Ajax nodded to Amaranth. "Ready?"
"I was born ready!" she said playfully.
"Right. Let's do this!" Ajax said, straightening his uniform. "I could do without the nervous…"
The double doors in front of him swung open on silent motors, and Ajax began advancing down the hallway to where another set of double doors was opening. On either side, there were fish tanks with sharks in them.
Ajax ignored the sharks in the fish tanks, preferring to focus on the metaphorical sharks on the other side of the double doors.
There, arrayed in a slightly curved line facing towards him, were five shark investors. If all went well, he'd be a million dollars richer for a year while he took time off from the company to thoroughly investigate the idea of a factory. To be honest, he wasn't sure it would work.
The sharks in question looked up in polite interest at him as he came to a stop in front of them.
"Hello all, my name is Ajax, and I'm looking for a million dollars in exchange for fifty percent stake in my company." There. He'd said it.
Every shark looked at him with sharpened interest. Nobody had ever straight up asked for a million dollars right out the gate.
"I've been producing, in very limited amounts, a neural interface designed to augment reality or pitch it aside completely."
"And what sort of sales do you have on this neural interface?" Damond asked.
"About half a million." Ajax answered, suddenly feeling small. "They've been going for about a hundred and fifty per unit."
"Why the limited amounts?" Barbara asked. "Can you demonstrate it?"
"I do have demonstration units here." Ajax said. "As for the production, I can make one every two days. I'm about to break a bunch of rules here…" at the look the sharks were giving him, he asked "Do you believe in magic?"
"I'm out." Damond said, sitting back suddenly. "You had me on the line until you asked that question."
"I'm out too." Cuban said, sitting back as well. "For the same reason as Damond over here."
Kevin O'Leary also sat back. "I'm out."
"Is there any way to entice you back in?" Ajax asked, panicking slightly.
"Proving magic is real?" Damond asked. "That's about all you can do at this point -thank you." his last words had been directed to Amaranth, who had just finished handing out the neural interfaces.
"A pair of sunglasses?" Barbara asked. "You're asking a lot here, and I'm not seeing much yet. I'm almost out."
"I didn't try to go for a flashy package." Ajax replied. "The idea started when I modified my safety glasses. It was a bit crude, but it got the job done, tactically speaking. With it, I was able to crack enemy encryption codes, obtain schematics on the fly, and electronically jimmy the locks on a cell I found myself in once. My squad mates thought it was cool, what I'd been doing, and asked about my secret. I told them about what I'd done to my glasses, and they helped me refine it."
"It doesn't work." Barbara replied, slipping them back off.
"Course not." Ajax replied. "It's designed to not activate without someone actually turning it on."
"Okay, how do I turn it on?" Barbara asked.
"You see that oval shaped thing on the left arm? While you've got them on, press the oval." Ajax instructed. "The original model scraped by, but these are designed to do anything you can think of."
"So, I could have a threesome with hot chicks, and it'd be all because of this?" Damond asked.
Ajax shrugged. "You could do anything you want. The interface links up with your brain, and simulates muscle action, the senses, everything. You could even consciously order up a shot of adrenaline if you wanted."
"So," Kevin Harrington asked "this thing jacks into my brain. Am I right?"
"Yes, but not as crudely as you put it." Ajax replied.
"And what's this got to do with magic?" Cuban asked. "I don't see any magic here."
"Of course not. Magic is kept secret." Ajax replied. "Nevertheless, modern technology is not currently capable of doing what my interface can do…at least, not without serious side affects."
"And speaking of side affects, what can I expect from using this thing?" Damond asked. "I'm sorry, but anything that jacks into my mind is something I'm very concerned about."
"You'd get more harmful affects from sitting on your computer all day." Ajax replied. "You could actually use this as a workout device, simply slip full bore into a fantasy, and with the stimulation of the interface, your muscles will actually think they're getting a workout." Ajax said. "I know the people where I work like to use it as a training device, since it can even simulate pain if the situation seems to call for it."
"So, tell me something." Barbara said, sitting back. "If you used magic to create these, and magic is kept secret, presumably from those of us who can't do magic, then why come to us, since we aren't 'in the know', so to speak?"
"Plausible deniability." Ajax replied. "The non-magical world is advancing at a far faster rate than the magical world. We've lived entirely in secrecy for so long that we could break every law in existence during a crisis, and so long as nobody remembers us afterwards, we've got no problems. We've been working to correct our legal system, but the secrecy remains paramount. That's why some of our brethren in Britain contacted someone by the name of…Rowking? Routing? Rowling! That's it. J. K Rowling, supposedly the author of the Harry Potter series. In reality, it's a biography. The whole thing was authorized as an attempt to shore up the secrecy, but that's just a band-aid on a major artery. I requested, and received, permission to create these interfaces for all of humanity, magical or not."
"I don't get it." O'Leary replied. "You're trying to hide, so you make these?"
"Yes." Ajax replied. "If people wearing these were to see me doing magic, they would put it down to some mild fantasy that they've got running, and would be unlikely to bring the non-magical world down around our ears."
"That's why you hide? You're worried about the rest of us attacking you?" Barbara asked.
"Salem." Ajax replied dully. "Anybody know the name of that town, and what happened there?"
"The Salem witch trials!" Barbara replied. "Of course. After that, your people must have decided it was better to live in hiding."
"Pretty much." Ajax replied, nodding.
"So, what all can happen with these things?" Cuban asked, waving at the interface he was holding.
"You can do pretty much anything in your dreams." Ajax replied. "While still providing a workout, depending on the fantasy in question. You can, in real life, jack into lines of communication, calculate almost anything with ease, analyze your environment with whatever filters you choose, and even pick up languages on the fly."
"So, why do you need a million dollars?" O'Leary asked.
"Because my current process takes two days a unit, and-" Ajax was cut off by Barbara at that point.
"You're taking two days a unit, and only selling them for a hundred and fifty dollars a piece? Shouldn't the price be a bit higher, maybe in the one thousand five hundred range?"
"No." Ajax said firmly. "It should not."
"Why?" O'Leary challenged. "Why shouldn't they go higher?"
"The secrecy." Ajax replied smugly. "I need this to get out to as many people as possible. Back to why I need the million, it's because I don't have a factory. It was hard enough, designing a magical item that won't fry non-magical equipment, cars, radios, computers and the like. Getting a factory that can churn these babies out wasn't a concern until the AMA approached me about it. We have a branch of police dedicated to making non-magical people forget they ever saw us, kinda like…Law and Order: Obliviation Unit."
"Oblivitation Unit?" Damond said.
"Obliviation Unit." Ajax corrected. "They make you forget you ever saw us, and spin a believable story in the removed memory's place. The problem is that with the advancements of science VS magic, we are being uncovered more and more, the Obliviator squads are increasing in number, and it will achieve critical mass one day. This is designed to prevent that. I want the number of people becoming full-time Obliviators going down, so that the rest of our occupations can flourish again."
"So, even if one or more of us inks a deal with you, we won't remember any of this happening?" Damond asked. "It concerns me that there are people out there who can strip away my memories with little more than an adebracadebra."
"It concerns me too, Damond. I don't like it any more than you do, and it's a crime to wipe my memories. My ass is protected, but that's not good enough. I need the million so I can spend one year examining options related to a factory that could manufacture these quickly enough to match the demand." Ajax replied. "And no, provided you swear you won't tell a soul what happened here, you won't loose your memories of this day, and of course, I'll need to take all the footage of the interview."
"That'll never happen until you are close to full saturation." Robert said seriously, taking off the interface. "I've been running the numbers with the help of this wonderful little device, and with the price, capabilities, and demand, you'll never come close. TV companies will want to kill you of course, as well as the entertainment industry in general. You are about to revolutionize life as we know it, simply by trying to hide your people." He paused for a moment. "To be honest, I want in."
"You know the price." Ajax replied quietly. "The problem is this: If, and that's a big if, I can't build a factory for these, it will be quite some time before I'm able to pay back the million before you start gaining profit."
"You truly are naive." Barbara marveled. "You came in here, with a wonderful product, then pitched an absurd deal, and now you're trying to scare us off? What gives? Do you not want the money all of a sudden?"
"Nothing so noble." Ajax said. "I just don't want to dash someone's hopes and dreams when the idea of a factory gets nixed and I end up forced to continue by hand. Maybe a bit more like I'm trying to keep my hind end covered enough that I don't get sued entirely. One way or another, whoever signs with me will get their million dollars back, with interest and then profit. It's just a question of how quickly it comes back."
"I'll go for the million dollars and fifty percent, if Robert comes in with me." Barbara said at last. "That's half a million each, and twenty-five percent each."
"I'll do it." Robert said. "I was almost sold as it was, this just clinches it."
"I'll take that offer." Ajax said, after several moments of thinking. "It's been a pleasure."
Barbara and Robert each shook hands with him, before returning to their seats.
"Now, for the last item of business." Ajax said seriously. There was a slight frown evident on his face. "I need a promise from each of you that the things you learned today as concerns magic, does not leave this room. I can help you forget, if you want, or you can swear not to say anything about it, or you can choose neither, and I'll be forced by the Secrecy Order to Obliviate you." He began to pull out his wand.
"I promise not to say anything about magic." Barbara said. "is the honor system enough?"
"Not by the strict view of magical law, but it will work for me."
"I too, promise not to say anything about magic." Robert said.
Ajax nodded in acceptance.
"I promise I won't say anything about magic." Damond said.
"I won't say anything about magic." O'Leary said.
"Guess that leave's me, huh?" Cuban asked.
Ajax had his wand out and ready to use should Cuban decide to refuse.
The shark sighed. "Fine. I promise I won't say anything about magic. Satisfied?"
"So long as it's on your honor as a businessman." Ajax replied, tucking his wand away. "Then yes, I'm satisfied. I would like to have the footage of this interview done up like it would have been if it was actually going to air, but I'll understand if you don't want that done. It's been a pleasure."
So saying, he handed Barbara and Robert a business card printed on parchment, and exited the tank.
One Year Later:
Ajax had finished construction of his new factory. The machines were really rather efficient in their work, able to accurately inscribe runes where they wouldn't be seen, and moving to the next one within the span of a few minutes. It had been all Ajax could do to get one set done every two days, these did one in under four minutes.
The contact fields were done up special, as the machines couldn't seem to deal with it, the gel being minorly magical, so Ajax had hired a few werewolves like Remus Lupin for the job. When the full moon wasn't showing, they were decent men, honest and easy to get along with, and when the full moon was up, Ajax had a full moon team to work the dipping station, while a few people, like himself, were charging the runes.
It was demanding work, but the factory had been paid for out of the million dollars, loaned him by Barbara and Robert, and over half of it, having not been touched to begin with, was already paid back.
As they each had twenty-five percent stake in the company, Ajax had control over the company, and had put them to work exercising their contacts so as to optimize distribution. He was also selling the neural interfaces in the magical districts, hawking them as the solution to the secrecy problem.
By the end of the second year, the loan had been completely paid off, and the three partners were making money from the company, and everything seemed well. Disaster struck however, twenty years later, when a considerably large group of non-magical people realized that magic actually did exist, and became fearful of what magic users could do to them. Fear led to hate, but this time, it was the non-magical people who went into hiding, eventually dying out in fear while the rest of the mundane society lived peacefully with the arcane.
Of course, when the Secrecy dissolved, the promises made by five sharks were lifted, as there was no longer any reason for them to keep quiet about it.
It was with a happy smile that Ajax entered the moonpool on the night of the blue moon. Death had a retirement spot reserved for himself and Amaranth, waiting for their eventual arrival. One day, they would be sent back to Earth to deal with the darkness, but for now, Ajax and Amaranth would rest in peace, traces of their blood staining the sand next to the moonpool.