This was becoming a challenging moment for Ethan. The experience was proving to be a lot more captivating than he expected. It turned out his character too was turning 50. although his birthday would go largely unnoticed.
It was morning, and he was preparing for work. Taking a closer look in the mirror, he noticed his character didn’t look much like him at all. He was physically older than Dually had him back home. His hair was darker, almost black, with a sprinkling of white throughout.
He looked much more cunning. Sharper somehow, and he liked that. It reminded him of something that he knew lived in him. This experience was giving him the opportunity to explore some characteristics of himself that were difficult to express in the new world. He liked that a lot.
He felt like he was on top of the world, and in many ways he was. Living in an apartment where he looked over everything. Now in control of StarForce, Whitehead had never tied anyone so close to him before. It was a place of prestige, and there was responsibility here too. If the reactors go up, Whitehead rules the world. If something goes wrong and the reactors stay on the ground, Whitehead would lose everything to Zhang.
Ethan knew this. He also knew Whitehead made it sound like token position, but nothing was further from the truth. Whitehead expected expertise in the execution of this project. Any attention placed on it would disappoint him. Ethan knew was a life and death position placed him in. If he failed, Whitehead would not forgive him.
When these thoughts filled his head his focus quickly shifted from admiring himself in the mirror, to getting to work. He took his private elevator to the floor below, where he had a bit of a war room himself. It wasn’t a lot different to Eldon’s. He had limited but enough access to AI system, and the only other person in the room was his personal assistant Dawn.
It was a good thing Dawn was comfortable being around him, because they didn’t talk a lot, beyond a little morning chat. Ethan had his thing going on with AI where he’d perform discovery, issue orders, and then it would set an entire campaign in motion by communicating with trusted services required to produce the desired result. It was all done over the internet on a very secure network. Dawn was then placed in charge of any broken links where human intervention was required. It seldom happened, but she was there to fix things when needed. They seldom spoke directly to each other. They spoke through AI.
‘Morning’, Ethan said upon entering. ‘ Coming to the party tonight?’
‘Good morning, and no. Not invited. Fine by me.’
‘I know what you mean. I hate these parties.’
That statement caused Dawn to take a little more interest in the conversation. ‘You? You love these parties. Always working the room. Getting all the right people to do this and that for you. Party’s are your thing.’
Ethan reflected for a moment. ‘Yeah, I guess they are. I am pretty good at working a party aren’t I’. Cunning fucker that he was.
‘Well, if I’m to believe all the bragging’.
‘Hmph!’ Ethan thought when he sat down in his office. ‘This is me. This whole thing right here is me. Making things happen. Working people. Gaining respect no other man gets when he walks into a room, except for Dawn. I couldn’t be happier right now’.
He started to compare his life right now. On the one hand, he was in a simulation, and although he had yet to study anything about the actual singularity, he knew enough to know he would lose from where he sat. He knew that much.
He also knew he couldn’t fuck things up too much as a character. His influence might change a few things in history along the way, but never effect the final outcome. That kind of absolved him of any real responsibility. Whatever he does in character will not change anything in the end.
‘Hmph’, he thought to himself. ‘Why not enjoy this moment at least for a little while? See how far I can take it. That’s my challenge down here. Pit my intelligence, and cunning against anything that comes my way. Come out the survivor.
‘I suppose I could get killed,’ he remembered. Something might fuck up and Whitehead kills me, or we both end up in front of a firing squad, but where would the fun be if there wasn’t the risk. No, I can beat this world. That’s why I’m here. I’m here to take over’.
‘Why not’? He thought to himself. ‘Let’s kick the shit out of the world one last time’.
‘Wait! What? What the fuck was that? One last time. What does that mean?’ He searched his mind for what that could mean, but he could think of nothing. There was no memory to explain that thought.
‘Fuck it,’ he thought. ‘This is only a simulation. No harm, no foul. I’m doing this. My first challenge is getting those nuclear reactors into space. We’ll figure out what happens next along the way.
‘Computer,’ he said. ‘Refresh me on StarForce status. Identify possible conflict regarding upcoming reactor placement. Identify associated key players and any dirt you can find on them. If anyone comes up clean, find a way to dirty them’. Oh yeah. This is what he was missing from his life.
Eldon’s birthday party was something. It started at 7:00 PM sharp, and everyone seemed to get the message to be there on time. There were upwards of a thousand people milling around on Eldon’s entertainment floor. All were in elegant formal wear. All were paying homage to Eldon who sat on a dais in a chair that looked remarkably like a throne.
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Shortly after seven, Eldon began opening his presents. They were stacked around him like he was Santa Claus.
Ethan made his way to the front of the crowd.
‘There’s so many gifts,’ Eldon laughed. ‘Perhaps we’ll just open a few. We’ll miss our supper if I open all of them’.
Everyone laughed.
The first gift he was handed, was in a small gift box. When he opened he found a set of keys.
‘Why Daniel,’ he joked. ‘You’re giving me your car?’
Daniel ran Eldon’s hydrogen car subsidiary, ‘Wave’. ‘Oh no’, he exclaimed happily. I’m giving you the keys to your new 1929 Rolls Royce Phantom II replica, made specially for you by the people down at the shop. On there own time I might add’, he quipped.
Everyone laughed again, including Eldon this time. The vehicle appeared on huge monitors throughout the floor, and everyone clapped. ‘My most favorite car ever. Thank you Daniel. And thank the boys down at the shop too’. Daniel bowed in respect, while everyone applauded.
The next gift was Ethan’s, who started subconsciously backing up a little. He didn’t see how an egg could compete with a Rolls Royce.
They handed Eldon his gift, and Ethan looked down at the floor. That was the best way he could figure out how to hide.
‘Ah, something from Ethan,’ Eldon said, looking around. ‘Ethan? Where are you?’
Ethan inched forward and waved.
‘Another box,’ Eldon said. Ethan’s was a bigger, rectangular box; much more ornate than the one Daniel presented the keys in. ‘This looks interesting. Ethan has just taken over StarForce the jewel crown of my operations, by the way.’
Everyone applauded. If it’s anything like Daniel’s gift, there’s probably a satellite in here’.
Everyone laughed.
Eldon opened the lid that was attached to the box. ‘Oh my,’ he exclaimed, held by what he was seeing. For a full minute he sat starring at what was in the box. ‘’The Imperial Coronation,’ he said finally. ‘The one they said I would never get’.
He looked over to Ethan. ‘How?’
Ethan just shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea how he got the fucking thing.
Eldon set the box down, and gestured a come hither with his hand. Immediately the entire crowd found themselves between security and Eldon. Two men walked up to him, listened to a few instructions, nodded and very carefully picked up the box. Flanked by heavily armed security guards, they removed themselves and the box from the party.
‘Well,’ Eldon said rising. ‘It’s going to be hard to top that gift, so it might be a good time to eat,’ he said waving to a banquet setup across the great hall. ‘’I think I hear a few belly’s rumbling’. He gestured for Ethan to come to him. ‘I want you to sit to the right of me’.
From there on, things became magical for Ethan. People almost groveled at his feet after they saw him sitting next to Eldon. Fuck he loved that. He schmoozed too. Got a few key pieces in place for the upcoming reactor liftoff. Drank a lot. Found there was some cocaine to be had if you found yourself in the right crowd. The work for the evening was done. It was time to let loose.
He stood watching the crowd, a little bleary eyed after doing a couple of lines of Coke. He didn’t notice the man who sidled up to him. ‘I see you’re in total ass kissing mode now’, the man said.
Ethan looked over, and saw a short Chinese man dressed in Hawaiian shorts and shirt, and wearing a pair of flip flops. He had a big smile on his face and was holding a huge party drink, complete with an umbrella. ‘Jimmy, you little sleaze bag,’ he said, happy to see him. Exactly the right person to have with you once you achieved full party mode. ‘Good to see you dressed up for the occasion’.
‘I like to make the effort,’ Jimmy replied. ‘So what’s going on? You’re running StarForce now?’
‘Who else?’
‘Yeah, I guess,’ he replied. Ethan could see he felt there were better candidates. Himself for one. ‘I saw you talking to the governor there. Get everything smoothed over?’
Ethan knew at the level he was playing, no one ever stopped fighting. Jimmy Wang could be at least be considered a friendly ally, but he wanted something too, and there wasn’t a lot he wouldn’t do to get it. Even to a friend.
Ethan decided to yank his leash and get him to heel. ‘I have things exactly where they should be. How about that?’
‘Ah come on,’ Jimmy said with smiling eyes. ‘No need to get defensive. We’re just talking. It’s not like I want to take StarForce from you, if that’s what you think. Is that what you think? Fuck that. I have way bigger things going on with Eldon than StarForce. Running StarForce is a shit job compared to what I’m doing’.
‘Well, it’s good to hear Eldon could find something you can do’.
‘Fuck you!’ Jimmy said turning, and not feeling the conversation went any worse than most of his, farted and walked away.
‘That dick!’. Ethan thought. He found himself standing in the middle of one of the smelliest, lingeringest, disgusting farts he had ever smelled. People were starting to glance at him and move away. ‘Typical Jimmy,’ he thought. I’m going to get that prick.’
At abruptly 10:00 PM the guests left the party. Not because they we’re tired and wanted to get home, but because they were told to leave. The moment they were gone, the entire mood of the party changed with new lighting and music and dozen of women, some very young and none looking to be over twenty started making their way through the room.
‘Now the real party begins,’ Jimmy, who had sidled up to Ethan again, said. He was looking excitedly at all the young women. There were about 20 other guys there. They were all people Ethan came across in his work and was friendly with.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Eldon.
‘You didn’t think I’d forget it was your birthday too, did you?’ he asked smiling at Ethan. ‘This is for you my friend. Happy birthday’. With that and a wink, Eldon turned and left the room.
Ethan looked over the scene. Jimmy was already trying to build a human pyramid. He smiled. ‘How appropriate,’ he thought. ‘The spoils of war’. He started looking the girls over, because that’s all they were was girls, and found one hiding in a corner wearing a see through teddy and trying to cover herself with her hands and forearms.