“Nope” replied Johnny. But on the next turn, Benjamin made, the siren sounds were resurrected. At the end of this street was a Ford Raptor this time, its siren lights strobing the street pavements.“What the hell?” questioned Benjamin.“Who are these guys? I thought this was the local police.”“Yeah, I wouldn’t be too sure about that.” Replied Johnny.“Hang on” Benjamin swerved left at the next intersection into a darker alley, and turned off his high beams. He inched the Mclaren closer to a Dumpster to park, but before that, the street was suddenly lit up with a light source more brilliant than a thousand suns. Everything and everywhere was white from the blinding beams.Benjamin squinted his eyes and slammed the gear into reverse, but in his rearview, he saw the Ford Raptor approaching again, its alarm still very much alive. The walls of the street were much too narrow to carry out any evasive manoeuvres. The Raptor stopped, and Benjamin could hear the sound of two car doors crea
“Now, for the second error of conduct-“ stared Thomas. “Driving a general licensed car.”Benjamin turned to him. “What?”“Your car has a general license plate, Mr Benjamin. For someone of your status, that is a most vital error of conduct. You should have a Star Alliance specially-made Vanity plate installed. If you had, it would lead to zero stops from the law in this city.” stated Thomas.“I thought you just said the whole point of Star Alliance was to remain invisible and anonymous to the population at large?!”“I think you’re misunderstanding it, Mr Benjamin. Star Alliance is not made up of the most influential and powerful people on the planet, the most powerful and influential people are Star Alliance. Do you understand?You were selected to join the program because of your potential to become more prominent than you currently are. That importance cannot exude itself when you are driving a commonplace car such as this.” Explained Thomas.“I’m not sure I’m following.”“To keep y
"Destroy any possibility of a union between Claire Black And Mardo Wormwood," said Thomas, handing over the paper to Benjamin. On it were two character profiles, that of Claire and the other of Mario, their pictures printed in Black and White. He recognised the picture of Claire. It was a portrait of her joining Worcester University as a freshman, he had seen it tirelessly above the fireplace in the Black's living room. It was back then, a few months after this picture was taken that she had met him. He didn't know it then, she was a beautiful kid from a rich family and he had dared to dream of a life together, even against JMONEY's constant disapproval. Everything started back then. Mardo looked as heinous as ever. Under each profile were the notes preferences and dislikes of each character. Between their two avatars was a big red cross. Benjamin held onto the paper for a few more seconds but handed it back to Thomas, disapprovingly. "That's for you to keep" eyed Thomas. "Not in
"There is one final thing, Mr Benjamin" stated Thomas. Benjamin groaned with his head buried in the steering wheel. The high beams had all but destroyed his irises from the constant brightness. "In the name of all that is good, what?!" "Have you ever heard of a System?" asked Thomas. Suddenly, Benjamin became alert. His instincts warned of danger ahead in the conversation. Trying to make no sudden movements, he raised his head slowly, and said: "Huh?" Thomas paused as if waiting for some kind of an effect. "A system, Mr Benjamin" he replied. Benjamin shook his head skillfully in the art of acting. "You mean a computer? I don't understand" he said. "Not in the conventional sense, no" replied Thomas seriously. "And, what does this have to do with anything?" asked Benjamin. "Well, the Alliance has information that the Black Family, or one of them, has recently come into the privileges of a 'System'" Benjamin shook his head. "Again, what are you talking about?" "A system is an i
"The Abort feature could also be presented when 1. The User fails to complete some mandatory scenarios. 2. There is an attack in the system and aborting is the only way to save the User's life." replied Payton. "What happens when the System is aborted?" asked Benjamin. He was, of course, referring to the assets said user would've built within the duration. "My money, my company, my employees, my revenge, what happens to all of that?" "Upon activation of Abortion, a special skill is deployed: 'Mind Wipe'. Mindwipe will thoroughly cleanse the user's memories of the System, its skills, its scenarios and its association with everyday events. It is a delicate skill that fills in the Blank nicely such that the user wouldn't suspect anything had been taken from him in the first place." Benjamin swallowed a gulp. The thought was even more terrifying than he had imagined. Going back to a pauper with no memories of glory. All that growth, deleted, gone. He shuddered. "And my money?" "Al
"World Conquest is achieved when all leaders on earth look to the Conqueror favourably, and await his next directive. Every directive on earth, whether of a city, state or country, works to favour him or his intentions. Every currency pair flows through his several personal accounts throughout the globe. The state of each country represents his intentions. He has a supreme say in every decision on the planet. Only then, has he achieved World Conquest"It was an interesting and entertaining concept to hear at least. The way you'd think about what perpetual motion would look like, or free energy across the globe, or World peace everywhere. But factually, it held as much credibility to thought as a children's bedtime story. "That's Impossible," I said. Payton was silent. Seemed he didn't have much to contribute to an argument. But something about that frightened me. "Payton?" "Yes, Master?" "Has anyone, ever, achieved this World Conquest?" Payton went silent once more. Benjamin could
Benjamin parked his Mclaren on the Street to witness the Obsidian Towers. It was on the next street, seated between two short unimpressive complexes. "I read that it's the third tallest building downtown. Talk about a show-off" said Johnny. Benjamin nodded. Everything about the tower was pitch dark asides the clear glass windows. Looking from afar, it resembled a long rectangle with two hexagons rotating on it's top. When they drew even closer, they could see the black surface was not matte, but an impressive glossy finish that reflected the city in some sort of dark mirror dimension. "You have to admit. It's kinda fitting for a family called The Blacks'" said Johnny, whistling. Cylindrical Columns littered the ground floor of the tower, making a small mini parking lot. The entrance was further in, serviced by a normal looking glass door. "Welcome To The Obsidian" said a young woman seated on a desk by the entrance. Benjamin looked around, confused. The place looked bigger out
"I would like to thank the board for gracing us with their time and presence the morning. The topic of discussion is a complete acqusition of MedHill by Ivy Corp" started Benjamin. "An acquisition?" asked one of them. "I thought we were here to discuss a buy-in" Benjamin looked to Amber, who shook her head. 'It's a negotiating ploy, don't fall for it.' "No, this meeting is for a total acquisition of Medhill," said Benjamin unflinching. "Apologies if there's been a mistake in your communique" "And who says we're looking to sell?" asked another. "Johnny" whispered Benjamin. Johnny moved over a tall stack of printed documents. Benjamin tossed it to everyone seated at the table. "That. It's your finance reports for the last half decade" said Benjamin. "How did you get this? Did Amber-" "Ms Amber is a mere doctor, Sir, and has nothing to do with it. Never mind my methods. I have my way of getting around" uttered Benjamin confidently. "And what does this prove?" "That you've been