crack for attack.
“Convincing rhetoric,” Alfie declared, unconvinced. “But we only require a witness. So, why risk the interference of such a complex organization?”
“In your specific case, Original Sin offers far more than a signature. We can provide secure communication channels, neutral mediation in the event of disputes, and, should external forces attempt interference, mercenaries to protect your lives.” A brief exchange of glances followed, but they all knew the truth---Jacques’ offer was their only viable option.
And so, on a simple coffee napkin, the 'Javelinist' and his Hyperborean Ice fountain pen wrote history itself. Then, Jeb, Alfie, and Xander signed the document they would start to call---the Blue Bird Treaties, the agreement by which these three men divided the whole world among themselves.
However, history would remember it by a far grander name---
The Law of Chaotic Equilibrium.
