5 The Board

"I think I must've misheard… You didn't say five hundred million credits, did you?!" John asked, his hazel eyes perking up at the mention of such an exuberant amount of money. He sat across from Arthur, both of his pale hands clasped together and resting on the white marble surface of the oval table.

Arthur sat at the head of the table, surrounded by four of his most distinguished and decorated officers. This group of remarkable individuals consisted of all the major stakeholders at Jefferson & Associates, and they, along with Arthur, were responsible for the safety and well-being of a billion and a half civilians.

"You heard that right, Tessa Vanderbelt has agreed to pay Jefferson & Associates five hundred million credits in retaining fees, half up front. In exchange, I've agreed to personally take on her case and find her missing husband," Arthur said, nodding slowly, and swirling the scotch in his glass. He'd had a few drinks earlier in the day, but it was a little past noon now and that meant that he could have another without much risk of getting intoxicated. He took a long swig of his drink, quickly emptying the glass.

He swished the fifty-year-old whiskey around in his mouth, savoring the flavor. It had a smokey-sweet taste that somehow made all of his pain disappear for a single precious moment. He swallowed, and it went down his throat as smoothly as if it had been water. When the heartburn kicked in a moment later, it only confirmed what he already knew. I think I need another…

A faint but constant thumping sound came from his right, as hail and ice pellets the size of his fists slammed against the glass exterior window, dozens at a time. If he had looked out of this very window earlier in the day, he might've had a half-decent view of the bay, instead of the all-encompassing gray he now faced.

A hurricane raged against San Francisco, causing the previously slumbering bay to stir. An endless barrage of waves, hundreds of feet high, and nearly twice as wide bombarded the city relentlessly, flooding the nearby walkways, and submerging the first twenty floors of Arthur's own office building - along with the surrounding buildings closest to the bay - with water. On the inside, however, these lower floors would be completely dry, for the buildings of today - residential and commercial alike - were designed as fortresses able to handle the worst mother nature had to throw at them.

He continued to stare at the angry thundering tempest, and from his peripherals, he could see the coffee in John's mug begin to ripple as the table ahead began to vibrate ever so slightly. It quickly occurred to him that perhaps a megatsunami was perhaps beginning to form. He sighed and turned back to face his colleagues.

"Wow, you've truly outdone yourself this time, Arthur," John said, whistling excitedly. "This one case is going to generate more revenue for Jefferson & Associates than we've had in our entire eight-year history!" He said, stroking his black unkempt beard and laughing. "Wait until I tell Nielson about this, he's going to have a fit!"

John was Arthur's most senior investigator and second-in-command of the police force after Arthur himself. The bulbous man had more experience in policing than everyone in the room combined, and Arthur trusted the man's judgment with his own life… At least with most things.

His old friend wore a cheap-looking burgundy suit, with a yellow button-up shirt and no cravat. It looked like he'd picked up this particular outfit - if one could even call it that - at his local Podwash. John was a truly dependable man, one with plenty of virtues. Unfortunately, a good taste in fashion wasn't one of them.

"Really? That's the first thing that comes to your mind? Gloating to Nielson?" Keller said, shaking his head disapprovingly. The young lanky man sat on the left side of the table, and blessedly, unlike John, he was dressed in a three-piece designer suit. It was auburn, and not exactly easy on the eyes with its strange shifting floral patterns that jumped about the cloth from one place to the next, but at least it was presentable. Somewhat.

Keller ran a caramel-skinned hand through his shaggy patch of black hair and paused for a second. Arthur's lead engineer tended to zone out like that at times, for he always seemed to be thinking about a hundred different things simultaneously. "I always found it peculiar that your favorite ultimate golfing buddy just so happens to be our biggest competitor. Why is that John? You leaking our secrets big man?"

"That's just how the business works kid," John said, chuckling. "You can think of it as a kind of reckon. Nielson likes to brag every time his firm gets another contract, and that makes it easy to find out their next move. I just have to be close to him for long enough, even if that means revealing some of our own plans to the competition. Of course, he is a nasty asshole and always likes to add a 'your city is next' to the end of his boasts, and how his firm is going to stamp ours out of existence. Just wait until I tell him we're the ones coming for his business this time!"

Arthur couldn't help but smile at the thought. Nielson & Harriot have been trying to take San Francisco's policing contract from his team since the day they signed it. It felt refreshing to know that they would be the ones on the offensive this time.

Robotic limbs whirred as Nina approached from the rear and proceeded to fill Arthur's glass with more whiskey, her imposing silver frame shimmering brightly in the white neon light. "Thank you," he whispered to her as she retreated back to the wall, standing guard behind him.

"I see… well in that case gloat away, friend! Maybe that'll teach the bastard to stay in his own state!" Keller said, grinning back at John and adjusting his bowtie. He then turned and made eye contact with Arthur. "Personally, I'm a lot more excited about all the new equipment we'll be acquiring. A new research and development facility perhaps? Or maybe a few thousand engineers?"

"Not to mention, what this unprecedented injection of liquid funds will do to our combat capabilities," Shawn said from the right side of the table. The dark-skinned man was dressed in the green camouflage police uniforms, and towered over everyone in the room, even when seated. He'd fought with Arthur's battalion back during the wars on Europa, and now he led the militarized division of J&A. "This will ensure our men and women downstairs are the best-equipped police force this side of the asteroid belt. We can wipe out organized crime, weed out Exitur scum, and finally take back our slums for good. Amazing work, sir."

"Absolutely. And now we can finally afford to expand," John said, fidgeting in his chair excitedly. "A J&A division in New York has a nice ring to it, or maybe one in Toronto? What do you think, Arthur?"

Arthur nodded. "You're all correct. This is undoubtedly a monumental moment in our firm's history, and perhaps one that will change Jefferson & Associates forever. However, right now, we have some more pressing matters to discuss," he said, sipping on more of his drink.

"Thank you, Arthur," Britney said from his right, her orange-red head of hair tied in intricate braids and into a bun behind her head. She reclined in her chair slightly, sporting a devious smirk on her lips. "You seem to have managed the impossible! You've managed to stop this lot from daydreaming… Look at them, they're practically salivating at the mouth at the first mention of credits. I get it, fellas, we're all going to be richer, even more so than we already are, and perhaps in more ways than one. That's wonderful news, truly, and I'm with you. But let's focus on what's important here, Arthur is personally taking over this case… Did you miss the part about our retired Commander, coming out of retirement?"

"Arthur, is this a joke?" John asked, a shocked unsettling look on his face. "You swore you'd never go out there again… Don't you remember what happened the last time? This could destroy you!"

Arthur emptied his drink and gestured for Nina to bring another. John was right, he'd come dangerously close to the edge the last time he'd come out of retirement, and it had nearly cost him his life. I can't go back to working in the field… What was I thinking? He thought, heart pounding like a drum within his chest. What if this case leads to me having to kill again? Or worse, what if I make a mistake and get one of my officers killed. The thought terrified him. However, he didn't really have much of a choice, especially since his niece Mya's future was on the line. He loosened his tie, straightened his posture, and took a deep breath.

He took another swig of his drink and looked towards Britney. Unlike the rest of his senior investigators, his protege was dressed to impress. She wore an elegant cashmere pant-suit, with a silk button-up blouse underneath. Her outfit was a mixture of blue on white, and designer down to the socks. She met his gaze with round blue eyes that seemed to smile at him, and not mockingly as they did at John and Kel, but reassuringly. It was wonderful to know someone seemed to believe in him, even when he didn't believe in himself.

"I appreciate your concern, Jonathan, but I'm afraid what Britney is saying is true. I'm coming out of retirement. Effective immediately."

"You can't be serious?" John said, grimacing. "Do you realize what you're suggesting? Titanus Industries HQ is on Mars for good's sake. We certainly do not have jurisdiction there...But then again I'm not even sure jurisdictions apply to you, Cap."

"It will have to be a clandestine mission," Arthur said, sighing. "No one can find out."

"To hell with money Arthur we don't need it, we're doing just fine without Tessa's credits!"

"I have my reasons, but I am going through with it, John. I need to know I can depend on you to-"

"Have you gone mad? You need to reconsider! this is propes-"

"That's enough!" Arthur interrupted, his palm open and facing outwards towards John. "I appreciate the concern, old friend, I do, truly. But this topic is not up for discussion. I will be stepping down from my role as Commander of J&A, and focusing my efforts entirely on this one case, effective immediately. John, you will act as Commander in my stead until the Vanderbelt case is resolved. I'm giving you full authority to spend the two hundred and fifty million credit advance we received from Tessa Vanderbelt out as you see fit."

"You have gone mad... This is a mistake, and a monumental one at that…"

"That was an order, acting Commander... Do not take your newfound responsibilities lightly, and approach each decision with the utmost caution. The safety of every man, woman, and child in San Francisco is now in your hands … This meeting is adjourned." Arthur said, cutting John off before he could object any further. John, Keller, and Shawn, all vanished into thin air, along with the chairs on which they sat.

In truth, the three of them were never truly in the room, to begin with. Apparently they'd been too busy to physically attend the meeting, and had instead opted to attend virtually. Arthur's Eye had superimposed them into his field of view, making it appear as if they were all sitting around the same table, when they were physically in completely different locations. He had never gotten used to seeing his colleagues disappearing like that, even though he'd used augmented reality technology thousands of times. They always seemed so real when they conversated with him, and then they just… well, disappeared. The whole experience was more than a little disorienting.

The pounding of ice pellets against the exterior window to his right was slowly subsiding, sunrays beginning to pierce the gloomy gray clouds outside. It would seem that mother nature was done with San Francisco for the day, and blessedly, no megatsunami. He sighed, and reached for his drink, which he'd placed on the white oval table earlier.

Britney snatched the scotch right out of his hand, "That's one too many boss… We can't have you breaking your own rules now can we?" She said, and then proceeded to down it all herself. "Wow, that is phenomenal! I can see why you won't stop drinking it. Hey tin can, I think I need a refill!" She said, gesturing at her empty glass and pointing towards Nina.

Nina reluctantly obliged, her round eyes shining with an orange light, signaling her annoyance with Britney.

"John will fall in line you know, he's just worried about you. We all are," She continued, brushing a loose strand of auburn hair away from her face, and sipping on her drink.

"I know, I know... I just need it to happen sooner rather than later. Last thing I need to worry about is my senior-most officer not doing his job properly."

"You worry too much. He'll be fine, might even surprise you and do the job better than even you could," she said, winking, a pair of tiny dimples appearing on both of her pale, freckled cheeks as she grinned.

He nodded. "That would be a welcome surprise…"

"So what made you decide to come out of retirement?"

Arthur sighed, wishing he could have another drink. "It's complicated Brit."

"Maybe... But I think Tessa had to have offered you something you cannot refuse. And knowing you like I do, it has nothing to do with the money, and everything to do with your family. I do wonder though, what did she offer you?"

"I asked for an open ended favor,"

Britney stared at him blankly for a moment, then she grinned. A satisfied look of recognition painted across her face. "That's bold Arthur. Even for you! But I think it might just work. You're going to change Mya's life!"

What's this? He thought, befuddled. I didn't even mention my niece once... could it be that I'm this transparent? And she couldn't have possibly figured out what I intended to do with that opened favor, could she? This doesn't make any sense… She's gotta be bluffing.

Arthur, however, quickly remembered with whom he was speaking, then smiled. Every single one of his senior investigators had been selected based on merit and merit alone. All of them had prevailed over millions of other potential candidates, enduring his intense and unrelenting scrutiny. That meant that his investigators were like diamonds buried in an ocean of topazes, rubies, and emeralds. The other gemstones were of course very valuable all on themselves, but put them up against the light and they could never measure up to the brilliant shimmering diamonds. His senior investigators were the best of the best, however, even among diamonds, there was always one that shined the brightest. And she was drinking all of his whiskey. He grinned.

"I've decided. You're going to be my second on the Vanderbelt case."

"Honestly, I'm a little insulted it took you this long to reach such an obvious conclusion. Clearly, I'm the one best suited to this task," Britney said, finishing her whiskey and standing up from her seat. "We've wasted enough time, Arthur. Let's go find Vanderbelt!"