Freedom Club (4 page)

“The rabbit and its family prosper somewhat because the land is fertilized and there is now more food growing about. Man on the other hand takes manure and fertilizes a field, growing a crop to harvest for consumption or profit. In an abstract sense the two processes are similar, but clearly we don’t call what the rabbit does a form of technology.”

Shinzou took a stool and leaned back as he began to eat. Looking at the eggs unhappily, he grabbed a peppermill and began heavily covering his food.

“Of course not,” Shinzou said. “It’s a random act that’s just part of the animal’s natural behavior. But man has the intention and ability to farm.”

“Precisely,” Henry exclaimed. “And it therefore seems that this intention, or desire so to speak, is the key differentiator between technology and the natural world. One could say, ahem—” Henry primped himself up in a stately manner. “The will of sentients is the fulcrum of technology’s creation.”

Shinzou remained nonplussed. “Yes, perhaps. And without sentience, all technology stops. But aside from that, it would then follow that man’s technological invention should be more efficient in all cases. I mean, in your example the farmer’s technique wins over the rabbit’s random fertilization.”

“Perhaps on face value. But given time, nature can create things not easily duplicated. We both know biological systems are immensely complex.”

Shinzou took another bite and contemplated Henry’s argument. “Well, that seems right, but I’m uncertain if I can survive further discourse with you on this. Can’t we talk about the news?”

“Oh, yes. I forgot to mention, there was an LS event last night. The Quad in Tempe seems to have gone offline, followed by a rather nasty riot.”

“Henry!” Shinzou protested.

“Well, you were already asleep and I couldn’t just wake you, could I?”

“Get it on the wall here! I can’t believe it!” Shinzou exclaimed.

Punching keys on the table’s laminated surface, the kitchen’s primary display area immediately came to life with several news sources.

Shinzou’s eyes darted around the multilayered images. “Who caused it? Do they have any information?”

Henry calmly floated over to the wall and adjusted the jumble so that the images focused on the mall’s interior. Newscaster voices and sounds of the riot rose, and the room soon filled with the lifelike images of human chaos and mayhem.

“No one has claimed responsibility,” Henry added. “They suspect LS and jabber about the destruction that took place. It’s really just a form of entertainment...as usual.”

Shinzou stood before the wall and contemplated the situation while gently stroking his beard. “Well, if mankind wants to get out of the dark ages, they’ll have to learn something from this.”

Smiling, Henry said, “Yes! Shop early and avoid the hassle.”

Looking over his shoulder, Shinzou frowned. “That’s not funny.”

“You should also check your voicemail,” Henry said. “You had a call from an old friend.”

“Who?”

“Hugo. Not exactly a surprise I might add.”

“Hugo Kosterlitsky?” Shinzou remarked. “Hmm, I wonder if he’s found anything.”

“He claims to have work for you. I surmise that he may have stumbled onto the cause of the outage and needs your help.”

Shinzou went over to the table again and sat down. Picking up his coffee mug, he took a loud sip. He suspected his own hand was the cause of the outage, but it didn’t matter. This is what he lived for. The creation and dissemination of Lebensstörung around the world. He didn’t view LS as good or evil, just a natural process that could help shake man to his senses, awaken him from a materialistic slumber so he could see the world as it really is.

On the other hand, Shinzou also profited handsomely from all the work LS created. It was something of a moral dilemma, but one to which he had become accustomed. It not only let him live a very free and happy life, but funded his work and lifestyle, one in which he shunned many best practices. No lavish video messages, no public calendar, no multimedia resume, no Web addresses, and overall nothing indicating his whereabouts. He referred to this as simplicity, a concept further reinforced by dwelling in remote locations and tech-free enclaves. All together, he remained just beyond the edge of virtual existence. He referred to that as sanity.

“Well?” Henry prodded. “What are we going to do?”

Shinzou looked at Henry and nodded thoughtfully. “I guess I’ll pay Mr. Kosterlitsky a visit. After so long, he probably realized how much he’s missed me.”

After a brief pause, both shared a hearty laugh.

Chapter 2—Surrogate Activity

“It is enough to go through a training program to acquire some petty technical skill, then come to work on time and exert very modest effort needed to hold a job. The only requirements are a moderate amount of intelligence, and most of all, simple OBEDIENCE. If one has those, society takes care of one from cradle to grave.”

—Theodore Kaczynski

“T
akahana Nanites,” Joachim said coolly. “This will be our first acquisition in the nano-medical field.”

Drexel was flabbergasted. As a Sentient Being, he was unaccustomed to the feeling. Bred to be a superior intellect within Chindo Securities, he accepted ideas once they were thoroughly vetted. But this all seemed strange. Takahana Nanites? It was absurd. Still, he had to be careful. Before him sat Joachim, Aleph-Beta’s Chief Finance Sentient. Seemingly his equal, yet something of an enigma. What on earth was he talking about? Clearly, more information was needed.

Drexel furrowed his brow. “I see. Interesting. You realize they’re not doing well. Competition has driven them into a corner, so to speak. I was waiting for one of their peers to make a move.”

Joachim straightened his cufflink. “Obviously we want to take advantage of the situation, but for different reasons. We also intend to inject new capital, which should be welcome considering their options. Our goal is to start with Takahana and create a new base in the nano-medical field, as an implementation of the board’s strategy to move outside publishing and utilize our core strength.”

Gazing back inquisitively, Drexel waited for effect. He knew that Joachim had something more important to unveil, though it was a rather coy elucidation.

“It’s expertise,” Joachim said, while forcefully pounding his fist on the virtual mahogany table. “Expertise creating conglomerations that grow into global leaders. We can and will own any market. It’s our destiny.”

Joachim didn’t shy away from making dramatic statements. But even if his style and delivery were somewhat unusual, Sentients like Drexel held him in high regard. The Aleph-Beta Consortium was a top fifty Chindo Union entity. And Joachim had been heavily responsible for that achievement over the years. His demands had to be met.

Drexel nodded thoughtfully. “Of course, Chindo Securities will assist you with this endeavor. Our people have had comprehensive experience with horizontal investment strategies.”

Joachim paused for a moment and began circulating his hand on the polished conference tabletop. “There is one critical difference this time,” he said cautiously. “I need you to understand that we wish to move indirectly by using Chindo Securities as a front.”

Drexel remained silent. Again the shock of surprise coursed through his mind as deep analytical thinking collided with unpredictable bombshells. Yes, the request was legal but highly unusual for a firm like Aleph-Beta.

“Initially Chindo Securities will acquire them on our behalf. We would, however, purchase from you management rights via a minority stake, along with an option to buy the remaining shares at an agreed time and markup.”

“And if you decide not to exercise the option?” Drexel asked without hesitation.

“Then Chindo can do what it likes with the shares and AB will cover any losses up to thirty percent of the acquisition cost.”

Drexel thought carefully. What Joachim proposed was frowned upon by the antitrust authorities. Still, it seemed possible, given the poor state of Takahana’s market position.

“Hmm, unusual,” Drexel said. “However, the two transactions will add substantial costs. Based on your explanation, I assume that to be irrelevant?”

“Quite,” Joachim agreed. “The important thing is to conceal our foray into this market as long as possible. Discretion is paramount.”

“That’s sensible, given the nature of the media,” Drexel said, as he mentally scheduled a few planning sessions.

“And because of that, we also have a special request regarding teaming,” Joachim added cautiously.

Drexel looked up. “Yes?”

“All information on this must be held closely, moreso than usual. It seems that some of our recent strategic deals have been leaked.”

A look of concern spread over Drexel’s face. “I assure you that our internal affairs department is tightly monitoring all insider activity and communication.”

“I’m afraid that’s not good enough,” Joachim countered. “Our new policy requires distributed workgroups and we want all individuals to be removed permanently after closure.”

Drexel held up a finger inquisitively. “Permanently?” he asked uneasily. “You want them reassigned to other projects?”

Joachim shook his head and grinned. “No. I’m afraid this is going to sound a bit draconian. We require them to be let go. They can’t be allowed any access to internal systems once the deal is done.”

Drexel was silent for a few moments as he considered the last stipulation. It was unheard of, but his Sentient mind wouldn’t express negative thoughts out loud. What was Joachim after? Drexel had over the years experienced many difficult suggestions that in the end had proved doable. But this? It bordered on absurdity.

“Interesting,” Drexel said, folding his hands.

“Before you decide, let me explain that we know the difficulties of this. We will, of course, compensate you for any turnover costs.”

Uncharacteristically, Drexel stood and began pacing before his flexi office window. A panoramic view of Bengaluru with a heavy mix of midday air traffic was on display. Beautiful, but it provided nothing of interest for the Sentient.

“Turnover costs aren’t at issue here,” Drexel finally said. “Normally, we put in our very best people. But if we must let them go, I’m not sure how to proceed. I doubt everyone here will agree.”

“Then do it discreetly,” Joachim urged. “I’m sure you can manage it.”

Drexel considered all possible ideas until something hit him. “Well, we did plan a round of layoffs. Combining these two events could achieve the desired effect.”

Drexel reviewed various scenarios in his mind, imagining in detail how future events would play out. Could this really work? In a flash he worked out a solution, but questions still remained.

“For full coverage of all project members, it might be necessary to lay off a larger group than we intended.”

“As I stated,” Joachim emphasized. “We will cover all turnover expenses and I would advise that you minimize the team size to simplify matters. Use a few medium performers plus one top talent to guarantee that the deal gets done. A solid human peak performer, the kind who typically causes more trouble than anything else. That way you can benefit slightly from the removal of a resource you would have most likely dismissed at some point.”

Drexel considered Joachim’s suggestion. To some degree, the idea seemed possible. His propensity against it began to drop and with a sudden spark of intuition he brought up a screen where he could examine the internal book position on Takahana’s stock. Streams of numbers scrolled before his eyes at inhuman speeds.

Drexel turned toward Joachim and nodded affirmatively. “Strangely, this seems plausible. Our position on Takahana is large enough. I surmise we can reclassify the holding category, and increase it to a controlling share without raising much suspicion. Let’s move forward and discuss later any problems that arise.”

Joachim stood and straightened his jacket. “I look forward to seeing your plans on this.”

With a firm handshake, Joachim faded from view and left Drexel to consider any remaining doubts. However, the more Drexel considered the matter, the more his propensity toward it improved. How strange, he thought, given that it was all rather unexpected.

Still, the resourcing issue vexed him. Again he thought about Joachim’s suggestion, finding a troublesome top talent to dismiss. It really was quite a good idea. The key would be to find just the right person. At first Drexel considered searching globally, but reconsidered. There certainly would be a satisfactory candidate somewhere in India, which held the largest population of employees throughout Chindo Securities.

He just needed to find the perfect sacrificial lamb.

W
hat on earth was taking so long? Sumeet Ramasaraswati sat stewing in his chair. Angry and impatient over the delay, he stood up and began pacing. The meeting was important, but once again his manager Armando was putting it off. Did he even care? Sometimes Sumeet wasn’t entirely sure. But even though marginalized by rank, Sumeet was just as driven to impress Armando as anyone else. Keep up that well-honed image of solid reliability – that’s what they expected at Chindo Securities.

That, and obedience.

Sadly, obedience had been slave-driving him hard over the past few weeks. He had spent countless review sessions with Ivan, his Sentient teammate, going over their analysis and presentation. And even though Sumeet could have done the work alone, such independent effort was a thing of the past. Even though a top IIM graduate, he found all his experience and education still didn’t measure up to that of Ivan, a young Sentient who over the past eight months had amassed knowledge that would take humans years to acquire. A human’s ability to memorize and learn was slow by comparison.

Still, human minds made up for this with originality and conceptual imagination. Skills, it was said, that Sentients lacked. But was that really true? Sometimes that appeared to be only a rationalization to make humans feel better about their marginalized existence, their loss of freedom.

The door finally slid open. Seeing Sumeet patiently waiting outside, Armando Yamamoto dos Santos looked at his watch and gestured for him to enter. Now was his chance, thought Sumeet. About time! Everything was riding on this one. If successful, he would finally get the recognition he deserved. And that would lead only to good things. Or so he hoped.

Armando sat planted squarely in his web chair. Not being the most handsome example of a human, he made up for his slight obesity and poor looks with a vicious sense of humor and a high intelligence. To further balance the scales, he dressed immaculately, wearing the finest wool blend suits, silk ties, and polished leather shoes.

Armando rubbed his face briskly, his way of reentering the non-augmented world. “So what do you have for me today?” he said, stretching his arms toward the ceiling.

“I think we have a winner this time.”

“Really?” Armando chortled. “What was it again? Xin-Ulim, or something like that?”

“This acquisition plan will work,” Sumeet insisted optimistically. “I’ve been working on it for quite some time. You’ll be pleased with our results.”

“Yeah.” Armando yawned and stretched his arms again. Leaning back in his web chair, he casually put his designer shoes on the desk and tapped his intercom. “Divit, could you get me another coffee? Lots of cream this time.”

There, it was happening again. The I’m-bored-let’s-have-a-coffee call to Divit. Not one minute into the meeting and he was losing Armando’s interest. Sumeet realized that he needed to shore things up and fast.

“It’s a very conservative yet profitable yield based on strong cash flows.” Sumeet said, pressing some keys on his side of the table.

A large spreadsheet combined with splashy colored graphs phased into view on the nearby flexi wall. He walked over to it, pointing out one particular column of numbers with his index finger.

“Here, you see?” Sumeet displayed graphs and numbers which reconfigured to emphasize his movement. “These revenue forecasts twenty-seven months out begin to show significant growth.”

Armando looked on silently. “Where’s Ivan?” he asked.

Sumeet stopped momentarily to look over his shoulder. “Oh, sorry. He couldn’t make this time slot. He asked me to go on without him.”

“I see,” Armando said passively.

Looking down at his desk, Armando pushed the market channel and the car magazine sites away. Uncovering a virtual panel of voice links, he jabbed hard with his index finger and produced a deep thump from his flexi desk. “Drexel, do you have some time?”

After a few seconds, Drexel’s avatar appeared near the spreadsheet. He glanced at both men quickly before taking a dimensional glance at the displayed work.

“I do apologize,” Drexel said. “I was detained with some follow-up meetings. Aleph-Beta, one of our more interesting accounts.”