Despite her agreement, Raine could tell she wasn’t completely on board. With what was at stake, he had to settle her nerves, and he knew exactly how to do it, “All I need you to do is look official. You know the actress Sendara Scott?” Raine knew she did. There were some days at the office when she wouldn't stop talking about the woman. She always played hard boiled, no nonsense roles, and she was one of the best at them.
Mel nodded emphatically, her trepidation fading fast, “I can do Scott! I love her VRVods.”
The sudden fire in her eyes was a jarring swap from moments ago. Raine felt himself being swept up in her momentum and forced himself to relax with a deep centering breath, “Great. I'll leave it up to you to read the room and pick the right role.”
“I can do that. I know all her roles by heart. That’s really all I have to do?” When Raine nodded, she cutely pumped a fist, “I get to play Scott at Frontier of all places?! This is the craziest thing I’ve ever agreed to do. Nobody is going to believe me. Ohmygosh, this is going to be so fun!”
That’s more like it. Glad she’s feeling better.
Her exuberance only intensified as she turned to face him fully, “Oh! I almost forgot. I tried ZionLine. It was… amazing. You completely lied to me. It's way beyond a fully immersive experience. I felt like, no, I really was on another planet. That game isn't normal.”
Raine grunted, “You can say that again. It's hard to tell which is reality after a while. How did it go though? Sounds like you made it through the tutorial.”
“I did, barely. It was… eye opening.”
“Good job. A lot of people struggle with the tutorial. It's a brutal filter for those who can't handle what comes next. The combat only gets harder, but if you stick with it, your real world martial skills will improve significantly. Plus, it's a great way to earn a living.”
“Is that why-I mean, you sound pretty passionate about it.”
[Keep it together Melbell! No weirdo questions. Is that why you're so dangerous? Who says that?!]
“Not just me. The whole world is going to go crazy soon enough. You'll see.”
The conversation was cut short as they reached Shillid's tower. The building was forty floors tall, each with apparel more pricey than the last. But even the ground floor was no place for the average citizen, a fact made abundantly clear by there being no front door, or street access of any kind.
The car entered an underground garage, a luxury in itself as storing a vehicle while you shopped was a thing of the distant past. Only the truly wealthy owned personal transportation, as a robotaxi ride was a fraction of the cost of ownership.
Raine exited first and opened her door, earning himself a dazzling, freckle-framed smile. He remembered her complaining after one of the few dates she agreed to go on that the bum hadn’t opened her door, and how that completely ruined the vibe for her. Sure, he was cheating, but he couldn’t have cared less when she hooked her arm in his. The slight tremble running through her as they approached the entrance didn't go unnoticed.
They were greeted at an elevator bay by a contingent of SAI butlers. (Semi-Artificially Intelligent) Raine approached the closest and it bowed fluidly, recognizing him from the information sent in advance, “Greetings, Master KongRu. If it pleases you, this unit will be your guide today.”
Raine nodded and they were led into an elevator that rose rapidly. The walls were crystalline panels, revealing each floor as they zoomed by. Mel's eyes grew wider with each one. Her grip on his arm tightened as her body tensed. By the time they arrived on the tenth floor, she was practically vibrating, “The tenth floor?!” She hissed.
“I know, I know. Don't worry, next time we'll be on the fourteenth at least.” Her lips tightened but Raine was already pulling her out with a grin, “The lady first.” He commanded and the butler bowed again. It led them to the left, toward an opulent women's section. Hundreds of dresses and business suits were on display. Rich aromas of freshly pressed cloth and perfume were a perfect counterpoint to the cozy lighting.
“What am I doing here?” She whispered to herself, unsure where to look.
“Getting the fit, so you can play the part,” Raine responded, unhooking himself from her and gently guiding her forward with his hand on her lower back.
A smartly dressed woman waved politely. She looked Mel up and down with a critical eye, then smiled brightly, “My goodness, what a fine canvas. I can't wait to get started. You're going to shine like a sea of diamonds when I'm done with you. If I may, sir?” Raine nodded and the woman took Mel’s hand, guiding her into a circle of dresses and finery. She looked back at him like a girl completely out of her depth.
He chuckled, “You'll do great. See you soon.”
He followed the butler to the men's section where four human staff surrounded him. They were a cyclone of whirling efficiency. His hair and goatee were trimmed while another sized him. The others quickly picked out a tuxedo and dressed him. Then, all four chose a limb and began fitting the suit with complex gadgets until it was snug and secure.
Raine closed his eyes, relaxing into the full-body pampering until every inch of him was immaculate. A mirror was rolled out and he examined his new look, more than satisfied; especially since the brutal workouts were already showing results.
image [https://i.imgur.com/BoJAC2e.jpg]
He was led back to Mel who wasn't quite done. While waiting, he entered a group chat and responded to a bevy of questions from Richtor and his party. He reminded them to watch their surroundings for stealthed players now that they were level five. He grinned at their snarky comebacks, then cut the chat when Mel stood up and faced him.
Damn. Focus Raine. Focus.
She looked like a completely new woman. A snug, black pencil skirt and white business blouse accentuated her slim figure. The materials both light and durable, screamed of subtle wealth and privilege. Her makeup had been professionally touched up, the genius MUA even emphasized her freckles rather than covering them up. Raine sent her a double thumbs up for a job spectacularly done.
image [https://i.imgur.com/tVWEUiB.jpg]
Mel glided to him, a secretive smirk on her lips. Her touch was feather light as she wound her arm in his again. Her voice and tone were entirely different, clearly having taken the moment to center herself into her role, “You clean up pretty nice, yourself. Enough staring, don’t we have a job to do?” Her new heels clacked softly as they casually left through the same elevator.
By the time they were back in the car, Raine was all business, “Before and during the meeting, if anyone tries to hand me anything, it should go to you first. Papers, drives, drinks, doesn’t matter. Same goes the other way, if I need to pass anything along, it will go to you first, then one of their staff, and finally to the owner. Don’t speak unless spoken to, don’t answer any questions, evade like a politician. If you can’t think of a response—”
On and on it went, Raine drilling her on the etiquette of the wealthy elites in Carter City. She absorbed his words like a sponge, eager to learn. The knowledge she would be sneaking into a lion's den and pulling a fast one past people she should never of had a chance to interact made it all the more thrilling.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
image [https://i.imgur.com/7AF18SZ.png]
Frontier’s HQ was massive. Situated on the edge of Carter, it abutted the bay near the only access to a secluded island peninsula that housed Frontier’s numerous launch platforms. The outer security checkpoint waved them through after confirming his identity and appointment. They passed multiple buildings: Research, development, logistics and manufacturing, before arriving at the corporate offices.
They exited at the nearest drop-off and walked through a duraglass tunnel that traversed an immaculately manicured park. Its center was dominated by a fountain that used full-sized, decommissioned rocket ships as glorified water fountains. The sprays they released cascaded over the entire park, creating a majestic ambiance that only a billionaire would have thought was a good idea.
Mel walked beside him like a goddess made flesh. Every click of her heels was paired with a sway of hips that would turn any head. Her shoulders and back were ramrod straight and she looked for all the world like she couldn’t be more bored. Knowing they were being observed and listened to even now, Raine didn’t speak aloud, squeezing her arm in encouragement.
That’s the way. Girl is crushing it.
The entire entrance was an extravagant solid sheet of duraglass that blindingly reflected the garden and afternoon sun. The semi-transparent surface was deceptively durable, easily capable of shrugging off tank-calibur flechettes. Whether it could handle the group of four martials that met them there was another question entirely. Raine could tell by the way they held themselves that they were class five internal force masters, making them more dangerous than any of the regular competing martials in the city.
In his current condition, he would be lucky to take one of them, and it would cost him dearly. One of the four stepped forward, his chin dipped so slightly the movement was nearly imperceptible, “Mr. KongRu. This way, if you please.”
Raine didn’t even look at the man as they were led inside and into a multi-elevator that traveled horizontally for some time before rising several floors. After exiting, they were brought to a set of double doors that opened on their own, revealing a meeting room just as opulent as the exterior garden.
Inside, six of the most famous members of Frontier waited around a semi-circular desk. The president and CEO, Marshal Falmaris, rose and motioned for Raine to take a seat across from him. Raine nodded politely and pulled out the indicated seat—the only one on his side of the table. Mel, holding herself with extreme elegance, took his jacket and pinned it to the back of his chair after he sat.
All six tracked her every move, their interest clearly derived from curiosity of her pedigree. There was no doubt they had done a thorough background screening for Raine, which Morty should have mostly blocked. Mel though, was a complete unknown and her poise, grace, and beauty couldn’t possibly come from a simple background.
The moment the doors clicked shut, and the rustle of Raine’s jacket ceased, Marshal Falmaris cleared his throat. The sound was loud in the shielded room, and his eyes bored into Raine like a hawk with talons outstretched, “Mr. KongRu. I took an emergency orbital back from Candurice to attend this little get together. Jetlag hasn’t even caught up with me yet. So, I have only one question before I pass this along to the brains of my operations: Just how deep does this scam of yours go?”
Without missing a beat, Raine responded with utter sincerity, “It goes all the way, Mr. Falmaris. From Earth to the moon, and back again, six times, on one tank of fuel.”
Frontier’s lead engineer, Thomas Musk—a world renowned expert in his field from a long, long line of engineers—snorted, “The specs say it's so. We’re going to need a lot more than what you provided to confirm it!”
“Of course. I’ve brought enough data to satisfy any reasonable misgivings you might have,” Raine procured a slipdrive from his pocket and held it up. Mel gingerly relieved him of the tiny piece of hardware and followed his previous instructions, plugging it into the table. A holographic 3D model of WIDOW appeared above the table, and four of the six leaned forward, their eyes pouring over its every millimeter.
Marshal Flamaris never took his eyes from Raine, and neither did the reed thin man to his right. He introduced himself before speaking, “Chief Financial Officer, Donald Reed. You didn’t name a price for this no doubt marvelous piece of machinery. I’m sure you can appreciate how that would make someone like myself rather nervous.”
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to set your mind at ease, Mr. Reed. I know exactly what WIDOW is worth, and it’s not going to come cheap. You’ll find the patents are all in order, so at least I can assure you there won’t be any other buyers to cause you no end of legal battles in the years to come,” once more, Raine withdrew a slipdrive and Mel smoothly delivered it to an SAI secretary that stepped forward.
While the CEO and CFO accessed and inspected the provided documents via their LinQ’s, Thomas Musk pulled himself away from the hologram. He launched into an intensive drilling session, plumbing the depths of Raine’s knowledge on the exact specifications of the engine.
image [https://i.imgur.com/7AF18SZ.png]
“Yes, I understand that. You’ve reiterated several times. What I need to know, is how!” Thomas Musk slammed his hand on the table, shaking the displayed hologram which now depicted WIDOW in several pieces. They had spent the last hour pulling it apart piece by piece, their battery of questions unending.
Raine sighed, shaking his head, “That information is proprietary. If an agreement is settled, I would be more than happy to provide the final pieces of the puzzle. Until then, this is as much as you’re going to get.”
Thomas turned pleading eyes on Marshal Falmaris, whose fingers had been steepled beneath his chin for some time. The CEO’s eyes scanned left and right as he read something displayed from his LinQ. He blinked twice, clearing his vision and pinning Raine with a steely glare, “Honestly, I still don’t want to believe any of this is real. It’s too advanced, and frankly, too perfect. The resources required to create something of this caliber only exist in a few places on Earth, and I’m on the board of directors for every single one of them.”
Raine nodded slowly. He’d known from before the meeting began that the resolution of this very issue would be the crux deciding whether he got what WIDOW was worth, “How much do you know about ZionLine?”
Marshal’s nostrils flared, revealing a depth of frustration that Raine didn’t understand, “What does some game have to do with this?” He sneered the word, causing the whispered conversations of the engineers to grind to a halt.
“Everything,” Raine leaned back, forcing his stiff muscles to loosen, “I designed and created WIDOW in ZionLine. I took full advantage of the game’s time dilation, and its quantum supercomputer core, to achieve the results you’re looking at. Oh, and it’s far from perfect. With a few more months of development, its output and efficiency can increase by roughly sixty percent.”
A pin dropping would have sounded like an explosion in the absolute vacuum of noise that followed his ludicrous statement. Thomas put his hand on Marshal’s arm, “We need this. It’s real. Our deep space infrastructure timetable can move up by ten, possibly fifteen years.”
Marshal’s clamped jaw slowly released over the course of several calming breaths. When he had control of himself enough to speak, his voice was husky with anger, “Very well, Mr. KongRu. We’ll take WIDOW off your hands for eight hundred.”
Raine stood and Mel was quick to withdraw the slipdrive from the conference table as he threw his jacket over his shoulders, “Two point eight.”
“That’s ludicrous!” Spittle flew from the CFO’s mouth. His face turned beet red and veins bulged across his forehead.
“Like I said. I know what she’s worth. If you’re going to throw such a disrespectful number at me again, I’ll have no choice but to go to CronGate. I hate them, and I want nothing more than to see Frontier crush them into cosmic dust, but business is business.”
Marshal raised his hand, forestalling the furious rebuttal at the tip of Donald’s tongue, “One point nine.”
Raine removed his jacket and handed it to Mel before resuming his seat, “Two point five five.”
“Two.”
“Two point five.”
Marshal pinned the CFO with his steely glare, “Can we do two point three?”
“Wha-bu-I can’t justify that kind of expense this quarter! We’ll lose more investors than we’ve made in the last three years!”
“I didn’t ask if it was smart, I asked if it was possible.”
Raine saw right through Marshal’s tactic, and he honestly didn’t care. He would have settled for their first offer if they really pushed him. He could only cheer internally. His poker face was perfection itself while he silently thanked Mel a thousand times in his mind.
“Its… feasible. But I can’t possibly recommend it! This isn’t an acquisition. We’ll have to report the entire expense to R&D. Our financials, let alone cash balance, won’t recover for years.”
“None of that is going to matter when we bring 16 Psyche into orbit ten,” Marshal leaned around Donald to nod at Thomas, “potentially fifteen years ahead of schedule. Mr. KongRu. If you’ll take two point three, we’ll have a deal.”
“I’ll take two point three. But, it has to be through a ZionLine contract.”