Link to article: Hour Zero 4.
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[[include :scp-wiki:component:toggle-sidebar]] [[include :scp-wiki:theme:mcd]] [[module CSS]] hr { border-top: 1px solid purple; background-color: transparent; } [[/module]] [[div class="date"]] @@ @@ ------ [[=]] **[[size larger]][[[everchase|DEATH PYRAMID, Eurtec]]][[/size]]** **T-Plus Two Days** [[/=]] ------ @@ @@ [[/div]] [[==]] It was already late at night when Robert Carter arrived at the topmost floor of House Darke's DEATH PYRAMID. That time of the day, even the City that Never Slept could already feel its iridescent neons flicker out of existence, waving one final goodbye to its semi-human population. But Robert Carter wasn't like the parahuman junkies that wandered the endless streets of Eurtec below. He never slept. Not when he had business to conduct. As much as Carter had to admit that the DEATH PYRAMID served its purpose -- that being reminding Eurtec's population of MC&D's hegemony whilst still acting as the safe haven that was the //de facto// operational center of the Company's three main CEOs -- rather well, actually getting around the damn thing was a bitch. The fact half of its elevators employed techno-liches as their wardens didn't help. It really was a shame, he thought, that neither of the people he was supposed to be meeting tonight would take any of these arguments as an excuse. He shook his head. It was of no use giving it any thought, he figured. It wasn't like he could actually do anything about it, anyway: the pyramid was as stagnant as it was safe, and the irrilite frame that held that horrible mass of ancient blackstone together under a modern glass front ensured both of these qualities remained just as conservative as those that most often frequented its halls. Either way, he wasn't there tonight to really discuss that (not that he ever would want to, anyway). Tonight, he was there to do the only thing he ever feared: facing his own boss. With a quick glance to make sure his tie was set right, he sighed and walked through the heavy doors before him. What hit him first was just how terribly quiet Marshall, Carter, and Dark's center of operation was. On most days, the whole thing would generally be empty; there'd be no Skitter Marshall nervously sitting on a red sofa, trying his very best to hide his anxiety by sipping whatever drink his fragile little hands held. Similarly, there'd be no Iris Dark standing in her long, black dress near the room's windows, either. And were they indeed there, by now the whole place would be filled with the heir of House Darke berating her hesitant equal for whatever banal task he had fucked up that day. Tonight, though, nobody as much as uttered a word. Skitter just gave Robert a quick glance, almost immediately returning to staring at his drink as if it was the most interesting thing he could possibly ever imagine. Iris didn't even look at him, instead choosing to continue to observe the repugnantly high city before her. If not for the repulsion plaguing her brown eyes, he could almost see Eurtec's reflection in them. "You're late," she suddenly said, almost silent in her expression. "Well." Carter cleared his throat. "Apologies for that, to both of you. The meeting with Mr. Musk didn't go quite as planned, you see." He nervously scratched his head. "The man just could not comprehend we no longer had any of those shitty '90s Prometheus parts of rockets for sale, and the whole Vanguard thi--" "Sit." Once again, her voice was flatter than Carter's hairline. With one of her hands, she pointed toward's the sofa Skitter was already occupying. Her other remained focused on playing around with the glass that sat within it. She still did not stop looking beyond the horizon. Involuntarily, Carter swallowed, obeying the command. "In the coming days," she began, her words very careful and deliberate, yet still not bereft of the almost characteristic smug satisfaction, "you will be approached by the media, asking you to give a couple of words about the ongoing situation. I hope I do not need to tell you to avoid them like fire." Skitter and Robert exchanged a quick look, but still nodded in understanding. Iris continued: "Until you receive new orders, you are to remain inside the pyramid and operate remotely from within your chambers. I will personally ensure that any necessities you might request will be met as well as possible." She paused, then snapped her fingers at Skitter. "You -- prepare the [[[scp-pl-273|Fleet]]]. Make sure every captain knows to remain on standby until I say otherwise. Is that clear?" Again, Skitter nodded. Without turning her head, her hand pointed at Robert: "As for you--" He shook his head. "With all due respect, Iris, I know how to downsize a company without you needing to put me in a goddamn zoo. I'm not a kid." She scoffed, brief amusement in her tone. If it wasn't for the fact neither of the three CEOs of MC&D could physically suffer such a fate, Robert was sure that by now, Skitter would have already suffered a heart attack. "'Downsizing'? I do not recall making such a request." For just a moment, the corners of her mouth went up, a flash of anger going right through her eyes. "We have both seen what happens when we allow //you// two to run things independently. So far we have followed the mistakes of our predecessors and I will not have another [[[lte-1998-burnout-blaecca-parallax|Train fiasco]]] on my head, wasting more of our precious time dealing with the Court. Therefore, there shall be nothing of the sort today." She put careful emphasis on the final words. This time, he was the one to scoff. "Look, I don't know if you've noticed, but things have changed. I have no idea how you expect me to maintain a monopoly on goods that will be very public, //very soon//, but--" She narrowed her eyes. "Carter, I do not expect you to do the impossible. I expect you to do the very bare minimum -- to listen to what I say. If you weren't a legal equal, I'm sure you understand this idiocy would have already gotten you fired." He rubbed his eyes, and stood up. "Jesus Christ, then what am I supposed to do? Are you genuinely going to try to maintain this? Our model? In //this world//? Please." He sighed. "Don't be ridiculous. We've had our ride, and we did the best we possibly ever could. Liquidate our assets while we still can. How much was it, the last time I checked? Over three trillion? How can you //possibly// say no to--" "Two-dimensional. [[[money-game|Just like your father]]]," she said, almost unnoticeable sparks of repulsion going through her eyes. "It is clear that you do not have--" "Then what the hell am I supposed to do, huh? Just wait and pray that our stocks don't magically go belly up?" he shouted just a few milliseconds too early to realize what he had done. "You are to __SIT__ here, until __//I//__ say otherwise!" Her sudden rage echoed through the room, forcing Carter to sit back down and inducing Marshall with blood pressure equivalent to that of an Olympic sprinter. She cleared her throat, and continued: "You do not seem to understand. The market is not rotting. It is in shock, and will remain in it for the foreseeable future. It will take the quickest and most skilled men to collect its ripe harvest." She snapped her fingers again. "Skitter. What is the company with the highest net worth as of yesterday, us obviously notwithstanding?" "A-Apple, Iris," he stuttered out. "The second?" "Microsoft?" "The third?" "Amaz--" "Yes. Exactly. What do //they// have that we do not have? Is it money?" She smiled, no happiness present in the gesture. "No. In that regard, we still remain on top. Is it people? I sincerely doubt any of these firms employ the kinds of men we do. Then perhaps is it the technology?" She scoffed and paused. "Do you two see what I am trying to say, here?" Neither of them responded. "The fact that the Veil is no longer a feature is not an issue, gentlemen. It is an //opportunity//. The largest one we have ever seen. And I will not just let you throw it away." She tightened her grip on the glass. Only now did Carter realize he never cared to look at what was inside of it. He narrowed his eyes. It was [[[scp-5579|boba roe]]]. "What... What is your plan, then?" he carefully began, just as carefully avoiding eye contact with the woman before him. "Take as much as we can, as fast as we can. The media is all focused on Veilfall anyway. We can afford to drop the Good Samaritan facade for a few weeks." Her smirk grew wider. "We will first begin with social media. That one is obvious. I've heard that the owner of Void is a particularly talkable little fellow. Then, paratechnology. The people will want it, and [[[ties-that-bind|Anderson is already in our pocket]]]." Robert looked her dead in the eyes. "And then?" Iris smiled again, and for the first time that evening turned towards the two men present, revealing her tall posture in its entirety. She looked both of them deep in the eyes, chuckled briefly, and chugged down the drink, consuming all of its insides in a single movement. She made sure to show them that she very much enjoyed it. When she opened her eyes again, they were no longer brown; they were deep black with greed. **//[/hour-zero/offset/4 "And then, perhaps, the whole world."]//** [[/==]] @@ @@