Sebastian looked out the window of his office, looking out over the dark city, choosing not to appear too eager in the man’s presence. Eagerness was always a sign of weakness. If someone saw you were eager about something, they could use that eagerness to their advantage. Something that Sebastian would rather avoid.
His son was too eager, and Sebastian regarded him as a fool that had to be looked after like a child. Eagerness got him into trouble that only his father could buy him out of. Sebastian believed his constant warnings about playing the fool went right over Shinobi’s head. Sometimes, Sebastian really wondered… but that was a thought best left for another time.
Sebastian offered the man refreshments, but the man politely refused. However, his refusal had an air of superiority to it that Sebastian hadn’t liked, and Sebastian wondered what right did that man have to feel superior when he was sitting in the office of one of the most powerful men in the city. If he hadn’t been curious about the reasons why the man was there, he would have had him escorted out of the building.
He’d taken the meeting as a joke, just because the man said it would be worth his time. People always said their propositions were worth his time, but this one was really proving to be worth his time. The man had piqued Sebastian’s interest when he told him that he could make him one of the most powerful mutants in the world.
Power had always appealed to Sebastian Shaw the way candy appealed to a child. He could never get enough of it, even when they said it was too much, even when it was obvious that he was being overly greedy in his conquests. He felt that one could never gain enough power, and he hoped to one day gain enough power to rule America, the world even.
His colleagues laughed and called him overly ambitious. What one man could hope to wield that kind of power over the world? Yet, he still made acquisition after acquisition, gaining more and more power in the process. His business practices proving to be more scrupulous than ever, while his colleagues murmured amongst themselves, wondering how Sebastian acquired so much power.
They all forgot one very important thing when it came to Sebastian. Never underestimate him or the lengths he was willing to go to obtain a goal. Business wasn’t about playing the game fair or looking out for the lesser man. Business was a shark tank, a cutthroat commerce, filled with predators that were waiting for the first sign of blood.
He never forgot that, and his colleagues were just as soon to remember it as well, lest they fall prey to Sebastian Shaw. If business was a shark tank, Sebastian saw himself as the biggest, dangerous, most antagonizing predator in the tank. He had no sense of pity when it came to business. He was willing to take out the upstart businesses as well as the established old money companies, as long as it suited him.
His means of obtaining acquisitions may not have been the most “honest” avenues of business, but in the end, none of that matter. He still had more of the pie than his competitors, despite the means he used to get it, and he was always looking for more. Maybe, that did make him greedy, but that still didn’t change the fact that he wanted more. And he would get more no matter what it took.
So, of course, he wanted to hear what this man had to say, even if turned out to hold little ground. You never knew when that chance opportunity might arise. Even if he sent the man away and laughed at his proposal, he could say that he did listen instead of turning the man away. That’s was how you made advancements in business. Sometimes, you just had to listen.
The man, it turned out, was a scientist who worked independently at his own “company.” He said that structured companies always claimed that his inventions and experimentations were too extreme, so he worked for himself, selling his products and services to the highest bidder. He boasted an impressive clientele”everyone from the American government to terrorist organizations.
He worked for and against the same people who paid him, providing them with things that they believed would further their agenda. He said he mostly made weapons and body-enhancing drugs. Peace was only publicly promoted to ease the fears of the people. In reality, a war had always been raging between different rivaling sects.
Sebastian didn’t know whether to like the man or loathe him. He did know one thing. He distrusted the man. He’d learned early in his career the golden rule of business. DTA. Don’t trust anyone. He particularly didn’t trust this man, however. There was just something about him that warned Sebastian to really watch him, especially if he accepted his proposal.
Obviously, the man’s loyalties swayed with his whims, and Sebastian didn’t want to find himself on the end of a deal that may hurt his accomplishments in any way.
Sebastian only wondered why him? Why had he chosen to share his information with him? He asked the man as much. This man said nothing he did ever was ever free. Of course, he wanted something in exchange, and he thought Sebastian would be the one most willing to meet his price. He’d pegged Sebastian as the type of man who was willing to go to great lengths for power.
“And how do you plan to make all this possible?” Shaw asked. He expected a long explanation of something that seemed far-fetched, ridiculous and riddled with scientific fog, but Sebastian was hopeful still that maybe this was something more. Sebastian waited patiently for the man’s response, taking his silence to be uncertainty. But when the man spoke, his voice was sure despite him only uttering two words.
“God’s Hand…”
Author’s Notes: An entr’acte is an interlude, meaning that’s why this chapter is so short. :P These will be scattered throughout the story, a little something for pacing that I wanted to try.
Rhapsody81, I love minor characters, and I just had to throw in a few here and there to diversify my story. Though, I will admit that I am not the biggest Davis Cameron (Slipstream, for those not in the know) fan in the world, but I do have a particular fondness for Cormick Grimshaw (Pipeline) for whatever reason. There will be more minor”and not so minor”characters in subsequent chapters because I like minor/obscure characters.
ShastyMcNasty, our desktop is possessed. You underestimate the power of technology. We even call our desktop “Big E,” which is short for “Big Evil.” It even decides when it wants to come on.
I had more to say, but ack, I'm too lazy to keep on typing...
Next Chapter: Hey now, now, my neo geisha…
