8.l.
For a long
while no one said anything.
Then a bored
sigh slipped from General Apathy and he said, “A most riveting dialogue. I can’t seem to tear myself away.”
He glanced
around at everyone for a brief second, shrugged, and then walked into the black
pyramid office.
John Q Public
stroked his luscious mustache with his black gloved hand and said, “Join me in
the conference room and we’ll get under way.”
“Wait a
second,” said Corporate Man. “”You’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”
John Q Public
grinned and said, “Actually, I don’t.
There’s no one on this planet that I need to explain anything to. But, if we considered your assertion in
hypothetical terms, wouldn’t a conference room be an ideal location in which to
do the explaining?”
With
reluctance, they walked into the black pyramid.
The corner doors sealed behind them.
It was dim except for a faint red glow emanating from several scattered
console buttons.
“Set
lighting. Conference,” said John Q
Public.
The office
flared a brilliant, clean white though no discernable light source could be
identified.
“Through here,”
said John Q Public. He gestured to a set
of heavy looking, glossy black doors with white ivory handles.
The doors
opened automatically.
The room inside
was black with white framed photos of blackness. The table gleamed its own white light and
black chairs huddled around it, perched on bleach white carpeting.
“Hmm. Blatant color scheme?” said Business Woman.
John Q Public
nodded and said, “Yes. Now, please sit
down and let’s discuss your future.”
“No. How about we discuss what you did to Supply
and Demand. To Fair Wage,” said Corporate
Man.
“To you,” said
John Q Public.
“That’s… That’s
right. What you did to me, too.”
“Join me at the
conference table and we’ll address whatever we wish.”
The Union
eventually sat down. Business Woman and
Corporate Man on one side, Senior Executive and Franklin Buck on the
other. John Q Public took a seat at the
head of the table. General Apathy
remained standing, towards the back wall, on John Q Public’s right.
“The future of
the economy,” said John Q Public, “is fairly dismal.”
“Thanks largely
to you,” said Business Woman.
“Agreed. But now is not the time to point fingers or
credit or praise.”
“Praise? Are you nuts?” said Senior Executive.
“I assure you,
I am in control of all my faculties,” said John Q Public. “In fact, I could simply end that sentence at
control. Wait, I’m forgetting
something.”
“Added
nostalgia and visual drama,” said General Apathy.
“Oh yes,” John
Q Public said, eyebrows lifting in allusion to some impending greatness.
An electronic
strum sounded as light flared from everyone’s suits. The flash diminished, but the seams lines on
all of their clothes remained white and glowing.
“Are… Are these
our old power suits?” asked Corporate Man.
“Reasonable
facsimiles,” said John Q Public.
“These would
have come in handy against Bear Market and The Crash,” said Business Woman.
“They aren’t
functional. Merely aesthetic for the
final meeting,” John Q Public said and tossed out a wink. “One of the reasons your clothes were stolen
on the 26th floor was so these could be made.”
“That must have
cost a pretty penny,” said Franklin Buck.
John Q Public
shrugged and said, “Like I said, I am in complete control. I’m the head of this global business
empire. The U.S.
division of Incorporate Business Corporate Incorporated owns a majority of
everything on this planet.”
“Not for long,
pal,” said Corporate Man.
“Good. Then we’re on the same page,” said John Q
Public.
The Union
members threw each other confused glances.
“You see,”
continued John Q Public, “I’ve grown bored.
I claimed lordship over not just this company, and not simply this
country, but over the world economy at the turn of the century and it’s been
far too easy ever since. I miss the old
days. The financial crime fighting. The excitement. That’s why I cancelled funding for the
medications that kept you comatose, Corporate Man. That’s why I woke you up.”